Guyana Times International 14-June-2019

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‘Probe stalled’ WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019

ISSUE NO. 453

…Ramjattan says no solid evidence to extradite Charrandas Persaud See story on page 3

Jagdeo rubbishes “fake poll”

…challenges President to “call the elections if you are so popular”

“Exciting time to be in Guyana”

Page 7

…US Envoy says as country prepares for first oil

NY Assembly votes to permit driver's licences for undocumented immigrants Page 8

Guyanese observe Indian Arrival Day in New York

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NEWS 3

WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

‘Probe stalled’

…Ramjattan says no solid evidence to extradite Charrandas Persaud

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he probe into the bribery allegations and movement of gold against former Alliance For Change Member of Parliament Charrandass Persaud is at a standstill as investigators have not obtained substantial evidence in the matter. This disclosure was made by Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan on Wednesday, when he told reporters that the police have failed to obtain a statement from Persaud and there is not enough evidence for him to be extradited to Guyana.

“Charrandass left and the investigators were supposed to; I think ask him some questions and they’re not getting him.

Whatever was the status for the past couple of months, it is just stuck there,” Ramjattan said.

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

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

All of that will be technical legal

issues,” he said.

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

Questioned further on whether the Police will consid-

er using a diplomatic channel to get in contact with the former MP, Ramjattan said he doubts that will be the case “For Canada, you have to have evidence of a crime being committed before you can bring back somebody. Solid evidence of a crime especially against a citizen of Canada. I don’t know if we have managed to accumulate that,” the Security Minister said.

The investigation was launched in January after a report was made of a plan by Charrandas Persaud to purchase gold. A number of gold miners have since been questioned by police as part of an ongoing probe into the bribery allegations.

Police say Persaud was in talks with players of the gold industry to purchase a large quality of gold…almost US$1M. At least one gold dealer was reportedly asked to provide a statement. Despite speculations by the PPP and some members of the public that the investiga-

tion was “politically motivated” and launched as a result of directions by the Public Security Minister, Police Commissioner Leslie James has maintained that he was not instructed to do so.

“Something was brought to my attention by the minister and based on that, an investigation ensued. I don’t receive instructions…political instructions. I must make that very clear,” James stated.

Persaud, who is also a Canadian citizen, sided with the opposition and voted for the motion which was declared passed by House Speaker Dr Barton Scotland, resulting in the toppling of the Government on December 21 last. He flew to Canada hours after where he remains to date.

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

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WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

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EDITORIAL

Politics and the Amaila Project

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he issue regarding the constant power outages across Guyana and their huge negative impact on both individuals and businesses is once again dominating the headlines. In spite of assurances from the power company’s new Chief Executive Officer that blackouts would be a thing of the past, over the past couple of days, prolonged periods of blackout have actually increased across the country.

Consumers have written several letters to this newspaper, expressing their disgust over the present situation; it’s as if they have reached breaking point. At the moment, the problem seems insurmountable for the Government to deal with, and it looks as if Guyanese will have to wait much longer before they could benefit from reliable electricity supply.

So far, we have seen the politicians blaming each other for the present crisis.

As expected, no government would take responsibility for the current mess we are in. The reality is that Guyana is on the cusp of becoming an oil producing country, and certainly something must be done urgently to fix the problem once and for all. Investors, manufacturers and others would not be attracted to come to Guyana and do business if the present situation as it relates to electricity supply continues.

It is clear that both businesses and private individuals are dissatisfied with the service being provided by the power company, especially since the cost they are paying for such service has not decreased; in fact, it has increased over the past few years, even though Government has been saving millions of dollars due to declining oil prices on the world market.

It would serve the APNU/AFC Government no good if it continues to cast blame on the previous government for the present power woes; in fact, citizens are looking to them (present Government), as they are in power, to come up with solutions to the problem.

Currently, it is still not clear as to what steps are being taken to bring a lasting solution to the power woes the country has been experiencing; in fact, Government officials have been giving one excuse after the other, which does not help in any way. Some experts believe that there is a manifest lack of short- and long-term solutions to address the company’s inefficiency.

We had stated before that Guyana could have been in a better position regarding an affordable, reliable supply of electricity if there were bipartisan support for the Amaila Falls Hydro Power (AFHP) project, which would have been in the system from 2017.

However, the project was scrapped by the APNU/AFC parties, who had controlled the National Assembly by a one-seat majority at the time.

The Amaila project was seen by many experts as far more stable and reliable than any of the renewable energy projects being pursued by this present Government. Amaila was expected to deliver a steady source of clean, renewable energy, and was envisioned to meet approximately 90 per cent of Guyana’s domestic energy needs while removing dependency on fossil fuels. The Electric Plant was proposed to be a 165MW (installed capacity) hydropower generation facility located in west-central Guyana, approximately 250 kilometres southwest of Georgetown.

In addition, it would have improved Guyana’s balance of payments’ position by significantly reducing the importation of fuel, significantly reducing end-user costs for electricity, and improving reliability of energy supply and generation of clean energy; which would help to encourage economic growth and development by improving regional competitiveness, Private Sector investment, and Foreign Direct Investment.

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

It is very unfortunate that the entire populace now has to suffer because political interest was placed above national interest.

Perhaps this is one area in which the Government could adopt a bipartisan approach; meaning, seeking the involvement of the Opposition towards finding a lasting solution to Guyana’s electricity problems. It is still not too late to give serious consideration to the Amaila project.

Ghanaian President, Nana Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, paid a courtesy call on the Leader of the Opposition, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo. The Ghanian leader was on a two-day state visit to Guyana.

The Ghanaian Paradox T he President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, just concluded a two-day State Visit to our country. As a British colony like Guyana, Ghana shares much with us, apart from a similar sounding name. Many of our African ancestors were shipped across the Atlantic as slaves from Ghana, the first British colony in Africa to gain independence, becoming an inspiration to our local “independence” politicians from both the PPP and PNC. We present excerpts from an analysis of Ghanaian politics by former World Bank Macroeconomic Policy Sector Manager, Cadman Atta Mills: “Politics, policy, and implementation: The ‘Ghanaian Paradox’”.

“Ghana is a vibrant democracy where elections are vigorously contested. They are generally free and fair, and voter participation rates are high.

Two political parties — the New Patriotic Party (NPP) (President Addo’s party) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) — have dominated the political scene since 1992. No political party has been able to succeed itself after the mandatory twoterm limit of four years each.

Elections in Ghana are “winner takes all.” The spoils are: the right to appoint ministers, presidential staffers, managers and board members of all parastatals, and more importantly, the right to award contracts.

Two political parties — the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) — have dominated the political scene since 1992. No political party has been able to succeed itself after the mandatory two-term limit of four years each.

“The political parties define themselves by ideology.

The NDC claims social democracy while the NPP is liberal democratic. There are also differences in the geographic support bases of the two dominant parties. The Ashanti Region is NPP’s stronghold while the Volta and Northern Regions re-

liably vote for the NDC. The Accra Metropolis as well as the Central and Western Regions are typically swing regions…

“The political economy of policy formulation and implementation has led to outcomes that we characterize as the “Ghanaian paradox”. The economy has been very vibrant. Growth rates have been respectable and, at times, spectacular, though the exceptional performances are usually linked to booms in the primary sectors. There has been heavy investment in productive, transport, and housing infrastructure. Moreover, Ghana has experienced a relatively stable macroeconomic environment of moderate inflation, stable exchange rates, downward trending interest rates, and sustained public sector wages since 2000.

“At the same time, the economy is afflicted with crushing indebtedness and unemployment.

Income distribution is grotesquely skewed. There is underfunding of social programs.

The bulk of the population is increasingly impoverished. Social tensions are heightened. The population bitterly complains about unkept promises and predictably votes for “change” every eight years.

“The Ghanaian polity slows economic growth, promotes inefficiency, and is inimical to inclusive and broad-based development. Contracts are awarded to individuals perceived as sympathetic to the political party in power. As a result, a viable and

dynamic national private sector is slow to emerge, as few contractors (engineering and architectural firms, for example) survive the eight-year cycle of political alternation of power. “Contracts awarded under previous administrations are often cancelled or forcibly renegotiated, leading to sizable judgement debts.

“The Ghanaian case demonstrates that democracy does not always get it right, and it is definitely not a panacea. In fact, democracy is guaranteed to get it wrong if the choices are all unpalatable (i.e., six of one versus half a dozen of the other). The agenda for reform in Ghana must include economic, regulatory, and political measures.

Campaign financing laws must be reformed to eliminate “pay to play,” cronyism, and influence peddling. It is an affront to economic efficiency and justice that contracts are awarded exclusively to party financiers, party-faithful, and family members.

“In conclusion, as democracy makes more inroads and consolidates across Africa, it would be important to ensure that political parties emerge that are more inclusive and reflect the socio-economic aspirations of the broad segment of the population.

Moreover, specific socio-economic groups need to find their voices on issues such as the management of national resources and economic and trade policies, as well as demand political representation, regulatory, and political reforms.”

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WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Jagdeo rubbishes “fake poll”

…challenges President to “call the elections if you are so popular”

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pposition Leader Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has dismissed a recent opinion poll showing that President David Granger has a high 94% approval ratings among party supporters.

Jagdeo called the Coalition-sponsored poll “fake”, noting that APNU/AFC Government should call elections if they are so confident. The Opposition Leader made this comment at this weekly press conference on Thursday, where he claimed that the poll was conducted by the Coalition Government out of desperation.

According to Jagdeo, the release of the poll only highlights the desperation of the Coalition Government.

“This so called high approval ratings for President Granger may come from people who might vote for the PPP/ Civic and I suspect that the polls will not only speak about President

President David Granger and Opposition Leader greets each other during a previous engagement (File photo)

Granger’s approval”, he said.

The Poll, which showed high approval ratings for President David Granger and low

ratings for the PPP Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali, was described by Jagdeo as nothing more than a “fake poll”.

“If you believe you are so popular then call elections”, Mr. Jagdeo insisted.

The poll, conducted by the Barbados-based

Caribbean Development Research Services Inc., was done in February and included some 1000 Guyanese from all 10 administrative regions.

Among the findings were that President Granger enjoys a 94% approval rating among Coalition supporters for his leadership, and a 50% overall approval rating when supporters of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and ‘uncertain voters’ are added.

It revealed too that some 40% of uncertain voters said they approved of the President’s performance as Head of State.

The Opposition Leader said he would be more concerned about what the poll has to say about who wins the election rather than the personality of the candidates.

Meanwhile, Jagdeo said a poll done for his party shows the PPP/ Civic getting a “massive” victory at the next elections. However, Mr. Jagdeo said he would not release the PPP’s poll to the public as the party is using it for its own political work.

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WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

The Guyanese diaspora can help Let us strengthen to develop a world-class economy our commitment to Get On With It

Dear Editor, The Guyana Diaspora is Guyana’s second state.

The population of the diaspora is almost as large as the entire population of our homeland. This has been because of direct migration and the existence of second- and third-generation Guyanese. This unique situation has great competitive advantages for Guyana: Guyanese in the homeland, in the United States, and in Canada. With such a distribution of our population, we can create great opportunities to harness the diaspora’s potential.

There is the need to develop comprehensive strategic plans for solutions to national issues.

There are many national issues that cannot be solved by the Executive and their territorial coverage. Therefore, the need for a Diaspora Strategy Map is necessary. There are many individuals and groups that have been working to bridge this divide, but they have failed to develop a holistic approach. Many have specific purposes, and often work in isolation of each other. In analyzing what has been done so far, there has been some progress with education, youth and robotics, donations, and small cultural activities. However, these are very random, and do not mesh the entire country and diaspora.

It is necessary to develop strategies that take into consideration our current disposition in the homeland and diaspora.

In the US, and specifically New York, we are distributed across the five boroughs, with a large population being in the

Queens area. In analyzing NYC demographic data, it can be stated that South Richmond Hill and surrounding areas have the largest number of Guyanese. This concentration has advantages, since we can focus the development of social and economic plans for the community. The successes can ripple across the state, so that we can all benefit.

What are the benefits of pursuing this? An effective Diaspora Strategy is important to promote the consolidation of the two economies, create direct investment opportunities, and the utilise our professional potential so that we can bridge our homeland’s integration into the global economy. While we are very occupied with the development of the oil and gas sector, the diaspora community has always been a resource that has a higher return on investment if we pursue the right strategies. One of these is as a complement to a Sovereign Wealth Fund. How? It’s important that research and development are pursued to determine the generation and preservation of wealth in the Guyanese diaspora in New York. Specific questions would be on determining overall diaspora engagement, awareness of our knowledge-based economy, business and employment types, professional skills, changes to immigration and demographic trends, and what types of local and homeland policies must be developed to address the top priorities.

In support of this, it’s important to discover

and understand the various existing contributions to development, support groups and organisations, vulnerable populations, and the changing US policy and expectations. This is not everything, but a top output of this discovery would be to correlate remittances and family assistance data in support of our economy. Individually, many Guyanese have achieved great success in the diaspora. It’s important that we begin the discovery process to effectively encourage community involvement.

Many countries have obtained exemplary success in this domain. Those include India, Israel, Russia, and the PolishSlavic communities. Their diasporas actively participate in the national economic development processes by facilitating the realisation of goods and services, as well as creating joint productions and investing in several areas of the economy.

For Guyana, we need to begin by bringing the right people together, and identifying and analysing the knowledge gaps. This would include an advance understanding of business activities in terms of imports and exports, the local economy, cultural activities, education and sports, employment, travel, and vulnerable populations.

It would also be very important to develop correlation with other economic data sources to create superior socio-demographic and economic diaspora profiles.

The Guyanese diaspora has a similar cultural affinity with the

homeland. This is both advantageous and disadvantageous for the development of national economic cooperation. In the diaspora, it would be important to create a unified self-organisation, superior strategies, and policies that address all our concerns. This is important because, like with the other communities, we are all the same, since we share the same foreign national identity. This is not a paradox! The Guyanese diaspora can develop a world-class global shaping economy.

As we pursue a diaspora strategy, it’s important that there is the restoration of the trust paradigm. Any administration must understand that there may exist political indifference. The fact is that the diaspora is important to national development and sustainability.

Therefore, it is necessary to include us as we develop a common goal and vision for a modern Guyana. The activities like the annual Unity Parade demonstrate how emotionally attached a part of the community is to our homeland.

However, this has a very narrow temporal interest.

In the short term, there is the need to bridge the political and cultural divide between communities in Brooklyn and Queens.

Once this has been achieved, there would be an understanding of the dispersed realities of our people. We can then begin to create policies and strategies for sustainable national development.

Yours respectfully, Dustin Fraser

The law equally applies to both the Government and Opposition members

Dear Editor, There is the submission to the CCJ

by Guyana’s Attorney General Basil Williams of a purported confession statement made by defector Charrandas Persaud that he knew beforehand that he was an illegal occupant of Parliament, being a dual citizen. That late submission, according to him, is the proverbial smoking gun which should cause the CCJ to rule in his favour.

Now, if we are to take Williams’ argument for what it is worth, then it meant that the Government side was aware of Charrandas’ as well as its other members’ dual citizenship and did nothing about it, only holding them there for “yes men” or rubber

stamp purposes.

That situation only became a real problem when Charrandas voted against his own party’s coalition. Had it not been for Charrandas voting with the Opposition, then this matter of dual citizenship would not have been an issue.

The supposed confession statement when taken in context is saying here you have two top Government officials discussing their possible voting options at the NoConfidence Motion and one is weighing in on his option in voting but instead of fixing the glaring anomalies in their House, he is pointing to the Opposition instead, that they are guilty, because they have dual citizens also. In essence,

what Ramjattan was telling Charrandas is that the law only applies to the Opposition and not to the Government.

And that has been my main concern with this Government. They believe that the law should be one of convenience, crafted and suited to their own choices, whenever and wherever it seems fit.

That is not how the law runs, the law is there as a blanket statement for all governments and oppositions alike. If it is good for the goose, certainly it is good for the gander.

Here is where the doctrine of clean hands come into play, you cannot now feign ignorance of the law when Charrandas was a legal entity all along.

What suddenly made him illegal on December 21?

For over three-plus years, he voted for bills and other major matters, which were legally passed in the House by his one vote.

Why is his vote shunned and disregarded now?

These are questions that the Government needs to answer. You cannot cherry pick when it comes to legal issues, that is not how the law works.

Charrandas was legal all along, which makes him just as legal on December 21, period, end of discussion!

Basil Williams is just trying another delaying tactic by stalling things at the CCJ and I am of the opinion that the court should not have entertained this latest ploy.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

Dear Editor, As we unveil this Gallery of Photographs of Our Presidents, let us strengthen our commitment to Get On With It: Get on with us growing and developing ourselves and our country, aware of but not incarcerated in our history of the arrival of Europeans in the land, and subsequently the times of slavery and of indentureship.

People from six different parts of the world thrown together here like press-ganged sailors of old on a ship setting out into the then not well known oceans, must survive together or succumb together: thrown together for the setting up and manning of colonial plantations –cocoa, coffee, cotton, sugar, rum – we must now together find our own way in a changed and ever changing world.

Fellow Citizens, during the childhood of any of us Presidents, I suspect that there would have been little to foretell that we would have attained the highest office in our Country: and I am inclined to believe, reflecting on the circumstances of and the late age at which I came to the politics of our country, my becoming President might have been the most unlikely, accidental, even an interloper into politics: someone who had strayed far from his chosen, safe, solid working career of chemical engineering. But such is life.

Friends, particularly our younger fellow citizens, we have progressed much less than was expected at our Independence, but naught but little crying over spilt milk – would we not have done better if we knew better? It has been fashionable in our country to blame and disavow politics and politicians, but once we live in groups – living in ever larger groups, our productivities and possible standards of living go up a thousand fold compared with what we could do if we each lived in isolation – once we live in social and economic intercourse with others we are into politics and we are to some degree politicians.

Early in our PPP/C being in Office, I took the visiting Prime Minister of Zambia to see the bauxite operations in Linden.

Reflecting on my assertion that I was new to politics he responded – “When someone speaks with himself, we already have the germ of politics and when two people speak the politics is already very rich”.

Politics and politicians may be to the north or south or east or west side of where the people are but they cannot be too far away from where the people are.

Each of us should strive to make ourselves the best person we could be: capable in a number of areas; kind, helpful to others and contributing to society; expecting and satisfied with receiving some fair share of what we have produced together – you would be noticed, a call to step on our political stage may never be far away.

Growing through my childhood years of the 1940s and 1950s, I was among the 70% of our people who would have been assessed at that time to be below the poverty line. Not knowing it, without chips on our shoulders we were not restrained by that material fact: all were striving to do better.

I lived for periods of time here and there in the city, returning often to the Eastern Mahaicony countryside; coming into contact for periods of time with our various peoples in our various worlds of overlapping differences of race, religion, rural-urban, richer and poorer, traditional and modern. Growing cognizant of the different views and imaginations in different groups of our people, my own country and world view was not fully in accord with that of any group and to many, I would have seemed quite contrary, not fitting in with the beliefs, attitudes, behavior which prevailing convention expected of me.

As I came to this building again today, after a number of years, my mind went back to the first time I entered this building, in August 1955, to receive my first County Scholarship, living expenses, term allowance of G$15:00 (fifteen dollars) then, about G$30,000 in today’s money, from our country’s Treasury which was then on the ground floor of the east block where there are now Committee rooms.

This building constructed over 1829 to 1834, at the ending of slavery and the beginning of indentured immigration, known earlier as the Public Buildings, housed the total Government of those colonial days up to about the 1950s. I came here regularly unto early 1962 to draw that scholarship allowance.

I came again to this building about October/ November 1970, on the request of then Prime Minister Burnham to meet him in the Prime Minister’s Office, in the upper flat of the western block, now the Office of the Clerk of our National Assembly. Mr. Burnham had passing acquaintance with me as a nephew of one of his friends, Mr. Frank Denbow. turn to page 6

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WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

“Exciting time to be in Guyana” …US Envoy says as country prepares for first oil

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S Ambassador to Guyana, SarahAnn Lynch has called for the Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Development Association to ensure the success of its sovereign wealth fund known as the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) as Guyana prepares for first oil in 2020.

Ambassador Lynch issued the call at the Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Development Association’s 87th annual luncheon on Wednesday in New Amsterdam, Berbice.

Ambassador Lynch noted that the Chamber of Commerce needed to embrace its role in engaging with stakeholders and lobbying for expertise as well as information sharing and transparency as Guyana developed its lucrative petroleum industry.

She says the Chamber can also play a role in ensuring that the NRF is properly managed and that Guyanese benefit significantly.

“As you are aware, Guyana recently accomplished a major milestone of its own, by establishing the Natural Resource Fund, this is also known as a sovereign wealth fund which was set up to

File: US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch and First Lady Sandra Granger in conversation at a recent event in Georgetown

invest revenues from oil and gas and other natural resources, in order to protect and boost the national economy,” the Ambassador said.

She added that if implemented immediately and efficiently, it should provide Guyana with the opportunity to invest in long-term future as well as today’s infrastructure, health, education, security and even agriculture.

“I must congratulate the people of Guyana for taking this important

step and doing so before first oil production and before all profits begin rolling in next year.”

Worldwide, it is estimated that US$2 trillion to US$3 trillion are under the control of sovereign wealth funds.

“Even though management of the wealth fund is primarily a public sector responsibility, its operation on success is heavily dependent on the productive sector partnering in administration and oversight of the plan,” the

diplomat highlighted.

She noted that studies have shown that the most effective sovereign wealth funds are independent, transparent, inviolable and nonpartisan.

“I keep telling people that this is an exciting time to be in Guyana; it’s also a critical time for Guyana’s future. That future starts now and I look forward to the Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Development Association and other Private Sector agents

playing a vibrant role in modelling it by creating a robust framework in implement the Fund and manage the risk associated with it,” the Ambassador added.

Moreover, Regional Chairman David Armogan called on businesses to take advantage of opportunities in the sector.

“We have seen in our Region that certain parts of the sugar industry were closed. The rice industry has not been doing so well. Today, we are seeing the repercussions of that.

We have seen the businesses have suffered some form of decline in sales hence affecting your ability to employ persons,” Armogan said.

The Chairman acknowledged that times have changed, adding that difficult circumstances called for new approaches.

“We have to be innovative in our ways and utilise this difficult period to come up with new challenges and new projects.

Already we are seeing companies from abroad coming here to pick up the challenges that we ourselves should be taking up.”

Meanwhile, Chamber President Errol Azar told

the gathering that persons throughout the region have been feeling the harsh reality of the closure of the sugar estates in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

In December 2017, Government closed both the Rose Hall and Skeldon Sugar Estates.

However, despite that, Azar said there was some good news and indicated it was not just good news for the business community.

He explained that Government making arrangements to sell the Rose Hall and Skeldon Sugar Estates meant there was interest from investors.

“They are finalising the agreement… one of the stipulations is that sugar must be maintained at the estate so the people will be able to get back their jobs.”

The Chamber President also spoke about plans to develop a deepwater harbour in Region Six and also plans to have the Berbice Mining Enterprise Factory at Everton resuscitated as a mining company has already purchased the facility and is making arrangements to have it operational soon.

Probe into controversial D’Urban Park almost complete – Auditor General

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fter much delay owing to its difficulty accessing pertinent information, the Audit Office of Guyana (AOG) is in the process of finalising its report into the controversial, multi-million dollar D’Urban Park Project.

In a brief interview with this publication, Auditor General Deodat Sharma confirmed that they are in the process of wrapping up the probe.

He revealed that of late, the Public Infrastructure Ministry submitted some information to his office,

which is being verified.

“I think lately they did submit some information, which I’ve passed to my engineers to look at to see if those are the records. I’m about to finalise the report with the response, so I will incorporate what I have and issue the final report,” Sharma said. On the question of possible criminal liability, Sharma was in support of a “wait and see” outlook.

Funding for the D’Urban Park Project has been a contentious issue, with money from

the Lotto Fund being used by the APNU/AFC Government in the project. In his 2015 report, the AG had listed some G$36.5 million in Lotto Funds being used for rehabilitative works. As a consequence, Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman Irfaan Ali, had previously re-

quested that further probing be done by the Auditor General.

Ali had stated that these requests were in relation to follow-ups from the findings that had been included in the AG’s 2015 Report.

In his 2015 report, the Auditor General had said that follow-

ing checks on the accounts, it was found that while Government transferred G$1 billion of the Lotto money to the Consolidated Fund in 2015, it held onto just over half a billion dollars to remain under the control of the Ministry of the Presidency and it spent G$305 million on

various activities.

But the audit into the D’Urban Park Project has always been hindered by a lack of access to pertinent information, with the Audit Office being forced to write to the Public Infrastructure Ministry requesting documents. turn to page 8

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WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyanese observe Indian Arrival Day in New York

By Dr. Vishnu Bisram

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undreds clad in traditional attire turned out for the annual East Indian Arrival Day celebration in the heart of the IndoCaribbean community in Queens. The celebration was organized by Indo Caribbean Federation.

The celebration involved a male and female singing competition as well as a female dancing contest. Other accomplished singers from the Indo Caribbean Community also entertained the crowd.

There was a pageant involving modeling and talent (dancing and singing) and a Miss IndoCaribbean Federation was Queen chosen.

Lolita Singh and Colleen Chattergoon coordinated the pageant.

Live band music accompanying the singers was supplied by Anoop Dhanpat and the Sansaar Sangeet Orchestra. There was also karaoke signing.

There were fabulous performances by all of the artiste’s top-class entertainment.

The New York Police Department also came out in force to provide se-

curity and to facilitate the flow of traffic along with their Recruiting Dept.

The idea of observing “Indian Arrival Day” in New York was initiated by a group of IndoCaribbeans in a discussion in 1983. The first Indian Arrival celebration was held in 1984 and since then the concept has taken off becoming an annual observance.

This year’s celebration commemorated the 181st anniversary since the migration of the first batch of Indians on May 5, 1838 in the Caribbean (Guyana).

The Indo-Caribbean Federation is led by Ralph Tamesh whose team of Executive’s Board of Directors and

Committee members planned, organized, and executed the commemoration of the historic celebration.

The Federation was founded as a loose alliance of dozens of organizations

– an idea that conceived by Bhanu Dwarika, Baytoram Ramharack, Vishnu Bisram, Ramesh Kalicharran, Gora Singh, Iserdath Ramdehol, among others. Artistes from Suriname, Guyana,

Trinidad, Jamaica, and India usually performed at the event performing for free. This year is no exception.

Hundreds, with many dressed in traditional attire (Punjabi suits, Shalwar Kameez, lahenga, kurtha sets, Nehru suits) turned out for the program on this bright sunny afternoon cheering the artistes and beauty contestants and enjoying the entertainment. Rain interrupted the program around 5:30 PM. But a break in the weather and return of sun saw its conclusion at 7:00 PM. Several businesses sponsored prizes, provided food and underwrote the costs associated with staging the concert.

Among the speakers and presenters were Parmanand Sukhu, Roger Singh of HealthFirst, Frank Singh, Lisa Edoo, and Ralph Tamesh. The emcees were Imran Ahmed, Patricia Raghunandan, and Latchmee Singh, all of whom did a fantastic job. The new ICF Queen 2019 Miss Heema Singh was crowned, Miss Ambika Persaud was the 1st Runner up and Priyaa Singh was the

second Runner up, prizes were doled out also to the other winners, Farouk Muntazali for winning the male singing, Britina Toolsie for winning the dancing and Balika Seenarine for the singing competition.

The organizers of the concert also put out a special publication, IndoCaribbean Magazine, highlighting aspects of life of the community.

The President of the Federation, Ralph Tamesh a thirty-year veteran spoke briefly about the work of the ICF – propagating culture and sports in New York and assisting less fortunate emigres.

Tamesh praised the hard work of members in making the celebration a magnificent success. He applauded the artistes for their participation and the Indian pioneers.

He thanked the audience for coming out to offer encouragement to the performers and to celebrate the Indian heritage.

The organization also honored Guyana’s nightingale singer Seeta Panday who has distinguished herself in service to the community.

Eco drillship to reach Orinduik Block by June 24 – as company optimistic of 4 billion barrels of oil in block

T

he Stena Forth oil exploration drillship has left West Africa en route to Guyana where it will spud the Jethro Lobe prospect offshore the Englishspeaking South American nation by the end of June, Eco Atlantic Oil and Gas announced on Monday.

This is according to the company in a release.

According to the company, the Stena Forth drillship is expected to reach Eco’s Orinduik Block on or around June 24, 2019.

The ship is being mobilised for Eco and its partners, Tullow Guyana BV (“Tullow”) and Total EP Guyana BV (“Total”), for a committed two-well campaign. The first exploration well is to be drilled on the Jethro Lobe prospect, as announced on December 5, 2018. The second well is the Joe prospect, a few kilometres away.

To date, Guyana has confirmed about 6 billion barrels of oil under the Atlantic Ocean due to 13 discoveries on the Stabroek Block by ExxonMobil. Eco Atlantic Oil and Gas estimates there are about 4 billion barrels of oil on its Orinbduik Block.

According to Eco Atlantic, the Stena Forth was actively drilling for Tullow on an existing con-

tract immediately prior to its transition to Guyana and is fully crewed with experienced personnel, allowing a smooth transition and less rig-up and training time.

and was awarded to Eco and Tullow in January 2016 with a first well commitment for 2021/2022.

“With 13 discoveries, so far totalling over 5.5BBOE (billion barrel of

Eco noted that it boasts a cash balance today of approximately US$35 million and is funded for its share of up to a further six potential new exploration or development wells in addition to the Jethro Lobe and Joe wells, following a placing and subscription completed on April 10, 2019.

ECO’s Chief Operating Officer, Colin Kinley, was quoted as saying: “The mobilisation of the Stena Forth is the final stage of a long, conservative and quality controlled process to plan and drill the initial two wells on Orinduik.

The Block licence was applied for in March 2014

oil equivalent) on Exxon’s adjacent Stabroek Block in the past three years, and with our strong commitment to Guyana, the joint venture partners have since expedited and significantly expanded their work programme far beyond and ahead of the committed requirements.”

Kinley added: “Our team, together with Tullow and Total, have comprehensively interpreted the nearly 3000 km2 of 3D seismic data we shot over and beyond Orinduik and have selected the first two targets that we feel will allow us to accelerate the Block’s development. With the

Stena Forth now mobilising westwards to Guyana waters, we are on course to drill a pair of potentially transformational wells for the company, for the

Block partners, and for Guyana.”

Eco Atlantic’s Chief Operating Officer was confident that its interpretation of its data supported a relatively high chance of success, estimated at over 40 per cent for both the Jethro and Joe prospect.

The company said that despite the outcome of the first two planned wells, it has enough capital for a multi-well drilling campaign and was confident that hydrocarbons are on the Block in the wake of good quality sands like those on the Stabroek Block.

Consequently, Kinley maintained that the main risks are the quality of the seal and the presence of a trap.

“Thanks to our successful US$17 million placement and subscription in April, we have a cash balance today of over US$35 million so we are in the fortunate position of being fully funded to drill up to six additional wells on Orinduik, across the fifteen identified prospects…the two wells will test both the Upper and Lower Tertiary-aged turbidites, while Jethro will also be drilled down to the Cretaceous section.”

“Our focus is on nearterm oil production and we have ordered our exploration programme around risking, development and deliverability of oil for the people of Guyana and our stakeholders,” Kinley remarked.

Probe into controversial...

The controversy surrounding the D’Urban Park Project exploded when it was revealed to the public that then Public Service Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine sat as a Director of a secret company, which was established to collect funds from private companies to develop the Jubilee Park.

This information was initially omitted

by Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson when he was being drilled by Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) in the National Assembly in 2016.

Additionally, Opposition parliamentarian Juan Edghill has been behind efforts to have the Public Procurement Commission investigate the D’Urban Park Project. In a letter to the Commission’s Chairperson, Carol Corbin, Edghill

from page 7

had identified aspects of the Project the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) was most concerned about.

The Opposition had noted that despite promises to the contrary, no account of donations received between September 2015 and January 2016 was made public. It, therefore, queried the procurement process used for works on the project.

The scope a private company has to engage contractors and receive funding for a public project also came into question. The party queried the budgeted and actual cost throughout the project, as well as the final cost. In addition, the party had demanded information on what payments were made to individuals and contractors up to June.

NEWS 9

WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Visa-free travel between Ghana, Guyana agreement inked

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Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Dr. Karen Cummings and Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Shirley Botchwey, (MP) sign the bilateral agreements as President David Granger and Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo look on

fter meetings between visiting Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and President David Granger, a number of decisions have been made to increase bilateral cooperation including visa-free travel between the two countries.

The decision to end visa requirements to travel between Guyana and Ghana was solidified by agreements. Signing those agreements on Tuesday were Guyana’s

Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Karen Cummings and her Ghanaian counterpart, Shirley Botchway.

Afterwards, on the sidelines of a luncheon at State House for the Ghanaian and Guyanese officials, Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon explained what the visa-free travel agreement entails.

“This morning we signed agreements on the abolition of the visa requirement for citizens of Guyana and citizens of

Ghana. What this means is that persons who are the holders of diplomatic, official and regular Guyanese passports can travel to Ghana and likewise, Ghana can come to Guyana, without the requirements of a visa.”

“In the initial stages, they will be entitled to 90 days without having to renew, but after 90 days they will be required to renew based on the laws of the respective countries,” Harmon said.

“Additionally, we had agreements on trade and

industry. The important thing is we’re looking to expand our relationship in business.”

Harmon further explained that Ghana has an interest in Guyana’s rum and forestry sectors.

In the case of Guyana’s wood, Harmon explained that the Ghanaians are interested in using some of the better-known species of wood in Guyana to mitigate deforestation in Ghana.

There are also discussions for technical cooperation between the two

countries in the oil and gas sector. For instance, Harmon revealed that a commitment was made for Ghana to send its oil and gas experts at its own expense. All Guyana would have to do, according to Harmon, is to find the accommodation for these experts.

“The President of Ghana made a very clear offer that they are prepared to assist Guyana with technical cooperation and the personnel to assist us in the development of the oil and gas sector. So this is very important for us because they committed to pay the salaries and transportation to get the people here and all we have to do is find accommodation. So it’s a clear commitment on their part.”

The Ghanaian President and his entourage were on a two-day visit to Guyana, during which they have already met with important functionaries and visited local breweries.

Previously, a delegation of Ghanaian investors had visited Guyana to explore opportunities.

The National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited (NICIL) Special

Purpose Unit had announced recently that Ghanaians are also part of a consortium of investors looking to purchase the Rose Hall estate, one of three estates being divested.

Late last year, discussions were underway in Guyana about developing an air bridge between Ghana and Guyana. In fact, the two governments had signed an Air Services Agreement, marking a commitment for direct flights between the countries.

Then Minister within the Public Infrastructure Ministry, with responsibility for the aviation sector, Annette Ferguson and Minister of Aviation of Ghana, Joseph Kofi Adda, signed the agreements on behalf of their respective governments at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Air Transport Meeting in November.

The agreement was signed after the hosting of the third African Diaspora Meeting, where a recent assessment found that it usually takes more than 38 hours from a Caribbean country to Africa. It was this that initiated discussions.

10 news

WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Ex-Fly Jamaica workers say meeting with Labour Dept “a waste of time” …call on President to intervene

Ex-Fly Jamaica staffers standing inside the Department of Labour during the meeting By: Davina Ramdass

S

everal ex-staffers of the embattled Fly Jamaica Airline on Tuesday stormed out of a meeting with the Social Protection Ministry’s Labour Department after they claimed the meeting failed to address the issue of owed salaries, among others, affecting some 300 workers.

A Senior Cabin Crew Member, Teasha Corbin, explained that workers were summoned to the meeting with the hope of sorting out these issues with the Minister within the Social Protection Ministry, Keith Scott.

However, the Minister did not even bother to attend the forum.

Corbin, who has been working with the airline for the past six years said, “Today we expected that the Minister would have met with us and have something positive to say to us regarding some help for the company or regarding our monies that Fly Jamaica owe to us”.

However, their hopes were shattered as the Department explained that they are merely trying to take statements from them with regards to the crash, as they have “no proper knowledge” on the tragedy and how it affect-

ed them.

In this regard, that ex-employee posited that she feels as though her time was completely wasted, especially since Fly Jamaica workers would have reached out to the Department before to relate the situation.

Furthermore, she argued that seven months would have elapsed and only now the Department has taken the initiative to understand the issue before sorting it out. She said she felt very disappointed as she reasoned, “When this Government came in, Fly Jamaica was there all the way through giving support and now the Government I can say to you is not giving no support to Fly Jamaica neither to the ordinary Guyanese citizens [and] the employees [as] hundreds of us are out of jobs.

We have children, we have bills we have all sorts of expenses and to date not even one help from the Ministry”.

Nonetheless, she informed that they were told that statements will be taken from them “to probably take the matter to court”.

According to her, she never formally received a letter from the airline informing her that her services are no longer re-

quired but came across a notice via social media informing all staffers that their services have been terminated.

She claimed to have been last paid in November 2018. On this note, the former employee appealed for President David Granger to step into this situation.

President’s intervention “My hope would be that the Government would come in, the President I am appealing that you come in. Fly Jamaica needs help and that’s the only way they can help us, they can’t pay us, because they obviously don’t have the money,” she noted.

Corbin explained that the President may be able to fast track some assistance for the sacked workers as the court’s judgment may pass until her grandkids arrive, which would leave employees with no immediate help or any form of assistance from Government although the Jamaican Government has been assisting the fired workers in Kingston.

No apology An employee, who did not state her name in an exclusive interview with Guyana Times International, complained that employees were forced to stand throughout

the meeting and were not apologised to for the inconvenience until a staffer spoke out against the treatment.

The employee noted that Fly Jamaica staffers were scattered across the hallway of the Department while being engaged by a few officials from the Department.

Fly Jamaica had made its staff redundant at the end of March. This was announced by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Paul Ronald Reece in a letter to employees on Friday, March 29, 2019.

These events stemmed from a plane crash Fly Jamaica’s Boeing 757 aircraft encountered on November 9, 2018. The flight left the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) for Toronto, Canada, at about 02:10h, but after reportedly en-

A few sacked workers

countering hydraulic issues, the pilot returned to the airport where the aircraft crash-landed at about 02:53h.

The crash has left the airline grappling to not only repay workers but passengers as well.

In fact, it was given until July 1, by the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC) to refund passengers who are owed in excess of $8 million. Initially, the airline had promised the Commission to begin payments in March but has been unable to do so due to lack of funds.

This time around, CCAC said the airline is likely to be hauled before the courts if it fails to reimburse affected passengers.

Already, two lawsuits have been filed against

the airline, with the most recent order issued in December.

That lawsuit was filed by a Canadian law firm to represent passengers who claimed they were injured during the crash-landing at the airport.

The notice of the class action suit stated that it was seeking compensation for not only the passengers who were on board the flight OJ256 destined for Toronto, Canada, but the families who were affected as a result of the crash.

That lawsuit came days after Canadian firms Howie, Sacks and Henry and Camp Fiorante Matthews Mogerman filed a case against the airline for injuries and losses incurred as a result of the crash.

That lawsuit was filed on November 23, 2018.

Let us strengthen our...

Earlier, in about July, 1962 I was called to my first one on one with him, then as Opposition Leader, at his lawyer’s office in the Clarke and Martin building. Mr. Burnham, recently back from a trip to the USA, had been offered some six University Scholarships

by President Kennedy’s Office and I had been recommended to him, most likely by QC Chemistry teacher “Bup” Barker. No doubt on checking with his people, Mr. Burnham greeted me with the probing question, “How is Cheddi’s boy this morning?’ I responded, “I didn’t tell you so: Is that what you have been told.”

To set the record straight and to express my appreciation all around, a little over a year later the US Embassy sent a letter inviting me to receive the grant of a University Scholarship but by then I was in Canada on a DEMBA Scholarship.

Also, for the record, before mid- 1990 on the way to becoming his running mate, I had not met Dr. Jagan except for a passing handshake in our city streets during the Christmas/New Year season of perhaps 1962.

On this second meeting (October/ November 1970) Prime Minister Burnham greeted me saying that in speaking with people in Linden/McKenzie, he discerned that they were favourably impressed by three Guyanese members of the Staff of DEMBA (about 40 Guyanese then in a total of about 200) – I was one, the youngest not yet 27 years old. He was about to call ALCAN for talks about participation in DEMBA but was concerned about a hinted response of “take all or nothing at all”.

At the end of the discussions Mr. Burnham asked what I thought was the greatest need for Guyana. “Better understanding between our two major eth-

from page 6

nic-racial groups”, I replied. He responded that it was the same answer I had given him years ago in 1962, “but lots of water have passed under the bridge since then.”

It so happened that that very day was the Nomination Day for the Local Government Elections of 1970 and telephone calls kept coming updating a chuckling Mr. Burnham on all the shenanigans that had seen off all other contestants, except in a very few places. I kept saying to myself, I don’t want to overhear and know these things – these are things for our country’s elders, for our politicians. You can imagine therefore how I felt in 1994 – 24 years later, a little like Jonah when it fell to me as Prime Minister heading that large Ministry that included then, Local Government and Regional Development, to lay the Bill for the Local Government Elections 1994, the very next one following the one I didn’t want to know about in 1970.

The third occasion on which I came to this building would have been about October 10, 1992 to see again and bring an end to having the Prime Minister Office in this building, Dr. Jagan had taken the position that all Executive Government Offices would be relocated away from this Building and this Building would thenceforth be for the exclusive use of the Parliament. And I have been here for many Parliament sittings and Committee meetings over the following twenty-three years until our change of Government in 2015. (To be continued) Mr Samuel A A Hinds Former President and Former Prime Minister

news 11

WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Chronicle employees up pressure on Govt to remove Duncan as GM A

FC official Sherod Duncan has been described by workers of the Guyana Chronicle newspaper as a “bully” in a petition which was on Monday submitted to President David Granger.

The petition is calling on the Head of State to overturn a decision made by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo to reinstate Duncan as the General Manager of the entity, even after he was validly dismissed by a Board of Directors in light of several breaches of financial regulations.

With some 20 signatures from workers of the editorial and accounts department, the petition states: “Mr President, we respect Mr Duncan as a person but Mr Duncan attitude as a manager is nothing more than that of a bully. He listens to no one and acts as though he is law unto himself.”

Duncan, who previously served as Deputy Mayor of Georgetown, worked as General Manager of Chronicle from June 1, 2018, to April 1, 2019. However, during that period, he spent several months on administrative leave pending an investigation into reports of wanton spending under his watch.

He was fired with imme-

Chronicle staffers say Sherod Duncan is a “bully”

diate effect in April 2019, following a decision by the Board of Directors, by majority vote.

His services were terminated after an audit found that, during his three-month probationary tenure, there were some 20 breaches to financial regulations, including the spending of large sums of money without approval.

In one instance, Duncan took an overseas trip costing over G$700,000 even though there is no documented approval for such an event and to date, documents were not

brought forward to support these expenditures.

Even in light of these glaring findings, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo on May 31, 2019, dispatched a letter to the then Chairperson of the Board, Geeta ChandanEdmond, instructing that the decision be rescinded.

Nagamootoo claimed, in the letter, that he heard that no actual vote was put during the Board meeting.

But minutes of the meeting seen by Guyana Times International proves that all Directors voted; three in fa-

vour to dismiss Duncan and three against such a move.

The Chairperson broke the deadlock by voting to have Duncan’s services terminated.

The intervention by Nagamootoo, which has since been supported by AFC Leader Raphael Trotman, has been described as an overreaching of his authority and has since resulted in the Chairperson and three other Board members resigning.

The staff of the Guyana Chronicle are also against the return of Duncan.

In the petition to the President, the workers explained that initially, they were welcoming to Duncan as their new General Manager.

But as time passed, staff members became “uneasy” about his conduct on the job, including his day-to-day interference in every department of the company.

The petition outlined that Duncan took control of key accounts on the company’s social media platform and handed the management of these to persons “who appeared on the job without passing proper interviews as per procedure”.

“He did this without regard for others who have been carrying out these duties prior to his appointment,” the

document noted.

Duncan is also accused of taking control of the layout department. In the petition, it states that “the layout staff were only left to resign since their duties were handed to a private company”.

As a result of this, staff members became fearful of losing their jobs and this fear peaked when Duncan arbitrarily and unilaterally dismissed Finance Controller, Moshamie Ramotar after an online news entity reported on the newspaper’s spending.

Ramotar’s termination was since rescinded by the Board of Directors, as due process was not followed.

According to Chronicle staffers, this fear of losing their jobs has since been reignited with the return of Duncan. “Some staff members, who for years have worked above and beyond the call of duty, have decided that they would be resigning,” the petition posited.

In fact, Guyana Times International was informed that many persons who support the petition did not want to attach their signatures to the document over the fear of being victimised.

The petition was copied to the Prime Minister as well as the Minister of State, Dawn Hastings-Williams.

12 news

WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

‘Tough Times’ …Canje residents experiencing severe hardships due to estate closure

The Rose Hall, Canje Estate

By Brandon Corlette

O

ne wish that every Canje resident has is the reopening of the Rose Hall Sugar Estate.

Guyana Times International visited the Canje area, where feedback was given about the negative impact the Sugar Estate’s closure has had on the residents.

A first glance at the entire Canje area will give you the impression that it is an official ‘ghost town’.

During a visit on

Monday to the Ancient County, this publication spoke with a number of sacked sugar workers, business personnel and other civilians, including the young population; they have all expressed similar sentiments.

A specific gentleman who was among all the other residents who refused to give their name and designation told this publication that the people were literally suffering.

“We don’t have money to send our children to school, since jobs are

limited,” the resident detailed.

A stop at a supermarket revealed that the owners are sitting waiting for hours for their next customer to enter the premises.

It is now a rare sight in Canje to see persons frequently visiting the supermarkets as money in the Canje area has diminished since the closure of the estate.

The owner of the business told this newspaper that he could not even afford to pay his employees as a result of the lack of finances.

A furious Canje resident stands in disappointment

He added that the present A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/ AFC) Government has evidently forgotten the Ancient County of Berbice and further forgotten their role as a government.

Since the closure of the Estate back in 2017, the state of the area has continued to worsen. Guyana Times International also visited a local car wash in the area, where the owner revealed how slow business has become.

This publication also visited a local wash-bay in the area were the owner has revealed how slow business has been.

The sugar Estate had been the main source of income and although some of the workers have been transferred to the functioning Albion Estate, vendors who usually ply their trade are out of work.

The citizens of the Rose Hall, Canje area remain hopeful of the reopening of the Estate, since the present Government has now

been tasked to revive interest in the estates by prospective buyers.

The hub for shopping – the New Amsterdam area has also been affected by the closure of the Rose Hall Estate.

The main market has also suffered the consequences as vendors lack support from the Canje population who has seen a drastic decline in income.

The furious residents are calling for this matter to quickly resolve as things will only get worse in the Canje area.

22-yr-old acquitted of rape in Handyman remanded 2016 faces 3 news charges on 2 counts of armed robberies H aving received a second lease on life when he was acquitted of a rape charge in 2016, the 22-year-old Leon Jordan will now face the full wrath of the law after confessing to three counts of rape in his appearance before Justice Brassington Reynolds at the Demerara High Court on Wednesday.

Jordan opted to enter guilty pleas when the charges were read to him, the first of which detailed that on February 2, 2012, in the county of Demerara, he engaged in sexual penetration of a child under the age of 16 years.

The second charge detailed that on January 13, 2013, in the county of Demerara, he engaged in sexual penetration of a child aged 14 years; and the final charge detailed that, on October 25, 2016, he engaged in sexual penetration of a 24-year-old woman.

The defendant told the court it is better that he tells the truth, adding that prison is not a suitable place for persons like him.

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Leon Jordan

After Jordan had pleaded guilty to the offences, Justice Reynolds ordered that Jordan should undergo psychiatric evaluation because he needs professional help.

A probation report was also ordered compiled.

Jordan will be sentenced on June 26, 2019 in the Sexual Offences Court.

The convict was represented by Attorneyat-law Maxwell McKay,

while prosecutors Seeta Bishundial and Abigail Gibbs had represented the state.

Jordan was acquitted back in 2016 after a 12-member jury empanelled before Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry had found him not guilty of a similar offence he had been accused of committing. In that matter, he was accused of sexually molesting a 16-year-old girl on October 24, 2014.

1 9 - y e a r old handyman appeared on Tuesday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts charged with several counts of armed robberies.

Mario D’Aguiar of Lot 1 Smyth and D’Urban Streets, Georgetown, pled not guilty to the charges when they were read to him by Acting Chief Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus.

The charges alleged that on June 8, 2019, at Princess Street, Georgetown, while being in the company of others and armed with a gun, he robbed Gracey Salvador of a Samsung Galaxy phone valued at G$25,000.

It was further alleged that under the same circumstances, he robbed Sonia Thomas of an Alcatel phone valued at G$23,000.

D’Aguiar was represented by Attorney-atLaw Lawrence Harris, who made an application for bail. He told the court that his client has an-

Mario D’Aguiar

other offence before the court and bail should be granted since one of the victims do not wish to offer evidence against his client.

Prosecutor Adduni Innis objected to bail on the grounds of the prevalence of the offence and the fact that a firearm was used to commit the act. She further told the

court that the phones were found on the defendant when he was apprehended by Police.

Magistrate IsaacsMarcus, after listening to the facts of the matter, upheld the prosecutor’s submission and remanded D’Aguiar to prison until his next court appearance, which is slated for June 19, 2019.

news 13

WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana welcomes assistance from Ghana in oil and gas T he Republic of Ghana has committed to lending assistance to Guyana as the country prepares for first oil early next year – an offer which the Coalition government and the Opposition both welcomes.

This commitment was made by President Nana Akufo-Addo, who is on a two-day visit, first, during a meeting with President David Granger and then again at a luncheon at State House on Tuesday.

“We’ve heard the good news too of the recent discoveries of large deposits of oil and gas offshore Guyana. We should explore promptly the possibility of establishing a joint vehicle to assist in the effect and efficient management of oil and gas revenues.

With our experiences, I believe Ghana is well equipped to share with you the dos and don’ts in the area, and make available fee-free quality technical assistance to you. Hopefully, the proper management of the new revenue will help finance the spectacular development of Guyana,” President Akufo-Addo stated after speaking about Ghana’s own dis-

Newly accredited High Commissioner of Ghana to Guyana, Professor Abena Busia interacts with President David Granger and HE Nana Akufo-Addo. (DPI photo)

coveries.

This commitment was reiterated during a subsequent meeting with Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Tuesday afternoon.

Following the brief engagement, Jagdeo told reporters that he welcomes this announcement, noting the importance of getting first-hand advice.

“I said to the (Ghanaian) President, we appreciate his offer to share their experience and some of their technical advice on issues that

they’ve had to deal with because it’s important that we have perspective from a practitioner country, developing country and not just from consultants,” he posited The Opposition Leader added that after enquiring about the impending elections, the Ghanaian Head of State assured that his commitments are beyond political parties. “(He) said that the offer is to Guyana and not to any political party. We expressed our appreciation for that because

even if the PPP were to get into office, we would still need to get support from like-minded countries and Ghana has always been a good political partner,” Jagdeo said.

Earlier in the day, Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, had told reporters that this offer of assistance to develop the local oil and gas industry augurs well for Guyana.

“What they did was to commit to pay the salaries, the transportation and everything to get the

people here and all we will need to do is to find accommodation for them…

We’re talking about capability building, we’re talking about the capacity of the Department of Energy. Ultimately, the President (Granger) has spoken about the establishment of a Ministry of Energy and so this is really going to require an expanded of talent, of persons and their skills and so on. So these are things that we’re looking at right now,” the government’s spoke’s person posited.

Currently, the budding oil and gas industry is being governed by the Department of Energy within the Ministry of the Presidency.

Only last month, a large high-level Ghanaian delegation was in Guyana to engage local stakeholders on areas of mutual interest in the oil and gas sector, among others. The more than 15-member team, led by Ghana’s Energy Minister and Deputy Minister of Petroleum Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, had met with Director of Energy Dr. Mark Bynoe and his team.

However, while Ghana is ready to help Guyana, the West

African State’s own petroleum industry, still young, has not had the best record with the country failing to use its oil boon to avert the economic crisis and deprivations its people are currently facing.

Ghana has been producing and exporting crude oil since 2011 having discovered the resource in commercial quantities back in 2007.

However, the country’s financial standing has taken a hit in recent years as prices for its main export products, including oil, have fallen.

Nevertheless, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted that Ghana’s economy will grow at 8.8 percent in 2019, pegging the country to be the fastest-growing economy in the world this year.

Having made 13 discoveries of commercial oil in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana, ExxonMobil is preparing to commence production in the first quarter of 2020. The US oil giant has announced an estimated recoverable resource of approximately 5.5 billion oil-equivalent barrels on the Stabroek Block.

Youth slapped with 25-year jail sentence for cricket bat murder

Approximately three weeks after a 12-member High Court jury found him guilty of manslaughter, 22-year-old Jonathan Budhan of Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara (WCD), was on Monday slapped with a 25-year jail sentence. The man was accused of killing 40-yearold Deonarine Manbodh in October of 2016.

The sentence was handed down to Budhan, who was very emotional when given the opportunity to speak. The convict, in tears, apologised to the family members of the deceased who were present in court. He also informed the court that he regrets his actions and begs for mercy.

Budhan’s attorney, Nigel Hughes, in his plea of mitigation told the Judge that his client is remorseful, since according to the probation report, Budhan was described as a peaceful character, a hardworking and quiet person.

Justice Navindra Singh, however, told the young man that he sees the jury’s verdict as merciful since ac-

man had reportedly disapproved of the relationship between his niece and the now dead man.

Reports indicate that on October 20, 2016, Manbodh was beaten to his head with

Accused: Jonathan Budhan

cording to the evidence, he was prepared to injure Manbodh, relying on the fact that after the first hit, he continuously fired blows to the now dead man even though he was on the ground.

Furthermore, Justice Singh noted that he does not want to be the one to have young people incarcerated, as he considered the probation report and the years the convict spent on remand, thus sentencing him to 25 years’ imprisonment.

Budhan had been initially charged for the capital offence of mur-

der but a 12-member jury in a 10-2 proportion delivered a guilty verdict of manslaughter. The charge faced stated that on October 25, 2016, in the county of Demerara, he killed Deonarine Manbodh.

During the trial, it was revealed that the accused, formerly of Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara, armed with a bat, dealt Manbodh a lash to the head after he was embarrassed and assaulted by the now dead man.

The accused retaliated due to the deceased’s actions. The convicted

a bat by the accused.

Manbodh was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where he was admitted and died five days later.

The accused, who

evaded Police apprehension after committing the act, later turned himself in at the Leonora Police Station and was charged for the offence.

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“I am confident”

…Ramjattan says of race to win PM slot ahead of AFC conference

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he Chairman of the Alliance For Change (AFC) – the minority party in the coalition Government – Khemraj Ramjattan is confident going into this weekend’s National Conference, where he will be contesting for the Prime Ministerial post.

A confident Ramjattan, who had announced back in March that he would be challenging current Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo for the post, told reporters on Wednesday that he was unaware of any other candidates vying for the post.

“I am confident. I don’t know of any other persons indicating their interest,” he noted.

But in a subsequent social media post, however, AFC Executive Member Imran Khan explained that the Prime Ministerial post was not up for election at this weekend’s conference.

“There may be motions submitted which speak to the issue, but there is no election scheduled for Prime Ministerial candidate,” Khan stated.

In accordance with the 2015 Cummingsburg

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo

Accord, signed between the two parties to form the governing coalition, the AFC will have the Prime Ministerial position while the Presidential post goes to A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

The Accord has a lifespan of a minimum of three years and a maximum of five years, and was focused primarily on the General and Regional Elections.

However, the AFC back in 2017 was pushing to have the ‘deal’ reviewed and revised, and had even set up a committee

to lead those talks, which never panned out.

However, the APNU’s point man for the negotiation of the Accord, Carl Greenidge, had stated last November that there were no immediate plans to modify the agreement since it has been working well.

In fact, after a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting back in January, the minority party in the coalition Administration also reiterated its commitment to the coalescing pact. But this is despite the AFC in recent

AFC Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan

years coming under fire for the submissive role it has been playing since joining forces with APNU. This led to the minority party contesting the November 2018 Local Government Elections (LGE) on its own. The AFC then contended that it was still a force to be reckoned with after garnering between four and 10 per cent of the popular vote.

Nevertheless, Ramjattan told reporters on Wednesday that the party’s performance would be among the is-

sues on the agenda to be discussed at this weekend’s conference.

“All the aspects of the organisational and structural works have been put in place. Lots of nominees for positions, lots of delegates will be coming from all the regions.

Lots of motions – I don’t want to tell you what the motions are all about.

But the questioning of how we performed over the two last years and a number of other things which happen at a party’s congress or conference (will take place),” the AFC Chairman pos-

ited.

It was noted too that some 300 participants are expected including Diaspora members from the Caribbean and the United States.

Meanwhile as the AFC irons out the issue regarding its Prime Ministerial candidate, the majority APNU arm of the coalition has already thrown its support behind President David Granger for a second term.

Back in January, Granger was endorsed by his party, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) – the largest party in the five-party APNU. Granger is the leader of both the PNCR and the APNU. The AFC had subsequently thrown its support behind the President’s return as presidential candidate for the coalition.

Despite this, however, there is talk of the AFC being sidelined by the APNU and two top officials within the PNCR being considered for the Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2020 General and Regional Elections.

2 electrocuted while erecting poles for CCTV cameras

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he families of two men were plunged into a state of mourning after they were electrocuted on Tuesday while erecting metal poles to carry CCTV cameras at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD). Two others were also injured after they received burns.

Dead are 17-year-old Krishna Chand, a technician attached to Smart

The scene after the incident on Tuesday

Teck Solutions, of Lot 98 Lusignan Pasture, East Coast Demerara (ECD) while the second person was only identified as Anthon of Buxton, ECD. The two injured men are Altaf Amroa, 24, of Lot 96 West Half, Lusignan, ECD, who is also a technician of Smart Teck Solutions and Brian Culley, 53, a porter of Lot 9 Vigilance, ECD. Up to late Tuesday afternoon, they were being treat-

ed at the Georgetown Public Hospital for minor burns.

Based on reports received, the men were part of two separate teams that were contracted by the Public Security Ministry to erect poles to facilitate CCTV cameras.

However, about 13:20h, the men were erecting one of the poles when tragedy struck.

Information reaching Guyana Times

Dead: Krishna Chand

International revealed that Chand had the wire to do the job wrapped around his neck, while Anthon and Culley were holding the metal pole which was attached to a lift on the canter.

The top of the pole reportedly came into contact with the high voltage GPL wire, causing Krishna and Anthon to be electrocuted while Umrao received minor injuries and Culley received burnt injuries to

the palm of his left hand.

Chan received severe burns to the torso, arms and face damaging them beyond recognition while Anthon showed no sign of visible injuries.

They were pronounced dead on the spot by paramedics who turned up at the scene.

Their bodies were later transferred to the Lyken Funeral Home to await a post-mortem.

At the scene, the subcontractors explained

that Anthon was operating the lift to position the pole on its base when one-part metal pole came into contact with the high-tension wire that serves the National Stadium with electricity.

As a result, the electricity travelled down the pole and into Chand and Anthon, who was holding onto the pole, causing severe damage to their safety gloves and helmets.

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NY Assembly votes to permit driver's licences for undocumented immigrants

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ew York state would become the 13th state to permit driver’s licences for immigrants who entered the country illegally under legislation passed by the state Assembly on Wednesday, according to an Associated Press (AP) report.

According to AP, the measure has the support of liberal groups, the state’s largest business organisation and Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat.

Yet its fate remains uncertain in the state Senate, which has not scheduled a vote on the bill.

During floor debate in the Assembly, Democrats argued that immigrant families deserve to have the same ability to drive given to other New Yorkers.

Licensing immigrants, they said, would improve road safety and help the businesses that rely on immigrant employees.

“This bill is com-

mon sense,” said Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, D-Bronx and sponsor of the legislation. “It is in the best interests of the entire state of New York and it responds to the contributions of our immigrant families.”

Republicans countered that the state has no duty to give licenses to immigrants who broke federal immigration laws. Some also questioned whether immigrants would use the licenses to try to register to vote, or whether terrorists might seek to obtain a state license, AP reported.

Wednesday’s vote in the Assembly was 8647.

The bill is backed by the Business Council of New York State, the state’s largest business organization, as well as several labor unions.

Cuomo said Wednesday that he’ll sign if it passes the Senate before lawmakers adjourn next week, AP reported.

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Cost of basic foodstuff, medical services on the rise in Guyana – BoG report T

he price of basic foodstuff including milk, fish and eggs, have steadily increased over the past year, with the price for at least one category of products increasing by as much as 10 per cent.

This is according to the Bank of Guyana (BoG) 2018 Annual report. According to the report, the price for a domestic basket of food (variation of an economic term that tracks inflation in consumer products) increased by 3.0 per cent.

According to the report, this is a reflection of increases in the price of fruits (by 10.9 per cent), meat (8.2 per cent), fish and eggs (4.2 per cent) and alcohol, milk and related products by 2.3 per cent.

The Central Bank noted that unpredictable weather was largely responsible for the increased food cost. But food is not the only thing that has been on the rise. According to the report, the cost of medical care and health services climbed by 2.1 per cent.

Other sectors were also hit by increases.

“The transportation and communications category registered an increase of 1.9 per cent relative to 1.1 per cent decline at the end of Dec 2017. The sub-category of operation/personal transport (tires, gas, parts and repairs) increased by 9.8 per cent compared to an 8.3 per cent decline at the end of December 2017.”

The Central Bank “There was an increase in the price index of housing by 1.1 per cent compared to 0.4 per cent rise for 2017. This was

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo interacting with vendors during previous walkabouts in commercial zones

due to the upward movement in fuel and power (domestic gas, kerosene and electricity) by 4.8 per cent compared with the 1.9 per cent increase at end of December 2017.”

Declines It is not all bad news for consumers, however, as the prices for some products like vegetables and sugar declined.

The price of items like footwear also declined, though the reason is nothing to clap about.

According to the Central Bank, this is because fewer people are spending in the domestic economy.

“Conversely, there were declines in the prices of pulse and pulse products, vegetables, sugar, honey and related products and cereals by 8.4 per cent, 1.7 per cent, 1.5 per cent and 0.3 per cent respectively.”

“There were declines in the price indices of footwear and repairs, education, recreation and culture, clothing and furniture by 12.6 per cent, 1.7 per cent, 1.6 per cent and 1.3 per cent respectively; attributed to lesser domestic spending,” the report states.

According to the BoG report, the Inflation

Consumer prices measured by the Urban Consumer Price Index (CPI) registered an overall inflation rate of 1.6 per cent… a level generally considered as stable by economists and a rate in the range recommended by institutions like the Federal Reserve.

“The monthly average inflation rate was 0.8 per cent. The monthly change [year to date] in the Consumer Price level ranged from as low as -0.4 per cent in April to a high of 1.8 per cent in October,” the report stated.

The International

Monetary Fund (IMF) had predicted back in 2017 that Guyana’s inflation would continue to rise in 2018. They had urged Governments to urgently press ahead with much-needed structural reforms to ensure that growth is sustained and inclusive.

It had also recommended that countries improve their infrastructure, invest in human capital, encourage more females in the labour force, increase oversight of the labour market, enhance governance and anti-corruption efforts and take steps to further

trade.

For the year 2018, the IMF had projected a 2.6 per cent increase in Guyana’s inflation rate. The eventual figure turned out below the projections of even Finance Minister Winston Jordan.

Following previous walkabouts in the markets and other consumer zones, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had previously warned that consumer spending was on a decline and that one of the reasons for this was the Government implemented Value Added Tax (VAT) measures.

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US’ New Horizons medical team praised for successful medical trip to Guyana …39 gynaecological surgeries conducted in Linden

Members of the medical mission posing with John Adams and Dr Pansy Armstrong

By Utamu Belle

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he United States (US) New Horizons medical team has conducted 39 successful gynaecological surgeries at Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) as the hospital also recorded its first laparoscopic tubal ligation surgery.

The medical team, which is currently on a mission to Guyana, was honoured at an appreciation and farewell ceremony hosted at the Watooka Complex in Linden last Friday evening.

The team, which conducted advanced methods of surgeries over several days, was ably assisted by medical staff attached to the hospital. Delivering opening remarks at the ceremony, LHC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Farouk Riyasat alluded that it took over a year of intense planning and preparation between the stakeholders involved to successfully achieve the desired results.

He reported that during the period of May 22 to 26, female patients from Regions Three, Four, Six and 10 were screened and scheduled for surgeries. From May 27 to June 6, the CEO reported that major gynaecology operations were conducted on 39 patients.

During this period also, Dr Riyasat said a total of 26 abdominal, three vaginal and six ovarian hysterectomies were conducted in addition to the first laparoscopic bilateral tubal ligation at the hospital.

“By the way, the bilateral laparoscopic ligation by way of laparoscopic method, it’s

the first time we’re doing that at the Linden Hospital Complex. And thanks to the training we will continue doing so…”, the CEO boasted as his revelation was met with loud applause from the gathering.

Dr Riyasat also alluded to the other surgeries which were conducted as he noted that a total of 55 patients were screened, however, 16 were referred for medical management while 39 received surgical intervention.

He noted that seven of these patients were from Region Three, two from Region Four, five from Region Six and 25 from Region 10.

This, Dr Riyasat related, shows that the Region 10 hospital has the capacity to facilitate more patients from across Guyana. He further related that the post-operative care which the patients received saw a one hundred per cent recovery rate with zero post-operative surgical site infections in addition to excellent prognoses.

He added that the New Horizons team also received full support from the hospital’s doctors, nurses and other medical staff, as he commended the team for its commitment and hard work.

In his remarks, team leader of the Linden mission, Lieutenant Colonel Jason Massengill conveyed heartfelt thanks to the Public Health Ministry, leadership and medical staff of the hospital and members of the New Horizons medical team.

Massengill, who is also the mission’s lead gynaecological and re-

LHC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Farouk Riyasat

constructive surgeon, explained that this was his third mission. He noted that this was one of the most rewarding opportunities he has had so far as he referred to it as one of the most successful missions. Massengill said this could not have been successful without the people on the ground.

While 39 surgeries were conducted, Massengill related that over 129 different procedures were performed, which he referred to as “incredible”. He said this also provided great training opportunities for several members of the medical team. What

would usually take 4 years minimum for some trainees, he noted, was achieved in just 9 days.

“This is also one of the most successful trips we’ve ever done…

Linden Hospital, by far is one of the best hospitals that we’ve been to in South America…This is a training exercise for us…We did over 129 different procedures on patients…”, the team leader boasted.

He added that the team has felt truly welcomed in Guyana and has enjoyed every opportunity.

Personal Assistant to

Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence, John Adams in delivering remarks on behalf of the Minister expressed gratitude to the medical team for a job well done as he extended wishes for continued success.

He noted that while the surgeries are available in Guyana, the team was able to speed up the process over the timeframe to ease the burdens on the affected women.

He also thanked Regional Health Officer (RHO) Dr Pansy Armstrong, whom he noted has been the Ministry’s link to the regional mission as he noted that the Ministry looks forward to continued cooperation with the team.

M e a n w h i l e , Chairman of LHC Management Committee Mortimer Mingo told the gathering that the committee was grateful for having the medical team, as he noted that its presence and intervention would have assisted greatly in the delivery of quality and effective healthcare which is in keeping with the hospi-

tal’s mandate.

He said he was appreciative that persons from other parts of the country would have also sought medical assistance at the hospital and as such the team would have assisted in building capacity at the medical institution.

Several medical practitioners attached to the team and the hospital were also awarded for their services provided. Also present were members of the Guyana Defence Force, Linden Mayor Waneka Arrindell, members of the LHC Management Committee and Chinese and Cuban specialists.

Meanwhile, a total of two staff physicians, four trainees, three anesthesia providers, three nurses and four technicians were deployed to perform surgeries at the LHC. The mission was made possible through the collaborative effort between the New Horizons team, LHC, Public Health Ministry, Regional Democratic Council (RDC) and the Linden Mayor and Town Council (LM&TC).

Mahdia woman remanded for cannabis trafficking

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haffen Donette was remanded to prison when she appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts charged with the possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.

The 35-year-old resident of Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-

Siparuni) pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to her by acting Chief Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus.

The charge stated that on June 8, 2019 at Three Miles, Mahdia, she had 220 grams of cannabis in her possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Prosecutor Shellon Daniels told the court that on the day in question, Donette was a passenger in a minibus when it was stopped and searched by Police.

Prosecutor Daniels further stated that upon searching Donette’s belongings, the ranks found seven transparent packages

suspected to be cannabis hidden inside of a Kotex Panty liner box which she had in her handbag.

A closer inspection revealed a quantity of seeds, leaves and stem.

Donette was told of the offence and arrested.

She will make her next court appearance on July 15, 2019.

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Bus operators strike as condition of Linden-Lethem road worsens S

ome minibus operators who ply the Mahdia and Lethem routes were forced to halt their services until the weather pattern and the state of the road improves.

The road, according to the operators, is almost impassible as a result of the persistent heavy rainfalls.

On Monday, minibus owner Calvin Drakes told Guyana Times International that his driver was forced to park the bus because the road had become worse over the past few days.

“The truth is, he can’t make a trip for now at all…if you see what is going on the trail. It’s terrifying and ridiculous at the same time. I just hoping and praying for some improvement in the weather so that we can make a trip soon because we both depend on this for our livelihood,” he said.

This was the case with at least four other operators who said they cannot continue to operate given the circumstances.

In an invited comment on the issue Monday, Mayor of Mahdia David Adams said there have been no improvements in the condition of the road and although the rehabilitation of the road does not fall under his council, no works can be done due to the persistent rainfall.

The present condition of the Linden to Lethem road which bus operators are forced to traverse seeking their daily bread

Adams last week explained that during the rainy season, some attention needed to be paid to the trail between Mahdia and Mabura which is in dire need of repair works.

He noted, however, that there are no plans in place for such rehabilitation works by the council. “Getting in is very

difficult and some works have to be done in the short term to offer relief to those traversing,” he had said.

The minibus operators since last week have complained bitterly of the deteriorating condition of the trail which they are forced to use to transport passengers and goods as a means of earning

their daily bread.

The bus operators who had reached out to this publication described the trail as a “death trap” and bashed the Public Infrastructure Ministry for paying zero interest in conducting long-term repairs to the trail which is the only access to those areas.

The trail has been in a de-

teriorated state for years and worsens during the rainy seasons after which minor substandard repairs are done on certain patches and the problem continues to recur.

Route 72 minibus drivers said that they were forced to park their buses due to the condition of the road since the risk of making a trip is way more than its gains.

They called on the Government to put measures in place for urgent and longterm repairs and maintenance of the road.

The drivers said they are suffering since they were forced to use the road in the present state as best as they can in getting passengers into and out of Mahdia just for an income to take care of their needs.

They described the situation as unacceptable and called on Government through the Ministry of Public Infrastructure to come up with a plan to commence repairs to the road soon.

Meanwhile, it was recently announced by the Public Infrastructure Ministry that sections of the damaged road in Mahdia were being repaired after the recent flash flooding. The bridge at Red and White, which had been washed away, was replaced by wooden planks until those works are executed.

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WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

CCJ sets June 18 as ‘tentative’ date for ruling on No-Confidence cases

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fter some delay, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has finally set a date, albeit a tentative one, for ruling on the three No-Confidence Motion related cases before it, as well as the challenge to the unilateral appointment of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairman.

This is according to notices sent out by the court to the parties involved in the proceedings, as well as information from various lawyers involved in the cases. In a brief interview, Attorney for former Alliance For Change (AFC) Parliamentarian Charandass Persaud, Sanjeev Datadin informed this publication that the CCJ intends to rule on the consolidated NCM cases on June 18.

When contacted by this publication, Attorney General Basil Williams also revealed that the CCJ is looking to rule in the GECOM case on June 18. The AG also confirmed that the court has accepted the new evidence he submitted in relation to Charandass Persaud.

The “new evidence” has to do with comments made by the former AFC MP Charrandas Persaud during a recent Globespan live show, which Government is alleging purports to show he knew that as a dual citizen he ought not to be in the parliamentary chambers.

Sanjeev Datadin

Persaud had crossed over to vote in favour of the Opposition’s No-Confidence Motion against the coalition Government. The application was filed on the grounds that, among other things, there was no direct evidence of whether Persaud knew that he was unqualified to be a candidate and disqualified from sitting in the National Assembly.

However, Datadin has since submitted a response on behalf of his client, in which it is argued that this new evidence does not reflect the full context of what Persaud actually said on the Globespan show. The affidavit filed by Datadin carried the full transcript.

In the full transcript, Persaud recounts a conversation he had with Minister of

Minister of Public Security and AFC politician Khemraj Ramjattan

Public Security and AFC politician Khemraj Ramjattan, in which the Minister himself sought to allay Persaud’s concerns about his dual citizen status by pointing out that other persons in Parliament held passports from other countries.

As it turns out, at least four politicians have since resigned from Parliament due to them also holding dual citizenship at the time Persaud crossed the floor. They are Dominic Gaskin (former Minister of Business), Carl Greenidge (former Foreign Affairs Minister), Dr Rupert Roopnaraine (former Public Service Minister) and Joseph Harmon (former Minister of State).

The cases Following the December

Former Alliance For Change Parliamentarian Charandass Persaud

21, 2018, passage of the NoConfidence Motion against the Government, the coalition Government challenged the validity of the motion and after failing to get the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland, to reverse it, Government approached the High Court.

However, acting Chief Justice Roxanne George in January upheld the passage of the motion, ruling that it was validly passed with the 33 majority. This decision was then appealed by Government at the Appeal Court, which in March ruled via a 2-1 majority that an absolute majority of 34 votes was needed to successfully pass the motion.

As a last resort, the CCJ

was asked to finally determine these matters, with the cases being heard. The three No-Confidence Motion cases deal with Christopher Ram v the Attorney General of Guyana, the Leader of the Opposition and Joseph Harmon; Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo v the Attorney General of Guyana, Dr Barton Scotland and Joseph Harmon; and Charrandas Persaud v Compton Herbert Reid, Dr Barton Scotland, Bharrat Jagdeo and Joseph Harmon; the last of which deals with Persaud’s eligibility to vote in the House.

Meanwhile, the unilateral appointment case the CCJ heard on May 8 was brought by the People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) Executive Secretary Zulfikar Mustapha, challenging the appointment of current GECOM Chairman, retired Justice James Patterson.

Patterson was appointed to the position of Chairman of GECOM in 2017 after President Granger had rejected three lists comprising 18 names submitted by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo for the post of GECOM Chairman.

Last year, Chief Justice (acting) Roxanne George had ruled that the Constitution of Guyana, in fact, allows for the President to unilaterally appoint someone to fill the position of Chairman of GECOM.

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Probe launched into ‘arbitrary’ firing of PSM staff O

ne week after Government denied firing the personnel staff and chief accountant of the Public Service Ministry, Director General of the Ministry of Presidency, Joseph Harmon on Monday confirmed that indeed, the workers were sent home while adding that an investigation has been launched into the incident.

The workers were sent packing by newly appointed Minister of Public Service, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley on May 31.

Harmon, however, told Guyana Times International during a telephone interview that the termination letters were rescinded and that the workers are now on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

“In fact, it is known that that Minister did in fact purported to have fired these persons. As of now, I think that decision is in abeyance pending an inquiry which will be conducted in a short time to determine whether in fact there were any breaches, grounds for

dismissals, but certainly, an enquiry is going to be held into that. They are presently on administrative leave rather than dismissed.”

He maintained that at this point, the staff in question are still employees of the Government as the decision by Minister Sarabo-Halley to terminate their services has been halted.

Following the revelation, Deputy Director of Press Affairs at the Ministry of the Presidency (MOTP), Ariana Gordon told sections of the media that while allegations have been levelled against the public service employees, they were not dismissed.

However, shortly after a document seen by this publication proved otherwise.

A “Determination of Contract” letter signed by the Minister in question was addressed to a staff member stating that his services will no longer be required.

“Pursuant to the aforesaid contract of employment, your services are hereby terminated with immediate effect”, the letter stated.

Public Service Minister Tabitha Sarabo-Halley

Several staff members were said to have also received similar letters. Employees who have been removed were called PPP “moles” by political activist David Hinds, who is said to have a close relation with the subject Minister. Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, at his press conference last week alluded to the fact that those workers were initially targeted and arbitrarily dismissed

by Minister SaraboHalley after he blew the whistle on transactions at the Ministry of the Presidency which he claims saw the children of a Government Minister receiving payments amounting to over G$20 million in the last two years.

Jagdeo noted that the staff at the PSM were sent packing shortly after his first disclosure because the Government believed that those work-

ers had leaked information to the Opposition about corrupt actions by the Administration.

“That is what their response is, information that we should know about, it is not their money and there is no secrecy about how you spend our money – taxpayers’. But they fired all the staff of the personnel department and they fired the accountant, and clearly, they are worried that within that department you have many more secrets, many more secrets, and they thought that those people released the information and they did not. They just unfairly dismissed them using some spurious excuse of restructuring,” Jagdeo said.

He stated that the workers were unfairly dismissed. In recent days, the Opposition has been revealing information about alleged corrupt practices within the Government.

One of those revelations is that the children of a senior Minister allegedly received over US$86,000 in 2018, monies that were transferred from the Department

of Public Service. Then again, this year, another transfer of millions reportedly took place.

“In 2019, another child of that Minister got transferred from the same Office of the President, the Ministry of the Presidency, Public Service Division, G$2,510,575. So combined, over G$20 million because the other one was over G$17 million – over G$20 million…this is taxpayers’ money and clearly, we need an explanation, let the country decide if the explanation is a plausible one.

So, we have been asking for an explanation and guess what? Silence from the Ministry of the Presidency and silence from the Minister, a person who is very, very vocal on other matters, it’s silence.”

According to the Opposition Leader, the Public Service Minister rushed to illegally fire all the staff in the department that had access to this information, since the Government believes that those fired workers had sent information to the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).

Presence of contraband in prisons Teen crushed was posing huge challenge – Samuels “ketching his hand” during visit to Kwakwani A

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ifteen-year-old Roy Odel Welchman, who was crushed on Sunday last after he allegedly slipped off the side of a truck and fell between the wheels of a skidding machine, was “ketching his hand” during a trip to Kwakwani.

This was revealed by a relative who told Guyana Times International that the young man, a former student of School of Excellence in Linden had visited Kwakwani to spend time with his ailing father while his sister, with whom he lived in Linden, was out of the country. As such, he used the opportunity to “ketch his hand”.

The relative said Welchman had only been working with the company, T Bovell Concessions, for a short time and was tasked with operating the GPS and record keeping for the said company.

“He is a student but he recently travelled there to visit his father and like all young men when they get bored, they do want to look work you know so he just went to ketch he lil raise in the meanwhile he was there,” the relative said.

The relative further said that the family is making preparations for his burial on Saturday and will also be making arrangements to meet with officials from the company.

It was reported that on Sunday at about 17:30h at 16 km Bisarooni Backdam, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), Welchman was in the company of a driver and a porter when the accident took place.

According to the police, the driver used the skidder to leave the backdam, and on the way out, the skidder

Dead: Roy Odel Welchman

hit a bump causing the teen, who was reportedly standing on the left side of the machine, to lose his balance and fall.

Guyana Times International understands that the operator immediately brought the skidder to a halt and in doing so, it ran over the teen.

The driver and the porter rushed the injured young man, who was still conscious at the time, to the Kwakwani Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The police noted that the 15-yearold’s body was examined and it was observed that it had bruises to both temples, swelling of the face and eyelids, a bruise to the left forearm, and bruises on the upper left side of the back. Up to late Tuesday afternoon, the operator of the machine along with the porter were released on station bail as Police continue their investigations.

s the Guyana Prison Service continues to combat the smuggling of contraband in the penitentiaries, it reported the presence of these items has caused much uproar among prisoners, resulting in physical altercations.

Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels made this disclosure on Wednesday, during a graduation exercise for inmates who have successfully completed an anger management training exercise.

He noted that prisoners would seek assistance from their family members to deliver prepaid credit to cellphones. If they do not receive the benefits, this causes fights and other violent activities.

“There is the issue of demand for contraband. There have been instances whereby persons who are in possession of illegal cellphones – a major problem which we have been facing for a number of years. Their families are caused to top-up those phones with credit and then when someone does not receive the required benefits for the credit their families would have placed in those phones, those situations too would result in fights,” said Samuels.

In March, an early-morning raid at the New Amsterdam Prison by members of the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Prison Service unearthed several contraband items.

The items found include three cellphones, a Rambo knife, a shaving set, three improvised weapons, 11 phone chargers, four metal spoons, a quantity of wire, two nail clips, a pair of scissors, 25 cigarette lighters, two memory cards, one adapter, 13 construction nails, 27 razor blades and one gram of cannabis.

Training

The Director of Prisons admitted on many occasions, prisoners are involved in altercations just before their stint is completed.

For this, they are again sentenced. He reiterated that in the past, attacks would result in some persons being hospitalised for days. Wardens and other officers are sometimes subjected to these threats.

The 12-week training provided tools to cope with behavioural issues which can be used as life lessons.

Samuels stressed, “The Guyana Prison Service has placed much focus on the need for such training programmes. While some of those persons who are graduating will not be immediately reintegrated back into society, you will understand that this training will also serve to help those inmates to better cope with their period of imprisonment.”

Officer-In-Charge at the Prison, Nicklon Elliot noted that because of such training initiatives, there has been a reduction in violent crimes in the lockups. While contraband is one of the causes of such altercations, it is not the only reason.

“There would have been a reduction in prisoner violence at the location, and those persons who are part of the programme would have become mentors for the others at the location. The location is one that is dynamic in terms of its condition and that by itself would cause a lot of conflict among prisoners,” Elliot stated.

While they are seeking to implement this programme on a larger scale, the availability of space is a constraint. Ever since the 2017 fire which destroyed a major section of the lockups, the remaining space was utilised for other purposes.

“This training is all about bringing about behavioural change, which is something that is not only needed for prisoners, but something that is needed for many members of society,” he said.

Last September, 32 inmates from the New Amsterdam Prison were recipients of certificates after completing a similar workshop by the Solutions Training Consultancy and Counselling Services (STCCS).

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H

umans are both creatures and moulders of their environment, which gives them physical sustenance and affords them the opportunity for intellectual, moral, social and spiritual growth. In the long and tortuous evolution of the human race on this planet, a stage has been reached where, through the rapid acceleration of science and technology, humans have acquired the power to transform their environment in countless ways and on an unprecedented scale.

The United Nations, aware that the protection and improvement of the human environment is a major issue, which affects the well-being of peoples and economic development throughout the world, designated June 5 as World Environment Day. The celebration of this day provides us with an opportunity to broaden the basis for an enlightened opinion and responsible conduct by individuals, enterprises, and communities in preserving and enhancing the environment.

Since it began in 1974, it has grown to become a global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated in more than 100 countries.

“Beat Air Pollution” Each World Environment Day is organised around a theme that focuses attention on a particularly pressing environmental concern. The theme for 2019, “Beat Air Pollution”, is a call to action to combat this global crisis.

Chosen by this year’s host, China, this year’s topic invites us all to consider how we can change our everyday lives to reduce the amount of air pollution we produce, and thwart its contribution to global warming and its effects on our own health.

What causes air pollution?

Understanding the different types of pollution, and how it affects our health and environment will help us take steps towards improving the air around us. Often you can’t even see it, but air pollution is everywhere. We can't stop breathing, but we can do

something about the quality of our air. Nine out of 10 people worldwide are exposed to levels of air pollutants that exceed safe levels set by the World Health Organisation.

There is little doubt – we are faced with an urgent task.

A platform for action, World Environment Day is the UN day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment.

Above all, World Environment Day is the "people's day" for doing something to take care of the Earth. That "something" can be local, national, or global. It can be a solo action or involve a crowd. Everyone is free to choose.

Each World Environment Day is organised around a theme that draws attention to a particularly pressing environmental concern. Each World Environment Day has a different host country, where the official celebrations take place. The focus on the host country helps highlight the environmental challenges it faces and supports worldwide efforts to address them.

Nine out of 10 people worldwide breathe polluted air and air pollution causes some seven million premature deaths annually. This high rate of exposure to air pollutants is “lowering life expectancy and damaging economies across the planet,” says the UN Secretary General in his message for World Environment Day (June 5).

Many air pollutants (for example: black carbon, ozone and methane) are not only harmful when inhaled but also contribute to global warming.

Tackling air pollution, therefore, presents a double opportunity to clean the air and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by phasing out coal-fired power plants and promoting less polluting

industry, transport and domestic fuels.

World Environment Day this year focuses on action to #BeatAirPollution.

United Nations Secretary General’s Message The theme for this year’s World Environment Day is Beat Air Pollution.

All around the world – from megacities to small villages – people are breathing dirty air. An estimated nine out of 10 people worldwide are exposed to air pollutants that exceed World Health Organisation air quality guidelines. This is lowering life expectancy and damaging economies across the planet.

To improve air quality, we must know our enemy. Deaths and illnesses from air pollution are caused by tiny particles that penetrate our defences every time we fill our lungs. These particles come from many sources: the burning of fossil fuels for power and transport; the chemicals and mining industries; the open burning of waste; the burning of forests and fields; and the use of dirty indoor cooking and heating fuels, which are major problems in the developing world.

This polluted air kills some seven million people each year, causes longterm health problems, such as asthma, and reduces children’s cognitive development. According to the World Bank, air pollution costs societies more than US$5 trill i o n

every year.

Many air pollutants also cause global warming. Black carbon is one such example. Produced by diesel engines, burning trash and dirty cookstoves, it is extremely harmful when inhaled. Reducing emissions of such pollutants will not only improve public health, it could alleviate global warming by up to 0.5 degrees Celsius over the next few decades.

Tackling air pollution, therefore, presents a double opportunity, as there are many successful initiatives that both clear the air and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as phasing out coal-fired power plants and promoting less polluting industry, transport, and domestic fuels. With investments in renewable energy sources outstripping those in fossil fuels every year, the rise of clean energy is helping globally. Cleaner transport is also growing around the world.

It is in such initiatives, designed to improve air quality and fight climate change, that hope lies. I urge everyone attending the Climate Action Summit that I am convening in September to draw motivation from such examples. There is no reason why the international community cannot act.

Precedent exists in the Montreal Protocol. Scientists identified a grave threat to public and planetary health, and Governments and businesses acted to successfully protect the ozone layer.

Today, we face an equally urgent crisis. It is time to act decisively. My message to Governments is clear: tax pollution; end fossil fuel subsidies; and stop building new coal plants. We need a green economy not a grey economy.

On World Environment Day, I ask each of us to act so we can breathe more easily. From pressuring politicians and businesses to changing our own habits, we can reduce pollution and beat climate change.

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Doppelganger…

I

…of Ghana

n addition to our similar-sounding name, we’ve got so many things in common with Ghana – whose President is visiting – you’d think we’re “doppelgangers” – you know, real-life doubles. As your Eyewitness mentioned yesterday, the resemblance goes as old and deep as our geological formation, 140 million years ago – including giving us oil today. During the colonial period, Ghana was known as the “Gold Coast” and we were the “Mosquito Coast” – but with El Dorado in our interior!!

Starting with Cuffy/Kofi/Coffy, our 1763 revolutionary slave, scads of us are descended from the Akan people of Ghana. While the first Prime Minister of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, was a decade older than our first Prime Minister Cheddi Jagan, both of them were students in the US at the same time…and both were radicalised by their experience to become Marxists.

Both were removed from office by CIA machinations in the sixties as victims of the “Cold War” (!) between the USA and USSR!!

Jagan was succeeded by Burnham and his PNC dictatorship which lasted till 1992 while Nkrumah was succeeded by a series of military-dominated, oneparty governments that were changed through coups, and putsches till 1992. During those years, while both countries were filled to the brim with “potential”, their people barely eked out a living. Democratic “free and fair” elections to choose governments then returned in 1992 and have remained so since then – even though the PNC here looks like it’s planning on changing that record. There will be elections in both countries next year.

Ghana struck oil in 2007 – their Jubilee Anniversary year – while we did so in 2015, a year ahead of our Jubilee Anniversary year. In both instances, great expectations were engendered in their long-suffering populace about improving their miserable lot. But with Ghana a decade ahead of us in oil production maybe their doppelganger experience can offer us a clue of what’s ahead? Their first oil contracts were negotiated by some expatriate Ghanaians with a US oil company, but the incoming administration later accused them of corruption and re-examined the contracts.

The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation formed to oversee the nation’s oil interests is regularly overshadowed by the Energy Ministry – especially when oil contracts are to be signed!! Contracts are regularly doled out to politically connected persons, but because the Government changes with regularity between the two major parties, there’s a continuous disruption of sustained development.

The one major positive development, as mentioned yesterday, has been the creation of an urban swing vote bloc which undermines ethnic control of the government – even though ethnicity still plays a big role in politics.

Sadly, then, Ghana still hasn’t fulfilled its potential.

Will Guyana?

…protests in Hong Kong

Last week was the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in China, when thousands of Chinese civilians were literally mowed down

by Chinese Army tanks for demanding democratic reforms. Some say the West was behind the protests – to replicate the “colour revolutions” that toppled Communist Governments all across Eastern Europe.

China, however, imperturbably moved on and with their incredible economic gains which dragged half-a-billion persons out of poverty, not many have questioned their institutions of governance.

Tiananmen was erased from the national memory.

Hong Kong had been a British colony like us and developing institutions patterned on Liberal British values. However, it reverted to China in 1997 – with agreement that certain institutions weren’t to be touched. Suddenly, out of the blue, the Chinese Government decided to change the law to allow the extradition of some charged persons to mainland China.

In scenes reminiscent of Tiananmen Square, hundreds of thousands of Hong Kongers, distrustful of the Chinese legal system, have come out into the streets to protest the proposal.

Will China send in the tanks?

…in GPSU

Patrick Yarde says Public Servants never had it so good than under the PNC. Yet, his doppelganger head of the GPSU had allowed their real wages to fall 75 per cent between 1980 and 1990 under the PNC! He wants a repeat?

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Amaila Falls Hydroelectricity Project

H

ydropower has the ability to transform a country’s electricity spectrum with cleaner energy thus contributing to the reduction of global warming as well as saving the environment. Guyana, a country with vast rainforests and hundreds of waterfalls, took up the mantle and included the Amaila Falls Hydroelectricity Project (AFHP) as part of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) under the

from US$325 million to almost US$1 billion.

Under the Norwegian Government’s budget regulations, grants must be used within one year. An exception was made for the Amaila Falls Project, allowing the money to remain with the IDB for 18 months.

By mid-2016, Guyana had a new government, which opposed the construction of the Amaila Falls dam. The Norwegian Agency for Development

ing sources will have to be added in parallels like sun, wind and thermal production based on emission neutral fuel (bagasse) for back-up in the dry periods when the water flow to the AFHP may be insufficient for full capacity operation.

The environmental and social impacts of the AFHP are well established in the performed studies.

No resettlement is required and there is

stewardship of then President Bharrat Jagdeo.

Touted as the keystone of the LCDS, the AFHP was launched in 2009 but has been on hold since 2013 when the developer Sithe Global pulled out. The reason for Sithe Global’s withdrawal was due to the lack of consensus in Parliament.

The then Opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Alliance For Change (AFC) both expressed concerns about the project and voted down a key piece of legislation which consequently shelved the project.

Despite the uncertainty about the project, in 2014, Norway transferred US$80 million to the Inter-American Development Bank as part of the Norwegian International Climate and Forest Initiative’s US$250 million REDD deal with Guyana. The money is intended as part-funding of the dam, the cost of which has grown over the years

Cooperation (NORAD), in 2016, commissioned a review of the Amaila Falls dam which was carried out by Norconsult.

“The only realistic path for Guyana towards an emission-free electricity sector is by developing its hydropower potential. The fastest way forward is to maintain AFHP [Amaila Falls Hydropower Project] as the first major step for substituting its current oil-fired generation,” Norconsult concluded in its report.

The AFHP was prioritised as the first hydropower plant because it was the only project with a full feasibility study completed, it has a higher plant load factor than the alternatives, a smaller reservoir and a revised unit cost in the same range as the most attractive alternatives.

The report also indicated that Amaila Falls alone cannot provide 100 per cent emissionfree power generation in Guyana. Other generat-

limited human activity in the area directly affected by the project.

The US$858.1 million project was touted as the largest foreign direct investment at that time.

Had the AFHP went ahead then, it would have meant reliable electricity supply as well as lower harmful gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels for the generation of power.

History of the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project In 1974-76, the Government of Guyana carried out a pre-feasibility study of the hydropower potential at Amaila Falls assuming an installed capacity of 200 megawatts (MW).

In 1997, a brief review of this study was done by others. It concluded by suggesting a 165 MW development.

In 1998, the Government of Guyana signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

with Synergy/Harza for developing Amaila Falls in the Private Sector.

In December 2001, Montgomery Watson Harza (MWH), on behalf of Synergy/Harza, completed a feasibility study of the project with installed capacity downscaled to 100 MW. In 2006, Sithe Global entered as a potential investor to the Project.

The Government of Guyana and Sithe Global thereafter established a Special Purpose Company (SPC), Amaila Falls Hydro Inc (AFHI) for developing the AFHP. Partners in the AFHI are Sithe Global (60 per cent) and the Government of Guyana represented by the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) (40 per cent). GPL is supposed

to be the sole direct offtaker of the power from the Project.

The AFHP comprises a power plant with 165 MW installed capacity and a 270 to 280-kilometre long 230-kilovolt double-circuit transmission line via a sub-station at Linden to the capital, Georgetown.

The intention has been to develop the AFHP in a BOOT (Build, Own, Operate & Transfer) model with the transfer of the facilities for free to the Government of Guyana after 20 years.

On October 8, 2009, the original holder (an association of Synergy Holdings (Guyana) and Harza International) of an Interim Development Licence, transferred all rights and interests, obligations and liabilities

under its licence to the AFHI. In 2010, the IDB assumed the role of adviser to the Government of Guyana and the AFHI for developing the project and for establishing a structure for the financing of AFHP involving support from IDB, potential development agencies and other sources.

A draft Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) (on "take or pay" basis) between the AFHI and GPL was negotiated in 2011.

Norway's Ministry of Climate and Environment and its International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI) have supported Guyana's rainforest conservation efforts since 2009, including Guyana's commitment to the transfer of its oilfired energy generation to renewable sources, as outlined in Guyana's LCDS document issued first in 2009 and confirmed in a revised version in March 2013.

Just last year, Government, after pushing the green agenda, said that it was open to reconsidering the hydroelectric dam, citing renewed interest for investors.

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TravelSpan: Celebrating 25 years of service to customers

O

n June 07, 2019, TravelSpan Vacations Inc., celebrated its 25th year in business. Established in 1994, Travelspan has operated L1011, Boeing 737, 757 and 767 flights from both JFK International in New York and Hollywood international Ft Lauderdale Airports in the US to destinations like, Haiti, The Dominican Republic, Guyana, Grenada and Trinidad & Tobago.

TravelSpan has amassed a vast portfolio and built a name for itself in the travel industry. Over the company’s 25-year history, TravelSpan, was built on the premise of 3 layers; • Over 10 Travel Agencies • Hotel & Tour Division • And Charter & Schedule Airline By building the company in 3 layers with a diverse income stream, Travelspan had the unique ability to move in and out of different markets as circumstances, demand and economy change.

Over the years the travel industry has seen many changes, while many agencies were forced to downsize or closed their doors due to the internet boom, TravelSpan however, positioned itself by launching its fully bookable website travelspan.com in 2007. This website allowed TravelSpan to market its airfare, niche tours and packages to possible online customers, while maintaining its brick and mortar offices to continue to serve all clients from all walks

of life.

TravelSpan has always been a company for the community, and when it was needed, TravelSpan filled up a B737 with relief supplies for those affected by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 in Grenada and again by the floods in Guyana in 2005. TravelSpan humanitarian outreach did

not stop there, it provided aid to Africa, offered a Mothers’ Day Competition, and even sponsored an orphanage flights which brought heartfelt joy and appreciation to 150 orphans.

Travelspan has been a trend setter with customer giveaways, in-office promotions, in-flight giveaways and community-sponsored event giveaways, TravelSpan has and continues to offer monthly prizes to its customers; this is evident on our social media platforms and on the company’s website, travelspan. com where you can view past winners.

TravelSpan has also established a destina-

tion package and tours department, selling allinclusive destinations like Dominican Republic, Mexico, Jamaica and the greater Caribbean Islands. TravelSpan also launched its tours department with escorted tours to some exotic destinations like Dubai and India.

TravelSpan has partnered with its related companies such as Amral’s Travel; which has 4 locations in Trinidad, and Travelspan GT, also with 4 locations in Guyana.

This relationship strongly benefits our customers, particularly when they travel to Trinidad and Guyana and there are flight

changes or reconfirmation.

TravelSpan Customers can book with any of our partner companies and get service or assistance at any of its offices, basically, the concept is that its customers can purchase a ticket in 1 office or online and get service in any of its other offices locally or overseas.

TravelSpan has a management team, that

when combined, has well over 100 years of travel industry experience.

The company’s dedicated and knowledgeable travel professionals are ready and willing to help its customers with any vacation plans.

Travelspan could not have reached such a milestone without God, its loyal customers, its suppliers such as Caribbean

Airlines, American Airlines, Jet Blue, Delta, Copa, our advertisers and many more.

As the business continues to change, and as challenges arise, with its proven track record, TravelSpan will adopt to such changes and challenges so it can continue to serve its customers and the communities it calls home.

WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

R

andy Madray is a 25-year-old fashion designer who was born in Georgetown, Guyana. At the age of 15, because of his successes in the arts in school and his evident love for fashion, Randy was proposed by his closest cousin, Javanna, to enter into a fashion designing competition, FACTS, for students.

At that time, the shy teenager was a student at Queen’s College and was pushed towards realizing his full designing potential.

Being the youngest he was quite nervous but emerged the winner of 3 of the five prejudged segments and eventually the overall winner. At this point, Randy would have been mentored

by Michelle Cole, Natasha

35

Martindale and Trevor Rose in the competition who provided much support.

Winning awarded him The Student Designer of the Year 2009 Award.

This year makes ten years since Randy Madray has been designing. Randy hopes for yet another productive year and looks forward to one filled with new opportunities and growth. He believes that humility is important but you must know your worth! If you live what you do, you never have to work a day.

Last weekend, the Guyana Fashion Showcase made its debut at the Ramada Hotel at Providence, East Bank Demerara and Randy was one of the featured designers. Here are a few pieces from his new collection launched at the Guyana Fashion Showcase.

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GuySuCo blames NICIL for putting divestment of estates at risk T he Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is blaming the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited/Special Purpose Unit ((NICIL/SPU) for the current troubles with the divestment process, saying that the Unit has left it in the dark about the sales of its own assets.

In a strongly-worded statement in which it accused the SPU of unprofessionalism, GuySuCo criticised NICIL’s approach to the divestment.

According to GuySuCo, NICIL has been slothful and because of this, has not executed any major investments with the process approaching its second year.

“NICIL/SPU’s single role was to divest GuySuCo’s assets from the Skeldon, Rose Hall, East Demerara (Enmore) and Wales estates; however, due to its slothfulness and less than credible ‘divestment’ tactics, it has now placed at risk the retooling and restructuring of GuySuCo as it is clearly outlined in the Government of Guyana (GoG) State Paper on the Future of the Sugar Industry,” GuySuCo said in its statement.

“NICIL/SPU, having been unable to divest the assets in a timely manner, convinced its principals that the Bond was an appropriate alternative as an interim financial arrangement; the divestment process is now approaching its second

year and NICIL/SPU has not executed one significant investment.”

In addition, GuySuCo slammed NICIL for the current arrangement that sees it pocketing proceeds from the assets it did divest. GuySuCo claimed that it should be the other way around, so that the Corporation could fund its own strategic plan.

“As a matter of fact, in an attempt to extend the life of the SPU, having been created for the specific purposes above and within a particular timeframe; the agency has now assumed the role and operates as a proprietor and landlord.

This is totally inconsistent with its intended purposes,” the Corporation complained.

“Additionally, GuySuCo is still awaiting a full report from NICIL/SPU on all and any transaction(s) which were completed or are in progress in relation to its immoveable and moveable assets, including the scrap metals, machinery, plant and equipment.”

This is telling, as in April of this year, reports had emerged that scrap metal from GuySuCo worth G$3 billion was sold to a mysterious buyer, but the proceeds from the sale were not received by the Corporation.

The Government has been silent on this transaction, with former Business Minister Dominic Gaskin distancing his Ministry from the sale when

SPU Head Colvin Heath-London

questioned by Guyana Times International in April. The Business Ministry has overall responsibility for the scrap metal trade.

Nor is that all. According to GuySuCo, it is yet to be informed by NICIL about the extent of the valuation done

by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) into its assets, information others, including Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, have repeatedly called for.

Since the valuation was done, the report done by PWC is yet to be released to the public. In its statement, GuySuCo questioned whether all the estates, including cultivation and other assets, were valuated.

Cooperation

GuySuCo also refuted recent claims made by NICIL

that it has not been cooperating and has been withholding information. It insisted that it has in fact been providing information about the Estates for the divestment process – with the records to back it up.

GuySuCo expressed the view that NICIL/SPU used its June 3 press conference, where the claim was made that among other things GuySuCo has not been cooperating, to distract the public from the slow pace of divestment.

In GuySuCo’s statement, it provided the dates for every document it handed over and the persons receiving them. The documents date all the way back to November 20, 2017, when the fixed asset registers for Enmore, Rose Hall and Skeldon Estates were handed over.

In this and several other cases, the documents

were handed over to NICIL’s in-house lawyer Arianne McLean. In other cases, however, the documents were handed over to other employees at NICIL. Other documents include the minutes of board meetings and operating statistics from the Enmore Estate.

GuySuCo even claims it provided the Enmore Estate field map, hectares per bed layout and the Enmore cane nursery size in 2018. Details from other Estates were also provided, GuySuCo said, including information on the soil.

Another allegation refuted

by GuySuCo in its statement was the claim that it has requested duty-free concessions for the purchase of luxury vehicles from the G$30 billion bond NICIL raised for the recapitalisation of the Sugar Estates.

According to GuySuCo, the only vehicles it requested duty-free concessions for were double- and single-cab pickups for normal agricultural use in the sugar cane cultivation.

Even as the controversy continues regarding the divestment of GuySuCo’s assets, concerns have already been expressed about what will happen if Government defaults on the G$30 billion bond it arranged last year. In such a case, bondholders would have the option of levying on NICIL’s portfolio of assets, which include the Marriott Hotel.

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– dreams of one day making it big on international export market

By U tamu Belle

W

hat started off as just a curious business venture between two women has led Linden entrepreneur 49-year-old Pamela Bradford down the path of creating her own line of natural coconut oil products.

The businesswoman, who is the creative mind behind Pam’s Coconut Oil Products, has recently ventured from simply making, bottling and selling plain coconut oil to residents in the community, to establishing her own line of scented coconut oil hair products. Residents in the community, more so 'naturalistas' are intrigued by the latest development as Bradford offers a diverse line of appealing fragrances which means, no more plain coconut oil scent! The exciting new fragrances include cherry, jasmine, vanilla and lavender infusing the all-natural benefits of coconut oil. Her other coconut oil products include virgin coconut oil and the special ‘Pam’s Herbal Hair Oil’.

Coconut oil has been used for centuries and with its countless nutrients, is noted to have amazing health benefits for the hair and skin. Bradford has been in the business of local coconut oil production for approximately three years with the idea coming from a friend. She recalled how she first started during an interview with the Sunday Times Magazine.

“I was friends with this lady and she said, ‘Pam, we could do this coconut oil business together. We started it together, but then... I branched off...She’s not doing it much now, but I continued it,” Bradford reminisced.

The multi-talented businesswoman, who is now producing on a medium scale, is a vendor at the Wismar Market in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara- Berbice),

where she also operates a floral design business. She explained that she started off with producing virgin coconut oil as her first product. She then went on to create coconut hair oils, and more recently, added the scented coconut oils. With no harsh chemicals added, Bradford’s products include natural herbal oils such as castor and carrot oils and water. Apart from use in the hair, the coconut oil products can be used in the treatment and prevention of diaper rash and stretch marks and during massages. The herbal hair oil has benefits such as repairing damaged hair, fighting frizz and deep conditioning. With the enchanting fragrances and superb labels, the oils are set to take the local market by storm.

“It’s herbal oils made from the virgin coconut oil and other herbal ingredients like the cherry fragrance,” Bradford explained.

There is a ready supply of coconuts in the community, given the fact that almost every yard has a tree.

Bradford explained that this makes it a lot easier to pursue the coconut oil business.

“We got a lot of coconuts in Linden,” she noted.

With her latest invention, she noted, however, that the fragrances are brought in from overseas, as she pointed out that she would like to see the fragrances being developed and made available on the local market. Highlighting another challenge, Bradford related that her plastic bottles are bought from a bottle factory on the East Bank of Demerara, but apart from this, she would have to ship her bottles into the country.

“Getting the bottles is a big challenge ... because you don’t normally get them. But I went online and I saw it at them, so that is how I end up purchasing from them...,” she explained.

Bradford said she envi-

sioned her business one day making it on the international market and hopes to develop other lines of products using the cheap and readily available coconut oil.

She noted, however, that it would take assistance and collaboration with the relevant authorities.

“I think if I get the kind of help that is needed, then the business would grow further, even out of Linden.

I would like to see more opportunities for expansion,” she said.

Bradford said she was happy with the progress made thus far, regardless of the challenges, but shared her beliefs that there is room for much more improvement.

“I need more help because I don’t have my own grater. I have to pay to grate the coconuts.

I have to pay workers also.

If I get the help to have my own grater I wouldn’t have to pay to grate it and then I can afford to sell the oils more reasonable than how I am selling it now,” she posited.

Presently, her virgin co-

conut oils are sold at $1000 for 10 ounces, $1800 for 500ml and $3000 for 1 litre.

“I teach a lot of young people to do what I’m doing here, but you would always hear them saying things like they can’t do it off of their own, they got to get financial help,” she noted.

But the businesswoman has advice for other entre-

preneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs.

“I would always advise persons to be independent...

I would encourage anybody, once you put your mind to something, go ahead, run with it and just focus on what you want to do. Be independent, be progressive and everything else will fall into place,” she counselled.

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10 facts about air pollution on World Environment Day

N

obody is safe from air pollution, the United Nations warned on World Environment Day, with nine out of 10 people on

the planet now breathing polluted air.

This has led to a growing, global health crisis, which already causes about 7 million

deaths per year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Burning fossil fuels for power, transport and industry is a major

contributor to air pollution as well as the main source of planet-warming carbon emissions - and tackling both problems together could bring substantial benefits for public health.

Here are some facts on the human impacts of air pollution and its links with climate change: 1. Air pollution kills 800 people every hour or 13 every minute, accounting for more than three times the amount of people who die from malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS combined each year.

2. Some of the same pollutants contribute to both climate change and local air pollution, including black carbon or soot - produced by inefficient combustion in sources like cookstoves and diesel engines - and methane.

3. The five main sources of air pollution are indoor burning of fossil fuels, wood and other biomass to cook, heat and light homes; industry, including power generation such as coal-fired plants and diesel generators; transport, especially vehicles with diesel engines; agriculture, including livestock, which produces methane and ammonia, rice paddies, which produce methane, and the burning of agricultural waste; and open waste burning and organic waste in landfills.

4. Household air pollution causes about 3.8 million premature deaths each year, the vast majority of them in the developing world, and about 60% of those deaths are among women and children.

5. 93% of children worldwide live in areas where air pollution exceeds WHO guidelines, with 600,000 children

under 15 dying from respiratory tract infections in 2016.

6. Air pollution is responsible for 26% of deaths from ischemic heart disease, 24% of deaths from strokes, 43% from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 29% from lung cancer. In children, it is associated with low birth weight, asthma, childhood cancers, obesity, poor lung development and autism, among other health defects.

7. 97% of cities in lowand middle-income countries with more than 100,000 inhabitants do not meet the WHO minimum air quality levels, and in high-income countries, 29% of cities fall short of guidelines.

8. About 25% of urban ambient air pollution from fine particulate matter is contributed by traffic, 20% by domestic fuel burning and 15% by industrial activities including electricity generation.

9. Keeping global warming "well below" 2 degrees Celsius (3.6F), as governments have pledged to do under the 2015 Paris Agreement, could save about a million lives a year by 2050 through reducing air pollution alone.

10. In the 15 countries that emit the most planet-warming gases, the cost of air pollution for public health is estimated at more than 4% of GDP. In comparison, keeping warming to the Paris Agreement temperature limits would require investing about 1% of global GDP. (Sources: UN Environment, World Health Organization, World Bank, Every Breath Matters campaign, World Economic Forum)

WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

‘Critical situation’ …highest percentage of teen pregnancies recorded in Regions 1, 7, 9

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Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence

recent report on practices of adolescents revealed the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in the country were recorded in Regions One, Seven, and Nine.

This is according to Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence, who made this disclosure on Friday during the launch of a threeyear India-United Nations Development Partnership Fund Project aimed at reducing adolescent pregnancy in Guyana.

“Our situation is critical … some of the contributory factors being lack of access to contraceptives and comprehensive sexual education, risky sexual behaviour and early sex, and there is also another overriding factor that many times we overlook and that is

the cultural differences.

And that is something in everything we do we must take into account, whether it is in Region One, Region Seven or in Region Nine, we will find that as we move from one tribe to the other that their cultural differences stand out,” the Minister said.

As such, the threeyear project can be seen as a timely intervention since the issue of teenage pregnancy continues to be a thorn in the side of the Guyanese populace, she noted.

“Our adolescent fertility rate being above average especially among our Indigenous girls. Seventy-four out of every 1000 in Regions One, Seven and Nine between the age group of 15 to 19 years old,” Lawrence said. turn to page 46

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WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Diamond hospital plagued by staff, drug shortages

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he Diamond D i a g n o s t i c Centre continues to be plagued with operational issues with the facility reportedly facing staff shortages and lacks the basic services and equipment necessary to offer adequate medical services to members of the public.

Nurses attached to the East Demerara Regional Hospital reached out to Guyana Times International over the weekend and complained that all of the operations of the hospital are being done by only a few nurses, who are left to multitask and are forced to work long hours beyond their shifts in order to

get the work completed.

One of the nurses, who wished to remain anonymous due to fear of victimisation, told this publication that a majority of the staff of the hospital have been

migrating to England through agencies soliciting medical personnel for overseas jobs while others have sought transfers to escape the “stressful” environment at the Diamond hospi-

tal.

“A lot of the nurses gone away to work in England and others are seeking time off to study at University, and others are taking transfers because they

Business Minister challenges stakeholders to improve local tourism product

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s Guyana continues with efforts at being promoted as an eco-tourism destination, newly appointed Business Minister Haimraj Rajkumar, who has responsibility for Tourism, has said he believes that in order for the country to be successfully marketed abroad, it first needs to be promoted locally.

“I do believe that citizens of Guyana can act as ambassadors (of) our country and help sell our tourism product.

But when (you) look carefully, you find that people spend (their) vacations in other countries rather than (in) Guyana, and many of those persons would have hardly visited a place in another county (other) than (the one) which they live in,” Minister Rajkumar pointed out at a reception recently held to welcome him in the new position.

At the Cara Lodge on Friday, He told a room full of tourism industry stakeholders that for the initiative of promoting Guyana’s tourism to succeed, a collaborative approach is needed.

“I think we, as stakeholders in this sector, should put our heads together and somehow try to encourage local tourism; tourism that our citizens can be able to afford – a destination that can be affordable and a destination that can be easily accessible; so that when they leave and go to another

Business Minister Haimraj Rajkumar

destination, they will be able to sell the things we have. It’s highly unlikely for someone to sell the things that they don’t know about, and it’s somewhat shameful to know that you know about Manhattan and (all those places) abroad, but you cannot sell Fort Island, you can’t sell Sloth Island,” the minister posited.

He said Guyana’s brand of tourism product is different from anything that is being offered by its Caribbean neighbours; that is, the usual sand, sun and sea.

“We have something different, and we have an opportunity to create a different package and product.

But even though it’s different, we must be able to package it in

such a manner that it becomes desirable, so that people would want to be part of this. We must be able to put our energies together to become one of the leading sustainable tourism destinations,” he noted.

The minister noted that with Guyana having been recognised as the number one ecotourism destination in the world, the sector needs to capitalise on this and build, so that the country can be seen as not just a destination with beautiful scenery, but a deep and diverse culture.

“We, as a people, should be patriotic and recognise that we have a very valuable product in our natural flora and fauna, (but) we also have people of six races, and each one of us has

our own cultural background which is completely different from (that of) any (other) Caribbean country. We are a place of six people living together as one people, one nation and one destiny; that itself is something different, and we can always market that. So we can sell (to others the opportunity) to come and discover the culture of our people,” Minister Rajkumar explained.

The Business Minister, who also has responsibility for the tourism sector, further clarified that in order for the tourism industry to move forward, it is necessary to analyze and see where its strengths and weaknesses are. “(We need) to develop the areas that are weak and to form strategies to maximise the benefits of the areas that are strong.

So we need to start a policy of data collection so that we can analyze how our sector is doing, and determine how many visitors come to Guyana, where they spend their money, and how they spend their money, so that we can tap into those (areas).

I would like to see stakeholders working together to increase the quality of our tourism product and make Guyana a desirable destination. This will result in the increase in visitors’ arrival and directly making a contribution to our economy,” Rajkumar stressed.

can’t continue to work at Diamond. This place is like a slave camp with no proper facilities to carry out the job. It’s just a few of us doing all the work. It’s like one person doing four persons’ job. We don’t even have basic medication to give to patients. It’s a very ridiculous situation here,” the nurse stressed.

Further, the nurses added that machines and other vital equipment have been out of order for an extended period of time despite several reports to the administration about seeking repairs.

“The X-ray and EKG machines are not working for a long time now. We keep reporting over and over, but nobody cares about getting it fixed. There are no proper facilities here and when patients come, we have to send them away or refer them to GPHC. We have nothing here really. It’s an exhausting situation here and the condition of this hospital and is getting from bad to worse,” another nurse decried.

Additionally, the nurses related that there is a major shortage of drugs and other medication at the institution and this greatly limits their ability to treat patients in need of medical attention.

The nurses contended that the Diamond hospital has a negative stigma attached. The blame for this, they insisted, should be placed at the feet of the administration that is responsible for ensuring the hospital is properly equipped with nurses, doctors, and supplies to perform its services effectively.

“People always have something negative to say about this [Diamond] hospital but it’s not our fault. We can only do so much.

When patients come, sometimes we don’t have anything to treat them with… and other times, a doctor isn’t even on duty and they have to wait and people get agitated by these things. If we are taken care of and are properly supplied with the necessary tools, we can carry out our job efficiently”, one nurse posited.

This is not the first time staff are complaining about the condition of the East Bank medical facility. In fact, back in 2017, medical workers had staged a strike in order to have their concerns and issues addressed. This led to the Public Health Ministry and regional officials hosting a meeting with staff to iron out the matter.

That meeting was headed by then Junior Health Minister Dr Karen Cummings, who had noted that the main concern of the Ministry is to ensure that patients and staff are treated with care and respect at all health facilities throughout Guyana and that necessary systems should be in place to ensure that health services are provided in an unhindered manner.

The issues that affected the hospital at that time were the lack of security presence, non-functional sewerage systems and faulty electricity supply due to poor installation.

Now, less than two years later, the hospital is once again facing issues hampering the effective delivery of healthcare services.

This comes on the heels of Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence, recently boasting of her Government’s commitment to improving access to primary healthcare to all of Guyana.

The Minister’s statement comes at a time when the healthcare system is experiencing the longest and most widespread shortage of drugs in recent history.

Furthermore, the credibility of the public hospitals is under much fire owing to the alarming number of reported deaths of children and newborns.

Nonetheless, the Minister acknowledged that these problems exist and undertook to continue working to address them.

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Activist Andaiye hailed as a champion of women’s empowerment

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A packed auditorium of persons showed up to remember Andaiye

s rain drops sprinkled over the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown on Saturday, scores gathered to pay their last respects to the late Andaiye, a founder of women’s group Red Thread and Executive Member of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA).

Andaiye breathed her last on May 31 aged 77.

She had spent the last 15 days of her life in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a private hospital.

Her inconsolable niece, Alissa Trotz shared a piece composed by the writer on her deathbed: “On International Women’s Day 1989, I was diagnosed with cancer. Later, I learnt it was stage four B Lymphoma, an aggressive form of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Treated with Chemotherapy by the early 1990s, I was in remission, but towards the end of 2011, I was told by one of the doctors that the protocol they used had been found to produce late effects, chief among which were three illnesses I was now suspected of having. A secondary cancer, congested heart failure and severe fix obstructive lung disease. I also had peripheral neuropathy. To quote the main character in a play called “Wit”

by Margret Edson, my treatment had imperilled my health”.

Meanwhile, over 10 other speakers reflected on the gem the late activist was. Her former colleague, Tacuma Ogunseye from the WPA told the almost-filled auditorium that the party would continue to carry on her legacy.

“Sister Andaiye, you have made tremendous sacrifices; you have fought a good fight for over 30 years against cancer; we know you are

tired, so rest in peace… the women of Guyana and children of Guyana and the women of the Caribbean and the world have the greatest ownership of the legacy of Andaiye. … but we (the WPA) want to say that we do believe that we are entitled to part of that legacy … and we will fight to support what we understood our sister wants to achieve in the country,” he said.

Help and Shelter member Denise Dias reminded that the late activist played a vital role in establishing the group.

“Andaiye was a founder-member of the WPA, Red Thread and the Cancer Society, but few knew or remembered that she was also the founder-member of Help and Shelter…. Andaiye’s passion and knowledge on justice for women and children was never more needed during our early days at setting up Help and Shelter. Her commitment, advice, and simple straightforward manner of relating her views is part of the reason that after 25 years, Help and Shelter has become a leader in the fight against violence in Guyana,” Dias remarked.

Karen de Souza, a close friend of Andaiye, was last to share her tribute: “The first time I met Andaiye, she was 36 years old and I eventually discovered that along with Walter Rodney and Rupert Roopnaraine – these three were close in age…. I start with her age to say that young people working together with elders like Moses Bhagwan were leading a movement that rocked the established order and many assumptions of the day. What a contrast of today! Young people being largely absent from the decisionmaking spaces.”

In a more personal tribute, Andaiye’s goddaughter, Vikki Jackson, recalled that as a child,

she was always kind and loving towards her.

She explained how distraught she was to hear of the passing of the late activist, who had been the one supporting her when her mother died some time ago.

An organisation will be set up in memory of Andaiye.

She was also a founder of the Cancer Survivors Action Group, and worked with the Women and Development Unit of the University of the West Indies (WAND) from 1987 to 1992, and with Caricom from 1987 to 1996. In 1997, she was awarded the Golden Arrow of Achievement, the fourth highest national award.

The activist will long

Andaiye

be remembered as a black power proponent, who saw the movement towards black pride and dignity as a necessary step in our independence journey. She changed her name from Sandra Williams to Andaiye, which meant “daughter

who has returned” and wore her hair in an Afro, a style she would never change.

She often spoke of how she was never able to visit her ancestors’ homeland, Africa. As such, her ashes will be taken to Africa.

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WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

CJIA records over 31,000 arrivals for May

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he Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) has released flight statistics for this year thus far, which show a whopping 6000 increase in arrivals for May when compared to last year’s figures.

This increase primarily points to the recent Carnival events.

According to these numbers, 31,653 persons arrived in the country in May, when compared to 25,447 for the same period last year. An overall analysis showed 130,784 arrivals for 2019 thus far, significantly more than the 123,447 recorded in 2018.

For 2019, the figures have shown 256,178 departures and arrivals for the first five months, an increase of 10,000 from last year.

The spike in travel activities during the month of May is linked to the days-long

Carnival event which recently concluded.

The 10-day celebrations commenced on May 17 and culminated on May 27, with concerts and other events to attract tourists and persons from the Diaspora.

Some persons travelled from as far as Australia and Europe to partake in the activities.

The hospitality sector and partnering companies would have also benefited from the Private Sector event.

Speaking with Guyana Time International one week ago, Hits and Jams Director Kerwin Bollers,

who is also part of the Guyana Carnival Committee, stated that the event this year topped the previous year and it would only get better in the years to come.

He explained that the events were planned to observe Guyana’s 53rd Independence anniversary in grand style and he was convinced the aim of the event, which is to enhance Guyana’s tourism sector, has been realised.

The HJ Director was only too happy to reveal that the service industry has benefited tremendously as a result of the hosting of Guyana Carnival.

“We have undoubtedly done our part to boost the economy … we have taken a month that is economically dead and revitalised it … The hotels were filled, the airline had a boost in ticket sales, the food vendors got a piece of the pie, the taxi services and we can go on and on,” he declared.

They are of the belief that “Kes – Stinging Nettle” was one of the best shows to be held over the 10-day period, while some were in favour of the J’Ouvert at the National Park Tarmac.

“Wet Wednesday” featuring Machel Montano was another concert that had good reviews but the icing on the cake was definitely the “I Am Legend” concert featuring Jamaican Reggae artiste Buju Banton, who is currently on a world tour titled “Long Walk To Freedom”.

Snake oil salesman…

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…in sugar industry

he “snake oil salesman” is an American trope describing those conmen who prey on the afflicted gullible by insisting their snake oil will cure everything. President Granger typifies the species in the political realm with his unctuous and ingratiating style, in which he never fails to have a plaster for every sore. Problem is, some desperate citizens, faced with the mountain of problems they face daily, listen to him and sometimes forget it was he who created the problems in the first place.

Remember that promise to fix blackouts, which had been reduced to just an irritant by the PPP? That’s snake oil; since he created the Stygian darkness we’re in when he absolutely refused to have his PNC sign off on the 165MW Amaila Hydro — which would have had enough power to satisfy our TOTAL electricity needs — causing the developer, Sithe, to walk away.

Remember his promise to reduce Presidential power and transfer some to his PM, Nagamootoo??

That’s snake oil WITH Larwah!! Stop corruption?

Constitutional change? There’s been so much snake oil flowing from Granger’s mouth that Guyana is probably bereft of labarias by now!!

Anyhow, let’s take his foray into Berbice – Albion Sugar Factory, to be precise – to sell his snake oil on the sugar industry. He chose his audience well, the management of the estate and factory, who’re ultimately employed by him!! Were they going to point out he was emanating more hot air than the nearby chimney – and even more polluted?!

Donning a hard hat as his prop, he promised his captive audience, “I have come to fix things”!! Yes, he, David Granger, whose only experience with the sugar industry was when he provided scab labour to break GAWU’s strike for recognition in 1976, had come to “fix” sugar! Well, he’d already “fixed” it, hadn’t he??

Put it in a fix, that is!! He then went on to declare: “GuySuCo will not merely survive, it will thrive”!!

Rivers of snake oil. It’s a good thing his audience had on “long boots”!!

How exactly is he going to save sugar?? He’d rejected his expert CoI’s recommendation to stabilise all seven estates and bring them to a point of sale. But he now says that, after the G$30 billion bond funds are invested, sugar production costs will be reduced to US.30 cents/kg! How is that a “fix” when the present world price for sugar is US .26 cents/kg and falling?!?

But then, he’s never worked to produce anything to sell, and had his salary paid for by the state, plus his education at UG!!

But even snake oil salesmen can’t fool all the people all the time, can they? Hence Granger’s desperate efforts to delay elections!

…calling it quits

Well, Granger may just be looking at his future when he read that his old YSM pal Ivelaw Griffith has decided to withdraw his application to be reappointed VC at UG!!

Good riddance to a bad administrator!! Folks across the world were amazed when Papa Doc, and later his son Baby Doc, lived in a style that Marie Antoinette would’ve envied while millions of their citizens were forced to live like beasts in the forest.

Well, in a nutshell, that’s what Griffith tried to emulate at UG. Imagine, our only tertiary institution – with the lowest paid academic staff in the region – couldn’t even provide toilet paper for students!!

But yet he had a salary with benefits that rivalled the President of the country, and created his own “Cabinet” to bring home the point!! He and his Cabinet’s salaries, on a per capita basis, were DOUBLE those of the academic staff.

But your Eyewitness is surprised the VC was reported as having “walked away”.

Wasn’t that “flew away” – first class??

…on Linden-Lethem Highway

Raphael Trotman is Minister of Natural Resources.

So how come he’s announcing, “International firms express interest to build Linden-Lethem road”??

Where’s MPI Patterson? Adding up foreign deposits into his account?

And what happened to the China BRI?? Snake oil!!

WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

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Health authorities working to overcome challenges in dealing with maternal deaths – CMO

By Kristen Macklingam

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he task of addressing the maternal mortality rate in Guyana continues to pose great challenges for the relevant authorities, and despite progress made over the years, instances of mothers dying after childbirth are still too many.

This is according to Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Shamdeo Persaud, who, during an exclusive interview with Guyana Times International last Friday, explained that there are a number of contributing factors which had led to maternal deaths, and the Public Health Ministry is aggressively trying to address them.

“That’s a very difficult task, bearing in mind the magnitude of the problem here in Guyana.

First of all, pregnancies will occur wherever people are; so you can imagine (this means) all across Guyana. It is a large country (with) not so large (a) population, but people are all over, so pregnancies occur.

“Some pregnancies that occur too early in life, especially in the fe-

A mother with her newborn baby after a successful delivery at a regional hospital

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud

male’s life — for example, teenage pregnancies and maybe a few pregnancies that occur later in life; or when there are multiple pregnancies; or, a lot of you know, with mothers getting their ninth, 10th, 11th child — those usually are the higher-risk pregnancies that do challenge us,” he explained.

He said that, more often than not, in such cases, medical practitioners have to move these

mothers from one location to another, in order for them to be provided with adequate healthcare.

However, there is still some resistance from those mothers or their families, when it comes to doing this. “Especially when you have to transfer mothers who may have other children at home. They have the challenge (of) ‘who will take care of them?’ and they resist coming out,

or they come out too late.

That sometimes can be a little difficult to handle, but we are working on those areas,” he said.

Low Haemoglobin (HB) levels a main factor in deaths According to Dr Persaud, among the assessments recently conducted is one which revealed that low Haemoglobin (HB) levels are usually a main cause of mothers succumbing after childbirth.

“Especially in our hinterland, and (among) rural mothers, where their HBs are a little bit below what is expected of a pregnant mother. This can be twofold:

Goldsmith charged for 2013 murder

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uammar Jabbar, also known as Christopher Haynes, on Monday appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts charged for the 2013 murder of Tolasicy Marshall of James St, Albouystown, Georgetown.

Jabbar, who had been on the run from Police and wreaking havoc in Berbice, appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus and was not required to plead to the charge. The Police stated that on August 20, 2013 at James Street, Albouystown, he murdered Marshall.

The court heard that Jabbar, a father of two, was charged in Berbice for his involvement in a spate of armed robberies

Muammar Jabbar

in that region and was arrested while on remand for that charge under the name ‘Christopher Haynes’.

Prosecutor Daniels requested an adjournment in the matter since the Police file was still incomplete. As such, Jabbar

who was remanded to prison will make another court appearance on June 24, 2019.

It was reported that in August 2013, Jabbar stabbed Marshall twice during an argument over jewellery.

It was stated that Marshall paid Jabbar to make a quantity of jewellery for him, but the man failed to deliver same.

Marshall was able to retrieve a gold chain from Jabbar.

This reportedly triggered an argument and it was then Marshall was attacked and stabbed. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital. Ever since, the suspect has been on the run.

‘Critical situation’ …highest...

UN Resident Coordinator Mikiko Tanaka highlighted that this project sought to increase the use of quality adolescent sexual and reproductive health services by adolescents, empower adolescents to prevent teenage pregnancy and contribute to a 10 per cent annual reduction in pregnancy rates among adolescents aged 10-19 in Regions One and Nine by March

of 2022.

“An investment such as this is much needed.

The Government of India and the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana deserve special credit for the realisation of this initiative,” Tanaka remarked.

Meanwhile, Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Venkatchalam Mahalingam stated that this was the first project

of its kind in the entire Caribbean.

“We are happy that the Ministry of Public Health of Guyana and the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association will be the local partners in this project. We are proud to say that India’s development cooperation framework mainly embodies the principles of the South-South Cooperation.”

This project comes at

from page 39

a cost of over G$500 million, and is expected to significantly reduce the occurrence of teen pregnancies in Regions One and Nine over the threeyear period.

While Region Seven has been identified as the other region with a high rate of teenage pregnancies, the Government is expected to address the issue, since the project does not cater for that region.

1) because of, maybe, nutritional challenges; you know, in terms of the diet, the presence of worms…which can draw some of the nutrients from the body. And then, secondly, if pregnancies occur too frequently — if women get pregnant rapidly within a short space of time.”

The CMO said it has been recommended that pregnancies should be at least two years apart.

He explained that if a woman does not adhere to this recommendation, her body could become drained of the nutrients that are necessary to keep the Haemoglobin at an adequate level.

Further, he said that after delivery, many Guyanese women still suffer post-partum haemorrhage and shock, which could lead to death.

He noted that figures on the maternal mortality rate in Guyana in last year’s report confirm that many persons had succumbed to postpartum haemorrhaging than in previous years.

New challenges emerging According to Dr Persaud, more and more, women are becoming more educated and “pushing back pregnancies” by choosing to have their first child or children after the age of 35, but those pregnancies “come with their own risks too”.

It was also observed that there were other issues that significantly contributed to the maternal death rate in the country, including mothers who had contracted HIV giving birth.

“Some of our HIV persons, who contracted HIV during their birth or during 20 years or so ago, have survived because of our good treatment programme, and some of them have actually gotten pregnant. And we have actually lost two mothers who survived that whole challenge now to become pregnant…. So we are looking at those

now,” the CMO posited.

He said that, in this regard, the Georgetown Public Hospital presently has a training programme for additional training of medical practitioners, so as to ensure that “high clinics” are done and “high-risk mothers” are identified as early as possible.

“Also, across the hinterland regions, we are establishing more maternal waiting homes; so once we identify a mother who is high-risk, we bring them closer to where services are. We now have obstetricians based at Lethem and Mabaruma and Bartica, so that they can actually take care of most of the immediate needs. Blood and blood products are now available to those institutions also. So there are things that we are working on in terms of these (challenges), but there is more (that needs to be done); and here, again, we would like the participation of the public, families and so on to cooperate with us to curb this issue,” Dr Persaud explained.

In March last, Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation ( P A H O / W H O ) Representative, Dr William Adu-Krow, highlighted that one of the challenges Guyana’s health sector faces is the number of maternal deaths per year.

“For us now, maternal mortality is an issue. We cannot continue to talk about it all the time and continue to have maternal deaths all the time.

I was surprised, because I thought we had only four deaths, but [it is] six or seven. If we have six by the end of February, that means we are looking at 36 deaths [for the year]. I think we need to do more,” he had said.

Dr Adu-Krow noted that much more work needs to be done to address the alarming rate of maternal deaths, but his organisation was lending a helping hand.

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WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

“Hot Skull”, “Rambo” before High Court for murder of Brazilian gold miner

Murder accused: Roberto Miggins (left) and Quasi Benjamin

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s the High Court trial into the 2016 murder of Mario Pozzer, a Brazilian gold miner commenced on Monday, several witnesses are expected to take the stand to offer evidence into the matter in which Roberto Miggins and Quasi Benjamin are the accused.

Miggins, called “Hot Skull”, and Benjamin, also called “Rambo”, pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that between October 12 and October 13, 2016, they murdered Pozzer, also called “Gaucho”, in the course of, or furtherance of a robbery.

Respectively, Attorneys Adrian Thompson and Ashley Henry in association with Nigel Hughes are representing the accused persons in the matter while the State’s case is led by Prosecutor Sarah Martin in association with Teriq Mohammed and Tuanna Hardy.

Testifying at Monday’s court hearing was Gavin Campbell, a former employee of the now dead man, who recalled that on October 12, 2016 around 12:00h, they had washed down production and taken a break for lunch.

Campbell told court that he was the General Manager at the time and further recalled his coworkers being paid individually, and after some time his boss left the mining location, with gold in his possession, on an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV), to travel to Port Kaituma, Region One (Barima-Waini).

According to Campbell, the now dead man did not return the following day, which prompted him to make several phone calls to en-

quire of his whereabouts.

Upon receiving a subsequent call, Campbell, without hesitation, left the mining camp with other workers and headed in the direction Pozzer took.

The court was told that while walking, Campbell and his coworkers discovered the now dead man lying face down with a wound to his head, alongside his body was the ATV, but the bag of gold was missing.

Campbell disclosed that the Police were contacted and the man’s body was later removed; a few days after, Campbell was taken to identify the body for a post-mortem to be conducted.

Under cross-examination by Benjamin’s Attorney (Nigel Hughes), the witness admitted that he was aware that Pozzer carried a shotgun in his possession for protection, but further denied knowledge of observing the deceased with same on the day in question, since he (Pozzer) would normally hide it.

When asked how he knew the weapon was hidden, Campbell responded that a search conducted at the mining camp by Police ranks unearthed the weapon as he was present.

Meanwhile, Edwin Ali – another former employee – in his testimony, recalled being in the company of Campbell when the body of their employer was discovered lying on the road. Ali stated that the body bore a wound to the head, further stating that he was present when the postmortem examination was conducted.

The trial continues.

National and Regional Cultural Policy

By Ravi Dev

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inisters of Culture from across CARICOM have just finished “deliberating” on a Draft Cultural Strategy, during the 36th meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) at the CariCom Secretariat in Liliendaal.

Their focus was “culture is our business”, and the meeting was geared towards “developing cultural and creative industries”, which would include music, audio visuals, visual arts, publishing, festivals, fashion, performing arts and craft.

But what is troubling is that there was only talk of “culture” – implying a single monolithic entity.

Whither, then, our claim to “multi-culturalism”, which all political parties insist they are committed to facilitating, even though they have retained Art 35, which speaks “to develop (out of our various cultural strains) a socialist national culture for Guyana”? While the “socialist” qualification might have been discretely dropped in the last few decades, the goal of creating some sort of unitary ‘national culture’ as part of a “West Indian Culture” still appears to be the overarching goal of our state, which did not raise the issue with CariCom. The National Motto: One people; One nation; One destiny, emphasises the assimilationist imperative of the old British imperialist model. We are all now expected to jettison our respective distinctive cultural identities/practices and hark to a putatively ‘higher’ West Indian ideal.

And we can begin to discern the problems most IndianGuyanese have with Mashramani as the ‘national’ celebration of Republic Day, and now the putatively “private” Carnival associated with our Independence celebrations.

While Independence and Republican status promised equal participation as citizens,

the commemorative events demand they fit into a ‘cultural’ festival defined by the Carnival ethos of T&T. Earl Lovelace, among others, has delineated how that ethos was transmuted from the African cultures the ex-slaves had brought from their homeland into the Carnival tradition of the French planters fleeing the Haitian Revolution.

Thus while the official rhetoric of the Guyanese state after independence suggested it was interested in ‘multiculturalism’, at the very best, the form it took was that some cultures were more equal than others; and the less equal ones – notably Indian and Indigenous – should go along with the ‘standard’ to get along.

Calls for Indian-Guyanese, for instance, to participate with their festivals in Mash and Carnival arrogantly take for granted that the premises of the former are in consonance with the latter. And this appears to be the premise of the CariCom initiative.

The irony of course is that, notwithstanding their protestations to the contrary, the PNC has vigorously promoted Mash, and now Carnival, but with no discernible accommodation for Indian and Indigenous Guyanese cultural participation.

With the PNC once again having control of the state and the

influence to encourage norms – and, by definition, a reordering of social hierarchies — it has also not seen it fit to initiate a national discourse on the contours of our multiculturalism. The official ‘Guyanese’ culture is still, to a large extent, disdainful of the Indian and Indigenous components of the ‘multicultural’ reality.

Just examine the content of the introduction of “culture” into our educational curriculum: steel pan, masquerade, etc; Mash and Carnival therefore become simply tropes for displaying the monocultural foundations of our so-called ‘multiculturalism’.

The danger, of course, is that, in multicultural polities such as Guyana, excluded groups will inevitably resent and challenge their silencing on the national stage, or their token representation in the name of the universal standard of equality.

Because such silencing is always a consequence of a lack of power, the challenges are ultimately political, in that they call for a more equitable distribution of power, even though the PPP takes great pains to avoid contesting the cultural premises.

Ironically, such open contestation should not be seen as threatening, once it is accepted as necessary and it is dealt with through national dialogue and discussion. It is also positive, because it not only addresses dissatisfactions with the status quo, but reduces the potential for demagogic manipulations that have become standard in Guyana. And this occurs not only at Mash and Carnival.

One point we have emphasised in arguing for an equitable National Policy on Multiculturalism over the last three decades is that it will make available such a wider array of knowledge and practical wisdom to our nation.

Such wisdom can then be shared with our brothers and sisters of CariCom, and then the world.

Minister Felix sounds warning to Surinamese ‘backtrackers’ …says immigration laws must be adhered to

C

itizenship Minister Winston Felix has urged members of the public travelling to and from Suriname to present themselves to immigration officers for processing.

Minister Felix said the absence of the MV Canawaima from regular service did not preclude persons from observing the law.

“Persons arriving must first ensure that they check with the immigration [office] on departing Suriname and report to the immigration on arrival in Guyana. Failure to do so, if caught, will expose you to prosecution,” he said.

Immigration processing in Region Six (East

Citizenship Minister Winston Felix

Berbice-Corentyne) is currently being done

at immigration offices located at Republic

Square, Springlands or Port Moleson Creek.

“Section 10 (3) and Section 7 (2) of the Immigration Act, Chapter 14:02, respectively states: (a) “Where a person desires to depart from Guyana by crossing a land frontier, he shall before depart, present himself to the nearest immigration officer,” a release from the Ministry stated.

In addition, the release noted: “Where a person enters Guyana by crossing a land frontier of Guyana, he shall forthwith present himself to the nearest immigration officer”.

As such, the Minister is calling on the public to observe the law.

48 Bollywood

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WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Priyanka Chopra is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, as a part of which she visited Ethiopia last month. (Photo: Priyanka Chopra/Twitter)

ctor Priyanka Chopra will be awarded the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award by UNICEF’s American chapter at their Snowflake Ball in December.

The award is named after actor-philanthropist Danny Kaye, who was UNICEF’s first Goodwill Ambassador.

The 36-year-old actor took to Twitter to express her gratitude on Wednesday.

“So humbled. Thank you @UNICEFUSA for honouring me with the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award at the #UNICEFSnowflake Ball in December!

“My work with @ UNICEF on behalf of all the world’s children means everything to me.

Here’s to peace freedom and the right to education #ForEveryChild,” Priyanka tweeted.

The actor is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, as

a part of which she visited Ethiopia last month.

Priyanka Chopra is known for her contribution to social causes and for being a voice for children’s education.

She has been a part of United Nation’s global “Girl Up” Campaign and is associated with several NGOs in India to raise awareness about ways to improve the education, health and safety of girl child in India. (Indian Express)

I

f you missed Katrina Kaif’s sizzling moves in Bharat, then it’s time to brace yourself for a treat. Katrina will be performing at the finale of Femina Miss India 2019, which will be held on June 15.

Katrina shared a couple of videos on her Instagram stories giving a sneak peek into her prep for the dance performance. She captioned one of the videos as, “Dance team to me – pl can you get up and dance? Me: can we just sit and talk about it.”

In another video, Katrina Kaif revealed her motto for the show – “Wakanda Forever.” There is no doubt about the fact that she will set the stage on fire with her fiery moves.

Femina Miss India 2019 will be hosted by Karan Johar and Vicky Kaushal.

The event will take place at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Indoor Stadium in Mumbai.

On the work front, Katrina Kaif is basking in the success of Bharat. The

M

Shweta Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan donating the amount to the farmers. (Photo: Amitabh Bachchan/Blog)

e g a s t a r A m i t a b h Bachchan on Wednesday said he helped clearing outstanding loans of over two thousand farmers from Bihar.

The 76-year-old actor took to his personal blog to share the news.

Bachchan said he called on some of the farmers to his residence and donated the amount at the hands of his children Shweta

film, which has broken several records, is inching towards making Rs 200 crore.

The actor, who played Kumud Raina in the film, took to Instagram to express that every day on the sets was special for her.

The Bharat actor wrote, “Kumud Raina, will always be so close to my heart. I will really miss this experience and have loved every minute of playing this role. Everyone in the team gave their heart and soul into making this film.

Everyday on set felt like a special day.”

After Bharat, Katrina Kaif will reunite with Akshay Kumar for Rohit Shetty’s actioner Sooryavanshi, which will release on March 27, 2020. (Indian

Deepika Padukone has joined the cast of 83. (Photo: Ranveer Singh/Instagram)

ter to play My Wifey than My Wifey?!

Deepika also thanked the director for the opportunity. She tweeted,

“& on to the next…Thank You @kabirkhankk for this incredible honour! #RomiDev #Day1 @83thefilm @RanveerOfficial.”

The team of 83 is in Glasgow for the first schedule of the sports drama.

Deepika has joined them there and from the looks

promise he made to the martyr families of the Pulwama terror attack.

“Now going to Janak to complete another promise… to give some monetary assist to the martyrs’ families, who sacrificed their lives at Pulwama…”

Bachchan had earlier supported 1,398 farmers from Uttar Pradesh and 350 from Maharashtra by paying off their loans. (Indian Express)

Femina Miss India 2019 finale will be held on June 15. (Photo:

Express)

D

eepika Padukone is all set to play Ranveer Singh’s wife in Kabir Khan’s sports drama 83. She will be seen as former cricketer Kapil Dev’s wife Romi Bhatia.

Ranveer took to his Instagram account to make the announcement.

He shared photos with the film’s director and Deepika. Along with it, he wrote, “*drum roll* All smiles as All-star @deepikapadukone joins the #83squad !!! @83thefilm @ kabirkhankk.”

Happy with the casting of wife Deepika Padukone in 83, Ranveer Singh credited Kabir Khan for the ‘genius casting’. “Who bet-

and Abhishek.

“A promise made done. The farmers from Bihar who had outstanding loans, picked 2,100 of them, and paid off their amount with an OTS with the bank.

Called some of them over to Janak and personally gave it to them at the hands of Shweta and Abhishek,” he wrote on his blog.

The Badla star also said he was on his way to honour another

of it, the director and the actors are having a gala time in the foreign city.

“Good times in Glasgow! #83squad @83thefilm @deepikapadukone @ kabirkhankk,” wrote Ranveer along with a photo.

Being his quirky self, Ranveer Singh posted a boomerang video where Deepika Padukone is seen hitting him with a cricket bat. Sharing the video, he wrote, “Story of my Life.

Real & Reel ! @deepikapadukone @83thefilm” 83 revolves around India’s first ever cricket world cup victory in 1983. The Kabir Khan film is touted to be one of the biggest sports movies

Katrina Kaif/Instagram)

of all times with an impressive ensemble cast.

While Ranveer plays Kapil Dev, ’83 will also see Tahir Raj Bhasin as Sunil Gavaskar, Saqib Saleem as Mohinder Amarnath, Ammy Virk as Balwinder Sandhu, Jiiva as Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Sahil Khattar as Syed Kirmani, Chirag Patil as Sandeep Patil, Adinath Kothare as Dilip Vengsarkar, Dhairya Karwa as Ravi Shastri, Harrdy Sandhu as Madan Lal and Pankaj Tripathi as PR. Man Singh.

To be released in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, 83 will hit theaters on April 10, 2020. (Indian Express)

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WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

After over a month of Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Avengers: Endgame release, it looks like the superhero film will topple James Cameron directorial Avatar soon. Endgame’s current total at the worldwide box office stands at a whopping 2.73 billion dollars.

The James Cameron scifi film Avatar’s collection stands firmly at the first position with an impressive 2.78 billion dollars.

Avengers: Endgame has slowly but steadily been rising up the box office chart.

However, only time will tell if the Marvel movie manages to

do the unthinkable.

According to reports, Endgame minted maximum dough from Asian countries. In India, it became the first Hollywood movie to cross the Rs 300 crore benchmark, giving Bollywood films a run for their money.

Avengers: Endgame not only received commercial success, but also managed to please t h e

critics.

The Indian Express critic Shalini Langer gave the big MCU finale 4.5 stars and

called it the perfect send-off for the original six Avengers.

“If — and that is a big if — this is indeed the endgame, there could scarcely have been one better.

Having laboured over setting up the final battle in Infinity War, Directors Anthony and Joe Russo get their act together to give a proper, emotional, funny and, yes, even spectacular, send-off to a cast of characters we have come to know (and, mostly love) over 22 films and 10 years,” Shalini wrote in her review.

“Where they

seemed to be having trouble tracking the many heroes, and superheroes, and justifying their pay grade and presence last time, the Russos find a way to hold it all together now — though, admittedly, they have fewer heads than in Infinity War given that Thanos had made many vanish.

Still, when the storyline seems to be getting out of hand — as tales involving time travel, quantum physics, and infinity stones can invariably do — the Russos with commendable clarity reel it back in,” she added.

(Indian Express)

T

J

ohn Cena is the latest addition to the ensemble cast of upcoming ninth installment in the Fast and Furious franchise and the WWE wrestlerturned-actor said coming on board the project is a great opportunity.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Cena said he is happy that he will be getting a chance to work with Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez.

“There are countless ways to describe the upside of an opportunity like this. They have a way of weaving this family narrative and making it a truly successful

H

ollywood star Hugh Jackman has revealed that he was almost fired from playing Wolverine in X-Men films.

The 50-year-old Australian actor, who played Wolverine for 16 years, said he nearly lost the role during filming on the first movie.

“Five weeks into shooting X-Men, I was on the verge of getting fired…

The head of the studio pulled me aside at lunch and he told me that they

and globally reaching franchise. They’re also known for delivering the larger-than-life action and continue to outdo themselves, but they never shy away from story and the narrative that they’ve developed…

“I’m surrounded by a group of people who are better than I am and such skilled people with so much experience, so what a great environment to learn from. It really is a tremendous opportunity,” Cena said.

Diesel had teased the 42-year-old actor’s casting in the franchise in April and Cena credits him for getting him on board.

“I certainly owe a thanks to Vin Diesel as well. Because he sent out a social media message kind of alluding to the fact that opportunity may be real, but at the time it certainly was not.

“And his message had a lot of weight and appeal to it. I guess that kind of got this avalanche of opportunity rolling, and I’m just really happy to get the chance. I give everybody who is attached to the franchise and who enjoys the franchise the promise that you will get my absolute best,” Cena added.

Fast & Furious 9 is slated to be released on May 22, 2020. (Indian Express)

were worried at the studio, that they weren’t seeing on camera what they’d seen in the audition. ”And the very next day the director pulled me aside and told me exactly the same thing…So clearly they’d been talking and I was freaking out. I’m thinking, oh, this is the talk you get before you get fired. And this was the biggest break of my career by a mile up to this point,” Jackman said during his Hugh Jackman.

The Man. The Music. The

he Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s daughter Katherine Schwarzenegger have confirmed their marriage with identical Instagram posts. The couple tied the knot on Saturday in an intimate ceremony in Montecito, California.

The couple posted a picture of themselves in the wedding attire.

Chris Pratt’s caption reads, “Yesterday was the best day of our lives!

We became husband and wife in front of God, our families and those we love. It was intimate, moving and emotional.

We feel so blessed to begin this new chapter of our lives.”

“We are so thankful to our families and our friends who stood with us and grateful to Mr. Giorgio Armani who created a once in a lifetime dress for Katherine to wear and for me, the perfect suit. This morning we feel nothing but blessed,” it further read.

Chris Pratt and Anna Faris’ six-yearold son Jack and

Show world tour at The O2 in London.

According to Contactmusic, Jackman’s wife Deborra-lee Furness helped him in overcoming the fear of getting fired by pushing him to believe in his talent.

“She listened to me very patiently for about an hour, and finally she put her hand on my shoulder and she said ‘babe, I think you’ve gotta just trust yourself, you’re worrying way too much about what everybody else is think-

Schwarzenegger’s siblings — the brothers Patrick, Christopher and sister Christina were some of the guests at the wedding ceremony.

Pratt and Schwarzenegger had announced their engagement on social media this January after seven months of dating. It is Pratt’s second marriage and Schwarzenegger’s first. The Guardians of

ing, just go back to the beginning, focus on the character, trust your instincts, you’ve got this’.

“And she was right.

And to me, that is love: someone who believes in you even when you don’t really believe in yourself.

And this whole show is dedicated to Deb and the kids,” he added.

For his role of Wolverine, Jackman also holds a Guinness World Record for ”longest career as a live-action Marvel superhero”. (Indian Express)

the Galaxy and Jurassic World star was previously married to actor Anna Faris. They have a son, Jack.

On the work front, Chris Pratt has given his voice to a character called Ian Lightfoot in Pixar’s upcoming film Onward. The film is scheduled for release on March 6, 2020. (Indian Express)

50 SPORT

WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Chandrika slams 82 in Canada

F

ormer West Indies opening batsman Rajendra Chandrika hit an impressive 82 runs to spur Vikings Cricket Club to a comfortable five-wicket win over Toronto Cricket Club when action in the 2019 Toronto District and Cricket Association Super9 limited overs tournament got cracking recently.

In that match, played at King City on Saturday, the righthanded Chandrika stroked six fours as his team safely reached 1695 in the 42nd over in replying to Toronto Cricket Club’s 168 all out, made in the penultimate over.

Chandrika, who had featured in 5 tests, also shared a responsible 104run second-wicket stand with opener Rayyankhan Pathan, who contributed a useful 43. Akash Shah made 22 not out to help bring home the victory.

In Toronto Cricket Club’s innings, Riyazkhan Pathan made 49 not out; while Canada batsman Bhavindu Adhihetty scored 36 and Nitish Kumar, another Canada international

Rajendra Chandrika

player, chipped in with 27.

Off-spinner Shah produced a clinical bowling performance to claim 4-36 from 10 overs, and 13-year-old Raqib Shamsudeen bagged two wickets for 19 runs from seven testing overs.

Former Guyana and West Indies batsman Royston Crandon captained the successful team, while Guyanese cricketers Jeremy Gordon and Mark Montfort represented the Vikings. The competition continues on Sunday.

Thought I might never score hundred for Australia again, admits Warner

T

hat leap to celebrate an international hundred is back. That feeling David Warner at times felt he would never be able to enjoy again. And it is that fear that kept Warner going through the 14 months of international exile, as a result of his role in the Newlands ball-tampering controversy. If that fear pushed him to be back to the best batsman he could be, his wife Candice's support helped him come out of the initial trauma, admitted a relieved Warner afterwards.

"Yeah, definitely," Warner said when asked if he ever feared he might never get a chance to score a century for Australia again. "There was always that going through my mind. And I think that's what drove me to keep being as fit as I can, keep scoring as many runs as I can in the Twenty20 tournaments that I was playing in."

Before he could get back to scoring those T20 runs, he struggled to get out of the bed even.

That's when Candice helped him. "The thing that kept me going was

David Warner (Indian Express photo)

my wife and my kids," Warner said. "Got great support at home, my family. And my wife is just, she's just my rock.

She's unbelievable. She's determined, disciplined, selfless.

"And I hold a lot of credit to her. She's a strong woman. And she got me out of bed a lot in those sort of first 12 weeks, and got me back running and training hard as I could, and prepared for the other formats of the game I was playing. So it was just to maintain my level of fitness and just hard work.

And she really nailed that into me."

There was no point moping around. Warner had to enjoy the process of getting back. There was no other option, but he found it genuinely enjoyable. "Really enjoyed going out there. And we used Regulation balls [Kookaburra Regulation, which has a more pronounced seam than Kookaburra Turf, which is used in the first half of the Shield season] back in Sydney [grade cricket]. And that was a challenge in itself to get used to that. The different obscure fields that were being set because the wickets are a tad slower. I really enjoyed all that.

It was really, really hard work.

"And I think going through those tough times and sort of regrouping with myself to put myself in the best position to come back to in-

ternational cricket, I did everything I could. I really, really knuckled down and trained my backside off.

"And I'm just grateful for this opportunity. I'm just really looking forward to what's coming ahead of us here in the World Cup. Pumped to be back, and the boys are on fire here. We've got a great group harmony, a lot of smiles on the faces as you can see in a lot of the training sessions and out in the field. So, look, I'm pumped."

Warner is pumped, and finally he has had a match in England where he was not booed. He has a message: the booing might only make him and Steven Smith more determined. "The boos, we don't really hear that when we're out there," Warner said. "At the end of the day we're out there to do a job. For me, it's just trying to score runs and have a lot of energy in the field. And, look, it's water off a duck's back.

You get it all the time.

I've heard it my whole career. Actually it eggs us on a lot and makes us knuckle down and try to score more runs if anything."

There is a difference between Smith and Warner, though. Warner has largely been seen as the corrupting influence.

Warner has not had the amount of sympathy that has come Smith's way.

Nor has he done any interviews to seek any.

"I was just focused

ahead," Warner said.

"That was my own thing. I was just focusing on playing the next game that I was playing in, training as hard as I could. I didn't need to say anything. What was said was said back in those press conferences. And now it's about looking forward."

And to be in the here and now is to enjoy the soreness from training hard to be fit enough to be part of the current Australia set-up.

"Coming back, that soreness that you normally get, it was it put a smile on my face," Warner said. "I had a little bit of a strain on my glute. I think that was just purely based on getting back into it and sort of getting back in the mojo of things. And, look, it was just great to be back and part of the team."

More smiles will be on his face when partners of the players join the team in London on Thursday.

The last time Warner had Candice over when playing for Australia was probably the most desperate time of his career.

He was under the pump, she was mocked disgustingly by the crowds, and it all led to a bitter climax in Newlands.

Warner is in a much better place, Australia are in a much better place, and he is looking forward to being with his family and enjoying the tour. That could hardly be said in South Africa.

(ESPNCricinfo)

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Florida to kick off India's full West Indies tour on August 3

India will commence their run in the inaugural World Test Championship with a twomatch Test series in the West Indies, beginning late August.

According to ESPNCricinfo, the two Tests which will be played in Antigua (August 22-26) and Jamaica (August 30-September 3) come at the back end of the tour which also comprises three T20s and three ODIs. The tour was originally slotted to begin immediately after the World Cup but was pushed back following the BCCI's request. India will begin the tour with two T20Is, the first of which will be played in Florida on August 3. In recent times, Florida has become a regular venue for Cricket West Indies.

The venue also hosted two T20Is during India's tour to the Caribbean in 2016, apart from

a number of Caribbean Premier League matches, ESPNCricinfo said.

In March, CWI had sent

a request to the BCCI asking to play an additional T20I. Another request from CWI was two of the three agreed T20Is to

be played in Miami. According to the minutes of meeting on March 18 between the BCCI officials and the Committee of

T10 a good experience for all Jaguars players, says Captain Johnson

England unfazed by Windies pace attack of Thomas, Cottrell, Russell

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The winning T10 champions, Guyana Jaguars

resh from winning the inaugural UDECOTT and Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) T10 tournament, Guyana Jaguars captain, Leon Johnson revealed that it was a good experience for his team. The Johnson-led Jaguars team that suit up to play seasoned T20 stars as Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine, Keswick Williams and Kieron Pollard, were exceptional in the newest format of the game.

Speaking exclusively to this reporter, Johnson, arguably the most successful Regional captain, shared some positive sentiments after the T10 experience.

“It was a good experience for us all, it was our first time playing this format with the exception of Sherfane Rutherford”.

“The team did exceptional considering we came up against a very strong North Tobago side comprising of seasoned T20 players”, Johnson added.

Guyana’s Christopher Barnwell and Trevon Griffith were among

the positive signs that were taken away from the tournament. The formidable Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) duo displayed the art of power hitting against some big names in T20 cricket.

In the final match played in-front of a packed Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Guyana got revenge from the North/Tobago team with a 26-run win. Guyana got the highest score of the tournament aggregating 130-7 from 10 overs. Barnwell who looked solid and sound top-scored in the match with 44 while Chanderpaul Hemraj scored 27 and Anthony Bramble scored 25.

Keemo Paul displayed some brilliant death bowling in the final two wickets to restrict the North/Tobago team to 104-5 in 10 overs. Barnwell, played the innings of the tournament, scoring 57 from 16 balls against South/Central. His DCC club mate, Griffith exhibited a ray of reverse sweeps and sweetly timed shots in all his innings.

Guyana who had one defeat earlier in the tournaemnt against the same North/Tobago team were tasked to chase 93 runs in ten over but fell short by 12 runs finishing on 80-8.

Chanderpaul Hemraj scored 36 runs in that match while Keemo Paul had 2-10.

The former West Indies ODI batsman, Hemraj shown impressive hitting, powering the ball over the ropes with great ease.

Anthony Bramble who looks a more complete player in recent times has also had a good experience with the bat, scoring quick runs for his team. Sherfane Rutherford who has had experience in this T10 format playing for the Bengal Tigers, was amongst the 13 players that had a great experience.

Guyana Jaguars Head Coach Esuan Crandon and National Under-19 Coach and Cricket Guyana Inc. Academy Coach, Julian Moore were on the champion T10 Guyana team.

(Brandon Corlette)

Administrators, the first request was struck off, but the second one was approved provided the T20I series took place ahead of the Test series.

This will be India's only overseas Test assignment in 2019. Earlier this month, CWI confirmed the hosting of India A on a shadow tour, consisting of five one-dayers and three fourday fixtures from July 11 to August 9.

The revised fixtures give CWI a clear window for the CPL. The seventh edition of the T20 competition is set to be played between September 4 and October 12. Originally, it was slotted from August 21 to September 27. The revised schedule also means all the West Indies players are likely to be available for the entire duration of the CPL, ESPNCricinfo reported.

Oshane Thomas (AFP photo)

OUTHAMPTON, England (CMC) — Hosts England are not having any sleepless nights over West Indies' pace attack.

In fact, head coach Trevor Bayliss said yesterday the tournament favourites were quite capable of handling the hostility from the likes of Oshane Thomas and Sheldon Cottrell, when the two teams clashed at the Rose Bowl tomorrow.

“We can handle anything that is thrown at us,” he said.

“I have not seen too many with express pace here just yet, but we have a couple of good ones too, so I expect it to be tit for tat.”

Thomas, Cottrell and all-rounder Andre Russell have all bowled aggressively in the World Cup with good effect, and have given West Indies excellent starts in their three games so far.

In their opener, they blasted out Pakistan for 105, reduced Australia to 38 for four in their second game and had South Africa on the run at 29 for two in their third outing before rain forced an abandonment of the fixture.

However, England also boast the likes of Mark Wood and Barbadian Jofra Archer, both of whom have consistently topped speeds of 95 miles per hour.

Bayliss said he expected a heated contest, especially after the 2-2 draw in the five-match series in the Caribbean earlier this year.

“We will have to play at our best to come away with a win. In the Caribbean, we were a little bit up and down. They bowled fast, but then Mark Wood made a few of their guys jump up and down,” he pointed out.

“The wicket here is reasonably flat and it has been in the past. There have been a few more wickets in the World Cup them there has been in the last few years, so I expect the fast bowlers are rubbing their hands together.”

West Indies lie sixth in the 10-team standings on three points following a win, a defeat and a no-result in their three matches.

England, meanwhile, are second on four points after pulling off two wins and tasting defeat to Pakistan in three outings.

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Jaguars go down to Haiti in final warm-up match; off to Minnesota for Gold Cup debut A ll the Guyanese players were afforded valuable playing time in their friendly international match against Haiti on Tuesday at the CAR Turrucares Playfield in San José, Costa Rica, which is at least 2900 feet above sea level.

The closed-door friendly, which was played at 10:00h San Jose time (12:00h Guyana time), saw both teams playing all their players as they sought to get in valuable match time ahead of the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. In Tuesday’s match, the Golden Jaguars conceded an early (questionable) penalty which was scored by the Haitians and they got their second midway in the opening half via a corner kick.

The starting XI of Akel Clarke in goal; defenders – Kadell Daniel, Ronayne Marsh-Brown, Terence Vancooten, Jordan Dover; midfielders – Neil Danns, Brandon Beresford, Callum Harriott, Anthony Jeffrey and forwards Terell Ondaan and Emery Welshman held their own despite falling behind and focused on the plan that the technical staff wanted them to execute.

The Golden Jaguars had the first shot on goal in the encounter as they started the match pushing forward; the first 20 minutes also saw Guyana forcing three corners

The Golden Jaguars XI which started against Haiti

before the Haitians were able to notch their first.

The second half saw the Haitians further increasing their advantage when they tucked in goal number three. A number of chances were created by the Golden Jaguars, but Haiti defended well to keep the Jaguars at bay.

However, the Guyanese were able to pull one back in the final 10 minutes, thanks to a well-placed shot at the first post by Keanu Marsh-Brown.

Head Coach Michael

Johnson, commenting after the match, said that it was a good exercise for his charges once again in high altitude, citing that each player got in valuable competitive match time lending to a higher degree of fitness.

“Again you saw the progression and there’re lots of positives to take while there are areas that we have not [progressed] which include defensive corners. The first goal was a penalty which was debatable and the second goal

was from a corner; we’ll now tighten up as we go to our USA camp. We’re in positive spirits, I’ve just reminded the players not to focus on the results, focus on what we tried to do, what worked, what we need tidying up on and there’re a lot of things that we can now move into this final stage with,” Johnson said.

He shared that playing at a high altitude was much more intense, but once you got back to normal sea level, it was beneficial even though it was

tough for some of the players to get through.

The Golden Jaguars played the first of two friendly internationals against Bermuda last Thursday in Bermuda and went down by a lone goal in that match.

As the team now head to Minneapolis, Minnesota today (Wednesday) ahead of next Tuesday’s debut match against the USA, Johnson informed that the focus now would be on tidying up a couple of areas that they have cited with a view of being ready for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Gold Cup kicks off on Saturday, June 15, with a Group A double header at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California from 16:30h when Canada oppose Martinique followed by Mexico against Cuba.

Guyana, drawn in Group D, will face off against the USA at the Allianz Field, St Paul, Minnesota in the feature match next Tuesday evening; the opening encounter in this group pits Panama against Trinidad and Tobago from 18:30h.

Haiti, drawn in Group B, which would commence on June 16 at the Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica, will open against Bermuda from 16:00h, with the main attraction being between home team Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

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WEEK ENDING JUNE 16, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Allicock scheduled to travel to Ecuador for training …boxer’s sanctions lifted

I

t is often said that “the best apology is changed behaviour”, and this seems to have been the endeavour of one of Guyana’s most promising young boxers, Keevin Allicock, over the past two weeks.

Allicock has now been afforded opportunity, accompanied by his training coach, to attend a top notch training camp to be held in Ecuador from June 16 to July 6. The pugilist will there improve his preparation for the Pan American Games to be held in July as he trains with the best of the best boxers from Cuba, Chile and the host nation.

It would appear that a figurative ‘slap on the wrist’ was all that Allicock needed to get him to realise the importance of his local training regimen ahead of one of his biggest international engagements. Two weeks ago, Allicock had found himself proverbially between a rock and a hard place after he was sanctioned for missing more than 50 per cent of his training sessions with Cuban Coach Francisco Roldan.

However, his attitude has since changed, and this was revealed in a letter dispatched by the GABA to K.A Juman-Yassin, President of the Guyana Olympic Association. In that letter, it was disclosed that, since May 26, Allicock has not missed a training session, and “has assumed the role of a focused athlete cognisant of the task at hand”.

“Mr. Puig (Cuba Boxing Association president) has extended an invitation to Guyana to have Allicock train with

Keevin Allicock

the Senior Cuba side that is preparing for the Pan Am Games. I have also had detailed discussion with the president of the Ecuador Boxing Association, Alex Gonzales, who has assured that the altitude in Ecuador and training at his country’s high performance centre will enhance Mr. Allicock’s training and preparation for the Pan Am Games,” Ninvalle detailed in the letter mentioned above.

The GABA has extended gratitude to the Guyana Olympic Association for their assistance and support in handling the issue.

Two weeks ago, a letter to the GOA from GABA President Ninvalle had suggested that Allicock’s international training and stipend be withheld owing to the boxer’s lackadaisical approach to training. (Jemima Holmes)

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