Guyana Times International 15th November 2015

INTERNATIONAL THE BEACON OF TRUTH

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Opposition Leader prays for President Granger’s full recovery Page 10

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Guyana’s Opposition files no-confidence motion against Govt WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 18, 2018

ISSUE NO. 423

…says recent LGE results prove citizens are unhappy with Govt’s policies

See story on page 3

Guyana's Oppositon Leader Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has said that the time has come for the Coalition Government to be called out for its continued failures. He beleives that the the no-confidence motion filed against the Government will protect Guyanese from the excessive borrowing, taxing and wasteful spending of the Administration.

Fly Jamaica crash landing

Voice recorders to be analysed

by US experts

Page 7

AFC ‘demolished’ …says poor showing at LGE would not affect Coalition pact Page 11

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NEWS 3

WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 18, 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana’s Opposition files noconfidence motion against Govt

…says recent LGE results prove citizens are unhappy with Govt’s policies

O

pposition Leader and General Secretary of the Peoples Progressive Party Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday said that a motion of no-confidence has been lodged with Parliament Office against the APNU+AFC Government.

He said that the motion in his name is an attempt to protect Guyanese and Guyana from the excessive borrowing, taxing and wasteful spending of the current administration.

Jagdeo said that it is the hope of his Party that the country benefits from the motion, which is aimed at shaking the Government back to its senses and halting the destruction of Guyana.

The Opposition Leader said that it was made clear at the recently held Local Government Elections (LGE),

where the PPP/C recorded massive wins in the majority of constituencies across Guyana, and with a whopping 45,000 votes more than the APNU, that citizens are unhappy with the direction and policies of this Government.

As such, Jagdeo noted that it is time for the coalition to be called out for its continued failures.

“So one thing is very clear is that people across Guyana have rejected the policies of this Government, even in their strongholds… we know apart from the LGE which was unusually low… we gained 120,000 votes in this elections…clearly people are unhappy with the direction that our country is going and with the policies of this continued on page 10

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WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 18, 2018 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

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Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo and United States Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway posed for a photo after a meeting at Freedom House, Robb Street, Georgetown on Tuesday

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EDITORIAL

‘Unfit and improper’

T

he 2018 Local Government Elections (LGE) are over. The final results will be thoroughly scrutinised, not just to assess gains or losses, but to look for possible trends using recent past elections as bases. The findings will be integral to the planning of contesting parties for the upcoming 2020 General and Regional Elections. This is the context of strengths and weaknesses and where emphasis may have to be placed among other considerations.

In this early post phase, what may find common ground is that the November 12, 2018, LGE was peaceful, the process generally smooth, despite a few hiccups and low voter turnout. The atmosphere was completely different from what seems customary for General and Regional Elections here. Except for the closure of schools, it wasn’t easy to tell that an election was being held as it appeared to be business as usual. That should be seen as a positive sign given the historical nature of such events.

One area of concern, as based on some reports received, was the seemingly lack of uniformity in executing some aspects of the official processes by Election Day staff of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). In one case, some seemed adamant in not allowing officials of the Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) to place its seal on ballot boxes at some places of poll.

Placing of a party seal is an important step in helping to safeguard the integrity of the boxes. Any attempt to thwart such will be seen as compromising that integrity. Those cases were eventually resolved after intervention from senior GECOM officials and the seals placed. The obvious question is; why a few staff would choose to disallow the seals when clearly it is counter GECOM’s position on the issue?

It would be frustrating for those on the receiving end who had to seek urgent intervention. This raises expectation as how that will be dealt with by GECOM to ensure that in the future, policies are adhered to by its staff across the board. What penalties, if any, can be instituted on those who may be found to be in breach of agreed protocols?

Such breaches are not uncommon here and have created much unease in the past. Common would be some staff disallowing candidates from observing the counting of ballots and disparity in the understanding of what constitutes a rejected one.

For this to be resolved, among other things, it points to the need for a more extensive voter education programme, which faced some criticism during this election. Also to mandate that all agreed procedures, including placement of seals and who can observe the count, be made public long in advance and placed prominently at polling stations.

In that process must also be education on the importance of LGEs. That aside, the efforts of the senior GECOM officials, who intervened on the night of November 12, must be recognised. Likewise, the staff who followed agreed procedures in other areas.

Prominent during the 2018 LGE campaign, was the much talked about controversy at the Whim/Bloomfield Local Authority Area (LAA). Given what transpired, court case et al, it became an unofficial referendum on the Alliance For Change (AFC) on one hand and, more specifically, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who hails from Whim on the other.

That was arguably the most anticipated result of the 2018 LGE. From what has been reported and to be confirmed by GECOM, the AFC failed to make any inroads in that area, and by extension, across the country.

This is significant, for it would indicate that the party has lost miserably the support it gathered for the 2015 General Election.

Firstly, that will be seen as an indictment of the AFC’s inability to make contributions through programmes and policies for the improvement of the lives of Guyanese, especially Berbicians and seems fast slipping into becoming irrelevant. Secondly, it further exposes the lack of influence the Prime Minister has, not just to the base in his home village, but believably in the country and Government.

The voters have spoken and the message is strong and without ambiguity. The official results at Whim can epitomise the seemingly growing irrelevance of the AFC. All eyes will be on it to see how it deals with this embarrassing situation and more so, how the A Partnership for National Unity responds in the context of the coalition.

Clearly this recent LGE showing by the AFC will have impact on its future. Its worry is therefore understood. It must be asking itself how within three and a half years it could have incurred so much political loss. That would no doubt lead to introspection and thorough analyses of what confronted it, especially since May 2015.

Many, having kept abreast with our national politics, would claim to know the answers, presumably glaring, and would argue that no technical analysis is needed. For one, the AFC’s slogan for the 2018 LGE may have been an indirect referendum on the party itself for its poor showing can now categorise it as not being ‘fit and proppa’.

Jonestown: 40 years on

N

ovember 18, 2018 will mark 40 years since the infamous Jonestown mass murder-suicide deep in the jungles of Guyana. In that month of 1978, a majority of Guyanese were greeted with the grim news that over 900 American citizens lay dead, children included, after ingesting cyanide-laced Kool-Aid, either voluntary or forcibly.

To say it was shocking would be a gross understatement. Many locals were not

They grew their own food, build their homes, and did everything else in the best interest of the town. Initially, a sense of collective euphoria must have existed and coupled with the magnetism of Jones, a paradise probably was created.

As it thrived, Guyanese, oblivious of its existence, were being oppressed and faced insurmountable economic woes as the economy rapidly declined. Despondency prevailed and many did the opposite

A sign in front of what was Jonestown

even aware that the Jonestownbased People’s Temple existed on home soil. As they learnt about it, so did millions across the world, generally beyond the Western powers of the United States of America (USA) and the British Empire, about a country named Guyana.

Immediately, there was a media rush from international entities to this part of South America. After all, an American Congressman, Leo Ryan was among the dead.

Guyana was catapulted into the international spotlight, albeit, for grim reasons. It dominated conversations for an extensive period and many questions were raised.

Those in government knew about the establishment. From reports, the People’s Temple was permitted to settle at the site which took its name from the group’s charismatic leader, Jim Jones. It was described as a thriving and self-sufficient town and those who made the journey from the USA to experience the “paradise” were convinced of such, given the religious context that governed it.

It was deemed a large family working towards the betterment of all within.

Those who knew of Jonestown spoke of it being a good example from a community development standpoint.

to members of the People’s Temple: they left for the USA – their perceived paradise.

Naturally, when they learnt of Jonestown, what it represented, and the reported concessions it got from the then Government, the sentiments of many went beyond shock at the mass deaths and were consumed with discontent, convinced that their welfare was not seen as priority by their own who was in power.

Secrecy seemed to have surrounded the establishment of Jonestown, since reportedly only the Government and specific agencies knew. That gave rise then and even now to many allegations, including that some local officials personally benefited in the process. Some believed that the town may have been deliberately kept secret from the populace. Questions abound; why the secrecy? What would have been the outcome had the mass suicide not occurred?

Forty years after, those questions still seem relevant.

In 1978, the incident not only gave the world a geography lesson about Guyana, but offered harsh and frightening lessons about a cult. The international focus was on that and not on the plight of what plagued Guyanese. Even up to this day, Guyana is interna-

tionally known as a result of that horrific incident with annual reminders on every anniversary by some international media networks.

In the aftermath, discussions in particular circles may have been on what to do with the site given the international spotlight. Many felt that should have been taken advantage of and the site be transformed into a memorial designed to attract relatives and friends in remembrance of their loves ones. This is similar to symbolic annual ceremonies at war memorials around the world and for the 911 bombings in New York.

It would have taken planning, creating the necessary infrastructure and other resources for which assistance could have been sought. Had that materialised, Jonestown today could have been a bustling place for tourists, both local and international. It would have boosted the economies there, the immediate environs and the country as a whole.

Others were not that enthused given the macabre nature. Maybe people’s preferences, regardless of how ghastly things may appear, were probably not factored in. It would be useful to know what the thinking was of officials then in relation to making Jonestown a memorial; if it was discussed and if so, why it wasn’t pursued. Focus on other national priorities could have been a possible explanation and probably understandably so.

In retrospect, it may be seen as a great opportunity that was lost. There is a memorial in Oakland, California where some of the victims were from.

Like the 911 memorial, people across the USA travel to these places for related reasons.

The same could have been for Guyana. While the country has moved on and has become known internationally for other things, the Jonestown incident, as gruesome as it was, unfortunately seems synonymous with Guyana and cannot be erased from its history. One argument is to take advantage of it. Some four decades after, oil has thrust Guyana into the international spotlight and once again, the Americans are at the centre. Could this be an opportunity to explore the possibility of that memorial?

NEWS 5

WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 18, 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Trotman leads high-level team to UK to lobby for lifting of ban on Greenheart A

M i n i s t r y of Natural R e s o u r c e s (MNR) high-level delegation led by the subject Minister Raphael Trotman and including Guyana Forestry Commission’s Chairman of the Board, Joslyn Dow, EUFLEGT Secretariat Head, Kenny David and GFC Deputy Commissioner, Gavin Agard among others, will be travelling from Guyana to the United Kingdom (UK) from November 19-21, 2018 to facilitate discussions on the complete lifting of a procurement ban on greenheart from Guyana to the UK. The ban which was introduced by the Environmental Agency (EA) in the UK in 2015, claimed that proof of sustainable sourcing of the forest product was inadequate, this has since resulted in a drastic decrease in export of the product to the UK. It has also seen several concerns being raised from members of the Forest Producers

Raphael Trotman

Association and the public noting that the banned product is vital to Guyana’s history and economy and the long-term effect of the ban can be damaging to Guyana’s export of greenheart as well as its credibility internationally.

Greenheart represents over 18 per cent

of Guyana’s logging industry production, of which timber is a major export earner, thus, it was agreed that the Government of Guyana will engage talks at the diplomatic level, among other things to ensure this is sorted.

It must be noted that Guyana’s systems of monitoring

and verification to ensure logging is done in a sustainable and legal manner and has been tested and proven overtime; particularly, through our agreement with the Kingdom of Norway.

With this being said, in December 2016, after being advised that a Forest Stewardship

Council (FSC) certification was awarded to Iwokrama, the EA relaxed the ban on greenheart.

This meant that the UK began to accept Category A FSC 100% Greenheart only from Iwokrama but continued to refuse Category B timber.

In 2017, the UK agreed to reopen dialogue.

In a statement, the Natural Resources Ministry said that Guyana sees this opening as an opportunity to fully ventilate the issue and Guyana’s position with regards to the UK and make a case for completely lifting the ban on greenheart imports.

Guyana will therefore take advantage of the opportunity for dialogue toward the resolution of the matter to restart the smooth export of Greenheart to the UK and strengthen the relationship between Guyana and the UK. “Guyana believes that it has met and maintained all inter-

national standards and criteria for the product and export of timber products of all species. This again is evidenced by the successful implementation of the Partnership Agreement with the Kingdom of Norway, and by the successful conclusion of a Voluntary Partnership Agreement with the European Union, under the Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade regime, which is to be signed in on 23rd November 2018 in Brussels, Belgium” the statement further said.

It was outlined that while in the UK, the delegation will deliver a presentation in support of Guyana’s case for lifting of the ban and hold discussions with Senior Officials in the UK regarding lifting of the ban on Greenheart imports from Guyana.

The Ministry, which will also receive delegation support from Foreign Affairs, is anticipating that the discussions will be “fruitful and rewarding.”

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Democratic systems must also safeguard the rights of minorities

Dear Editor, Democracy, it is often said, is the governing of society by a majority mandate. However, this is only partly true, it is much more than that.

The democratic system must also safeguard the rights of the minorities as it does the rights of the majority. Minority here is used broadly to include those in the minority as to opinion.

To do so, society has developed various institutions to ensure that the law is applied equitable and that fundamental human rights are protected, upheld, and promoted.

All democratic societies have three fundamental divisions of powers.

They are the Executive, normally elected at free and fair elections; the Legislative, the Parliament where laws are discussed, debated and passed; and the Judiciary, this branch of Government interprets the laws and ensure that it applies to all equally.

In dictatorial countries, there are no such divisions; power is always concentrated in the Executive.

The Parliament and the Judiciary are reduced to serve the Executive.

They pass laws that the Executive wants and give decisions in courts to serve the political wishes of the Executive.

To ensure that the functions of these bodies are fair, society has sought to give them independence, to insulate them from the pressures of the Executive. Other important institutions of the State are also treated similarly. These include Police and the Elections Commission, to name but two others.

To allow those important bodies to function independently, the individuals appointed are given security of tenure. Persons in the constitutional offices cannot be dismissed by the whims and fancies of the Executive. They should not have to fear of losing their jobs.

Dictatorships, on the other hand, do not recognise the division of powers. They ensure that the Parliament, the Courts, the Police, etc, serve the interest of the dictator or the party in power.

Dictatorships, like democracies, vary in form.

We can have open, brutal dictatorships as military coups; or we have seen dictatorships appearing to be democracies. These are dictatorships that come about creepingly.

They have the form and trappings of a democracy.

They hold elections that are rigged to stay in power. They have Parliaments, where the Speaker acts more like a gendarme to shut down debates and threaten members of the Assembly. In other words, as a deliberative body, the Assembly is subverted. It becomes a rubber stamp for the dictator.

The Judiciary in such cases also acts as an arm of the Executive. As the dictatorship is strengthened, the Judiciary gives the Executive what he/ she wants.

Mr Ashton Chase, OE, once, while speaking of the PNC dictatorship in the 1970s through 1992 said that there came a point when the dictator did not have to instruct the Judges what to do. They anticipated what he wanted and dutifully delivered.

That is why the appointments of persons to these high positions are so very important.

The character and integrity of the individuals become extremely important, very vital. The institutions are managed by individuals.

Therefore, individuals here acquire really great significance; such people when they remain loyal to their oath, the society is strengthened in every way. When they succumb to pressure by the Executive and act as an instrument of the Executive, the society deteriorates.

Persons appointed to constitutional institutions should know of the huge responsibilities they carry for the country. They cannot afford to compromise the laws or act unfairly and unjustly to please a political party or a person that they may favour. To do so will be pushing the whole country down a path of dictatorship which leads to ruination of economics, politics and social life of society as a whole.

Sincerely, Donald Ramotar Former President

Unlawful takeover of bridge dead wrong Dear Editor, The unlawful control of the Berbice Bridge by the Granger Government is dead wrong. It is shortsighted to think that it is not. Such an authoritarian takeover violates the Constitution of Guyana and it stands to discourage investors. This can never be the right approach to reject a proposed fare hike. Government should never abuse its power in

such a manner to arrive at decisions when it has options to negotiate. Negotiating with investors of the Bridge would have been the right approach to take. This saga highlights the fact that the PNC/ APNU/AFC Government does not know how to lead.

And who will pay the price for all this insanity? It is the people of this country because investors will not come here. This will

in turn contribute to income inequality and poverty, among other problems. Therefore, Government did not help Guyanese in any way by abusing its power to trample upon investors in an undemocratic takeover of the Bridge. In fact, its decision hurts Guyanese and it can only be explained as political and stupid.

Sincerely, Dereck Singh

Guyana is on its own if things go wrong in oil operations Dear Editor, Though this may be an obvious point to the analyst community, it is important that the wider Guyanese community understand that multinational companies such as Exxon, registers their investment vehicles in a low-corporation tax jurisdiction, and not in the country where their headquarters are situated for a specific reason; to cap their financial exposure per project.

The investment in Guyana is owned by Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (Esso) which was incorporated in the Bahamas. Similarly, the Chinese partner in this Guyana investment, CNOOC which is headquartered in Beijing, China is also not exposed because the vehicle fronting for them is called CNOOC Nexen Petroleum Guyana Limited, which was incorporated in Barbados. Same thing for Hess Corporation which is headquartered in New York City, but their Guyana vehicle is incorporated in the Cayman Islands.

So if this oil spill happens (the divine forbid), then the people of Guyana will be allowed to sue for restitution. But from whom?

They cannot sue these headquarters because legally they are ring fenced from the entire transaction. If Guyana sues in the US Courts, there is already a precedence set where the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeal, in New York, in 2016, blocked the enforcement of an US$8.6 billion judge-

ment against Chevron, over oil pollution in Ecuador. The bottom line remains that these multi-nationals have a template for avoiding legal accountability anywhere in the world.

The only parties Guyana can successfully sue and enforce against are the Bahamian, Barbadian and Cayman Island companies, but they are what you call shell companies with limited finite assets on their books.

The sole purpose of these shell companies is to pay the bills out of the earned income generated from the waters of Guyana. In short, if it happens, Guyana’s available oil profits will be paying for Guyana’s oil spill, and if it becomes zero at any point in time, then we are on our own.

Multinational companies usually just keep a small fraction of their profits in the local investment vehicle. They use a mechanism in finance called transfer pricing to move significant portions of those profits out of the local books, and into other books that Guyana cannot, and will not be able to make a claim against.

How do they do it? All sorts of high priced oil consultancies and oil services contracts will be signed between the Guyana investment vehicle and agents of the three respective headquarters for services rendered while keeping the legal entities separate and distinct (ring fenced). The disadvantage to Guyana from such a situation, is that the headquarters of these

three partners can pull cash out of the Guyana investment vehicle as they see fit, but the Guyana’s investment vehicle has no power to access any of the cash from these headquarters if things go wrong.

The bottom line, if one carefully reads this Petroleum Agreement between the Government of Guyana and these Investors, is that they will find enough clauses to support a position that if any mishap occurrs at the production site, Guyana is on its own. For emphasis, let me reiterate – Guyana is on its own if things go wrong in the oil operations.

Therefore, how prepared is Guyana at cleaning up its ocean front if an oil spill happens, the divine forbids? Is the EPA ready? Is the Maritime Authority ready? Is there any institution in Guyana ready for this eventuality? Will they be ready by 2020? It is time for Guyana to plead its case to the Americans, British, Canadians, European Union, and any country who has the competence and skill to help so that we can properly fund, equip, train and establish a Coastal Environmental Unit in the EPA. This reality does not need a rocket scientist to fix, but time is of the essence. The new Head of the EPA, Dr Vincent Adams is a very capable man who is exposed from his time in the US Department of Energy– let us put him to work at sourcing these funds.

Sasenarine Singh, Maryland, USA

The masquerade has to stop!

Dear Editor, The recent (2018/11/13) ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) pertaining to the issue of cross dressing in Guyana is indicative of the trajectory of homosexuality in this nation. The masquerade has to stop! The inconspicuously obvious is hiding in plain sight!

SASOD and many sister organisations are riding the wave of human rights as they forward their advocacy against discrimination based on one’s sexual orientation.

The not so obvious glaring fact, is that they are not dealing with sexual orientation in its widest sensethese folks and their supporters are, in essence, agitating for the legitimisation of same sex relationships; period! Consider the following:

The laws of any society are intended to protect the citizenry.

During SASOD’s press conference to inform the nation of the relevant CCJ ruling, a most prominent local senior counsel alluded to the archaic nature of sections of the constitution which pertain to cross dressing and homosexuality. What this learned individual and many in the legal fraternity is failing to address, is how these “antiquated” laws ended up on the books. I began this paragraph, by highlighting the fundamental utility of the law.

So, if homosexuality is not serendipitously prohibited by the constitution, why is there an overwhelming effort to have it removed, while nothing is said about repealing the articles relating to incest, bestiality and other deviant

sexual behaviour which are injurious to society? The answer is obvious. SASOD and their attorneys are quite aware of the grave potential societal dangers of incest, bestiality, homosexuality (particularly man to man) and other deviant sexual orientations. Hence, this facade about advocacy against discrimination based on one’s sexual orientation, is nothing but a smoke screen intended to hide the real agenda of SASOD–to promote and legitimise buggery. Had it not been so, there would have been equal and parallel attention given to the repealing of sections of the constitution which criminalise incest and bestiality. Aren’t these sexual orientations also?

Sincerely, Errol London (Jr)

WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 18, 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com

LGE process was smooth – EU Ambassador …observes no provisions for differently abled

A

Ambassador of the European Union to Guyana, Jernej Videtič

mbassador of the European Union to Guyana, Jernej Videtič, who was an observer at this year’s Local Government Elections (LGE) says the process was a smooth one and all procedures were well organised.

This was related after he would have visited some of the polling stations across Guyana to check upon the pace at which ballots were cast.

He noted that he would have stood as an observer two years ago during the previous LGE, but the method was “excellent” this time around.

“We went as observers and we had done it two years ago, so I think compared to what was [done] two years ago, it was even better prepared. We went to five local polling stations and in all the polling stations, the procedures were the same,” the Ambassador said.

He mentioned the fact that persons with disabilities also came out in their numbers despite the challenges to vote.

“The control was there, and it was running smoothly like it should work in a normal democracy. We had a good impression and we also see that disabled people came to vote and they’ve done their best to give them an opportunity to vote. I found it excellent.”

Monday saw a low turnout of voters throughout the country and there was a slower pace than expected.

The polling stations opened to a sluggish start but after a few hours, the number

of voters was constant.

Villages like Den Amstel, Hague, Blankenburg, La Jalousie, Windsor Forest, Crane, Best and Vreed-en-Hoop recorded a small turnout and it was the same on the East Bank at Covent Garden, Providence and Peter’s Hall. Berbice and the Essequibo coast faced the same fate.

Other than that, it was heard that many persons were told that they were not allowed to vote because their names were not on the registered voters’ list.

However, upon checking, they were eligible to vote while others were referred to other polling stations.

Concerns also surfaced about the quality of ink used. Throughout the day, voters complained about concentrated substance being easily washed off and it was difficult to tell if they had voted or not.

It also caught the attention of Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo who stated, “I have had numerous reports that it could be easily removed so what we have asked our polling agents now is to pay particular attention to people who have voted before may attempt to come back in and vote so that is one safeguard against ink being removed so we asked our polling agents to look at this.”

Upon inquiry, GECOM’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Yolanda Warde told media operatives that the Commission had leftover ink from the 2016 Local Government Elections and this was reused.

Fly Jamaica crash landing

news 7

Voice recorders to be analysed by US experts F

ollowing last week’s crash-landing of a Boeing 757 aircraft operated by Fly Jamaica at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, investigators will finally be able to fully assess what exactly went wrong as the Fly Data Recorder (Black Box) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (Pink Box) will be sent to the United States via air travel today (Thursday).

When contacted by this newspaper on Wednesday evening, Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Egbert Field confirmed that a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) official will deliver the two pieces of equipment in Washington, DC, United States on Thursday.

NTSB is an independent US Government agency that overlooks investigations into air transportation accidents. The flight, OJ256

left Guyana for Toronto, Canada at about 02:10h on Friday last but after reportedly encountering hydraulic issues, the pilot acted quickly and returned to the CJIA where it crash-landed at about 02:53h.

On Saturday last, the NTSB investigator arrived in Guyana and worked with GCAA and other stakeholders at the crash site on Monday and Tuesday as the investigation was carried out. The GCAA Director stated that Wednesday was used to ensure that all of the necessary paperwork was filed and sent off as the probe both in Guyana and in the US continues.

“We spent the day going over documentation at the office so [the official] is leaving and taking the Fly Data Recorder and the Cockpit Voice Recorder with him. Two Boeing engineers who came in on Monday and are presently in Guyana

The plane after the crash

GCAA Director General Egbert Field

have been at the crash site evaluating the entire situation to analysing data,” Field told this newspaper.

The owner of the airline, Roxanne Reece and other executives had visited the injured people at hospital on Sunday.

Although the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) was

the first responders to the crash site, several fire fighters caused embarrassment to themselves and the GFS for their alleged acts of theft. At least 14 of the fire fighters who were implicated in removing several devices belonging to the crew and passengers were believed to have taken the items as they had exclusive access to the plane.

One of the firemen had reportedly returned some of the stolen items while some were found at the Timehri Fire Service. The airline had opened their call centres around the clock and was contacting passengers with flight reservations through November 14 (Wednesday).

Arrangements were made with Caribbean Airlines to have the passengers transported to their destinations.

8 news

WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 18, 2018 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

President’s Guyana gets tough prognosis is good with errant drivers ... expected to make full recovery - Traffic Chief says stricter enforcement coming soon following cancer diagnosis

ing efforts by enabling law enforcement ranks to track and intercept criminals, he added.

Installed over seven years ago and constantly upgraded, the closed-circuit camera system was initiated under the previous Administration. At least 130 cameras were installed initially.

The Government has also started a Citizens Security Programme (CSP), funded with support from the InterAmerican Development Bank. Phase Two of the CSP will see an “emergency smart street safe city proposal” that will see the installation of over 100 CCTV cameras

P

resident David Granger has been diagnosed with cancer and will undergo chemotherapy in Cuba.

This was confirmed in a statement issued by the Embassy of Guyana in Cuba late Wednesday.

The President left with his wife, First Lady Sandra Granger for Cuba around two weeks ago.

A statement issued by the Ministry of the Presidency on October 29, 2018, confirmed his travel. It said that the President and the First Lady will spend one week in Cuba.

Subsequently, another update was provided by the Government which stated that Granger, 73, was resting comfortably at an official residence in Cuba following an intensive series of tests by specialist doctors.

According to the statement, he was receiving treatment at the Centro de Investigaciones Medico Quirugicas (CIMEQ) in Havana. At that time, clinical analyses were still incomplete.

“The Head of State has responded satisfactorily to medical interventions over the past week… and is recovering well. President Granger wishes to assure all citizens that he is receiving the best possible medical advice and attention.

The President wishes to thank Guyanese for their expressions of concern,” the statement said.

However, suspicions were raised when the President and his wife did not return for the Local Government Elections (LGE). It was confirmed that he was not given clearance by his doctor to travel.

Deputy Director of Press Affairs at the Ministry of the Presidency, Ariana Gordon, was reported in the press as saying that the President would not have been back in time for LGEs.

Diagnoses

However, on Wednesday, the Guyana Embassy in Cuba confirmed that President Granger was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which is a type of cancer that develops in the lymphatic system.

The lymphatic system is part of your immune system. Clear fluid, called lymph, flows through the lymphatic

President David Granger

vessels and contains infection-fighting white blood cells, known as lymphocytes.

The statement said that on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, the President, was discharged from CIMEQ and returned to his official accommodation.

“The President’s medical personnel have now begun the second phase of treatment today, (Wednesday) and he is likely to be placed in CIMEQ for a short period of two to three days,” the statement added. He has already undergone a surgical procedure.

During this time, the Embassy said the President has been working and resting in accordance with the advice he has been receiving from his doctors. It said, “He is in fine form and a good frame of mind. He is expected to fully recover under the supervision of his doctors.”

The statement also stated that the President extended his deep gratitude to Guyanese at home and in the Diaspora, to the various Prime Ministers and Presidents, to the Caribbean Community Diplomatic Caucus in Cuba, to his friends and colleagues, and all those who sent their best wishes for his full and complete recovery.

“Above all, the President would like to publicly thank the President of the Republic of Cuba, the Government of Cuba, and the medical staff of CIMEQ for the special care and attention he has received while in Havana; and, indeed, for the excellent facilities in which he is be-

ing accommodated.”

The Embassy promised to issue another statement prior to his departure from Cuba.

In May of this year, Granger and the First Lady had travelled to Trinidad and Tobago to undergo what was referred to as their annual medical check-up.

At the time, and in response to reports in the press, the Government had revealed that the couple did their examinations under a Caribbean medical insurance scheme at the Good Health Medical Centre. Those results, Government had said, indicated a clean bill of health.

According to WebMD, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is cancer that starts in your body’s lymph system. Lymphoma occurs when the lymph node cells or the lymphocytes begin to multiply uncontrollably, producing cancerous cells that have the abnormal capacity to invade other tissues throughout the body.

WebMD states that the two main types of lymphoma are Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. NonHodgkin’s lymphoma is further classified into a variety of subtypes based on the cell of origin (B-cell or T-cell), and the cell characteristics. The subtype of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma predicts the necessity of early treatment, the response to treatment, the type of treatment required, and the prognosis. The risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma increases with age.

Traffic Chief, Superintendent Linden Isles

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ll of the ClosedCircuit Television (CCTV) cameras at key city intersections are functioning, Traffic Chief, Superintendent Linden Isles confirmed while warning that drivers will continue to be prosecuted.

Isles, during a recent interview at Eve Leary, said despite some misconceptions, “all the cameras are working” and are constantly monitored and the subsequent images stored.

He also confirmed that there were, and continues to be, successful prosecutions of errant motorists, who commit traffic offences.

“Footage from some of these cameras has led to convictions of hundreds of careless driving and dangerous driving cases,” Isles is quoted by the Department of Public Information as saying.

The CCTV usage has also boosted crime-fight-

in and around the city, where over 50 per cent of crimes are committed. The proposal also includes the construction of a command centre, where the footage would be monitored day and night.

Sophia man slapped with 2nd murder charge

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ell-known character Travis Evans, called “Short Boss”, who was among the prisoners that escaped from the Lusignan Prison while on remand for murder, was on Wednesday hauled before the courts for another murder charge.

The 23-year-old man of C Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown stood before Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, where the charge was read. The charge stated that between July 31 and August 2, 2018 at Kuru Kururu, LindenSoesdyke Highway during the course of a robbery and in the company of others, he murdered 46-year-old Gregory Frank.

According to reports,

November 27, 2018.

The accused was previously slapped with a murder charge and was remanded by Magistrate Zamilla Ally-Seepaul at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court.

He is accused of kill-

Murder accused: Travis Evans

Frank was found lying face down in a pool of blood in the sitting room of his home at Lot 686 Kuru Kururu. The gruesome discovery was made by Frank’s father after he suspected something was amiss and decided to check on his son.

The accused was remanded and was expected to make his next court appearance on

Murdered: Gregory Frank

ing 21-year-old Ronslay Clarke. It is alleged that he fatally shot Clarke at a party on August 2, 2018.

NEWS 9

WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 18, 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Canadian passenger accuses firefighters of stealing phone, money from crash-landed Fly Jamaica Reprinted from the National Post

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hen he finally got his luggage back late in the afternoon, after surviving a crash landing and spending the next 14 hours without his asthma medication, Invor Bedessee discovered that his ill-starred flight home to Canada from Guyana had one last nasty surprise left in store for him.

His cellphone, power cords and keys had all been stolen from his carry-on luggage — as had more than $1,000 he’d been carrying in American cash.

Bedessee, a 48-yearold businessman from Pickering, Ont., believes his possessions were taken by firefighters who were called to attend to Fly Jamaica Flight OJ256, which careened past the end of the runway and stopped just short of a steep embankment at a Guyanese airport around 2:30 a.m. local time last Friday after a mechanical issue compelled the pilot to turn the plane around

terview on Monday that he hasn’t gotten much sleep and has been shaking persistently.

“Material things, I don’t really care (about).

Those things can be replaced,” Bedessee said.

“But my mental health is not the best right now.”

Bedessee was one of 82 Canadians aboard the Fly Jamaica aircraft when it left Cheddi Jagan International Airport near Georgetown, the Guyanese capital, 40 minutes after its scheduled departure time.

Crew members had struggled for a while before takeoff to close the front door of the plane, and 10 minutes after they made it into the air, the pilot announced that a hydraulic malfunction was forcing him to circle back to the airport.

As the plane approached ground level, the landing gear deployed properly and the touchdown was comfortable, Bedessee recalled.

But it soon became evident that the brakes weren’t slowing the plane’s forward momentum. Bedessee said the aircraft blew down the

dies,” another passenger, Cyril Bryan of Toronto, said in an email.

“We thank the universe for saving us to live another day.”

Ordered to evacuate by inflatable slide, Bedessee left his knapsack and another bag at his seat in business class. He said the plane began to emit smoke five to 10 minutes after he got outside. As firefighters were summoned, he gave his contact information to the flight crew, went to a hotel to eat and shower and later returned to Cheddi Jagan around 1 p.m.

It took until 5 p.m. for a customs agent to retrieve his luggage, at which point Bedessee, rifling through the knapsack to find his inhaler, noticed that his cash, keys, chargers and the iPhone he uses for travel were all missing.

Guyana Police Force Assistant Commissioner Marlon Chapman, who oversees the division that is investigating the alleged thefts aboard the plane, said officers detained 12 firefighters on Friday after find-

nvor Bedessee (First from right) and his family (Photo taken from Facebook)

and make an emergency landing. Six people were injured, but no one died.

Police in Guyana said this week that a dozen firefighters were arrested on Friday for allegedly stealing from some of the 120 passengers who were on the flight, as well as from the pilot and crew members.

While the two friends with whom he travelled to Guyana still haven’t been able to return home, Bedessee managed to catch a flight to Toronto via Trinidad on Saturday. Wracked with nerves, he said in an in-

runway over spikes that popped a couple of its tires. Part of the landing gear tore off; so did the right wing.

The plane swerved to the right, smashed through a chain-link fence and stopped in a pile of sand three metres away from the edge of a ravine. The drop-off from there was another nine to 12 metres.

“Only with the light of dawn were we aware of how close we were to that ravine and how close we came to be a statistic of airline trage-

ing in their possession phones, cash, jewelry and other items that appeared to belong to passengers and crew members. Chapman wouldn’t say if police plan to lay charges, but noted that there are no other suspects.

The Guyana Fire Service said its chief, Marlon Gentle, was not available for comment.

When asked what action, if any, Global Affairs Canada plans to take in response to reports of theft on the flight, a department

Invor Bedessee receives an emotional welcome home (Photo taken from Facebook)

spokesperson said in an email that, “Canadian consular officials are in contact with local authorities and stand ready to provide consular assistance to Canadian citizens if needed.”

Bedessee, meanwhile, said he and a group of fellow Canadian passengers are considering a class action lawsuit against Fly Jamaica to seek damages for the stress of the ordeal. He’s also waiting for his trav-

el partners to be able to fly out of Guyana, hopefully by this weekend. He said one of them is a man in his 70s who had his passport and phone stolen off the crashed plane.

As he waited for his bags last Friday afternoon, Bedessee called his travel agent and asked to be booked on the next flight to Canada. It left Guyana on Saturday morning, and save for a hiccup during a layover in Trinidad when a

mechanical problem, of all things, forced him to change planes, the journey was smooth. It was a relief for a man who’d cried at his seat before takeoff, troubled by what had happened a day earlier.

“The passenger beside me gave me a little comfort,” Bedessee said.

“He just said, ‘Take a deep breath — relax, relax.’”

10 news

WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 18, 2018 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Cops probing alleged rape of Opposition Leader 6-yr-old in Linden prays for President Granger’s full recovery P olice in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) are probing the alleged rape of a six-year-old

child.

Guyana Times International understands that a 44-year-old man of Wisroc, Wismar, Linden, has been arrested and questioned in relation to the incident. This newspaper was told that he has since been released on G$50,000 station bail pending the probe.

A Police source confirmed that as a condition for the station bail, the man is required to report daily at the Police station. E Division (Linden-Kwakwani) Commander, Linden Lord has indicated that legal advice has since been sought on the way forward.

Region 10 recorded the highest cases of child abuse in Guyana in 2017,

with a 22.1 per cent of the country’s total.

Director of the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA), Ann Greene, had confirmed that most of the reported cases in the region came from Linden. According to information from the Agency, the overall rate of child abuse for Guyana in 2017 is 15.8 children per 1000 of the national population of children. Greene had stressed the importance of understanding “rates” in terms of population size when looking at the number of children being abused, as she pointed out that according to the rates, Region 10 had the highest. She also indicated that Region 10 had the highest rate of child neglect and sexual abuse.

Berbice man claims Cops kicked him “all over” his body

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pposition Leader and General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), Dr Bharrat Jagdeo said during a presser on Thursday that his Party is extremely pleased to hear that President David Granger, who was diagnosed with cancer, is in fine shape and is expected to recover fully.

According to Jagdeo “on behalf of PPP/C, I wish the President a full recovery and our prayers are with him, the entire nation for his safe return and full recovery. This is not a political matter and politics aside we should let him know in Cuba that he has our full prayers…he is the President of Guyana.”

President Granger has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, a type of cancer that originates in the white blood cells which forms part of the body’s immune system, and is currently receiving treatment in Cuba.

He and First Lady, Mrs Sandra Granger departed Guyana on October 30 for Cuba so that he could undergo a medical investigation.

After the President and the First Lady did not return in time for Local Government Elections, held on November 12, speculations were raised as to the state of his health.

An official statement from the Embassy of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana in the Republic of Cuba, by Ambassador Halim Majeed, that was released Wednesday night confirmed the Lymphoma prognosis.

Moreover, the Ambassador explained that Granger initially underwent a surgical procedure and on Wednesday began a second phase of treatment, where he is expected to stay at the Centro de Investigaciones Medico Quirurgicas (CIMEQ) in Cuba for two to three more days.

Majeed also outlined that “during this time, President has been working and resting in accordance with the advice he has been receiving from his doctors. He is in fine form and a good frame of mind. He is expected to fully recover under the supervision of his doctors.”

Guyana’s Opposition...

from page 3

Government…we, for a very long time have been pointing this out to the Government, that their direction is wrong, the policies are bringing more hardships on people..” Jagdeo said.

According to Jagdeo, even members of APNU and AFC have expressed their discontent with the “ways of the Government”.

Pointing to the failures of the Government, the former President reflected on the jobs already lost under the current administration.

“Since this Government took office we have lost 30,000 jobs, the sugar industry has been decimated…7000 workers have lost their jobs there... this Government has increased taxes by G$6B even though it came into office on a promises to reduce taxes…they have lied to Guyana…came

into office on a promise to reduce cost of living, but they have put VAT on water, fuel, electricity…promises of clearing up corruption, we have seen this Government in office unable to prove any of this".

According to the opposition leader, his Party will be calling for the restoration of privileges that were lost by the Guyanese public since the Government took office in 2015.

“We want to see a budget that restores pensioners’ water subsidy, restore the 10,000 grant for school kids, we want a restoration of the bonus for the Discipline Services, commitment to public services kept, removal of VAT from water, food items etc, we want the land and water charges at the MMA that have been increased reduced to the old level, a reduction of the tax on

fuel so that we can have more affordable gasoline, restoration of final tax for miners, we want the government to reverse the increase for water rates, we want a reversal of fees at the University of Guyana”, the former President stated.

Previously, while in opposition, APNU had filed a no-confidence motion against the then PPP/C Government which was at the time led by Donald Ramotar.

The motion was also backed by AFC. Reflecting on this, Jagdeo said the Party had claimed a number of illegalities, illegalities which they are yet to prove.

According to the General Secretary, win or lose, his Party can assure that the country will benefit from the motion. (Kizzy Coleman)

…pleads for justice

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Corentyne, Berbice taxi driver is seeking justice after he was allegedly beaten by Police Officers at the Springlands Police Station.

Baldeo Budhram, 33, a taxi driver, of Lot 50 Princetown, Corriverton, told this newspaper on Wednesday that he was beaten by Police Officers attached to the Springlands Police Station on October 7.

According to Budhram, he was outside his home waiting for his wife to open the gate when Police ranks on patrol pulled up alongside him.

Budhram told this publication that a Policeman walked up to him and instructed that he step out of the car.

According to him, he became scared after the officer told him to go into the passenger seat and another jumped in the back seat of the car.

He said he began asking questions and the officer in the backseat put his arm around his neck and choked him. He alleged that he was then told that he will find out all that he wanted to know when he gets to the station.

At the Springlands Police Station, the taxi driver claimed he was told to take a breathalyser test, but he refused since the pipe he was being asked to blow into was a used one. After searching for a new one, the officers told him that they did not have any and he had to use that very one. He said he then told the officers that he was aware of his

rights and was not going to put the used pipe into his mouth.

“They told me since I know my rights let me go and lock up my car.

When I go outside one of them start to cuss me and I cuss he back and then one of them take a gun and lash me behind my head and I go down to the ground and then start to kick me all over

in Berbice.

When Guyana Times International reached out for a comment on the matter, the Police claimed that the taxi driver fell and injured himself. However, Bhudram told this publication that he did not fall. He also said the ground is flat and covered with sand.

Following the lack of

Baldeo Budhram displaying his X-ray

in my back, head, jaw, mouth and in my ribs.”

The taxi driver said he was later placed in the lock ups and the following morning taken to the Skeldon Hospital for medical treatment and then released.

The matter has since been reported to the Police and Budhram was told that an officer will visit him to take a statement. He said he waited for three days and then returned to the station. He was subsequently asked to make a report with the Office of Professional Responsibility. He is of the view that he is being pushed around by Police

what Budhram calls an unsatisfactory response, he took his concerns to the Office of the Prime Minister in Berbice and met with the regional representative, Gobin Harbhajan.

Speaking with this newspaper, Harbhajan said he spoke with the Sub-Divisional Officer who said the Divisional Commander has been asked to investigate the matter. After an entire month of back and forth and still awaiting justice in the matter, Bhudram reached out to the media on Wednesday and told his story. (Andrew Carmichael)

news 11

WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 18, 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com

AFC ‘demolished’ W

hile the Alliance For Change (AFC) believes the Local Government Elections (LGE) has not weakened its clout against its coalition partner, the results tell a story of a party that failed to mount a credible challenge on its own.

LGE 2018 was intended to be a test run for the 2020 General and Regional Elections.

With the AFC trying to have the Cummingsburg Accord revised while being steadily weakened in its ministerial portfolios, sources have posited that the election results can only mean more bad news for the smaller coalition party.

Returning Officer (Georgetown), Duarte Hetsberger, announced on Tuesday that the AFC came third in the municipality of Georgetown. They got 3059 votes and two seats from the Proportional Representation (PR) component.

They trail the People’s Progressive Party, which got 7050 votes and four seats.

The A Partnership for National Unity received 18,127 votes, in the process attaining nine seats.

Overall, APNU has 21 seats on the City council,

Returning Officer (Georgetown) Duarte Hetsberger

while PPP has seven.

The AFC just has the two seats it gained from the PR component and did not muster enough First Past the Post (FPTP) votes to get an additional seat at a Council that once produced two AFC Deputy Mayors.

When asked about these results, AFC’s Region Four campaign coordinator Michael Leonard said his party’s votes still mattered.

“I’m not sure if I should say something went wrong. The APNU/ AFC contested the last time in 2016, as a coalition. They were obviously riding the success of 2015, so there was no true test to see what the constituency of the AFC versus the APNU is.”

“This time we ran alone,” Leonard contin-

ued. “And I think we did relatively well. We know now what we can attract.

We know where we are. I don’t have an issue with that. We got two seats off our own strength.”

He was not too worried about the potential impact on AFC’s ability to negotiate better terms in the Cummingsburg Accord. Leonard pointed out that from the results rolling in, APNU still needs the AFC. “It is very clear from the results across the country that the APNU by themselves cannot defeat the PPP. So it seems the coalition is very necessary. And we’ve said before that we believe in coalition politics.”

“So I don’t see anything changing or happening with the Accord.

If what puts you over

the threshold to get the Presidency or the majority is one vote, then it’s one vote. Every vote counts. Every seat counts.”

Leonard acknowledged that the overall voter turnout was very low. He observed that more middle-aged persons than youths came out to vote. As such, Leonard pointed to voter apathy and disinterest.

But AFC had put much focus on youths in the campaign, including as many youth on their platform as possible.

Asked about their mobilisation efforts among the youths, the campaign manager said their 3000 votes was still significant.

…says poor showing at LGE would not affect Coalition pact ly declared a township in October 2017 and was being headed by APNU’s Kerry Jarvis as Mayor.

However, Jarvis was unable to retain his seat, with PPP’s Jason Wilson pulling the seat from under him. Of the 10 seats up for grabs in the municipality, the PPP now

ing forces with APNU. The AFC top leadership had, in mid-November last year, moved to revise its governing agreement with its majority coalition partner. The Cummingsburg Accord, the arrangement which guides the two partners, has a lifespan

Performance

Besides Georgetown, the AFC has come up short in several other areas. For instance in Lethem, preliminary results of the 1334 valid votes show that the PPP secured 676 with three of the five PR seats, while APNU got 528 votes and the remaining two seats.

The residents of the municipality deemed the AFC ‘unfit and improper’ after they only managed to scrape 130 votes and no seat on the Town Council.

Lethem was official-

AFC’s Region Four campaign coordinator, Michael Leonard

has six and APNU, four.

PPP also dominated in Rose Hall, Corriverton and Anna Regina municipalities.

The AFC has been coming in for much criticism, especially from the parliamentary Opposition, for what many describe as the submissive role it has been playing since join-

of a minimum of three years and maximum of five years.

The Accord was focused primarily on the General and Regional Elections. However, a stalemate ensued after the two sides could not come to terms on several policies, resulting in a split.

12 news

WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 18, 2018 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

LGE 2018: Massive wins for PPP countrywide

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espite some challenges at some Local Authority Areas (LAAs), People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo said on Tuesday his party still managed to prevail during the 2018 Local Government Elections (LGE), securing massive wins countrywide with more than 45,000 votes than the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) combined.

Speaking at the Party’s headquarters at Freedom House, Jagdeo said he is very happy with the results in spite of the many efforts by the APNU/AFC Administration to prevent the Party from making inroads in certain areas, as he berated the AFC for the “crushing defeat” it suffered at this year’s Local Government polls.

Jagdeo pointed out that there is a huge margin between the number of votes cast in favour of the PPP/C as against the APNU and its small-

er coalition partner, the AFC. He explained that based on the results thus far, the PPP/C has over 54,000 votes more than the APNU and over 113,000 more votes than the AFC. Jagdeo said too that his party’s performance is good based on all the challenges that it faced in relation to the issues he described as gerrymandering via the changes made to LAAs. “They merged big PPP areas just to change the outcome of the NDC but with this massive PR turnout that we have had, in spite of the attempt to gerrymander the boundaries, the PPP will still have the majority of votes,” he outlined.

Taking 5 towns

The PPP/C General Secretary further said his Party ran a good campaign and will stick to the promises made to the residents for those areas that they won. Based upon the Party’s findings, the results showed wins in five different townships and areas that were not won

before by that party.

At the 2016 Local Government Elections, which was the first in 22 years, the PPP/Civic won only three out of the nine towns across the country but according the PPP/C General Secretary, the Party made significant inroads, taking five of the 10 towns. These, he noted, were Mabaruma, Anna Regina, Rose Hall, Corriverton and Lethem – the latter of which the APNU/AFC had won at the last elections.

In Lethem, he said the PPP secured three out of the five seats; APNU, two, and AFC none; while in Mabaruma, the PPP

got eight out of 12 seats, whereas it tied with the coalition the last time around. With a 30 per cent voter turnout in the city for this year’s elections, the Party also saw candidates winning in Georgetown constituencies.

“In the 2016 elections we did not win a single constituency out of the 15. Now the PPP has won three of the constituencies in Georgetown and now we have secured 4 PR (Proportional Representation) seats so we now have seven seats in Georgetown up from two. That is a massive gain in the city,” he de-

clared.

He however conceded that the party has to do more groundwork to gain additional support in APNU strongholds such as New Amsterdam, Mahdia and Linden, but he nevertheless praised supporters for the PPP gaining a seat in the mining town for the first time.

At the same time, Jagdeo feels the AFC should be ashamed of its performance, especially since the smaller coalition partner suffered a loss in the Whim/Bloomfield area, where Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo originates.

“The AFC in the Whim

area seems to be called the All-Family Cabal. Mavis Nagamootoo contested and got 31 votes versus our candidate 216 and Abraham Nagamootoo, the nephew, got 17 versus 213 for our candidate in that Constituency. In fact he had to get 20 backers,” Jagdeo noted.

He observed that PPP’s wins occurred even though many senior operatives of the AFC were campaigning in the area on several occasions.

“The whole AFC leadership meeting in Whim almost twice and this is the result of it – a crushing defeat; unbelievable crushing defeat; shameful and they were saying that we were scared in the area… I wonder what they must be saying in the AFC camp and they got less than a 1000 votes in Berbice.

Jagdeo highlighted that the PPP also won the Buxton/ Foulis Neighbourhood Democratic Council for the first time. The next Local Government polls are due in 2021.

Guyana developing new curriculum

Police rank shot after vessel …oil education to be included comes T under attack

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Police rank attached to the Macapa Base, Cuyuni River, Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni) was on Tuesday shot and injured after the vessel he was travelling in came under attack by a group of men on the Venezuelan side of the border. Corporal Quincy Alexander, 38, of South Amelia’s Ward, Linden, was shot to the lower back and was late Tuesday evening medevac to Georgetown to receive medical treatment.

His condition is listed as serious but stable. Based on reports received, the Police rank was among a group of passengers onboard a wooden vessel and as it was travelling from Eteringbang to Macapa, it came under fire.

The incident, according to Police, occurred at about 12:00h in the vicinity of Butanuamu Creek Point, Region Seven.

The other passengers in the board reportedly jumped overboard and used the boat as a shield.

It is unclear if the Police rank returned fire. An investigation has been launched into the attack.

he Education Ministry is seeking to have learning in classrooms across the country be in keeping with the 21st century, and as such, a new curriculum is being developed for schools, which will seek to incorporate information on the oil sector as well as Guyana’s “unique experiences.”

This was related by a Senior Public Relations Officer of the Ministry, Brushell Blackman following the opening of a three-day workshop for teachers and other Ministry officials at Regency Hotel, Hadfield Street, Georgetown on Wednesday.

He said that new curriculum will include a number of broad areas, which he acknowledged the ministry previously overlooked.

According to him, the syllabus will be for nursery, primary and secondary schools, up to Grade Nine, as classes from there on utilise the Caribbean curriculum to prepare for the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC).

Although Blackman was unable to say when the new curriculum would be ready, he noted that the Ministry is working on the framework. He added that the Ministry promised not

to drag their feet on the paperwork, as they are fully aware of its importance and vitality at this time.

Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson during the opening cer-

but it cannot be forever. We don’t have all the time in the world,” he told the teachers, University of Guyana students and other education officials at the session.

it will be a matter of really making some fundamental shifts”.

The last update to the curricula was done back in 1990. Education Minister Nicolette Henry first revealed

emony of the workshop also pointed out how critical it is for the curriculum to be updated.

“We are here today (Wednesday) to commemorate the writing of the curriculum which I think is very critical in terms of us moving forward. I think we have been showing good signs of moving forward but again I think a curriculum is essential to this process,” he said.

“This process cannot be a long and drawn out process. I know curriculum writing takes time,

M e a n w h i l e , Canadian Consultant, Joanne Thompkins who is working along with the Ministry to create the new paperwork said she was quite excited about the stage the curriculum is at.

Another Education Ministry official noted the importance of updating the syllabus.

According to him, “We are here because the curriculum, as we agreed from day one, is in dire need of renewal… this renewal will not be a matter of tinkering but

plans to review the syllabus in 2017.

Back in June, discussions were held with nine Canadian consultants from the Saint Francis Xavier University and the Mindbloom School, who have been collecting information from educators and schools from various regions across Guyana in a bid to update the system.

Talks held at the National Centre for Education Research Development featured three consultants

– Paula Mackinnon, Joanne Thompkins and Jeffery Orr – and administrators from various special schools where the concerns that surround the education of these children were raised.

While there, several teachers related that the standard school curriculum was used to teach children with disabilities while others informed that the current curriculum is too packed to reach the needs of every student.

Additionally, it was noted that Guyana depends heavily on the assistance of outsiders, which is not as effective as an internal guide.

To modify this, the curriculum will be modified to suit the needs of Guyana’s children.

One of the consultants, Paula Mackinnon, gave an insight on the expertise of the consultants that were directed to enhance Guyana’s current syllabus.

“We bring with us, expertise in curriculum development and curriculum reengineering and reform. And then some specific expertise in inclusive pedagogy [and] in subject areas to help explore views of how the curriculum might be enhanced in that regard,” Mackinnon informed.

news 13

WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 18, 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com

APNU wins 5 municipalities T

he A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has reportedly managed to win all eight constituencies across Linden, according to preliminary results for this year’s Local Government Elections (LGE). In addition to a clean sweep in Linden, the APNU also won Georgetown, New Amsterdam, Mahdia and Bartica.

The APNU reportedly copped 13 of the 16 seats in Linden – two less than it won in 2016. The Alliance For Change (AFC), according to the preliminaries, will maintain its two seats in the municipality, while the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has reportedly secured one seat.

This is the first time the PPP has managed to secure a seat in the municipality since the hosting of LGE in 2016. While the APNU managed a

win of the constituencies, it reportedly won only three of the Proportional Representative (PR) seats. Four parties have contested for seats in Linden, with the additional being the United Republican Party (URP).

In the eight constituencies, the APNU picked up 3361 votes, while the AFC copped 1305, followed by the PPP with 396 and URP with 76.

At Kwakwani, the APNU has reportedly managed to secure four seats out of 12 at the Neighbourhood Democratic Council, while the AFC and Kwakwani United for Progress (KUFP) has secured three seats, followed by the PPP with two seats. Reports are that the APNU has managed to secure two of the PR seats while PPP took one, AFC secured one and the KUFP took two seats.

PPP makes inroads in Georgetown, cops 7 seats

T

he Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) results show that the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has taken Georgetown, with Mayor Patricia Chase Green’s constituency solidly supporting her. But the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has showed improved gains in the city, compared to 2016.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Returning Officer for Georgetown Duarte Hetsberger announced that APNU would hold the majority on the City Council. APNU got a total of 18,127 votes.

This time, however, the PPP has significantly more seats on the Council than before and is second only to APNU in terms of votes.

Commenting on the coalition’s loss of seats, People’s National Congress (PNC) Chairperson Volda Lawrence acknowledged that they have more work to do.

“With a turnout of that number, certainly one would expect a low voter turnout at that level would have affected everybody.

So we don’t see it as a loss.

What we see it as is taking stock of the fact that we need to do more to educate people about Local Government.”

Mayor Patricia Chase Green gained victory in her constituency

“This is their thing, (but) I believe many persons have not bought in to Local Government. I believe there were a lot of expectations. There were personal expectations that did not materialise.

So a few people felt they shouldn’t exercise their franchise,” Lawrence also noted.

Lawrence noted that APNU nevertheless has a new cadre of persons who went out and performed. While this is true, there are still some old faces. These include Chase Green, who received a notable 2212 votes in her Tucville/North Ruimveldt constituency.

The Mayor has had to testify before a recent Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into City Hall… a CoI that has uncov-

ered many discrepancies. While it focused on the actions of Town Clerk Royston King, sections of society expressed the view that Chase Green, having presided over everything, should face some of the heat.

Other old faces that were returned include Deputy Mayor Akeem Peters and Heston Bostwick. Among the new members of the Council are PPP candidate Nalissa Ferguson, who edged out APNU’s Shondel Hope by 877 votes to 756, respectively. They contested in constituency two, Kitty North, Central and South and Subryanville.

PPP’s Param Persaud, with 1279 votes in constituency six, is another new face at City Hall, as is APNU’s Ubraj Narine and Cilesia Hall.

PPP Councillor Bishram Kuppen, who has at times led the drive for transparency at City Hall, was narrowly edged out by APNU candidate Ivelaw Henry in constituency seven (Bourda/Stabroek/ Lacytown).

APNU’s votes are followed by the PPP, which got 7050 votes and the Alliance For Change (AFC), which received 3059. APNU got a total of 21 seats on the City

Council, nine of which came from the PR and 12 from the First Past the Post components. Back in 2016, the combined APNU/AFC controlled 25 seats.

The PPP received seven seats, including four

Deputy Mayor Akeem Peters won in constituency five, which includes the Sophia-Turkeyen area

from the PR component. It is a definite improvement, as they only got two seats in 2016. The AFC’s only two seats came from the PR method. There was a 28.3 per cent voter turnout.

She also denied that the Local Government Elections would be a precursor to 2020s General and Regional Elections.

Lawrence had faith that the 2020 election would see a more positive turn out, as people are likely to take it more seriously.

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Foreign delegation in Guyana to lobby for end to death penalty

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delegation of international experts on the death penalty is in Guyana to advocate for the abolition of capital punishment in the country.

The team, which hosted a press conference on Tuesday, said it planned to make a submission of its proposal to the National Assembly at its next sitting.

The delegation has received the support of the European Union (EU) and the British High Commission.

Co-Executive Director of the death penalty project based in the United Kingdom, Saul Lehrfreund will be joined by Randy Susskind, Deputy Director of the Equal Justice Initiative of the USA, Surinamese parliamentarians Krishnakoemarie Mathoera and Patrick Kensenhuis, and will be supported by Nigel Hughes to push for the abolition at the National Assembly on Thursday.

Currently, some 17 prisoners in Guyana are on death row, even though Guyana has not carried out an execution since 1997.

In his presentation, Lehrfreund pointed out that the death penalty, according to research, does not necessarily deter crimes.

“The first assumption or justification that some countries rely on is that the death penalty is an effective criminal justice sanction because it deters crime and makes society safer and we would strongly argue that this is a myth and that there is no evidence whatsoev-

From right: Randy Susskind, Deputy Director of the Equal Justice Initiative of the USA, along with European Union Ambassador Jernej Videtič; Co-Executive Director of the death penalty project based in the United Kingdom, Saul Lehrfreund and Surinamese parliamentarians Krishnakoemarie Mathoera and Patrick Kensenhuis

er that the death penalty provides any deterrent effect than other forms of punishment,” Lehrfreund argued.

The Director further argued that the public would only be hesitant to accept the abolition of capital punishment, since their opinions were often characterised by a lack of knowledge on the subject.

According to Lehrfreund, it is impossible to ensure that innocent people are not sentenced to death, all the more reason why the death penalty should be abolished.

Susskind revealed that the United States was also currently moving to have the death penalty abolished in all states.

“The death penalty is actually on its way out in the United States. It is currently active, but it is waning and it’s just a matter of time before over the course of the next years or so where the death penalty would likely be abolished. The trends are very clear and over the last 10 years, out of the 52 states, 10 have since abolished the death

Man succumbs two weeks after being struck on Railway Embankment Road

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wo weeks after a pedestrian was struck down on the Strathspey Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara (ECD) has succumbed to his injuries at the Georgetown Public Hospital on Monday.

The man, who was only recently identified as Rishi Bhagwandin, 28, of Lot 286 Enmore Hope, ECD, reportedly succumbed about 17:30h without regaining consciousness.

Bhagwandin was struck down on October 30, 2018 by a motor car bearing registration number PVV 9941, which was at the time being driven by a 33-year-old Friendship, ECD resident.

Guyana Times International had pre-

viously reported that the car was proceeding west along the Railway Embankment when the unidentified man allegedly ran from north to south into the vehicle’s path.

He was struck and fell onto the road’s surface suffering severe neck and head injuries. Public-spirited individuals rushed him to Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was admitted to the hospital’s emergency unit.

After spending two weeks in hospital, he was identified by relatives a few days before his demise.

The driver of the vehicle was arrested and released on bail, but in light of the death of the pedestrian, he would be rearrested and charges were likely to be instituted.

penalty,” Susskind stated.

Suriname recently joined 142 nations who have abolished the death penalty.

As such, the Surinamese Members of Parliament are expect-

ed to share their experiences with the National Assembly.

According to Mathoera, who is also a member of the Human Rights Committee, after the abolition of the death penalty, Suriname would

have made several new changes in terms of security, which have proved to be successful.

“We have seen after three years of abolishing the death penalty, the impact on crime is not dramatic, it has no im-

pact on crime. Our home side rate is very stable, it is one of the lowest in the Region – Latin America and the Caribbean so that is what we have to show for the effects, so it is a misconception,” the MP said.

The death penalty was imposed on Guyana through British colonial rule. Since then, the United Kingdom has rejected capital punishment and today is vocal in advocating for global abolition.

In 2016, at least 60 death row prisoners were exonerated around the world.

Wrongful convictions remain a distressing reality wherever the death penalty is imposed.

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Unions concerned about state of UG’s finances

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he University of Guyana’s unions are accusing the institution’s administration of bringing it to the brink of another crisis since it refuses to engage them on a number of issues that are pertinent to the work their members have been doing.

The unions on Monday said they have been attempting to negotiate with the administration on a range of matters since February 2018, adding that the negotiations have gone nowhere. Additionally, the unions noted that they are deeply concerned about the state of the University’s finances, and about the administration’s violations of the University’s statutes and procedures.

The unions explained that after they would have taken the issue to the Department of Labour in August of

2018 after negotiations with the administration, but the administration did not agree to the conciliation meeting that was scheduled for October 25, 2018. UG’s administration then informed the Department that the negotiations were not stalled resulting in the unions having to supply the written evidence to the Department of Labour regarding the lack of progress in the negotiations.

The unions said they have observed that the administration was failing to provide the University Council with clear and straightforward information about the state of the University’s finances.

“This perhaps explains their reluctance to engage in negotiations with the unions about matters which incontinued on page 21

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Oil and gas framework must be fiscally robust – financial analyst …says ‘Green Paper’ does not offer enough protection to Guyanese

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Financial analyst Sasenarine Singh

uyana must be financially prepared for the incoming oil boom if the country and its people are to truly benefit from the revenues earned from this new sector.

This is according to financial analyst Sasenarine Singh who said that it must first be established that this oil wealth will only be felt by the masses around 2024.

“Those who are spreading this myth that the good life is coming in 2020 are out to mislead the people for political purposes,” Singh, a former Alliance For Change (AFC) member, said.

Another point, he made, is if the institu-

tions are not in place in time and are not constructed to be independent of partisan politics, most of this oil wealth will go to waste.

Singh told Guyana Times International on Sunday that there were several negatives that could happen.

“Extreme macro-economic volatility can cause the foreign exchange rate to change in such a manner that the production process will become extremely uncompetitive,” he added.

He said it could cause wild spending, which could allow too much good cash to be thrown into too many bad projects. Such actions, ac-

cording to Singh, will drive a rapid increase in the cost of living that will eat up any potential gains from the oil wealth, because most people can see their disposable income declining.

“It can expose the nation to wide swings in revenue between periods of high oil prices to those with low oil prices, which means less revenue. You do not develop a nation with such inconsistent revenue flows,” Singh further added.

The former AFC member said careful attention must be paid to the idea that Guyana could be faced with a US$40 per barrel oil price. “Have we thought about this?

Are we planning for this?

Will we be able to deliver the services to the people at such a low price for oil?

So, how can Guyana prepare for these un-eventualities?” he questioned.

First and foremost, Singh is of the opinion that Guyana must protect the budget process and the national budget to not make it too dependent on the oil revenue.

For a start, he said it must only have access to the interest income from the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) thus making the revenue swings more predictable.

Green Paper

But he also questioned how far Guyana has gone to put systems in place to create such a fund. The financial analyst claimed that while the Green Paper was released and the highlights look good on paper, when the fine print

is studied more closely, people would realise that there is much more work to be done, because “this Green Paper is shallow and does not cover enough of the bases to protect the people of Guyana”.

“For example, I am extremely concerned

from all sides, including civil society.

But Singh did not stop there. He told Guyana Times International that the Green Paper has not properly thought out on how to transform the SWF after all the oil has been exhausted.

He said the unborn chil-

As regards local content, Singh believes all the local Private Sector is doing is scrounging on the edges for the crumbs while all the core services continue to be provided by companies outside of Guyana. “Even neighbouring Trinidad that has “no skin” in

Guyana is expected to become an oil-producing nation by mid-2020

about the adequacy of the system around the withdrawal of funds from the SWF. Withdrawal of the capital from the SWF must never be a partisan political measure and thus a simple majority in Parliament is unacceptable to authorise the depletion of the capital of the SWF,” he opined.

While he agrees that Government must have flexibility to withdraw the interest of income earned, Singh said that should be automatic, but never the capital. Also, such withdrawal must have national consensus

dren of Guyana have an even bigger right to these funds than the current generation and he was yet to find the meat on what the Green Paper proposes to protect inter-generational equity for these unborn children.

“So the entire oil and gas framework must be strengthened to ensure that consensus is built around all processes.

When it comes to these oil and gas revenue, 51 per cent of the stakeholders cannot and should not equal 100 per cent,” he added.

the game, no risk exposure is benefiting from the Guyanese oil and gas industry more than Guyana.”

He continued, “So, when will we take our rightful place as the local owners of these resources and secure a more equitable access to the oil services business; after all, all of the environmental risk is ours, all the resource depletion risk are ours and there are so many other risks that we totally own, but yet cannot see the returns to match those risks.”

(Samuel Sukhnandan)

World Bank partners with Guyana for Unions concerned... new oil sector

from page 20

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high-level five-member team from the World Bank is currently visiting Guyana to explore the possibilities of partnering with Guyana on the oil and gas sector.

The team met with the acting President, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, to hold discussions on the sector.

Led by Regional Vice-President for Latin America and the Caribbean region, Jorge Familiar, the World Bank has assured support to Guyana in capacity building as the country prepares for first oil.

The visit is part of a simultaneous ongoing engagement with Guyana in several sectors.

Others on the team included Regional Director Tahseen Sayed; Country Manager for Guyana and Jamaica, Galina Sotirova;

Regional Programme Leader Abha Prasad; and Operations Officer Federico Baechili.

Familiar shared the recent dismal experiences of a few regional states that depended on oil wealth, and stressed that Guyana would need solid governance systems to avoid pitfalls and to protect and beneficially spend anticipated revenues.

In welcoming the team to Guyana, Nagamootoo referred to the Green Paper for a Natural Resources Fund, which was tabled in the National Assembly, and the crafting of a Green State Development Strategy to provide a generational vision for the future oil-producing Guyana. He noted that the Fund policy is underlined by stringent fiscal rules to guide the use of petroleum resources.

Tahseen Sayed remarked that towards this end, the World Bank has approved a US$35 million development policy credit to better prepare the country to benefit from its oil and gas reserves, and to support Guyana’s efforts to strengthen financial sector development and fiscal management.

The World Bank team is expected to meet other key Government officials and other stakeholders.

volve money, since they would have to reveal the University’s true financial situation. Moreover, the administration has been trying to prevent the Council from hearing about the ways in which it has been violating the University’s statutes and procedures, and in the process opening up the institution to claims of discrimination.”

The University’s annual Business Meeting was held on Thursday, November 8 and the unions’ concerns were not allowed to be part of the agenda. The unions’ previous attempt to have Council discuss them at an extraordinary meeting on October 3 was thwarted when the Vice Chancellor left to deal with an ‘emergency’

and asked that they not be discussed in his absence,” the unions said in a joint statement.

The unions said that they have been trying to place their matters before Council since July 2, 2018 and have been consistently denied.

“These actions by the administration, therefore, amount to a complete refusal to engage with the workers of the University on matters that are important to them. It is clear that the administration has no regard whatsoever for the persons who keep the University running. The University unions have been very patient about this situation, but the time for patience is at an end,” the unions stated.

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‘It’s an embarrassment to Guyana’

…Rohee says of ‘First responders’ stealing from crash landed Fly Jamaica Clement Rohee

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he recent theft of several items from the Fly Jamaica aircraft that crash-landed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri on Friday has been described as an act of international notoriety that puts Guyana in a bad light.

Former Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee has said he is disappointed at having to learn about the “wholesale theft” of personal properties belonging to the crew and passengers of the crash-landed Fly Jamaica aircraft allegedly committed by ranks of

the Guyana Fire Service.

“What is even (more) appalling is the fact that fire fighters, who are internationally recognised as first responders, are expected to uphold humanitarian goals and practices in life-threatening situations where persons’ lives are at risk or (are) endangered due to natural or man-made disasters,” Rohee said.

He made reference to situations currently obtaining in Northern and Southern California, United States of America, where he said firefighters are doing an exemplary job of helping to contain the wild-

fires. He said there has not been a single report alleging looting or theft committed by those firefighters, even though they are active in an affluent neighbourhood.

“Thus for Guyanese first responders under the guise of fire-fighters to act in such an irresponsible and disgraceful manner is to bring the noble service of fire-fighting into disrepute. To steal from crew members and passengers at a time when they had to ‘run for their lives’ from a crashed passenger airplane is a crying shame and a grave embarrassment to our country and people,” Rohee declared.

Rohee described it as a despicable act which has once again brought into sharp focus the much debated question of trust and respect for ranks of the disciplined services. “This time it is the Guyana Fire Service that has reignited the public confidence debate, not because of acts of heroism or magnanimity by its ranks, but because of acts by its own ranks that have damaged (its credibility) irreparably,” he stated.

The former Minister said that by defaming their badges, which serve as a symbol of public faith, and by sullying the public’s trust in the Fire Service, the ranks involved in petty theft while aboard the crashed aircraft aban-

Consultation Forum held recently at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre to address Emergency Medical Technician services (EMT) was expected to “see all members within the GFS being trained in first-responder skills,

Gentle the need for more intense screening of applicants, and rigorous, on-going training for recruits to the GFS. “Strict supervision of junior ranks by a senior, experienced officer at all times, especially in operational situations

doned the lofty ethics of the Guyana Fire Service.

“They should be decorated with badges of shame. Common decency and professional conduct were replaced by greed for other people’s property. The crashed aircraft became a target to commit crimes that offered a high reward with little effort and risk. These are called opportunity crimes,” he explained.

He recalled that the GFS Stakeholder

in order to save lives in emergency cases”.

“However,” he said, “the lectures delivered at that event seem to have fallen on deaf ears, in light of the crimes committed on the aircraft by ranks who would have attended the forum.”

Rohee said the incidents of theft perpetrated on the international aircraft by ranks of the Fire Service must have brought home to Chief Fire Officer Marlon

as the one involving the Fly Jamaica (aircraft), is of critical utmost importance. Finally, it is imperative that ‘the fire fighter’s prayer’ be drilled into the heads of every new recruit, so that he or she, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will, and under the most difficult circumstances, will at all times uphold the noble ideals enshrined in the said prayer,” he concluded.

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Former TT PM cautions Guyana against using wealth fund as “cash cow” …recommends legislative framework to protect reserve

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he Government of Guyana is giving great consideration towards the establishment of a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), which is an investment reserve that is expected to benefit the country’s economy and people.

However, former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, is strongly warning that this accumulation of money, once in place, should not be used as a “cash cow” for whenever there is a deficit in financial budgeting.

Funding for the SWF comes from Central Bank reserves that are set aside as a result of budget and trade surpluses, and from revenue generated from the export of natural resources. In Trinidad, a similar fund exists and is termed the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund (HSF), but according to Persad-Bissessar, the Government has been burrowing into the reserve to support any financial imbalance. This, she said, brings no development, and Guyana should put legislation in place to protect against unnecessary withdrawals.

“I do not recommend the SWF being used to supplement recurring expenditure, as has been happening recently in Trinidad and Tobago. Recurrent expenditure brings no return, it beings no development; and therefore, whatever legislation you make, I suggest you put within it a prohibition for drawdowns not to be utilised for recurrent expenditure,” she admonished.

“Your SWF is an insurance policy.

It is not — nor should it be seen as —

Former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla PersadBissessar addressing the gathering in Georgetown

a “cash cow,” that anytime you have a financing deficit that you will dip into it. It doesn’t work like that; it is only to be used in specific circumstances,” she explained.

When looking at ways in which excess resources can be channelled into the SWF, the former Prime Minister asserted that the emerging oil and gas industry is positively identified as a source. It can also cushion the sector when prices are low.

“SWFs are often linked to oil prices, or can be a legal clause in a petroleum licence or petroleum production contract. In fact, there are many economic tools which can be used to chan-

nel resources into such a fund. These funds act as buffers, given the volatile pricing and political issues involved in the hydrocarbon industry,” PersaudBissessar said.

She further stated, “Other supplemental tools — such as petroleum production taxes, supplemental petroleum taxes, a petroleum impost, and clauses for increased scales of taxation for supernormal finds — may be worthy of consideration as adjunct strategies to enable equity in profit sharing across the board, and sustainability during low price periods.”

The Green Paper for the establishment of the SWF was laid in early

August of this year. At that time, Finance Minister Winston Jordan told the National Assembly that this sets out preliminary proposals to stimulate discussion, and also points to possible courses of action open to the SWF legislation.

Given that the establishment of the SWF is relatively complex and there can be substantial administrative costs, the paper noted that if two completely separate funds are established, this infers that there are two investment policies, two governance structures, and two external audits. The Government is hyping the Natural Resources Fund, which is focused on the management of the oil resources.

For the management of the Fund, the Green Paper has recommended that Parliament be responsible for passing the Natural Resource Fund Act, reviewing the Annual Report, and approving the Annual Budget, which would include the annual withdrawal from the Natural Resource Fund.

Guyana’s reserves have been depleted significantly over the past three years, and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo announced recently that the SWF may be used as a bank to restock the country’s assets.

According to him, State reserves have been “run down” by the present coalition Administration, and he maintained that once the resources are paid into the revenue stream of the Government, they must go through the required parliamentary procedure.

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Guyana working to build strong legislative framework to guide oil sector

Dr Mark Bynoe

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s multinational oil companies gear up to capitalise on some of the largest oil finds ever, the Government is looking to have a strong legislative framework to guide the sector, which follows the billions of barrels expected to be pumped out by US oil giant ExxonMobil and Canada-based company, Eco Atlantic. This was posited by Head of the Ministry of the Presidency’s Energy Department, Dr Mark Bynoe at a press conference late last week.

“The Department is reviewing the current legal and regulatory framework for the petroleum sector inclusive of the 1986 Petroleum Act to shape proposal for revision and possible replacement of some existing legislation,” he noted.

The Petroleum Act, among its many stipulations, speaks to licensing, cancellation of blocks and to the conditions subject to which the licence is granted. Although the Government is looking to negotiate with new oil and gas investors from the latter part of next year, questions are, however, surfacing over Guyana’s lack of sound tax avoidance legislation. As such, Energy Department Oil & Gas Advisor Matthew Wilks gave all assurances that the matter would be looked into with the aim of reviewing legislation.

At the same time, members of the media were told the Department wanted more support for its collaborative work with sister agencies, including the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).

“Yes, because if you’re looking to increase and protect State revenues going forward in new licences; you have to look at surrounding legislation and that includes fiscal legislation and tax schemes, so that will be

an area of focus,” the Government Advisor outlined.

Apart from tax avoidance schemes, the Department indicated that it would have to consider a depletion policy to guide how the country deals with the reduction of oil over time. It has been recommended that a depletion policy be implemented after the commencement of oil production.

A depletion policy is found in many oil-exporting countries, since reserves in oil wells and oil fields reduce over time as in the case of regional neighbour Trinidad and Tobago’s current situation.

Dr Bynoe has already disclosed that a white paper on a Local Content Policy would be presented to the National Assembly for debate, saying that the final policy would be ready by 2020. Business Minister Dominic Gaskin has said a “too strongly national” local content policy could jeopardise the efficiency or the viability of the company being relied on to extract the resource.

The draft Local Content Framework document outlines the opportunities that may arise and the approaches to be taken in selecting and developing opportunities related to enhancing the capabilities of Guyanese nationals and businesses through training and well-tailored social contributions for greater impact and benefits among others.

The draft Local Content Policy has, however, been criticised for lacking provisions, which would safeguard against exploitation by companies.

It had been reported that the document does not cater for issues such as how to avoid procurement fraud, conflict of interest and favouritism, among others.

WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 18, 2018 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Korean consulate opens in Guyana

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n commemoration of 50 years of diplomatic relations with Guyana, a Korean Consulate was, last Friday evening, commissioned at Thirst Park, Georgetown.

Executive Member of the Private Sector Commission, Ramesh Dookhoo who was given the role of Consul, told the gathering that he was being processed since three years ago and was later signed on to the position by President David Granger and Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge.

Dookhoo nonetheless pledged allegiance to the post. “I pledge to Guyana and South Korea that I will serve in this position with honour, dignity and the integrity that depicts this office,” he said.

He added that he believes there are many markets in Korea which Guyana will be able to benefit from.

The newly appointed Consul noted, “There is much opportunity for collaboration with our two countries, especially in the areas of engineering, technology, industrialisation and niche markets for Guyanese products in the South

From left: Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge shares a light moment with the newly appointed Consul, Ramesh Dookhoo and the Korean Ambassador to Guyana

Korean market”.

Meanwhile, the Korean Ambassador to Guyana, who is based in neighbouring Venezuela, noted how pleased he is to see a consulate being set up in Georgetown.

The Ambassador said he looks forward to the new Consul boosting bilateral relations between the countries. He said, “I hope it (the consulate) can work hard towards enhancing the bilateral relationship,” espe-

cially since the country does not have an existent Embassy in Guyana.

On the other hand, acting Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge spoke of the benefits of the appointed Consul.

According to him, “We hope that with the establishment of Consuls such as Ramesh Dookhoo’s will help to ensure that we build an economic base on which the economic diplomacy on

which we’ve embarked will thrive”.

He added that he is expectant that the Consul will be able to deliver for the benefit of both countries.

The new consulate is housed in Queenstown, Georgetown.

The South Korean consulate is one of 36 foreign representations in Guyana, and one of 35 foreign representations in Georgetown.

Working in a male-dominated field …female miner shares her story

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he gold and diamond mining industry, over the years, has contributed significantly to the sustenance of many families. However, it takes lots of hard labour, long hours and courage to keep pursuing some of nature’s most precious minerals buried below.

Deian Gordon is one of the few female miners in the sector.

She is also an Executive Member of the Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO), and as such, she understands the struggle.

Prior to taking up a career in gold mining, Gordon was engaged in street vending. She has initially visited the interior only to understand how minerals were extracted from the earth. That visit would evolve into her becoming involved in the mining business.

As a woman in mining, she has found it to be very challenging and now she is a reservoir of good and bad experiences in the sector.

In a male-dominated field, Gordon has managed to rack up some 22 years in the sector, but it takes strength and courage to keep persevering.

“You have to be strong to work with the men – spirit, mind and body; you have to be able to stand up and demand that this is your job, you have workers, you have to respect, even though you is a female, they have to respect that they working with you,” she explained.

Growing up with 11 brothers had taught her a great lot. On this note, she said being among the boys created the advantage she has working in a man’s field.

Deian’s Gordon

As a woman in mining, she has learnt that one has to be calm, in the eventuality a situation arises.

“Like when they get a dispute in the backdam, like in your camp, you have a dispute with another worker, if you can’t go and make a peace or try and get it down, it will lead to that (chopping up)”.

She explained that there were times when large investments were made in the mining operation with very little return and then, there were times when the rewards were bountiful; however, a saying often quoted by miners, “Dutty battam dark” – mean-

ing you invest but remain unsure of what returns would be generated although you remain hopeful – reflected the reality of the mining life.

The GWMO, along with a brother, has assisted in coaching Gordon in the mining field.

Through the Organisation, she has been able to attend many training programmes, especially in the area of sustainable practices.

Working in the mining industry is totally different from most sectors, she explained, “…because for me, my work starts at 5, sometimes you does gotta get up from 2-3 (am) pumping water and so out of the pit. So, you close off at 6 (pm) and depends on how the sun goes, you could go up to 7 (pm)… so it ain’t get a factor really like a 7-4 work….”

The GWMO executive said she was taught about the rules that govern the mining industry through the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and Women Miners Organisation, and as such, abide by those rules.

She also engages in sustainable working practices. After mining is completed in an area, trees are often replanted by her workers.

All dredge owners, Gordon encouraged, should always have another business to assist in the steady flow of income owing to the unpredictability of the mining sector.

Additionally, being away from family is challenging. Gordon enjoys going to the movies and hanging out with friends, to “ease the brains” as she puts it.

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29 Police ranks graduate from UG

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wenty-nine ranks attached to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) graduated with masters, degrees and diplomas in various disciplines when the 52nd Convocation ceremony of the University of Guyana was held at the National Cultural Centre on Saturday last.

Recently retired Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud also graduated with a Commonwealth Master of Public Administration.

Police Commissioner Leslie James during his recent visits to the respective Police Divisions and who is also pursuing a Master’s Degree in Public Administration at the said institution urged ranks to pursue higher learning and commended those who already did so, either at the University of Guyana or other tertiary institutions.

Commissioner James underscored that “I (he) would like to see each member of the Force rigorously pursuing higher learning, after all, an educated workforce can turn around the image the Guyana Police Force currently has”.

Among those who graduated were three Superintendents, a Deputy Superintendent, three Assistant Superintendents, a Cadet Officer, an Inspector, three Sergeants, 12 Corporals, a Lance Corporal

Inspector Troy Benn is all smiles at the graduation

and four Constables.

Those who completed that Commonwealth Executive Masters of Public Administration are Superintendents Brian Eastman, Dion Moore and Khali Pareshram.

Those who were conferred with Bachelor of Social Science Public Management were Assistant Superintendent Rockwell Delph (Credit), Deputy Superintendent Lonsdale Withrite, Inspector Troy Benn, Sergeant Marlon Kellman, Sergeant Melissa Williams, Corporal Andy Bissessar, Corporal Travis Cush, Corporal

Oseana Alleyne, Lance Corporal Raulwin Jack and Constable Timhol Williams.

Sergeant Fredericka Roach graduated with credit in the Bachelor of Social Science Social Work Programme. In addition, Assistant Superintendent Omesh Arjune, Corporal Adony Munroe, Constable Anneca Armstrong, Assistant Superintendent Seecharran Singh, Cadet Officer Waylon Wallace, Corporal Orlan Alleyne, Corporal Earl Cornelius, Corporal Arletta Richmond and Constable Lisa Williams all obtained degrees in Public Management.

Bus driver jailed for causing death of pedestrian

A

resident of Farm, East Bank Demerara was on Tuesday found guilty for causing the death of 43-year-old Franklyn Dover by dangerous driving on August 8, 2018, and was sentenced to two years imprisonment.

The sentence was handed down by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan to 32-yearold Jamal Lowe who was previously granted bail on the charge.

It was alleged that on August 8, 2018, at Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara (EBD), he drove minibus BVV 2848 in a manner dangerous to the public thereby causing the death of Franklyn Dover.

According to the prosecution’s case, on the day in question, the defendant was heading in a southern direction when the deceased attempted to cross the road, and the bus reportedly collided with him causing him to fall and receiving inju-

a sentence of two-year sentence.

Jailed: Jamal Lowe

ries.

He was rushed to the East Bank Demerara Regional Hospital (Diamond Diagnostic Centre) where he succumbed to his injuries.

The defendant was later arrested and charged for the offence.

His defence attorney, in a plea of mitigation for his client, told the Chief Magistrate that his client is a father of two and is the sole breadwinner of his family.

However, after Lowe was found guilty of the charge, the Chief Magistrate handed down

Constable Kanesha Haywood obtained a Diploma in Accountancy while Corporal Tracey Joyce completed her Diploma in Banking and Financing.

Additionally, there were four ranks of the Special Branch/ Intelligence arm of the Force who graduated with Master of Public Administration, Bachelor of Social Science Management, Diploma in Public Management and an Associate of Social Science Social Work.

The Guyana Police Force congratulates all of the graduates on their accomplishments and wishes them every success in their future endeavours. Moreover, the Police Public Relations

Superintendent Dion Moore on Saturday

Department will be doing an exclusive feature

on each of the graduates very soon.

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Lifting the veil…

T

…on PNC’s voting focus

he PNC – still using the fig leaf name “APNU” – had its last rally in Georgetown to fire up its supporters for Monday’s LGE. They beat the bushes with all the ingenuity they could muster (cheap Banks was the clincher for the usual Stabroek Market lumpentariat!) and managed to attract some four hundred bodies.

It’s clear that David Granger had been scheduled to address the faithful, but with him stuck in Cuba dealing with his (unrevealed) illness, the party made an interesting choice for its main speaker – Winston Jordan. This in itself is revealing. Why weren’t some of the other party leaders – including newly-elected Volda Lawrence picked? Word is, the infighting within the PNC for leadership in 2020 is reaching boiling point with Granger’s absence and none of the three heavyweights would agree to each other getting exposure.

The compromise? Winston Jordan, who, up to now, has been a lacklustre Finance Minister for the past three years after being a faceless flunkey in the Finance Ministry’s Budget Office!! They were playing it safe – ‘cause they knew they couldn’t risk having the Mayoress Patricia Green-Chase in the audience, get onto the stage and speak. While they didn’t tell her to “SHUT UP!”, their tactic was just as effective!! Even the faithful wouldn’t have been able to stand her and with all those beer bottles in their hands, who knows what might’ve happened!!

But it might just be they’ve created a monster with presidential ambitions of his own!! Jordan said not a single word about the Municipal Elections nor even mentioned even a single one of the PNC candidates – especially the aforementioned Mayoress! His entire MAIDEN political speech was on the 2020 General Elections and how he would spend the oil revenues and how they must join him to keep out the PPP!!

The man was virulent on the race issue. He accused the PPP of “buying off” the Disciplined Forces by giving them a month’s bonus for years – while not doing the same for nurses, civil servants and others in the public sector! He clearly thinks the Disciplined Forces personnel are more easily bought out than the others! But not to worry, he declaimed: comes 2020 and the oil money, “watch with us one more day, one more hour. We are for you, we are for you. We have not forgotten that it’s you who put us here!”

The reason why the Government could give them the promised “substantial salary increases” was because they were saddled with a “misery of a sugar industry to deal with” and payments to rice farmers!!

The PNC presidential leaders better look out!

Air Jordan looks ready to fly!! …on AFC’s demise While the PNC was mining its stomping grounds in Georgetown, the AFC returned to Berbice – more specifically the fishing village of Whim where Moses Nagamootoo was born. As your Eyewitness had mentioned, Nagamootoo declared the race in that part of the country was “between the AFC and the PPP”!! Well, he had his “Mini rally” in Whim, while the PPP had its in the neighbouring village of Bloomfield.

And if these rallies are anything to go by, it just confirmed the “dead meat” status of the AFC – even with fellow Berbician Khemraj Ramjattan at his side! All you’ve got to do is take a gander at the coverage of the AFC “rally” and “march” in the Chronic – which Nagamootoo controls. The Chronic only mentioned “the crowd” without daring to reveal the number in the “crowd”!! The pics were closely cropped to hide the low turnout.

But they couldn’t hide that even these were all AFC with their free caps and T-shirts!!

In Bloomfield, however, the PPP was blooming like poppies in the field!! …on the President’s medical condition The news blackout on the President’s medical condition is unconscionable in a democracy, especially in the face of him being unable to return to Guyana as promised to vote in the LGE. This is causing too much speculation.

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T&T cop in murder/suicide left behind three letters (Trinidad Newsday)

H

ours before Special R e s e r v e Constable Michael Youksee shot dead his estranged commonlaw wife and then turned the gun on himself on Sunday, he wrote three letters. One addressed to his sister Patsy, and two others to his 17-year-old daughter and her two-year-old sister apologising for his action.

The letters were found in his bedroom after he killed PC Rackel Kipps and then shot himself in the head.

They were handed over to his sister by investigators.

In his letter to Patsy, Youksee left instructions on how his assets should be shared and she was told to ensure that his daughters received an equal share of everything he owned. He profusely apologised claiming he was frustrated over the separation between himself and Racquel.

Youksee also said he never wanted to end his life because of his undying love for his daughters, but he could not deal with the taunts he was receiving from colleagues.

BRUTAL END: SRP Michael Youksee and his estranged wife, WPC Rackel Kipps, in happier times.

Last Saturday night he held on to his teen daughter and cried hysterically telling her he was frustrated and could not continue to live a normal life. He did not tell her of his plan.

The child told relatives she tried to comfort him but he continued crying most of Saturday night.

In his letter to the teen, he thanked her for her support and understanding and asked her to take care of her sister and forgive him.

In his letter to the

two-year-old child, Youksee expressed his undying love to her and also asked her to forgive him for not being there when she needed him. At a wake on Tuesday night in Champs Fleur, she cried and asked relatives “where is my mummy and daddy? I want my mummy and daddy.”

Her elder sister is also trying to come to terms with the loss of her father and stepmother.

Youksee’s funeral is scheduled to take place today

(Thursday) at the San Juan RC Church, and he will be buried at the San Juan Hill cemetery.

Kipps’ funeral is expected to be held tomorrow at the St Joseph RC Church at 10 am, followed by burial at the St Joseph cemetery. She is expected to be given a military funeral.

Kipps ended her relationship with Youksee two months ago and moved out of his Mt D’or Road home. She had complained about threats to her life and domes-

tic violence.

The estranged couple were receiving counselling from the Family Court, but Kipps wanted to move on with her life.

Youksee reportedly continued to threaten her, and on Sunday he asked her at gunpoint to confess about her alleged relationship with a junior officer but she insisted that she was not involved with anyone.

Youksee did not believe her and he shot her once and then shot himself.

Yesterday, ACP

McDonald Jacob, whose office is based at the St Joseph police station where Kipps worked, said: “I have heard about the letters but I do not know what information they contain.” He said Kipps’ were troubled over her death.

“I want to promote conflict resolution in the police service, to improve the communication, and also within the community,” he said.

He recommended mediation counselling and an increase in the number of social workers assigned to the police service.

In relation to Kipps, he said as far as he is aware she was not involved in any relationship as she was being accused of. Jacob said, last Friday Kipps lent her car to a junior officer at the station who left to buy food, and when Youksee saw the constable driving Kipps’ car he became enraged. He said that junior officer also took Kipps to a pastor to seek counselling after she confessed that she was contemplating ending her life because of stress. Police said yesterday they are yet to trace the origin of the illegal gun which Youksee used.

34 FEATURE

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by Petamber Persaud

W

ith the publication of her singular book, Aftermath of Empire: The Novels of A. K. Heath, Ameena Gafoor has sort of brought Roy Heath back home to his birthplace to be rediscovered, to be reappraised and to be reappreciated, in a way rescuing him from selfimposed exile and also rescuing his work from obscurity (limited critical response) because Gafoor in this seminal publication was able to place Heath among the forefront of Guyanese Literature (his oeuvre of nine novels is only surpassed by Edgar Mittelholzer and Wilson Harris) by painstakingly revealing to us how ‘Heath has practically refined the introspective Guyanese antihero’ while finding occasion to ‘celebrate every one of his flawed fictional creatures: their humaneness, their eccentricities, their weaknesses, and their strengths, even if they are social misfits and psychological wrecks’.

Numbers (of books

published) matter in context but in this instance the quality of content of Heath’s work far outweighs quantity. And it would be shown how his work was influenced and had evolved as he sojourned through life mainly those formative years in urban Guyana.

Gafoor also gives Heath his rightful place in the canon of Caribbean Literature by showing how he has ‘revolutionized the form of the regional novel…[n]o non-Indian writer has displayed such remarkable cultural knowledge and such psychological depth in depicting East Indian experience in the West Indian novel’.

Heath’s The Shadow Bride would be essential reading here.

That is saying a lot but who is Roy Heath? Roy A. K. Heath was born in 1926 in Georgetown, the capital city of British Guiana. His fa-

1974. He was in his 70s when his last novel, ‘The Ministry of Hope’, was published.

Although Heath turned to novel writing late, he was able to produced nine well-written, well-received books in a period of two decades.

Here is a list of Heath’s novels: A Man Come Home, 1974 The Murderer, 1978 From the Heat of the Day, 1979 One Generation, 1981 Genetha, 1981 Kwaku, 1982 Orealla, 1984 The Shadow Bride, 1988 –winner of the Guyana Prize 1989 The Ministry of Hope, 1997

ther was a head teacher and his mother a teacher at St. Andrew’s

Primary School. Heath’s father was born in St. Kitts and his maternal linage comes from the Dutch possession of St. Marteen and from Barbados. His formative years were replete with house moving.

When he was two years of age, his father died, leaving four children: two sisters and an older brother. When Heath was four, the family resettled in Agricola, on the East Bank of Demerara, a few miles from the city. At eight, he was sent to live with an aunt in the heart of Georgetown.

The next house move found him in Charlestown where he lived for fifteen years.

Heath attended Central High School.

In 1950, he went to England where he was trained as a teacher and a lawyer.

He taught French and German in a variety of London secondary schools.

He was a member of the Princeton University class and later served as professor of psychology.

Heath’s first novel was published when he was almost fifty years of age.

That novel, ‘A Man Come Home’, was published in

Heath is better known for his magisterial novel The Shadow Bride followed by the Georgetown Trilogy consisting of ‘From the Heat of the Day’, ‘One Generation’ and ‘Genetha’; these three books were also published in an omnibus volume, The Armstrong Trilogy, 1994. A lot of attention is now on The Murderer with a hint of making it into a movie.

In 1978, his novel, ‘The Murderer’, won the Guardian Fiction Prize.

In 1989, his novel, ‘The Shadow Bride’, won the Guyana Prize for

Literature.

Heath has written a number of short stories, some of which were aired on the BBC. The story, ‘Miss Mabel’s Burial’ was aired on the Guyana Broadcasting Service in 1973 and included in Seymour’s ‘New Writing in the Caribbean’, 1972.

He has written one play, ‘Inez Combray’, which was staged at the Theatre Guild in Georgetown.

Poems like ‘The Peasants’ found its way into Kykover-Al as early as 1953 and ‘The Wind and the Sun’ was published in Savacou.

‘Shadows Round the Moon’ is an incomplete autobiography giving access to the first part of his life. He could not bring himself to write the other part which would include England - a place of perpetual exile for him.

What’s happening:

S a s e n a r i n e Persaud has just released his fourteenth book, Monsoon on the Fingers of God, and was honoured with HAF Award (https:// www.hafsite.org/) for the Advancement of Dharmic Arts and Humanities. Part of the citation reads: ‘to recognize your significant yet humble contributions towards enlightening and educating others through your many inspiring literary works of dharmic values and traditions’.

(Sunday Times Magazine)

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T

hroughout our school lives, we were told that Remembrance Day, or Poppy Day as it is commonly known, is observed on the second Sunday of November to pay homage to the lives lost during World Wars I and II. Today, November 11, is the second Sunday and it is also a very special day since it marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. In Guyana, the day is observed with a whole host of activities organised by the Guyana Veterans Legion as well as the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the various cenotaphs around the country. In Georgetown, officials and relatives of the slain warriors would lay wreaths at the Cenotaph honouring those who fought diligently.

Following a tradition inaugurated by King George V in 1919, the day is also marked by war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth countries. Remembrance Day is observed on November 11 in most countries to commemorate the end of hostilities of World War I on that date in 1918. Hostilities formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month", in accordance with the armistice signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente between 5:12 and 5:20 that morning. The First World War officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919.

The first Remembrance Day was observed when King George V hosted a banquet in honour of the President of the French Republic on the grounds of the Buckingham Palace. The Service of Remembrance in many Commonwealth countries generally includes the sounding of the "Last Post", followed by the period of silence, followed by the sounding of "Reveille" or sometimes just "The Rouse" (often confused for each other), and finishes with a recitation of the "Ode of Remembrance". The "Flowers of the Forest", "O Valiant Hearts", "I Vow to Thee, My Country" and "Jerusalem" are often played during the Service. The Service also includes wreaths being laid to honour the fallen, a blessing, and national anthems.

A two-minute silence is observed at 11 am to remember the people who have died in wars. The first two-minute silence in Britain was held on November 11, 1919, when King George V asked the public to observe a period of silence at 11 am. This was one year after the end of

FEATURE 35

World War I. He made the request so "the thoughts of everyone may be concentrated on reverent remembrance of the glorious dead".

Guyana, then British Guiana, became a part of the Second World War in 1939 after the United Kingdom’s declaration of war on Nazi Germany. Like all the other British colonies in the West Indies, British Guiana gave full support to the Allied war effort by providing personnel for the British Armed Forces, land for an American military base, and raw materials for war production.

Although the Guyanese economy initially suffered as a result of the war, large-scale infrastructural projects were undertaken, in order to optimise the pro-

litical system during the same period, duction of goods for the war effort, and by such as the legalisation of political parthe war's end in 1945, the economy had ties and the enfranchisement of wommore than recovered. There were also en. significant changes in the country's poToday, Guyanese still remember

those fallen heroes who helped to end the war. There are about 15 World War II veterans still alive.(Sunday Times Magazine)

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Scenes from Guyana's LGE 2018

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38 FEATURE

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A

Bonasika Creek, Essequibo River

t some point in our lives we all would have wondered what Guyana looked like from the sky. We would have wondered if the confusion we see on the ground is visible from over 3000ft above or if our prized architecture would stand out. Well, Photographer Deopaul Somwaru recently took a tour of certain parts of the Coastland from up above.

He decided to share some of those images with the Sunday Magazine.

Here are some of those images. (Photos by Deopaul Somwaru) (Sunday

Times Magazine)

Leguan Island

Rice fields on the West Coast of Demerara

A section of Parika, East Bank Essequibo during the night

The West Demerara Water Conservancy aback Canal Number One.

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Jamaica: Teacher charged with student’s accidental death for December hearing

Easton Stapleton Jr (Jamaica Gleaner)

T

he much-anticipated committal hearing for Kerry-Ann Cunningham, the teacher charged in connection with the death of a student at the Anchovy Primary School in St James, was put off until December 5, when she appeared in the St James Parish Court yesterday.

Cunningham was charged with causing death by dangerous driving after the car she was reversing on the school’s compound got out of control and struck down and killed five-yearold student Easton Stapleton in June this year.

It was expected that had the committal hearing occurred yesterday, the case against Cunningham would have

been transferred to the St James Circuit Court. However, the new committal date was decided on after Cunningham’s attorney, Jacqueline Minto, told the court that she was yet to receive the case’s document bundle from the prosecution.

“I have not yet been served with the bundle, and I am told that I will be served today (yesterday),” Minto explained to presiding parish judge Sandria Wong-Small.

“What is the date that is agreed in this matter?” asked Wong-Small.

“December 5,” Minto replied.

Wong-Small subsequently set December 5 as the new committal hearing date and extended Cunningham’s bail to that time.

Once the committal hearing is held and the case is transferred from the parish court to the circuit court, it is expected that Cunningham will stand trial in relation to the charge against her.

According to reports, at approximately 4 p.m. on June 12, Cunningham was on the compound of the Anchovy Primary School and was reversing her motor car when she lost control of the vehicle. In addition to killing Stapleton, the car also crashed into a wall, which collapsed and injured a vendor.

Cunningham, who was so badly traumatised after the incident that she had to be hospitalised, was subsequently arrested and charged.

However, she was offered station bail prior to making her first court appearance on Tuesday, July 10.

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By Lakhram Bhagirat

A

s a child, I remember the month of October bringing a different kind of competition.

It was not the typical competition to see who was more academically inclined or who would perform the best at the annual Inter-House Sports competition but who could buy the most poppies and arrange them in the most intricate designs on their uniforms.

It was a competition that both male and female students tried to dominate, but more often than not, it was dominated by the females since they had more space on their kimonos to create more intricate patterns. As a student, I would spend a whole lot of money to make sure that I was decked out in the most poppies since it meant bragging rights for the entire month.

The competition would see our trousers transformed into a sea of poppies before we went to classes in the morning and after school in the afternoons, since the teachers would “fret” if we covered our trousers with poppies.

The story behind the

poppy is one that we were taught from a young

age. I distinctly remember my nursery s c h o o l t e a c h e r, M i s s Leelawattie, telling us that the red poppy symbolises all the blood of the slain soldiers. She told us that during the wars the fallen soldiers were buried in a field of poppies and by sporting

FEATURE 41

a single poppy, we would honour all those fallen soldiers.

I remember with her bright red canister in one hand with a transparent bag of red poppies, she would walk around collecting our shiny $10 coins and pinning our purchase to our chests. At that age, I was proud to wear it and proudly displayed my poppy every time I saw someone without one.

As time progressed, my pride increased and to date, I would still buy a poppy since we were always told that the proceeds would go to helping those war veterans. As I did some research on the poppy, I found out that the red poppy became familiar because of a poem titled “In Flanders Fields" written by Canadian physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae.

After reading the poem, Moina Michael, a professor at the University of Georgia, wrote the poem "We

Shall Keep the Faith", and swore to wear a red poppy on the anniversary.

As the years went by, the custom spread throughout the world, particularly Europe and the countries that were a part of the British Empire and the Commonwealth within a short time. Poppies were worn for the first time at the 1921 anniversary ceremony. At first, real poppies were worn.

These poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I; their brilliant red colour became a symbol of the blood spilled in the war.

Today, the Guyana Veterans Legion still dispatches their bright red canisters with bags of poppies to the schools and the competition is still going strong. Only the price for the poppy has changed; this year, I paid $20 for mine at the La Grange Primary School. (Sunday Times

Magazine)

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44 FEATURE

T

he Guyana Veteran’s Legion has been recognized as the mother of all veterans organisations because of its exclusive membership to veterans of the two world wars but over the years that had changed when the Guyana Veterans Foundation was formed in 1995.

The Legion (then British Guiana Legion) was registered under the Friendly Societies Ordinance as a friendly society on April 26, 1926, according to its current General Secretary, Arno Solomon. He said that the aim of the Legion is to make sure that the memories of the men and women who lost their lives in battle are forever preserved. He added that they also host fundraising activities to make the lives of the veterans easier since their sacrifices for the

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Commonwealth is immeasurable.

“We have a membership of exGDF, GPM (Guyana People’s Militia), National Service and we have the 15 World War 2 veterans.

We get money by having our monthly contributions from the members as well as several fundraising activities over the year. Like we would have our annual barbeque and so on. We also get a grant from the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League that goes to the 15 veterans. They get that grant once per year and we also have another fund so if one of our members die we can be able to bury them or help with the funeral expenses,” Solomon explained.

He said that the Legion is a member of the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League which was founded in 1921. He told the Sunday Magazine that the aim of the League is to ensure that every preindependence Commonwealth military veteran is afforded they help they needed since their sacrifices are one that befits that treatment. During the two world wars, over 7.5 million Commonwealth Soldiers entered the battlefield. The casualties were far too many over 760,000 of them losing their lives.

According to Solomon the League Commonwealth charity with 56 member organisations in 48 Commonwealth countries. He said that the Legion has always been plagued by its small income and expenses in taking care of their veterans.

“Our membership fee, which I won’t disclose, does not amount to much. We have to have constant fundraisers to ensure that we get the money we need to function and meet our expenses. It can be tough but we does get through it,” Solomon said.

Going back to the construction of the present Headquarters at Carifesta Avenue, Solomon said that Irish-born Captain John Coghlan was very instrumental in getting the present location. He would have served as Legion President in 1942-43 and 1948-52 and was also a World War One veteran.

Coghlan was given a mandate by his colleagues to acquire suitable premises for meetings and to be used at the Legion’s main base of administrative operations since at that time the Legion occupied rented premises at South Road, Bourda. Coghlan, a Barrister at Law, was able to interest local business firms and others in contributing towards the headquarters project and with the Government’s assistance the Legion’s Headquarters was completed in 1948. The building was named Coghlan House following a motion at the half-yearly General Meeting in August of 2009. Coghlan was also instrumental in getting the Demerara Harbour Bridge since he was the first person to move a motion calling for the bridge after he retired from the Public Service. The most important activity on the Legion’s calendar is Remembrance Day. The day’s activities include a ceremony at the War Memorial in Georgetown.

They would also have a march past followed by a recognition ceremony at the Legion’s Hall. The Legion is also urging everyone to wear a poppy today to honour those who have given their lives for a free world.

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46 Feature

By Lakhram Bhagirat

“I

was young back then and I was very vibrant. I would have done anything for my country and that is what made me go to join the Army and then went to enlist to fight in World War II. But when we were at the airport, them call and said to go back to Base, that the war is off. I was willing to lay down my life for my country because that is what was expected of me,” Benjamin Durant tells me.

Although he never made it to the battlefield, Durant is considered one of Guyana’s World

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War II veterans because he was enlisted at the time, guided by his willingness to head into battle.

Durant will celebrate his 100th birthday on Thursday and tells me he considers himself lucky to be born a few days after the First World War ended on November 11, 1918.

He said this year’s celebration was going to be extra special, since it was also the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. Despite the century milestone looming ahead of him, Durant is quite active although he has cataracts, which have impaired his vision and hence affected his mobility. Apart

from that, he says, all his other faculties are intact, as our chat a few days ago demonstrated.

“After I left the Army and went back to carpentry, I was working on the Salvation Army Church and we were putting on a door, but we had to chip it a bit and one of the greenheart chips went into my eyes. It was the

same day that (former President Linden Forbes Sampson) Burnham died and I didn’t pay no attention to it, because we were crying for the President. But after a week the chip come out my eyes and then when I went to the doctor they said I have infant stage cataract, but they can’t operate and slowly I lost my sight,” he

tells me.

Going back to his earlier days, Durant said that he was just 22 when he decided to enlist and was immediately thrown into combat training. He received his training at a location in the Upper Berbice River area where he was exposed to various levels of battle training preparing him to join his colleagues in the Second World War. “I was just married when I went to join the Army and before that I was a joiner, but I wanted to be a carpenter,” he said.

So, I asked him why did he choose the Army when he had

already been making a career as a joiner to which he responded: “I was young and we had the energy to do that. We were not going to skylark and wait for something to happen. I wanted to be a part of it, because I had an uncle name Joseph Durant and he was a part of the First World War and when he came back in his uniform and all his medals, it was then as a little boy I know I wanted to go and be like him.”

He said as he was preparing himself to go to war, he could have only thought about the three children that he had because they would have been fatherless had he not returned.

Durant separated from his first wife and remarried, fathering another 11 children in that union. But he tells me that he has several other children with different women. When I asked him how many children he has, he could not have confined it to a specific number, but said about 16 to 20.

“They will all come next week for my birthday party. Most of them outside and they will come in for the party. You should come to the party too, so you can meet then,”

he said, extending an impromptu invitation to join his celebration. One year after the end of the Second World War, Durant would leave the military and follow his dream of becoming a carpenter.

He explained that he would have stayed on in the Army, but they were offering a place as a Customs Officer with the Police Force, a job which he knew nothing of. So, he went back to carpentry where he made a name for himself.

Now he resides with one of his daughters in Goedverwagting on the East Coast of Demerara.

“Now I take everything easy and one day at a time. I am living comfortably now and life is going on,” he says.

I then concluded our chat by asking Durant for a little advice for the young people, and this is what he had to say “To live long you have to enjoy every day and be active. Put your country above anything else and always fight for it. Respect it and always be proud of Guyana, because without Guyana, we are nothing.” (Sunday

Times Magazine)

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Misreading…

T

…and Mislabelling

he author Thomas Wolff’s most famous novel is “You can’t go home again”. In it he scathingly details the lives of his hometown folks. He originally had another name for it, but after a friend read the manuscript and told him he’ll never be able to return home, he changed the title.

In his weekly Chronicle column – the sum of his endeavours for G$20 million annually with perks!

– Moses Nagamootoo complains that one of his erstwhile comrades in the PPP, and a Berbician to boot, told him he can’t go back to his home village of Whim.

With typical tone-deafness – incredible in a man with literary pretentions! – Nagamootoo retorted that he’ll be attending a “mini-rally” in Whim. But that’s not the point, is it? Even he’s conceding his unpopularity by prefacing his homecoming “rally” as “MINI”!! His actions since 2015 have made his name worse that “mud” in Whim, as well as the whole of Berbice!

To “go back home” is to return to folks who embrace you as one of their own. After throwing four thousand Berbician sugar workers into the streets, can the folks of Whim ever embrace him as “one of their own”? “Neemakaram” – or “ungrateful” — is more like it!! Isn’t it pathetic that his sister, Mousie and Poowah are half of the Whim AFC’s list?

Once again, your Eyewitness is going to make his prediction on the LGE: THE AFC IS GOING TO BE WIPED OUT. And they’ll be going out not with a bang, but a whimper! If they have 100 persons at their “mini” rally – three-quarters of them AFC paid hirelings – that’ll be plenty. The march from “Tara Shop to Anguya’s Turn” will be more like a funeral procession to bury the “dead meat” that is now the AFC! Nagamootoo painstakingly lists a number of Indian politicians who tried to poach votes from the PPP and failed – starting with Balram Singh Rai. It has to be a Freudian slip acknowledging his imminent membership in that list, after the LGE today!!

Nagamootoo hypocritically cants that people at the LGE should be voting for improvement in their local conditions, and “not for party or ethnic group”. So why did the AFC run as a party, and not as independent candidates? And why’d he say the “contest is between the PPP and AFC”?

He also refers once again to his father in reference to the 1937 song “thoroughbreds don’t cry – they run and die”, from the kids’ movie by Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. Nagamootoo implies every time that he’s a thoroughbred!! But that’s a reeeal stretch, since these noble steeds are noted for agility, speed, and spirit.

Qualities conspicuously absent in Nagamootoo!! …Democracy One of the qualities that both the AFC and PNC exemplify – and made Granger assert they were “as one” in the coalition – is their propensity to “talk the talk”, but never “walk the walk” on good governance! In his only act of participation in the LGE for the AFC, leader Raphael Trotman quoted a foreign newspaper to encourage Guyanese to go out and vote today: “The best way to protect democracy is to practise it.”

One would wish he and his comrades would blow up that statement and place it prominently on their air-conditioned office walls!! Were they practising democracy when they gerrymandered the constituencies? Were they practising democracy when they encouraged David Granger to unilaterally select the Chairman of GECOM by jettisoning the consensual law and tradition that had been introduced in 1992?

But they’ve been caught in their own BS. Nagamootoo never got the PM’s powers he was promised in the Cummingsburg Accord; Ramjattan has been circumvented in Security; and Trotman became the fall guy in oil!!

Oh, what a tangled web we weave…!! …The meaning of integrity For two decades, the PNC MPs didn’t file their assets with the Integrity Commission, as demanded by the law. Said they didn’t recognise the Commission established by the PPP. What’s the excuse of FIFTEEN of their Ministers now?

T&T man murdered after Facebook threats (Trinidad Guardian)

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lthough Kevon Richardson was not a major player on police’s radar, his connection to the criminal underworld and “running his mouth” may have cost him his life.

Investigators said Richardson, 37, even provided bodyguard services for several businessmen with criminal ties.

Therefore, when he posted several videos on Facebook alleging that some of them were moving drugs through wellknown areas, it was suspected that he would be silenced.

According to reports, Richardson, of Ayres Avenue, Princes Town, was discovered dead in a track, just 100 metres from his home around 6.30 am on day. He was shot in the head.

Princes Town police reported that around 10.30 pm Monday, they received a call from residents who reported hearing gunshots in the community.

However, when police checked, they found no suspects and the community was quiet. Richardson’s relatives declined to comment on his murder yesterday, but friends remembered him as a “cool person.”

In one of several live videos posted on Facebook, Richardson accused a Princes Town businessman of “moving drugs in the I8.” He then

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Kevon Richardson

says, “Allyuh turn from allyuh wicked ways.”

Police said that same businessman operates a cash for gold business and drive “fancy cars.”

In the same video, he also identified an auto parts dealer, threatening to expose his business of selling stolen parts and stealing it back from his customers. Richardson also identified by name the owner of a San Fernando nightclub, threatening to “tell people” that he was afflicted with several sexually transmitted diseases.

“If you do not comply, we is going to lie and tarnish your character.”

The video also called the names of several other businessmen in

atiricus was still shaken up. He’d been awakened early in the morning by his editor and ordered to rush over to CJIA to get a fix on the Air Jamaica Flight that was forced to make a crash landing. He feared the worse. Wasn’t it just last week that Indonesian jet had crashed killing all 189 passengers and crew aboard? He hurried over to the BackStreet Bar now that a very stressful day was over.

“Tek wan ‘nadda beer, pa’dna,” said Cappo solicitously to Satiricus, after he’d explained his anxious state.

“T’ank Gad nobady na dead,” said Bungi, as he nodded his head contemplatively.

“That’s right,” said Hari. “But Sato, what’s this I hear about our Firemen stealing passengers’ phones and money and all kinds of stuff?”

“What can I tell you?” said Satiricus morosely. “It’s true! It’s so shameful!”

“Shame face does feel like cent ice,” said Bungi. “But nowadays nobady na gat shame.”

“Yuh mean fuh tell me when dem people run fuh dem life,” said Cappo in disbelief, “de Fi’ah-man who suppose fuh save dem, t’ief dem stuff?”

an apparent attempt to extort funds for a children’s event.

In another video, he also threatened to expose soldiers who were sent to his house by a female relative recently. In that video, he also threatened to expose a businessman who was selling alcohol without a liquor license.

“Any soldier from the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force what want war and battle, put down allyuh gun, put down allyuh badge and allyuh come and let me beat allyuh (expletive) bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.”

By yesterday afternoon, there was a social media post circulating that alleged that the man in the photo was

“the coward who killed Kevon Richardson from behind this morning so that he could ply his drug trade in Lothians, Princes Town.”

Two months ago, Richardson was at his parents’ home in Princes Town when a female relative called the police.

She reported that he had been behaving in an erratic and violent way. When officers arrived and attempted to subdue Richardson, he began tussling with the officers. An officer shot Richardson in the leg.

In January, his brother Brent Richardson was shot dead while liming at a bar in Princes Town, Two brothers are before the court, charged with his murder.

Easy pickings “Why are you surprised?” asked Hari. “Don’t the fellas who’re supposed to ‘serve and protect’ us always ripping us off!!”

“Now I know you fellas will now get on Rum Jhaat’s case,” said Satiricus. “Because he’s in charge of Firemen and Policemen. But that’s not fair!!”

“Fair? Fair? Na only dem!” said Cappo. “Yuh na hear ‘bout dat big Army affisa who charge fuh ha’f a millian gas ev’ry month?”

“Whe’h ‘e a drive to wuk fram ev’ry day?” asked Bungi. “Columbia?”

“Well, the fish always start to stink from the head,” said Hari, looking at Satiricus. “And the head is Rum Jhaat, you know.”

“C’mon fellas,” pleaded Satiricus. “You really don’t think these people listen to Rum Jhaat, do you?”

“Suh yuh accept Rum Jhaat a just wan Chrismuss blow-blow?” asked Cappo.

“Like my father used to say,” said Satiricus.

“When yuh haan in tigah mout’ yuh gat fuh pat ‘e head!”

“But who tell am fuh put ‘e haan deh?” asked Bungi.

48 Bollywood

WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 18, 2018 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Mothers must stop treating their sons like they’re precious gifts from God: Sonam Kapoor

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anveer Singh and Deepika Padukone on Wednesday tied the knot in Italy. The ceremony took place at a resort overlooking Lake Como in Italy. The duo just like Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli kept the ceremony an intimate affair with only close friends and family in attendance.

The wedding took place in traditional South Indian style. Before the wedding, the couple exchanged rings following Konkani customs. On Tuesday, they hosted their sangeet and mehendi ceremony. According to IANS, on Thursday, they will marry according to traditional Anand Karaj ceremony.

Karan Johar blessed the couple in a lovely tweet. He tweeted, “Such a stunning gorgeous and beautiful couple!!!!

Nazar utar lo! @deepikapadukone and @RanveerOfficial !! Badhai ho !!! Love you both!!! Here’s to a lifetime of love and joy!”

Deepika Padukone and Ranveer

Singh are expected to return to the country on November 18 and will make their first public appearance as a married couple at their Bengaluru reception which is scheduled for November 21. Later, the two stars of Bollywood will host a reception on November 28 in Mumbai for friends and colleagues from the industry.

Deepika, recently, on Karan Johar’s chat show Koffee With Karan confirmed dating Ranveer for over six years. The two have acted together in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram Leela, Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat. If reports are to be believed, the two started dating on the sets of their first film together, Ram-Leela.

On the work front, Ranveer has a release scheduled for December this year. The actor will be seen in Rohit Shetty’s Simmba which also stars Sara Ali Khan. (Indian Express)

Uri actor Yami Gautam: Stories on women heroes from the armed forces must be done

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ami Gautam, who will next be seen in the upcoming film Uri, says there is a need for more stories of stronger women on the silver screen.

Yami is excited to be a part of a real life story based on the armed forces. So much so, that it instantly inspired her to hope to bring forth stories of women who have been trailblazers and pioneers in the armed forces in India.

“With the way content is evolving and such compelling stories coming out, there’s a great need for more stories of stronger women. Some amazingly strong powerful women characters have been seen in recent films,” Yami said in a statement.

The 29-year-old actor is inspired by two women Punita Arora, the first woman in India to attain the rank of Lt. General in the Indian Army and Priya Jhingan who wrote a letter to the

onam Kapoor Ahuja, who believes that the #MeToo movement has been “as eyeopening and devastating as it has been exhilarating”, will galvanise people into action and into a redemption of rights long awaited for the disempowered. This, she believes, may seem complex, but can be achieved in a simple way.

As guest editor for Thrive Global India’s online portal, Sonam has penned a forthright note on how people must learn to deal with the #MeToo wave in which people in powerful positions are being called out for sexually harassing, exploiting or violating others.

“I am privileged that I did not grow up with relatives for whom off-handed sexist remarks were the dinner table norm. Or where women were asked to shut up and look down. That safety net, this spotlight and a stage for my opinion has always encouraged me to have a voice,” said Sonam, the eldest of veteran actor Anil Kapoor’s three children.

Using that very voice, the Neerja actor took this chance to pen down suggestions that can help everyone — be it men or women — to be a part of this sweeping change.

Sonam has urged people to believe the survivors.

“Yes, a person is innocent until proven guilty but must it come at the cost of rejecting a survivor’s account?” she asked, and added: “While people must be treated as innocent until proven guilty, we need to remember that women are taking on incredible personal risk and trauma to tell their stories. We owe them, at the least, our

I then Army Chief in 1992 to be accepted as a woman in the armed forces and a year later she was, becoming the first Indian woman to have joined the Army.

Yami said that when she was shooting for Uri, she was very intrigued largely with the stories of personnel from the armed forces.

She said: “It truly does make me wonder if stories of women from such background is something that could make for compelling stories. We have incredible women heroes from the army, navy who have done incredible acts in their careers.

“I think these stories must be done and Uri has really been a reason to bring forth such a thought to me.”

Uri also stars Vicky Kaushal, who will be seen playing the role of an Indian commando who is involved in the 2016 surgical strikes.

Based on the surgical strikes of 2016 carried out by the Indian Armed Forces, Uri traces the significant event.

It also features Kirti Kulhari and Paresh Rawal in lead roles.

Produced by RSVP movies, Uri will hit the theatres on January 11, 2019. (Indian Express)

t is Sonali Bendre and Goldie Behl’s wedding anniversary this week.

On the occasion, the actor, who is presently seeking treatment for cancer in New York, shared a note for her “Husband. Companion. Best friend”, celebrating 16 years of marriage.

“As soon I began to write this…

I knew instantly that I wouldn’t be able to put down in words all the emotions and thoughts that were running through my head.

Husband. Companion. Best friend.

My rock. For me, that’s @goldiebehl.

Marriage is standing by each other, through thick and thin, in sickness and in health… and god knows, how we’ve been through that this year.

What not many people realize is that cancer is not just an individual battle… it’s something that a family collectively goes through.

I was also able to go on this journey, knowing that you’d juggle all your responsibilities, and take on some more and hold fort back home… all this while

trust and support.”

She reached out to the people to go in for a near total mental reboot as she feels people need a “shift in mindset which acknowledges that sons and daughters should not be treated differently”.

“Mothers must stop treating their sons like they’re precious gifts from God. We have powerful people in our country who are women but our mentality continues to be that menstruating women – or women at large – shouldn’t enter temples.

Sonam’s third point stresses on ‘Ditch the entitlement. Understand consent’. She reiterates what the film “Pink” promoted: “If it’s a no, then it’s an unequivocal no.”

The National Award-winning actor has also said people need to call out all the men and women in their lives who they know have erred.

“We shouldn’t be quiet because we fear hurting someone,” she said in a point about taking sides.

She feels a solution to tackle sexual harassment cases is to “empower and hire more women”.

“If you don’t have women running a company but you employ mostly women, how is it going to work? Women shouldn’t be hired for tokenism but be empowered to take up key roles where they make decisions,” Sonam said.

Lastly, Sonam believes that the #MeToo movement is about “survivors and perpetrators, about making the society less misogynist, entitled and changing how we think”.

“It’s time to transform the naysayers into supporters, to join the movement in full force and oppose every act – even a suggestion – of abuse and discrimination.” (Indian Express)

shuttling between two continents.

Thank you for being my source of strength, love and joy, for being with me every single step of the way… thank you is such an understatement for how I feel. What do I say about someone who is a part of you, who is yours and nothing and nobody else matters?

Happy anniversary Goldie!

Sonali Bendre had earlier shared that her eyesight was becoming weak due to chemotherapy. However, she later assured fans that all is well.

Priyanka Chopra, Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Sussanne Khan, Hrithik Roshan and others have visited Sonali in New York. She was also recently seen attending Priyanka’s bridal shower.

(Indian Express)

Hollywood 49

WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 18, 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com

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tan Lee, who passed away on Monday at the age of 95, was a comic-book legend who was responsible for creating some

of the most iconic superheroes like Spider-man, Iron Man, Hulk that we read in comics and watch in TV shows and movies. Even in his 90s, the man was active and could be seen at events like Comic-Con and interacting with his fans.

For non-readers, he was just a jolly old grandpa who makes tiny cameos in Marvel movies, but for comic-book readers, he was nothing short of a godfather.

DC’s superheroes have always been godlike, especially the big three – Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Even Batman,

who is just a human as opposed to others, is less accessible than most fictional characters. He is a brooding man with almost a single-minded obsession with crime-fighting.

Stan Lee wanted to do something different.

He wanted to create superheroes who were vulnerable, who bled, who hurt, who were petulant, and had everyday problems, not just supervillains. Most of all, he

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ifferent occasions call for different movies. And it is only right that on Children’s Day, we binge-watch a series of wonderfully written and directed films that appeal to kids, and adults’ nostalgia simultaneously. Here are a few international movies that you can check out to celebrate the day.

The Lion King

Take this epic journey with young Simba the lion, who is wronged by his uncle and is banished from his kingdom. The movie features voices of actors such as Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Rowan Atkinson, Moira Kelly and Nathan Lane, with a score by the incomparable Hans Zimmer.

wanted to give readers something to relate to.

Let’s face it. Superman might be awesome, but it is hard to relate to an allpowerful alien.

Take Spider-man for example. His alter-ego is a teenager (or at least a young adult) who has problems every young person has. Girlfriend problems, assignments, studies, and whatnot.

Stan Lee famously said about Superman, “He was never very interesting to me because I was never worried about him.

And if you’re not worried about the jam your hero is in, there’s no excitement.”

While DC had fictional cities like Gotham and Metropolis for their superheroes, Stan Lee’s Spider-man was based in good-old Big Apple.

Without Stan Lee, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Avengers and indeed the highly profitable Marvel Cinematic Universe would not exist. Rest in peace, Stan Lee. (Indian Express)

plot revolves around a pig called Babe who is raised as a part of livestock and wants to be a sheepdog instead. The movie was seven years in development and finally opened to worldwide critical acclaim and box office success.

Mulan

Released in 1998, Disney’s Mulan will continue to resonate with people from all generations across bor-

Finding Nemo

Award-winning movie Finding Nemo is about how a baby fish gets lost and explores a whole new world. It’s a coming-of-age tale featuring voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould and Willem Dafoe.

Paddington

What happens when an anthropomorphic bear moves from the jungles of Peru to the streets of London? Chaos, adventure, action and drama. The movie released in 2014 to wide acclaim and positive critical reception.

Babe

If you have not seen Babe, you have not seen the quintessential American children’s classic. The film’s primary

ders because of its strong story – A girl who never backs down, especially in the face of a crisis. Breaking set gender barriers, Mulan tells the story of Fa Mulan who fought for what she believed in.

Spirited Away

When talking about strong female leads, it is only fair that we include Spirited Away’s Chihiro Ogino in the list. In this acclaimed Japanese animation, a ten-year-old, who becomes trapped in the spirit world, carries out an elaborate plan to rescue her parents who have been transformed into pigs.

(Indian Express)

Aquaman to release in India before US

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arner Bros’ DC film Aquaman will hit Indian screens on December 14, which is a week earlier than its US release date, December 21. The first DC film since last year’s Justice League, Aquaman centres on a human-Atlantean hybrid Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) who is called upon by Amber Heard’s Mera to take the Atlantean throne as its rightful king.

Along the way, he has to fight his half-brother, Patrick Wilson’s King Orm or Oceanmaster, his sinister lieutenant Black Manta (Yahya AbdulMateen II) and others. He also has to stop Orm from raging a war against the ‘surface world’, which is our world, for irreversibly polluting the oceans.

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avid Yates’ Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald comes out in only a couple of days.

It is the 10th film in the Wizarding World based on JK Rowling’s creations. Just like Harry Potter had a dark wizard as villain, Fantastic Beasts, which will comprise of five films, has Gellert Grindelwald, the dark wizard who spread terror upon the world before Voldemort.

So who is Gellert Grindelwald? We explain.

Gellert Grindelwald studied wizardry at Durmstrang Institute (one of the schools that take part in the Triwizard Tournament, others being Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Beauxbatons Academy of Magic) in northern Europe. The school was notorious for allowing Dark Arts in its curriculum. But Grindelwald, though an extraordinarily talented and brilliant student, was too extreme for even Durmstrang, and was expelled after some disturbing experiments.

In 1899, Grindelwald met Dumbledore in Dumbledore’s home Godrick’s Hollow. Both were young, idealistic

Directed by James Wan (The Conjuring), Aquaman also stars Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren and Nicole Kidman among others.

Here is the official synopsis of Aquaman, “From Warner Bros.

Pictures and director James Wan comes an action-packed adventure that spans the vast, visually breathtaking underwater world of the seven seas, “Aquaman,” starring Jason Momoa in the title role. The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime—one that will not only force him to face who he really is, but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be…a king.” (Indian Express)

and brilliant and became fast friends… and more.

Dumbledore’s family history, meanwhile, was tragic. His sister Ariana, as a little girl, was tor-

Stone and Elder Wand.

Both Dumbledore and Grindelwald wanted them but for different purposes. Dumbledore wanted to get his parents

mented by three Muggle boys after they saw her practising magic. The incident traumatised her and possibly turned her into an obscurial.

Dumbledore’s father Percival Dumbledore attacked the boys and was arrested and incarcerated in Azkaban, where he lived out the rest of his life. In an explosion caused by Ariana’s outof-control magical powers, Dumbledore siblings’ mother Kendra died.

Now, let us come back to Grindelwald. He and Dumbledore got obsessed with the Deathly Hallows, three primal objects of power — Cloak of Invisibility, Resurrection

back, and Grindelwald had darker purposes — to raise an army of Inferius, zombie-like creatures raised from the dead by necromancy.

The two fell out when a three-way confrontation between Albus, Gellert and Aberforth left Ariana dead.

Grindelwald fled and began his ‘career’ as a dark wizard that would culminate in a titanic magical duel in 1945. But there are still three more movies to go after The Crimes of Grindelwald before this story ends, so we will not spoil it.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald releases on November 16. (Indian Express)

50 SPORT

WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 18, 2018 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Taylor leads Windies past SA in another low-scoring thriller

– Knight shines with the bat again

By Brandon Corlette

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est Indies bowlers responded once more after they bowled out South Africa for an embarrassing 76 in 18.4 overs.

Player of the match Stafanie Taylor had mesmerising figures of 4-12 in 3.4 overs to lead her team to a 31-run win against South Africa.

The matches played at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia, have been lowscoring thrillers.

In the big clash between West Indies and South Africa, the trend continued when West Indies batted first and posted 107-7 in 20 overs.

South Africa, fresh from a victory in their first match at the same venue, opted to bowl first, inserting the W e s t Indies team in to bat first.

T h e formidable opening pair of Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin took first strike hoping to lay a solid foundation for the middleorder batters.

Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail continued where they left off in the first match with their deadly bowling spells. Vice Captain Matthews (8) was the first to be dismissed after striking a dangerous shot over the third-man ropes for six.

Ismail did not stop her wicket-taking abilities flowing throughout her adrenaline as Natasha McLean

she picked up the prized scalp of Taylor, the West Indies Captain, for a golden duck. The 30-year old South African pace queen removed Dottin as the Windies supporters were left in shock.

With the score on 22-3, the Caribbean side were left in all sorts of bother as their top three batters failed to lay a solid foundation. Guyanese middle-order batter Shemaine Campbell continued to waste her opportunities as she tried to cut a straight ball that went past her inside edge and disturbed her stumps for only seven runs.

The West Indies team were in need of a rescue from a dark night at 29-4 in the eighth over.

Ironically, it was exciting prospect Kaciya Knight a n d Natasha McLean, who put together a 45run partnership to help the defending champions recover.

South Africa’s bowlers bowled with control and removed McLean for 28 off 24 balls, which included three fours.

Knight, who was desperately trying to up the scoring rate, perished in the 19th over for the topscore of 32 from 36 deliveries, inclusive of two fours and two maximums. Chinelle Henry struggled to time the ball to perfection and ended with a 15ball 8 and Afy Fletcher (3) saw the West Indies team crawling to a defendable 107-7 in 20 overs.

South Africa’s opening bowlers bowled one maiden each; Kapp created the opportunity with a number of dot balls and Ismail bowling from the other end was the better bowler with 3-12 in four overs and one maiden. The Proteas captain, Dane van Niekerk bowled three overs and picked up two wickets to restrict the explosive West Indies batting line-up.

The swashbuckling South African opener Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt began in cautious fashion with only 17 on the board in the fifth over. Wolvaardt

was removed by Shakera Sekman in the fifth over for 8.

Opening bowler Kapp, batting at number three for South Africa, joined Lee and the pair batted together until Lee was removed by Dottin for 24 in the 11th over. The South Africans found difficulties chasing 108 as Dottin effected a run-out fielding at cover point with a direct hit. Taylor Shabnim Ismail introduced herself and ripped the heart out of finished with four wickets and opening the South African middle order. The West Indies Captain bowlers Selman and Connell had one removed Sune Luus and Mignon du wicket each as South Africa lost their last nine wickets for 28 runs.

Preez.

Then, South African required 3 49 off the final six overs as Kapp was standing between the West Indies SA Women Innings (target: West Indies Women Innings and victory at that 108 runs from 20 overs) (20 overs maximum) stage.

L Lee † c Cooper b Dottin 24 HK Matthews c van Niekerk b The Caribbean Ismail 8 L Wolvaardt c Henry b Selman 8 bowlers kept comDJS Dottin c Luus b Ismail 12 M Kapp c Henry b Connell 26 ing at their oppoSR Taylor (c) c †Lee b Ismail 0 D van Niekerk (c) run out nents as the match 1 SA Campbelle b Daniels 7 (Dottin) came down to the S Luus c Connell b Taylor 2 Kycia A Knight † c Tryon b van wire. Taylor, bowlNiekerk 32 M du Preez c McLean b Taylor 7 ing the 17th over, 6 NY McLean c Sekhukhune b Luus 28 CL Tryon b Taylor hit the timber disB Cooper c Luus b van Niekerk 0 S Ismail c Matthews b Taylor 1 missing Chloe CA Henry not out 8 M Klass runout Fletcher Tyron for six, leavASS Fletcher not out 3 TS Sekhukhune runout ing South Africa Extras: (b 1, lb 3, w 5) 9 (Selman/Taylor) reeling at 75-6.

M Daniels not out 0 Total: (7 wickets, 20 Overs, RR: Connell re1 5.35) 107 Extras (w 1) turned for her fiTOTAL (all out, 18.4 Overs, RR: 4.

Did not bat: SC Selman, nal spell and struck 07) 76 SS Connell with her first ball Fall of wickets: 1-17 (L FOW: 1-9 (HK Matthews, 1.4 on her return, reWolvaardt, 4.1 ov), 2-48 (L ov), 2-9 (SR Taylor, 1.5 ov), moving Kapp for 26.

Lee, 10.6 ov), 3-50 (D van 3-22 (DJS Dottin, 3.6 ov), 4-29 Niekerk, 11.4 ov), 4-53 (S Luus, (SA Campbelle, 7.1 ov), 5-74 The South Africans’ 12.4 ov), 5-64 (M du Preez, (NY McLean, 14.6 ov), 6-74 only hope of win14.4 ov), 6-75 (CL Tryon, 16.5 (B Cooper, 15.3 ov), 7-97 ning was lost when ov), 7-75 (M Kapp, 17.1 ov), (Kycia A Knight, 18.1 ov) Henry completed a 8-76 (S Ismail, 18.1 ov), 9-76 BOWLING: M Kapp (4-1-20brilliant catch to re(M Klaas, 18.3 ov), 10-76 0), S Ismail (4-1-12-3), M (TS Sekhukhune, 18.4 ov) move Kapp. The deDaniels (4-0-23-1), M Klaas fending champions BOWLING: SC Selman (4-0(2-0-12-0), TS Sekhukhune 19-1), SS Connell (4-0-9-1), CA (1-0-15-0), D van Niekerk (3West Indies were Henry (3-0-9-0), DJS Dottin 0-8-2), S Luus (2-0-13-1) sharp in the field (2-0-15-1), SR Taylor (2-0-9completing three 4), ASS Fletcher (2-0-12-0) run-outs as Taylor

SCOREBOARD

Stand-alone Women’s World T20 tournament…

Bangladesh suffer 3rd consecutive defeat

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angladesh’s batting woes continued in the Women’s World T20 tournament as they were blown away for 72 in pursuit of Sri Lanka’s 97-8 in 20 overs.

S h a s h i k a l a Siriwardenetop scored in an ordinary Sri Lankan batting display with 31 and claimed 2-10 to help her team win their first match of the tournament.

Under clear skies at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St Lucia, the Bangladesh women opted to bowl first desperately look-

ing to overcome , fellow Asian counter-parts, Sri Lanka. The ever-consistent Bangladesh star fast bowler Jahanara Alam drew first blood with the very first ball of the innings when she removed Sri Lankan opening batter Mendis for a golden duck. Bangladesh bowlers continue to maintain a consistent line and length conceding 23 runs in the power play.

After the mandatory six overs, Bangladesh bowlers made inroads into the Sri Lankan batting order, picking up wickets in the eighth, ninth and thirteenth overs. Fahima Khatun

SCOREBOARD

Sri Lanka Innings Y Mendis b Alam 0 H Perera c Khatun b Khadija 9 D Manodara (wk) run out (Alam/ Khadija/ Ahmed) 16 C Athapaththu (c) c & b Khatun 12 S Siriwardene b Alam 31 E Lokusuriyage c Rahman b Ahmed 9 N de Silva c Rahman b Alam 12 S Weerakkody not out 1 Extras (b 2, lb 0, w 5, nb 0, p 0) 7 Total (7 wkts, 20 Ov) 97 FOW: 0-1 (Mendis, 0.1), 23-2 (Perera, 7.1), 30-3 (Manodara, 9), 49-4 (Athapaththu, 12.1), 65-5 (Lokusuriyage, 16.2), 96-6 (Siriwardene, 19.4), 97-7 (de Silva, 19.6) Bowling: Jahanara Alam (4-0-213), Salma Khatun (c) (4-0-12-0), Khadija Tul Kubra (4-0-15-1), Rumana Ahmed (4-0-26-1), Fahima Khatun (3-0-16-1), Ritu Moni (1-0-6-0) Bangladesh Innings S Islam lbw b Prabodhani

0

A Rahman c Athapaththu b Ranasinghe 11 F Hoque lbw b Prabodhani 0 N Sultana run out (Manodara) 20 R Ahmed c Lokusuriyage b Siriwardene 1 S Sultana (wk) b Priyadharshani 5 J Alam lbw b Athapaththu 1 S Khatun (c) c de Silva b Siriwardene 6 F Khatun lbw b Athapaththu 2 R Moni b Athapaththu 11 K Tul Kubra not out 4 Extras (w 11) 11 Total (10 wkts, 20 Ov) 72 FOW: 0-1 (Islam, 0.1), 0-2 (Hoque, 0.4), 20-3 (Rahman, 6.2), 23-4 (Ahmed, 7.4), 36-5 (Sultana, 13.3), 44-6 (Alam, 14.2), 47-7 (Sultana, 15.1), 51-8 (Khatun, 16.1), 60-9 (Khatun, 17.6), 72-10 (Moni, 19.6) Bowling: Udeshika Prabodhani (2.5-1-6-2), Sripali Weerakkody (20-9-0), Inoshi Priyadharshani (40-17-1), Nilakshi de Silva (0.1-0-40), Oshadi Ranasinghe (4-0-9-1), Shashikala Siriwardene (4-0-10-2), Chamari Athapaththu (c) (3-0-17-3)

bagged the prized wicket of Sri Lankan Captain Chamari Athapaththu for 12.

Shashikala Siriwardene was the only batter to contribute significantly with a 33-ball 31 with two fours and one maximum off leg-spinner Rumana Ahmed in the 19th over. Jahanara Alam was Bangladesh’s most successful bowler with 3-21 in her four overs.

Tul Kubra, Ahmed and Fahima Khatun picked up one wicket each to restrict Sri Lanka to a below-par 97-7 in 20 overs.

The target of 98 seemed out of Bangladesh’s reach with

opening batter Islam out for the golden duck when she was trapped in front by the Sri Lankan left-arm quickie, Udeshika Prabodhani.

Bangladesh’s nightmare first over continued with Fargana Hoque out leg before for a duck to the same Sri Lankan bowler. Ayasha Rahman and Sultana started to rebuild, but wickets continued to tumble regularly.

The Bangladesh batters continued to struggle as the Sri Lankan bowlers believed that bowling dot balls would build pressure and the wickcontinued on page 51

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WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 18, 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com

90 karatekas pass grading exams

T

his past Sunday, head of the International Karate Daigaku, Ninth Dan Shuseki Shihan Frank Woon-A-Tai, Eighth Dan Shihan Maureen Woon-ATai (IKD Vice Chief Instructor) and Eighth Dan Shihan Bernice Hughes, along with Amir Khouri (Seventh Dan), Tejram Harichand (Six Dan) & Roger Peroune (Fourth Dan), conducted a high-level three-prong karate examination at the YMCA, Thomas Lands.

As per norm, the day saw ASK-G students and parents awaiting the commencement of the examination whereby the White, Yellow, Orange, Green, Blue, Purple, third and second kyu Brown

Students take a photo op following the conclusion of the grading exams

Miller and two other opponents at the same time; then, Miller had to do the same with Francis and the other two opponents.

There was non-stop ac-

Roger Peroune; Malcolm Francis; Keith Beaton; Patrick Gurahoo; Wanda Agdomar; Clinton Moriah (New Amsterdam); Hazrat Ali (Albion &

The instructors who participated in the tournament

Belts were conducted.

Examinations then resumed with the commencing of the Dan levels, which started off with the two youngest females and males followed by two teens who presented their abilities in front of a packed audience. The intensity in the room then changed when the competition for Third Dan arose. It was a heated exchange of fists and feet from both parties equally competent. What really blew it was when Malcolm Francis had to face off against Trevon

tion as well as some humour that had the audience in awe over the performances.

Miller, Francis and Shakeem Walcott were all promoted to Third Dan black belt while Emily Santana, Danielle Persaud, Jamar Pile, Shamar Francis, Andes Roberts, and D’Andre DaSilva stepped up to First Dan. The Association Shotokan Karate Guyana would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to all the students who were successful and instructors

Blairmont); Parmeshwar Persaud (Canaan) and Mahadeo Ramotar (GFK) for their commitment to the development of karate and the karatekas.

The full list of competitors is as follows: 6 to Yellow Belt: Isaiah Browne, Donte Garraway, Anthony Angle, Chris Hicks, Stephen Buchana, Vijay Tiwari.

18 to Orange Belt: Ravindra Lalbachan, Joel Harry, Yuvraj Beharry, Giada Agdomar, Bethany Agdomar, Tyrone Niles, Mia Singh, Saif Tulla,

Bangladesh suffer...

from page 50

Team Sri Lanka

ets would follow. At the half-way stage of the

Bangladesh innings, they were reeling at 28-4, re-

quiring another 70 with six wickets in hand. The game was evenly poised at that stage, but wickets tumbled throughout the innings.

The Sri Lanka Captain was the best Sri Lankan bowler with 3-17 while Siriwardene continued to have a brilliant game as she returned with the ball claiming 2-10 in four overs. The Bangladesh team have not recovered since the battering they received from Deandra Dottin and her West Indies teammates in their first match at Providence. (Brandon Corlette)

Keith Williams, Darius Lamaison, Isaiah Anderson, Ethan Rosine, Elijah Rosine, Sahira Ali, Jasmine Ramdas, Ajit Dehaan, Saskia

Dyasindoo, and Nelicia Higgins.

16 to Green Belt: Brian Small, Shawn Campbell, Xavier Lambert, Junxi Yang, Tyler Bess, Tyshaun Bess, Izaiah Abrams, Kyra Soares, Joshua Daniels, Shemar Fortune, Antol Griffin, Shaquan Stewart, Gurav Ram, Basdeo Bissessar, Rahman Yakub, and Joshua Rampersaud.

9 to Blue Belt: Matthew Salim, Anuvani Gunpat, Kristen Samaroo, Romario Jaisingh, Thamishwar Dyasindoo, Micah Narine, Isaiyah Proctor, Joshua Nimar, and Christian Rampersaud.

6 to Purple Belt: Yam Chan Chu, Nicholas Rampersaud, Luke

Seabra, Malini Jainarain, Gabriel Looch, and Nicolai Adolph.

11 to Brown (3): Nathan Narine, Anastassia Seabra, Oudesh Ram, Brandon Foo, Obinna Utoh, Jasmine West, Akeem Mcpherson, Leandre Holder, Bhaskar Jaipersaud, Zac Hussain, and Shinessa Boyce.

8 to Brown (2): Kevin Fraser, Christopher James, Andre Sookram, Bradley Fenty, Jared Rambissoon, Nalini Arjoon, Keyshawn Grant, and Navindra Deonarine.

7 to Brown (1): Bohan Cao, Piya Parasram, Amara Nandan, Budhdave Singh, Angelo Harris, Bevon Jordan, and Krisendat Phagoo.

52 sport

WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 18, 2018 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana’s Ramdhani shines in Canada G

uyana’s topranked badminton player Narayan Ramdhani showed his worth in his first tournament in Edmonton Alberta Canada when representing The Kings University.

Ramdhani has been attending college and training in Canada with Shuttlesport Badminton Academy for the past two years. Over the weekend, the young man gave a glimpse of his true potential, showing that his hard work over the past two years is paying off.

Ramdhani walked away from the tournament with a silver in the Men’s doubles event and a bronze in the Mixed Doubles event, after making it up to the semi-final stage. The Guyanese player found himself pitted against some of the best players in Alberta on the familiar Kings University Badminton Courts.

Taken out of a draw of 64, Ramdhani and his open men’s doubles partner Joel Simrose were seeded Number 2, and as a result were given a bye in the first round of the competition.

However, in the second round, the duo faced off with Jacky Chung & Stewart Tieu, and were ready for battle. They

selves playing against Anshuma Sharma and Rohan Sharma in an extremely close encounter, but they prevailed 21-18, 21-18.

This win plunged the duo into the quarterfinal, where they met with Sony Augustine and Jiju Kiliyankand. Although the first set was close, 21-19, the pair fought hard to win the second convincingly 21-10. The semifinal wasn’t much of a challenge for the Guyanese and his partner, as they defeated Kartil Gohil and Harpeet Singh 21-11, 21-16.

However, the finals of the men’s doubles

was the stage that truly posed a challenge to the pair. There they fought hard, but had to settle for second place as they lost to the number 1 seeded pair of Kevin Chow and Alex Fung 21-17, 21-18 The Guyanese badminton player then ventured into the open mixed doubles competition. When paired with Angelica Alberto, the duo were seeded Number 2 in the draw of 32, and as such were given a bye in the first round of play.

Upon entering the second round, the pair was required to face off with Se Jun Sunwoo and Nicole Ramos in an en-

counter which they won 21-12, 21-19. As such, they advanced to the quarterfinal, and eventually overcame their opponents Wenlong Huang and Zixin Jiao in two comfortable sets.

The semi-final was a challenge for the two as the Number three-seeded pair of Kevin Chow & Tina Wasilik put up a fight to cop the finals spot. Their opponents got the better of Ramdhani and Alberto in a 21-12, 21-15 contest. However, the Guyanese player and his partner ended in third position.

Li Ning BWF World Junior Championships…

Guyana's Juniors off to a rocky start A

Narayan Ramdhani and his men’s doubles partner Joel Simrose

won by a lengthy margin 21-10, 21-16. In the third

round of play, Ramdhani and Simrose found them-

fter an outs t a n d ing run in the Li Ning BWF World Junior Mixed Teams Championship last week, the Guyanese junior badminton team are showing steady improvements in their competitiveness on the International level.

The team comprising Priyanna Ramdhani, Jayde Da Silva, Tyrese Jeffrey and Akili Haynes are now engaged in the Li Ning BWF World Junior Championships, where they are now taking on their international opponents individually.

The competition began on Monday in Markham, Canada and will run until Priyanna Ramdhani, Akili Haynes and Tyrese Jeffrey Sunday, November 18.

Andrej Antoska, and he Guyanese players saw The Guyanese team made light work of the Ramdhani and Jeffrey have so far gotten off to Guyanese in two straight becoming a duo for the a rough start in the insets 8-21, 7-21. mixed doubles category. dividual competition as On the other hand, There, they met Chong they faced tough oppoJeffrey suffered a sim- Leong and Teng Cheong nents who are ranked ilar fate with an al- of Macau. It was a hardmuch higher. most matching score- fought battle between The 16-year-old card when he met with the two teams, but the Ramdhani, in the Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Guyanese were unable to women’s singles diviShiau Chen for their en- pull through in a 12-21, sion, found herself pitcounter. The match fin- 18-21 battle. ted against Fatima Rio ished with Chen recordThe four-member of Mexico. In the earing a commanding win Guyanese team’s particily stages of the game, over the Guyanese 21-7, pation in the mixed team Ramdhani proved to be 21-5. championships resultequally skilled, but Rio’s The Guyanese males ed in Guyana’s rankings experience prevailed in later paired up for the climbing to 32 out of over the Mexican’s 13-21, 14men’s doubles, where 175 countries that play 21 win. they were unable to badminton. Additionally, Over in the men’s match skill with Yichen the tournament has singles category, both Shang and Weikeng been a great platform for Haynes and Jeffrey Liang of China. The Guyanese players to test represented Guyana.

Chinese pair had an easy their skills against interHaynes was drafted win 5-21, 4-21. national competition. to take on Slovakia’s Another pairing of

WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 18, 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com

CONCACAF Nations League Qualifier…

Golden Jags squad announced

D

agenham amp Redbridge’s Elliot Bonds has received his first call to the Guyana Men’s National Squad as Neil Danns, Colin Nelson, and Marcel Barrington return for the CONCACAF Nations League qualifier with French Guiana in Cayenne on November 20, 2018.

Head Coach Michael Johnson has named a 21-man squad, bringing together players based

2019. Danns, Barrington and Nelson are also returning after missing out on the CONCACAF Nations League qualifier against Barbados in September.

Guyana currently lie 11th in the CONCACAF Nations League qualification table, with four points from two games.

French Guiana are in 16th place. The top 10 will qualify for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, while the top six will

Neil Danns

at clubs in Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, England, the United States, Finland and Portugal.

The squad commences its encampment for the fixture today (Thursday) in Suriname.

“This is a crucial match for the Golden Jaguars in our bid to qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup for the first time in Guyana’s footballing history. We are taking a strong, balanced and talented squad with a great blend of local players and those plying their trade overseas,” said Head Coach Johnson.

“We are all 110 per cent focused on making Guyanese fans proud in Cayenne next week.”

Bonds, an 18-yearold midfielder, plays in England’s National League, the fifth tier of English football.

The squad includes US-based striker Emery Welshman, whose FC Cincinatti team will play Major League Soccer in

qualify for CONCACAF Nations League A alongside the United States, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, Panama, and Honduras.

Teams placed 7th to 22nd will compete in CONCACAF Nations League B. Guyana’s final qualification match will be played against Belize at Leonora Stadium on March 23, 2019.

The squad reads: Kai McKenzie-Lyle, Akel Clarke, Terrence Vancooten, Sam Cox, Kevin Layne, Kevin Dundas, Jake Newton, Walter Moore, Colin Nelson, Ronayne MarshBrown, Neil Danns, Elliot Bonds, Brandon Beresford, Anthony Benfield, Daniel Wilson, Stephen Duke-McKenna, Emery Welshman, Marcel Barrington, Trayon Bobb, Kadell Daniel, Sheldon Holder, Jermaine Cumberbatch, Curtez Kellman, Kelsey Benjamin, and Dellon Landerman.

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WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 18, 2018 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Akshaya Persaud continues impressive form

G

uyana Jaguars middle-order batsman Akshaya Persaud following up his unbeaten halfcentury, stroked 81 to lead Cornelia Ida Cricket

Club (CICC) to victory over Meten-Meer-Zorg A (MMZ A) Cricket Club in the West Demerara Cricket Board’s 50-over competition at Joe Vieira Park.

Akshaya Persaud

Winning the toss, CICC elected to bat first on a pitch that suited the batsmen as they intended to post a big total. Persaud and Richie Looknauth continued

their excellent form as they scored 81 and 33 respectively. The side eventually got to 156 in 23.2 overs. Persaud’s score consisted of six fours and five sixes while Looknauth’s 33 included three fours and a six. Both batsmen picked the gaps and ran hard between the wickets along with strict

punishment of bad balls.

MMZ A’s Kevin Coleman and Levi Miggins shared 10 wickets. Coleman bowled excellently to finish with 6-17 while Miggins supported with 4-23.

Having to make 157 for victory in 50 overs, MMZ A were bowled out for 92 in 22.5 overs as the MMZ A batsmen found

it difficult to score since the Cornelia Ida bowlers executed their plans well on a quick pitch.

Top-scoring for MMZ A were Coleman with 33 and Miggins with 18 while Looknauth claimed 5-46, Harinarine Bissondyal bagged 3-14 and Persaud 2-11.

WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 18, 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com

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