Guyana Times International 18-OCT-19

INTERNATIONAL THE BEACON OF TRUTH

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PPP claims APNU/AFC ‘setting the stage to rig’ upcoming polls WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 20, 2019

ISSUE NO. 470

See story on page 3

– says will resist attempts to remove names from voters’ list See stories inside

US Ambassador to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch addressed members of the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) at a recent meeting of the group. OSAC’s mission is to build cooperation between the public and private sectors to address security issues in Guyana. During her remarks Ambassador Lynch noted that focusing on safety and security helps put a country on the path to prosperity. In this US Embassy photo are: from left to right - Theodore Plummer, U.S. Embassy Regional Security Officer; Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch; Brian Chin, OSAC Private Sector Chairman; Curt Clements, ExxonMobil Security Manager

Step-father charged ICE says NY authorities defied deportation with murder of request to release Guyanese child abuser 4-yr-old boy Page 5

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NEWS 3

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PPP claims APNU/AFC ‘setting the stage to rig’ upcoming polls – says will resist attempts to remove names from voters’ list

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he People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has expressed concern that the APNU/AFC coalition is preparing to either set aside or rig next year’s March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

This comes in light of a revelation following Tuesday’s statutory meeting that the Government-nominated Commissioners at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) are attempting to ‘disenfranchise’ thousands of Guyanese.

According to the PPP, one way in which they are seeking to do this is by removing more than 20,000 persons from the voters’ list after they failed to uplift their National identification

PPP-nominated GECOM Commissioners Sase Gunraj, Bibi Shadick and Robeson Benn

(ID) cards since 2008.

According to the PPP in a statement on Wednesday, the Government Commissioners are

shamelessly attempting to reinstitute the use of an ID card as a qualification to vote – a measure that the current GECOM Chair, Retired

Justice Claudette Singh, had ruled was illegal and unconstitutional back in 1998 in the Esther Pereira case.

Pereira, a PNC sup-

porter, had petitioned the High Court to set aside the results of the 1997 elections. Justice Singh had ruled that the requirement for voters to have a voter ID card in 1997 was ultra vires Articles 59 and 159 of the Constitution (despite a parliamentary agreement to use the cards).

Moreover, the Opposition went on to point out that the removal of names from the Official List of Electors (OLE) simply because these persons did not uplift their ID cards is illegal and contrary to the recent ruling of Chief Justice Roxane George.

Back in August, the Chief Justice ruled that persons cannot be removed from the voters’ list unless they are dead

or otherwise disqualified to vote under Article 159 (2) (3) or (4).

“From the foregoing, it is clear that the APNU/AFC is preparing the ground either to set aside the entire elections as illegal and unconstitutional, when they lose, or by rigging the elections by disenfranchising tens of thousands of Guyanese electors,” the PPP contended.

This agenda, the party noted, is more so reflected in their other latest proposal to highlight on the OLE, the names of persons who did not participate in the now scrapped House-toHouse Registration exercise but are on the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE). turn to page 9

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EDITORIAL

PNC and the trust deficit Few Guyanese would disagree in principle with the proposition that, if the PPP and PNC could arrive at a modus vivendi on the sharing of authority over the state, especially with oil in the offing, the “good life” might be achieved less problematically.

But that is “in principle”. In reality, proposals for “power sharing” in one form or another have been floating around for decades, but, as we know to our cost, the two parties that represent the two major groups are no closer than ever to achieving that goal. Many of the new parties that are being launched to contest the next elections have raised the issue quite vociferously, and it will certainly be a hot topic on the hustings. A review of its status might be opportune at this time.

In the first year of the new millennium, the PNC forced extensive changes in the constitution through violent street protests, which were designed to increase their influence in governance by expanding their parliamentary powers while creating and including them in a welter on Constitutional commissions.

The formation by the PPP government of four sectoral committees to scrutinise in real time the entire gamut of governmental activity was revolutionary, especially when, at any time, two of them were chaired by a member of the Opposition on a rotating basis.

These changes, however, did not satisfy the PNC, and just before he died in 2002, PNC leader Desmond Hoyte announced he was amenable to a “power sharing” arrangement that involved the Opposition being granted a number of Ministries in the Cabinet. The PPP responded the following year with a desideratum of its position, titled “Towards greater inclusive governance in Guyana – Building Trust to Achieve Genuine Political Cooperation”.

The PPP was obviously reacting to its history of interactions with the PNC in the preceding four decades, in which initiatives on “power sharing” were inevitably stymied because of the PNC’s refusal to keep its word on initiating substantive inclusion into the power structure.

The ethicist Sissela Bok, in her book “Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life”, posed the PPP’s dilemma with the PNC as one of violating the “principle of veracity”.

“The function of the principle of veracity as a foundation is evident when we think of trust.

“I can have different kinds of trust: that you will treat me fairly, that you will have my interests at heart, that you will do me no harm. But if I do not trust your word, can I have genuine trust in the first three? If there is no confidence in the truthfulness of others, is there any way to assess their fairness, their intentions to help or to harm? How, then, can they be trusted? Whatever matters to human beings, trust is the atmosphere in which it thrives.”

With the accession of the PNC to power in 2015, within a coalition framework involving the AFC, the General Secretary of the PPP reiterated that party’s openness to “shared governance”, which had been touted by the former in its campaign and manifesto as a “government of national unity” with “PPP members possibly invited to join the Cabinet”.

Subsequently, however, the PNC made an outcomedeterminative decision to nix such an eventuality by designating its PM Nagamootoo to lead any discussions. The fact of the matter was that Nagamootoo sadly exemplified the very essence of the violation of the principle of veracity by the PNC that leads to a lack of trust.

The PNC and AFC had solemnified their coalition agreement as the “Cummingsburg Accord”, with the key point that “the Prime Minister shall have responsibility for domestic affairs and chairing the Cabinet.” President Granger, however, refused to keep this solemn promise on the specious ground that the Constitution did not permit it, and yet Nagamootoo did not balk.

How could the PPP trust the PNC to keep its word in any shared governance agreement when the PNC reneged on the promise made to its key ally that delivered its 33-seat majority?

Uitvlugt Sugar Estate, West Coast Demerara (DPI Photo)

Upsurge in crime in Guyana must be tackled frontally

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ver the past days, Guyanese have been waking up to the news of death as crime and accidents have claimed the lives of several persons.

In a stinging statement on Tuesday, and justifiably so, the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) called out the Guyana Police Force and asked that they address real crime and the crime rate in Guyana that has, once again, begun to spiral out of control. Interestingly, the Miner’s Association said in a direct question to Public Security Minister and Third Vice President Khemraj Ramjattan, “How many more must be robbed, or be slaughtered before it is accepted that we have a crime issue in Guyana which must be addressed?”

Clearly furious at the cold-blooded murder of miner Deon Stoll on Monday as he was about to conduct business at the establishment of El Dorado Trading, the GGDMA asked, “Where are the Police patrols?

What has happened to the hundreds of vehicles and motorcycles the Government of Guyana has given to the Guyana Police Force? Are these vehicles being used for its intended purposes? What are the Guyana Police Force’s plans to address this upsurge in crime?”

However, these are the very questions on the lips of Guyanese

who have been ignored over the past few years. These questions have been left clearly unanswered by the Minister himself, the hierarchy of the Guyana Police Force and by large the Government itself. Incidentally, this APNU/ AFC Government is made up persons with the most security/defence career backgrounds.

Unfortunately, no genuine coherent plan to robustly pursue criminal elements within Guyana has been conceptualised and the little that have been put forward have proven to be no deterrent to the criminals— who are carrying out brutal, senseless killings and robberies with ease. It is a constant barrage on people’s mindset as criminals operate with impunity executing brazen robberies from which no law abiding citizen feels a sense of insulation. No country, especially one that stands to potentially break new economic grounds, can afford this level of insecurity. Solutions must be robustly pursued and while the harsh realities have to be conveyed to the citizenry, there must be a sense of real optimism and hope.

As was previously stated by this newspaper, the lengthy delay in taking action exacerbated fear among citizens and emboldened the criminals. Many asked if the authorities made themselves deliberately oblivious of the ongoing spate of crime.

This is noteworthy in the context that the Public Security

Minister is expected to be an integral part of routine high-level national security meetings.

Guyanese would expect the national security meetings to discuss status reports on crime, its frequency and the impact of interventions or lack thereof. To repeat previously asked questions: how many crimes must be committed and how many citizens must be beaten or killed before a meaningful intervention by the Public Security Ministry or the Government made up of much security experts?

Citizens want Police to intervene to curb crime. Citizens want to live without fear. Those are not unfair expectations, especially when they pay for such services through taxes. Any appearance of reluctance to take necessary action would not only be a disservice, but a failure to govern in their best interest.

Given what continues to play out holistically regarding crime, one wonders whether there is a logical explanation for what appears a hesitancy on the part of the current political leadership to frontally tackle crime.

To repeat what was said by the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association: How many more must be robbed, or be slaughtered before it is accepted that we have a crime issue in Guyana which must be addressed?

Govt-appointed commissioners seem to be calling the shots at GECOM Dear Editor, The million-dollar question on everyone’s mind is: Who is in control at GECOM? This illegal Government have done it again, they are in full control of the electoral body through their strategically-elected and most vocal commissioners.

The Government-appointed commissioners seem to be the ones calling the shots at GECOM, and they are doing so with the usual PNC rigging precision.

GECOM Chairman Claudette Singh cannot play amnesiac to the fact that she

is oblivious to the machinations of these commissioners, because she is well acquainted with Guyana’s electoral history and the notorious PNC. As an elder statesperson and judge, she would have witnessed the many instances where the PNC mortally wounded the democratic process with their rigging. Having that detailed background knowledge of our despicable electoral past, it behooves the GECOM Chairman to assert herself and take leadership responsibility of the election body, and not be led.

The present situation leaves much to be desired, and

that is our main concern. It is clear that this chair is being led. She has allowed herself to be put into that position while the Government actors are relentless with their agenda to rig the elections, and this has to be stopped. The Chairman has to put a halt to that process by making her own statements as well as issuing definitive and straightforward directives bearing her signature, and not the other way round. Guyana cannot afford to go down that road of rigged elections again, and the time to rectify the process is now. turn to page 5

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ICE says NY CTO to close offices in New authorities defied York, United Kingdom deportation request to release Guyanese C child abuser

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ew York authorities released a convicted child abuser into the community, defying an ICE request that he be held for deportation, and he went on to be arrested for yet another case of abuse, federal officials said Tuesday, according to a Washington Times report.

According to the Washington Times report, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers tracked Grachowe Harrichand down last week and plan to deport him to Guyana, his home country.

He’d been ordered deported in 2004 but

was in the U.S. as a fugitive earlier this year when he was charged with sexual abuse against pre-teen children. He ended up pleading guilty to a misdemeanor count of “Act in Manner to Injure Child,” and was sentenced to six months.

ICE placed a detainer request on him, which requests deportation officers be notified before a release — and in some cases, that the target be held an additional period of time so officers can get there for pickup, Washington Times reported.

But the city released him in defiance of the request, ICE says.

hairman of the Barbadosbased Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), Dominic Fedee, Tuesday announced the closure of the organisation's offices in the United Kingdom and New York as part of its efforts to “play a stronger role in the new era of tourism development”.

Fedee, who is also the Minister of Tourism in St Lucia, said that in addition to the closure of the New York office in December this year and the United Kingdom by January 31, next year, there will also be a “comprehensive audit of the Barbados office”.

He said that over the past two decades, there has been much discussion surrounding the promotion and development of tourism in the Caribbean.

“While there have been many visions, plans, papers written and philosophies espoused, there has been widespread acceptance that much improvement is needed to elevate tourism development in the region.”

Fedee said that some of the most discussed aspirations range from marketing the Caribbean as a single brand, more in-depth research, and a greater uniformed approach to policy formulation and product development.

“The Caribbean Tourism Organization therefore recognises that it plays a most essential role in the changes required to achieve the long held view to enhance tourism's role as a tool for sustainable development among member states.

“Consequently, we are of the firm view that in order to play a stronger role in the new era of tourism development, we have to reinvent and reposition the organization as a pillar upon which tourism advancement can rest.”

Fedee said that the restructuring exercise is expected to significantly reduce the operational expenditures of CTO, giving it more capacity to undertake its key functions of regional marketing, statistics and research, and product development.

“CTO notes that this exercise will lead to some displacement, but firmly believes that it represents a strong revitalisation of the organisation. This is a necessary process to ensure tourism plays its most vital role as a means to bring about opportunity and prosperity for the people of the Caribbean,” Fedee added.

The CTO is regarded as the

Caribbean's tourism development agency comprising membership of Dutch, English, French and Spanish countries and territories, as well as a myriad of private sector allied members.

Its primary objective is to provide to and through its members the services and information necessary for the development of sustainable tourism for the economic and social benefit of the Caribbean people by a number of initiatives including providing an instrument for close collaboration in tourism among the various territories, countries and other interests concerned as well as “developing a tourism product which is essentially Caribbean and which, through maximising economic benefits, has minimal adverse social and psychological effects on the integrity of Caribbean peoples”. (CMC)

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AFC’s Nagamootoo and Ramjattan have been relegated to “rubber stamp” status Dear Editor, It is now the foregone conclusion of the masses in Guyana and the Diaspora that the Alliance for Change has long become subservient to the PNC-dominated coalition Government to the point of being totally consumed. The identity is completely lost.

They further opined that the leaders, namely, Moses Nagamootoo and Khemraj Ramjattan have been relegated to “rubber stamps” status, merely regurgitating the views, utterances, opinions and policies of the PNC. We have seen numerous examples: when Granger illegally appointed Patterson as GECOM’s Chairman, when the four estates were heartlessly closed and when the PNC wil-

fully embarked on a course of violating the Constitution and flout the CCJ’s rulings among others. This is in stark contrast to the coalition in 1964 between the UF and the PNC. Let us take a look at the first coalition which was formed between the UF and the PNC to oust the PPP from Government. The United Force was formed

by Peter D’Aguiar on October 5, 1960, and won 16.38 per cent of the votes in the 1961 elections, but a point of vital importance is the fact that the elections were won by Dr Jagan’s PPP by a “slim majority” when compared to the totality of votes garnered by the UF and the PNC. This aroused the dictatorship instinct in Burnham and

gave him the opening he needed. This “slim majority” by the PPP indicated that a coalition by Burnham and D’Aguiar could win if the electoral system was changed to proportional representation. The same mindset prevailed in 2015.

Then the manipulators, the UK and the US, gave Burnham exactly what he needed to begin his quest for absolute power – proportional representation just in time for the 1964 elections. This move saw the coalition of the PNC and UF, who together won 52.9 per cent of the votes. This resulted in Burnham getting the prime ministerial post and D’Aguiar, the Finance Minister as agreed. However, D’Aguiar was not a cor-

rupted person, he was used to wealth and its accompanying opulence and in September 1967, he resigned from the Cabinet because of blatant corruption by the PNC faction. He became totally disgusted by the corruption of Burnham’s PNC. He even went further. In October 1968, D’Aguiar joined hands with Jagan and walked out of the National Assembly and in January 1969, D’Aguiar appeared in a documentary, “The Making of a Prime Minister”, in which he expressed deep regret and disappointment about coalescing with the PNC. But the damage had been done and it took more than two decades of suffering and anguish to finally rid the nation of

Install tracking devices on Police vehicles so that they can be monitored for speed Dear Editor, Please permit me some space in your daily print to comment on the fatal accident which occurred on the morning of October 15 involving a police vehicle.

Based on footage widely circulated on social media, it appears that neither driver was wearing seat belts. The reality is, none of our Police or emergency response drivers wear seat belts.

It is a known fact that police cars and fire trucks ‘fly’ down our streets at a breakneck pace. This places the occupants at higher risk of being involved in an accident, causing injury or loss of life for themselves as well as innocent bystanders. It, therefore, begs the question, why is it not mandated that they observe the rules of “safety first”. After all, the rest of the world does just that and basic common sense should so guide those in authority who design the rules for the citizenry to follow.

The situation is further exacerbated by these very individuals who are on their phones while driving.

On Tuesday morning, just around 09:00h while on Sheriff Street, the police convoy transporting prisoners was ‘flying’ southbound in the vicinity of Mae’s School, sirens blaring and lights flashing. The driver of the enclosed van was on his phone. This is a school zone and young children are known to innocently dart across streets.

Where was the sense of

safety? Other parts of the world mandate a slower speed in school zones.

There is also the scenario with Police open-back pick-ups, loaded with armed ranks sitting precariously in the open tray speeding down the road.

On Monday night, one

such vehicle on the East Bank corridor had three armed ranks sitting in the open tray. The front left headlamp, inclusive of the parking light of that vehicle, was nonfunctional. Again, the average road users are rightly pulled over for

these violations while our law enforcement officers continue to do their own thing. Why the hypocrisy? When will innocent Guyanese lives start to matter? Those of us who forget the past are certain to repeat it. turn to page 7

A gang of executive outlaws parading as Ministers Dear Editor, Mr Basil Williams has reportedly told the press that “the Leader of the Opposition has been saying that he is not interested, but of course he is free to say whatever he likes in Church Street or on the streets of Georgetown or on the streets of Guyana… the real test is when Parliament resumes and the matter is called, he must go there and say that he is not complying with the Constitution”.

Firstly, for Mr Williams’ information, Guyana does not have a Leader of the Opposition since the Government fell on December 21, 2018, and legally expired on September 18, 2019.

There is only one position officially alive today and that is the Head of State as prescribed by Article 89 of the Constitution.

Guyana is a State and it must have a Head of State. So the role Mr Williams is playing today is subject to interpretation since, clearly, he has not been a legitimate member of a legal Cabinet since September 18, 2019.

He can choose to bully his way into the National Assembly and infringe on

its sanctity; that is an issue that the Speaker of the House will have to answer for, but under the Constitution, Guyana has no legal Minister or Cabinet in place.

Today we have a gang of executive outlaws parading as Ministers and at the same time claiming to be following the law. Since September 18, 2019, they have been attending illegal Cabinet meetings, illegitimately using public resources and are unlawfully incurring expenditures on taxpayer dollars.

The Head of each budgetary agency or their designated accounting officer must be put on notice and should be extremely careful with regards to what they are approving as expenses after September 18, 2019.

The pertinent questions that they must ask themselves – is the payment properly and legally vouched and is it supported by a valid instrument of authority? If not, they are exposing themselves to being personally surcharged by the incoming Attorney General of Guyana.

There is no Cabinet and no Minister, only a

Head of State and, therefore, there is no legal reason to finance the activities of usurpers who are illegally squatting in these roles. In the eyes of the law, Article 89 is the only applicable clause for consideration since, as I said, Guyana is a State and must have a Head of State until the next Head of State is sworn in, but in compliance with Article 106 of the Constitution, there are no Ministers or caretaker Ministers legally in place.

Finally, I want to put on notice all members of the Private Sector, before you conduct any business with the State, please ensure you have a clear contract which outlines which Department is incurring the charges. If it is to finance the Office of the Minister, there is a high likelihood that you will not be paid when the new Government is installed in March 2020.

We have all now been put on notice. The financial pain to all those who offered services or facilitated the operations of these illegitimate Ministers will be massive.

Regards, Sasenarine Singh

the PNC scourge which he was duped to install.

Ironically, the elections in 1992 was held on October 5, the same day that the UF was formed, and the PPP emerged victorious as it always did. However, D’Aguiar must be given full credit for making such a hasty departure from the PNC and his total rejection of that party and its leader!

Now let us look at the Alliance for Change which was formed in 2005. It was formed by three disgruntled members of Parliament who claimed that both the PPP and the PNC destroyed the socio-economic fabric of the country and cannot be trusted to be in Government.

The people needed change, they claimed.

The AFC’s message appealed to some and in 2006 it won 6 seats and in 2011 it won 7 seats or 10.3 per cent of the votes.

However, the leadership of the AFC, influenced by the arch enemies of the PPP, Moses Nagamootoo and Khemraj Ramjattan, created an unholy alliance with the PNC, not spurred by change but by greed for power and material gains. Nagamootoo and Ramjattan saw an opportunity when the PPP gained a slim majority in 2011, not unlike the 1961 elections.

After joining forces in the National Assembly to frustrate the Donald Ramotar Administration, the AFC signed the Cummingsburg Accord on Valentine’s Day 2015 and handed Guyana on a platter to the Burnhamite PNC. Unfortunately, Ramjattan and

Nagamootoo are no Peter D’Aguiar, these people are thirsty and greedy for power as well material gains and they made no effort to mask this as the coalition plundered and pillaged the Guyanese nation day after day. They immediately transformed themselves into the “fat cats” and began to live the “Cadillac lifestyles”, which Nagamootoo had vehemently advocated against. The AFC shamelessly forsook their founding principles and the “rubber stamps” were born on May 11, 2015.

Today, these two “rubber stamps” are vying for the title of “Best Rubberstamp”, but the caretaker President has made it clear that the AFC cannot select the prime ministerial candidate and that prerogative belongs to him. It now seems that the titles of First and Second Vice Presidents and prime ministerial portfolio will be snatched from the AFC and they will have to settle for the crumbs which the master would fling at them. Unlike D’Aguiar, the unprincipled and self-seeking duo, Nagamootoo and Ramjattan, is holding on to the PNC for dear life!

They cannot depart in honour! It’s a shame to see how low some people can stoop – people who were once thought to be heroes of the people!

But time will dictate an ignominious and humiliating end for this duo who sold their souls and misled the people who unwittingly believed in them.

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

Govt-appointed commissioners seem... from page 4

A key area wherein the notorious three are hanging their hopes is “fixing” the computers in the Information Technology Department.

For this very same reason, we have asked for international help to oversee this critical area.

To our dismay, the response from GECOM CEO Lowenfield is that the Commission does not need any assistance.

Now, this is certainly out of the domain of the CEO, who is in no position to issue such a statement. This is a resolve of the Chairwoman herself; she is the one mandated to make such decisions as head of the Elections Commission, not Lowenfield. Acting like a sheep in such circumstances of brazen usurpation of power is a

cause for great concern.

GECOM Chairman Claudette Singh must be held accountable for this.

Why hasn’t she come out and made a clear directive on this matter?

Why is she silent? At a time when our democracy is under siege by a group of Government appointees, this chairwoman is deafeningly silent.

Why is she not coming out and making it clear where she stands on this matter?

The point is: We need all the help we can get from the international bodies, especially the UN, on the conduct of free and fair elections, and here we have a chair who is allowing the CEO to dictate on the matter.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

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WEEK ENDING october 20, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

‘We are equipped to handle increase in aviation sector’ – Director General

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ith an influx of new airlines displaying interest in entering the Guyanese market, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority said it will be able to handle any increase in the aviation sector.

This was the position shared by Director General of the GCAA, Egbert Field, on the sidelines of an event on Friday. He stated that they have planned for this upward trajectory and will continue to as-

cend towards greater efficiency.

“Looking ahead with what is coming, I am confident that we will be able [to] surmount any tsunami or waves that comes to Guyana. We’ll be able to handle any amount of airlines. It’s difficult. The staff is working hard but I have planned for it and I can see us really riding the waves in a cruise fashion. At the moment, we’re on a climb but we’ll be able to handle any airline when it comes in.”

According to him, a

Install tracking devices on... from page 6

In late December a few years ago we had the sad situation where innocent lives were lost on Carifesta Avenue because of a speeding police chase whereby, once again, no seat belts were worn. A few years ago we had two situations involving fire trucks – one in the vicinity of the Harbour Bridge and the other at the Vlissingen Road-Lamaha Street intersection involving a popular businessman.

The examples are too many and will continue until such time as good sense intervenes.

I close by imploring the authorities – please hold those who are there to protect and serve to the same standards that

they are paid to enforce for the common man. If seatbelts were worn on Tuesday, chances are a few lives could have been saved. Let’s think safety first and enforce the seatbelt rule (for all occupants of these vehicles), no cell phone while driving and also apply common sense while driving.

Install tracking devices on Police vehicles so that they can be monitored for speed, etc. It is time to start saving lives and saving some taxpayer dollars which have to be spent to replace State assets unnecessarily.

Sincerely, A concerned Guyanese

robust workforce of efficient professionals is needed to manage the sector. Fields also explained that they have built the Authority, in recent time, in light of the growing demands.

“Unless we build ourselves to a robust size, with enough certified, qualified personnel, we would not be able to handle the aviation business.

I dare to say, if this authority had remained at the level it was in 2016, it would have been in serious trouble right now,”

he related.

Two weeks ago, GCAA and Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) recently inked an Air Services Agreement to offer new routes from Guyana. The agreement permits Qatar’s national carrier, Qatar Airways, to operate any number of passenger and cargo flights as well as cooperation between the carriers concerned.

There were reports that United Kingdombased Virgin Atlantic Airways had expressed

interest in expanding its service to Georgetown.

However, the airline has since denied such a move.

Guyana Times International had reached out to Virgin Atlantic, whose representative said they do not have any confirmation of plans to launch in Guyana.

Last December, Copa Airlines announced that it would be adding another flight to its Guyana-Panama route with onward connec-

tions. With approval, Copa was set to operate the additional flight on Fridays, adding to existing flights on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

Prior to that, American Airlines launched its operations with four flights weekly.

American Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world with well over 1000 aircrafts in its fleet, over 6000 daily flights serving over 350 destinations in over 55 countries.

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‘We will appeal this decision’

…Nandlall says of CJ’s ruling on Cabinet’s resignation

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Chief Justice (acting) Roxane George

cting Chief Justice Roxane George has refused to grant an order sought by former Attorney General Anil Nandlall compelling Cabinet and the President to resign or stop meeting, a deci-

sion which Nandlall says must be appealed.

In her ruling on Wednesday, Justice George noted that a first instance court such as the High Court cannot contradict the higher court’s ruling. She point-

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall

ed out that the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) had said that notwithstanding the Cabinet’s resignation, it still continued in office as a caretaker government.

She said that both Nandlall and Attorney

General Basil Williams referenced this passage in their submissions to the court, though she acknowledged that such references were made in different contexts.

“In my view… the CCJ did make a pronouncement on the resignation of the President and Cabinet. Given the language of the CCJ… the effect of the (NoConfidence Motion) was the immediate resignation of the Cabinet, but the court clearly stated that notwithstanding this, the tenure in office of Cabinet (and) President… is on a different footing”.

“Given this pronouncement, there could not have been…any requirement for a mandatory order compelling the Cabinet, including the President, to give effect to the resignation of the Cabinet, including the President, which occurred by operation of law consequent on the NCM,” Justice George said in her ruling.

Besides striking out Nandlall’s application, Justice George also ordered the payment of G$500,000 in costs to the respondent. In his comments after the ruling, Nandlall expressed shock at the court’s unwillingness to grant the order. He noted that the Constitution of Guyana takes precedence over any doctrine on the hierarchy of the courts.

“This is indeed a shocking ruling. Every Guyanese, by now, must be aware of the clear language of Article 106 (6) of the Constitution… man-

Attorney General Basil Williams

datory, clear, unambiguous language. And here it is, we have approached the court there is a cabinet refusing to resign and there is a constitutional court telling us that because the CCJ did not make that order, then forever we are in perpetual error”.

“In other words, the doctrine of precedent and the doctrine of stare decisis are now superior to the Constitution of the country. The Constitution is the supreme law, not no ordinary principle of stare decisis. Those are basic, low ranked principles.

The Constitution is the supreme law and that, unfortunately, is not being upheld by the court.

So this decision must be appealed”.

According to Attorney General Williams, however, the decision was in keeping with the need to preserve legal precedent. He was of the view that the decision was the right one, since the CCJ referenced the matter in its ruling.

“The decision of the learned Chief Justice has restored the position with the rule of law in Guyana. And it’s a very important principle for the hierarchal system of the courts that you follow precedent. And the principle of stare decisis is that you follow the precedent of the higher court”.

Nandlall’s approach to the court was based on Article 106 (6) of the Constitution. The Article states: “The Cabinet including the President shall resign if the

Government is defeated by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence”.

Meanwhile, Article 106 (7) goes on to say: “Notwithstanding its defeat, the Government shall remain in office and shall hold an election within three months, or such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by not less than twothirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly determine, and shall resign after the President takes the oath of office following the election”.

A No-Confidence Motion was passed against the Government since December 21 of last year. However, elections were not held and there was no resignation.

Instead, the Government went through several levels of court, unsuccessfully arguing that the No-Confidence Motion was not validly passed.

At the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), the final court had thrown out the Government’s case and had handed down judgement saying that when the NoConfidence Motion was passed on December 21, 2018, Article 106 of the Constitution had immediately been activated.

In addition, the Court had noted that the provisions of the article were clear, though it stopped short of issuing direct orders mandating the Cabinet and President to resign.

NEWS 9

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Step-father charged with murder of 4-yr-old boy T

he Step-father of the 4-yearold boy, who was pronounced dead two Monday’s ago, after he was found unconscious, naked and with injuries to the head and eye, was on Thursday arraigned

for the crime.

T w e n t y - o n e year-old, Joseph James appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and was required to plead to

PPP claims...

the indictable charge.

The charge alleged that on October 7, 2019, at Silver Hill, Soesdyke, Linden Highway, James murdered Alex Price, his stepson, during the course of the rape.

The lad, Alex Prince

from page 3

Government Commissioners: Desmond Trotman, Vincent Alexander and Charles Corbin

Even more ridiculous, the PPP outlined is the fact that they want those persons who did not re-register to now come forward and do a “verification” and if this is not done, it could result in their names being highlighted on the OLE. G o v e r n m e n t Commissioner Vincent Alexander had explained on Tuesday that this would be done to put staff at the polling stations on “high alert” on the March 2, 2020 elections day to ensure no multiple or substitute voting takes place.

But according to the PPP, “These ingenious measures are clearly intended to unlawfully empower GECOM staff on Elections Day to illegally disenfranchise tens of thousands of registered electors. These proposals are not only outrageous and unsound, but they are absolutely illegal as they are not provided for in any of the statutory processes, nor can they be the lawful basis to prevent a registered elector from voting”.

To date, the Opposition noted that GECOM has not even yet explained how the data generated by the Houseto-House Registration exercise, that is some 370,000 registrants, will be merged into the PLE or how it would become the subject of the ongoing 42-day Claims and Objections process, which commenced on October 1.

“These are important statutory process-

es imposed by law to safeguard the integrity of the OLE and vital to the delivery of credible elections. Instead of working out the details of these important processes and making them public, the Government Commissioners continue to pursue mechanisms to contaminate, pervert and illegitimatise the electoral machinery,” the PPP asserted.

Nevertheless, the Opposition assures Guyanese that it will continue to expose these mischievous endeavours and struggle to correct them as the party continues the battle for democratic, free and fair elections in March 2020.

Guyana Times International understands that approximately 20,000 persons have not uplifted their ID cards since 2008. It was explained that GECOM will be putting out notices and advertisements to alert those persons to collect their IDs. But according to PPP-nominated Commissioner, Bibi Shadick, following Tuesday’s more than three-hour-long meeting there are some people who think there is no need for ID cards so they never bothered to collect them. Moreover, she noted that there are cases where persons would have moved to other parts of the country, such as the hinterland, and cannot conveniently come out to uplift their ID cards.

H o w e v e r ,

Government-nominated Commissioner, Vincent Alexander explained to reporters that these persons will be given the opportunity to verify their existence before they are taken off the list.

“The consensus seems to be that we should do everything to contact them, whether it’s register mail or publication in the papers. Everything should be done to contact them and if they are not contacted then the contentious issue is what do we do?… The proposition is that they not be placed on the voters’ list because simply their whereabouts unknown.

You can’t verify their existence,” he posited.

Further questioned as to whether they are trying to use the National ID card as a voter ID card in a ‘backdoor’ manner given that this has been vitiated in the courts years ago, the Government-nominated Commissioner responded in the negative.

Instead, he noted that it is being used as a form of verification especially since attempts were made on two occasions previously to verify these persons’ existence to no avail.

According to Alexander, they are simply looking to use the ID card to determine the presence of voters and verify their existence.

Commissioner Alexander further related that they are using provisions in the National Registration Act to do this.

was pronounced dead after he was found unconscious, naked and with injuries to the head and eyes on Monday last about 12:00h by his stepfather at their home in Silver Hill on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway.

It was reported that the child was discovered by his stepfather who

claimed that he left the child at home to go to a nearby shop to buy groceries to cook. The man said that when he returned from the shop, he found the unconscious child.

An alarm was then raised, and nurses from the nearby Health Centre were summoned to the home. The child,

however, succumbed on his way to the Linden Hospital Complex. An investigation was immediately launched into the matter.

An autopsy performed on the child proved that the child died as a result of blunt trauma to the head. It also revealed that he was sodomised.

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President says awaiting advice from Cabinet on dissolution of Parliament H aving already set March 2, 2020 as the date for the General and Regional Elections, President David Granger said he is awaiting advice from Attorney General Basil Williams and his Cabinet before dissolving Parliament.

“I have not prorogued the National Assembly, I have not dissolved Parliament and I am awaiting the advice of my Attorney General on a date for the dissolution of Parliament,” the Head of State told reporters on Wednesday.

Parliament came out of its annual recess on October 10 and according to Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, no sitting has been fixed.

However, President Granger noted that until he makes a decision on the dissolution of Parliament, it will remain in session in the event of any emergency.

“We naturally have to keep our options open in the event if there’s any emergency, the National Assembly will be convened to deal with that

President David Granger, being accompanied by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, to address the National Assembly

emergency – be it financial or emergency… If it is necessary, I can reconvene Parliament. It has not been dissolved

and I will dissolve it only on the advice of my Cabinet,” the President contended.

Since announc-

ing March 2, 2020 as Elections Day weeks ago, and subsequent issuance of the elections proclamations, calls have been

QC Old Students’ Association elects new executives

T

he Queen’s College Old Students’ Association (QCOSA) on Saturday held an Extraordinary General Meeting at Queen’s College, Camp and Thomas Roads, Thomas Lands, Georgetown, Guyana.

The gathering saw approximately 60 former students of the school participating in a much-anticipated meeting in the 175th anniversary year of Guyana’s premier high school.

The Returning Officer appointed, Khalil Alli, duly declared the positions vacant and commenced elections to fill 11 vacant spots on the Executive Committee. Following the transparent electoral process, the following persons were elected: Dr Arron Fraser was elected as President while Pauline Chase will serve as First Vice President and Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon as Second Vice President.

Martina McDonaldJohnson was elected as Secretary while Bobita Ram will serve as Assistant Secretary-

Dr Arron Fraser, President of the Queen’s College Old Students Association (QC-OSA)

Assistant Treasurer; Nelsonia Persaud Budhram will serve as Public Relations Officer

and Kawbina Griffith as Physical Educator & Sports Advisor.

Sanjeev Datadin,

Samuel Hinds, Devindra Kissoon and Pearson Burch-Smith were elected as ordinary members.

The Executive Committee is made up of 14 persons. Mizana Gonsalves is the sitting treasurer while Errol Ramdhanny and James Rajroop are the other two sitting ordinary members of the Executive Committee.

The members thanked outgoing Secretary and Chair of the morning’s proceedings, Sharon SinghKreuter for her dedication and time, serving over the years.

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Association is constitutionally due in March of each and every succeeding year.

The Association has not held an AGM in the past three years.

The meeting saw the largest turnout of members in over a decade and Dr Fraser was elected unopposed. The College celebrates its 175th anniversary this month, for which several exciting activities are planned in celebration.

mounting for President Granger to now dissolve the 11th Parliament.

But Attorney General Basil Williams earlier this month said the coalition is still hopeful that the parliamentary Opposition – People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) – will return to the National Assembly to extend its life; otherwise, he foresees a “crisis” situation in Guyana.

However, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had long thrown cold water on any expectation that his party will return to Parliament. In fact, the Opposition had not attended any parliamentary sitting since January when House Speaker, Dr Barton Scotland, had refused to overturn the December 21, 2018 passage of the No-Confidence Motion as requested by Government and directed them to seek redress in the courts.

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) – Guyana’s highest appellate court – has since validated the passage of the Opposition-tabled motion, which it said activated Article 106 of the Constitution. This provides for Cabinet, including the President, to resign and call elections in three months, unless there is a two-thirds majority vote of all sitting members of the National

Assembly to extend that timeline.

Jagdeo, a former President, had pointed out that an extension of Government’s life is unnecessary at this point since it is not linked to any decisions that should be taken to facilitate the polls.

Moreover, the CCJ would have bestowed the coalition administration with a caretaker status, indicating that its main function is to host elections. “[The President] sought to link the date with the return of the parliamentary Opposition to Parliament to extend the life of his Government…

Therein are several fallacies. One, there is no link to the extension of his Government, which has been illegal since March 21. He never sought that extension before,” Jagdeo had pointed out.

The Opposition Leader further added, “Secondly, the extension is wholly unnecessary for him to discharge the caretaker responsibility that had been accorded to him by the CCJ. Because a caretaker Government is only vested with one responsibility, that is, holding elections and having the authority to do all the things necessary with the holding of elections.

By virtue of being caretaker, he can proclaim the date and he can dissolve the Parliament”.

According to Jagdeo, Government is looking at the extension as a legal footing for activities which are not authorised under a caretaker administration.

“We believe the real reason for all of this [is] they want legal coverage for all the criminal acts of theft and transfers of resources that they have committed because they believe if we extend the life of the Government, there will be no prosecution. There can’t be prosecution,” he signalled.

In this regard, he reaffirmed that there is a zero per cent chance of them returning to the National Assembly.

“We have no intention of going to Parliament to extend the life of his Government.

Absolutely none. No intention whatsoever,” Jagdeo positioned.

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WEEK ENDING october 20, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

PPP gives snippet of plans for education sector A s the People’s Progressive Party continues to roll out its manifesto ahead of next year’s General and Regional Elections, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has revealed a “three primary objectives” strategy for the country’s education sector.

Jagdeo said at his weekly press conference said that these three objectives are: to have universal access at every level from nursery to university; to improve quality at every level, and preparing young people for the labour market.

The intention, he noted, is to reorient the programmes at the tertiary and technical vocational levels so that Guyanese will be fully prepared when they venture out into the job market.

Jagdeo, who is also the PPP’s General Secretary, said that the party believes that these should not be the only changes in the education sector.

“We have to improve facilities across Guyana, we have to offer incentives to teachers and opportunities for training and skill development,” he asserted.

Further, the Opposition Leader re-

UG students at a previous graduation ceremony

minded of PPP’s intention of offering 20,000 online scholarships. He noted that this project is intended to significantly expand across Guyana, also benefiting hinterland students.

Jagdeo said that education should also be affordable for everyone. On the note of supporting affordable education, the party also believes that no child should have to purchase textbooks.

The Opposition Leader stressed that the State should be tasked

with the responsibility of purchasing textbooks for children.

Concerning the private education sector, he indicated that corporate taxes would be removed from those institutions.

“For private education at all levels, from nursery to university, the plan is to remove the corporate taxes so that they would not have to pay corporate tax,” he noted, reminding that it was the APNU/ AFC Government that imposed a 14 per cent

Valued Added Tax (VAT) on education.

He recalled that it was only after mounting pressure that the tax, which trickled down to parents, was removed.

To this end, Jagdeo contended that the coalition has been doing more harm than good.

“They started off by, you would recall, removing the [G$10,000 ‘Because We Care’] grants from the school kids, which by now, would have put eight billion dollars in the pock-

ets of the parents or these children,” he noted.

In fact, the Opposition Leader related that President David Granger has replaced the grant with his “Five Bs” initiative (boats, buses, bicycles, breakfast, and books), which has resulted in them spending more for the maintenance of buses than the actual cost of the buses.

“Look at the Auditor General’s report, we have spent G$20 million on maintenance of

one of these buses, and more than the cost of the bus, millions of dollars”, he stated, adding “That could never replace the eight billion dollars that you took away from the school kids”.

Moreover, he indicated that President Granger has also failed in fulfilling the promise to provide jobs for students one year after graduating from the University of Guyana (UG).

“He failed on the fees of university education that increased by 35 per cent. The nutrition programme has not been extended; in fact, it has been cut back in many areas. The school uniform [vouchers] for students, many hinterland people didn’t get it,” Jagdeo pointed out.

Against this backdrop, the Opposition Leader noted that President Granger’s touted position that the education sector has improved under his Administration is farfetched.

“It has contradicted this view that he still believes, he is the only one who believes it, that he is pushing education, or education is a priority of his Government,” Jagdeo said.

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WEEK ENDING october 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Peoples Progressive Party / Civic Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali visited the communities of Port Mourant and Letter Kenny where he met the families and villagers of the crew who came under pirate attack recently. He used the opportunity to call on the authorities to visit these families and their community and listen to their concerns and offer them the necessary support

President leaves for another medical check-up in Cuba

P

resident David Granger will be returning to Havana, Cuba for a medical check-

up on Saturday, October 19, 2019.

He made this disclosure on the sidelines of

an accreditation event held at the Ministry of the Presidency earlier on Wednesday.

“Every 90 days I have to go for a check-up,” the President stated.

Last year, the Head of State was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Since then, he has undergone several rounds of radiotherapy treat-

ment.

In July 2019, after another round of treatment, the President returned to Guyana having been given the ‘all clear’ by his Team of Medical Specialists in Cuba.

The team had expressed their satisfaction

with the President’s response to the treatment and his overall physical well-being.

According to the medical team, President Granger’s process of recovery was satisfactory.

Light aircraft crashes in Guyana’s interior, pilot rescued

A

small aircraft, which was shuttling fuel to Guyana’s interior, has crashed at Aricheng, Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni).

The incident occurred on Thursday around 07:53h. The plane was piloted by Captain Bernard Singh, who is said to have survived the crash.

The Piper PA31 aircraft, bearing registration 8R-HAI, is owned by Captain Orlando Charles of Domestic Airways.

According to a press release from the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (G, Air Traffic Services

at Timehri has confirmed that an emergency locator signal was received from Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT).

The location was confirmed to be 2.71 Nautical Mile Northwest of Aricheng aerodrome.

The GCAA stated that search and rescue team comprising the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Special Forces and Air Navigation Services Personnel of the GCAA went to the location to rescue the pilot. A fixed aircraft and a helicopter were dispatched with the search and rescue team.

Captain Bernard Singh was rescued. He only suffered minor injuries. According to GCAA, he was able to walk with the search and rescue team to Aricheng airstrip from where he was flown to Georgetown.

The GCAA has launched an investigation into this accident.

This is not the first plane crash Captain Singh has encountered.

In March 2014, he was behind the controls when the aircraft he was operating crashed after takeoff from Arau in Region Seven. No one died in the accident.

WEEK ENDING october 20, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

news 13

Life sentence for man who hacked exmother-in-law, stepdaughter to death

F

Joshua Franklin

orty-eight-year-old Joshua Franklin was on Wednesday sentenced to life imprisonment for hacking his former stepdaughter and mother-in-law to death almost five years ago.

Franklin, a former cane cutter, was initially charged with the December 18, 2014 murders of nine-year-old Ashley Boodhoo and 55-year-old Bibi Zalima Khan at Khan’s Tuschen Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo home.

However, earlier this month, he pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter in both cases before High Court Judge Justice Sandil Kissoon. A probation report was ordered and presented to the Court on Wednesday, when the Judge handed down the sentence.

Franklin was given the life imprisonment sentence on each charge, which will run concurrently. He will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years.

According to reports, Franklin’s then reputed wife, Geeta Boodhoo, had left their abusive relationship and moved in

with her mother, Bibi Zalima Khan, in Tuschen Housing Scheme.

On the morning of December 18, 2014, Franklin broke into Khan’s home where his former reputed wife was staying along with her children, and found her in a compromising position with another male, Floyd Drakes.

He took up two cutlasses and chopped the woman, who managed to escape. He then turned on the man, hacking him to death before pursuing Khan and little Ashley.

The other children, after seeing what was taking place, retreated to a clump of bushes where they hid.

After inflicting his mayhem, Franklin went into hiding but was caught days later in the interior.

He was also charged with the murder of Drakes and that matter is expected to come up soon.

Boodhoo’s wrist was chopped off during the incident. Over the years, the mother of five had received assistance from several charitable organisations and individuals.

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Granger confirms APNU in ‘exploratory’ talks with Shuman’s party

T

he A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is currently in “exploratory” talks with Indigenous Leader Lenox Shuman’s party – the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) – which is being seen as a move to attract Amerindian voters.

Leader of the APNU, President David Granger, on Wednesday confirmed that he has been in preliminary exploratory talks with Shuman, a former Toshao of St Cuthbert’s Mission and former Vice Chair of the National Toshaos Council.

“We’re looking for common ground, we’re looking for areas of convergence. The policy of A Partnership for National Unity is that we are inclusionary and we welcome other parties who share our objectives to develop Guyana, Guyana’s children, Guyana’s environment. Mr Shuman has given me the assurance that, you know, there are areas of convergence between the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) and what he thinks the APNU stands for,” he told reporters.

According to Granger, while Shuman is convinced that there is a wide area of convergence between the policies of the two parties, no actual agreement has been made by the two sides.

It was reported that Shuman says he will be doing a final analysis before making any decision on possibly coalescing with other parties. He

President David Granger greets Lennox Shuman at the opening of the NTC confab in 2018

has reportedly held talks with the other political parties.

He contends that his intention is not to get positions but to further development for a better Guyana. He also wants to ensure that the resources from the impending oil and gas be equally distributed among all Guyanese, especially the Indigenous people.

Despite this position,

Shuman is looking to join forces with a party whose Junior Social Protection Minister Keith Scott back in 2017 said Amerindians were “avaricious” since they had too much land and threatened that they would not benefit from the new oil revenues –something which he still refuses to apologise for to date.

Nevertheless, the LJP and

APNU are expected to meet again sometime this month.

The APNU is a five-party alliance led by the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and comprises of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Justice for All Party (JFAP), National Front Alliance (NFA) and the Guyana Action Party (GAP).

The PNC-led APNU has

managed to pull in most small parties in Guyana, including the country’s largest third force – the Alliance for Change (AFC) – which it coalesced with back in 2015 to get into office.

In fact, these talks between LJP and the APNU come even as the APNU is in the process of reviewing the Cummingsburg Accord, which was signed in 2015, with its minority coalition partner AFC. “We’re multi-tasking… The APNU is looking after its relation with the Alliance for Change as well as the proposal relation with the Liberty and Justice Party,” Granger told reporters on Wednesday.

With regards to ongoing renegotiation process with the AFC, the APNU leader noted they have already completed the first step in a three-stage process, that is, agreeing to a set of joint core principles.

He previously revealed that the five partners within the APNU fraction compiled a list of core principles which included issues surrounding Indigenous affairs and cash grants from oil revenues, among others. These have been accepted by the AFC. Going forward now, Granger said that the committee is currently at the stage of ironing the process to review the Accord. Following this, they will establish a joint manifesto for next year’s March 2 General and Regional Elections. turn to page 23

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Diamond man committed to stand trial for murder of overseas-based Guyanese

W

ayne Anthony Chester, called “Sharky�, of 236 Section C, Block Y, Diamond Housing Scheme, was on Wednesday committed to stand trial at the Demerara High Court for the 2017 murder of Purcell Moore at Craig Village, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

Chester, 24, was on trial before

Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

When the matter was called, the Magistrate ruled that sufficient evidence has been presented before the court to establish a prima facie case against Chester.

The charge alleged that on December 20, 2017, at Craig, EBD, Chester mur-

Wayne Chester

dered Purcell Moore, a resident of the village, during the course of a robbery.

According to reports, Moore was returning home from a shop when he was confronted by armed men.

It was reported that an argument erupted between Moore and the suspects, which resulted with a scuffle, during which several rounds were discharged at Moore and the men fled the scene.

The injured man was rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Chester is the third person to be charged with the murder of Moore.

Kevin Persaud, 21, of 14th Avenue Diamond, EBD and Selwyn Dawson, 21, of Kaneville, EBD were already charged for the heinous crime.

In May, Chester was sentenced to five years imprisonment by Magistrate Rondel Weaver for a number of crime-related charges.

The charges alleged that on January 6, 2019, at Conciliation Drive, Tucville,

Dead: Purcell Moore

Georgetown, while being in the company of another and being armed with an unlicensed gun, Chester robbed Bowen Cromwell of G$512,600 in cash and jewellery.

On the same date and at the same place, he also allegedly damaged two car parts valued at a total of G$85,000, which belonged to Cromwell.

Chester was also charged with discharging a loaded firearm with intent to wound Cromwell, having a pistol in his possession without being the holder of a firearm licence, and being in possession of unlicensed ammunition.

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GECOM to fill key positions ‘soon’ – Alexander

T

he Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will be moving ahead with the process of recruiting personnel for key positions within the elections body in preparation for the March 2020 polling day.

This was revealed by Governmentnominated GECOM Commissioner Vincent Alexander when he updated reporters on Tuesday’s more than three-hour-long meeting.

According to Alexander, the Commission has agreed to commence interviews for the posts of: Assistant Chief Elections Officer (ACEO), Civic and Voters’ Education Officer, Research Officer and Logistics Officer.

“So very soon we will be convening those panels for the interviews so we can conclude employment of those four officers,” he indicated.

Last week, it was revealed that almost one year after the December passage of the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against the coalition government, GECOM is only now scrambling to fill these key posts with only five months remaining before next year’s elections.

In fact, Commissioner Alexander had told reporters that the Admin Committee was reactivated to fill these vacancies.

“Obviously, those vacancies have been affecting the capacity of the Secretariat to do its work,” he had stated.

Since the December 2018 passage of the NCM, which triggered early elections within three months, GECOM has come under heavy criticism for its failure to be in a state of readiness to hold General and Regional Elections.

In fact, in its ruling on the consolidated NCM cases, the Caribbean Court

GECOM Commissioner Vincent Alexander

of Justice (CCJ) said that all constitutional actors, including GECOM, must abide by the provisions of the Constitution.

“The Court must assume that these bodies and personages will exercise their responsibilities with integrity and in keeping with the unambiguous provisions of the Constitution bearing in mind that the No-Confidence Motion was validly passed as long ago as 21 December 2018,” the Trinidad-based regional court had stated.

According to Article 106, Cabinet including the President shall resign and call elections within three months of the successful passage of a no-confidence motion. This meant elections were due since March 21, 2019. But while the court noted that the timeline was on pause owing to the legal proceedings, its June 18 ruling validating the passage had re-triggered the elections deadline. TURN TO PAGE 21

NEWS 19

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27-yr-old gets life sentence for killing

businesswoman

T

Convicted killer: Devanand Rampersaud

wenty-seven-yearold Devanand Rampersaud, also called “Julu”, of Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), was on Tuesday given a life sentence for killing Mahaicony businesswoman Bibi Nesha Shairoon-Ali. Rampersaud pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter when he appeared before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the Georgetown High Court on October 2, 2019.

Ali’s body was discovered on October 17, 2016 on the floor of her bedroom. The discovery was made after neighbours had reported that the woman had not been seen for a few days.

After the gruesome discovery, a 14-yearold boy was arrested after the Police received information that he and the businesswoman had a heated argument prior to her demise. Nevertheless, less than a day after the teen

Murdered: Bibi Nesha Shairoon-Ali

He admitted that between October 15 and October 17, 2016 at Novar, Mahaicony, he killed Ali. However, on Tuesday, Rampersaud claimed that his only intention was to rob the elderly woman and it was his co-accused, a teenager, who bludgeoned the businesswoman with a frying pan.

He also claimed that he was under the influence of cocaine when he committed the offence.

It was also reported that the post-mortem revealed that the woman was sexually molested.

was taken into custody, Rampersaud was arrested.

He was charged for the crime, but pleaded not guilty. Following the Preliminary Inquiry (PI), the prosecutor would have provided sufficient evidence and as such, he was committed to stand trial for the murder in the High Court.

It was when he appeared before Justice Sandil Kissoon on October 2, he confessed to committing the murder and pleaded guilty to a less count of manslaughter.

news 21

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Guyana remains exposed to external shocks from prices, trade blockades – IMF

T

he International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that Guyana’s economy remains exposed to the effects of volatile commodity prices, economic slowdowns in the international market, and protectionist measures against Guyana’s exports.

This was explained by the Fund in a recent report on Guyana’s economy, and it comes even as Guyana has already had to contend with protectionist measures from various countries which have blocked and even returned certain shipments of goods from local shores.

“Guyana remains subject to commodity price shocks, heightened protectionist trends, and slowdown in international trade,” the report says. However, the IMF noted that based on the Government’s utterances, work is being done to build a more diversified economy.

It also noted the importance of expanding opportunities and competitiveness for businesses to grow in the local economy, as well as supporting measures for an economy that has ‘green’ initiatives at its core.

The report acknowledges that export figures can be distorted by the large proportion of commodity exports Guyana ships, and the effects of shocks in certain economic sectors, like rice and sugar. Here, it used the example of the suspension of the PetroCaribe deal with Venezuela and the woes of the Guyana

Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO).

Protectionism

Of recent, Guyana has had to contend with protectionist measures from the United States, United Kingdom and Trinidad.

In the case of the US, that country imposed a ban on the exportation of catfish from Guyana. In explaining why the ban was imposed, Veterinary Public Health Unit Director Dr Ozaye Dodson had said that Guyana fell short of the US standards in three areas. In the first place, there were issues regarding the presence of inspectors.

There were also issues with insufficient documentation to verify the steps being taken in the sanitation and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) process.

There was also insufficient documentation specifying how the industry manages adulterated catfish products.

When it comes to the UK, their Environment Agency imposed restrictions on greenheart importation since 2015. At the time, it was claimed that proof of sustainable sourcing of the forest product was inadequate, and this has since resulted in a drastic decrease in export of the product to the UK. In December 2016, the EA relaxed the restrictions on greenheart, but only began to accept Category A FSC 100 per cent greenheart from Iwokrama. Guyana has, however, been involved in talks under

The International Monetary Fund building

the Guyana-European Voluntary Partnership Agreement to lessen the restrictions.

In 2019, Jamaican authorities also rejected some 70 metric tonnes of white rice. It was reported that after samples of the rice shipment were sent to the division’s microbiology lab for testing, the results from the tests demonstrated that the rice contained microbial levels which are beyond the accepted limits, thus making it unfit for human consumption.

This seizure was the first for the year, but an epidemic of poor quality rice exiting Guyana was seen in the recent months when Panama rejected some 20 containers of rice from Guyana back in September 2018.

Rice is a major contributor to the Agriculture Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Guyana. Guyana is presently a major paddy producer and one of the leading exporters of rice

in the region.

Climate change

The IMF had also warned in its report that Guyana was at risk of the effects of climate change,

something that has become obvious over the past few weeks with overtopping along the coast bringing with it flooding of communities.

“With its coast being

GECOM to fill...

But Alexander explained that the Elections Commission could not have done any work to fill these vacancies since it was without a Chairman for several weeks.

“These vacancies have been there since last year. Work on the vacancies were held up when we did

below sea level, Guyana remains highly vulnerable to climate change and the consequent trend in sea level rise,” the IMF said in its report.

Flooding in Mahaica this month saw more than 300 acres of rice being destroyed and hundreds of acres more being put under threat of destruction by saltwater.

In addition, livestock was destroyed and properties sustained damages.

Apart from the destruction of the rice, it has been reported that the flooded land is no longer suitable for rice production, since the soil composition has become too salty.

Junior Minister of Public Infrastructure, Jaipaul Sharma, has himself ascribed the overtopping to the effects of global warming.

TURN TO PAGE 21

not have a Chairman,” Commissioner Alexander contended.

However, these vacancies were there since last year and GECOM was only without a Chair for about one month in July.

The CCJ had also ruled in June that the 2017 appointment of then GECOM Chair Retired Justice James

Patterson was unconstitutional. This resulted in Justice Patterson’s resignation late June. After several weeks of meetings between President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo and their representatives, current Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh was appointed on July 26.

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Togetherness and love displayed by Guyanese rallying around Warriors should continue – Minister Norton

F

ollowing a moment of heartbreak for Guyanese cricket fans, as they watched the Barbados Tridents pick apart the exceptional Guyana Amazon Warriors on Saturday

night during the Hero Caribbean Premiere League (CPL) final, Social Cohesion Minister Dr George Norton has ex-

tended heartiest congratulations to the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) team for an exceptional performance in the 2019 season.

This Minister, who holds responsibility

for Culture, Youth and Sport, has mentioned the Warriors’ exceptional performance this year as the highlight of the

Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2019 tournament.

“Even though we did not win, I believe that Guyana was a massive force to reckon with in the tournament. We

have been consistent in reaching the finals, and when the time is right, we will stun the cricketing world with a spec-

tacular win,” Minister Norton has said.

Minister Norton is further encouraging Guyanese citizens to upkeep, and continue to build on, the unifying momentum that the CPL and the Amazon Warriors brought through their spectacular record of 11 straight

wins.

“The CPL may have come and gone, but the togetherness and love that we displayed as One People, One Nation with One Destiny while rallying around the GAW deserves to live on,” Dr Norton urged.

In good nature, the Minister has extended

heartfelt congratulations to the winning team, noting that they played excellently.

“The Barbados Tridents played well, and Guyana congratulates them for once again copping the coveted title as the CPL Champions,” Dr Norton has declared.

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Miners’ body roasts Ramjattan, Police Force over upsurge in crime

T

he Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) on Tuesday issued a stinging statement, criticising the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and called out authorities for being unable to control the crime situation in the country.

The statement comes in light of the death of its member and miner Deon Stoll, who was fatally shot by bandits as he was about to conduct business at El Dorado Trading at Da Silva Street, Kitty on Monday.

“How many more must be robbed, or be slaughtered before it is accepted that we have a crime issue in Guyana which must be addressed?” the Association asked.

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan was also called out by the GGDMA, which ques-

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan

try is safe and to address the “upsurge” in crime.

Deon Stoll

tioned what is being done to ensure the coun-

old

Deon Stoll, a 44-yearbusinessman and

miner, was attacked and shot by bandits who were reportedly trailing him in a motorcar. He later succumbed to his injuries.

However, Stoll had succeeded in returning fire at one of the gunmen, whose body was later found at Tucville, Georgetown.

Police Headquarters had said the suspected bandit, 18-year-old Olijah Chesney, was a serving member of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).

This is not the first time a member of the country’s Joint Services has been implicated in criminal activities.

In light of this, the GGDMA mounted pressure on the GPF and the GDF to “weed out the rogue elements from among their ranks since all they do is tarnish the image of the force and the law-abiding officers”.

According to the GGDMA, miners and businesspersons must be able to feel safe, especially when conduct-

Granger confirms APNU...

However, an issue that has been stirring much controversy in recent times is the APNU leader’s running mate for the upcoming polls. Granger will be returning as the APNU’s Presidential Candidate.

The Cummingsburg Accord stipulates that the APNU gets the Presidential Candidate and the AFC will provide the prime ministerial candidate. As such, the minority party has elected its leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, to run alongside Granger at next

year’s elections.

But while Ramjattan and the AFC is confident that he will be running as the PM candidate, the APNU is yet to accept his candidacy. The majority coalition party said that this will have to be discussed by the two coalition partners.

According to Granger on Wednesday, this topic is yet to come up for discussion.

“It is not something that has been discussed.

I pointed out, previously, that we look at principles before person-

from page 15

alities; it is important we get the principles, and we’ve hammered out the core principles.

We’re now hammering out the revision of the Cummingsburg Accord and then we’ll come to personalities in due course. We’re not in a hurry,” he asserted.

Since coming into office after joining forces with the APNU, the minority AFC has been heavily criticised for the submissive role it has been playing, especially when it comes to key national issues.

ing legitimate business around the country.

“That is the duty of the Guyana Police Force to protect and serve”.

Given the upsurge in crime – which the authorities deny – the GGDMA, in its statement, asked several questions.

“Where are the Police

patrols? What has happened to the hundreds of vehicles and motorcycles the Government of Guyana has given to the Guyana Police Force?

Are these vehicles being used for its intended purposes? What are the Guyana Police Force’s plans to address this upsurge in crime?”

The Association said it refuses to sit idly by and allow its miners to “be slaughtered by these rouge elements”.

“We urge all our miners to take full security precaution and call on the Joint Forces to take the necessary actions so that our streets, neighbourhoods, interior and towns can be safe to live and conduct business”.

Meanwhile, the GGDMA has expressed condolences to those who are grieving the loss of Stoll and called for justice to prevail.

“The Association expresses its profound condolences to the family of the late Mr Stroll whose life was snatched away from him by these animals as he sought to conduct business in a transparent manner like any other decent citizen”.

For the past several months, the GPF has ceased issuing crime statistics.

Latest statistics revealed that for the period January to September 2018, there were over 800 robberies committed, including robberies under arms and robberies with aggravated violence.

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Attempting to pervert the course of justice

Mother of US-based murder accused lead defence

T

he mother of USbased Guyanese and murder accused Marcus Bisram and her co-accused on Tuesday lead their defence in relation to the matter in which both women were charged for offering a detective G$4 million for him to suppress evidence against Bisram.

Sharmilla Inderjali, of Number 72 Village, Corentyne, Berbice and Maryanna Lionel, a relative of one of Bisram’s alleged accomplices, who are currently out on G$3 million bail appeared before Magistrate Leron Daly and give unsworn statements when the matter was called on Tuesday.

During her testimony, Inderjali maintained her innocence.

In her statement, she told the court that in November 2016 she accompanied Lionel to pay the bail for her father, along with the others who were arrested by Police. The woman expressed that she could not read properly and that the Police made her sign the statement.

Lionel, in her statement, said that in

November 2016 she had received information about her father, along with others being placed on bail. The woman related that she took money and went to Police Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown to pay the bond, and the Police made accusations against her.

Daly Magistrate adjourned the case to October 30, 2019 after

the women’s lawyer, Sanjeev Datadin, asked for time to review the evidence.

The charge stated that the women, during November 2016, allegedly offered a detective at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, G$4 million for him to hide evidence against

Bisram.

On October 31, 2016, Faiyaz Narinedatt was beaten and run over with a motor car on the alleged orders of Bisram, after the carpenter declined sexual advances that were made by the overseas-based Guyanese.

The body of 27-year-old Narinedatt was later found on the Number 70 Village Public Road,

Corentyne.

Evidence had indicated that the carpenter was thrashed, placed in the trunk of a car, and then placed on the road. It is believed that five henchmen – Radesh Motie, Diadatt Datt, Harri Paul Parsram, Orlando Dickie and Niran Yacoob – were instructed by Bisram to dump the body and make his

death seem as a result of a vehicular accident.

While two of the men have confessed to the killing, Bisram’s mother and sister were accused of offering bribes to dissolve the case.

The Guyana Police Force came in for unprecedented criticism after several Police Officers in Berbice were implicated in a plot to cover up the murder. All of the accused have since been committed to stand trial in the High Court for the murder after a Berbice Magistrate found that a prima facie case has been made out against them.

On March 7, 2017, a warrant was issued for Bisram, who had left for the US, by the judicial system in Guyana.

However, Bisram filed legal proceedings in a US court in an attempt to fight his extradition back to Guyana. He was unsuccessful, after a US appellate court denied his application to stay the extradition proceedings in an effort to have a rehearing of his appeal. The five men have been committed to stand trial at the Berbice High Court.

ITEC programme having positive impact; over 500 Guyanese benefited - Indian High Commissioner

O

ver 500 Guyanese have benefited from the Indian Technical Economic Cooperation (ITEC), a programme that is offered to people of Guyana by the Government of India, to develop Guyana’s human resources.

This is according to Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr K J Srinivasa, who hosted an event at his Happy Acres, East Coast Demerara home, in recognition of ITEC’S 55th anniversary.

According to the High Commissioner, the ITEC programme has been constantly on the move, catching success for the past years. This programme has been building and training over 200, 000 Government officials and professionals from about 160 partner countries of Global South premier of its country. Some of which include Asia, Africa, East Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean amongst others

President David Granger shares a light moment with High Commissioner Dr K. J. Srinivasa and his wife after the simple ceremony today (MotP photo)

He noted that as a result of the ITEC programme, there has been significant growth and awareness in many countries. The programme has not only generated growth, but also cooperation amongst those developing countries that benefited or is benefiting from the programme.

According to the High Commissioner, the programme offers many courses that provide a wide and diverse range of skills and discipline; some of which include agriculture, irrigation, Information Technology (IT), Telecommunication, finance, accounts, audit, banking, education, planning and administration and tool design amongst others.

ITEC is a flagship capacity programme initiated by the Indian Government. It was first established on September 12, 1964, by the Ministry of External Affairs. Its main objective is to develop and lend assistance through capacity building and training.

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By Mohanlall Suelall

N

ikos Kazantzakis had said, “True teachers use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross; then, having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create bridges of their own.”

Bearing that in mind, Rabeena Rajkumar joined the teaching profession over 20 years ago and to date she still goes to work every day feeling as though it is the first. For her, teaching gives her f u l f i l ment and knowing that she is impacting the lives of the future generations of groundbreakers makes her the happiest.

M i s s Rabeena started her career as a young teacher at the tender age of 18 in January of 1999.

The first school she taught at was the CV Nunes Primary School, which is located in Anna Regina along the Essequibo Coast in Region 2 (PomeroonSupenaam). Ever since, she has been blazing the trail as one of the foremost teachers on the Essequibo Coast because she believes teaching is not just about explaining the syllabus to her students, rather it involves imparting holistic education in order for them to become rounded members of society.

Miss Rabeena continues on her journey as a teacher with a passion

for education. She gives her best to her pupils so as to empower them with knowledge and skills that will prepare them to follow their careers and become successful men and women.

“Teachers have an important role to play and that is to mould the world.

They must have respect for themselves and others along with love for the job and an interest in human development,” she said.

Always wanting to become a teacher, Miss Rabeena complet-

ed her sec- ondary education at the Anna Regina Multilateral School and immediately took on the challenge of following her goals.

She joined the Cyril Potter College of Education at Cotton Field on the

Essequibo Coast in pursuit of that dream.

When she would have completed her training, she joined the staff at CV Nunes Primary, where she has been ever since.

W h e n asked about s o m e of her challenges, a smiling Miss Rabeena said one of them is "balancing the different learning needs of pupils". For her, a good teacher is one who pays attention to the different learning capabilities of all their students. Paying attention and analysing the learning capabilities of different students are of paramount importance to Miss Rabeena because it allows her to craft plans to attend to the needs of every student. It also allows her, as a teacher, to ensure that every student performs to the best of their ability so when they go out into the world and become whatever they were aiming for, she could proudly say that she was a part of them becoming who they are.

A mother herself, Miss Rabeena believes in nurturing her students as though they are her own children because of the mere fact that they spend most of their time with her. She treats every student in her care the same way she would wish that teachers treat her own daughter.

FEATURE 29

For her, World Teachers’ Day is one day where the importance of teachers could be stressed but she believes that teachers should be honoured on a daily basis. Teaching is considered to be the mother of all professions since, without the right teaching, one cannot be functional in any other role.

“My advice to all the students out there is to be focused and follow your dreams. I would tell them to don't let the world change you…you go ahead and change the world for the better because you can do it.”

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Flogging…

J

…a lame duck ust when you thought the Chronic, under the ministrations of Nagamootoo and his DPI shill, couldn’t sink any lower – snakes are already on the ground, aren’t they? – they just went and endorsed Granger as their preferred Presidential candidate among the PPP, PNC and ANUG!! Of course we know Nagamootoo is assiduously brown-nosing Granger, hoping against all the evidence that he’ll be PM pick!!

Ahhh…hope springs eternal in the human breast and all that!!

But back to the Chronic’s endorsement. They claim this coming election is a “referendum on leadership”, and insist that “from (David Granger’s) entry into the political arena a decade ago, he has demonstrated a (high) level of integrity and uprightness…”

Now, let’s examine this assertion, which is obviously the best they can do, since there’s nothing of any note he’s done as President. Let’s start with “integrity”.

Now, the dictionary informs us that the word “integrity” means “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles”. Your Eyewitness first encountered Granger from his history of the GDF, in which he describes the action of the GDF contingent that shot and killed those two unarmed civilians who were trying to prevent the hijacking of ballot boxes as “exemplary”!! Where is the “integrity” of an officer who can justify such a barbarous action?

We next encounter him in 1979, when Burnham had consolidated his “paramountcy of the PNC” but was troubled by some young officers becoming influenced by the mockery of Walter Rodney, who dubbed him “King Midas” – everything he touches becomes transmuted to shi*!! Burnham bypassed all the GDF officers senior to Granger, who maintained their professionalism, and appointed Granger as Head of the army!! All that meant was that Burnham knew Granger had no integrity as an officer, and would do whatever he asked.

Granger confirmed his lack of integrity when he told a PNC gathering he’d “always” been PNC!! He thus obviously never had any problem with swearing personal loyalty to Burnham at the PNC congresses!

And we arrive at his “election” as PNC leader in 2011.

Integrity? Didn’t he connive with the disenfranchisement of the Linden delegation? Didn’t Aubrey Norton insist the elections were “rigged”?

Didn’t he then ban Kissoon and Solomon from the party? Aren’t they still persona non grata??

Integrity?? A man who gave Nagamootoo – who helped him win the 2015 elections -Larwah rather than the promised expanded Prime Ministership??

Integrity?? A man who played Machiavellian plots to undermine the Constitution?? Who derided the judgement of our courts as “their perception” and said he was entitled to his? Integrity?? A man who oversaw the rape of the treasury over his Jubilee Park??

Pleese!! …PNC’s lies The Director of the Norwegian International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), Per Fredrik Pharo, has nailed the lie the new Minister of State Dawn Hastings told about Norway’s US$50M, which she claimed was being transferred to her Government.

She’d gone up to the UN General Assembly meet, met the Norwegian Minister and breathlessly rushed home with her “revelation”. It was meant to deny that the international community was taking steps against her government’s illegally delaying the constitutionally mandated elections.

The money was actually being turned over to the UN- controlled GRIF [Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund] and will be available only to the new government formed after May 2 2020!! It’s rather pathetic how Hastings has opened up Guyana to the censure – and that’s what it is! – of a country that has played such a positive role in our low carbon development.

But we can see why Hastings is now the preferred candidate for the PM position over Nagamootoo and Ramjattan: She not only lies like her leader, but, as a ‘real” PNC, she is “born to rule Guyana”! …ourselves Your Eyewitness will not say much about the Warriors’ loss to the Tridents at this time, save this: Like Lot in the Bible, we’re being tested by some cosmic force.

But they’re still OUR Warriors, and we remain firmly behind them.

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feature 33

By Utama Bell

“I

t’s because I love what I do, I stay here”. Those were the words of 66-year-old Linden veteran Teacher and Educator Marcia Craig, whom I sat down with recently for an interview on the occasion of World Teachers’ Day. ‘Miss Craig’, as she has been passionately called throughout the years by both students and residents alike in the community has been in the teaching profession for 51 years, having started this prestigious lifelong calling in the year 1968.

I was amused when she told me this. “That’s longer than I have been alive”, I mused. She looked at me and smiled, as she took me along this 5 decade long celebratory journey. A firm disciplinarian, Miss Craig has been known over the years to “perform miracles” as it relates to reforming and enhancing students’ learning and moral capabilities.

Though she’s retired as Senior Headmistress on medical grounds, it seems as though she’s far from quitting anytime soon, as her passion and love for teaching keeps drawing her back.

Miss Craig has dedicated most of her life to the profession, having thought at several schools in Linden including the Christianburg and One Mile Primary schools as well as the New Silvercity and Linden Foundation Secondary schools, amongst others outside of the community. She later founded her own private educational institution, MC’s Educational Institute which is situated at Retrieve, Mackenzie, Linden. There, she teaches English Language to Grades 10 and 11, preparing them for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

Miss Craig is not only loved for her stern teaching personality but her strict stance on upholding moral values. She believes that education is the key which unlocks a world of possibilities and has dedicated her life to ensuring that young people understand this.

“Some students told me once that education wasn’t necessary, and I tried to show them how necessary education was then and I know now that they know that education is necessary because

Marcia Craig

all those that thought it wasn’t necessary because they all have went on to be good products in society... I let them know that education is vital...

Get an education so you can fit into society...education is key, education is necessary, education tells you how to make decisions, education teaches...”Miss Craig emphasised.

She went on to state that over the years she has learned that education allows one to realize, understand and work on their mistakes as well as change and improve negative situations. As such, Miss Craig posited that it is important for parents to instill in their children the importance of having an education. Being what many refer to as a ‘strict disciplinarian’, Miss Craig also plays the role as motivator to her students as she shared her belief that moral standards are on the decline.

“Society is on the decline, morals in the society are on the decline because most parents don’t have the time”, she noted.

In this regard she said if parents dedicated more of their time to en-

sure that their children are educated and disciplined there would be a better society. In her experience, she said many youths are not motivated by challenges, which is an area she works to ensure she sees change.

“Some young people, as soon as a challenge presents itself, they run”, Miss Craig highlighted. She noted that her perseverance with students over the years has led to many of them who did not have the confidence seeing their lives changed for the better.

“This school environment, this academic situation that we’re in, some people don’t have the time to work with the students but sitting with them, listening to them motivates me. So I would just keep working”, she said.

She related that she had intended on parting ways with the teaching aspect of the profession to focus only on administration, but admitted that she is motivated to keep going owing to her passion for more improved academic results at her school.

“It’s because I love what I do, I stay here...

and if I was to live my life over again I would want to be a teacher. You know when I get most of my gratification? When I’m in class and everyone is tuned in to me, everyone is paying attention and I look into their eyes and I see that they understand. I feel like I’m in heaven”, she said.

Given her years of experience she said she can tell whether a student understands what is being taught based on the look in their eyes.

“I can look into their eyes and I see it...I would say, ‘yes I know that you don’t understand. Tell me what you don’t understand...Alright, good, let’s go it over’. I probably have many great moments, but that particular moment when I’m in class and I can get all of them with me and I can see it in their eyes. Some may not grasp everything, but you know that they would leave with something...I live for that moment every time I enter into a class and if I’m working and they’re not getting it I am worried”, related Miss Craig as she went on to share many experiences she’s had with students over the years. She not only

teaches teenagers but adults as well. Though she admits that she bonds more with teenagers.

“I like working with teenagers. I like talking to them. I like showing them what life has to offer and I like to encourage them and show them that it is important to be educated”, she explained.

As Miss Craig noted, teaching has become a part of her life and she would not trade the profession for the world.

Having raised her children along the educational pathway, she takes pride in knowing that they have all achieved successful careers. She noted that the feedback she receives from former students who have went on to pursue their careers is what gives her gratification.

“For the 50 odd years that I have been a teacher, I have enjoyed it and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. As long as God provides the health and strength I will go on...I just love it and the odds, I’m not saying that sometimes it doesn’t get to me...but as long as God spares my life. I am going to work with who-

ever needs the help”, she posited.

As for her disciplined side, she said she will continue to work to instill good morals and values into her students.

“I would maintain discipline because that is how I grew up. I was raised that way so there is nothing else I can do.

My methods are sometimes unorthodox...but I have respect for everyone. All of the children here I respect and I tell them that they are expected to treat every teacher with respect... teaching is good as well as maintaining discipline”, she outlined.

Miss Craig noted too that she pays attention to what is happening within the environment so that she can relate to her students.

“Every morning, I talk to my students about what I heard on the radio, about what I read in the news. I talk to them if there are unsavory events or activities, I would show them how they don’t need to participate in those things”, she said.

Additionally, Miss Craig noted that proper use of grammar is also encouraged as was experienced first hand during our interview as the students would be corrected on their pronunciation as they politely interrupted our conversation every now and then to relay information.

“If I hear poor Grammar, I would tell them that ‘you don’t need to have that in your life’, therefore you have to grasp when we teach.

I always try to show them that for everything they have consequences, every activity, every action has a reaction...”she noted.

Though she plans on leaving the teaching arena, Miss Craig said she is currently working towards a 100 percent pass rate at CSEC as her Institute has has already achieved a 98 percent pass rate. It is achievements such as these that tend to keep her going.

“I love what I do. I could have remained at home but I feel like there are persons who need what I have to share.

And it wouldn’t be right for me to just sit at home and keep all the knowledge”, she quipped.

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By Mohanlall Suelall

S

omeone once said that failure is not a permanent experience and that one should rise above it and choose to be better than they were since changing and growing are what make you win. Perhaps it was that very saying and his refusal to accept that failure was there to stay, that drove Sir Raghunauth Doodnauth to the pinnacle of success today.

Coming from a single-parent home where household chores coupled with little or no access to financial resources meant limited studying time for Sir Raghunauth.

It was all of those factors that caused him to fail his Common Entrance and lose his shot at attending a secondary school where he could have excelled.

However, with determination and hard work, he was able to live his dream of becoming a trained secondary school teacher and today he serves as the Deputy Head Master of the Anna Regina Multilateral School.

Sir Ragu, as he is popularly known to his students, colleagues and friends, said that his life as a poor kid coming from a singleparent home where mommy was the only breadwinner gave him the opportunity to experience what is real poverty. Those experiences are what motivated him to educate himself so as to eradicate poverty from his life forever.

Sir Ragu, after failing his Common Entrance Examination, was given a place at the Anna Regina Community High School, now Cotton Field Secondary, where he was given a second chance to fulfil his dream. It was with the help and guidance of his Head Master, Sir Ruport Osborne, teachers like Sir Kumar Narine and Miss Banwattie Gocool, who later became his mentors, who gave him the necessary support which motivated him and built his confidence after which he started to show his full potential.

His commitment and determination were so overwhelming that he moved from the very bottom to where he began to top his class, consistently. When it came to his graduation after completing his secondary education, Sir Ragu was adjudged the best graduating student of the class of 1989 at the Anna Regina Community High School.

Sir Ragu, after leaving school, was given a chance to teach at the said school after

which he went to the Cyril Potter College of Education, Turkeyen Campus, from 1992 to 1994 and qualified himself as a trained mathematics teacher. After completing CPCE, he returned to Anna Regina Community High, now Anna Regina Secondary, and

In 2012 he attended the University of Guyana and in 2016 where he read for a Degree in Education AdministrationSecondary.

Sir Ragu said that his passion is to see that all students get a sound and equal education so

was placed as the acting Head of the Business Department.

as to empower them to be better equipped with the necessary tools

to face the many challenges in life.

Sir Ragu said that he was once called the dunce boy by his friends because he was attending the Anna Regina Community High School which was branded by the Anna Regina Multilateral students then as the dunce school.

But the proud teacher said that he is happy to see that the same “dunce” school produced many great students who later became doctors, lawyers, and teachers etc and as a testimony, he is now the Deputy Head Master of the Anna Regina Multilateral Secondary School, the same school which the students who were laughing at him attended.

His advice to all teachers is to give their best to their students because as teachers you can help to make a change in their lives and to all students, see education as a tool to empower you to become the person you wanted to be and to follow your career.

“While money can do great things, those who are not fortunate enough can also become great by putting education first and one day you too will be able to live a comfortable life. To all teachers, may this day give us the opportunity to sit back and reflect on our past achievements and failures and to set new goals for we are the moulder of this nation and what we give will one day return to us. Happy Teachers Day to all teachers.”

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Energy dept head urges Toshaos to craft plan to benefit from oil

D

irector of the Department of Energy, Dr Mark Bynoe has called on Indigenous leaders to craft a strategic plan to ensure their communities benefit equally from oil and gas resources.

The Department of Public Information (DPI) reported that Bynoe made the call while addressing the over 200 Toshaos and other Indigenous leaders in Georgetown for the 13th National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).

He is quoted by DPI as saying, “It must not just be a band-aid solution to address an immediate need, it should be focused towards where is it you want to go as a community, as a village and how is it you are going to get there… the biggest question that people ask is ‘when the monies begin to flow, how much will come to my region?’ The first thing I say is to have a plan… that in time to come you can have a defined pathway of how you will be able to improve the wellbeing of

Some of the Indigenous leaders at the National Toshaos Council Conference 2019 (DPI photo)

your people”.

The Director also explained that Guyana

we understand that as we move forward within this sector… that

hanced infrastructure, enhanced water quality, while also seeking

Guyana is entitled to two per cent royalty and 12.2 per cent of profit oil

Minister of State, Hon. Dawn Hastings-Williams and Director and Department of Energy, Dr. Mark Bynoe

will not automatically be transformed with first oil since the G$62 billion only represents about 10 per cent of Guyana’s current Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“It is important that

we need to prioritise.

Government also needs to prioritise as there are multiple demands on the limited resources, they have at their disposal inclusive of improvement in healthcare, education, en-

to ensure that we have more sustainable livelihood opportunities,” the Director stated.

While providing an overview of the new and emerging sector, Dr Bynoe explained that in terms of direct benefits,

in the initial stages. As it relates to direct employment opportunities, to date there are over 1300 Guyanese who are already employed directly in the sector.

Guyana has also benefitted from over G$150

million already injected into the sector.

He further outlined that going forward, indirect benefits will include associated gas which can help in electricity stability and the reduction of the cost of energy, and even more training opportunities. Dr Bynoe added that while the Administration is keen on ensuring all Guyanese are getting their “fair share”, just as important is the fact that their capacity is built through training to ensure they are working alongside those external experts to ensure those skills are transferred.

The Toshaos called for more education and awareness programmes on oil and gas within the hinterland villages. The Department of Energy Head said that the Department has recognised the need to conduct more awareness sessions in these areas and will be moving in that direction.

Guyana first discovered oil in May 2015.

US oil giant ExxonMobil has made 14 discoveries while UK company, Tullow has made two discoveries.

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W

orld Poetry Day was originally celebrated on the third Saturday in October and then October 15 was earmarked as it coincided with birthday of Virgil, the Roman epic poet and poet laureate under Augustus. However, in 1999 UNECSO declared March 21 as World Poetry Day, a day which is now also used in Guyana.

broadcaster, and political activist who established herself as the first recognised East Indian woman writer in Guyana. She pioneered and enhanced the slighted ‘coolie art forms’ and became the surrogate cultural and artistic mother to younger writers and artists. In 1971, she published ‘A Collection of Poems’, which tells of her perception and true feeling about issues affecting her. The poem ‘Per Aji’ is her most anthologized work John Campbell was a poet, playwright, actor and artist. In 1957, he won the University of the West Indies award with the play Come Back to Melda. He published seven collections of poems, a collection of famous murder stories, a collection of five one act plays and a monograph.

Dennis Craig was an educator, linguist, painter and poet who won the Guyana Prize for Literature for Best First Book of Poetry in 1998.

His poem ‘Flowers’ was his most anthologised piece and one of the best-known poems throughout the Caribbean.

Mahadai Das published three collections of poems, namely, ‘I Want to be a Poetess of my People’, ‘My Finer Steal Will Grow’ and ‘Bones’. ‘A Leaf in his Ear: Selected Poems’ was published by Peepal Tree Press in honour of her memory. Her most anthologised piece is ‘They came in Ships’.

Paloma Mohamed

Would that World Poetry Day had remained in October for my database shows that there are more than ten Guyanese poetry writers born during this month.

It is useful to know that this article is another effort to lobby for A Day of Guyanese Literature, (for more, please see the Sunday Magazine section of the Guyana Times, 29 September, 2019).

These Guyanese writers include (in no particular order) Ada Debidin, Cleveland Hamilton, Paloma Mohamed, Rajkumari Singh, Michelle Asantewa, Eric Phillips, John Campbell, James C. Richmond, Dennis Craig, Taij Kumarie Mootelall, Merlin October Persaud, Patrick Cheeks and Brianna Gopie.

Ada Debidin was fifty-four when her first published poem, ‘Lines at Bartica’, came out in The Chronicle Christmas Annual of 1967. Her first collection of poems was published when she was age 85.

In 1998, Merlin Octobert Persaud took up an unlikely challenge from the Secondary School Reform Project, Ministry of Education, by writing a collection of 24 poems, later publishing the anthology.

Soon after, two of those poems found their way into the Guyana Christmas Annual 1999.

James C. Richmond is a prolific, evocative spoken-word artist, poet, writer and actor.

Richmond is the first person in history to write and publish in poetry on the book of Daniel in the Bible.

Also, he has written poetry on the entire Book of

Cleveland Hamilton was a poet who immortalised our heroes and heroines, also capturing the life of significant world events and the noteworthy nature of places. He was profuse in praise for womanhood. He wrote the ‘Song of the Republic’ [of Guyana]. His first and only collection of poems is ‘As I was Singing’.

Brianna Gopie

Revelation. His publications: include ‘Reflections of Today’, ‘Where the Pomeroon Meets’, and ‘ On the Window of My Skin’.

Eric Phillips as so far published more than three collections of poems including ‘Wishful Love’ and ‘Quintessentially Yours’.

Michelle Asantewa Michelle Asantewa is an editor, publisher, novelist and poet. ‘The Awakening and other poems’ is her first collection of poems.

Patrick Cheeks would walk the walk by sharing his poetry in schools. He has published lots of poetry including ‘Heartsongs: A Poetic Symphony’ which contains sixty-four poems.

Taij Kumarie

Paloma Mohamed, has already won the Guyana Prize for Literature three times! She has published a collection of plays, two books of poems, and written numerous plays. She has also produced a number of films and has written literature for children and studies on child abuse.

Rajkumari Singh was a poet, playwright,

Brianna Gopie won the first prize in the Junior Poetry Category of The Guyana Annual 2019 issue with her poem, ‘Puppets’.

Taij Kumarie Mootelall is a change agent, multifaceted artist, poetess and performer. She cofounded Blackout Arts Collective, Jahajee Sisters and many other similar organizations, lobbying for the rights of women artists. Taij was instrumental in the publication of a poetry anthology entitled, ‘Bolo Bahen! Speak Sister!’

Rajkumari Singh

Bolo Guyana, bolo in poetry.

Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo. com

WEEK ENDING october 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

By Utama Bell

T

he Nursery level is believed to be the ‘foundation level’, which sets the pace for student learning and future academic achievements. This is the main reason why Nursery school teacher Kim Fung takes her job so seriously. Miss Fung, of

child’s education. It’s the foundation, so my role is super important”, she declared.

Miss Fung, who is a former student of the New Silvercity Secondary School in Linden admits that while she did not initially dream of becoming a teacher, she grew to develop a love for the profession as she entered into it

Kim Fung

Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara- Berbice) has been in the teaching profession for almost 10 years and is presently attached to the South Amelia’s Ward Nursery School. She attended the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and is currently a final year student at the University of Guyana where she is pursuing a Bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education. Her passion for assisting children in the learning process was birthed many years ago when she entered into a volunteer teacher’s programme and was stationed at the Aroaima Primary School in the Upper Berbice Region.

There, Miss Fung learned that teaching was indeed her calling. Speaking with the Sunday Times Magazine, she related that this passion later drove her to continue to become more qualified by pursuing a career in Education. Prior to teaching at her present location, she taught at the Amelia’s Ward Nursery school also in Linden. For Miss Fung, she explained it is more than just a daily dose of teaching.

“I just love the job, I love children. The experience is amazing. Just to see how the students come into school not knowing much and then you are there to teach them. They leave you learning so much- how to write their names for example. It might sound simple but sometimes it’s very challenging to make them achieve things like that. This is one of the most important levels of a

as chance would have it.

“I grew to love it as I got into it and that is why I chose to become a professional teacher”, she said.

She noted that it is a path she is proud of and will continue along.

According to her, there are many rewards which comes from being a teacher, and they are found in the simplest things such as a smile on the children’s faces.

A typical day in the life of Miss Fung, as she explained entails greeting her students with hugs in the morning. As the day progresses, she works with the students in achieving daily goals through various interactive educational activities. She presently has nineteen students enrolled in her class as she explained that it becomes extremely challenging at times, especially when it comes to dealing with, in some cases hyperactive students. Nevertheless, she noted, “Seeing them smile really lights up my world”.

In taking a closer look at student learning, Miss Fung explained that every child learns differently. She also shared her experience with dealing with a child with mild autism whom she noted was able to make a lot of progress during the time he spent in her class. In such cases, she explained, it is important that effective intervention is applied. In such cases, she is grateful for her knowledge gained through training and attending University.

“I would also do my

own research just to learn about how to deal with children with different abilities. I would have learned a lot too from attending Teacher’s College and University. You learn how to deal with every child- how to meet every child’s needs because every child is special and they all learn differently.

So, you have to observe and know what works for them”, Miss Fung reasoned.

Her advice to both teachers and parents of students at the Nursery level is to be patient and try to understand the learning abilities of children at the early childhood level. This, she noted, would give a better understanding of how to cater to their specific educational needs.

“Every child learns at their own pace and every

child has a special way of learning. You have to be observant and understand ways in which they learn easily and develop special ways in catering to their specific needs.

Create a child friendly atmosphere and give them experience that would involve all of their sens-

FEATURE 37

es and motivate them to learn and reach their full potential”, she advised.

Miss Fung looks forward to completing her Bachelors degree programme at University and to a fulfilling future in Education.

On the occasion of World Teachers’ Day, cel-

ebrated on October 5, the dedication and efforts as well as the strides made by teachers such as Miss Fung and others across the globe is being recognized. This year, World Teachers’ Day is being observed under the theme, “Young teachers: the future of professions.”

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NEWS 39

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Revenue authority urges importers of fruits to report concerns about delays to management

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ollowing concerns being expressed by importers of an alleged ban on importing items such as fruits into Guyana, a senior official from the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has denied the existence of any ban.

In fact, the introduction of the Automated System for Customs

ing such items.

When contacted, Deputy Commissioner General of GRA, Hema Khan, denied that there was any ban on the import of fruits and similar perishables. She explained that there are systems and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in place to deal with perishable items.

agement if they have a problem, because we do cater for those kinds of scenarios: the early release of perishable items; we do have a different SOP to deal with that.”

ASYCUDA World is a recognized Internetbased system of documentation used in most of the Caribbean terri-

Data (ASYCUDA) is supposed to help fasttrack these transactions, although persons have contended otherwise.

According to information reaching this publication, one importer in particular has encountered stumbling blocks when importing fruits.

While that importer’s cargo was eventually released after delays, the importer was reportedly informed by GRA officials of prohibitions when it comes to import-

“They should have been using that system.

We have implemented ASYCUDA, and we put a special review in place for those persons, whereby as it arrives it can be released (in a timely manner). So you don’t have to go through the regular risk profiling. There’s no ban, and we’ve already catered for (that); so I don’t know why they would have a problem.

“But they should (ventilate) it with man-

tories to bring about significant benefits in customs and trade, such as the reduction in processing time of customs documentation, and the quick release of imported and exported goods.

Its introduction to the GRA was premised on the failure of the previous Total Revenue Integrated Processing System (TRIPS) to deliver as expected, with relevant customs modules such as e-manifest, want-of-entry, and ware-

housing.

There, however, have been complaints that enough education did not precede the introduction of the system. While GRA did hold consultations with stakehold-

ers, there is a perception that sensitisation efforts did not go far enough to reach importers.

In addition, concerns have been expressed about the narrow window within which im-

porters can lodge declarations before the ship arrives. However, GRA has said that the delay is necessary to ensure manifests and the relevant documents cross match.

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Kitty man lands in Court for smashing lover’s car windows

More BS… A

A

…from Granger fter his foray into Linden last week, Granger took his show to Berbice – the Corentyne more precisely. At Linden, he’d announced “We are born to rule Guyana”, which unleashed a slew of speculation about who exactly was “we”! Was it only PNC members since he was addressing a PNC rally?

This would’ve dovetailed with PNC Chairman Volda Lawrence, who’d unabashedly announced that all her friends were PNC and they’d be the ones she’d hire!

He’d assured his Linden audience they were principled folks, unlike “Charrandas (the “Judas”) who wasn’t from Linden”. But Charrandas was from Berbice…so was Granger going to take a bold leap and visit the land of betrayers to embrace them into his party? Well, Granger didn’t go to any old village in Berbice – he went to Number 53 or Union village where he’d visited in 2018 and again this year to participate in Emancipation celebrations. Even though he didn’t actually say it, Granger might have as well announced: “Charrandas is not from Union!”

The “we” is now very clear… it’s the PNC’s “traditional” constituency, since he could’ve chosen any one of the villages “Charrandases” might be found. Like Black Bush Polder behind Union. He’d obviously prepared the ground well on his previous jaunts, for the majority of the audience were school kids who must’ve jumped at the chance to have a day off. Especially since they might’ve hoped to be given more of the bicycles Granger had doled out in 2018.

They didn’t get more bicycles but they did get to see Granger’s helicopter landing and taking off – always a clincher for kids.

Granger’s message was that the folks of Union shouldn’t “get drunk on oil”…they should focus on agriculture and agro-processing which would outlast the oil. But this was just more of the BS that Granger has become famous for: BS according to the distinction made by the philosopher Harry Frankfurt, in contrast to just lying. The liar, says Frankfurt, knows the truth but lies just to fool his audience. The bullshitter, on the other hand, just don’t give a damn about what he says: he’s just looking at the effect he’ll have and will say whatever comes to his head.

Of course, agro-processing would be good not only for Union, but for all Berbice. But if Granger wasn’t bullshitting before closing Skeldon and Rose Hall estates, he could’ve arranged for the land to be leased to Berbicians of all persuasions to grow identified crops that would’ve been processed in factories established by invited entrepreneurs to satisfy markets in Caricom and a food-deficient world.

The folks of Union should ask themselves if even ONE of the promises Granger made to them since 2018 has been kept!!

…on the “troubles” Once again, there are calls from ACDA for “justice for the hundreds of young African-Guyanese men executed by the PPP’s state-sponsored phantom squads”. Now when the Walter Rodney CoI was being established – starting in 2005 – the PNC had objected when it was proposed by the PPP as a “CoI into the assassination of Walter Rodney”. They pointed out that the name itself assumed an “assassination” had taken place. “Assassination” was eventually changed to “death”.

Your Eyewitness has the same problem with the wording of ACDA’s call…the name assumes a conclusion, so why an Inquiry?!! And that’s why he’s categorising the call as BS. If ACDA weren’t just playing to the gallery, why leave out the ethnic origin of others who were also killed during what Granger called “the troubles”??

Shouldn’t they join the PPP and demand an Inquiry into the entire 1998-2008 killing fields?? And let the chips fall where they may??

But more germanely, why haven’t they protested to caretaker President Granger?

He’s the one who establishes these CoI’s!! …and the road to hell Early in his life, your Eyewitness learnt the truth embedded in the statement – the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

He recommends it to the fella launching some new “citizenship” initiative.

man who damaged his lover’s car windows appeared on Friday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, where he was arraigned for the offence.

Twenty-four-yearold Terence Thomas of Lamaha Street, Kitty, Georgetown, appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly and pleaded guilty to the charge.

The charge stated that on October 8, 2019, at Vlissengen Road, Georgetown, he maliciously damaged six windows of a motor vehicle belonging to Quincy McEwan.

Police Prosecutor Christopher Morris stated that on the day in question, the men were in the vicinity of Survival Supermarket when they became involved in a heated argument which stemmed from the defendant possessing a hand-

Terrence Thomas

bag that belonged to his lover. The handbag reportedly had G$70,000 in cash.

The court heard that Thomas armed himself with a brick and damaged the car windows. Hence, the matter was reported and the defendant was arrested.

The Magistrate sentenced Thomas to six months of community service and he was also ordered to compensate the victim for the damage.

Thomas was charged June last, for threatening another man whom he claimed wanted to have a sexual relationship with him.

Thomas had pleaded guilty to the charge which stated that on June 1, 2019 at Lamaha Street, Kitty, he made use of threatening language towards 52-year-old Keith Mckenzie. He was fined G$10,000 for the offence.

44 news Beating the odds…

WEEK ENDING october 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Former journalist admitted to Guyana bar

New lawyer Tifaine Rutherford along with Attorney-at_ Law Latchmie Rahamat, husband and daughter

Tifaine Rutherford along with Chief Justice (acting) Roxanne George

T

hirty-yearold Tifaine Rutherford, the daughter of Member of Parliament Audwin Rutherford who endured a high-risk pregnancy, during her final year at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad, was admitted to practise Law in Guyana on Friday last at the Demerara High Court.

The petition of Rutherford, a former Journalist, was presented to acting Chief Justice Roxane George by Attorney-at-Law Latchmie Rahamat, who described her as a woman of integrity and good character.

The acting Chief Justice told Rutherford that law was a profession that called for lifelong learning, honesty, integrity and courtesy, and encouraged her to be respectful so she could earn respect in the profession.

“The journey so far may have seemed tough; I can assure you it will get tougher. I urge you to put your best foot forward at all times and strive for excellence. Do not sell yourself; the oath you took is to serve the people of Guyana with the best of your ability,” advised Justice George.

Rutherford, after listening to the acting Chief Justice’s advice, expressed that she was grateful for the opportunity and committed to practising with integrity. The young mother expressed heartfelt gratitude to everyone who contributed towards her success.

The young Attorney attended Watooka Primary School and then the Mackenzie High School in Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice).

She then commenced

her A Levels at the St Stanislaus College and got her first degree in Sociology from the University of Guyana in 2010. In 2017, she secured a place at the Faculty of Law at the University, and later her Bachelor of Laws Degree.

In 2018, Rutherford attended the Hugh Wooding Law School and was awarded the Legal Education Certificate (LEC) on Saturday last.

In an interview, Rutherford revealed: “Just as I entered Trinidad in my second year, I discovered I was pregnant and while I wanted to take a leave of absence, I decided to consult with my family and see if that was the best route for me.

“In the end, I decided that I was going to continue with the programme; that was something super hard and I got a lot of ‘fightdown’ from the school to write my exams; I actually wrote exams in August.

Having high blood pressure too, I realised I had to push on because I didn’t want my daughter to see me as a failure,” Rutherford said.

The young woman admitted that the journey was not easy, because she was away from her family for two years pursuing her LEC, but was thankful for the journey and experience.

She added that as a child she was very argumentative and with the help of her parents, she discovered her passion for the profession. The young lawyer advised anyone pursuing their career to not give up, for although it would be a lot of hard work, just keep on going.

Rutherford will be practising criminal, corporate and civil law.

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T&T company implicates Finance Ministry in alleged kickbacks scheme …documents show 20% of contract price requested

L

eaked documents on Monday revealed that a Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) based company was approached by a senior official from the Guyana Oil company (GuyOil), who requested money from the company on behalf of a top official in the Finance Ministry.

It was previously reported in sections of the media that Commissiong and Company Limited was approached by GuyOil for payments after it would have signed three contracts with the State-owned oil company to construct two 10,000-barrel storage tanks at its Providence terminal.

According to documents seen by this newspaper, the GuyOil employee informed Commissiong Managing Director, Nirmala Rambharat, that the payments were on behalf of a senior official within the Finance Ministry.

The leaked email shows that Rambharat complained that she “received a call from a woman identifying herself as the CEO of [GuyOil], she had asked me to pay

Courts for an administrative order to compel the Minister to make the payment.

On July 8, 2019; the last day for Jordan to pay Dipcon the monies, the President came through with an executive order for a grant of respite, shielding the

Region 2 tops list of corrupt practices in Police Force Rambharat refused to make the extra payments, noting in the correspondence that she informed GuyOil that her profit margin was 10 per cent of the contract price and that since the company was new to Guyana, its rates were designed to introduce Guyana to its service.

Guyana Oil Company

Commissiong also noted in correspondence with GuyOil’s legal department that the company holds no local collateral. In the correspondence, dated

were rejected and I have to produce local bonds. I explained to him that my company is an international company and has no collateral in Guyana… neither the contract document never stipulated a local bond which is impossible for an international company to do. On Monday GuyOil sent a letter terminating all my contracts with them.”

M o r e o v e r , Rambharat revealed that after enquiring from other Trinidadian contractors that provided services to GuyOil, they confirmed having paid

Ministry of Finance

to her 20 per cent of the contract value before the advance payment could be made. She also indicated this was not for her but for the [name withheld] and she urge me to pay the payment to her and then the advance payments can be made to my company.”

Minister. The President issued the order in keeping with his powers under Article 188 of the Constitution. According to the order, Jordan was granted his reprieve “until all appeals and remedies available to him and the State were exhausted.”

September 11, 2019, the Trinidadian company requested that GuyOil make its advance payments within 14 days so that the project could be started.

“A few days after, the Facilities Manager, Mr Nascimento, sent me an email stating that the advance payment bonds

the GuyOil official 20 per cent of their contract values upon request.

It is understood that the company is preparing to sue the Government, since it has already invested thousands of US dollars in mobilisation efforts to execute the projects, said to be worth over G$100

million. Efforts to contact Finance Minister Winston Jordan were futile.

Legal woes

It would not be the first time the Finance Ministry has been embroiled with a Trinidadian company in a legal dispute. In fact, it took the intervention of President David Granger to save Finance Minister Winston Jordan from being jailed, after he did not comply with court orders to pay Trinidadbased Dipcon.

The Trinidad-based construction company had taken the Finance Minister to court for failing to honour the payment of millions of dollars, which was awarded to Dipcon by Justice Rishi Persaud in 2015.

A few months ago, High Court Judge, Justice Sewnarine-Beharry had ordered Minister Jordan to pay Dipcon the US$2.2 million award or face jail time.

Dipcon first went to court in 2009 to recover monies owed for road works done. In Justice Persaud’s orders, Government was supposed to pay the company US$665,032.17 as payment for the works done along with US$1,563,368.50 for costs it incurred for those works, together with interest on both amounts, at a rate of six per cent annum from February 10, 2009, to October 21, 2015, and thereafter at the rate of four per cent per annum until fully paid.

However, since none of the payments they were owed was made, Dipcon had successfully approached the High

P

olice Complaints Authority (PCA) Chairman, Retired Justice William Ramlall and a team of investigators on Tuesday met with the Mayor and Councillors of the Anna Regina Town Council, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) where they were briefed on the many corrupt practices within the Guyana Police Force in that Division.

Justice Ramlall told the officials that most of the reports received from residents in the Region were against the Traffic Department, the Police patrol and the middle management of the Force. On this note, he related that Region Two was topping the list for corrupt practices in the Guyana Police Force.

As such, he promised to investigate all matters that were reported to the Authority. He encouraged all stakeholders to get on board, including the Regional Administration, the Town Council and the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) to speak out against Police corruption.

Some of the main concerns raised were that traffic officers are harassing drivers by demanding bribes, and ranks were involved in drug trafficking, money laundering, and other illegal activities.

Another concern that was raised related to the issuance of fitness certificates for vehicles.

Drivers have complained that the issuance officer was deliberately failing vehicles in the inspection so that drivers are forced to bribe him to get the document.

“The officer checking the engine oil, transmission fluid, radiator water, battery, jack, etc, just to fail you, then you have to pay up just to get three months even if you have a brand new vehicle, you have to go through the same harassment,” one driver told the PCA. Residents welcomed the PCA presence in the Region and were hopeful that it would be able to stamp out the lawlessness within the Police Division, ultimately bringing back trustworthiness to the Police Force.

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Cash transfers…

T

…or handouts? here’s a spirited debate roiling the political arena – and “arena” it is! – on whether some of the anticipated oil revenues should be passed directly to some (or all) citizens of Guyana. From where your Eyewitness is sitting, the debate boils down to whether we should call the idea “cash transfer” or “handout”. Interestingly, however, none of the combatants are calling their schemes, “handouts”!

But if you were to look at the comments, most folks who are opposed to the scheme raise the supposedly deleterious effects of giving “handouts” to poor people. If you just give “them” free money, you’re removing their incentive to seek employment and increasing the incentive to indulge in more “wine, women and song”!! A rather bleak assessment of the poor, isn’t it?

A lot of it is influenced by the reports and movies on what’s been dubbed the “welfare” culture that has developed in the US with their “cash and kind” programme to their poor. Most of the recipients seem to have become trapped in a dependency syndrome that ensures their poverty becomes intergenerational. While they might be able to get the basic necessities of life, they don’t get to imbibe the salutary values that a working life evidently imparts!!

In Guyana, Clive Thomas and the WPA – independently and not on behalf of their APNU/AFC coalition – were first off the block in suggesting that each family gets US$5000/GY$1 million annually. This was a variant of an idea that has created quite a buzz in the economic world – a Universal Basic Income (UBI). Reacting to criticisms that some poor people are falling through the safety nets that’s now pretty standard in most countries, the UBI would allow folks in need to pay for what they need – be it food or medicine or whatever. Part of the “whatever” may be booze or smokes, but it’s their choice.

Initially, the PNC saw the suggestion as a “handout” and Granger snootily announced he’d rather “teach the poor to fish that hand out fishes”. Never mind they may be structural reasons for some folks being unable to fish. He’s since announced he’s now “considering” it. The PPP, which had tried various forms of transfers to the poor in a directed fashion (school uniforms etc), said they didn’t see it as “handouts” and weren’t opposed. But Guyana couldn’t hang its hat where its hand couldn’t reach!!

They pointed out the WPA’s suggestion was unworkable since it assumed oil production at 1.5m bpd when all we’ll be getting initially is 1/10 of that!!

They proposed a targeted approach to cover identified needy demographics out of a fixed percentage of the income flow.

Good thing there’s one adult in the (political) room!! …or skill transfers?

The Opposition Leader just revealed that GECOM, through the CEO of its Secretariat – the inimitable ex-GDF Major Keith Lowenfield, who has a knack for being “unavailable” at key moments – has nixed an offer from the UN for help in its IT department. Now we need an investigation into this matter ASAP and call upon the “Iron lady” to launch this. It seems this offer was on the table since last year, but Lowenfield presented only a “media monitoring” offer!!

Now what kind of assistance is needed in GECOM when their Secretariat hasn’t even been able to continuously update the NRR, as it is mandated to do?

Or to discern if there’s hanky-panky going on with the lists?? Such as ensuring the data in their several lists are valid and cross-referenced? Or to deliver a quick but accurate result after ballots are cast? Especially when the numbers between the two top contenders might once again be razor thin?

Are media monitors going to deal with those concerns? Bring back the UN IT offer!! …and free education In the season of giving away the store for votes, the PNC has once again promised “free education at UG”— while criticising the PPP for introducing fees.

Wasn’t it the PNC that accepted IMF conditionalities that insisted UG pay its way?

Police reform: The “representativeness” recommendation was studiously avoided

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ore than two decades ago, on January 17, 1999, when “ROAR against Crime” was launched in reference to Police reform, we cautioned: “We should not be stampeded into taking ad hoc initiatives without formulating a plan that addresses the need to make fundamental changes in its structural base – or the malfunctions will continue unabated. “Modernisation” of the Force must not be equated simply with improved weaponry”.

In addition to over twenty specific recommendations, four medium-term structural changes were suggested.

Recommendation #1 was “Balancing the Force”. It echoed the conclusion of Dr Cynthia Enloe, who studied Guyana firsthand after a worldwide survey in her essay, “Police and Military in the Resolution of Ethnic Conflict”.

“Any lasting resolution of ethnic conflict may require that the distribution of political authority and influence in the society be basically reordered and that, as part of that reordering, the Police and military be ethnically reconstituted at the top and the bottom.

Resolution of inter-ethnic conflict will be tenuous if the security that is achieved is merely state security and not security for each of the state’s resident communities”.

Ever since we floated the above suggestion, we took a lot of flak but it is now widely conceded in all multi-ethnic countries that Forces that are more representative of the various elements of the communities are more effective ones. Just look at the London Metropolitan Police or the Police Force in any US major city. The hurdle that is now paraded most often is the rhubarb that “Indians do not join the Force”, in tones that imply that this reluctance may be some genetically inherited quality, rather than historically induced.

David Granger was a member of the Disciplined Forces Commission that specifically examined the question of the “rep-

resentativeness” of all the Forces in 2003. It agreed on the specific steps that were to be taken to rectify the imbalances when it submitted its report in 2004 and which was finally unanimously approved by Parliament in 2010.

Yet, even though the Granger-led APNU/AFC coalition has strenuously worked to “reform and rebuild” the forces since 2015, the “representativeness” recommendation was studiously avoided.

Recommendation #2 was, “Decentralising the Force”. We showed that unlike the Police forces of most low crime jurisdictions that were decentralised, the GPF was heavily centralised due to the historical imperative of the colonial power to suppress rather than to protect the local population. It is rooted in the concentration of all Police strength to protect the strategic centre. We suggested in 1999: “The centralised structure of the GPF has led to widespread ineffectiveness and dislocations.

Administrative effectiveness is not the sole test of police competence, which should rather be the greatest effort in the promotion of the Rule of Law and entrenching citizens’ security. We recommend that the GPF be split into six separate forces: Metro-GT, Demerara, Berbice, Essequibo,

Rupununi and a Central Force (like an FBI). Each Force would have its own Commissioner and its own command structure. The Central Force wound oversee a central Forensic lab, the Antidrug Unit, Intelligence and international co-ordination”. We note the timid move by APNU/AFC towards decentralisation in appointing a Commander for each of the 10 regions. This does not go far enough.

Recommendation #3: “Supplementing the Force”: The first part proposed “Community Policing” which the PPP administration enthusiastically embraced because it allowed them to have more input into staffing needs. While we feel this effort must be deepened and broadened, the APNU/AFC administration has downplayed it. Secondly, we proposed the resuscitation of a People’s Militia – which we later dubbed a “Peoples’ Home Guard”.

The Home Guard would have all the training as regular army units and in all regards would constitute a reserve for the Army – and a recruitment pool. They would have the wherewithal to discourage the high-powered banditry that has become endemic in our country. We note the APNU/ AFC accepted this.

Recommendation #4: Streamlining the Force: We pointed out that, “Only approximately 30% of the GPF are engaged in crime detection and prevention.

We elaborated on all the various non-policing elements that could be farmed out – especially to civilian staff, thus freeing up personnel trained for real police work. We asked: Does immigration really qualify as a “policing” task? Shouldn’t each Police Force have its own Prosecutors Office manned by high calibre qualified permanent staff?

The APNU/AFC accepted the recommendation on hiving off Immigration. But the elephant in the room of an unrepresentative force continues to be ignored.

Why?

Gunman attacks, shoots businesswoman at Harbour Bridge Mall

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businesswoman is now hospitalised after she was shot to her leg by a lone gunman during a robbery at the Harbour Bridge Mall, Bagotstown, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

Nelia Singh, 42, of Diamond Housing Scheme, EBD, operates a business at the Harbour Bridge Mall and on the morning in question, she turned up to open as per normal.

However, Police stated that at approximately 10:05h, she was confronted by the lone gunman who was standing in front of the mall.

He reportedly held onto the woman’s handbag but the woman put up a fight. In retaliation, the man discharged a round,

hitting the woman to her lower right leg and relieved her of the hand bag.

After committing the act, the bandit escaped leaving the woman on

the ground as she bled from her leg. She was picked up by public-spirited citizens who took her to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she was admitted.

Her condition is regarded as stable. The Police were called in and are presently reviewing CCTV footage with the hope of identifying the man.

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WEEK ENDING october 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

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eteran screenwriter Javed Akhtar says he feels proud that none of the works of his filmmaker-kids, Zoya and Farhan Akhtar- have reflections of his poetry. Javed, who is co-credited with writing some of the greatest screenplays in Hindi cinema like Zanjeer, Deewar, Trishul and Sholay, says his family has a tradition of not getting influenced by the works of previous generations.

“My family is a family of writers. I am the sixth generation and Zoya and Farhan are the seventh generation of writers. We have a tradition that we don’t get influenced by previous generations. My father’s poetry was totally different from my grandfather’s. My poetry is totally different from my father’s. Generally what happens is that when a fa-

ther or a parent has been successful in some kind of discipline, the children, at least in the beginning, can echo that.

“I am very proud that whether it’s Farhan’s first film, Dil Chahta Hai, or Zoya’s first or even her other films they don’t have any reflection of my poetry. They are their own voices. They are not my echoes,” the screenwriter said during a session at the recently concluded India Film Project.

Javed also heaped praise on contemporary writers and filmmakers, saying, the kind of stories they tell on screen weren’t imaginable in the 70s or the 80s. “At any time in any era, good work and bad work has been done. Even if an era had bad films, bad performances, all you remember later are good films, good performances and good scripts and you say, ‘Oh! That was the golden era!’ Golden era has never

been the present era.

“Today, some exceptionally good films are made. Films like Udaan, Masaan… Talvar, what a film it was. Like Zoya’s films. I really respect them. What kind of writing is this! It is brilliant!

It’s dramatic, real, the dialogues are not stagey, not theatrical. It is real but effective.

“The young guns are doing brilliant work, which is unprecedented. There was a film, Shahid. What a film it was! Could you imagine it earlier? Or a film like Article 15. Could you imagine it being made in 70 or 80s? No. So, even today, both extremely good and bad work is happening. But people will forget the bad and only these good movies will be remembered for times to come,” he said.

(Indian Express)

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ctor Shah Rukh Khan lived his fan moment at Joy Forum 2019, which took place in Riyadh on October 13-14.

The Badshah of Bollywood shared the stage with legendary stars and filmmakers Jean-Claude Van Damme and Jackie Chan.

SRK shared a selfie on his Instagram and wrote, “Khan, Damme, Chan at the #JoyForum19. The joys all mine as I got to meet my heroes. @jcvd @jackiechan @joyforumksa.” In the selfie, we see Shah Rukh extremely excited while Damme and Chan are happy to be sharing the moment with him.

Shah Rukh graced the stage as a part of The Joy Makers of Films panel where he, along with Chan, Damme and Aquaman actor Jason Momoa, spoke about the entertainment industry.

He was also paid a tribute in which the audience witnessed some of his magical performances. He received an award for his contribution to the entertainment industry. Jackie Chan, who also received an award, excited his fans present in the crowd when he expressed his wish to come-

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back to Riyadh. During his acceptance speech, Jackie expressed he soon wants to shoot for a film in Riyadh and next time, he hopes to visit the country with his crew.

Joy Entertainment Forum 2019 will build and develop the Saudi entertainment industry in line with its Vision 2030. The progressive two-day Joy Forum focussed on building a vibrant society, foster a joyful entertainment culture and create a sustainable new economy while spreading joy in the Kingdom.

On the work front, Shah Rukh Khan said he will soon make an-

ilmmaker Mahesh Bhatt is returning to direction after two decades with the sequel of his 1991 drama Sadak, and his lead actor, daughter Alia Bhatt, says his energy is such that it transcends to everyone present on the set.

Alia, who will be seen alongside Aditya Roy Kapur, Sanjay Dutt and Pooja Bhatt in the film, says Sadak 2 is a project where she is not bothered about the result because the joy of being directed by her father is unparalleled.

“I think to myself, ‘Have I managed to get the director-actor relationship with him or is it still that he’s my father?’ I don’t know, I am still confused and I think by the end of the film I will realise what was our director-actor relationship.

“He is an absolute delight to work with. It is unbelievable how clear he is. His energy transcends all of us. He could be having high fever but he just doesn’t stop. He is so generous with actors,” Alia

nouncements about his next projects as an actor.

At the launch of the second season of Ted Talks, Shah Rukh was asked to address the reports and also if he would be announcing his next anytime soon. “I am taking time. I am thinking a lot.

I am working on two-three scripts right now. As soon as they are ready, I am ready because most of the people working (on those scripts) are busy so I will it announce it myself. In a month or two I will figure out the time and everything,” he said. (Indian Express)

ctor Hrithik Roshan is feeling empowered after tasting back-to-back success at the box office this year. The actor started off 2019 with Super 30 and now, his latest release War is unstoppable at the theaters.

“Professionally, it has been a very special year for me. Both the successes have been so empowering. It has only motivated and encouraged me to keep following my instincts and work hard,” Hrithik quipped in a statement.

The 45-year-old added, “This success has been the sweetest for me. As for action films and me being a match made in heaven, I’d love to believe it too as it is the genre I enjoy the most.”

After 12 days of its

theatrical run, War has earned Rs 271.65 crore.

The Siddharth Anand directorial action thriller is now eyeing at Rs 300 crore mark.

War, which opened to 4000 screens in three languages, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, also stars Tiger Shroff, Vaani Kapoor, Ashutosh Rana and Anupria Goenka.

Super 30, on the other hand is a biographical movie based on the life of mathematician Anand Kumar. This Vikas Bahl directorial also starred Mrunal Thakur, Virendra Saxena, Nandish Singh, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Shrivastava and Amit Sadh. It went on to collect Rs 146.94 crore and emerged as the seventhhighest-grossing Hindi film of 2019. (Indian Express)

told a packed house during the closing session of Jio MAMI Movie Mela with Star 2019 on Sunday evening.

Sharing an anecdote from one of the shoots for the film, Alia said she broke down during an emotional scene when she saw Bhatt crying seeing her perform the sequence.

“He doesn’t sit behind the monitor. He’s just behind the camera, near the actors. I was doing an emotional scene and I didn’t plan to cry but I just started crying. He started crying while I was and I felt him cry and I broke out of the moment for a second and was like ‘That’s my Dad crying, I can’t see him cry’ and I started crying even more!” the actor said.

“This is that one film I don’t care about the outcome. The joy that I had being connected with my father, to work with him, he’s like a new born baby on set. It’s just amazing,” the Gully Boy actor concluded. (Indian Express)

WEEK ENDING october 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

HOLLYWOOD 49

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ctor Zoe Kravitz has landed the part of Selina Kyle aka Catwoman in Matt Reeves’ upcoming DC superhero project The Batman.

The 30-year-old actor, best known for Big Little Lies, Mad Max: Fury Road and Fantastic Beasts series, beat out the likes of Zazie Beetz, Eiza Gonzalez and Alicia Vikander to bag the coveted role, reported

Variety.

Robert Pattinson is toplining the cast as the popular DC Comics superhero, with actor Jeffrey Wright set to portray his ally, Commissioner Gordon.

Before Kravitz, the antiheroine and sometime love interest of the Caped Crusader has been portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer (Batman Returns, 1992), Halle Berry (Catwoman, 2004)

and Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises, 2012).

The film is being billed as a grounded take on the Dark Knight and will feature many of Batman villains.

Reeves is directing the Warner Bros/DC film from his own script. He is also attached to produce with Dylan Clark.

The Batman will hit the theatres on June 25, 2021. (Indian Express)

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ollywood star Edward Norton says he disagrees with Steven Spielberg that streaming services spell doom for theatrical experience.

The actor said theatre chains were responsible for destroying the movie watching experience by providing poor quality projection and sound.

“If I disagreed with anybody, with great respect, it was (Steven) Spielberg. Netflix invested more in Roma’ theatrically than any boutique label at any studio would have by a factor of five. They put a Spanish-language blackand-white film all over the world in theatres.

Hundreds of theatres, not just a few; as many as Sony Pictures Classics would have done.

“They put more money behind it, in a theatrical context, than anybody would have. You can’t tell me there’s a whole lot of people making black-and-white Spanish-language films and putting that in-

ollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and John Krasinski are teaming up for comedy film Imaginary Friends.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount Pictures is in the process of landing the project, which will be written and directed

by Krasinski.

In a closely fought bidding war, the studio beat out the likes of Sony and Lionsgate to emerge out on the top.

Final negotiations are currently underway.

The movie, being described as a fantasy comedy, is about a man who can see and talk to people’s imaginary friends, befriending those that have been forgotten or discarded. However, some imaginary friends, lacking love and friendship, turn to the dark side, and it’s up to Reynolds’ character to save the world from those that become evil.

It is the second project for Reynolds, 42, to be bagged by a major studio in a week. He recently signed on to join Will Ferrell in a mu-

sical rendition of the Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol, to be directed by Sean Anders and John Morris. The project has been acquired by Apple.

The actor will next star in Fox-Disney’s Free Guy and Michael

Bay’s Netflix action feature 6 Underground.

Krasinski, 39, is currently working on the sequel to his 2017 horror blockbuster A Quiet Place. He is also looking forward to the premiere of Jack Ryan season two. (Indian Express)

the Galaxy Vol. 3”. He had already written the script.

The filmmaker was reinstated as the director of the third movie earlier this year.

As per the new agreement, Gunn will first work on The Suicide Squad before moving on to “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”.

The Suicide Squad, a soft reboot of 2016’s

film of the same name, will feature an ensemble cast of Idris Elba, Margot Robbie, John Cena, Jai Courtney, Joel Kinnaman, Nathan Fillion, Michael Rooker, Pete Davidson, Storm Reid, Taika Waititi, Sean Gunn, David Dastmalchian, Peter Capaldi, and Viola Davis.

The film will release in August, 2021. (Indian Express)

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vestment behind them,” Norton told the Daily Beast in an interview, referring to the standoff between the heavyweight producer and the streaming giant during this year’s Oscars.

Norton said Netflix represents an unprecedented period of ripe opportunity for many more types of stories and voices to be heard, and told, and celebrated.

The “Motherless Brooklyn” star, however, is unhappy with the way theatre chains are running their projectors.

“It’s the theater chains that are destroying the theatrical experience. Period, full-stop.

No one else,” asking movie-goers to register their protest and demand that they be refunded if a theatre has delivered a sub par movie viewing experience.

“A lot of filmmakers and cinematographers that I know that have really started to look into this say that more than 60 percent of American theaters are running their projector at almost half the luminosity that they’re required by contract to run it at. They are delivering cr***y sound and a dim picture, and no one is calling them on it. (Indian Express)

ilmmaker James Gunn says after Disney fired him over his controversial past tweets, Warner Bros offered him an open deal to work with them.

The director said the studio gave him the freedom to choose the project he wanted to direct and he picked up Suicide Squad.

The director was replying to a fan question about his collaboration with the studio for upcoming The Suicide Squad came about.

“I was basically offered whatever I wanted. I most wanted to do ‘Squad’,” Gunn wrote on his Instagram stories, according to IndieWire.

The filmmaker, best known for helming Guardians of the Galaxy series for Marvel Studios, was hired by Warner Bros after he got axed from the franchise over his past controversial tweets.

Disney, the parent company of Marvel Studios, had fired Gunn prior to production start on “Guardians of

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WEEK ENDING october 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Chanderpaul, Tendulkar, Lara set to feature in new T20 tournament S

achin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, V i r e n d e r Sehwag and Muttiah Muralitharan are among the big names set to feature in a T20 tournament aimed at promoting road safety, called the Road Safety World Series.

Some other prominent names that are set to be part of the tournament include Jacques Kallis, Brett Lee and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

ESPNcricinfo understands the first season of the tournament will be played in 2020 between February 2 and 16 in Mumbai and will feature the following teams: India Legends, Australia Legends, South Africa Legends, Sri Lanka Legends and West Indies Legends.

It is understood that a total of 110 players all retired - have confirmed their participation in the tournament, which would be based

Chanderpaul was as prolific as Lara in home Tests (AFP File photo)

on the franchise model prevailing across domestic T20 leagues around

the world. The participating teams have been restricted to only Test-

playing countries for the first season.

Among the organ-

isers promoting this event are Professional Management Group and

the Road Safety Cell of the Maharashtra government. Part of their business plan is to host the event for 10 years across India. It is understood that the organisers had received the nod from BCCI in August 2018 to conduct the tournament.

Although the players' payments would be taken care of by the franchises, the proceeds from the tournament itself would be utilised by the Road Safety Cell to promote the cause in addition to highlighting how India ranks highest in the list of deaths caused on roads in the world.

Tendulkar will be returning to play cricket in front of a crowd for the third time since his retirement in 2013, having played for the MCC against Rest of the World XI at Lord's in 2014 and three exhibition T20s in the USA in 2015. (ESPNCricinfo)

‘Phil Simmons is the right man for the job’ – Skeritt says of new Windies men’s head coach

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T. JOHN’S, Antigua – Cricket West Indies (CWI) announces the appointment of former West Indies player, Phil Simmons as the Head Coach of the West Indies Senior Men’s Team for a period of four years, as well as the appointment of three new selection panels.

Phil Simmons was confirmed as the Head Coach during a meeting of the CWI Board of Directors on Monday, following the conclusion of a short but intensive recruitment process.

The Board had made it clear prior to the start of the recruitment process in September that “persons without West Indian heritage need not apply.”

Simmons served previously for a short period as Head Coach of the West Indies Senior Men’s team, during which he coached the team to the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup title, following which he was controversially dismissed.

He served since as the Head Coach of Afghanistan, who he helped qualify for the first time for the 2019 ICC ODI CWC. His tenure as head coach of Ireland, saw them improve their ICC rankings and qualify for all major ICC events.

Simmons’ latest coaching success came just two days ago when he coached the Barbados Tridents to the 2019 Hero Caribbean Premier League title with an impressive victory over the Guyana Amazon Warriors in Saturday’s Final.

CWI President, Ricky Skerritt, shared his thoughts on the confirmation of Phil Simmons, “Bringing Phil Simmons back is not just righting a past wrong, but I am confident that CWI has chosen the right man for the job at the right time.

I want to also thank the very talented Floyd Reifer for the hard work he put in while he was the interim coach.”

CWI’s Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams, “I am happy, after a very robust recruitment process at the appointment of Phil to the role of Head Coach. I have no doubt that Phil brings the requisite leadership skills and experience needed to drive improvement across our international squads and I look forward to supporting him in the role.”

CWI also announces the appointment of three new Men’s, Women’s and Girls’ Panel, and Boys’ Selection Panel following a recruitment process that ran parallel to the selection of

the new coach. The recommendation of a new CWI selection structure and policy were the main outputs of the report of the Selection System Review Task Force, presented by Vice President Shallow at the September Board meeting in Tobago. Eighteen (18) candidates were considered and evaluated for the five positions across the three Selection Panels.

CWI Vice President Kishore Shallow commented, “We have been delighted at the interest and quality of candidates who participated in the recruitment process to fill the roles for the Selection Panels. These roles are vital to execute the new selection policy to select squads for the West Indies teams at every level. We wish the selectors every success as they commence work immediately.”

Commenting on the Selection Panels, Jimmy Adams said, “After a comprehensive revamp of our selection system including the introduction of separate panels, I am confident that our ability to identify and manage talent will be enhanced. I have all confidence that the new system, along with the selectors chosen to the various panels will continue to help drive our

game in this critical area. “ The Selection Panels are set to work immediately with the West Indies Men’s team preparing to play Afghanistan, in India, in November in three (3) T20 Internationals (T20Is), three (3) One Day Internationals (ODIs) and one (1) Test match. The Men’s team then stay in India to play three (3) T20Is and three (3) ODIs before returning home before

Christmas.

The West Indies Women will host India Women for three (3) ODIs and five (5) T20Is starting on November 1. And the West Indies Under-19 team will host a triangular series with Sri Lanka and England Under-19s in December as they prepare for the ICC Under-19 World in January in South Africa.

The CWI recruitment panel unanimously selected the following candidates who have now

been confirmed: WI Men’s Panel includes Lead Selector, Roger Harper and Selector, Miles Bascombe while the WI Women’s & Girls’ Panel has Ann Browne-John as the Lead Selector while Travis Dowlin is the selector. WI Boys’ Panel has the Talent ID Manager booked by Robert Haynes.

The Head Coach of each team will complete the makeup of each of the respective panels.

SPORT 51

WEEK ENDING october 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

‘It’s a call every cricketer anxiously waits for’

– Guyana’s Romario Shepherd says of Windies’ call-up

By Brandon Corlette

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ince his Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) debut in 2018 for the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW), it has been a road to success for the steaming fast bowler, Romario Shepherd. From a successful Regional 4-Day career for Guyana Jaguars to a successful stint with the West Indies A and in the 2019 CPL. The right-arm paceman spoke exclusively to Guyana Times International Sport moments after he got the news on his maiden One-Day International (ODI) selection and shared his sentiments on his call-up to the West Indies team that will face Afghanistan in November.

“It’s a call every cricketer has been waiting for, when I got the call I was very happy to be selected in the ODI squad,” Shepherd stated.

After finishing with 13 wickets in the recently-concluded CPL (the second highest by fast bowlers), Shepherd stated that it was a good tournament for him. “Starting the tournament, I told myself I will try to do my best in each game. I didn’t really have a target in terms of wickets; I tried to bowl my best deliveries. That was the plan; after the first few games, I was successful and that was a confidence booster,” Shepherd noted.

He added that breaking into the West Indies ODI squad was just the start for him. “Getting into the squad

is the easier part but staying there is the harder part. I will do my best to stay there for a long time. When I am named in the starting XI, I will do what I do best and even work harder,” the humble Tucber Park cricketer declared.

The 24-year-old Shepherd thanked Carl Moore of Tucber Park Cricket Club, who has always had that belief in him. “From day one he always told me that I have what it takes; he saw something in me before anyone did, so I must thank him for backing me 100 per cent, even if he is not around, he always calls and supports me,” Shepherd highlighted.

The well-built fast bowling all-rounder had also shown his prowess with the bat, striking it big. “In terms of batting in the CPL, my team was aware that I can hit the ball, so I had made use of that.

Coach (Johan Botha) always tells me when three overs is left, I have to go,” Shepherd explained.

The prospering Berbician had earlier topped the Regional 4-Day charts with the most wickets by a fast bowler.

In only 22 First-Class matches, Shepherd has 70 wickets at a staggering bowling average of 23.71. He has two five-wicket hauls with a best of 5-24. He has also played for West Indies A against India A where he showed his skill against some high-quality players from India. Known as a ‘deathbowling boss’, Shepherd has 17 wickets in 13 T20 matches at an average of 19.70. He has a best bowling figure of 4-13.

In his List A career, he has 31 wickets in 22 matches with an economy rate of 5.33 and an average of 24.93. Since his success in 2018, Shepherd has continued to impress and only time will tell if he extends his success when he w e a r s the marron colour.

Kieron Pollard as captain 'a step in the right direction' for West Indies - Brian Lara F

ormer West Indies captain and batting great Brian Lara believes appointing Kieron Pollard as the ODI and T20I captain is "a step in the right direction," but he has urged Cricket West Indies to focus more on developing players for Test cricket.

"He's got some good experience," Lara said of Pollard, who last played an ODI over three years ago, at the launch of a T20 tournament for retired players in Mumbai. "I also believe that a captain is as good as his team and the people who really support him. And I believe that he will get the support, that's half of your job done.

"Practically, he has played cricket all around the world, he will understand what needs to be done. So it's not a bad decision. If he's committed to West Indies cricket for a long period of time, it's a step in the right sort of direction and let's see how it goes."

In Tests, the eighth-ranked West Indies recently lost 2-0 to India at home.

They started the year in emphatic fashion by beating England 2-1 in Tests at home but against India in August, they were able to bowl out the visitors only twice in four innings and could not cross 250 even once in as many attempts.

"We came off about six months ago a win against England in the West Indies which was very promising," Lara said. "So you expected the team to maybe follow on after that. But there was a lot of one-day cricket and different things happening over the last five-six months with almost the same players. So the attrition level is something the West Indies cricket board and the management will have to see if they can solve that because some of the cricketers are understanding the shorter version of the game but the longer version they're missing some key elements.

"I think first we've got to get back to playing good and competitive first-class cricket in the Caribbean where the guys spend time in the middle as batsmen, bowlers bowl long spells and see if we can work from there.

"But I still believe that the talent on show for West Indies is very good and promising. Maybe the entire batting line-up is in their 20s, you just want to know that if they're playing at the highest level that they are capable of performing well. I think learning the game at the international stage is not where you want to go."

West Indies' next assignment is a full tour against Afghanistan in India where they will play three T20Is, three ODIs and a one-off-Test over a period of three weeks. A short gap after that they will feature in another three T20Is and three ODIs against India in India. Lara emphasised on the importance of adapting to conditions on their tour of India, where spin usually plays a vital role.

"To be successful anywhere in the world you have to adapt very quickly," he said. "If you're playing in Australia, India, South Africa, West Indies…they're all different conditions. First and foremost, everyone that plays international cricket has a certain level of skill and talent to play the game. How you approach with your mental strength is key, adaptation of the environment you're in is key.

Learning all these important things to be successful...to be a step ahead, not having any excuses. I think those things are key to making sure that you're success-

ful playing anywhere in the world.

West Indies have been a much harder opposition to beat in the shortest format, ever since they won the T20 World Cup back in 2012. They are currently ranked ninth in the format but could pose a different challenge for oppositions in the format, banking on some of the CPL stars who have broken into the team recently.

The next T20 World Cup is still over a year away and Lara said handling the talent coming through from T20s will be key for defending champions West Indies in the coming months.

"It's still quite a long way," Lara said of the T20 World Cup to be played in Australia in October-November 2020. "Whatever tournament the West Indies are going to, they'll never be favourites at this point in time…even when we won the two tournaments in the past.

What we do have is the shorter version of Brian Lara made an appearance in the game. A lot of young the IPL experts' panel (BCCI) players that are coming into the team, [Shimron] Hetmyer, [Nicholas] Pooran, they are very very good in the T20 version, in the limited-overs version of the game.

"The talent is there, and I've always said in the past that the West Indies have some of the best talents in the world coming through. What we do with that talent, how we harness that talent is the most important part. I reckon that the next eight-ten months before the World Cup there will be a lot of planning. You may even see some new faces coming through. If you listen to any other teams in the world or captains, they're very wary of the West Indies. They never ever take us for granted, which is a good thing. So hopefully we will make a good showing coming to the World Cup." (ESPNCricinfo)

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WEEK ENDING octoBer 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

ANSA McAL Trading Ltd Lucozade Handicap Squash Tournament…

Narain claims Open title T

he ANSA McAL-sponsored Lucozade Handicap Squash Tournament ended on Sunday with Nicholas Narain (-15) being crowned king after a three-game battle in which each point had spectators spellbound with the standard of play of both athletes.

Nicholas Verwey (-10) was a truly worthy opponent in this ultimate match-up for the title. He displayed irrefutable evidence of his disciplined training regimen and enthusiasm for the game. As Narain tactically kept Verwey off the T and worked him around the whole court in the first game, Verwey’s retrieval skills kept the rallies running long; and often, 20+ shots were kept in play by either player performing the impossible.

In the second game, Verwey used his drops effectively and worked Narain into the corners to secure the win; but the third game of an outstanding match of great depth, great squash and great athletes landed on the side of the experienced Narain for the 15/14, 13/15, 15/11 win.

Daniel Ince took the Plate title, while Louis DaSilva obtained his first title in the Category ‘A’ group, and Lajaun Munroe nabbed the ‘A’ Plate.

In the Open Plate, after a game apiece, the tired legs of both players in the third game between Daniel Ince (-9) and Ian Mekdeci (-4) slowed down what had been a fast-paced clash. Ince took the first in smooth fashion with tight lengths and low drops. Mekdeci pulled it back in the second, pushing to hold Ince off at 15/14. In the decider, relying on talent rather than fitness, Ince was able to move up his deficit and close off the game at 15/9, 14/15, 15/11.

The title of the Category ‘A’ was earned by a much improved Louis DaSilva (-8) over Zachary Persaud (-8).

DaSilva came out strong and played a clever tactical game from the outset, placing his shots to get them past Persaud.

Persaud came out determined in the second game and made his bid to stay in the game with tighter play, which set him ahead. DaSilva kept his head and worked away to even out, and eventually push in the last two points to close off in straight games 15/6, 15/14.

For the Category ‘A’ plate, Joshua Verwey made a valiant effort with good lengths against eventual winner Lajaun Munroe.

M u n r o e forced the younger Verwey into every corner of the court as he worked him through most of the rallies, but Verwey stuck with it and kept the scores close.

Munroe managed a 13/15 win in

the first, and Verwey answered with a 15/14 win in the second, but couldn’t quite hold on in the third, and conceded the decider. Munroe triumphed 15/13, 14/15, 15/12.

The Guyana Squash Association would like to extend their gratitude to long-time sponsors ANSA McAL Trading Ltd for making the tournament possible.

Sunday’s resuts

Open Category Nicholas Narain (-15) defeated Nicholas Verwey (-10) 15/14, 13/15, 15/11 Deje Dias (-15) defeated Gianni Carpenter (5) 15/, 15/ Open Plate Daniel Ince (-9) defeated (-4) 15/9, 14/15, 15/11 Kirsten Gomes (0) defeated Ethan Jonas (4) 15/9, 12/15, 15/12 Category A Louis DaSilva (-8) defeated Zachary Persaud (-8) 15/6, 15/14 Shiloh Asregado (3) defeated Matthew Spooner (9) 15/8, 15/6 Category A Plate Lajuan Munroe (5) defeated Joshua Verwey (3) 15/13, 14/15, 15/12 Teija Edwards (0) defeated Angel Rahamin (2) 13/15, 15/12, 15/9

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WEEK ENDING october 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana’s Kerwin Clarke cops gold at CAC Championships

F

ive-time Mr Guyana title holder Kerwin Clarke has added a gold medal to his resume after using his well-defined physique to dominate his weight class on Sunday at this year’s CAC Bodybuilding and

Kerwin Clarke and Yannick Grimes pose with their hardware. They are flanked by Emmerson Campbell (left) and Guyana’s other representative, Darius Ramsammy

Fitness Championships staged in the Dominican Republic.

With his 175 pounds of striated muscle, Clarke obliterated the competition in the under 176-pound class of nine musclemen. In the overall display, he re-

turned on a quest to capture a coveted pro card, but that was won by overall champion Yordan Feliciano of the Dominican Republic.

Clarke had earned a gold medal in this competition in 2016 in the same host nation.

Meanwhile, 2017 National Men’s Physique Champion Yannick Grimes snared a bronze medal in the under-170cm class in the Men’s Physique category in his CAC debut.

E m m e r s o n Campbell, bronze and

silver medalist at the last two championships, surprisingly failed to place in the top six in his Men’s Physique Class, the under 174cm, and will have to return to the drawing board to work on his strategy.

Guyana’s other rep-

resentative at the meet, Darius Ramsammy, placed fifth in the 154pound-and-under class. The next CAC Championships, the 47th edition, will be staged next September in Colombia.

Mumbai teen Yashasvi Jaiswal becomes the youngest man to hit a one-day double-century

S

eventeen-year old Yashasvi Jaiswal became the youngest man to hit a List A double-century, finishing with 203 in 154 balls against Jharkhand in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy.

The Mumbai opener is the second to double up this season after Sanju Samson made history less than a week ago, scoring 212 not out. It was his first List A century - for Kerala against Goa and it was also the highest individual score in the competition, going past Karn Veer Kaushal's 202 for Uttarakhand against Sikkim last season, the first time a double was scored in the tournament.

Jaiswal has now joined Samson and Kaushal in the list.

Of the nine double-tons in List A cricket by Indian batsmen, five have come in ODIs: three by Rohit Sharma, and one each by Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. Those aside, there is Shikhar Dhawan's 248 for India A against South Africa A in Pretoria in 2013.

Opening the batting against Jharkhand in Alur with Aditya Tare, Jaiswal outscored his more experienced partner as the two put on 200 runs for the first wicket in 34.3 overs before Tare was dismissed for a 102-ball 78 by Anukul Roy. Jaiswal continued to score quickly, as Siddhesh

Lad contributed just 32 in the second-wicket stand of 105 runs, and went on to reach the double with captain Shreyas Iyer by his side. He did briefly threaten Samson's mark of 212 but fell with two balls left in the innings when he was caught by Rahul Shukla off Vivekanand Tiwari, who had earlier dismissed Lad. Jaiswal's 154-ball innings included 17 fours and 12 sixes. That's 140 runs in boundaries.

For the prodigiously talented Mumbai teenager, it was a third century in five Hazare Trophy games this season after 113 against Goa and 122 against Kerala.

Jaiswal first came in the spotlight during the Under-19 Asia Cup in Dhaka in October last year, when he scored a 113-ball 85 in the final as India beat Sri Lanka by 144 runs. That capped an excellent tournament for him, in which he topped the charts with 318 runs.

More recently, at the Under-19 tri-series in England in July-August this year, where Bangladesh were the third team, he scored 294 runs in seven innings at an average of 42 and a strike rate of 74.05, finishing fourth on the run-scorers' list. He hit four half-centuries then, including a 72-ball 50 in the final, when India beat Bangladesh by six wickets.

(ESPNCricinfo)

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WEEK ENDING october 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Hayden Walsh Jr, Brandon King break into West Indies' limited-overs squads N

ewcomers Hayden Walsh Jr and Brandon King both expressed great delight to be named in the West Indies Twenty20 and One-Day International squads for the upcoming series against Afghanistan in India.

The tour will run from November 1 to December 2 and the West Indies will face the home side in: three T20s three ODIs and one Test match

Walsh, who grew up in Antigua and honed his skills on the island, was the leading wicket-taker in the recent Caribbean Premier League. The leg-spinner took 22 wickets – six more than the next best bowler – for champions Barbados Tridents. King, who graduated through the ranks in Jamaica, was the leading batsman with 496 runs for Guyana Amazon Warriors, who lost the final to Barbados after playing unbeaten in the preliminary rounds.

"Obviously it’s a huge honor to be selected to represent the West Indies at this level. These moments are what you work towards as a player. Was always a dream to represent the West Indies. I’m really excited to get started on the upcoming tour,” King said.

The tall, elegant right-hander patterns himself on Ramnaresh Sarwan, the former Guyana and West Indies captain. The 24-year-old played as a graduate of the Campion College in Jamaica and a member of the prestigious Kingston Cricket Club.

“I was in the West Indies ‘A’ team against India ‘A’ – they had a very good team – and I was in a groove going into the CPL tournament. I carried on and those performances were mainly responsible for me being selected. I was fully focused from the start.

As athletes we pride ourselves on facing the challenges and conquering them so I’m hoping to continue to make strides,” King added.

Walsh has a strong family background in sports.

His father, the late Hayden Walsh Snr, played in the Leeward Islands team in the 1980s and 1990s, while his uncle Vaughan Walsh also played for the Leewards as a feared fast bowler. Two other uncles, Wade and Audwin also represented Antigua and

Barbuda in the sub-regional Leeward Islands tournament.

“It’s one of those boyhood dreams that me and m y younger brother Tahir had – he went to be a star in track and field – and I stuck to the cricket. When I got the callup my mind flashed back to when we played in the yard with my father, and we were imagining what roles we would play in the West Indies team. Today, my dream is reality, and I’m really proud to be named in the West Indies team.

This is just the beginning.

I’m just looking forward to getting onto the field and making a name for myself and helping West Indies w i n – that t h e main goal,” Walsh said.

“It’s going to be a stepup. I’m going to have to zone in and bring my ‘A’ game. I’m confident I can do whatever the team requires of me. Also, we have a few payers I have played with in the team and I’m familiar with everyone in the West Indies systems, so I know I will fit in with the team unit.”

Walsh attended the Antigua Grammar School and is a member of Liberta Cricket Club in Antigua where he is team-mate of Rahkeem Cornwall, who was named in the Test squad for the upcoming series against Afghanistan.

Keemo Paul, Alzarri Joseph.

ODI – Kieron Pollard (captain), Shai Hope, Evin Lewis, Shimron Hetmyer, Sunil Ambris, Nicholas Pooran, Brandon King, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Hayden Walsh Jr, Khary Pierre, Sheldon Cottrell, Keemo Paul, Romario Shepherd, Alzarri Joseph.

FULL SQUADS TEST – Jason Holder (captain), Shai Hope, John Campbell, Kraigg Brathwaite, Shimron Hetmyer, Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Sunil Ambris, Jomel Warrican, Rahkeem Cornwall, Kemar Roach,

Brandon King upon reaching his century for the GAW in the 2019 season Hayden Walsh

T20I – Kieron Pollard (captain), Nicholas Pooran, Evin Lewis, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, Brandon King, Fabian Allen, Hayden Walsh Jr, Jason Holder, Lendl Simmons, Khary Pierre, Sheldon Cottrell, Denesh Ramdin, Kesrick Williams, Alzarri Joseph. (CWC)

WEEK ENDING october 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

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