Guyana Times International 18 January 2019

CPL’s 2018 economic impact reaches US$127M; a 34% increase from previous year

INTERNATIONAL

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THE BEACON OF TRUTH

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Double Standards!

WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019

ISSUE NO. 431

…Top Guyana Govt officials also dual citizens

See stories inside

In spite of the APNU/AFC making a big deal about former Government Member of Parliament Charrandas Persaud being a dual citizen after he sided with the Opposition and voted in favour of the no confidence motion to topple the Coalition Government, it was later found out that several other top Government officials may also have dual citizenship status; these include, Business Minister Dominic Gaskin, Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge, Minister of State Joseph Harmon and Public Service Minister Rupert Roopnarian.

Guyana’s Opposition maintains Govt must resign

Thousands of New Yorkers feeling …says President effects misled the nation after of Gov’t political engagement shutdown Page 3

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NEWS 3

WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana’s Opposition maintains Govt must resign

…says President misled the nation after political engagement

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eader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo is calling on the coalition APNU/AFC Government to immediately resign as is catered for in the constitution following the passage of a no confidence motion.

Speaking at his weekly press conference on Thursday, Jagdeo said that Government misled the country after the meeting between both parties where they said that the Opposition was in agreement that Guyana should not be left without leadership and must continue with the existing state of affairs.

According to Jadgeo, the Opposition has always maintained that they must resign and Parliament must be dissolved.

Further, the Opposition Leader re-

Leading members of the Government and Opposition engaged in a meeting to decide the way forward following the passage of the no-confidence motion

vealed that at no time did the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) reach an agreement with the incumbent administration regarding the functions of the Legislative and Executive branches.

“We did not reach an agreement…the President misled the country about this because what he said was false…we did not drop

the call for them to resign, Imran Khan in an interview, said that Opposition said that Government needed to be in place, I was talking about the caretaker Government, but they created an impression that I give them the okay to remain in office” Jadgeo said.

“Government even after the issuance of the statement continued to

mislead the general public about the circumstances of the meeting and what agreements were struck there. Minutes after the meeting, the President indicated that public services have to be delivered, public order must be maintained and therefore the two sides reached agreement on how the legislative and executive branches should function…this is

not so,” he said further.

According to the Party’s General Secretary, the current administration should have already resigned and a caretaker Government should have been in place.

However, when this topic was broached to President David Granger, he reportedly said that the constitution does not provide for one (Caretaker Government).

Jagdeo lambasted what he said was the attitude of the coalition Administration to operate outside of the parameters of the constitution, which he noted is illegal.

The leader of the Opposition maintained that the no confidence motion was legally passed and continues to push for article 106 (6).

Further, he reiterated that the time frames

prescribed by the constitution must be rigidly observed and that Parliament must be dissolved unless agreed upon as article 106 (7).

“The President then said that the Government is legal and that it must govern without interference… To him, nothing happened even though the speaker said that it was carried and that the Court did not give an order that would stop the ticking timeline…He does not recognize that 106 (6) AND (7) have already kicked in” Jagdeo condemned.

Addressing the issue of elections being held based on the readiness of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), the opposition leader said that this cannot change the constitutional deadline.

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EDITORIAL

Addressing the ethnic imbalance in the GPF

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ddressing participants at the opening of Police Force’s Annual Officers’ Conference under the theme, “Security Sector Reform Implementation – Enhancing Capacity Through Training, Infrastructure and Human Resource Management,” President David Granger emphasised his commitment to security sector reform. “Security sector reform is aimed at improving public trust and confidence, developing stronger organisations, boosting the Force’s intelligence, responsive and investigative capabilities and producing a more versatile Police Officer. Security sector reforms, therefore, must be accelerated to strengthen this vital institution in 2019.”

Police Commissioner Leslie James in brief remarks reminded the audience that the reforms are based on the report compiled

by British expert, Colonel Russell Combe in the resuscitated British funded US$4.7 million Security Sector Reform Programme.

Even though the expert, whose contract expires in March, had publicly exhorted the Government not to have his report gather dust on some shelf, it has not been released in over a year when it was delivered, or even laid in Parliament. As such, one has to be concerned about whether a most import reform has been included in the plan, which, the Police Commissioner asserted: “We have engaged with our counterparts in the United Kingdom (UK) and to this end, three main pillars have already begun implementation; that is, training, human resources management and infrastructure.”

In invoking the human resource element of the theme when the President said, “The Force’s membership of about 4600 is inadequate and needs to be augmented,” it would appear, he forgot to mention – or deliberately chose not to mention that vital component from a previous plan which he himself had a hand in crafting, and which was constitutionally mandated.

This was back in 2003-04 when the Disciplined Forces Commission (DFC), on which he sat, held extensive hearings with a wide cross-section of the Guyanese populace. In discussing “Police reform”, he has referred many times to the DFC Report, which had been laid in Parliament in 2004 but only finally approved in 2010, since of the 164 recommendations, 71 concerned the GPF. But he has studiously avoided, as he did once again, the one that addressed the vexed issue of “ethnic imbalance” which had been brought up even before Guyana received independence from Britain. In 1965, the year he entered the Armed Forces as a 2nd Lieutenant, an ICJ Commission, (invited by the British as a condition for awarding Guyana Independence) suggested a programme of accelerated recruitment of Indians into the Police and Armed Force until their numbers were roughly in proportion to than in the population. Nothing came of that recommendation.

During the hearings on constitutional changes in 1999 – precipitated by People’s National Congress (PNC) riots in the streets after 1997 – one of the unanimously adopted constitutional recommendations adopted in 2000 was for the President to establish a Commission to investigate and recommend resolving the ethnic imbalance in the Disciplined Forces. During the aforementioned “troubles” – as since labelled by Granger – intriguingly, it was the Opposition PNC under Robert Corbin that called upon the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government to establish the Disciplined Forces Commission.

On the matter of ethnic representativeness, the DFC had declared: “The Commission…is of the view that the allaying of ethnic security fears which stem from the predominance of AfroGuyanese presence in the GPF must be addressed… but to ensure, in so doing, that no similar insecurity fears are caused in the AfroGuyanese community.” More specifically, it recommended: “It should be an aim (of the GPF) to achieve a Force representative of the ethnic diversity of the nation without employing a quota system.” To achieve this, ethnically-diverse recruitment teams should be employed as openly and extensively as possible. The report also suggested that a study be conducted on how to address the ethnic make-up imperative.

While in Opposition, both the PNC – including the one led by David Granger – and the AFC trenchantly criticised the PPP for burying the DFC Report for seven years in Committee. Why is it they have now buried it and not “allaying ethnic fears”?

The Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and Cricket West Indies (CWI) have agreed on a window for the 2019 edition of the tournament. This year’s event will take place between 21 August and 27 September. The opening round of matches will take place in Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana before returning to these two countries for the playoffs and finals once again.

A wakeup call to take sexual abuse against children seriously

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cross the world, staggering numbers of children – some as young as a few months old – are experiencing violence in varied forms, often by those entrusted to take care of them. While girls are predominantly the victims of sexual abuse, there are several cases of boys being sexually and physically abused as well. The figures in relation to this level of abuse are shocking, and it is quite clear that Governments and international partners need to keep the issue on the front burner, where it is always treated as a matter of serious concern.

In Guyana, there is believed to be a high incidence of physical and sexual abuse of children. The Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) had detailed several cases of child sexual and physical abuse for 2018, with reports indicating the figure might not represent the complete extent of the problem, since the crime is a hidden one, which goes unreported in many instances.

Just a few days ago, this newspaper carried a story which provided some harrowing details about the level of abuse some of our children experienced and the difficulties they have in bringing their lives back to normalcy after experiencing such abuse. The story we published was based on a recent study conducted by ChildLink, a NonGovernmental Organisation which works towards the protection of children against abuse and exploitation. In this specific research, it was reported that 338 victims were screened, and at least four were discovered to have ruptured uteruses, among other health implications.

The report said that many of the children had to be hospitalised as a result of the extent of the abuse, while some even required surgery for their injuries.

Further, the research found that some children became pregnant while others contracted HIV, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, syphilis, or other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

When it comes to other effects of child sexual abuse, ChildLink found that victims complained more of being sad, getting angry easily, feeling bad, thinking about the abuse “all the time,” crying a lot, feeling down or depressed, and “spacing out a lot.”

Victims even reported that they are affected by nightmares, problems with sleeping or eating, flashbacks, numbness, irrational fears, incessant crying, and suicidal feelings, including significant suicide attempts.

Important to note is that those victims also encounter difficulties in school, as they were usually unable to focus.

The report also pointed out that child sexual abuse could result in transmission of HIV, Hepatitis C, and other STIs, including the virus that causes cervical cancer. If left untreated, some of these infections will lead to infertility, and even death. A person who is abused in childhood and does not receive adequate medical attention, including STI screening, is at risk of suffering irreparable harm and innocently transmitting infections to others.

To end violence against children, UNICEF had made quite a few recommendations, which, if taken seriously, could go a far way in protecting our children. Among the recom-

mendations are; i) Adopting well-coordinated national action plans to end violence against children – incorporating education, social welfare, justice and health systems, as well as communities and children themselves. ii) Changing behaviours of adults and addressing factors that contribute to violence against children, including economic and social inequities, social and cultural norms that condone violence, inadequate policies and legislation, insufficient services for victims, and limited investments in effective systems to prevent and respond to violence. iii) Focusing national policies on minimising violent behaviour, reducing inequalities, and limiting access to firearms and other weapons. iv) Building social service systems and training social workers to provide referrals, counselling and therapeutic services for children who have experienced violence. v) Educating children, parents, teachers, and community members to recognise violence in all its many forms, and empowering them to speak out and report violence safely. vi) Collecting better disaggregated data on violence against children, and tracking progress through robust monitoring and evaluation.

Children, irrespective of their ethnic, religious, cultural or social backgrounds, deserve to grow up in an environment where they feel safe and are part of loving and nurturing families. The findings of the ChildLink study should serve as a wakeup call for stakeholders here: that the issue regarding the protection of children against physical and sexual abuse should be treated seriously.

NEWS 5

WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana’s private sector urges GECOM to be fully prepared for elections W

hile still on extended sick leave, Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairman, retired Justice James Patterson has responded to a correspondence from the Government and Opposition Chief Whips requesting a meeting to discuss the Commission’s readiness for the pending General and Regional Elections.

Government Chief Whip Amna Ally and Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira were identified during a high-level meeting last week between Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo and President David Granger to meet with the elections body to determine its readiness for the upcoming polls.

Since then, the Chief Whips have written the Chairman requesting a meeting and according to Ally, Justice Patterson responded acknowledging her correspondence two days ago.

“The Chairman wrote me [for] a meeting with the Commission [but] I don’t know when… The Chairman of GECOM

PSC concern

Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira

did not indicate when,” the Government Chief Whip told Guyana Times International when contacted on Wednesday.

The GECOM Chairman has been on sick leave since November 30, 2018 and had it extended until January 22, when he

is expected to return to work.

When contacted, GECOM Public Relations Officer (PRO) Yolanda Ward said it was likely that a date for the meeting with the Chief Whips and the Commission would be set once the Chairman returned next week.

Trafficking of Venezuelans for prostitution lands woman in jail

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e n i o r Magistrate Leron Daly on Wednesday remanded a 34-yearold Guyanese woman when she appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to the charge of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

It is alleged that she trafficked four Venezuelans.

Fiona Hopkinson denied the charge which stated that between September 1, 2018, and October 31, 2018, at Club Diamond, Georgetown she harboured and transported four Venezuelan women for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

Another charge against Hopkinson detailed that she unlawfully withheld an identification card belonging to one of the women.

According to Police reports, the four women were arrested during a roadblock operation on

Fiona Hopkinson

November 3, 2018 and were taken into custody, where it was discovered they did not have their identification cards.

The foreigners claimed that they were seeking employment when the defendant employed them to work as prostitutes at Club Diamond, Georgetown.

They further claimed that Hopkinson was in possession of their identification documents af-

ter she took them and promised to return the documents.

Police Prosecutor Sanj Singh objected to bail noting that the defendant has similar pending matters in another court.

Magistrate Daly upheld the prosecution’s submission and remanded Hopkinson to prison.

The case will continue on February 6, 2019.

M e a n w h i l e , the Private Sector Commission (PSC) on Wednesday called on the Elections Commission to ensure that it was “fully prepared” to host the impending polls.

“The Commission wishes to remind the nation of the fact that unless otherwise ruled by the court, or decided upon by a motion passed by a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly, the Guyana Elections Commission must be fully prepared to conduct these elections within this period of time,” the Private Sector body said in a statement after giving serious and continuing consideration to the fact that general elections must be held within 90 days of the passing of a no-confidence motion.

During last week’s high-level meeting between the Government and the Opposition on the way forward following the December 21, 2018 passage of the no-confidence motion, there was no agreement on the hosting of elec-

Government Chief Whip Amna Ally

tions in three months’ time as prescribed in Article 106 (7) of the Constitution, where it is stated that elections shall be held within three months of the passage of a no-confidence motion or “such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly determine”.

However, after that meeting, Jagdeo was optimistic that elections were going to be held, since Government had included GECOM’s readiness for elections on the agenda for the meeting.

“Elections will have to be held this year, the Constitution says that.

I believe the President and the others would not have put on the agenda for this meetcontinued on page 12

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WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Nothing should be done in Guyana to delay the elections Dear Editor, The Constitution is the fundamental law of a state that sets up the structure of Government, usually what citizenship is, and what rights they have.

Its role in a free country is to provide scope for good Government, while at the same time placing limitations on the powers or excesses of the governors.

The Constitution is supreme of all legislation and is, therefore, instructive of changes or adjustment to all other laws to meet its intent with fluidity.

In context, there are many obvious implications for our citizens and the country at large. This is in light of the numerous early signals of intent by the Government, to violate enshrined provisions and instructive rulings of our Constitution following the recently debated and passed No-Confidence Motion.

Prior to and during the debate, we witnessed arguments by Government Parliamentarians in favor of the 33 votes as a majority and their subsequent complete U-turn when they were defeated by the same amount. The positions pronounced on and accepted in our Parliament by the Prime Minister in the National Assembly suddenly changed. The emergence of complicit shallow reversals, therefore, is actually calculated to stifle our democracy.

Numerous publicly recognised and high credential civil institutions have vociferously rejected the diabolical notion now being advanced by the APNU/AFC. Most citizens are obviously strongly committed to disallowing this abusive disposition, and are calling, along with the International Community, for the Government to do the right thing and resign. Guyana must not become a Police State!

The APNU/AFC Government’s initial hesitancy and unwillingness of resignation, touts a flagrant violation of Section 106 of the Guyana Constitution. This behavior and the recent Government’s intimated move to ask the Courts to extend the constitutionally instructive 90-day period for mandatory elections is outright illegal and abusive.

Obviously, it begs explanations as to how a court can legitimately allow a Cabinet to stay in Office when the Constitution, a superior instrument to all other laws by which the Courts are bound, says that there shall be a resignation. There is acknowledgement, however, that the implied nature of resignation within the constitutional text is futuristic regarding the Cabinet and the President. The former with appropriate speed and the latter on the swearing in of the President following new elections.

While it is not expected that the state will be without governance during the incumbent period, it implies other than National Security and maintaining Law and Order, no major decisions that would bind a future government must be undertaken. Although not specifically pronounced on in the Constitution, such circumstance rationally indicates a caretaker mode for which there is numerous strong precedence. In the least, the APNU/AFC’s clear commitment to abide with these provisions should have been frontal.

The fact that the Attorney General (AG) indicated his intent to file a request for an extension of the constitutional period of resignation in the Courts, signals anything but compliance. The AG ought to have been aware that such a request of the Courts is outside its jurisdiction, since the period stipulated by Section 106 cannot be changed by this method. In fact, the

Constitution itself sets out the conditions for its own altering and activation following assent by the President.

Section 164 (1) Informs of changes to the possible No-Confidence provisions instructed by Section 106. It states: “Subject to the provisions of paragraphs (2) and (3), a Bill for an Act of Parliament to alter this Constitution shall not be passed by the National Assembly unless it is supported at the final voting in the Assembly by the votes of a majority of all the elected members of the Assembly.”

Today, no amount of procrastination can save the fallen coalition Government from facing the nation at an election following the historic debate and the Speaker’s ruling on the No-Confidence motion in the National Assembly. The Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo and President David Granger accepted that their Government had fallen following the ruling; and National and Regional Elections are due in ninety days from December 21, 2018, unless another period is agreed upon with the Opposition leader.

The Opposition Leader, in a very suave and tactically diplomatic approach had opened the doors for appropriate discussions with the Government in national interest. There was perhaps, too long a delay for the engagement as the APNU/AFC seemed to be weighing options they did not have, given the conflicting negative releases in the public media and from the Office of the AG. Notably, the recent meeting between President Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, was addressed with a manner of maturity and exemplifies a positive approach of dealing with the broad national concern. Although there appears to be a partially variant view of some issues, it concluded a definitive position with regards to General and Regional Elections which must be held at the earliest; subject to the readiness of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

The news emerging from GECOM is significantly worrisome and sad; indicating that the aged pensioner and ailing Chairman, Justice Ret’d James Patterson has been unwell for some time. No meetings of the Commission were convened during the period of his reported illness, which is now approaching five weeks and is a matter of concern given the appropriate speed that the matter should be dealt with constitutionally.

Notwithstanding, GECOM had announced after December 21, 2018, that the organisation was ready to conduct the General and Regional Elections if called upon. It is also notable that the current List of Electors is valid until April 2019 which means that we must get ready for General and Regional Elections in March or early April this year.

There must be no unnecessary delays. It was reported that the Chairman was at the Office on Monday, and he was advised by persons from the PNC to stay home and draw-down his millions. Suddenly we are told that he is not well and he is on two weeks leave.

This hypocrisy and delaying tactic cannot work. We look forward in observation of the steps that will be taken to remedy this looming tactical misnomer, and urge the observation of the international community and all citizens.

Yours Truly, Neil Kumar

Poor governance by the APNU/ AFC Coalition over the past 3 years Dear Editor, In reading Bishop Edghill’s letter pertaining to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Expansion project I was struck by the sentence “This interconnected group of projects was totally misunderstood and incompetently handled by the APNU/AFC Administration when they came to office in May 2015.” It sums up the 3.6 years of poor governance by the APNU+AFC Administration.

While Edghill asks the question of completion dates, I beg to ask of APNU+AFC’s conception dates, that is to say, what new ideas or projects have come forth from the Granger Cabinet that demonstrates vision for our nation? Editor, the bastardised version of the Low Carbon Development Strategy relabeled as the “Green State Development Strategy” lacks the innovation of LCDS and is about as practical as the coats of green paint applied to Government buildings en masse. All of the current projects except the plethora of speed bumps, being undertaken, were conceptualised and started under the PPP/C Administration. The Public Infrastructure Minister likes to point out the “little things” that his Ministry accomplishes; he should be reminded that his little fixes come with a hefty price tag and are works that should be carried out by competent city and village councils. Street lights and potholes are not the purview of a Minister of State, it is the work of a city Councillor.

Editor, Guyana was moved from a heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPIC) to Upper Middle Income under successive PPP/C Administrations, this was done without the much hyped “Oil money” that has become the focus of this vacuous APNU+AFC

Administration. Neglect of the pillars of our economy – Mining and Agriculture – by APNU+AFC is mind boggling, coupled with a belief that Guyanese can be taxed to pay for their excesses of expenditure on the frivolous, non-productive and mismanaged little things with massive price tags led a most expensive and disastrous period in our nation’s economic history. The APNU+AFC have emptied the coffers of the USD$900 million reserves and are driving us further into debt daily.

Editor, the APNU+AFC boasts of the largest budgets in our nation’s history, would that they could boast of a completed project that they conceived and executed successfully. Along with this massive increase in expenditure came the curse of unaccountability.

The Auditor General’s reports read like a hatchet job of Government politicians, listing unaccounted billions, lack of concern for procurement safeguards, basics such as receipts and ledgers are a problem in every item of expenditure in every single Ministry. The level of incompetence caused by “the twin sins of ignorance and arrogance” as described by Edghill in an earlier missive is stunning.

2019 elections are upon us and Guyanese must face the questions of vision for our nation and ability to deliver good governance. My advice to all is to disregard those who see “oil money” as a panacea, look to those who understand that Guyana has to now rebuild and strengthen her other pillars of economy, engage in a massive education renaissance and restore governance for the benefit of the people and not the few.

Respectfully Robin Singh

Guyana’s APNU/AFC willing to do anything to stay in power Dear Editor, On December 21, 2018, the APNU/ AFC coalition Government was defeated by a no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition, PPP/C in the National Assembly. The Government is refusing to resign and fix a date for National & Regional Elections which they are bound to do under the relevant provisions of the Constitution of Guyana.

Instead, they have decided to challenge the validity of the vote cast in favor of the motion by one of their own, Charrandas Persaud, on the grounds of his dual citizenship to Canada, and that 33 votes do not constitute the majority required to pass such a motion.

The matter is pending in the High Court. Therefore, I will refrain from commenting on the issues of law involved but will address the lack of political morality so vital to democratic politics which underlies the legal challenges. I will deal with the dual citizenship argument in this article. In another, I will address the 33 votes/majority contention.

The provision in the Constitution which prohibits a person who swore allegiance to a foreign state from becoming a Member of Parliament, has been in the Constitution, possibly, since Independence. However, over the years, every political party has deliberately turned a blind eye to it and persons with dual citizenship have always been extracted from the lists of political parties and permitted to sit in the National Assembly without objections from anyone. Of course, this includes the 11th Parliament of Guyana, which have such persons on both sides of the political aisle.

Charrandas Persaud is one such person. His name was placed on their list by the APNU+AFC and extracted from that list to sit in the National Assembly by the APNU+AFC. It must be assumed that they knew or ought to have known of his citizenship in Canada and the constitutional implications. After the 2015 elections, they have used Persaud’s vote to pass every budget and every piece of legislation since, including the 2019 budget, which was passed in a matter of days prior to the No-Confidence Motion.

Indeed, from all their public pronouncements prior to and during the debate of the No-Confidence Motion, it was abundantly clear that they were relying on Persaud’s vote to pass the very Motion. However, when Persaud voted against them, they now want to denounce the validity of that vote by relying on that provision of the Constitution in an attempt to disqualify him from being a member on the ground of his dual citizenship. So, having agreed to the rules of the game, when they lose, they are refusing to accept the results by questioning the very rules by which they agreed to be bound. This is not only duplicity and political hypocrisy at its worst, but it destroys the possibility of any political force, or anyone, being able to genuinely trust and have any lasting political relationship or alliance of any type with APNU+AFC. It demonstrates their willingness to do anything and everything possible, regardless of its consequences to the welfare of our people and the national interest, to satisfy their thirst for political power. continued on page 7

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WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

UK citizen Carl Greenidge now Guyana’s acting PM

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oreign Affairs Minister and Vice President Carl Greenidge is now acting in the capacity of Prime Minister (PM), since the current PM, Moses Nagamootoo, is acting within the capacity of President, with President David Granger in Cuba receiving treatment for his illness.

Greenidge, who is also a Member of Parliament (MP), recently confirmed with

a section of the media that he has United Kingdom (UK) citizenship, after leaving Guyana as a child.

Following the no-confidence motion that was passed against the coalition, Government supporter Campton Reid filed legal proceedings challenging the validity of the vote of former Member of Parliament (MP) Charrandas Persaud, stating that he had falsely declared that he was a

Guyanese citizen.

Persaud, a Guyanese, is also a citizen of Canada.

Reid is arguing, among other things, that Persaud, who has dual citizenship, acted in contravention of Article 155 (1) (a) of the Constitution of Guyana “…by virtue of his own act and acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience and adherence to a foreign power; to wit, the Sovereign State of Canada.”

‘The stakes are high’ A lthough a date is still to be decided on the next general and regional elections, the inevitability of this eventuality looms, and many persons are already gearing up to participate in elections this year.

As such, former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Kwame Gilbert is calling for a larger presence of international observers for the next elections.

“The stakes are the highest they have ever been. Compounded by the deterioration of trust, it is even more imperative to have a wider body of international observers,” he said.

Dr Gilbert, a former Presidential Advisor on Social Policy, told this newspaper that he would also call on the parliamentary parties to jointly agree for that level of electoral oversight.

His call comes after the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) reported last October

leading to Local Government Elections that there was a shortfall in applications for election observers.

Following that update, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union submitted their applications to become observers. Their applications were approved.

Dr Gilbert has pointed to the need for more groups and countries to join in observing the next elections, which by all suspicions could be

Guyana’s APNU...

from page 6

I must emphasise that if they succeed, it means that all the budgets passed since 2015 to now and all the Bills passed, were unlawful.

The implications and consequences of this on the nation are both irreversible and immeasurable. But they seem not to care!

However, this is not a new ploy for the PNC. They have an indisputable track record of doing anything possible to keep political power. Their years of rigging elections, before 1992, their refusal to accept the results of elections certified to be free and fair, post 1992, their agreement to the use of a voter ID card for the 1997 elections and then challenging the legal validity of those elections on the ground of the use of that

very ID card, all exemplify this ploy as a permanent part of their political modus operandi.

The fact that the legal challenge is being brought in the name of a citizen and not in the name of the main political architects fools no one. The Attorney General is on record boasting about his and the Government’s role in these proceedings. In any event, the legal challenge to the 1997 elections was also done by a citizen at the instance of the PNC. So this is not new either.

Fortunately, this time around I do not think they will succeed for the law is not on their side.

Sincerely, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, MP, Attorney-at-Law

Carl Grrenidge is currently Guyana's Acting Prime Minister (Parliament of Guyana photo)

…former MP calls for wider body of int’l observers at next elections

another historic one.

Gilbert said he is looking forward to the participation of the

But on elections day, Jagan’s People’s Progressive Party (PPP) was winning. This led

said when asked whether he thinks the process would be a fair one.

Carter Center, which has been deeply involved in Guyana since observing the election of 1992.

In 1991, Cheddi Jagan visited the former US President and requested that the Center monitor the election of 1992. Carter visited and had extensive discussions with the late former President Desmond Hoyte. He eventually agreed to this proposal for the Center to be an observer.

to riots erupting in Georgetown, with buildings being burned and several people killed. It was later declared that in fact the PPP had won.

The chaos continued but later stopped.

“In view of our history, concerns regarding a possible compromise of the process are justified.

However, both international and local observers would be valuable in mitigating these concerns,” the former MP

During the December 21, 2018 no-confidence vote tabled by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo in the National Assembly, the coalition Government was defeated when one of the Government MPs broke ranks and voted with the Opposition to have the resolution passed.

The Government has since proposed several legal arguments to question the validity of the

No-confidence

vote. But during the first sitting of the National Assembly earlier this month, House Speaker Dr Barton Scotland ruled that the vote was successfully passed.

Persons have for some time argued that the Cabinet should have resigned by now, pursuant to the laws of Guyana.

And even though less than 90 days remain in which elections must be held, the GECOM has made no significant moves towards preparing for holding elections.

The hearing of the legal challenges coming out of the no-confidence vote began on Tuesday with acting Chief Justice (CJ) Roxane George approving applications for Opposition Leader Dr Bharrat Jagdeo and Minister of State Joseph Harmon to be joined to the proceedings.

The Government believes there was not a majority passage of the no-confidence motion, but the Opposition disagrees and believes that the Government is attempting to buy time in office.

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WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

7 on trial for murder of young businessman

Allan Dorsett, called “Baird”

S

even persons, including a woman, on Tuesday denied killing Zulfikar Namdar, called “Vickey, at his family’s grocery store at their Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara (WCD) home.

In a tense and packed courtroom, the murder accused were all indicted for the September 10, 2013 robbery-murder of the 20-year-old man.

Allan Dorsett, called “Baird”; Delwayne Croft; Esan Lawrence, called “Muscle”;

Delwayne Croft

Jermaine Williams, called “Yankee”; Andrew Chandler, called “Sonic”; Samuel Bacchus, called “Kirk”; and Cassandra Singh-Dorsett all entered pleas of not guilty in the presence of their Attorneys Nigel Hughes, Ashley Henry, Adrian Thompson, and George Thomas.

Hughes and Henry are representing the number one accused Dorsett while Thompson is representing Williams, Chandler and Bacchus.

Meantime, Thomas

Esan Lawrence, called “Muscle”

is appearing for Croft, Lawrence and SinghDorsett.

Attorneys Tuanna Hardy, Abigail Gibbs and Teriq Mohammed are prosecuting the case presided over by Justice Navindra Singh.

The trial commenced following the prosecution’s opening address which reminded the jury of their duty to impartiality.

Among the first set of witnesses were the victim’s parents who recalled seeing their son’s

lifeless body in a pool of blood after gunmen raided the home.

Namdar’s mother, Fazila Namdar, who was on the verge of tears recalled that she, her grandson and driver were forced to lay face down after two bandits invaded and demanded to see the business owner. Her husband, Goolzar, testified that he was hiding when he heard the bullets. He, nevertheless, saw a tall male sporting a cap.

Fazila said she handed over a kit containing G$1.3 million in cash, several pieces of jewellery and her passport. Steven Mohamed, who was packing drinks aback the store, also recalled coming face to face with the gunmen, who

Jermaine Williams, called “Yankee”

Andrew Chandler, called “Sonic”

Murdered: Zulfikar Namdar

had asked for the “boss man”, but he said he had not known where he was.

All three witnesses pointed out the number five accused, Andrew Chandler, who lived a few houses away from

the store and was working as a labourer at a nearby masjid which was under construction.

Chandler was nearly in tears as he was being identified.

Business Minister Dominic Gaskin was born in UK Business Minister Dominic Gaskin

A

s there continues to be much debate on the dual citizenship status of Members of Parliament (MPs), it has now been revealed that Alliance For Change (AFC) executive member and Business Minister Dominic Gaskin is a born Briton.

AFC Vice Chair Cathy Hughes, at a press briefing on Wednesday, pointed out that no current parliamentarian of the party has dual citizenship, but in the same breath, said that Gaskin was born in UK. “The AFC wishes to advise that none of its 11 MPs have sworn allegiance to

any foreign state. Ten of the party’s MPs are citizens of Guyana only; the other MP, Minister Dominic Gaskin, was born in the United Kingdom…

The issue of renouncing citizenship does not apply to Guyanese who were born in another country. Therefore, Mr Gaskin constitutionally sits as a duly elected MP without any hindrance or issue,” Hughes said.

Gaskin is also the son-in-law of President David Granger.

Since the December 21, 2018 passage of the No-Confidence Resolution, which saw former AFC MP Charrandas Persaud voting in favour of the Opposition-sponsored motion that went on to topple the Coalition Government, there has been much debate about the resolution.

In fact, Government supporter Campton Reid has asked the High Court to determine whether Persaud’s vote on the No-Confidence Resolution was valid, given the fact that his dual citizenship status; that is, he’s both a Guyanese as well as a citizen of Canada.

As such, hours after the historic vote in the National Assembly, Charrandas flew to the North American country, where he currently resides.

However, it has since been revealed that Persaud was not the only MP with dual citizenship. In fact, four secontinued on page 12

WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

NEWS 9

US court blocks census question for Caribbean immigrants N

EW YORK, Jamaica (CMC) – Caribbean American New York City Council Member Jumaane D Williams has welcomed a ruling by a US federal judge blocking the Trump administration from including a question on citizenship status for Caribbean and other immigrants in the 2020 Census.

“Time and again, over the last two years, we've seen the courts acting as a check against the immorality and inhumanity of this administration in a role they've often played throughout our history,” said Williams, the son of Grenadian immigrants, who represents the overwhelmingly Caribbean 45th Council District in Brooklyn.

“I celebrate this ruling with the millions of immigrants throughout our city and our country who feared they would be targeted or silenced if this question were allowed to tarnish and bias the census,” he added.

Justice Jesse M. Furman of the

United States District Court in Manhattan ruled on Tuesday that Wilbur L Ross Jr, the US Commerce Department Secretary, broke “a veritable smorgasbord” of US federal rules when he ordered the citizenship question added to the census nearly a year ago.

The judge described as “egregious” Ross's cherry-picking of facts to corroborate his stance and said that the Commerce Department Secretary ignored or skewed opposing evidence and concealed deliberations from Census Bureau experts.

“I am a first generation American, the son of immigrants. I represent a community of immigrants, in a city, a state and nation of immigrants. These communities need to stand up and be heard in this census to ensure that their voices and their numbers are represented by our government,” said Williams, a candidate for New York City Public Advocate.

Guyana gets US$8M for hinterland solar farm project

A

s the Guyana Government continues with its “Green State” initiative, the country was given a significant boost to the tune of US$8 million to support the “Guyana Hinterland Programme: Solar PV Grid Tie Farms” which will see six communities benefitting.

The project has been selected by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) for funding via loan by ADFD, as part of the sixth cycle of the IRENA/ ADFD Project Facility, the Public Infrastructure Ministry said.

The announcement was made this week during the Ninth Session of the Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), where Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson is representing Guyana.

The Ministry noted that this announcement is timely as Guyana continues on its path towards a green economy.

This project will receive a loan of US$8 million in the coming year to install 5.2 megawatt (MW) grid-connected solar PV systems in the hinterland communities of Bartica, Kwakwani, Lethem, Mahdia, Port Kaituma, and Matthew’s Ridge to reduce fossil fuel consumption and increase the reliability of electricity supply. This will see the provision of 24-hour sustained electricity generation in these communities.

An estimated 34,700 people in the target areas, the Ministry said, will benefit and around 120 direct and indirect jobs are set to be created throughout the project’s lifecycle. Though this intervention is not expected to entirely replace diesel generation in the regions, the project will allow the utilities to annually reduce their diesel fuel consumption thereby allowing cost savings and a cleaner environment.

The Hinterland Electrification Company Inc supported by the Guyana Energy Agency, submitted the project proposal to the ADFD Facility in February 2018 for consideration, and was subsequently shortlisted and awarded in January 2019.

Guyana was one of only three countries selected to be awarded this funding out of a submission of 112 proposed

projects to the ADFD Facility across the globe.

According to the Director General of ADFD, His Excellency Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, on Saturday said, “we are proud of our result-oriented Facility that has supported replicable, scalable and potentially transformative renewable energy projects set to benefit communities and improve their living conditions. Today, at the Ninth Session of the IRENA Assembly, we are pleased to have selected truly impactful projects valued at US$31 million for the sixth cycle of financing awarded by the Facility.”

In addition to Guyana, other countries awarded were Togo and Liberia.

The IRENA/ADFD Project Facility helps emerging economies access lowcost capital for renewable energy projects to increase energy access, to improve livelihoods and advance sustainable development.

Over recent months, Guyana has been turning to financiers from the Middle-East to fund critical projects here. In fact, last April Finance Minister Winston Jordan secured a US$900 million from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), who committed the amount in financial and technical assistance for key development areas to assist with social and economic development.

Meanwhile, back in September, Guyana tapped into the funding, drawing down US$20 million to finance the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Utility Upgrade Programme, which is being co-financed by the Inter-American Development Bank and the European Union, to “effect a comprehensive turnaround of its electricity distribution” to ensure “sustainable and stable supply”.

This entails the rehabilitation of 153 kilometres of GPL’s medium voltage and low voltage network and 6, 941 smart meters, including the associated transformers, service lines and distribution boxes. It will also fund the rehabilitation and extension of two 69/13.8KV substations at Kingston and Vreed-en-hoop including equipment switchgear, power transformers, rerouting of circuits distribution feeders and cable connections.

“This administration's primary goal is and has always been to create an 'other,' and to exploit that division and bigotry. A victory was struck against that goal today, and we will continue to keep up the fight.”

Dale Ho, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) Voting Rights Project, said the ruling was “a forceful rebuke of the Trump administration's attempt to weaponize the census for an attack on immigrant communities.”

In a joint statement, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and Cecilia Clarke, president of Brooklyn

Community Foundation, welcomed the court's decision.

“We are thrilled to congratulate the advocacy work of the New York Immigration Coalition, as well as so many other immigrant rights organizations that have raised their voices against this injustice,” they said.

Adams and Clarke also said they celebrated Judge Furman's decision as “a milestone in the fight for a fair and accurate Census count.

The 2020 census count will determine whether a state gains or loses seats in the US House of Representatives when redistricting starts a year later.

10 news

WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

City Hall CoI Court rejects Guyana Govt’s delaying manoeuvres Criminal, financial sanctions to be handled by Police to remain in office

…in spite of losing noconfidence vote

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall

C

hief Justice (acting) Roxane George on Tuesday rejected Government’s attempts to extend its time in office on the grounds of the ongoing no-confidence vote case, informing the court that these matters will all be expedited owing to their national significance.

Government had sought a conservatory order to stay the enforcement of the no-confidence resolution pending the court case. But Chief Justice George told Attorney General Basil Williams that she intended to make her ruling by January month end and, therefore, such an order was unnecessary.

According to the Chief Justice, the entire country is awaiting the resolution of the cases and as such, there will be no delays.

She gave the sides a date of January 18 to exchange submissions, January 21 for rebuttal submissions and in the case of Christopher Ram vs the Attorney General and Speaker of the National Assembly, submissions will be heard on January 23.

Oral submissions for Compton Reid vs the Attorney General, former MP Charrandas Persaud and the Speaker of the National Assembly will be heard on January 24.

And finally, in the case of the Attorney General vs the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Opposition Leader, oral submissions will be done on January 25.

The Attorney General also informed the court of his wish to have additional arguments included in claimant Compton Reid’s claim. When the narrow time frame was pointed out to him, Williams held his ground.

Chief Justice George

informed Williams that since it was a legal issue, an affidavit was not needed. However, Williams was eventually granted permission by the Chief Justice to make submissions in two of the three cases which relate to Article 70 of the Constitution of Guyana.

Williams, who was seeking relief under the Constitution, had wanted the court to rule on whether the Speaker’s decision that the December 21, 2018 motion was indeed car-

Chief Justice (acting) Roxane George

ried by a majority of all elected members, and whether or not the 33to-32 breakdown means it was validly passed.

In his petition, which was filed separately from the dual citizenship challenge, Williams argued that the current total of elected members of the National Assembly is 65, and the majority of members legally prescribed

by Article 106 (6) of the Constitution is tantamount to an absolute majority that legally requires a vote of 34 or more.

In his request for a conservatory order, Williams had said it was necessary to preserve the status quo as Article 106 (7) of the Constitution requires that the President and all Ministers of the Government remain in office and hold elections within three months.

Justice George’s decision to expedite the cases was lauded by former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who noted that the court deserves credit for its impartiality in the matter.

He did not rule out that the Chief Justice may have taken into account the 90-day deadline for elections after the passage of a no-confidence motion.

“It is one of the first times, actually, that I’ve seen a court demonstrate a true appreciation of the fact that certain types of matters of national importance should be heard and determined with every convenient speed. I think this court should be roundly complimented for appreciating that reality.

“I’m also happy that all attempts made by lawyers in this matter to stall and delay were rejected by the court and the court was firm that

Attorney Neil Boston

the matter must be determined by the end of the month and has given appropriate directions.”

Attorney Neil Boston, who appeared on behalf of claimant Compton Reid, acknowledged that the Chief Justice’s decision superseded the conservatory order and thus, it has been rendered unnecessary.

“The conservatory order at this time is not important, because the final issue will be determined by the end of the month. So, what are we conserving? Even on the date of ruling, the three months would not have expired, pursuant to [Art] 106.”

On December 21, 2018, the no-confidence motion brought

by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo brought down the entire Government by a 33-to-32 vote majority when then Alliance For Change (AFC) Member of Parliament, Charrandas Persaud defected and supported the motion.

Persons have for some time argued that the Cabinet should have resigned by now, pursuant to the laws of Guyana.

Article 106 (6) of the Constitution states: continued on page 15

W

hile noting that it is currently looking at implementing recommendations made from the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into City Hall, the Local Government Commission (LGC) has stated that the measures which require further criminal and financial probes will be referred to the relevant agencies.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Commission said it continues to pursue the clearest possible resolution of several findings and recommendations that have emerged from the CoI into the administration, operation and management of the financial affairs of the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown.

After several weeks of hearing, the one-man Commission handed over its report containing several recommendations. Since then, the Commission has been tasked with deliberating and taking decisions to ensure that these recommendations are dealt with, whilst ensuring that established good industrial relations principles are adhered to during the conduct of this proceeding.

“While the Local Government Commission will proceed to implement the administrative measures that we have deliberated on and agreed to, separate measures will be referred for either criminal or financial investigation and action as may be warranted,” the LGC stated.

Moreover, the Commission noted that in deliberating on the recommendations, a decision was taken during a statutory meeting of the Commission on December 20, 2018 that in keeping with the rules of natural justice, letters should be sent to several officers outlining the findings of the CoI against them, requesting that they respond in writing to these findings and attend meetings organised by the Commission to address these responses whilst being given an opportunity to be heard.

Town Clerk Royston King

Several officers, the LGC noted, requested additional time to respond and this was granted. Over the course of the next two weeks, the Commission will meet with these officers and deliberate on the responses before any action is taken.

Failure to address

However, even as the LGC continues to deliberate on the recommendations made by retired Justice Cecil Kennard, it failed to address recent concerns raised regarding these meetings of the Commission.

People’s Progressive Party’s Commissioner, Carol Sooba, recently disclosed that she was barred from a meeting of the Commission since one of the recommendations was that she should be paid her benefits as a former employee of City Hall.

Sooba confirmed that she was asked by her fellow Commissioners to recuse herself from a particular meeting where those discussions would be convened. While noting that the committee was disgruntled about this recommendation, Sooba said she was told afterwards that she cannot sit on the meeting to discuss other matters upon the persistence of the Chairman, Mortimer Mingo and Vice-Chairman, Andrew Garnet.

“They would have wanted me to take out things from the report…

They told me I would have to recuse myself when they have to discuss my benefits and I said that was fine.

City Hall

That’s good but then the Chairman and Vice Chairman insisted that I should not sit through any meetings for the entire report… I’m a constitutional office-holder.

I am a Commissioner. I recused myself from my matter [but] there is no issue on any other matter that I should recuse myself but for some reason, they want me to recuse myself from the entire thing,” Sooba told this newspaper just over a week ago.

Meanwhile, commenting on the matter, former Attorney General Anil Nandlall said that no one from the Commission can prevent a constitutionally elected Commissioner from preforming respective duties.

“I reject such a notion because the Local Government Commission is simply engaged in considering the report and possibly, to recommend or implement these recommendations.

The Commission is not making any findings. Those findings have already been made by the CoI. I cannot imagine how Sooba’s presence can influence our prejudice,” said Nandlall.

This was backed by Sooba’s fellow Commissioner, Clinton Collymore, who further indicated, “There are other reasons for this. One of the reasons is that she was at the municipality for a very long time and she has some institutional knowledge as to what is going on and they don’t want that exposed”.

Some of the officers were requested by the LGC to present themselves for further inquiry, which was presented in the Inquiry’s final report, inked with 31 recommendations.

Disciplinary actions were recommended for Town Clerk Royston King, Acting Town Clerk Sharon Harry Munroe, Internal Auditor Omadeily Newton, City Constable Andrew Foo, Human Resources Manager Paula Braithwaite, among others.

news 11

WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Ramjattan admits to directing Court must act swiftly, says Top Cop in probe against Caricom boss on Guyana’s Charrandas Persaud no-confidence vote

AFC Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan

Police Commissioner Leslie James

lliance For Change (AFC) Chairman and Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan admitted on Wednesday that he initiated the ongoing probe against the party’s expelled Member of Parliament (MP) Charrandas Persaud, whose vote in support of the Opposition’s no-confidence motion toppled the coalition Administration.

Speaking at a press briefing at the AFC’s head office in Kitty, Georgetown, Ramjattan said that he caused an investigation to be launched after he received “certain” information concerning Persaud.

“The personal in-

volvement; yes, I got a call from Vice President Sydney Allicock indicating that there is someone that wants to give some information about Charrandas and his conduct, and indeed I then put the Commissioner of Police after speaking to Sydney Allicock. As a minister of security, if some information does come and it’s information you feel can go somewhere … he indicated to me certain things and I said Mr Commissioner, you better make a check on what’s happening and that’s it,” he said.

Ramjattan further revealed that the preliminary assessment done by the AFC had shown that the former MP did

A

not vote his conscience as was claimed.

“The assessment is also, apart from Police investigations, is indicating that it could not have been a conscience vote … even the day when we [debated] the no-confidence [motion]; after we adjourned to have meals, he [Persaud] came to me and said ‘Khemraj, you did a wonderful speech, you proper knock them down heavy’, but it’s definitely blinded us,” the Minister pointed out.

According to the Public Security Minister, Police Commissioner Leslie James is expected to pronounce on the probe sometime next week. It was only last week that James told reporters that a probe against the former MP, who is in Canada, is ongoing and he would only add that it was a matter of national security.

Charrandas’s vote which gave the Opposition a 33 majority against Government is at the centre of multiple cases at the High Court which will be ruled upon by month-end by acting Chief Justice Roxane George, SC.

“T

he democratic process is at work,” Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque told reporters when prompted on Tuesday for a comment on the passage of the no-confidence resolution on December 21.

A m b a s s a d o r LaRocque was asked about Caricom’s position on the Government taking the matter to the Caribbean Court of Justice. He responded, “We have to allow the democratic process to work. We have been observing; we have been looking on and watching on, but the democratic process is at work.”

Further, the Caricom SG said that the matter was before the courts and that the process should be allowed to run its course. However, he suggested that it be done swiftly.

“The matter is before the courts and I think we should allow the discussion and litigation to go through and see what the outcome is. I am sure the court in its wisdom and all of the other peers that may be possible will rule appropriately; my concern is that it be done swiftly, that the matter

Caricom Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque

is before the court and let the court act swiftly,” LaRocque stated.

This is the first time that the Caricom SG has commented on the development. His regional counterparts have been quite vocal on the issue of late.

On December 21, 2018, the 111th sitting of the 11th Parliament voted on its confidence in the Government. The matter is now before the High Court.

In the meantime, Government remains in office despite numerous calls for it to step

down. At a recent meeting with the Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo and President David Granger, it was agreed that there needs to be a government in place to overlook the running of the country.

In addition, it was decided that the Chief Whips, from the Government and the Opposition, are to meet with the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to determine the Commission’s readiness to host regional and general elections.

12 news

WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

APNU/AFC Coalition not Guyana’s private... ready to go to polls

from page 5

…using delaying tactics to stall elections, says political commentator

O

utspoken political commentator and economist Ramon Gaskin has voiced concern over the current political situation in the country, accusing the Government of trying to delay the holding of General and Regional Elections in Guyana within the stipulated 90day period.

Gaskin said that the Government was making strategic moves all aimed towards delaying the democratic process from taking place. He said the first move was to challenge the no-confidence resolution that was passed in the National Assembly on December 21, 2018.

“Everything that the Government is doing, including going to court, is a delay tactic … it is aimed at delaying the holding of elections. And this meeting between the Chief Whips and the GECOM (Guyana Elections Commission) is just another set of delay,” he asserted.

Gaskin also questioned the reason for giving Chief Whips Gail Teixeira and Amna Ally the responsibility of inquiring from GECOM its readiness for elections. He argued that Government and the Opposition have three representatives each on the Commission.

“The whole question of these two Chief Whips to find out whether GECOM is ready is extremely unusual, and each of these parties has three Commissioners there,” he pointed out.

The Government is represented by Vincent Alexander, Desmond Trotman and Charles Corbin while the Opposition representatives are Bibi Shadick, Robeson Benn and Sase Gunraj.

Gaskin, a former advisor to late President,

Political commentator and economist Ramon Gaskin

Dr Cheddi Jagan, told this newspaper that these individuals would have a more intimate understanding of the Commission’s work.

Further, he believes that their constitutional posts give them an advantage to gather that information.

“So, I don’t see a need to send them [the Chief Whips] in. And the Constitution is clear on having these members.

It’s all nonsense, unnecessary and it might even be trespassing on the work of the Commission,” he said.

Gaskin also made reference to the health of the GECOM Chairman, retired Justice James Patterson, who recently requested an extension of his medical leave.

He was hospitalised last month, and was expected to return to GECOM last week to host a statutory meeting.

“The man is not well and that by itself lends to a delay. I don’t doubt that they will also appeal the court decision, if it is not in its (Government’s) favour. They may take that matter to the Supreme Court and all the way to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ),” he added.

Not ready

Government wants the court to rule on whether the Speaker of

the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland’s decision on the December 21, 2018 motion was indeed carried by a majority of all elected members and whether or not the 33 to 32 breakdown meant it was validly passed.

Meanwhile, a private citizen named Compton Reid filed a petition in the court challenging the validity of the vote of former Member of Parliament Charrandas Persaud, who helped pass the motion, stating that he had falsely declared that he was a Guyanese citizen.

The political commentator also pointed to recent comments made

by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo where he stated that elections should be held before April, especially since the list of electors would expire during that month and would therefore prompt new registration.

“I am certain once they continue to delay this process, and it extends to that time, they will also start talking about reregistration.

With how things are going, I don’t see elections being held anytime soon.

Not in the next 90 days and who knows, not even this year,” he concluded.

Gaskin claimed that the reason for all these

delays was not only to hold on to power, but he believes that the major party within the coalition, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), “which, in a nutshell, is basically PNC (People’s National Congress)” was not ready.

He told Guyana Times International, “The PPP (People’s Progressive Party) is ready, because they have been campaigning all along, ever since 2015 and they haven’t stopped, but the PNC is not ready especially with the poor showing at local elections for the AFC (Alliance For Change).”

GECOM Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield has already declined to meet with the Chief Whips. A decision was made during a meeting between Jagdeo and President David Granger for the two individuals to find out the readiness of GECOM for an election.

However, Teixeira said Saturday that Lowenfield deferred the meeting to the GECOM Chairman, who is himself on extended medical leave. Teixeira said a meeting with Lowenfield would probably have been better, since a number of technical matters would have been dealt with.

Meanwhile, Ally, in an interview with the State media, stated that Lowenfield did not have a difficulty in meeting with them. But, nevertheless, he still requested that they seek out Patterson.

It was announced recently that Patterson had his medical leave extended, even as the threemonth deadline mandated by the Constitution for elections after a successful no-confidence vote approaches and preparations are at a standstill.

(Samuel Sukhnandan)

Taxi driver charged for sexually assaulting 11-yr-old A

Station Street, Kitty, Georgetown resident was on Tuesday granted bail

by Magistrate Sherdel IsaacsMarcus on a sexual assault charge when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Forty-year-old Rishi Seepersaud, a taxi driver, denied the charge which stated that on September 8, 2018, at McDoom, Greater Georgetown, he sexually

assaulted a child under the age of 16. The Police report stated that the child was 11 years old at the time.

Seepersaud’s Attorney, Darren Wade made a successful application for bail on behalf of his client.

Reports are that on the day in question, the minor was a backseat passenger in the defendant’s car when he stretched out his

hand and touched her inappropriately.

The victim, after being dropped off at her home, related what had occurred to her parents who then reported the matter to the Police.

Magistrate Isaacs-Marcus granted the defendant his pre-trial liberty in the sum of G$100,000 and scheduled the matter for January 28, 2019.

ing, which is a meeting to discuss the consequences of the passage of the no-confidence motion, operational readiness of GECOM. So, I think they also share our views that elections will have to be held,” Jagdeo posited.

Meanwhile in a video released by the Ministry of the Presidency following that meeting, President Granger said, “We’ve agreed that the two sides will continue to work together to engage GECOM to ensure that elections are held within the administrative capabilities of the Guyana Elections Commission.”

With the Government’s defeat, the next steps are spelt out in the Constitution of Guyana. Article 106 (6) of the Constitution 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.”

Clause 7 goes on to state that “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 two-thirds 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.”

Government has gone from promising to respect the vote to denying the vote’s validity on grounds that include an argument that 34 should have been the majority vote in the 65seat Parliament. The Opposition Leader has already warned that if elections are not facilitated within 90 days and there is no parliamentary agreement to extend this time, Guyana will have in place an unconstitutional government.

Business Minister...

nior Government ministers have been reported to have dual citizenship as well.

Among those who have sworn allegiance to other countries are: State Minister Joseph Harmon, who is also a citizen of the United States of America (USA); Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge, a citizen of the UK; and Public Service Minister Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, also a Briton. These are all members of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) faction of the coalition.

However, when probed on this during Wednesday’s press conference, Hughes directed questions to its majority coalition partner.

“We have made a statement where we stand. We would not be able to comment on any other political party.

We don’t know whether the information is credible, whether it’s true, or whether it’s false or whatever. So I think those questions should be directed to the individuals or to the party,” the AFC’s Vice Chair insisted.

Meanwhile, the matter involving Persaud’s dual citizenship was heard on Tuesday, and acting Chief Justice Roxane George has since committed to a ruling by month end.

As such, when pressed to discuss the implications this could have on the votes of the APNU parliamentarians, giv-

from page 8

en their dual citizenship as well, AFC Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan posited that this legal matter is limited to only the former MP’s situation.

“The lawyers, I think, will be in the best position to answer that.

My understanding from the argument from the [Campton] Reid analysis is that if you were a dual citizen, there are certain implications that you would have voided, or vitiated your parliamentary status from the very inception, and as such, that vote in the No-Confidence ought not to count. So it will go back to a 32-32 scenario, if it does not count…

Well, if the court now rules — by virtue of all the evidence this case has brought from Reid — that Charrandas has dual citizenship, it will apply to him. They will probably have to bring another case against the rest to neutralise theirs, but that’s what I understand from the Reid case: that Charrandas is what they are getting at,” Ramjattan, a lawyer, told reporters on Wednesday.

Nevertheless, the AFC insisted that due diligence was exercised prior to selecting Charrandas Persaud as an MP. According to the party’s General Secretary Marlon Williams, the former party member failed to disclose his dual citizenship status despite knowing the stipulations in the constitution.

NEWS 13

WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

‘I have never taken a cent for my yes vote’ - Charrandas M

aking it clear that he has nothing to hide, former Alliance For Change (AFC) Member of Parliament Charrandas Persaud has revealed that persons have been investigating him, even checking on his bank account at Scotiabank.

Persaud was at the time appearing on a broadcast panel discussion organised by a local firm, Globespan Technology, on Saturday. According to Persaud, whose support of the no-confidence motion that toppled the Government made him a household name, these inquiries failed to unearth ‘dirty money’.

“The only reason they’ve given up on (accusations of me) accepting bribes is because they checked through Scotiabank, my account there and they found no money… as a matter of fact they found that I owe on the same Prado…

So they’ve given up (on proving I took a bribe).”

“They have nothing and will continue to find nothing. They’ve also given up on me buying US$1 million in gold,” Persaud said, adding that the very man he

ing on me,” Persaud informed the panel.

Security escort

Former AFC MP Charrandas Persaud as he left the National Assembly after his conscience vote

was accused of negotiating the gold purchase with is affiliated with the Indigenous People’s Affairs Ministry.”

Persaud went on to throw down the gauntlet, saying that he was willing to take a lie detector test to prove he did not accept a bribe.

“Yes, I will submit to it. And I’ll tell you that they cannot, no matter what they do with it, find that I accepted bribe, because nobody offered me any money to say I’m bribing you to vote. I vot-

ed because of my conscience.”

The former MP also responded to Police Commissioner Leslie James, who was recently asked about reports that the Guyana Police Force was investigating Persaud. James had noted that such an investigation pertained to national security.

“The Commissioner of Police was grilled by reporters who asked a simple question: ‘James, you are investigating Charrandas Persaud for

what criminal activity’. (He said) that is confidential. Why is he a threat to national security? That is confidential.

The man had no answer for anything.

“So what they want the world to believe is that Charrandas is involved in something criminal, so that when he shows up at the borders they can arrest him and keep him locked up until he hangs himself in prison. They expect that I am going to be locked up. But they have noth-

In addition, Persaud addressed reports about the security escort that accompanied him to the Eugene F Correia airport on December 21, when he left the country after his conscience vote.

“The (State media) published that the persons who were with me were known criminals and former members of the death squad. Those are all (lies) that they are coming up with,” Persaud said.

According to the show’s presenters, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan and People’s National Congress (PNC) politician Aubrey Norton were also originally expected to join the discussion.

On December 21, the no-confidence motion brought by the parliamentary Opposition – the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) – against the Government succeeded when Persaud, at the time an AFC Member of Parliament, broke ranks and made a conscience vote in favour of the motion.

Outside the chambers, Persaud had had

some harsh words for the Government while defending his vote.

According to the MP, he had voted that way because of the AFC’s subordinate role to the majority A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

Persaud cited examples like Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence’s recent controversial statement about hiring party stalwarts, and pointed out that the AFC leadership did not condemn but rather condoned the statement.

At the time, the former MP had noted that his actions may have put his life in jeopardy. In fact, Persaud had mentioned specific threats to his life that he received only minutes after the vote.

Persaud had left the country that very night on a flight bound for Canada, where he has citizenship. Since then, there have been allegations floating around that Charrandas was seen leaving the National Assembly escorted by PPP member Peter Ramsaroop.

However, on Wednesday, Opposition continued on page 21

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Exxon-contracted vessel resumes work – to conduct 3, 4D surveys in southern Stabroek Block

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fter a harrowing encounter last year with the Venezuelan Navy, during which attempts were made to board it while it was carrying out seismic tests, Norwegian vessel Ramform Tethys has recommenced its seismic operations in the Stabroek Block on Exxon’s behalf.

According to a notice from the Maritime Administration Department, this work would have commenced over the weekend. The department noted that the 3 and 4D surveys would take place in the Southern portion of the Stabroek Block.

It is understood that the surveys will conclude on April 12 of 2019. Besides the Ramform Tethys, two other vessels will take part in the operation.

These vessels are the Thor Magni and the Delta Monarch.

According to the notice, these vessels will cover approximately 1,240 square kilometres of ocean in their data collection. While providing coordinates for the

The Ramform Tethys

areas they would work, MARAD also warned local vessels to give these Norwegian vessels their space.

“These vessels will be displaying the international signal for such activities,” the notice stated. “All mariners are requested to maintain a wide berth of these vessels and to navigate with caution when in the vicinity.”

The Ramform Tethys is owned by Norwegian company Petroleum Geo Services, which was contracted by Exxon to do seismic tests in the block. The ship was re-

portedly forced to pack up shop and leave the area on December 22 when the Venezuelan

International Court of Justice (ICJ) last year, a date was in turn set for the Venezuelan Government to submit its own counter memorial.

This was revealed during the 2019 budget debates by Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge. According to the Minister, April 18, 2019 has been set for Venezuela to submit its counter memorial.

When US oil giant ExxonMobil announced the first of multiple oil finds in local waters in 2015, Venezuela renewed its claim to twothirds of Guyana’s territory. Venezuela has

The coordinates supplied by MARAD

Court rejects Guyana Govt’s delaying manoeuvres... from page 10

Police on Tuesday cordoned off streets surrounding the High Court

“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, clause 7 goes on to state that “Notwithstanding its defeat, the Government shall remain in office and shall hold an election Minister of State, Joseph within three months, Harmon, in his capacity or such longer perias APNU GS, has also od as the National been included Assembly shall by resolution supported by sign after the President not less than two-thirds takes the oath of office of the votes of all the following the election.” elected members of the Even though less National Assembly de- than 90 days remain in termine, and shall re- which elections must

Navy intercepted and tried to land a helicopter on its deck.

On December 22, ExxonMobil’s local subsidiary announced it was suspending the 3-D seismic tests it started only a month ago in Guyana’s Stabroek Block after the appearance and approach of the Venezuelan Navy caused the vessel to pack up shop and vacate the area.

The incident came at a time when Guyana has an ongoing territorial integrity case with Venezuela.

Since Guyana submitted its memorial on Jurisdiction to the

Attorney-at-Law Christopher Ram

be held, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has made no significant moves towards preparing for holding elections.

been against oil exploration in Guyana’s Stabroek Block, where multiple oil deposits were found by ExxonMobil, and has since renewed claims to the Essequibo region.

On January 30, 2018, Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, concluded the Good Offices Process – which the parties had engaged in for almost 30 years, but did not achieve a resolution to the controversy – and chose the ICJ as the next means of settlement, for which Guyana had long been advocating.

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Too early to pronounce on support for Granger as Presidential candidate – AFC

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President David Granger

ith General and Regional Elections expected in the coming months, the minority party in the Coalition Government, Alliance For Change (AFC), has stated that it is too early for the party to say whether it would support President David Granger returning as presidential candidate for the impending polls.

“We’re not there yet right now; we’re absolutely not there right now. We hope that President Granger continues the speedy recovery that he’s making… We continue to wish him the best, [but] we have no idea when the elections are going to be, and so we’re not in a position to answer that right now,” AFC’s Vice Chairperson Cathy Hughes told Guyana Times International when asked whether the party would support Granger as the presidential candidate of the Coalition for the upcoming elections.

During a press conference held at the party’s head office in Kitty, Georgetown on Wednesday, AFC Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan reaffirmed the party’s commitment to the Cummingsburg Accord, adding that they will go into the next elections as a Coalition with the APNU, since this would have worked in the past.

On February 14, the APNU and AFC will celebrate their 4th anniversary since signing the “lovers’ deal” that eventual got them into office back in 2015. However, the AFC, in recent years, has come under fire for the submissive role it has been playing since joining forces with the APNU. The minority party had even contested the November 2018 Local Government Elections

(LGE) separately from the APNU after planned negotiations to craft another accord had fallen through. It suffered massive defeat at the hands of the Opposition People’s Progressive Party.

At Wednesday’s press conference, however, the AFC executives insisted that the minority party has done as much as it could have to stay relevant within the Coalition administration.

In fact, Hughes told reporters that the AFC came to the table of playing politics with a totally different perspective; that is, playing by the books. This, according to the party’s Vice Chair, is even moreso evident in the way it operates within the Coalition.

Nevertheless, the minority party remains confident that it can continue to push its agenda within Government despite the passage of a NoConfidence Resolution against the Coalition, which was supported by former AFC Member of Parliament Charrandas Persaud, whose vote in favour of the motion toppled the current administration.

Fresh registration

Ramjattan argued that the monies allocated for the registration cannot be redirected when it was budgeted for a specific project. He insisted that the G$3 billion be spent on fresh registration since the list needs to be sanitised.

“There are a lot of 15year and 14-year-olds who will have to be included in the list, and a lot of dead people…who have to be removed,” the AFC Chairman said while reminding that GECOM had committed to fresh registration every seven years.

Nevertheless, Ramjattan pointed out that the AFC is ready for elections, should they be called.

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Man accused of raping 5-yr-old walks free

‌after awaiting trial for 9 years

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Freed: Bishnauth Mohamed

fter almost nine years awaiting trial at the Demerara Assizes, Bishnauth Mohamed walked out of the Sexual Offences Court a free man on Monday following a unanimous not guilty verdict to an indictment of rape of a child under 16.

He was represented by attorney Maxwell McKay, while State attorney Lisa Cave prosecuted the case, and Justice Jo-Ann Barlow presided over the matter.

Mohamed had stood accused of a raping a fiveyear-old girl at a community in East Demerara between September 1-30, 2010. The jury deliberated for over three hours,

and when the panel returned the verdict, all 12 members were in agreement that the defendant was not guilty of his alleged crime.

The former accused had always maintained that he was not guilty of the indictable offence for which he had been placed on bail. Court documents showed that while he was committed to stand trial in the High Court by Magistrate Sueanna Lovell in 2014, the deposition was filed nearly three years later, in 2017.

It was reported on Monday that some 61 per cent of the cases at the Demerara Assizes relate to matters of sexual offences.

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Teen arraigned for murder Man challenges 57of Bush Lot brothers year murder sentence …claims he defended himself against sexual advances by deceased

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he teenager who confessed to the murder of the two Bush Lot Berbice brothers on Old Year’s Night was on Tuesday arraigned for the heinous crime when he appeared at the Mibicuri Magistrate’s Court.

Eighteen-year-old Keeran Jeenarine, also called “Roni”, was not required to plead to the indictable charge which stat-

arrested and charged his client wrongfully while arguing that video footage placed the teenager at another location at the time of the murder. Defence Attorney Charlyn Artiga stated that the video footage was taken from a supermarket and as such, the court has given the prosecution time to produce the video.

In addition, the Attorney also asked

Murder accused: Keeran Jeenarine, also called “Roni”

ed that on December 31, 2018, he murdered Premchand Samaroo and Harichand Samaroo.

However, the defence counsel is holding out that Police had

for the prosecution to make a full disclosure of all the evidence that it has against Jeenarine.

She also noted that he was in custody since January 10 af-

ter he presented himself to the Police. On the other hand, Police Prosecutor Inspector Orin Joseph told the court that the Police are still conducting their investigations.

Attorney Artiga argued that if the Police were not ready, they could have approached the High Court for more time to keep the accused in custody rather than instituting murder charges without completing their investigation.

“Who is going to compensate him for the time spent and he could be exposed to all sorts of things in prison,” she argued.

She also argued that the Police were not certain who they were seeking for the murders, since they would have issued wanted bulletins for two men who were subsequently sent away.

Magistrate Alex Moore said those concerns could be taken to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on behalf of the accused.

With respect to the video, the Magistrate gave the prosecution until January 22 to review and complete the report on same. The matter was transferred to the Springlands Magistrate’s Court.

‘I have never taken ...

From page 13

Leader Bharrat Jagdeo dismissed these claims as mischievous, saying that the businessman was free to befriend whomever he wants to, even if it’s persons from the opposite side of the House.

Meanwhile, Ramsaroop has also denied any wrongdoing, telling reporters on Wednesday that Persaud had requested his help – something which he would have done for any of his friends.

However, Ramsaroop’s support for Persaud s has caused the Ogle Airport Inc to suspend protocol passes over an alleged security breach. This order came from the Guyana Civil Aviation

Authority (GCAA), although the Airport insisted it did not breach any protocols.

According to reports, a Canadian diplomat, along with Ramsaroop, had obtained protocol passes to see Persaud off at the Eugene F Correia Airport, hours after the December 21 sitting of the National Assembly.

It is being alleged that the security protocol was breached when Ramsaroop accompanied the diplomat and Persaud onto the tarmac of the East Coast Demerara airport since such passes are not valid for civilians.

onvicted felon Clive Knights, who murdered an insurance executive in what he said was his bid to ward off a sexual assault seven years ago, is challenging the 57-year prison sentence handed down by Justice Navindra Singh, contending that it was not only excessive but that the Judge did not properly direct the jury on the appearance of bloodstains.

Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Yonette Cummings-Edwards and fellow Appellate Justices Rishi Persaud and Dawn Gregory continued hearing the arguments at the Appeal Court on Monday.

Justice Singh handed down Knights’ prison sentence in 2015 for the May 14, 2012 murder of Phoenix Park, West Bank Demerara (WBD) resident Bert Whyte. The Guyana Trinidad Mutual Fire & Life Insurance Group (GTM) insurance executive died from two stab wounds to the chest, but Knights maintained he was defending him-

Convicted murderer Clive Knights

Murdered insurance executive Bert Whyte

self against sexual assault that Whyte was reportedly perpetrating.

However, Attorney Dexter Todd, who is appearing for Knights at the Appeal Court, told the senior Judges that Justice Singh misdirected the jury in relation to the evidence of Assistant Police Superintendent (ASP) David who testified that he observed what appeared to be bloodstains when he visited the scene at Palm Court, where Whyte went after being stabbed at Bentinck Street, South Cummingsburg.

Todd argued that Justice Singh told the jury that ASP David saw blood as opposed to apparent blood, and further added that the State should have provided a forensic specialist to make this determination and to prove it was human blood and/ or that of the deceased man. Whyte had been a personnel manager at the Georgetown Public Hospital for 10 years before taking up a post as GTM’s assistant company secretary when he met his demise at the age of 44.

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Several public officials in Guyana fail to make declarations to Integrity Commission …politicians top defaulters list

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ursuant to Section 19 of the Integrity Commission Act, the Integrity Commission published the names of the 159 public officials who failed to submit their declarations as of December 31, 2018.

The Integrity Commission was established with the aim of improving the public’s confidence in the integrity of persons in public office by ensuring that they submit their declarations in compliance with the Integrity Commission Act. However, over the years, the Commission would have to publish the names of delinquent public officials in an effort to have them make their declarations.

The list of delinquent public officials was made public in Saturday’s edition of a local newspaper with 134 Councillors from the various Regional Democratic Councils across the country, including Working People’s Alliance (WPA) Executive Member, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley and controversial Alliance For Change (AFC) executive Abel Seetaram.

A breakdown of the regional officials showed Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) being the most delinquent, with 31 officials, including SaraboHalley; Chairman at JBN Investments and General Services and AFC Member, Aseef Balmacoon; Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) Board Member and PNCR

GWI Board Member and PNCR Executive, Ryan Belgrave

Executive, Ryan Belgrave; and controversial PNC member Shondel Hope.

Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) was the only region with no defaulting officers but same could not be said for Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) with PNC Executive Cherryl Gould – who recently received a Medal of Service from President David Granger – leading the list. Following Gould is the Assistant Administrator of the Leonora Diagnostic Centre and also PNC Councillor, Kathlene Armstrong; along with Leguan Island’s AFC mem-

ber, Dr Kamal Roy Narine.

Along with the Regional Councillors, the list included officials from the Audit Office, Bank of Guyana and the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC).

The acting Audit Director Audrey Badley along with five Audit Managers were flagged. The list of noncompliant officials from that constitutional body also included the Information Systems Manager, Works and Structure Manager and two former Audit Managers.

Central Bank Governor, Dr Gobin Ganga was also on the list.

When contacted, Dr Ganga told Guyana Times International that the failure to submit his declaration to the Commission was as a result him awaiting personal statements. He noted that the work of the Commission ends in June every year while the fiscal year ends in December; hence, the reason for the delay. He assured that the Commission would receive his submission on Monday.

“As you know, the Commission works from June to June and most of the statements comes in at the end of the year so that was the delay in me submitting my declaration. I am in receipt of those statements now and will be submitting it to them (the Integrity Commission)

by Monday which will put me in full compliance,” Dr Ganga

said. Ganga is among some of the officials who are in the process of complying with the Integrity Commission.

At the Central Bank also, the defaulters included Banking Manager, Joseph Lall, Chief Accountant, Maurice Munro; acting Director Leslyn KingGrenville; and Insurance Director Tracy Gibson.

Meanwhile, over at the Forestry Commission, among those noncompliant officers are the Communications Manager, Sonya Reece; Technical Adviser, Godfrey Marshall; Assistant Commissioner of Forests, Gavin Agard; and Legal Officer/Corporate Secretary, Jacy Archibald.

Over the years several Members of Parliament and other public officials have been flagged by the Integrity Commission for their failure to declare their assets and liabilities but none of their names appeared on the latest list.

The Integrity Commission Act was assented to on September 24, 1997. The Act provides for the establishment of the Integrity Commission and make provisions for the purpose of securing the integrity of persons in public life.

The Commission has the power to do anything for the proper performance of its function and in discharging its function; it is not subject to the direction or control of any other

WPA Executive Member, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley

person or authority.

The Commission has the authority to regulate its own procedure and may make rules for that purpose.

Public offices and positions listed under Schedule 1 of the Commission’s Act should disclose their financial assets and liabilities on or before June 30 each year.

When a public officer ceases to be a person in public life, he/she should disclose his/her assets and liabilities to the Commission within 30 days from the date that individual cease to be a person in public life.

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Thousands of New Yorkers feeling effects of Gov’t shutdown

…millions more stand to lose essential federal assistance if shutdown continues

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housands of New Yorkers have felt the real effects of the longest federal government shutdown in history as it enters its 27th day. According to a release from the New York Mayor’s office, the week of January 7th was the first week federal government employees that are furloughed did not receive a paycheck.

The Mayor’s office said that there are 18,000 federal employees that work at affected agencies in New York City and an unknown number of low-wage federal contractors.

Additionally, millions of New Yorkers and their families who rely on various federally funded government programs, such as food stamps, the New York City Housing Authority, school lunch and rental assistance, also are at risk of being affected by the shutdown if it continues into March. At minimum, two million New Yorkers stand to lose these vital programs come March 1st, the Mayor’s office said.

New Yorkers will lose out on US$500 million monthly if the federal government shutdown continues past February.

Filling this void with City funds would be unsustainable, leading the City to run out of money before the end of year.

However, the City does have a number of resources that may help those experiencing hardships because of the shutdown.

New Yorkers experiencing hardships can visit nyc.gov/ federalshutdown to stay updated on the latest developments and to find a variety of City programs that provide relief, including food pantries, employment referrals, landlord mediation, eviction prevention, rental and mortgage arrears assistance, veterans’ services and more.

“In my six years as Mayor, New York City has faced storms, attacks and political crises. During each of these crises, I told New Yorkers the truth: that we’d be okay,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “On the 27th day of the Trump shutdown, I cannot promise we’ll be okay. Beginning March 1st, millions of New Yorkers will lose a total of US$500 million a month in vital federal supports, such as food stamps and rental assistance. Any attempt to backfill the void left by our federal government would be woefully inadequate to the scale of this crisis. However, there is help. Anyone facing hardships can visit nyc.gov/ federalshutdown or call 311 to access our City resources.

We’ll continue to do what we

can and fight in Washington, but one thing is clear: this Trump shutdown must end today – our people are counting on a functional government.”

Many New York City food stamp recipients will now see their February benefits released early rather than in the month of February. The release of March benefits is uncertain due to the federal shutdown.

Programs at risk include:

The fight against opioids – The City has trained more than 1,000 health care providers on prescribing buprenorphine to their patients suffering from opioid addiction.

Some new prescribers have reported experiencing a delay in receiving approval from the DEA to prescribe buprenorphine since the shutdown started. If you are a provider or a patient in need of help, please call 311 or 1-888-NYCWELL to find a buprenorphine prescriber near you.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)/ Food Stamps – City residents receive nearly US$230 million in federal SNAP benefits per month. Nearly 1.6 million New Yorkers rely on this critical benefit to feed their families.

The federal government has authorized release of February

SNAP/food stamps benefits as early as today. People should plan accordingly, as this is not an additional benefit.

Section 8 – NYCHA and HPD respectively spend US$97 million and US$34 million in federal dollars per month for this program. More than 280,000 New Yorkers utilize Section 8 to pay their rent.

Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) – The City receives approximately US$1 million in federal funding per month for this program. New York City relies on these funds to help fight homelessness.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) – City residents receives US$26 million in federal funding for this program. More than 300,000 New Yorkers and their families rely on this program to put food on the table.

Continuum of Care – The City spends US$5 million in federal dollars per month for this program. This program provides rental assistance for more than 4,000 homeless New Yorkers.

New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) – NYCHA spends US$79 million per month for operating expenses such as salaries.

Approximately 10,000 NYCHA

Mayor Bill de Blasio employees will be affected by the government shutdown.

Housing Opportunities for Persons with Aids (HOPWA) – The City receives more than US$4 million in federal funding per month for this program. This is the only federal program dedicated to the housing needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. Thousands of New Yorkers with HIV/AIDS rely on these funds for housing and support services.

School Lunch – The City spends US$43 million per month for this program. More than 1 million New York students rely on this program.

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WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana classified as “flawed democracy” – EIU

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emocracy has no central meaning; rather it is defined as a set of practices and principles to ensure freedom in society.

This is according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), which in its 2018 assessment, rated Guyana as a “flawed democracy.”

The EIU is a British business within the Economist Group providing forecasting and advisory services through research and analysis.

According to the 2018 assessment, the EIU said it scores countries on a 0 to 10 scale which is based on ratings for 60 indicators grouped into five categories. The categories are: a) electoral process and pluralism; b) civil liberties; c) the functioning of government; d) political participation; and e) political culture. Each category has a rating on a 0 to 10 scale, and the overall Index is the simple average of the five category indexes. The ratings are mostly centred on the question of how free and fair elections are since that determines the level of democratic practices in a country.

After the analysis of the various criteria, the countries are ranked, and the type of regime is determined.

There are four types of regimes namely (a) full democracies: scores greater than 8; (b) flawed democracies: scores greater than 6, and less than or equal to 8; (c) Hybrid regimes: scores greater than 4, and less than or equal to 6; and (d) authoritarian regimes: scores less than or equal to 4.

The EIU classifies full democracies as countries in which not only basic political freedoms and civil liberties are respected, but which also tend to be underpinned by a political culture conducive to the flourishing of democracy. The functioning of government is satisfactory. Media are independent and diverse. There is an effective system of checks and balances. The Judiciary is independent and judicial decisions are enforced. There are only limited problems in the functioning of democracies.

It goes on to define flawed democracies, the category in which Guyana falls, as countries which also have free and fair elections and, even if there are problems such as infringements on media freedom, basic civil liberties are respected. However,

there are significant weaknesses in other aspects of democracy, including problems in governance, an underdeveloped political culture and low levels of political participation. It is within that spectrum Guyana falls.

An analysis of the results shows improvements from 2017 when 165 countries and two territories were evaluated as opposed to 167 countries and the two territories in 2018.

In 2017, Guyana was placed at 63 on the overall index with an overall score of 6.46. Its electoral process and pluralism received an 8.75 while government functioning, political participation and political culture received 5.71, 6.11 and 4.38 respectively.

The 2017 report was themed ‘Free speech under attack’ and focused heavily on the freedom of the media and classified the Guyanese media as partially free. Drawing inspiration from the “Me too” movement, the 2018 report focuses heavily on political participation, protest and democracy.

A breakdown of the 2018 overall index shows Guyana receiving a 9.17 point average for electoral process and pluralism while Government functioning, political participation, political culture, and civil liberties received 5.71, 6.11, 5.00 and 7.35 respectively.

The EIU noted that while there is no consensus for measuring democracy, a number of factors are taken into account. It added that although the terms “freedom” and “democracy” are often used interchangeably, the two are not synonymous; rather democracy can be seen as a set of practices and principles that institutionalise, and thereby, ultimately, protect freedom.

Democratic deterioration

In the report, Guyana is classed with the Latin America and the Caribbean region.

Speaking to the culture of democracy in the region, it was noted that it remains the most democratic in the developing world but suffered another year of democratic deterioration.

“The region’s overall score fell from 6.26 in 2017 to 6.24 in 2018. This deterioration bucks the trend among other regions of the developing world (Asia, Eastern Europe, Sub-Saharan

Africa and the Middle East), which saw their scores stabilise or improve.

Globally, only western Europe and Latin America registered declines this year,” the EIU noted.

EIU synopsis of Guyana

On its website, the EIU uses the following to provide its users with a brief synopsis what is happening in Guyana: “On December 21st, the coalition Government of the A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change, led by the President, David Granger, lost a vote of confidence against the Opposition party, People’s Progressive Party/ Civic, by one vote.

The national election, originally due in 2020, will now be held by March 2019. Despite political uncertainty, economic growth will be strong as key energy policies will remain unchanged ahead of an oil boom in 2020.”

The EIU report covers almost the entire population of the world and the vast majority of the world’s states with microstates being excluded.

This is the 11th edition of the Democracy Index, which began in 2006. It records how global democracy fared in 2018. The results are mixed. For the first time in three years, the global score for democracy remained stable.

Although there was no big movement at the top and bottom of the index, there were big movements in the rankings elsewhere. The two countries to fall the most in the rankings in 2018 were both from Latin America: Nicaragua and Venezuela. Both fell by 17 places, causing Nicaragua to fall from “hybrid regime” to “authoritarian regime”, and causing Venezuela, already an authoritarian regime, to sink further towards the bottom of the ranking.

There were some notable falls in eastern and western Europe, too. Italy’s ranking fell by 12 places, Turkey’s by 10 and Russia’s by nine places.

The top 10 full democracies are Norway, Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand, Denmark, Canada, Iceland, Finland, Australia and Switzerland.

The United States places 25 on the list and is categorised as a flawed democracy after dropping four places.

Former AFC Exec says GECOM must provide timely election preparedness update

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former Alliance For Change (AFC) executive has called out the authorities for seemingly stalling for time, noting that at a time when everything should be in elections mode, the Administration has fallen into a ‘go slow’ mode.

According to economist Sasenarine Singh, at the time appearing on a broadcast ‘town hall’ panel discussion, there is a real risk that Government’s stalling tactics could see them slipping into illegitimacy after March 2019 – that is, if there are no elections and an agreement to extend the deadline is not reached by the National Assembly.

As per an agreement reached by President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo during a recent meeting, their respective Chief Whips – the Government’s Amna Ally and the Opposition’s Gail Teixeira, were supposed to meet Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) officials last week to enquire into their preparations for elections.

“The Chief Elections Officer (Keith Lowenfield) has told them (Chief Whips) I would like to meet you, but I can’t meet you unless my boss authorises me to meet you guys.

So where is the boss? The boss is the Chairman of GECOM and he’s missing in action too. He’s on extended sick leave,” Singh said.

“So it seems as though the whole Administration is on a go slow. And this is the challenge. The Government’s role is to move things forward. In this case, what we are seeing is the Government opposing itself and really stalling on itself. And it’s making the whole national conversation into a joke. It is critical that the Government stop behaving immature.”

Singh also reminded that as an entity that receives billions in taxpayers’ money, it is accountable to the people. As such, Singh noted the importance of GECOM’s accountability with less than 90 days left before elections are constitutionally due.

“The reality is a decision was made by the majority. Accept your fate, put yourself in the hands of the electorate, because they are the ones who put you in authority. Let the people decide what they want. It’s their country. We have to work together … GECOM will need a framework to deliver on these elections.”

“Fortunately, for GECOM, they’ve just come out of local Government

Former AFC Executive Sase Singh

Elections, which meant the machinery has proven it works. So it just needs tinkering and some level of expansion and it will be ready. So they don’t need a long time. But GECOM is so anaemic in its communication, they have not even prescribed to the nation what their roadmap is.”

While Lowenfield diverted the two Chief Whips to his ailing boss, Teixeira in an interview with Guyana Times International had said that a meeting with Lowenfield would probably have been better, since a number of technical matters would have been dealt with.

“Lowenfield thought it appropriate we write the Chairman first and get a meeting set up. That’s what (Chief Whip Amna Ally) did as a result. We haven’t gotten a response yet. My view was that this is a technical issue and (we should) get the technical areas from Lowenfield and his secretariat and the operational preparedness,” Teixeira had said.

Meanwhile, Ally, in an interview with the State media, stated that Lowenfield did not have a difficulty in meeting with them. But, nevertheless, he still requested that they seek out Patterson.

“This, I did, speedily yesterday (Thursday) afternoon and the letter has been dispatched to the Chairman of the Elections Commission as well as the Chief Elections Officer, requesting a meeting to have us briefed on the matter of GECOM’s preparedness for elections,” Ally was quoted as saying.

GECOM Chairman, retired Justice James Patterson was recovering after being hospitalised last month and was expected to return to GECOM last Tuesday to host a statutory meeting. That very day, however, the Commission revealed that Patterson did not return as scheduled and in fact, had received an extension of his medical leave.

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New Demerara bridge corruption probe

SOCU Head says file sent to Police Legal Advisor for advice on way forward T

done.

After agitation from the parliamentary Opposition, SOCU had begun investigating the contract award.

Right from the start, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had stressed the need for the Unit to avoid showing favouritism to Patterson, particularly at a time when Opposition politicians were being brought into SOCU for questioning on other matters.

For some time, the Opposition criticised the fact that Minister Patterson was not summoned for questioning, but was instead allowed to provide statements to Public Infrastructure SOCU’s head, Assistant SOCU – in contrast to Minister David Patterson Commissioner of Police the treatment meted was questioned by SOCU (retired) Sydney James out to the Opposition during the probe the G$148 million sole- during the Pradoville probe. Eventually, howThis was confirmed by sourced contract.

In its report on the ever, SOCU did bring SOCU Head, Assistant Police Commissioner (re- matter, the Commission the Minister in for quesPublic tioning on November 19, tired) Sydney James on flagged Monday. In a brief inter- Infrastructure Minister 2018.

Besides the view with Guyana Times David Patterson for reInternational, James questing from Cabinet LievenseCSO contract, noted that the file has that the contract be sole probes were also rebeen in the hands of the sourced, instead of being quested by Opposition Legal Adviser, Justice processed through the Chief Whip Gail Teixeira (retired) Claudette Procurement Board as and Opposition parliaSingh, for several weeks. the law says should be mentarian Juan Edghill, he Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) has completed its investigation into the solesourced feasibility study contract for the new Demerara River bridge, with the file now in the hands of the Police Legal Advisor.

The contract in question was awarded to Dutch company LievenseCSO, for a feasibility study into the new Demerara River bridge. The Opposition requested that the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) investigate the award of

The contract for the feasibility study was awarded to Dutch company LievenseCSO

into the D’Urban Park Project and the Sussex Street drug bond. In a letter to the Commission’s Chairperson, Carol Corbin, Edghill had identified aspects of the project the Party was most concerned about.

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

The scope a private company has to engage

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

In the case of the controversial Sussex Street, Albouystown bond Government has since ceased renting, Edghill also approached the PPC to call for an investigation into the contract inked between the

Public Health Ministry and a known financier of the coalition Administration.

The former Government Minister had wanted the Procurement Commission to investigate specifically how a contract for a bond for the storage of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies was solesourced from an entity that did not own and/ or operate such a facility and further “how was the company’s primary Director, Larry Singh, made aware that a drug bond was needed”.

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FEATURE 29

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By Lakhram Bhagirat

E

sther Nankoo is complex, and so is the artwork she puts out there.

She is a limitless talent and has not confined herself to just one medium. She is a leader in every sense of the word, because not only is she complex but she is fierce. She is an artist extraordinaire, photographer, and poet.

No one can quite describe Esther’s work, it and her journey are like Esther. So here is what Esther has to say about those things.

“During the three years I've been an art student at the ER Burrowes School of Art, I have recognised the therapeutic qualities of painting. The process of manifesting inner thoughts and feelings onto a physical surface is immeasurably soothing.

“Introspection plays a critical role in the journey of becoming the best version of yourself.

My focus is to continuously achieve a higher level of understanding of my emotions and thoughts through art.

The concepts of my art coincide with my individuality. As I experience each new day my perspectives broaden and thus my psyche evolves repeatedly, likewise my art. I constantly experiment with various art media such as inks, dyes and a variety of paints. Therefore, my approach towards art continually transforms, but my vision remains the same.

“I am greatly intrigued by surrealism, expressionism, and abstract artworks; concepts that are unique beyond the norm. I believe brushstrokes are a physical manifestation of the energy within an artist. Painting is a powerful visual language. It is for this reason I strongly advise my fellow artists to embrace their individuality in order to express

existence of last night's dream.

It amazes me, the mystery within my being.

Those aspects a mirror can never reflect, yet they are buried somewhere in my mind.

Somewhere I, myself cannot fathom into reality.

their true selves without fear.

“I believe art should be created with passion; it should flow freely from your being without repressed emotions. Art is empowering.”

For Esther, art is not something she woke up one day and decided that she would get into, rather it is an interest she has had ever since she was a child.

Along with painting, Esther takes breathtaking photos and writes soul -poetry. She is one for pushing the boundaries of everything she dabs in and it is quite evident in the work she puts out there.

Esther decided to share two of her most riveting poems with us in whom she talks about soul searching and living.

"Introspect"

I feel as though each moment I breathe an era is engraved in my lungs.

The wisps of time has taken it's toll on this young soul of mine And I grew like a

wildflower beyond society's pruned edges.

Many thoughts have spun their webs around my mind, interweaving with my psyche.

Like a gentle fog it settles, Seeping into the nebulas behind my eyelids.

A blackhole is borne as my pupils dilate to the dawning of another day, Destroying the

For now I shall let these thoughts seep onto pages, Before they shrivel into the escapades of time.

"Hushed kiss of death"

Your first breath Beyond the womb An inhalation of Consciousness A cry of helplessness

From then to now You’re still breathing Past the same mouth

Perhaps a different tongue Oh how you've grown Growing closer to The hush of death Fate’s last certain kiss Will it lull your soul To someplace of peace Would it be bitter As the kiss of A betrayer's lust Like a tang of lies Awakening your flesh Or is it sincere Stirring the last flutter Of your eyelashes Seizing your heartstrings An ode to life (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

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What…

Y

…“constitutional crisis”??

our Eyewitness has noted with more than a little consternation that some commentators are talking about a “constitutional crisis” in Guyana, after the no-confidence motion was validly passed. There certainly is a crisis in Guyana, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the constitution. What we have is a naked power grab by the PNC after the Constitution most clearly told them it’s “sayonara” time.

The fact that the coalition has resorted to the Courts cannot undermine the clear language of the Constitution on what is a “majority” in the House of Assembly. We don’t have to look at any HISTORICAL record to figure out if cutting up people into halves a la DR Frankenstein is the way to go. Just look at what happened after the elections of 2011, when both the APNU and AFC were involved.

The PPP got 32 seats in the National Assembly to the PNC’s 26 and the AFC’s 7; but because the PPP won the most votes in a three-way contest – a “PLURALITY” — they were able to name their candidate as “President”, because that’s what our Constitution says. In the Assembly, however, the PPP with its 32 seats couldn’t pass any legislation since the APNU and AFC had 33 seats combined.

They had the majority there!! And even used it to threaten the PPP with a no-confidence motion!!!

In 2015, because the APNU and AFC went into a coalition BEFORE the election, their votes were combined, and their greater amount of votes — which translated into 33 seats to the 32 of the PPP — gave them both the Presidency and a majority in the Assembly. For three and a half years, the APNU/AFC used that 33 seat MAJORITY to not only pass any legislation their little hearts desired, but were able to control the Appointments Committee and such like!! As a matter of fact, just days after losing the no-confidence vote, they expelled the MP with a conscience and replace him with a “yes woman”, and passed the most important Bill in a century – the Natural Resources Bill – with their 33 seat majority!!

Now, lo and behold (as they use to say in Bible class), APNU and AFC now claim while 33 seats is a majority to claim the control of the Assembly and the Government, 33 isn’t the majority to unseat the Government?? How can this ridiculous position be called a “constitutional” crisis?? We hope the Chief Justice will announce that this confounded nonsense must be stopped, lest we become a jurisprudential laughing stock in the Region. The law mustn’t be allowed to become “an ass”!

She should dismiss the suit as frivolous and vexatious – not to mention “malicious”. …“one people”??

If nothing else, the desperate efforts of the PNC Government to cling on to power (so that they can get their grubby big paws on the mega oil dough!) has demonstrated that whatever “racial togetherness” their coalition claimed to have created in 2015 is long gone — even among the young folks whom everyone has been saying represented a “break with the past”.

This was brought out loud and clear in a videoconference with Charrandas Persaud as the “main man”. It appears that all the political parties and several activists – including the vociferous PNCbacked Rickford Burke — had been invited but only Sase Singh appeared. Burke balked? Nothing much that wasn’t already out there was revealed, but it was the comments by the audience and on the Facebook page that were most revealing to your eyewitness. The cleavage along race was stark – even though the panellists took pains to insist it wasn’t a “race thing”!

It does appear that this election – whenever it’s scheduled – will rival 1964 in polarisation. …a “high” platform Your Eyewitness has already noted that the acronym for new party “NUG” – a New United Guyana – is the name of the dried marijuana bud.

But is their first announcement: that they’ll legalise marijuana, confirmation that they’ll get Guyana high?

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W

hether you've been dreaming of your wedding dress since you were five and know the exact specifications you want for it down to the last sequin, or you've never thought about it until now, we've got you covered.

Finding your dream gown can be stressful.

After all, you've likely never even tried one on before, and it's the most expensive garment many women will ever own, so it can feel like the pressure is definitely on. Plus, your dress sets the tone for the wedding as a whole, whether it's a grand ballroom affair or a casual beach bash. It may also feel like there's a whole new language to decode — tulle, A-line, fit and flare, organza, sheath. Plus, more brides than ever are doing multiple dresses, a more formal one for the ceremony and a partycentric (danceable or more blingy and outrageous) one for the reception, which can double the task of shopping.

With all eyes on you, not to mention photos you'll keep forever, of course you want to look perfect on your big day and we all know wedding dresses are costly! What some of you may not know is that local designer extraordinaire Naomi Murray makes fabulous wedding dresses right here in Guyana.

Murray is a young but extremely talented designer who is making her mark. So here are a few of her wedding dresses. (Photos compliments of Naomi Murray) (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

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34 NEWS

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…as China commits to strengthen bilateral relations

uyana celebrated Chinese Arrival Day on Saturday, commemorating 166 years since the arrival of Chinese to these shores.

To commemorate this event a ceremony was held at the Windsor Forest Primary School on the West Coast of Demerara.

Windsor Forest was the first Chinese settlement in Guyana.

Delivering brief remarks, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo underscored the importance of the contribution of the Chinese towards national development.

During his brief remarks Ambassador Jianchun said, “social cohesion, unity is really important for us to transform Guyana’s economy and empower the people to build a sustainable community for the better life.”

The Chinese Ambassador remarked that Guyana and China have broader prospects for exchange and cooperation. He said that there is potential development by the two countries in various sectors. He explained that while Guyana is expecting oil in less than two years, it is important to have a “diversified economy”.

A m b a s s a d o r Jianchun, according to the Department of Public Information (DPI), disclosed that under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Chinese Government and its people are willing to work with the Government of Guyana to develop a joint action plan.

M e a n w h i l e , Charge d’ Affairs at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Guyana, Chen

Government officials along with Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, Cui Jianchun, embassy officials and students of the Winsor Forest Primary School and members of the Chinese community on Saturday shared a photo moment at the Windsor Forest Primary School, WCD

Xilai,

committed

his

Government’s participation in the strengthening of bilateral relations with Guyana.

During the ceremony, the General Secretary of the Chinese Association, Jason Wang spoke of the contribution made by the enterprise to the school.

“We have a track record of doing work at the school and that will continue as part of our duty. In 2013, we fixed the playground by doing some landfilling and we also built the two bleachers. We have maintained the bleachers and this year we rebuilt the fence and recapped the tarmac.

Next year, we plan to do more to benefit the students and teachers.

Last year, we donated some sports gears among other things.”

Wang underscored that the village has a rich history for them, as the first Chinese President of this beautiful country – Arthur Chung – was from this village.

“The Association of Chinese Enterprise here in Guyana has built a new school fence and recapped the school’s tarmac at an estimated cost of G$3 million. Additionally, the organisation has donated several decorative plants to enhance the aesthetics of the school and repaired

the school’s playground bleachers,” Jason Wang said.

The Monument at Windsor Forest Primary School was erected in 1986 by the Guyana-China Friendship Society to commemorate the coming of the first Chinese immigrants to Guyana on the Glentanner from Amoy in China.

They were all assigned to work on the West Coast of Demerara; 105 at Windsor Forest, 103 at Pouderoyen and 1 at Union. Nine died on the journey to Guyana.

From 1853-1879, a total of 13,541 Chinese, which comprised a diverse group of persons who hailed from different regions; spoke different dialects and embraced different religious and cultural beliefs, were scattered across the counties of Berbice, Demerara and Essequibo. They were among the smallest group of indentured labourers brought to Guyana, and initially comprised only men.

Later, a small number of Chinese women were brought to serve as indentured labourers. On completion of their indentureship, many of them returned to China or emigrated to different parts of the Caribbean. Of the lot that remained, several of them became astute

business operators and engaged in commercial pursuits, including becoming barbers and tradesmen.

Over the years, the strong, comprehensive programme of bilateral cooperation has resulted in Guyana benefiting from the services of the Chinese medical doctors and technicians, the donation of equipment to the health sector, the educational work of the Confucius Institute, the support given to the Bertram Collins College of the Public Service, the donation of scientific equipment to the tune of G$50 million to the Cyril Potter College of Education, infrastructural support for the expansion and renovation of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), the widening of the East Coast Demerara Public Road, and the donation of vehicles and other equipment to the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force.

Chinese indentured immigrants arrived in British Guiana aboard the ship Glentanner on January 12, 1853. The first 262 were joined five days later by an additional 85 indentured immigrants who disembarked from another ship, the ‘Lord Elgin’.

NEWS 35

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Billions worth of ganja, cocaine destroyed in 2018 – CANU head …“largest in a long time”

T

Close to 40 events being planned for Mash 2019 …events decentralised to all regions

An exercise in which illegal drugs were destroyed by way of fire by CANU

he Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) has reported that billions of dollars’ worth of marijuana and cocaine was destroyed during last year’s eradication exercise throughout the country. This is according to Head of CANU, Michael Atherly, who in an interview with Guyana Times International said over 300 persons were convicted for various drug crimes during 2018.

“During last year we had a very huge eradication exercise throughout the country. Berbice, however, has seen the largest confiscation of marijuana.

There were millions of dollars’ worth of cannabis which included farms and dried cannabis being destroyed during that period. This was recorded as the largest during recent years,” Atherly said.

Statistics from the Guyana Drug Information Network (GUYDIN) – an inter-agency body comprising of law enforcement agencies – revealed that during 2018 (as of November), a combined total of 477 kilograms of cocaine and 994 kilograms of cannabis was destroyed at Yarrowkabra, Linden/ Soesdyke Highway by representatives from CANU, the National AntiNarcotics Agency (NANA) and the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory (GFSL).

It further outlined that a total of 132 kilograms of cocaine and 440 kilograms of cannabis were destroyed by the Police, while 45 kilograms of cocaine and 554 kilograms of cannabis were also destroyed by CANU in other areas. A combined street value of the narcotics amounted to G$513,310,940.

The drugs were reportedly tested by staff of the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory before being destroyed by way of fire.

Meanwhile, the 2017 report highlighted that law enforcement agencies seized a total of 55,139 kilograms of narcotics which included substances such as marijuana, heroin, cocaine, and ecstasy and have eradicated over 117,000 kilograms of marijuana plants.

Further, the executive summary of the GUYDIN report noted that there were 124 drug seizures during that period.

Of these, the narcotics branch of the Guyana Police Force made 72 per cent of the seizures , while CANU made 28 per cent.

The report stated that marijuana plants were eradicated from 34 acres of land, spanning 20 fields over 15 operations. Some 204,400 plants were eradicated, the report added, and a “total of 117,531.67 kilograms of marijuana taken off the market.

B'dos Gov't puts temporary freeze on borrowing (CMC)

T

he Barbados Government has put a temporary freeze on borrowing, even as it reported an improvement in the island's economic position.

“Over the next four years the Barbados Government will not borrow any new funds. To put the impact of that into context, over the past four years the Government of Barbados has borrowed almost two billion dollars (One Barbados dollar=US$0.50 cents),” said minister in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Marsha Caddle, adding, “that's two billion dollars of new Barbadian savings that were drawn into and trapped by Government debt”.

Caddle, speaking at the 2019 planning conference for the Barbados Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, said the island's debt had already declined from near 170 per cent of gross domestic product, in May last year, to 124 per cent this year.

She said last May reserves stood at BDS$400 million, but the Government's US$290 -million External Fund Facility agreement with the International Monetary Fund and other international financial agencies, including the Inter-American Development Bank, have helped to improve the economic

Mia Amor Mottley

situation here.

She said in bringing the economy to this new place, the Mia Mottley Administration has also settled one of the largest domestic debt restructuring exercises in the island's history.

But she said that unless the Government provides new, safe avenues for individuals to invest, those excess funds run the risk of sitting idly in banks, as the current rate of interest being offered is close to zero.

“Where will the two billion dollars of new savings go over the next four

T

File photo: Participants of the Costume and Float parade 2018

he Social Cohesion Ministry on Monday announced its Mashramani activities for the 49th annual celebration, bringing the events to all parts of the country so that everyone can experience the Guyanese culture.

In rebranding Mashramani, 39 activities have been scheduled over the next six weeks to mark the Republic anniversary celebrations, held under the banner “Celebrate Mash 2019; With Victory in Mind – Rediscovering El Dorado.”

Coordinator of this year’s event planning, Andrew Tyndall gave a highlight of the schedule, noting that some G$70 million will be expended this year and is somewhat the same figure when compared to last year.

“Mashramani will be relevant as we Guyanese want it to be relevant. It’s our culture…Mashramani is unique in Guyana. It’s the only place you’ll find this festival happening and so we have to improve what we present to the public,” Tyndall expressed.

He acknowledged the major sponsors: Caribbean Airlines, Banks DIH, Republic Bank and Ansa McAl. The events commenced on Saturday with an All-Stars concert followed

by Steel band concert in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice).

Over in Georgetown, Main Street will come alive every Friday with the Banks Main Street Lime, beginning on January 18. On January 19, another concert will be hosted, this time in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Esequibo).

Junior Calypso and Soca rehearsals will be held at the seawall in Georgetown on January 20. These rehearsals will be followed by Chutney and Soca rehearsals on January 27 and February 1 respectively.

A key event of the season which takes the form of the junior Calypso

and Soca competition will be held on February 2 at the Bartica Community Centre Ground in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

The adult Calypso rehearsals will be conducted at the sea wall in Georgetown on February 3. This will be followed by the Banks Calypso semi-final in Union, Number 53 Village Community Centre Ground on February 8.

On February 9, the LindenGeorgetown Municipal Bus Park in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) will be rejuvenated with the Carib Soca Monarch competition.

Meanwhile a Chutney Dance Competition is expected to excite patrons over in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) at the National Track and Field Centre also on February 9.

The Bath Settlement Community Centre in Region Five (MahaicaBerbice) will this year host the Chutney Song Competition semi-finals on February 10.

Other exciting events are expected to take place within the month of February including Children’s costume and float parade at the National Park on February 16, the Carib Soca Monarch final, also on February 16 at the D’Urban Park.

This year the Masquerade Jamboree will be held at the Stabroek Square on February 21. The Flag Raising Ceremony will be hosted on February 22 to usher in the Costume and Float Parade on February 23. The Mashramani festivities does not end on February 23 this year as a Champions in Concert activity is slated for March 9, in Mahdia Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni).

With regards to security, the Guyana Police Force in collaboration with the Civil Defence Commission has taken up the mantle of increasing security for the mash-bands and revelers.

years? If we do nothing these savings will only compete for existing assets, while the banks will be awash with more deposits than they know what to do with. The bank interest rates are going to remain near zero. Government bonds that seem plentiful today will be in short supply, while equity markets will see prices skyrocketing.”

Caddle told the insurers and financial advisers that as a result of the zero-borrowing policy, in the future it would bring back liquidity to the local market, thereby making it easier for those with long-term bonds after the debt restructuring to sell them and revive the local market.

But she warned that even with these potential benefits the exercise

would be a waste if at the end, more Barbadians did not achieve economic enfranchisement.

“If this is all that happens it would be a wasted opportunity. It would merely represent a wealth transfer to those who currently already own those assets; economic enfranchisement for all Barbadians requires new assets. It requires new financial thinking, institutions and instruments that are well regulated and will tap these savings and mobilise them to invest and develop our economy,” she said.

This is the way to permanently break out of the recurrent trap of low growth, low levels of domestic investment, and low levels of broad-based wealth creation,” she added.

36 NEWS

WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Caricom countries voted on OAS 80% of crimes in the Region are committed resolution based on national interest – former Minister by youths – Caricom SG

Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque

“S

ome of the main findings of recent studies are that the majority of victims as well as perpetrators of crimes reported by the Police are young

Secretary General pointed out.

According to him, it has been realised that there is great need for intervention in order to combat the current chal-

Caribbean countries like Jamaica, St Lucia and a number of other nations, including the United States.

Social Cohesion Minister, Dr George Norton, while delivering the feature address, spoke of the need for developing programmes to help build the self-esteem of youths.

Norton told his fellow Caricom States’ representatives that, “We must all continue to implement programmes and activities that seek to develop and enhance youths’ self-esteem and confidence; promote tolerance; respect for laws and rules and empower them to be change agents in our societies”.

The Minister explained that such programmes must include an avenue for youths to

A section of the gathering

males 18 to 35 years old.”

Those were the shocking facts revealed

by Caricom Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque on Tuesday as the Caribbean Summit on Youth Violence kicked off at the Guyana Marriott Hotel, Georgetown.

LaRocque further stated during his presentation that the Caribbean Region has some of the highest figures of youths being convicted for crimes.

In fact, the Ambassador disclosed that according to a United Nations (UN) report, 80 per cent of prosecuted crimes are committed by youths between the ages of 19 and 29.

“There are a number of socio-economic determinants of crime, of the least of which is the high youth unemployment in the Region of 25 per cent in 2017. That is three times the average and the highest,” the

lenge.

He said, “The Crime Prevention National Plan and the Caricom Youth Development Action Plan are two of the main policy frameworks which guide and design the implementation of policy and programmes in Member States to address crime and violence from a prevention perspective through addressing the underlined social factors”. This is all done, LaRocque noted, with the intent of creating an enabling environment for adolescent and youth well-being.

He, nevertheless, sought to highlight the critical role that families must play in the prevention of crime.

The Summit is also geared towards creating “targeted actions” on policy-makers and stakeholders to create and maintain a peaceful Caribbean environment.

Participating in the event are a number of

be able to shake off their aggression and release stress and anger which would have built up owing to insecurities.

He added that they must be geared towards fostering peace and cohesion among youths and the nation as a whole.

“These programmes would include sports and recreational activities, educational and cultural programmes, mentorship and counselling programmes, creation of youth-friendly spaces across countries, consultations and practical and life skills training,” Norton posited.

During the two-day affair, participants will be involved in discussions revolving around the promotion of healthy masculinity, youth-driven responses to criminal gangs, and addressing risk and protective factors for youth violence, among others.

W

hen representatives of countries belonging to the Organisation of American States (OAS) met last week to vote not to recognise the legitimacy of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro’s new term in office, most Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries abstained from a vote.

This has since caused a regional debate on the matter and brings to question again whether the regional body, which represents 15 countries, has any strength and unity. But former Foreign Affairs Minister Rashleigh Jackson posits that the vote was based on national interests.

While St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Dominica voted against the resolution, Guyana, Jamaica, St Lucia, The Bahamas and Haiti voted for it. Meanwhile, St Kitts, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Belize, and Grenada all abstained from the vote.

“This was done based on how they perceived their national interest. And there is certain uniqueness about this situation. It wouldn’t take any country especially with such a general issue to vote without thinking about its national interest,” he told Guyana Times International.

While he believes the split vote among Caricom countries does not necessarily point to a division, he opines that many may have deliberated on the fact that they should take a no-interference stance.

However, he said adherence to principles should have been considered.

“Why… because of the severity of the internal issue within the country (Venezuela).

But you can’t expect all the groups to vote the same way on various issues. In some cases, there is going to be diversion for national interest, which used to be a common thing,” he observed.

But Jackson is also of the opinion that countries should consider more often a reflection of regional position rather than a diversion within the group on particular issues like these.

“More often it’s a reflection of a common regional position rather than the divergent of the group on particular

Former Foreign Affairs Minister Rashleigh Jackson

issues. I think Caricom is based on solid set of common interest, but it comes a time when the interest and different positions are taken by different countries,” he added.

Asked whether he thinks that these sister Caricom States will back Guyana, should the border controversy with Venezuela intensify, the former Minister says he thinks they will.

“I think they will back us; Caricom is in favour of Guyana’s general principle of territorial integrity. I have faith in the unity of the Caricom, certainly in relation to Guyana’s territorial integrity.”

In 2017, the majority of Caricom countries abstained from a vote at the OAS as the body approved a resolution calling for an extraordinary assembly to vote on suspending Venezuela from the group. The resolution was spearheaded by the United States.

The OAS’s general assembly voted with 19 Member States in favour, four against and 11 abstaining, to take the first step to suspending the South American nation.

Back then, Guyana, The Bahamas, Barbados, and Jamaica supported the resolution, while Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines voted against the measure.

However, Belize, Grenada, Haiti, St Kitts-Nevis, St Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago

were among the 11 Member States that abstained during the vote.

The OAS has expelled only two nations in its history. Cuba was forced out in 1962, and Honduras was suspended briefly following a 2009 military coup.

The ban of Cuba was lifted in 2009, but the island country rejected rejoining the Organisation.

The recent resolution was taken at the level of the Permanent Council of the OAS, and when the dust from voting had settled, 19 voted in favour of the resolution, six were against it, with eight abstentions and one member completely absent.

According to the resolution, the OAS would not recognise the legitimacy of Maduro’s new term as President. The resolution also urges Member States to use lawful, diplomatic, economic and financial measures to restore democracy to Venezuela.

Among other things, it also calls for new free and fair elections to be held. The resolution notes that the 2018 election failed to meet international standards and it lacked legitimacy.

The resolution also seeks “to invite Member States and Permanent Observers to implement measures to address the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela and impacted countries, through the support to appropriate international and regional organisations”.

WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

By Lakhram Bhagirat

S

ometimes life throws unexpected challenges our way and to deal with those challenges it requires tremendous strength and willpower. No one knows more the amount of strength it takes to completely turn your life around than 22-year-old Kamalita Heralall.

You see Kamalita’s situation is not quite uncommon but the way she handled it is nothing short of inspiring. She hails from the community of Herstelling on the East Bank of Demerara and sitting the Common Entrance Examinations she gained a place at the Charlestown Secondary School. However, after attending there for al-

most two years, she was forced to drop out. The reason for her dropping out remains unknown to me, since she is not ready to publicly reveal that, but her journey to where she is today is nothing short of impressive.

After leaving school, she stayed home for almost two years after which she decided to get involved in community activities by joining the local youth groups and it is from then that her life began to take a drastic turns “After I started entering the youth groups and so, they put me on to the Carnegie School of Home Economics where I became a student of the Craft Production and Design Division. I graduated with two distinctions in Visual Arts and Garment Construction,” she said.

After she graduated from Carnegie, one

of her lecturers referred Kamalita to the ER Burrowes School of Art where she gained admission to further her studies.

“Art is not something I had in mind, but it is something that I just got in to because I was home and not doing anything and it was people who pushed me and today I have no regret,” she states.

Kamalita graduated from Burrowes in September of 2018 with a double major. Not only did she complete the feat of being a double major but she passed with a distinction in both Textile Design and Leather Craft.

Looking back on the journey, Kamalita tells me that it was no walk in the park, but that she was committed to succeed and that she did.

She said it entailed a lot of sacrifices, but she was cognisant of the fact that it was a chance to redo her life all over again, so it drove her to work 10 times harder than her classmates.

When she joined

Burrowes, Kamalita did not have the requisite requirements to be a part of the diploma programme, so she settled for what she could have gotten which was the certificate programme. During her second year, the School’s Administrator, Ivor Thom, called her to his office and offered the opportunity to change to the diploma programme,

FEATURE 37

which she grasped almost immediately.

“He gave me the opportunity to do the diploma programme because of my work, attendance and grade and so on. Due to that, I was able to excel.”

When I asked her to describe her art style and herself as an artist, she stated, “I am abstract artist,' I am in to abstraction.

I don’t like anything that is too realistic because to me realism is boring: it’s common, so I am more into expressing what is coming from me rather than coping a live picture and trying to do back the exact thing.

The reason I chose abstract art is that I think it is considered one of the most purest form of expression of what is being felt on the inside rather than what is commonly being felt on the outside. It allows viewers to get into the work and relate better with their interpretation.”

Kamalita has a love for nature and is saddened by the disconnect that exists in today’s world as it relates to the

destruction of nature.

She believes that some sections of the art community, over the years, have moved away from traditional art forms and practices and it is something she hopes to bring back.

For now, she works on commission, but has sent applications to schools so that she can impart what she has learnt and inspire the next generation of artists to make their mark, since, according to her, art is subjective and should not be limited.

Also, she is a strong advocate for youths to have a holistic education. She urges them to learn from her experience and stay in school because a sound education is of paramount importance.

“I would advise young people not to do it (drop out of school), because the opportunity that I got a lot of people might not get the same. Stay in school and take their education, and follow up exactly what they are in to and let nothing hold them back and do it at their best ability.”

(Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

38 NEWS

WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Woman accused of killing abusive husband to face High Court trial

T

wenty-threeyear-old Lisa Hayley, who is accused of killing her allegedly abusive husband in 2017, was on Wednesday committed to stand trial at the High Court by Senior Magistrate Leron Daly.

Hayley was released on G$250,000 bail.

According to reports, the now dead man was very abusive towards Hayley during their relationship.

Reports from 2017 stated that when the

This ruling came after a prima facie case was made out against Hayley. This means that she will have to face a judge and jury to know her fate when the matter is called in the High Court.

The mother of two made her first court appearance on August 3, 2017 when she faced a charge stating that she unlawfully killed Dailson Hayley on July 29, 2017 at Lot 30 Queen Street, Kitty, Georgetown.

woman attempted to exit the relationship, the deceased, who did not handle it well, subsequently turned up at the home armed with two knives.

An altercation then ensued during which Hayley managed to disarm the victim and reportedly inflicted one fatal stab wound to his chest. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

FEATURE 39

B y L akhram B hagirat

“I

am an artist who adds colour to a story.

One who is very influential and of great inspiration to persons who view my art. I paint with a purpose because of the love of art and also the happiness it brings. I'm more of an abstract artist; surrealism and expressionism is what I do best,” Halcyon Doris says.

Doris’s personality is larger than life and it transcends to the work she does.

Persons around her describe her as bubbly, passionate, fierce and all so important, confident. Doris currently teaches Visual Arts at the Vreed-en-Hoop Secondary School, West Bank Demerara.

She also is a parttime student at the ER Burrowes School of Art where she is pursuing a diploma in fine arts.

“Growing up, I was a daddy's girl. It was easy to be the centre of attraction when in a crowd, but I just wanted to dance and take pictures. My pastor, Dr Marlon Hestick gave me the call name “Dancing Feet”. I was gifted and began dancing at the age of five,” the 28-year-old stated.

Apart from being daddy’s little girl, she drew strength from her mother because of the level of passion and drive she possessed.

“My interest in art started when I was in primary school, I

found myself sketching and creating pictures, I was good at it.

But I never really took it seriously then. After I went on to secondary school, the subject was offered. I saw some CXC students working in the art room, I asked to join. I was a late student. I was amazed at the ability of some of my classmates in this subject area (visual arts) which made me push even harder to get better art pieces. I wrote Visual Arts for CXC and my results were encouraging,” she remembers.

Doris notes that at first people didn't see Visual Arts as an important subject to be pursued, since it did not guarantee a lucrative career post graduation. However, her parents never advised

against her passion for the arts.

Instead they pushed her to achieve all that she wanted while giving her the requisite support in order for her to pursue her goals.

She was never pushed to prove herself when it came to her love for the arts, rather those around her were mesmerised by the work she was doing.

“The thing that sparked my interest in art even more was when I visited an art exhibition at Castellani House in the year 2014 and I was in awe. That same year I informed my HM (Head Mistress at VHS) I would like to teach this subject. It was easy for me to get to teach the subject, since it was my minor

when I attended CPCE

[Cyril Potter College of Education],” she related.

In order for her to better her craft, Doris began attending the Burrowes School of Art, so that she would gain technical experience while learning how to perfect what she already knew. For her, gaining that level of knowledge is of paramount importance since she wants to ensure that her students get the best level of teaching that could be afforded to them.

For her students, Ms Doris is the best teacher they could ask for since her classes are not only about being taught rather it involves the holistic ex-

perience of learning in an environment that is comfortable. She affords each of her students individualised attention so that they are prepared when it comes time for them to sit their examination.

Focusing on her work itself, one can describe Doris’s paintings as masterpieces.

Not only do they captivate you at first glance but they also tell a story. We all know that art is subjective and her pieces inspire you to analyse them to decipher what her thought process was while she was creating them. (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

40

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WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

By Lakhram Bhagirat

“A

rt, at its root, is an expression and the artist is an expresser, translating in order to create meaning. Art expresses and translates, art acknowledges and

reveals, art transfers and art intervenes. Art is an expression—an expression of feeling, belief, and character,” is a fitting expression of what art really is and how artists are perceived.

I would go a little fur-

ther to say that an artist has the ability to make us feel their pain without even telling us. They have the ability to make us feel immense happiness just by looking at their creation. They lay their souls bare for us to interpret and make themselves vulnerable so we can stare. Their artwork is so intimate that we become a part of them and them us. That takes courage; it takes courage to lay yourself bare for the world to stare.

Art by itself is subjective, because no two persons see the same thing in an art piece even if it is the most realistic image sitting before us. We judge art by the way it makes us feel and the emotion it invokes.

For young Cristal Clair Simmons, art has always been her avenue to escape the situations around her. The soon-to-be 20-year-old is a Communication Studies student at the University of Guyana, but is also a talented artist. My first encounter with her was in 2016 while we were waiting for our lecturer to arrive. A group of us, who all have vested interest in art, were talking art and the fact that the art community in Guyana is so disjointed. It was also the first encounter I had with her work and to say I was dumbfounded will be an understatement.

Her style is different from all the artists I have come across both locally and internationally. It is both raw in the sense of the emotions and polished in regards to the finish. I was more than intrigued. Ever since I have been following her work closely, but with the stress of being a University student and working, she has not had that much time to pursue her art, much to her disappointment.

The creative process takes time and no two artists complete a masterpiece in just a day or even a week. It takes time and patience to capture exactly what you are feeling inside, so those who view your work can feel the same or even have new emotions awakened in them.

Cristal comes from an artistic family and, according to her, they know what good art is and she grew up with an affinity for fine art.

According to her, influ-

FEATURE 41

ence came from an uncle and she has never looked back.

“Art for me first started when I was just a small child and I used to look at my deaf and dumb uncle who is my favourite uncle. He was great at art. His drawings, paintings and everything…I used to admire it all and he did teach me a few things.

My family always supported me in art, because they knew how much it means to me,” she says.

She notes that apart from the influences of her uncle, the various styles of art also played a part in her development. Cristal describes her style as free and unusual, adding that with no formal training she puts 100 per cent of her personality in every piece she creates.

Currently, Cristal is working on a few pieces that she plans to unveil very soon.

(Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

42 FEATURE

By Lakhram Bhagirat

T

hey say that art is more than what we see on the surface. It is about who we are, what happened to us, and how it has influenced our lives and for Nigel Butler, that is exactly the course his heart takes. He does not confine himself to just one style of painting, rather he is very versed in everything he does.

Nigel is a man of very few words, but his creations are what speak for him.

The 24-year-old hails from Surama Village in the Northern Rupununi, but spent most of his childhood with his grandparents in Georgetown so as to be afforded the best of opportunities while growing up. His mother was a school teacher and heavily influenced his art and him being part of the creative industry.

“I never knew the influence my mom, a teacher, played in me being this connected to art (during my younger days). She had to stop teaching due to certain circumstances and from then her artwork, fabric painting and embroidery work played a big part in how I remember her…hence, the need I feel to keep her alive through my art,” he

WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

said.

Nigel is very expressive in his work and his talent is beyond comprehension. He pushes his boundaries and is constantly learning. He takes ordinary ideas and turns them into masterpieces. Currently, he works as a freelance graphic artist as well as a clothing designer. However, his focus is on enhancing his painting skills and leaving behind a legacy.

As we figured out earlier, art was always a part of Nigel’s life and when he discovered his talent, it was readily supported by those around him. The never-ending support from his grandparents, parents, and other relatives is what drives him to push the boundaries of art and make his mark as an artist with a difference.

Speaking about the influences visible in the pieces he created, Nigel said, “Besides playing a part in my family, it was an outlet where I can focus and get away from reality, become anything I desire and do anything. Then there the impact I soon came to realise it has on society, moreover art in any form is what I love and what I’m hoping, wishing and planning to survive on.”

“I am still growing as an artist,

changing every day, exploring new things, learning and trying to get a grip of what it takes to live this life and in a way, I hope it stays that exciting, but I also hope to answer the question of who I am as an artist, one day.”

Speaking about the style of his art, Nigel said while he did not want to confine himself to just one style his favourite is more “abstract, semi realism because of its strong lines and use of images and human representation”. He adds that he admires all types of painting, but photo realism in any medium, along with water colours, is what fascinates him the most. Explaining that it is not because of what is painted, rather it is because of the time that went in to painting those pieces.

Nigel studied at the ER Burrowes School of Art for three years and graduated with a certificate in graphic design as a major and sculpture as a minor. He notes that over the last year he saw an overwhelming level of support for those in the art industry making

him optimistic of the things to come.

“I know there is a long road ahead if we want Guyana to get to the standards of what Guyana should be at, and we as artists, would welcome more support from other persons and continued from those backing us now. And for those looking to get into the industry like any other profession out there, struggles and stress will be present but overcoming them is where you get stronger. Just keep on going, art is a part of life and life is not an easy road,” Nigel advises. (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

T

he Essequibo River is the largest river in Guyana, and the largest river between the Orinoco and Amazon. Rising in the Acarai Mountains near the Brazil-Guyana border, the Essequibo flows to the north for 1,014 kilometres (630 mi) through forest and savanna into the Atlantic Ocean. With a total drainage basin of 69,300 sq.km (26,757sq.mi) with average discharge of 74,303 cu ft/s (2,104 m3/s).

The river runs through the Guianan moist forests ecoregion. There are many rapids and waterfalls (e. g., Kaieteur Falls on the Potaro River) along the route of the Essequibo, and its 20-kilometre (12 mi) wide estuary is dotted with numerous small islands. It enters the Atlantic 21 kilometres (13 mi) from Georgetown, the capital city of Guyana. The river features Murrays Fall, Pot Falls, and Kumaka Falls.

Its many tributaries include the Rupununi, Potaro, Mazaruni, Siparuni, Kiyuwini, Konawaruk and Cuyuni rivers. For over 30 kilometres (19 mi) from its mouth, the river's channel is divided by the large flat and fertile islands of Leguan, about 28 square kilometres (11 sq mi), Wakenaam, about 44 square kilometres (17 sq mi), and Hogg Island, about 60 square kilometres (23 sq mi). Fort Island is off the eastern side of Hogg Island. Fort Island was the seat of government of the country during the Dutch colonial era.

Now that we have some facts on the mighty Essequibo let us tell you about one of its many wonders. Not everyone is aware but there is a small beach that is only visible for a few hours of the day and those who are aware of this beach would use the time that it is visible to have picnics or tourist excursions.

Photographer Deopaul Somwaru was fortunate to encounter this beach, that many have no idea of, and took some photos to share.

FEATURE 43

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O

New…

…parties in Guyana ne of the founders of ANUG – A New and United Guyana – (to be launched this week) commented in his blog which is reprinted by the Stabber News and then regularly reprinted as a news item (talk about publicity!!): “Political parties are mushrooming, as is the custom when elections are close.” Since we’ve tried and failed to grow “real mushrooms”, maybe it might be more appropriate to say, “political parties are sprouting like ‘jumbie umbrellas’”!!

Our colloquial reference would convey not only the accelerated growth cycle of the fungal life form, but the reason for the phenomenon – it grows on dung!! This, of course, makes it a perfect analogy since there’s nothing that resembles dung more than Guyanese politics!! So, while the statement’s true in general, it’s accentuated when the politics gets dirtier – like now, when the PNC’s back to its old tricks!!

Presently, there are supposed to only be two parties in the National Assembly – APNU/AFC coalition and the PPP. But like one of those Russian Babushka dolls, as you open APNU, you see the PNC staring at you and four other parties supposedly in a “union” with it. But those latter parties, along with the AFC, have lost any sign of individuality, and are an object lesson for “Jumbie Umbrella Parties” (JUPs).

They pretty much melt away in the bright light of electoral politics, to become “one-man shows”.

Case in point being the two-man (in its heyday!)

National Front Alliance (NFA) with Keith Scott now as the only survivor); the Guyana Action Party (GAP) (with Sydney Allicock) and Justice For All Party (JFAP) with CN Sharma’s son standing in for him. The WPA’s the most long-living, but withered inexorably away with Walter Rodney’s assassination and is having a tough time surviving even in Granger’s “country for old men”! The AFC was “dead meat” on arrival!

So, we look at the new JUPs. Recycled from the “old days”, the United Republican Party (URP) took part in the LGE, but was not even able to garner a single Councillor seat, only its cow-symbol might survive! For the real newbies, first one off the block was the Democratic National Congress (DNC), who took the concept of “one man party” to its literal apotheosis! Manning the head table by his lonesome at the launch, the leader alternatingly asked and then answered his own questions!

Last weekend, over in Berbice, three local (meaning Berbice) lawyers launched the “Federal United Party” (FED-UP), whose manifesto appears to be summed up in its name and acronym! ANUG, composed of some well-meaning middle-class Georgetowners, will launch this weekend, but has already suffered its first defection.

Jumbie umbrellas do tend to be fragile!! …disrespect to Canada Oldsters would remember the American comedian Rodney Dangerfield, whose main schtick was to riff on his doleful expression, “I just can’t get no respect!” It does seem that Canada’s the Rodney Dangerfield of international politics! Long seen as a pale imitation of the US – especially by the US which started the “disrespect” – it’s come to a point when even “s*ithole” countries “follow pattern”.

Take the sabre rattling by the PNC Government at the Canadian Government for giving one of its citizens – Charrandas Persaud – protection to fly out of the country – after he was most publicly threatened with death by several MPs of the PNC and AFC IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY!! (“Charrandas you gun dead tonight”!!!) That Charrandas was also a citizen of Guyana is of no consequence to Canada, which accepts MPs and Ministers who are even TRIPLE citizens!!

Just because Guyana doesn’t give a hoot about its citizens abroad, doesn’t mean Canada has to do the same!

Canada has to stop being “Mr Nice Guy”! …Venezuelan aggression The PNC should stop fooling around and making our democratic credentials plummet. It’s also encouraging Venezuela to step up its aggression.

This time with a “remapping” of their waters in the Atlantic.

The world will back democracies against dictatorial aggression!

WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

45

46 FEATURE

by

Petamber Persaud

W

e, lovers of literature, can say goodbye to 2018 with satisfaction, knowing that some of the books published during that year will follow us into 2019 while others will stay, will not leave us, during 2019 and decades beyond, such is this remarkable gift to man.

From its inception, the book was treated with respect, even with awe, for man valued the book very highly with regards to its potential as a tool of education and instruction, as a repository for storage and retrieval of information, as a custodian of traditions and languages, as a forum for art and entertainment, stimulating the imagination and improving memory, a source of inspiration, among other benefits. And the book has lived up to expec-

tations even in its new forms and formats.

Below are books crossing my desk during 2018*.

(Books we looked at in part one included Aftermath of Empire: The Novels of Roy A. K. Heath by Ameena Gafoor, UWI Press, 2017; Red Hibiscus

by Scott Ting-A-Kee, Way Wive Wordz Publishing, UK, 2018; Edgar Mittelholzer: Creole Chips and Other Writings ed. Juanita Cox, Peepal Tree Press, 2018; A Little Poet’s World by Aurelius SueAnn, 2018.)

Defeating Domestic Violence in the Americas: Men’s Work

by Luke Daniels, Hansib

WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Preserving our literary heritage

Publications, 2017 Riding high on top of choppy waves he pebbled into play with his first book, Pulling the Punches: Defeating Domestic Violence, Luke Daniels now creates a tsunami with his new book, Defeating Domestic Violence in the Americas: Men’s Work by contending that domestic violence is ‘politically motivated violence in support of patriarchy’, pointing out that the social structure is designed whereby mainly men are put in charge of state apparatus and mainly men becoming policy makers, holders of high offices, heading other organisations like military, political, religious, social, endowing them with wealth and power exercising control, sometimes absolute control. Daniels also shows how this pandemic of violence thrives

in a climate of inequality, machismo, and lack of respect fuel by the socialisation for violence in the movies, violent video games and in sports like boxing.

Although this book focuses on the Americas (referring to the Caribbean, Central, South and North America), the ground rules are the same for any society in which domestic violence is allowed to prevail and fester.

This book may not win a popularity contest but it will be one of the books that will make a difference to our world.

A Survey of Guyanese History by Dr.

Winston McGowan, Guyenterprise, 2018

The book runs into almost 500 pages, perhaps significant of the number of years since Columbus sojourned in this part of the New World that we are writing our own history. The number of pages matters to both the reader and the writer.

For the reader, it may take quite a few sittings to weed through a few sections of the text. But for the writer, it had taken a number of years to put together; in fact, A Survey of Guyanese History, constitutes a life’s work, a man’s life’s work which ought to be afforded due regards and full respect in order to fulfil the expectation of the author that ‘this collection of essays will be of benefit not only to the general public, but also especially to teachers and students of Guyanese and Caribbean History. If that hope is realised, the collection will be a useful addition to the existing body of knowledge on this subject’. That number of pages is divided into eleven sections which are further subdivided into short essays and long papers of which many are ‘original works, many in areas previously unattended’ (James Rose), all designed for easier access, comprehension and appreciation, intent on the sharing of knowledge.

Stepping on Cracks: Reflections on my Homeland by Carmen Barclay Subryan, Demerara Press, USA, 2018 In her eighth book, Carmen Barclay Subryan has pushed the boundar-

ies of her writing to another level after safely (writing about what she knows) and successfully canvassing through the genre of historical fiction mainly with her trilogy – Black- Water Woman, Black- Water People and Black- Water Children wherein she reconstructed the birth, boom and travails of the bauxite mining township of Linden, a history that is intricately interwoven with the history of her family, the Allicock family, by now trying her hand at auto fiction, sticking her nose in local socio-political issues and sticking her neck out by offering suggestions on fixing the fractured system.

That this is a work of auto fiction is confirmed in the foreword written by Juliet Emmanuel ‘Life? Are there any answers to the cobbled together incidents that compose it? Is this the ultimate fiction?’ and in the prologue by the author as she employs her alter ego, Doreen, to tell the story.

In her new book, Stepping on Cracks: Reflections on my Homeland, Subryan confesses she wanted to prove Thomas Wolfe wrong in that she could go back home again but discovers after an explorative five plus months in the land of her birth, she could not go back home while rediscovering that her real home was where the heart is, in Maryland, USA. Journey Back to Watooka: A Story of Guyana by Steve Connolly, FriesenPress, 2018 Any book that immor-

talizes a tiny settlement in a little known country way down in Demerara, South America, placing it on the world map in no uncertain manner, juxtaposing individuals and events to world status, is worth owning and been placed alongside other significant books in private and public libraries.

Journey Back to Watooka is such a book, swamped with stories of ordinary men and women doing extraordinary deeds. Journey Back to Watooka is filled with stories of events occurring in that faraway place that made significant contributions to the world and the effects of some of those events and the works of some of those men and women are still been felt today.

Journey Back to Watooka follows admirably in the wake of

because it focuses mainly on the push/pull factors fashioning internal migration with some attention paid to the pull/push factors of external migration and the disillusionment of returning home, all fascinatingly rendered in sixteen linked stories set in Guyana and North America but mainly in Guyana, during the ugly 1960s, from where all the main characters originate, some firstly migrating to safer locations in order to escape from racial animosity, racial discrimination and racial conflagration while others who are unable to deal with those curses, end up in the Diaspora to face similar curses in different guises, forcing at least one man to return to his birthplace where he has invested new monies (in a new building) to make a new start but is disillusioned on discovering he is deceived and cheat-

the first book and first travelogue on Guyana, Discovery of Guiana

by Sir Walter Raleigh (1596) and a contemporary travelogue, The Sly Company of People Who Care by Rahul Bhattacharya (2011).

An avid reader will find that Journey Back to Watooka is also about books and writers - the author’s way of setting homework for further reading, a masterstroke!

Down Independence Boulevard by Ken Puddicombe, MiddleRoad Publishers, 2017 The book Down Independence Boulevard and Other Stories is an important addition to the country’s literature

ed out of his investment and dream by a sister (and her husband) whose action is influenced by a society darkened by despotism and corruption. *Some of the above Guyanese-authored books were published before 2018 but only now reaching my desk.

Manuscripts not included.

(To be continued)

What’s Happening: Just coming to my desk - Ian McDonald: New and Collected Poems, PTP, UK, 2018.

Responses to this author please telephone 226-0065 of email: oraltradition2002@yahoo. com (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

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E

Dual…

…citizens and politics ven though the requirement that MPs can’t be dual citizens (that is, have pledged “allegiance” to another nation) was introduced into the 1980 Constitution which was crafted for Burnham, no one – least of all the politicians – paid any heed to it. After all, Guyanese politicians had routinely spent time abroad to “qualify” themselves in the profession and many might’ve very well gotten citizenship with their “farrin” wives. “Doctor politics” and all that!

And then, of course, Burnham had originally rigged himself into office through “overseas” Guyanese votes, and maybe felt he owed them something if they returned to Guyana? But by 1980, a tsunami of emigration had swept Guyana, and maybe he’d wanted to have a card up his sleeve in case some obstreperous ones, like Rodney, had slipped up and accepted foreign citizenship!!

At the turn of the 21st Century, after the PNC dictatorship had fallen, with a slew of “farriners” returning and throwing their hats into the political ring, the issue reared its head in a debate about the qualifications to head political parties – and to be “presidential candidates”. It was decided that citizenship plus continuous local residence for seven years would suffice. But the dual citizenship issue – wink, wink – was sidestepped.

Maybe the overseas donations had something to do with it? By 2006, the AFC was openly promising parliamentary seats to overseas contributors and understandingly, didn’t raise the issue of the constitutional bar!! And so we arrive at AFC MP Charrandas Persaud casting his vote to oust the APNU/AFC coalition! Suddenly, according to the leaders of the AFC (we won’t even bother with the opinions of the PNC!) CP is now a “Judas” and a renegade of low moral character who even – gasp! GAMBLED!!

By the count of one professor in the know, however, some 26 of the present 65 MPs in the House, have dual citizenship – which their parties – including the PNC and AFC – had to have known about. Now frankly, your humble Eyewitness has no problems with dual citizens becoming MPs – unless, of course, they’re here spying for their “other” country and selling out our precious industrial and defence secrets! Never mind that the said “secrets” are being crafted by the selfsame “other” countries like the US and Canada!!

In these modern times where labour is fungible like finance – excepting in Trump’s US! –why should we deny the expertise of our Guyanese who might’ve picked up from their foreign sojourn how our country might become first world?

But the PNC’s in a no-win situation. If the courts rule that CP’s vote was retrospectively illegitimate, all the other “dualists” will have to go!!

It’s called a “Pyrrhic victory”!! … no-confidence talks The TUC leader wants to have civil society groups join the promised continued “talks” between the Opposition and the President that have been promised ‘til there are elections in Guyana. The fly in the curry (or the metemgee) of course, is which “civil society” groups will be allowed at the table?

The old “social partners” of labour, business and religion? Which labour? Which business? Which religion? The usual suspects? But what about the unorganised labourers toiling out in the boons who don’t care for the promised “otherworldly” goodies? Who’ll speak for them?

But seriously folks, the Opposition should welcome the offer since it offers a wider, “less partisan” pool of influentials to witness up close how the PNC plays hardball – with democracy as the ball. Even if they aren’t going to vote for the Opposition, their reports should lend credibility to the latter’s inevitable odd patience at the PNC’S intransigence.

Maybe they’ll even join the PPP in the streets? …GECOM chair?

Listen, your Eyewitness is as sympathetic to the ailments of the 85-year-old GECOM chair as anyone else. But, with his own challenges in this area, he expects the President to be even more sympatico.

So how about suggesting that the OL submit another list of 6 “fit and proper” names??

Rewarding the PNC for jettisoning the rule of law: again B y R avi D ev

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nce again, the People’s N a t i o n a l Congress (PNC) is refusing to heed the strictures of the Constitution to insist on remaining in power, by any means necessary. In 1964, they insisted on voting be changed from “First Past The Post” to Proportional Representation. They then flagrantly rigged elections in 1968, 1973, 1980 and 1985 – with the referendum of 1978 thrown in for good measure.

In 1992, it took a call from the White House for Desmond Hoyte to demit office after that landmark free and fair election.

In 1997, they protested the internationally certified elections and rioted in

S

the streets, leading to the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) truncating their term and holding elections in 2001.

Losing once again, they launched their “slow fyaah; mo’ fyaah” strategy that segued into open warfare against the Guyanese State. In 2006, they again protested their losing results and Police had to open fire (rubber bullets) on protesters. In 2011 and 2015, when along with the Alliance For Change, they checkmated the PPP Government all was quiet. Now that they lost on a No-confidence Motion in 2018, all sorts of excuses are thrown around as to why they will not leave office.

After the Joint communiqué following the

Last limb

atiricus was confused. Which, he admitted, wasn’t an unusual state of mind for him. All this jumping around from limb to limb by his old KFC party to stay alive – after they’d been voted out – was making his head spin. He knew what he had to do: get as fast as he could to the Back Street Bar, for his first drink after the New Year excesses.

“Ai Sato! Me t’ink like yuh get laas’ or somet’ing!” exclaimed Bungi, as he spied Satiricus approaching the table.

“E’ wife mussee gyam good!” said Cappo, pushing a beer towards their old friend. “Yuh see how ‘e gat ‘e laang face?”

“Hey Bannuh! Let de man siddown nuh!” said Georgie, while raising his bottle to Satiricus’.

“Happy New Year Sato!”

“What’s so happy about this year up to now?” demanded Satiricus sourly, after taking a swig.

“Them politicians raising my blood pressure!!”

“Like yuh worry ‘bout yuh ole fr’en Nagga Man an’ Rum Jhaat, or wha?” asked Bungi with a smile.

“W’en yuh play out all yuh trump cyard, yuh gat fuh lose till game done!”

“Trump cyard? Yuh call dat ‘lil mo dan big’ schupidness, wan trump?” said Cappo. “Da bin a wan Jokah!”

“Well, de bribery card wasn’t a bad one,” opined Georgie. “Dem bannuhs just couldn’t get the smoking gun!”

“But this is serious business,” complained Satiricus. “This involves our whole Government falling!”

“Budday, da wha’ mek dem gat fuh try a t’ing!

ANYt’ing!!” laughed Bungi. “W’en yuh own louse bite yuh, ‘e does bite really hat!

“Suh how ‘bout dis citizenship t’ing, Jargie?” said Cappo. “Yuh just come back fram ‘Merica.

Nagga Man dem gat wan case?”

“Y’all know how ole people does say, “all smart fly does land pon cow backside”? asked Georgie.

“Duh is wuh gon happen to Nagga Man dem!”

“Wha’ yuh mean bai?” said Cappo anxiously.

“Na play ‘meriddle, merridle wid abee!”

“Well if deh get Charan Rass pon de citizenship thing,” said Georgie with a wide smile. “Half deh MP’s gon gat fuh resign!!”

“Now you got me more worried!” exclaimed Satiricus.

meeting between the President and Jagdeo, I am reminded of what I wrote after hundreds of Indian-Guyanese were beaten in the streets of Georgetown on Jan 12 1998, in the wake of PNC protests.

“While for purposes of analyses we may sometime distinguish ends from means, they are ontologically identical since ends are no more than realised means. If we persist with the artificial distinction in real life, we court disaster. The recently Caricom-brokered (Herdmanston) Accord between the PNC and the PPP is a case in point: while in theory it appears to be a step forward out of our Guyanese dilemma, the means by which the PNC brought the PPP to the table vitiates all hope of any lasting and permanent progress.

Rewards

The Accord rewards the PNC for jettisoning the rule of law and due process in Guyana.

It rewards the PNC for demonstrating to the people that if you lose by a set of rules you yourself had drafted, simply seize the umpire and demand new rules which will guarantee your victory.

The Accord rewards the PNC for its willfully lawless, bullying tactics culminating in the January 12 pogrom launched by AfricanGuyanese against Indian-Guyanese.

Bullyism

The PNC went into the elections under some misguided notion that they could wean away enough Indians (with the help of the micro parties), from the PPP to win the elections outright.

But with the benefit of 1992 hindsight, they had a fallback plan.

When by 23:00h on December 15, they knew they had lost, they activated Plan B. The audit will reveal that the election machinery was thrown into a loop because polling agents from Region Four did not submit signed Statements of Poll. This is not a fortuitous circumstance: investigation will reveal that most of these recalcitrant officers are graduates of the old PNC rigging combine. It does not take a brain surgeon to figure out what happened.

Exploiting the crisis they themselves had manufactured, they proceeded to do what the PNC can do best – destablising the PPP. Seeking ex-parte injunctions, staging marches, closing down businesses and governmental offices, appealing to “kith and kin” in the Disciplined Forces, they were bent on forcing the PPP to conclude as they had in 1964, that they could not govern the country, and for the PNC to step into their shoes.

In tandem with these activities, they made escalating demands, as will all bullies when they see their victim backing down. The PPP has gone beyond what even the PNC had been asking for. For instance, the proposals for constitutional reforms and a truncated term of office were suggested by the PPP on its own, according to Ralph Ramkarran of the PPP. The PPP misjudges the PNC… the PNC will be satisfied with nothing less than total power. It is not interested with sharing power with the PPP, which Ramkarran informs us, is implied by its offer of constitutional reform. Hoyte is following his mentor Burnham in absolutely rejecting this option.

As soon as the Caricom team had departed, Hoyte, while addressing his “Religious Rally” declared that he would accept nothing less than the PPP out of office.

The PNC can, and will, manufacture any number of reasons to abrogate the Accord…”

What, if anything, has changed??

48 Bollywood

WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

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few months ago, actor Ayushmann Khurrana’s wife Tahira Kashyap Khurrana shared that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Tahira had to go through 12 rounds of chemotherapy and as one of the side-effects of chemo, she started losing her hair.

In a recent post on Instagram, Tahira shared how “liberated” she has been feeling after getting rid of her wig. Tahira shared, “Hello world! That’s a new me with the old self! Was getting tired of the extensions. Well this is how it is & it’s so liberating, so much so that I don’t have to duck the shower while bathing or while picking up the soap! Never thought I had to go bald, but this feels good” Husband Ayushmann Khurana replied with a heart emoticon and wrote “Hottie”.

Tahira shared two Instagram photos of her ‘liberated’ look.

In September 2018, Tahira Kashyap Khurrana shared that she was diagnosed with Stage 0 breast cancer. Later in November, she shared,

“So now the upgraded version of myself is dealing with cancer stage 1 a, which is still a result of early detection. I’ll be going through 12 sessions of chemotherapy. 6 down, and another 6 left.”

In many interviews towards the end of 2018, Ayushmann had shared that his wife is an inspiration as she was strongly dealing with her health crisis. He had also spoken a lot about life’s unpredictability as he was having a great year in his professional life but personally, it was a tough time for the family. (Indian Express)

nion defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman met the cast and crew of Uri: The Surgical Strike on the occasion of Army Day on Tuesday.

Actors Vicky Kaushal, Yami Gautam, director Aditya Dhar and producer Ronnie Screwvala were part of the meeting that took place at Army Chief General Bipin Rawat’s ‘at home’ function.

Sitharaman took to Twitter to congratulate the film’s team about which she has been “hearing many good things”.

“At COAS Bipin Rawat’s #ArmyDay ‘at home’, with the team of the film #URITheSurgicalStrike.

“Yet to watch it, but hearing many good things. Kudos, @RonnieScrewvala @AdityaDharFilms @vickykaushal09 @yamigautam for a slick war movie on the spirit of our heroes! #howsthejosh?,” the union minister tweeted, along with some photos from the event.

The actors said they were honoured to make the acquaintance of the min-

ister.

“It was an honour meeting you Ma’am,” Kaushal wrote in a reply to

Sitharaman’s post.

“We are honoured to meet you Ma’am…. and thanks so much for your encouraging words. What you do for the nation is incomparable,” tweeted Gautam.

The film is based on the 2016 Indian Army’s surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan as a retaliation for the Uri attack that claimed the lives of 17 army personnel.

Also featuring Paresh Rawal and Mohit Raina, Uri: the Surgical Strike released on January 11. (Indian Express)

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he #10yearchallenge has taken over Bollywood. The latest viral challenge requires you to post a collage of two photos – one taken 10 years back and another photo taken in 2019. While the trend has already become a craze among Hollywood celebrities, the trend is spreading its wings in

Bollywood too. Sonam Kapoor, Shilpa Shetty, Bipasha Basu and many others have already shared their photographs on Twitter, Facebook and even on Instagram.

While there is no source to why the challenge started, it seems it is here to stay for a while. (Indian Express)

ou remarked earlier that this is a landmark role in your career. Why? It’s because of what the film Why Cheat India sets out to do. It exposes the defunct education system in our country. This is a film about how outdated our education system is and the malpractices that dwell in it. A lot of people will relate to it — students, parents, faculty and even the cheating mafia.

What was the research and preparation you did for the film?

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nushka Sharma and Virat Kohli are making the most of their time together in Australia. While the Indian skipper is down under for a threematch ODI series against Australia, the Zero actor is accompanying him on the tour.

Kohli recently took to his social media account to share a photo of himself with his ladylove Anushka and Indian cricket team’s batting coach Sanjay Bangar.

The lovely picture has been shared with the caption, “With some people, you don’t need to make an effort to connect. ” Kohli on Tuesday scored a century in Adelaide which was instrumental in India’s victory.

After the match, Anushka Sharma posted a cute video of her husband where she used a puppy filter without his knowledge. In the video, a clueless Kohli smiled at his wife as she recorded him.

The video was shared with the caption

“Cutie” and two heart-eyes emoticons.

Anushka also recently posted pictures of herself with Virat on Instagram.

“Days like these, ” wrote the 30-yearold actor along with the pictures. The ‘proud’ wife also appreciated team India after they won the test series against Australia.

Sharing a photo of the team, she wrote, “They came. They conquered !! History written and created by this bunch !! Huge congratulations to all players, coaching unit and support staff ; it takes undying perseverance & solid conviction to focus on what’s important and shut out the rest . So so happy and proud of you my love @virat.kohli ” On the work front, Anushka Sharma was last seen in Aanand L Rai’s Zero.

She played a specially-abled character in the movie opposite Shah Rukh Khan.

Katrina Kaif also played a pivotal role in the film. (Indian Express)

A fair chunk of what I have experienced through education helped me a lot during the film. I have gone through my own school and college days mugging up and hence, I know how ineffective it is. We wanted to create the character of Rakesh (played by Hashmi) as a nice guy with a devious mind. I am not very proud of it but I have cheated in my economics paper in Class XII boards because the supervisor allowed it, even though I never associated with the cheating mafia.

Your film Tiger was recently launched on Zee 5. Were you disappoint-

ed that it could not be released in theaters?

It was a big disappointment. I really wanted people to go to theaters and see it. However, it was a very controversial film with a lot of names being taken and hence, studios did not wish to touch it. I think the online streaming platform, these days, is as effective as the cinema hall and I am glad that people can finally watch it.

The director of Why Cheat India, Shoumik Sen, was earlier accused of sexual harassment in the #MeToo movement.

When this came out, we checked if women on our sets had been through any kind of sexual harassment but there were no such complaints against Shoumik.

I am not saying he did it, nor am I denying it.

However, when you have a situation where stories are told on Twitter, it be-

comes trial by social media; one must go through the judicial system or the police. Very often, it could be as simple as settling scores. That being said, I am glad that the #MeToo movement is happening but currently, it is a very grey zone.

Your son Ayaan was diagnosed with cancer in 2014.

How tough was that phase for you and your family?

Ayaan is doing great now. He has recently been declared as cancerfree, so it is a big landmark. It was a very difficult time for us as a family and me personally to balance work with so much happening.

He was being treated in Canada and I had to shoot back home. More than me, though, the boy was strong through it all. That’s when I realised that kids are way more resilient than adults. (Indian Express)

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WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

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efore Avengers: Endgame arrives in April, a smaller, but probably no less important movie — Captain Marvel — will hit screens.

Starring Oscar-winning actor Brie Larson in the role of Carol Danvers or Captain Marvel, the movie is the first femaleled movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

A featurette released

by Marvel reveals details about Larson’s character. The clip begins with co-director Anna Boden talking about what makes this superhero tick. She says, “Captain Marvel is about somebody who goes on a jour-

ney of discovery.”

Carol Danvers was a US Air Force pilot before she became a superhero after her DNA was fused with the DNA of Kree, a race of belligerent and expansionist extraterrestrials who will debut in MCU with this film.

The conflict between Kree and Skrull, another race whose members have the shape-shifting capability, is going to be an important part of the movie.

Danvers becomes the member of elite Kree military team called Starforce. At some point of time she crashes back to earth and meets Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson)

who was then (in the 1990s) a S.H.I.E.L.D agent. She is, however, amnesiac, and has only vague memory of her life on earth.

“By the time I started shooting, I had been training for 9 months, and I am glad I did (train).” She adds, “The thing that I found so unique about this character was that sense of humour with total capability in whatever challenge comes her way.”

Her words are spoken over visuals of her training and action scenes in the movie.

Captain Marvel was teased at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, when Nick Fury contacted her through a pager like device (we saw a similar device in the Captain Marvel trailers) before vanishing to dust just like the other victims of the Mad Titan Thanos’ purge of the universe. Her eventual arrival will likely level the playing field.

Captain Marvel releases on March 8.

(Indian Express)

DJ Khaled joins Will Smith and Martin Lawrence starrer Bad Boys 3

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J Khaled is the latest star to join the cast of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in Sony’s Bad Boys for Life.

The long-awaited threequel will see the return of Smith and Lawrence as Detective Mike Lowrey and Detective Marcus Burnett.

Actor Joe Pantoliano, who portrays Captain Conrad Howard in the earlier two films, is also coming for the third part. Khaled, 43, joins newcomers Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, Jacob Scipio, and Paola Nunez in the project.

The DJ, whose real name is Khaled Mohamed Khaled, shared the news on Twitter, saying, “Blessed to announce that I will be joining #WillSmith and #Martinlawrence in the cast of @badboys #BadBoysForLife movie.”

“May I remind you,

it’s only Jan 15, 2019. Y’all have no idea what’s coming. I’m coming for the Oscars!! God Is The Greatest,” he added.

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are directing the film from a script by Peter Craig. Joe Carnahan is doing a rewrite. Chris Bremmer is the current writer.

Hudgens, Ludwig, and Melton will play a modern, highly specialised police unit that collides with the old school Bad Boys when a new threat emerges in Miami.

Production has started and the film is slated for theatrical release January 17, 2020. Jerry Bruckheimer returns as producer.

Doug Belgrad will also produce, as will Smith.

Barry Waldman, Mike Stenson, Chad Oman, and James Lassiter are executive producers. (Indian Express)

Hugh Grant appeals for return of script stolen from his car

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ctor Hugh Grant has appealed for the return of a script which was amongst the many other valuables that were stolen from his car by burglars.

The 58-year-old actor took to Twitter to share the news, saying the script contained “many weeks’ worth of notes and ideas”.

“In the unlikely chance that anyone knows who broke into my car tonight and stole my bag, please try and persuade them to at least return my script. Many weeks’ worth of notes and ideas,” he wrote.

He asked for the items to be returned to the address of his production house Coach Films in Ealing, west

London.

“And perhaps my children’s medical cards. Coach Films, Ealing St Mary’s Ealing Green W5 5EN*” he said.

Grant most recently starred in BBC limited series A Very English Scandal. His performance as the disgraced British politician Jeremy Thorpe has been lauded by the fans.

His upcoming projects include Guy Ritchie’s next Toff Guys, alongside Matthew McConaughey, Henry Golding, Colin Farrell and Charlie Hunnam. He will also star alongside Nicole Kidman and Donald Sutherland in HBO’s upcoming six-part series The Undoing. (Indian Express)

Jason Reitman to direct Ghostbusters sequel

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van Reitman is passing the Ghostbusters torch to his son.

Four-time Oscar nominee Jason Reitman is set to direct a new installment in the Ghostbusters series set to come out in the summer of 2020.

Reitman tweeted Tuesday night that he’s ‘finally got the keys to the car.’

Ivan Reitman directed and produced the origi-

nal Ghostbusters, which came out in 1984. The sequel released in 1989.

Sony Pictures says that this new Ghostbusters will be going back to its roots and will be the next chapter in the original story.

Sony attempted to reboot Ghostbusters in 2016 with gender-flipped leads, but the costly film disappointed at the box office.

Entertainment Weekly first reported the news.

Production begins this summer, but no word yet on the cast. (Indian Express)

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fter days of keeping fans on the edge, Marvel Studios on Tuesday dropped the muchawaited trailer of Spider-Man: Far From Home, starring Tom Holland.

After the ‘teaser trailer’, Marvel addicts have been pondering over a lot of things, from the placement of the latest film in the MCU timeline to the new characters that they saw in the trailer.

Here are key takeaways from the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer:

Plot

At the end of Avengers: Infinity War, Peter Parker disintegrated into dust when Thanos snapped his fingers. But in the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer, he is back in full form, and ready for his summer vacation.

While many fans are still trying to understand the chronology of events in the MCU, Far From Home’s plot is surely giving no clues about Avengers: Endgame. The latest installment in the Spider-Man franchise appears to be a standalone film.

Nick Fury

We know Spider-Man is off to a Europe vacation. But looks like Samuel L Jackson’s Nick Fury won’t let him have a good time. While Nick “hijacks” his summer vacation, he also looks to be in a recruiting mode. This also happens to be their first meeting.

Spider-Man’s new suit(s)

Our friendly neighbourhood superhero gets some new suits in the trailer.

First, his red and black suit is a memory from the 90s comics. But this time,

it is complete with wings from Steve Ditko’s original Spider-Man suit. Then there is a black stealth suit, much more intriguing. But who gave it to Peter?

Nick Fury?

The villains – Elementals

Looks like Nick hires SpiderMan to fight the terrifyingly powerful Elementals – Hydron, Magnum, Hellfire, and Zephyr. They appear at different intervals in the trailer. Tom Holland had previously said that he will fight the four Elementals, a group of comic book villains who take the form of the elements.

Mysterio

And just when Spider-Man appears to be caught in a fight with the new villains, Jake Gyllenhaal appears from a cloud of green smoke as Quentin Beck aka Mysterio. Although traditionally a bad guy, Mysterio will help Spidey in the fight against the Elementals. As said by Peter’s friends, Mysterio does look like a combination of Iron Man and Thor!

Peter and MJ

We saw a romance brewing between Peter and Zendaya’s MJ in Homecoming. Now, looks like there will be more to this teen love. But not quite easily. MJ is seen giving Peter a hard time when he tells her, “You look really pretty,” and she replies, “And therefore I have value?”

The makers have brought back the original theme music of Spider-Man in Far From Home, much to the happiness of fans. (Indian Express)

50 SPORT

WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Rupununi braces for U-17 Youth Cup in Brazil – appeals for sponsorship

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upununi youths will have the chance of a lifetime when they travel to Manaus, Brazil to participate in the Copa Das Cachoerias (Waterfall Cup) in the Under 17 Category. Clubs from Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and Brazil are expected to be part of this competition, which will be staged on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd February 2019.

Officials identified to lead the team are Ken Grant (Head Coach), Orlando Allicock (Assistant Coach), Franklin Parks (Fitness Coach) and Manley Thomas (Manager).

These officials will train and screen players for the final squad.

Prospective squad includes international players the likes of Orville Daniels, Wayne Da Silva and Ken Salvador.

Emerging

talents such as Victor Hernandez and Stephen McDonald and more talented local players from across the Rupununi

have already joined a camp on January 9.

The Rupununi Football Association (RFA) will also be

launching its flagship tournament, The RFA Champions League.

The Rupununi will once again be treated

to three months of exciting football from various clubs across the Rupununi as defending Champions Tabatinga

FC (Male) and Gladiators FC (Female) fight to retain their crown. A total of 25 clubs are expected to participate.

The Rupununi Football Association (RFA) is seeking sponsorship for this youth team that will be representing the Rupununi.

Interested patrons are kindly asked to make contact with the RFA on +592 671 7413 or by email: rfaregion916@yahoo.com.

The RFA welcomes all stakeholders to be part of this auspicious competition as they strive to develop football in the Rupununi.

Interested sponsors are kindly asked to make contact with the RFA on +592 671 7413 or by email: rfaregion916@yahoo. com. The official launching is scheduled for the 20th February 2019.

Guyana’s Ramdhani CPL’s 2018 continues to excel in Canada economic

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uyanese badminton sensation Narayan Ramdhani continues to make the most of his time in Canada, winning yet another tournament up North.

The 20-year-old started his 2019 season in the best way possible by securing the top spot in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Inter College/ University Badminton Tournament and finishing in the top four of the men’s doubles category.

This is the second ACAC tournament that Narayan has won, the first being held last year at Kings University in Canada.

Similar to the first tournament, the four University teams participating were the King’s University-EAGLES, Olds College-BRONCOS, Concordia University of Edmonton-THUNDER, and Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) –OOKS. For the men’s doubles division, Ramdhani teamed up with fellow King’s Eagles player Joel Simrose to face their higher seeded opponents. After making it past the preliminaries, the Guyanese and his partner took on the pair of Emil John Aquino and Reece Taubert, both of Olds. They secured an easy victory 21-10, 21-12 to advance to the semifinal. There the duo’s luck changed as they found themselves pitted against the Number one seeded pair, Nicolas Pittman and Desmond Wang of Concordia. The top

Narayan Ramdhani after yet another successful tournament

ranked pair was too much for the Guyanese and his partner, they lost 21-8, 21-10.

Their misfortune continued into the third place playoff, resulting in Ramdhani having to settle for the fourth place spot. Coming up against Nait’s John Li and Tyler Walsh, the duo lost 21-14, 21-10.

Narayan Ramdhani, however, had a better single’s tournament, finding himself having to prove his dominance after being seeded as the Number 1 single’s player.

In the quarter finals, Ramdhani was pitted against Nait’s Taab Khwaja, but took an easy win in two sets: 21-3, 21-10. For the semi-final the Guyanese found himself coming up against his double’s partner Joel Simrose, and made light work of his opponent in another convincing victory, 21-9, 21-6.

For the final encounter of the tournament, Ramdhani was made to battle with Number two seeded player Tyler Walsh. The Guyanese player emerged victorious once again with a 21-14, 21-9 win.

The tournament circuit will continue with the third ACAC competition on February 3 at the Olds College, this will be followed by the ACAC Championships February 17 at the Concordia University.

The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) is the governing body for collegiate sports in Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1964, as the Western Inter-College Conference, the ACAC is represented by seventeen schools, including one in Saskatchewan that competes in ten sports.

The ACAC is a member of the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association, and provincial champions compete for national collegiate titles.

impact reaches US$127M; a 34% increase from previous year

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he Hero Caribbean Premier League’s (CPL) total economic impact for 2018 has shown a 34% increase on last year.

A total economic impact for the seven countries where the tournament had matches in 2018 was US$127,355,010, the first time that the tournament has had a positive economic impact in excess of US$100million.

This figure has been arrived at using organiser spend, visitor spend and media value and was calculated for Hero CPL by worldrenowned researchers, SMG Insight.

In addition to that economic impact figure, the Hero CPL employed 1,942 local personnel across all seven tournament locations and filled 37,037 hotel rooms during the 2018 event.

In a statement, CPL said that the amount of money that was spent by visitors for Hero CPL rose again in 2018, reaching a total of

US$24,735,209.

The value for the seven tournament locations in terms of media exposure was US$46,869,599, more than double the media value the tournament achieved in 2017, this increase was in part due to the new broadcast deals with Star Sports in India and Sky Sports in the UK. Speaking about the report from SMG Insight the Hero CPL Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Damien O’Donohoe, said “We set out to continue to have a positive impact on the Caribbean as one of our goals for the 2018 tournament and to see a 34% increase from last year is fantastic news for both Hero CPL and the region. The tournament has shown amazing growth over the last six years and is now a mainstay of the cricket calendar and a great way to showcase what the Caribbean has to offer. We plan for that to continue.”

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WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

GBA punches off 2019 with Patrick Forde Memorial B

Steve Ninvalle

oxing fans will only have to wait just over a month before international amateur boxing action makes its grand 2019 debut.

After a successful 2018, with Guyana winning several Caribbean championships at the various levels, the prospects of Guyana’s amateur boxers are bright in the year 2019.

As such, the year’s calendar of activities will begin with a bang when the Patrick Forde Memorial tournament is cuffed off on February 17. For the second year running, the tournament will provide Caribbean boxers with the platform to showcase their prowess against opponents from other countries.

Last year’s fights featured boxers from Guyana, Suriname and St Lucia. However, this year will see the addition of Trinidad and Tobago, with Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) President Steve Ninvalle looking to include other countries on the card.

Shiv Chanderpaul appointed as Jaguars’ interim Assistant Coach

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he Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) announced the appointment of Shivnarine Chanderpaul as interim Assistant Coach of the Guyana Jaguars team. This appointment is with immediate effect, and comes on the backdrop of the ascendancy of Head Coach Esuan Crandon, who has departed to take up his position as Assistant Coach with the senior Cricket West Indies team.

Crandon has been the Guyana Head Coach since 2011, with Guyana winning the Professional Cricket League for four consecutive years during his tenure. Crandon will be with the Windies team at least until the end of the International C r i c k e t C o u n c i l ( I C C ) Cricket W o r l d C u p 2019.

The GCB wishes to indicate that the appointment of Chanderpaul comes at an imperative time in the development of Guyana’s cricket, where the utilisation of knowledgeable and experienced coaches can lend effective support to the programme, which has shown significant growth.

Chanderpaul’s appointment is aided by his on and off field experiences in the sport.

He has been a very productive ambassador having played all levels of cricket and it is expected that he will transfer valuable knowledge to the Jaguars.

With the elevation of Crandon, Rayon Griffith will perform the duties of Jaguars Head Coach, and is expected to continue to present his motivational approach, which has unarguably lent to the success of Guyana.

As part of the coaching development programme, Julian Moore will now be joining the Academy set-up with immediate effect as the Academy Coach.

Moore currently serves as a Berbice Head Coach and that of the Guyana National Under-19 team and he is also the Tucber Park Head Coach.

As per usual, the punches will be exchanged in the rings at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue with the first bell slated to go off at 19:00h.

The weight classes that will be featured on the night of February 17 are middleweight, lightweight, bantam weight, junior welterweight and light heavyweight.

According to the GBA Head, these classes are seen as the key ones for development.

“Those are the divisions that we would have done quite well in at the Caribbean championships, so we’re trying to push to make sure that these guys get some muchneeded competition leading up to Pan Am,” Ninvalle said.

The night is sure to be jam packed with thrills and chills, as the card contains 15 fights. After the dust settled in the boxing rings at last year’s inaugural tournament, Colin “Superman” Lewis was hailed as the best boxer overall, whilst Ravin Rodrigues was awarded the best junior boxer title.

Chris Moore was adjudged the best youth boxer while Deeron Williams was seen as the best school boy boxer. Alisha Jackman was also recognized as the best female best boxer in the competition.

The Patrick Forde Memorial tournament is a collaborative effort between the GBA and Alford McDonald and comes on the heels of other developmental tournaments such as the Mike Parris Under-16, Andrew Lewis National Novice, Lennox Blackmore National Intermediate and the Terrence Ali National Open.

In addition to this, the GBA is looking to extend its collection of tournaments to include in that honour commonwealth gold medallist Winfield Braithwaite, a Guyanese pugilist who fought his way to the top in the 1978 games in Edmonton, Canada. “We’re trying to have a competition in honour of him and what he did for amateur boxing,” Ninvalle disclosed.

Right-handed David Warner swats Chris Gayle for 14 off 3 balls

E

ver since his involvement in the sandpaper scandal at Cape Town last year, not much has gone right for David Warner in his year spent in exile from the Australian team on the T20 franchise circuit. That is until the leftChris Gayle

hand batsman went right. Literally.

Warner turned heads when he took guard right-handed against Chris Gayle midway through the 19th over of the Sylhet Sixers innings against Rangpur Riders on Wednesday. Judging by the resulting performance, he may be tempted to do it more often.

The Australian captain of Sylhet was on 45 off 32 balls at the time and had started the over on strike to Gayle with a two, but then couldn't get either of the next two balls away.

Ahead of the fourth ball, he swapped stance at the crease and, with Gayle coming around the wicket, smashed the fourth ball with a golf-style straight drive over Gayle's head for six to bring up his half-century.

Gayle countered by going over the wicket but Warner stayed right-handed for the fifth ball and reached out to sweep a low full toss behind square for four. For the last ball, Warner reverse-swept Gayle, not middling it but still getting enough of it to go to the boundary. Warner celebrated during the sequence by doing a hip-shimmy dance and appeared to exchange a few words with Gayle at the end of the over. Warner ended the innings unbeaten on 61 off 36 balls.

"It was one of those things [batting right-handed] at the back of my mind as I couldn't get Chris [Gayle] away because of his height and the lengths that he was bowling," Warner said at the post-match presentation.

"I play golf right-handed, so I thought I might as well come and swing and clear the ropes. It came off."

Warner, who is naturally right-handed with his throwing arm and initially batted right-handed as a child, has made a habit at training sessions of spending time batting right-handed. Gayle perhaps should not have been totally surprised at Warner's method since the Australian attempted to employ the right-handed stance in a T20I against the Gayle-captained West Indies in 2010.

However, Warner was denied by the on-field umpires, who allegedly told him at the time that it was against the spirit of the game and that it could produce a lengthy stall because the fielding side would need to adjust their field settings to comply with regulations. But Warner would not be denied in Sylhet, as he pulled out all the stops in an effort to get the Sixers out of last place on the BPL table. (ESPNcricinfo)

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Male and female training squads for Canada Indoor Series selected I

n anticipation of their upcoming Canada Indoor Series, scheduled for Toronto from March 22nd to 24th, the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) have selected their training squads for the indoor series.

Both the male and female national teams have been invited by Hockey Canada to compete in a four-team competition as part of both countries’ preparations for the 2020 Indoor Pan American Cup. The GHB have already kicked off their 2019 national programme of activities with the indoor developmental men’s team tour of Trinidad & Tobago, where they placed 4th in the Ventures and 3rd in the UWI Indoors respectively. GHB President Philip Fernandes explained the board’s approach to selection of the squads.

“Consistent exposure to the intensity of international competition is an area we have identified as lacking in the development of our national players. So opportunities like these have to be used to invest in the players that will benefit most from the experience. We have decided to select young

The 2017 National Indoor Men’s Team

squads of predominantly under-30 players who will be around for the next two to three Indoor Pan American Cups in 2020, 2022 and 2024.

There are still a few experienced players included in the squads to provide leadership, but this tour is about exposure. Later this year, we will be competing in the outdoor Pan American Challenge, and the selection for those teams will be strictly perfor-

mance-based, since it’s a continental tournament where we earn world ranking points.”

Five members of the indoor developmental men’s team that competed in the Ventures and UWI tournaments (Warren Williams, Nandalall Persaud, Samuel Woodroffe and Nickel Ashby) have indicated that they are unavailable for squad selection due to their academic commitments

leading up to their CSEC examinations.

26 Member Women’s Indoor Training Squad

Latacia Chung, Minsodia Culpepper, Nicole Eastman, Marisha Fernandes, Marzana Fiedtkou, Trisha Woodroffe, Alysa Xavier(GK), Gabriella Xavier, Abosaide Cadogan, Madison Fernandes, Briawna Gordon (GK), Makeda Harding, Sarah Klautky,

Jessica Mittelholtzer (GK), Dacia Woodroffe, Kezia Chinian, Tekeisha Deleon, Donyale Nurse (GK), Mariah Seegobind, Charlia Webb, Aneesa Permaul (GK), Kenisha Wills, Julia Gouveia (GK), Candace Glen, Bushani Kaladeen and Akeaba Singh.

23 Member Men’s Indoor Training Squad

Medroy Scotland (GK), Michael Hing (GK), Steven Xavier,

Mark Sargeant, Kareem McKenzie, Meshach Sargeant, Robert France, Rayon Branford, Andrew Stewart, Jamarj Assanah, Aroydy Branford, Leon Bacchus, Tivesarid Garnett, Shomere Garnett, David Williams (GK), Paul D’Andrade (GK), Jael Gaskin, Omar Hopkinson, Dominic Alleyne, Stefan King, Hilton Chester, Hilmar Chester and Troy Hodge.

Windies squad announced for First Test against England Darren Bravo returns to the squad

– Hetmyer lone Guyanese in squad

C

ricket West Indies (CWI) selection panel has announced the West Indies squad to face England in the first Test match of the much-anticipated Wisden Trophy Series.

The selectors have named an exciting squad, balancing

players who have performed strongly in recent Tests with players who have been recalled or called up for the first time due to recent performances.

Two uncapped players will be thrilled to join the squad ahead of this great rivalry:

John Campbell is likely to make his debut

John Campbell, the 26-yearold left-handed opening batsman and Shamarh Brooks the 30-year-old right-handed middle-order batsman. There are recalls for fast bowler Alzarri Joseph and left-hander Darren Bravo. Fast bowler Oshane Thomas has been named as cover for Joseph, who is making a comeback from injury.

Chairman of Selectors, Courtney Browne, said: “After a difficult Test Series in Bangladesh late last year, the opportunity presents itself for our team to pick itself up. Although a tough series against England is anticipated, home turf has always been a place where our team has made strides.”

Browne declared. He added, “With the return of Darren Bravo, who will add value to a batting department, we expect to see marked improvement. Young, exciting fast bowler Alzarri Joseph, who was sidelined by injury, returns to the squad, and Shamarh Brooks has been elevated for his solid first-class

performances over the last three years. John Campbell, the incumbent ‘A’ team opener, who has played first class cricket for a number of years, will open the batting after a good first-class season in 2018.

The panel takes this opportunity to wish Captain Jason Holder and his team all the best in the upcoming series.”

CEO Johnny Grave added: “The Wisden Trophy has got incredible history, and the West Indies have got a proud record to defend. England have only won one Test Series on West Indies soil in 50 years.

We hope that our fans will once again become the team’s

twelfth man and rally to create the noise and colour that gives the squad the support they deserve and register a win in what (would) be a great battle.”

(CWI) full squad reads as follows: Jason Holder (Captain), Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican NOTE: Oshane Thomas has been called up as cover for Alzarri Joseph

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2018-2019 CWI Regional 4-Day Tournament…

‘Not taking Jaguars for granted’, says Coach Cornwall

By Brandon Corlette

T

he second-placed team in the CWI Regional 4-Day Tournament, Leewards Islands Hurricanes, are ready to play table leaders Guyana Jaguars from today, Thursday January 17, 2019, at Providence. The action is slated to start from 9:30h.

Speaking with Guyana Times International Sport on the eve of the fifth round clash, Hurricanes Assistant Coach/ Manager Wilden Cornwall highlighted that the Providence p i t c h looks differ-

low gloves-man Devon Thomas will certainly be missed”, Cornwall added.

With three big players absent from the Hurricanes line-up, the young players in the squad must step up and contribute significantly to the team’s performance.

Kieran Powell, who was dropped from the West Indies test squad, will be aiming to create

Hurricanes Assistant Coach Wilden Cornwall (Brandon Corlette photo)

ent from how it had appeared the last season. The 45-year- old Cornwall told this reporter in an exclusive interview that the dry Providence pitch would offer a lot to the faster bowlers, since it’s covered with grass.

The Hurricanes have lost three of their top players: Devon Thomas, Alzarri Joseph and Jhamar Hamilton, who were called up for West Indies duties. The Hurricanes trio are currently playing for the Cricket West Indies President’s XI against the touring England.

The loss of Joseph is a big blow to the Hurricanes, since he is the leading Hurricanes fast bowler and the most fitting complement to Jeremiah Louis.

“Hamilton, who has been in the Windies test squads over the past year, has been a consistent performer for the Hurricanes, and his fel-

a big impact to earn his position as the opener on the West Indies team.

An elegant left-handed opener, Powell has a wealth of experience in the First-class arena, having played 112 matches and scored 6174 runs at an average of 31.

As Hurricanes captain, Powell has 33 half-centuries and seven centuries beneath his belt.

Cornwall added that Jeremiah Louis has been bowling with steam, and is one of the top players.

He said the 22-year-old fast bowler has played 35 First-class matches and taken 77 wickets at an average of 26.85. His best bowling figure being 6-69, Rahkeem Cornwall is certainly a big player in the Hurricanes squad; having played 46 matches at the First-class level, he has 1798 runs to his name. Cornwall averages 23 with the bat, but his bowling record is simply outstanding.

The Jaguars will be

wary of Cornwall, who has taken 214 wickets in only 46 matches, including 14 five-wicket hauls and 11 four- wicket hauls.

The assistant Coach, Cornwall, shared his views on the Guyana Jaguars team, “They have been playing consistent cricket over the past years”, Cornwall related. He explained that the Guyana team has no particular player that they will have an eye out for, but the entire Jaguars team can take the game away. Over the past successive years the Jaguars played, each player has contributed to the team’s success, and

Hurricanes will not be taking the formidable Jaguars unit for granted.

In Hurricanes’ three matches this season, Montcin Hodge is their leading run scorer with 327 runs, while young batting sensation Keacy Carty has 209 runs. In the bowling department, off-spinner Cornwall has 12 wickets, second to Joseph’s 14.

Former Guyana Jaguars owner Rajendra Chandrika, who played one match this season for Hurricanes, is still suffering injury and is expected to miss the fifth round.

Leeward Islands Hurricanes will be rem-

iniscing on their four wicket win against the Guyana Jaguars in the 2016-2017 Regional Four Day tournament.

In that match, played in St Kitts, Jaguars managed 293 in their first innings, while Hurricanes were bundled out for 158 in their first innings.

In that match, Jaguars were on top, gaining a 135-run lead.

Jaguars declared on 233-8, setting a target of 371 for victory.

The Hurricanes current opener, Montcin Hodge, notched up a match winning century in that monumental encounter that saw Hurricanes chase down the tar-

get with four wickets to spare.

Other outstanding Hurricanes performers in the match were bowlers Cornwall and Hayden Walsh, who wrecked the Jaguars batting lineup that included the legendary Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Jaguars have been unstoppable in the tournament, and the Hurricanes victory last season may have been long forgotten.

The Hurricanes, however, are approaching this game with a positive mindset that they have the ability to upset the Jaguars.

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WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

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