Guyana Times International 24-May-2019

INTERNATIONAL THE BEACON OF TRUTH

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You can also read Guyana Times daily edition online at www.guyanatimesgy.com WEEK ENDING MAY 26, 2019

ISSUE NO. 450

‘Major plans for Guyana’s oil sector if PPP returns to power’ – Jagdeo See story on page 3

…promises 50,000 jobs, concessions to service industry

Power-packed GAW team named for CPL 2019 See story on page 51

Guyanese killed after motorcycle slams into NYC garbage truck Page 5

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WEEK ENDING MAY 19, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

NEWS 3

WEEK ENDING MAY 19, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

‘Major plans for Guyana’s oil sector if PPP returns to power’ – Jagdeo

…promises 50,000 jobs, concessions to service industry

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s plans are apace to conclude and formally present its manifesto for the upcoming elections in Guyana, the PPP already has major plans for the oil and gas industry, which also include the active participation of all leading political parties.

This is according to Opposition Leader, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, who at his weekly press conference on Thursday, stated that once the PPP is returned to office there is much in store for the country’s oil and gas industry.

He stated that this industry should not be politicised and that the PPP will ensure that that it is going to be

Opposition Leader, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo

managed in a “bi-partisan way”.

According to Jagdeo, regardless of what advice the PPP would receive about the oil and

gas industry, once in government again, it will make the final decisions that are “appropriate for our country” and that reflect

the best interests of Guyanese not foreign companies.

“We are not slaves to consultants who often work for oil companies...we have done a lot of in-house studies so far and have been comparing with other countries.

We will seek technical advice at some points but the final decisions will be made by the Government of Guyana.”

The Opposition Leader also pointed out that his Party has been working extensively on local content policies in relation to the oil and gas industry that can be implemented once it is returned to power.

“Benefits must be

felt by all people wherever they live.

Benefits should not be just for a few folks or for those who are wealthy but should benefit everyone from every sector...every ethnic group, every class,” he added.

During his engagement with the media, Jagdeo also offered snippets of some of the plans his party will be making on the campaign trail for the next elections.

Like the party’s presidential candidate, Jagdeo reiterated that the PPP would create 50,000 new jobs once elected to office.

He related that the party will be relying mainly on the oil sec-

tor for such an undertaking.

“For those who think this is an ambitious number, the 50,000 jobs, this is a conservative number because we believe we can do much better because of the incentive programmes that we are working on”, Jagdeo said.

The Opposition Leader said his party is currently working on a package of incentives to support job creation and that will cover all sectors of the economy.

He promised that an Irfaan Ali led government would offer certain concessions to the service industry to get that industry to also assist in job creation.

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WEEK ENDING MAY 19, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

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EDITORIAL

Failed promise on addressing crime

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hen the PNC-led coalition assumed power in 2015, much of the credit was due to the incumbency factor that worked against the PPP Government after 23 years in office. But there were also the strident claims of the coalition parties during the campaign: that their slate, which was dominated by high level ex-personnel from the Police and Army, would be able to do a better job at curbing crime.

Under “Programme of Action”, their manifesto promised: “Within the first 100 days of the formation of a Government of National Unity, the following will be done: development and implementation of a sustained national crime prevention plan”.

Many citizens believed their assertions.

Sadly, four years after the change of Government, the levels of crime stalking the land have risen to unprecedented levels, especially violent, gun-related depredations. One year ago, the U.S State Department released its 2018 Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) Report on Guyana’s Crime and Safety Report. It declared that Guyana’s general crime rate, in a population of just 750,000, was at a “critical level” and “above the U.S. national average.” The Report that will be issued soon for the following year will have to paint an even bleaker picture, since crime has continued to rise exponentially.

To the cries of a beleaguered populace, the Government, through its Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, has unfolded a two-pronged strategy that is based on PR more than concrete Police action. The Police began releasing regular “crime statistics” that were so constructed to convince the hapless populace that their personal experiences with crime are not to be trusted. For instance, one report from around the time the US Report was released stated that there was: “a 26% increase in robberies where no instruments were used; however, a 13% increase in robbery under arms where firearms were used.

Further, there was a 32% decrease in robbery under arms where instruments other than firearms were used.”

What is the average citizen to make of this gobbledygook in percentages, which emphasises “decreases” when in reality robberies with firearms have skyrocketed, and obviously use of “other arms” would have decreased? Were the citizens to be comforted to know they will be facing more firearms when they are robbed? Only last week, there was an attack on a supermarket located a stone’s throw from one of the largest Police Stations in Berbice – Albion — wherein an AR-16 automatic rifle was fired so indiscriminately that even the Police vehicle parked outside the station was riddled with bullets.

Yet there was no response from the Police inside the station.

Mere days later, a family in Black Bush Polder was shot at, brutalised, robbed, and one member was taken hostage; while the Police responded to frantic calls from the family by stating that they had no vehicle. A vehicle was found to bring them the next morning, in broad daylight.

The SWAT Unit that was ostentatiously brought from Georgetown to Berbice was not called out. The other prong to the Public Security Minister’s “crime fighting” strategy was to use the Police’s concocted “crime statistics” to compare them with those of other countries and insist that “crime is not so bad here”.

Earlier, the President had brushed aside his Security Minister’s recommendations in regard to the reorganisation of the top brass of the Police Force. He had proceeded to fire one Police Commissioner and his successor, and then handpick the incumbent. The Crime Chief, whom the Security Minister described as “very competent”, was reassigned to a desk-bound back office, while the unilaterally appointed incumbent seems to be out of his depth.

The most telling assessment of the Granger Administration’s record on crime, however, came in his assessment of his four years in office last week. The release was completely silent on crime. And this silence is more pregnant with meaning on the Government’s failure to fulfill its most basic duty to the citizens of this country: to protect them from “a nasty, short and brutish life”, than all its previous fake statistics.

Students riding home from school in Leguan

Independence and politics

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uring their rule over the empire on which “the sun never sets”, the British insisted that, unlike the “settler colonies” such as Australia and Canada, the ones populated by non-European “natives” had to undergo a period of “tutelage” before they would be ready for independence.

This policy was greatly resented by the new leaders of the latter colonies, including then British Guiana, who insisted they were in no way inferior to the British in matters political. In fact, they revelled in one account that described them as politically “precocious”.

However, with the benefit of hindsight, after the PNC’s rule for 28 long years after independence and their latest 4 years at the helm, one has to ruefully concede that maybe the colonial power had a point on “tutelage”.

Obviously, the leaders could “read and write”, and therefore understand the tomes on politics and government; and, like Forbes Burnham, the Britishtrained lawyer, could regurgitate their ideas with great aplomb and eloquence.

The problem came from the question as to whether they and their societies could put those ideas into practice, so as to appreciate not just the words, but the spirit that gave life to the words. In a word, whether they had developed a tradition of governing for the welfare of the

people. The British, after all, had developed their traditions from the time of their Magna Carta in 1215, and their habits of independence had percolated into all their institutions, not just at Westminster.

This is well illustrated in the famous remark by the Duke of Wellington: that the epoch-shaping Battle of Waterloo against Napoleon had been won “on the playing fields of Eton”.

He said this a decade after the battle, while looking at a game of cricket at Eton, the elite Grammar School on which our Queen’s College was modelled. He meant, of course, the games inculcated values that could guide one in all aspects of life.

It was rather ironic that Burnham did in fact attend Queen’s, but, sadly, was not noted for his activities on the playing fields. He was to later mock Walter Rodney, who had to scale fences after being chased by his goons, for being a champion high jumper at Queen’s.

In cricket, for instance, there is the tradition of “walking” if the batsman knows he nicked the ball, even when it might not have been evident to the opposing side or umpire.

This was illustrated in the 2011 World Cup, when a delivery from West Indies pacer Ravi Rampaul hit Tendulkar’s glove and carried through to the keeper. The umpire was stuck in two minds, but his pre-

dicament was resolved by the great man himself, as he decided to walk.

Even if one were inclined to give Burnham the benefit of the doubt for his acquiescence with the US/British ouster of the PPP in 1964, because his choice was, in the words of Tyrone Ferguson, “to survive sensibly or to court heroic death”, there is no gainsaying that he drove a stake into democratic practice in our land when he not only did not accept the notion of “walking” at the 1968 elections, but actually conspired to rig the elections and to do so until he died.

While it is to his eternal credit that Desmond Hoyte decided to “walk” in 1992, we have to note that it was bitterly opposed by his then Prime Minister, Hamilton Green.

Green has continued to insist that Hoyte was “naïve” to accept the results of the elections, even though technically he was not actually walking, but accepting the decision of the voters. It is therefore not coincidental that Granger, the present leader of the PNC, who has boasted about fulfilling the legacy of Burnham and has honoured Green with the “Order of Roraima”, is adamant on his control over GECOM via his unilaterally appointed Chairman.

Whatever else may be said of the PPP, they accepted the “tie” in 2011, and “walked” in 2015. They have never betrayed our independence.

WEEK ENDING MAY 19, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

NEWS 5

Guyanese killed after motorcycle slams into NYC garbage truck A

Guyanese biker was on Monday evening killed while his friend is in a critical condition after the motorcycle on which they were travelling slammed into a garbage truck in Queens, New York.

Dead is Devendra “Joey” Deonarine, 30, formerly of Bloomfield Village, Corentyne, Berbice. The pillion rider was identified as Christopher Sansarran, also a Guyanese.

Reports on PIX 11 News reported that the two men were riding a 1986 Honda motorcycle at a fast rate of speed, going westbound on Liberty Avenue toward 157th Street. Police stated that the motorcycle struck a private sanitation truck as it was backing up in the vicinity of the location.

Both men were thrown from the motorcycle, sustaining severe body trauma. The injured men were taken to the Jamaica Hospital where Deonarine was pronounced dead on arrival.

His 23-year-old male friend remains in the hospital but critical. The report further stated that the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad is conducting an investigation into the accident.

Deonarine left Guyana about seven years ago where he got married and has one child.

Dead Devendra ‘Joey’ Deonarin

Injured, Christopher Sansarran

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WEEK ENDING MAY 19, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Too many women dying in Guyana due to rising domestic violence Dear Editor, In response to the domestic violence crisis, The Caribbean Voice beseeches and implores the Government to urgently organise a stakeholders’ focus group to come up with a coherent and concerted action plan for immediate implementation.

By stakeholders we mean organisations that are currently directly involved in gender-based activism – not those who say they are but do nothing, not those who talk, talk and talk but do nothing else and not those who engage in photo ops and pageantry but no concrete action. We also urge that politics be taken out of the equation and that only the passionate and committed, who already give of their time and efforts,

be involved.

Consultants are not needed because there is absolutely nothing to consult on. Contractors are not needed because there is nothing to contract out.

And consultations are not needed because everyone is aware of the harsh realities on the ground.

In short, bring together all those who are already striving to address the issue, build a plan that is practical and doable and implement it across Guyana, with Government and the Private Sector providing the financial and logistical resources.

Provide the requisite training, develop and deploy signposting, create gatekeepers/first responders in every community, map a network of coun-

sellors nationwide that can almost be immediately available to jump in and help, provide capacity to shelters and safe houses to be able to handle intake, and enhance and nationally extend the victims assistance plan that already exists through the Social Protection Ministry.

Establish trained domestic violence units in every police station with the ability for quick responses and the skillsets to know what to do and how to do it with priority on victims’ safety.

Establish strident efforts to ensure that police do not allow themselves to be influenced to dismiss reports, belittle victims, engage in casual investigations that destroy cases and ignore any and every

sign that clearly points to abuse and potential for femicide.

Give teeth to the requisite legislation and protection orders, sensitise victims to the concept of safety first, last and always, follow through on all reports taking cognisance that victims will often withdraw complaints or refuse to testify because of threats to self, children and family, economic dependence on abusers and ‘because of the children’.

The judiciary system must be advised to maximise all sentencing and convicted abusers must be mandated to periodically report to Police after serving their sentences.

Additionally, all convicted abusers should be publicly listed along with their photos in a registry

Violence against women in Guyana has become a runaway train while Govt sleeps

Dear Editor, Even as we agonise over the gruesome murder of Zaila Sugrim by her intimate partner this past weekend, news came out of Essequibo of another woman cruelly stabbed to death by her husband. None of these incidents is the direct fault of the President or his Government.

But Violence Against Women (VAW), including Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), has further escalated in Guyana and is getting worse every day.

Intimate Partner Violence and deaths are a genuine national crisis, demanding urgent action by the Government.

As early as 2006, I called attention to this matter as a global public health challenge. In 2008, Minister Priya Manikchand made the fight against VAW a priority national programme.

Exactly one year ago, I wrote about this national crisis and urged our Government to act with a sense of urgency. It is distasteful and completely unacceptable that any of us must still urge our Government to lead a vigorous fight against VAW. There are many voices calling for action. But without the leadership of our Government, we will lose the battle to combat VAW and IPV. The sad truth is that this APNU/ AFC Government is MIA, missing in action, as VAW in Guyana has become a runaway train, leaving too many lives in tatters.

The death of young Zaila Sugrim this past week is, at the same time, a grim reminder that we are losing the battle

against VAW and an urgent call for action. Zaila Sugrim, a beautiful young woman and a mother of five children, is the newest victim of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in Guyana, but too many have already preceded her. If her story does not prick our collective conscience, we are not humans. This week, Zaila’s life of domestic violence came to an end, not because she was able to escape her abuser, even though she desperately tried to, but because she was brutally murdered by her abuser-husband. Zaila was mercilessly beaten, shot in the head, burnt and buried in a shallow grave behind her husband’s business.

Meanwhile, her children were excitedly waiting for her to celebrate one of their birthdays. Now these innocent children have become orphaned.

Like many thousands in our country and many millions around the world, Zaila was a victim of the Violence Against Women (VAW) pandemic. About one in three women in the world suffer from violence by their own partners. Dozens of these victims in Guyana will end their lives of terror and misery only by death, just as more than 40,000 women around the world this year. Of the 87,000 women globally murdered, about 40,000 of them are killed by a partner. Zaila Sugrim is now one of them. So too is Farida Khayum of Essequibo, the newest Guyanese victim, who has left three of the newest orphans in Guyana.

The nation is genuinely shocked and many of our citizens are demand-

ing action. There has been no word from the Minister of Public Security. He is too busy thinking about men who frequent places where sex workers hang out, while conspiring to replace Moses Nagamootoo as Prime Minister. There has been no word from the Minister of Social Protection, under whom women affairs fall. She is too busy politicking.

The Minister of Public Health is similarly silent, also too busy with politics and desperately trying to stop Basil Williams from emerging as a presidential candidate. The Prime Minister, desperately trying to stop Ramjattan from replacing him, is too concerned about dual citizens to even bother about the senseless killing of a woman. The President, as usual, seems too busy doing nothing to even care. The truth is that the President and his Government are missing in action, MIA, as VAW continues to escalate and the national crisis heightens.

Not so long ago, a man pumped bullets into the head of his wife in a busy Georgetown street.

Less than a month ago, a young man drove his car back and forth over his wife. Now, there are the sad and fatal stories of Zaila Sugrim and Farida Khayum. But such brutal attacks on women by their partners are occurring nearly every week in Guyana. These stories prick our conscience too often. Each time, we are shocked and our conscience tells us enough is enough. But our country moves on, little action is taken, the Government chooses to be MIA, and

we await the next death to prick our conscience a little more. The problem is our leaders seem to be numb by the frequency and the increasing brutality of these murders, that they treat them as just another unfortunate event in the daily grind of life in Guyana.

I heard today on a TV programme, Ms Gail Teixeira raising the issue and calling on Government to lead the fight against VAW and IPV. Ms Teixeira, who led Guyana’s team to the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo in 1994 has been relentless in demanding more action against VAW. Ms Priya Manickchand has been an ardent advocate, urging a vigorous national effort to combat VAW. Many women and NGOs have been actively working on their own to stem the tsunami of VAW in Guyana. But our present Government continues to behave as if VAW is not a matter for concern. Since 2015, the APNU/AFC Government has been either silent or extremely stingy in acknowledging Guyana has a VAW problem and that IPV is epidemic in our country. We are not alone. Both VAW and IPV are pandemics, public health crises, in every country in the world.

But our Government cannot excuse itself because VAW happens to be a global problem. Guyana needs action now and the President must step up to the plate.

Sincerely, Dr Leslie Ramsammy

that would be easily accessible. There are those who would academically argue about rights of abusers but completely ignore the rights of victims and the potential for abuse to be repeated.

Furthermore, they completely ignore the fact that there is a mountain of literature and lived experiences that clearly say that every abuser is a potential murderer.

In effect, what to do is very clear. Now, instead of verbiage and rhetoric from officialdom and wastage of resources in piece-

meal, ad hoc, infrequent and ineffective action, the political fortitude needs to be displayed to build a network of activism, nationally armed with skillsets and resources to handle this crisis, through stakeholders’ collaboration. The Caribbean Voice stands ready to be part of such a process and, in fact, to assist from the inception with realising the stakeholders’ focus group.

Sincerely, The Caribbean Voice

Granger’s quartet at GECOM have become an international laughing stock

Dear Editor, The negative misguided statements that consistently emerge from key players in the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) have created a fed up environment amongst citizens. It is time President Granger’s quartet recognise that they have become a local and international laughing stock and they must desist from trying to fool this nation.

They have been interchangeably using the terms Official List of Voters (OLV) and Official List of Electors (OLE) in statements of convenience in advancing the interest of the APNU/AFC cabal.

The proven purpose is an effort to kerfuffle and deceive unfamiliar persons with their baseless and spurious attempts at delaying the readiness of GECOM for elections. The term OLV is the Official List used for Local Government Elections, while the OLE represents the List for the Regional and National Elections.

It is clear that GECOM has a database that the organisation uses as the repository of registered persons or the Register of Registrants.

It is from this ‘Register of Registrants’ that the 2015 Official List of Electors was extracted after the APNU/ AFC moved the NoConfidence Motion against the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic. President Donald Ramotar thereafter prorogued Parliament and with a very short period of continuous registration, followed by only a

few days of Claims and Objections; GECOM produced the Official List of Electors, which was used to conduct the Regional and National Elections within the ninety-day period.

The APNU/AFC coalition parties at the time, advanced in the National Assembly and used the same Continuous Registration and Claims and Objection accepted formula to extend the life of the list from three months to six months.

Further, they hurriedly held Local Government Elections in 2016 in an effort to test their strength.

APNU and AFC individually used the same Register of Registrants along with a short period of Continuous Registration and simultaneously did the Claims and Objection in order to prepare the Official list of Voters.

It is of significant note that in the process of holding two Local Government Elections, the Government, through its Ministry of Communities, introduced eleven new Local Authority Areas (LAAs), with changes in several Neighbourhood Democratic Councils’ boundaries.

In these instances, the same cycles of the periodical Continuous Registration and the Claims and Objection were repeated and it cannot be made clearer that these are the acceptable methods for GECOM to keep the OLV and the OLE in a state of readiness for any election. turn to page 8

news 7

WEEK ENDING MAY 19, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

President yet to declare assets to Integrity Commission … 716 public officials also in default

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he Integrity Commission had flagged a number of public officials earlier this year for failing to make their declarations, and President David Granger is one of the defaulters, having breached the stipulated deadline of May 20, 2019.

The agency recently informed that all public officials were required to make these submissions, in compliance with the Integrity Commission Act. On the sidelines of an event on Wednesday, the President explained that he has not yet submitted his declaration but has made contact with the Commission.

“I’m in touch with the Integrity Commission.

I have written to them.

I have not submitted all of my declarations. It is taking some time but I am in touch with them and the Commission has heard from me,” he stated.

Reports also surfaced that some Cabinet members are also lagging behind with regards to their submissions. But President Granger assured that there is a commitment by all Cabinet members to comply. As of now, he displayed concerns over this matter but could not account for the tardiness on the part of these Ministers.

“I am concerned and as I pointed out, my own declaration is being prepared and I do not have a reason why others have not been prepared. I’ve had some challenges over that period of time but I’m actually working on it and the Commission is aware of my interest in ensuring that they are submitted as quickly as possible,” the Head of State told media operatives.

He added, “As far as the Cabinet is concerned, the general rule is that we should all comply. It is just a matter of time.

Some of the details may have taken some members time. I cannot say if all of them are compliant but that is the policy of Cabinet that every Minister should comply.”

Just a few days ago, the Integrity Commission issued a notice which requested persons to make their declarations.

The document stated, “The Integrity Commission hereby notifies all specified public officers of its inventory update. This

updating process relates to the updates of the 2019 Inventory. The inventory concerns specific public officers required to submit declarations.

This is in accordance to Schedule 1 of the Integrity Commission Act, No 20 of 1997”.

In addition, it noted that all heads of public officers are required to submit to the Commission; the names, designation, physical addresses, email addresses and contact numbers of public officers.

These documents, the Commission said, can be sent to its Secretariat on Church Road and Fifth Avenue, Subryanville, Georgetown, and also via email.

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.

Defaulters Some 716 officials were called out for failing to make declarations, as mandated by Section 19 of the Integrity Commission Act. Among the defaulters on the list were General Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation, Rawlston Adams; Chief Executive Officer of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), George Lewis; Director General of Guyana Civil Aviation

President David Granger speaking to the media on Wednesday

Authority, Egbert Field; CEO of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, Trevor Benn; Chairman of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority, Leslie Sobers; General Manager of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited, Sherod Duncan; CEO of the Guyana Office for Investment, Owen Verwey; and CEO of Guyana Power and Light, Albert Gordon among others.

A breakdown of the list includes officials from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport; the Cyril Potter College of Education; the Bureau of Statistics; the Dependent Pension Fund; the Environmental Protection Agency; the GPHC; the Guyana Gold Board; the Guyana

Oil Company; and the Guyana Power and Light Inc, among others.

Under the law, any

public officer who fails to comply with the Commission is liable upon summary convic-

tion, to a fine of G$25,000 and imprisonment for a period of not less than six months or more than one year.

Back then, Chairman of the Integrity Commission, Kumar Duraisami stated that there were 716 public officials who did not submit their declarations to the Commission. As such, five lists of the various categories of public officials were published.

The Chairman noted that while there is a need for awareness on the Integrity Commission, most public officials have a general idea of the Commission’s functions and their obligations. His contention was that there are some individuals who are willfully withholding declaring their assets to the Commission.

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WEEK ENDING MAY 19, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Gaming Authority sets the record straight …denies victimising investor

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he Guiana Holding Incorporated, trading as Superbet, recently complained that it is not being granted its renewal of licences owing to victimisation on the part of the Guyana Gaming Authority. The Gaming Authority, however, on Wednesday denied stymieing the investor.

In response to Superbet’s General Manager Shrikant Kisoensingh’s statements, the Gaming Authority explained that the certificate of good standing, which is required by the agency, was not produced by the trending gambling attraction but is necessary to qualify the business for their licence renewal.

According to the Gaming Authority, the certificate of good standing is just one of nine requirements needed by a business when applying for a Betting Shop Licence. The others include an approved building plan; approval letter from the Central Housing and Planning Authority; a fire safety certificate from the Guyana Fire Service; receipt of deposit made to the Accountant General;

copy of certificate of incorporation; copy of identification of Directors; copy of Tax Identification Number (TIN) certificate; and a completed application form for trade and miscellaneous licences.

Before 2018, a letter of good standing from the Authority did not form part of the process but was later introduced to ensure due diligence for the purpose of Anti-Money Laundering/ Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT), it added.

Further, it added that the Gaming Authority is the supervisory authority of casinos, lotteries and betting shops for purposes of the AML/ CFT Act (as amended) while the Guyana Revenue Authority is the licencing authority for betting shops. Section 9 (2) of the Tax Act, gives the power to licence for betting premises to the Guyana Revenue Authority.

According to the statement issued by the agency, it had informed all applicants for the good standing certification of the purpose and time frames in which the activities can be conclud-

ed.

Additionally, they were told that this process is in keeping with Section 22 of the AML/ CFT Act (as amended), the Gaming Authority said.

“The certification they were advised, can be withdrawn, if any evidence is uncovered in the future, that points to any breach of the AML/ CFT Act 2009 (as amended). The time frame is in keeping with internationally recognised standard, which range from as little as six months for organisations, such as, Superbet, to as long as 18 months. This is dependent on the depth of investigation needed to be conducted,” the Authority stated.

It noted that Superbet had applied for their good standing certificate on September 14, 2018 and during the course of the Gaming Authority’s due diligence in January 2019, was provided with information, that one of the principals of Guiana Holding Inc, was convicted of money-laundering and served a four-year sentence.

Following these discoveries, the Authority said it enhanced it due

Female taxi driver died from strangulation

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Murdered: Indira Bipat

he post-mortem examination (PME) conducted on the body of 47-yearold Indira Bipat who was discovered on Sunday morning in a

ditch at La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara (WBD), gave the cause of death as strangulation, compounded by blunt trauma to head.

Bipat, of Lot 18 Samaroo Dam, Pouderoyen, WBD, who is a part-time taxi driver, left her home at about 17:30h on Saturday afternoon in her family’s SilverGrey Toyota Axio bearing registration number PXX 4114.

After the woman failed to return home that evening and the following morning, her son told Guyana Times International that he filed a report at the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station.

While there, the young man revealed that he received a report from a female friend informing him that a body of a female had been found in a ditch at La Parfaite Harmonie.

As such, the family rushed to the scene and their worst fears were confirmed. According to Derick Bipat, the car is yet to be recovered.

While Police have since launched an investigating, no one has been arrested.

The woman leaves to mourn two children.

diligence and issued a letter to Guiana Holding Inc to seek clarification on February 14, 2019.

The agency reportedly responded on March 4, 2019, and the Gaming Authority took steps to verify the information.

“The response from Guiana Holding Inc and additional information received by the Gaming Authority on April 5, 2019, during the verification process, after careful analysis, led to determination, that an AML/ CFT audit of Superbet operations was necessary to determine the veracity of the information received. This would allow the Gaming Authority to make an informed determination on the issuing of the good standing certification.”

According to the statement, this was communicated to Guiana Holding Inc, on April 23, 2019, and they have in principal, agreed to the audit.

The Gaming Authority has been in the process of organising the audit team, it stated, adding that a non-disclosure agreement has been sent to the said organisation for signature and for submission of a pro-

General Manager of the Guiana Holding Inc, Superbet, Shrikant Kisoensingh

posal and cost. A deadline of July 31, 2019, has been set for the conclusion and submission of the audit report.

The outcome of the audit will determine the Gaming Authority’s position on the issuing of the good standing certificate, the agency said.

Prior to this requirement, Superbet has been

operating in Guyana for more than five years.

The business now has over 175 locations across Guyana, which bring in income for over 500 persons.

Kisoensingh’s lawyer, Anil Nandlall, has already said he is ready to represent his client in the court as he feels he is being victimised.

Granger’s quartet at GECOM... from page 6

With the passing of the No-Confidence Motion, GECOM Chief Executive Officer, Keith Lowenfield and GECOM Public Relations Officer said that GECOM is ready for Elections.

It is also useful to observe that at the recent Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) case to which GECOM was a party, the entity failed to make a timely submission for obvious reasons.

They simply do not have any rational candour in the face of the facts. However, they later said that GECOM could not hold Elections within the threemonth period specified in Article 106 of the Constitution because the matter was the subject of court cases.

Secondly, because President David Granger did not name a date for elections and that GECOM did not have the necessary funding.

It is even clear that through the constitutionally approved method of the No-Confidence Motion, the Opposition legitimately booted the APNU/AFC coalition Government on

December 21, 2018.

In keeping with the Constitution, we should have had National and Regional Elections before March 21, 2019.

Ms Excellence Dazzell, the Attorney contracted by GECOM, recently provided her legal opinion on the issues which give greater clarity and exposes the lack of prudence and alacrity of Granger’s quartet at GECOM to hold elections.

In her advice dated May 13, 2019, to Commissioners and the Chief Election Officer of GECOM at a statutory meeting, she made reference of the illegality of the need for houseto-house registration to create a new list of electors. Instead, she said the current list, which expired at the end of April, should be updated.

Further, the opinion refers to The Election Laws (Amendment) Act 15 of 2000, section 7 (1) which states that “where there is an interval of more than six months after the qualifying date…which the official list of electors… is prepared under section 5 (1) and the day

appointed for the next election after that date, the Commissioner shall cause the Official List of Electors to be revised, in accordance with the procedure established by the Commission by regulations”.

In the 1985 Regional and National Elections, Catholic Bishop Benedict Singh, Anglican Bishop Rudolph George, along with representatives of the Bar Association, categorically described the massive Fraud perpetrated against the nation by the PNC agents, while the Human Rights Association issued a joint statement in which they condemned the Elections as dishonest.

The groups made reference to “the familiar and sordid catalogue of widespread disenfranchisement, multiple voting, ejection of polling agents, threats, intimidations, violence, and collusion by police and army personnel,” The reactions of GECOM’s Commissioner have trended similarly but these dark and nasty days must never be returned to Guyana.

Sincerely, Neil Kumar

NEWS 9

WEEK ENDING MAY 19, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

President yet to declare assets to Integrity Commission … 716 public officials also in default

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he Integrity Commission had flagged a number of public officials earlier this year for failing to make their declarations, and President David Granger is one of the defaulters, having breached the stipulated deadline of May 20, 2019.

The agency recently informed that all public officials were required to make these submissions, in compliance with the Integrity Commission Act. On the sidelines of an event on Wednesday, the President explained that he has not yet submitted his declaration but has made contact with the Commission.

“I’m in touch with the Integrity Commission. I have written to them. I have not submitted all of my declarations. It is taking some time but I am in touch with them and the Commission has heard from me,” he stated.

Reports also surfaced that some Cabinet members are also lagging behind with regards to their submissions. But President Granger assured that there is a commitment by all Cabinet members to comply. As of now, he displayed concerns over this matter but could not account for the tardiness on the part of these Ministers.

“I am concerned and as I pointed out, my own declaration is being prepared and I do not have a reason why others have not been prepared.

I’ve had some challenges over that period of time but I’m actually working on it and the Commission is aware of my interest in ensuring

President David Granger speaking to the media on Wednesday

that they are submitted as quickly as possible,” the Head of State told media operatives.

He added, “As far as the Cabinet is concerned, the general rule is that we should all comply. It is just a matter of time. Some of the details may have taken some members time. I cannot say if all of them are compliant but that is the policy of Cabinet that every Minister should comply.”

Just a few days ago, the Integrity Commission issued a notice which requested persons to make their declarations.

The document stated, “The Integrity Commission hereby notifies all specified public officers of its inventory update. This updating process relates to the updates of the 2019 Inventory. The inventory concerns specific public officers required to submit declarations.

This is in accordance to Schedule 1 of the Integrity Commission

Act, No 20 of 1997”.

In addition, it noted that all heads of public officers are required to submit to the Commission; the names, designation, physical addresses, email addresses and contact numbers of public officers.

These documents, the Commission said, can be sent to its Secretariat on Church Road and Fifth Avenue, Subryanville, Georgetown, and also via email.

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.

Defaulters Some 716 officials

were called out for failing to make declarations, as mandated by Section 19 of the Integrity Commission Act. Among the defaulters on the list were General Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation, Rawlston Adams; Chief Executive Officer of

the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), George Lewis; Director General of Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, Egbert Field; CEO of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, Trevor Benn; Chairman of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority, Leslie Sobers; General Manager of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited, Sherod Duncan; CEO of the Guyana Office for Investment, Owen Verwey; and CEO of Guyana Power and Light, Albert Gordon among others.

A breakdown of the list includes officials from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport; the Cyril Potter College of Education; the Bureau of Statistics; the Dependent Pension Fund; the Environmental Protection Agency; the GPHC; the Guyana Gold Board; the Guyana Oil Company; and the Guyana Power and

Light Inc, among others.

Under the law, any public officer who fails to comply with the Commission is liable upon summary conviction, to a fine of G$25,000 and imprisonment for a period of not less than six months or more than one year.

Back then, Chairman of the Integrity Commission, Kumar Duraisami stated that there were 716 public officials who did not submit their declarations to the Commission. As such, five lists of the various categories of public officials were published.

The Chairman noted that while there is a need for awareness on the Integrity Commission, most public officials have a general idea of the Commission’s functions and their obligations.

His contention was that there are some individuals who are willfully withholding declaring their assets to the Commission.

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WEEK ENDING MAY 19, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

British Envoy says awaiting completion of investigation at SOCU …before decision is made on further collaboration

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he British Government is currently awaiting the outcome of the recent probe conducted into allegations of fraud at the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) before determining the way forward in terms of collaborating with the agency.

This is according to British High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn, who told reporters on the sidelines of an event on Tuesday that while they are reviewing relations with SOCU internally, his Government is still willing to continue its relations with the Unit.

“We’ve been assisting SOCU from the inception so there is certainly an expectation that we would get requests to continue to work with SOCU and I wouldn’t rule out that. We would continue to work with SOCU going forward,” he stated.

However, High Commissioner Quinn outlined the importance of SOCU operating within the confines of what it was created to do. This, he noted, has been the goal of all the assistance the country has been providing to the investigative body, which has now been slapped with damning fraud allegations.

“We’ll certainly consider any requests going forward… But there is also the question of the current investigation that’s going on in SOCU and we’d want to be sure of the outcome of that

British High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn

because, fundamentally and ultimately, whatever we want to be done, we want to do with an organisation that’s operating the way it should be,” he stated.

The British envoy went on to note, however, they are at the stage where they are trying to figure out what might be feasible going forward given the fact that this is the last term for the existing programme which former UK Advisor, Dr Sam Sittlington, was on.

Dr Sittlington, who was fired by the UK Government back in January over a private fraud company he had set up in Guyana, was brought as an advisor to SOCU on a three-year contract. The fraud expert’s tenure in Guyana would have been up in March 2020 and according to High Commissioner Quinn,

there was never any intention of extending or continuing that programme.

However, the British diplomat told Guyana Times International, when asked, that now that circumstances have changed and the work is undone, then there is a possibility that his Government can start a new programme with a new expert but this, he insists, will depend on the outcome of the current fraud probe at SOCU. “So we are still at the stage where we’re trying to figure out what might be feasible given the fact that we are already nearly three months into what might have been the last year of the contract anyway.

So we have to figure out whether by the time we have someone trained up, selected and ready

(to take over) how much time they might actually have left to do some work within SOCU… But it might actually be easier for us to look at a future programme and future series of activities separate from what (already) we have here,” High Commissioner Quinn pointed out.

SOCU, the orgainsation that is supposed to be investigating fraud, has found itself under scrutiny in recent months after allegations of fraud were levelled against the agency, which falls under

the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

The audit that was conducted by the Police Force had unearthed irregularities that included falsified records and missing documents.

According to reports, there was even a case of an official who alleged his signature was forged.

In addition, there are reports of listed expenditure being concocted and receipts being backdated.

Last week, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan told media operatives that the file of the fraud probe has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.

The Minister had noted that there is a possibility that criminal charges may be filed against officers found culpable.

According to Ramjattan, the audit into SOCU made some damning allegations and legal advice will be needed on how to proceed.

“It is not a nice report. It had some damning allegations.

But these are operational matters now, the implementation of the recommendations is in the hands of the (Police) Commissioner. I understand the Commissioner,

because of the damning nature of the allegations, has decided to take it to the DPP’s Chambers and the legal advisers. That will take some time,” Ramjattan had stated.

The Public Security Minister had noted that even a restructuring of the Unit is not on the table, adding that fixing SOCU requires that the recommendations from the fraud probe be followed.

According to Ramjattan, they have not sat down with Sydney James to have him defend his Unit against the findings of the auditors.

Despite this however, the parliamentary Opposition People’s Progressive Party had called for the shutting down of the Unit in light of these allegations. But Ramjattan does not believe the now tainted integrity of the Unit will affect the many cases pending, most of which are against officials of the former PPP Administration.

The PPP had long accused the A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change coalition of using SOCU as part of a witching hunting exercise against former Government officials.

Minibus driver, conductor charged for rape of school girl

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minibus driver and a conductor were Wednesday morning charged for raping a 12-year-old school girl.

Keron Adams, 19, a minibus conductor of ‘D’ Field, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown was charged for engaging in sexual penetration with a child who is under the age of 16.

Roy Roach and Keron Adams

He was not required to plea to the charge when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.

Roy Roach, 41, a minibus driver, was charged with causing the child to have sexual penetration with Adams. Roach was also not required to plea to the charge.

It is alleged that the child was a passenger in the minibus when Roach drove to a house in Georgetown and locked the girl in a room with Adams.

The matter was held in-camera. The duo was remanded to prison and will make their next court appearance on May 29.

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WEEK ENDING MAY 19, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Granger says Coalition Govt hoping to complete full term in office …despite no-confidence motion

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ith the possibility of general elections drawing nearer, President David Granger has signalled that his Administration is still hoping to complete their full term in office.

In 2015, the coalition Administration took office, indicating that elections would be hosted in 2020. However, in December 21, 2019, a No-confidence Motion was tabled and passed in the National Assembly, tumbling the Government. Since then, the Government moved to the courts to challenge the validity of the motion, saying a 34 majority is needed for it to be successfully passed.

On Wednesday, President David Granger, said the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/ AFC) is hoping to complete a full term in office, a decision which

lies with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

“I know there have been challenges but we would like to complete our term depending on what GECOM tells us,” he stated.

The President’s statement came as a surprise to many, as GECOM’s elections readiness itself has been called into question and has since also engaged the attention of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

Acting Chief Justice Roxane George, in January, upheld the December 21, 2018 passage of the Noconfidence Motion, ruling that in Guyana’s 65-member National Assembly, a majority is 33. This, however, was appealed by Attorney General Basil Williams.

At the Court of Appeal, while Justice Rishi Persaud had dismissed the appeal and concurred with the ruling of the High Court,

his colleague appellate Judges allowed the State’s appeal.

Both Justices Yonette CummingsEdwards and Dawn Gregory opined that while 33 was the majority of the 65-member National Assembly, the successful passage of a No-confidence Motion required an “absolute

majority” of 34 and not the “simple” 33 majority that has been used to pass ordinary business in the House.

Following the ruling, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo stated that the Constitution of Guyana is pellucid on what number of votes is needed for the passage of a no-confidence mo-

tion; it is a majority of all elected parliamentarians – the majority of 65 is 33 votes.

On December 21, 2018, AFC Member of Parliament Charrandas Persaud voted in favour of the No-confidence Motion against the Government, during the debate on this matter, held in the National

Assembly.

Since the December 21, 2018 passage of the motion of no- confidence against the APNU/AFC coalition, calls have been made by various stakeholders, including foreign diplomats, for the Government to abide by the Constitution and set a date for elections.

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WEEK ENDING MAY 19, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

“Water under 2nd suspect in biker’s killing arrested the bridge” …Alexander says of legal advice which points to no need for house-to-house registration

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Government-nominated Commissioner Vincent Alexander

iscussions on the legal opinion offered by the Guyana Elections C o m m i s s i o n ’ s (GECOM’s) legal officer of the need to update the voters’ list are being pushed aside even as the possible need for early elections loom larger by the day.

At the conclusion of GECOM’s statutory meeting on Tuesday, Government-nominated Commissioner Vincent Alexander informed the media that the legal opinion is, in fact, “water under the bridge”.

“For all intents and purposes, we are not discussing the substance of that opinion at this time…the substance of the opinion, as described in the meeting, is, in a sense, water under the bridge,” Alexander said, citing the current no-confidence cases before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

But according to Opposition-nominated Commissioner Sase Gunraj, there has been a marked re-

luctance from the Government-nominated Commissioners – Vincent Alexander, Charles Corbin and Desmond Trotman – to even contemplate updating the old list, as advised by the legal officer and urged by the Opposition-nominated Commissioners for some time.

“There has been a refusal by the full Commission, particularly a majority of the Commission, to take any steps to refresh that list outside of house-to-house registration. You recall my earlier complaints in relation to the decision of three members of the Commission and the Chairman, in relation to dealing with that issue,” Gunraj said.

He added: “And the secretariat seems hellbent on conducting this house-to-house registration, when there is no list present in effect and when there is need to have a list, as is mandated by law.”

Gunraj pointed out that GECOM’s

Chairman, retired Justice James Patterson, acknowledged seeing the legal opinion of GECOM’s legal officer, Excellence Dazzell, before April 30, when the old voters’ list expired.

“The Chairman has said that he has seen that opinion…at some time prior to the expiry of the list, sometime in April before April 30. He has acknowledged that he has received and perused that report prior…

It is because of the acquiescence of the Chairman that that report was presented to the full Commission,” Gunraj said.

Last week Tuesday, Dazzell’s legal opinion was tabled at a statutory meeting of GECOM. In the opinion, she set out that “based on [election laws], the list must be updated bi-annually by adding persons who are now qualified to be registered, to that list and those who are no longer qualified to be registered, to be taken off that list”.

This runs counter to the arguments made by the Government-nominated Commissioners on GECOM that a new list was required through house-to-house registration. In fact, a United Kingdom (UK)-based Guyanese has gone to the courts over the exercise, arguing that if it goes forward, she will be disenfranchised. In fact, the Opposition has contended that many more will be in the same predicament.

Remanded: Kevin Rose

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Dead: Patrick Matthew Fraser

Some of the items found during the raid on Wednesday

wo days after a 22-year-old Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD) resident, who allegedly confessed to the murder of Patrick “White Boy” Fraser was charged,

a second suspect has been arrested.

The arrest was made when ranks of D Division (West Bank Demerara-East Bank Essequibo) swooped down on a Westminster, West Bank Demerara (WBD) house on Tuesday.

According to the Police, the ranks were at the time acting on information when they searched the premises and discovered an unlicensed pistol, seven live rounds of ammunition, a small quantity of cannabis, several pieces of electronic gadgets and other items.

Three males who were found in the house at time, including the wanted suspect, were arrested and taken into Police custody.

Fraser, 23, was gunned down in Norton Street, Bagotstown, EBD, on May 9, 2019.

It was reported that the young man, who hailed from Republic Park, EBD, was hanging out with a group of

friends during which an argument broke out among them and it was at this time that one of the men whipped out a handgun and discharged two rounds in Fraser’s direction, hitting him to the right side rib and the right upper leg.

Meanwhile, the Police stated that although the young man was shot twice, they have only retrieved one .32 spent shell and one warhead. In addition, a pair of slippers and a bloodstained Polo hat were found at the scene.

The first accused in the crime, Kevin Rose, made his appearance for the murder before the Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Tuesday morning.

It is alleged that the suspects wanted a gun which the biker had in his possession.

Rose was subsequently remanded to prison and will make his next court appearance on June 4.

WEEK ENDING MAY 19, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Toddler found dead in tub

…as 15-year-old mother sleeps

The tub in which the child’s body was found

The baby’s 18-yearold father lives a few villages away and broke down in tears when he received the news that his child had died.

Police are investigating the matter.

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Dead: Trevor Albert

nine-month-old baby was found death in a wash tub at Looknaut Street, D’Edward Village, West Coast Berbice, after he was left unattended as his teen mother slept.

Dead is Trevor Albert of Lot 14 Looknaut Street, D’Edward Village.

Reports are the toddler reportedly crept to the bathroom which is situated outside the house and fell into the tub of clothes.

The child’s body was found by his grandmother, Surojdai Trim, called “Navita”.

According to the grandmother, she left the 15-year-old mother and her child in the lower flat and went to take a nap.

According to the grandmother, her daughter was lying in a chair and the child was playing on the floor. She related that about 30 minutes later, she awoke and saw her daughter asleep but did not see her grandchild.

“He does move all over. You put him in his

walker, he don’t want to say in the walker, he does move right away around. When I go outside and turn I saw the bathroom door open so right away I get weak,” the grandmother related.

She said as she peered into the bathroom, she saw her grandson’s body in the tub.

“I pull him out and start to shake him up and do everything that I know,” the grieving grandmother related.

She said she raised an alarm and her daughter woke up and a neighbour rushed over to help.

Trim said she was advised to put the child down and call the Police.

“They tell me that the child dead, don’t do anything,” she related.

Guyana Times International was told that the Police arrived several minutes later and the baby was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Meanwhile, the 15-year-old mother related that she had no knowledge of what transpired since she fell asleep.

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Jaguar captured at Essequibo Coast

The majestic female jaguar which was captured at Lima Sands, Essequibo Coast

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jaguar has been captured by a resident of Lima Sands, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam).

Guyana Times International understands that the majestic animal was discovered wandering around the village about 03:00h on Tuesday.

Marvin Calvan quickly went into action and captured the animal.

The jaguar, a young female, is currently secured in a cage.

Jaguars often roam the area at nights, and residents complain that the animals feed on their livestock.

The Guyana Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Panthera Corporation, aimed at conserving the feline species.

Founded in 2006, Panthera is an organisation devoted exclusively to preserving wild cats and their critical role in the world’s ecosystems.

The jaguar is the third-largest feline in the world and the largest in the Western Hemisphere.

In Guyana, these creatures are often spotted along trails or at gaps along the forest edge where roads or rivers run. Sightings are most common in the Iwokrama Forest, especially along the main roadway.

Globally, jaguar populations are on the decline, primarily as a result of the loss of habitat and conflict with people. As a result, these animals are listed as a ‘near threatened’ species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

NEWS 19

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WEEK ENDING MAY 19, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Gunraj wants sanctions against GECOM staff who failed to cooperate with hiring probe G

uyana Elections Commissioner Sase Gunraj believes that penalties should be applied against GECOM employees, who disobeyed orders from the chairman to cooperate with the Ethnic Relations Commission during their investigation into hiring practices of the entity.

Gunraj was at the time speaking at the conclusion of a statutory meeting on Tuesday.

The ERC in its report had complained that the Human Resource Manager had stymied its investigation by not submitting documents.

The commissioner revealed that when the matter came up for discussion, GECOM Chairman, retired Justice James Patterson, claimed that at the time of the investigation he instructed his Human Resources Manager to cooperate with the ERC. “I raised that issue as my primary concern arising out of that report and I was surprised to be in-

PPP GECOM’s Commissioner, Sase Gunraj

formed by the Chairman that the statements contained in the report about his failure to provide information were inaccurate because he in fact had given instructions to staff members of the commission to provide those reports.”

“I find that very disappointing to say the least… why would instructions from the Chairman, pursuant to an undertaking he gave to a constitutional body, be flagrantly disobeyed?”

Gunraj questioned.

According to Gunraj,

a proposal was made at the statutory meeting to have the matter escalated to the administrative and finance subcommittee of GECOM, which would deal with Human Resource matters.

“Another proposal is that we further discuss this matter at the commission level, first of all to ascertain the veracity of those positions contained in the ERC report. And thereafter, what steps are to be taken? I’m firm in my view that penalties should be attracted for failure to comply with those undertakings.”

GECOM’s hiring practices were brought under the microscope after the opposition nominated Commissioners cited the ethnic composition of the secretariat’s workforce.

The commissioners had alleged that a majority of the staff of the Commission were persons of one ethnicity.

While the ERC found that a more qualified candidate for

Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO), Vishnu Persaud, was passed over in favor of current DCEO Roxanne Myers, it was unable to conclude ethnic bias in the decision. However, the ERC had complained that documents it requested were not provided by staff like the Human Resource Manager.

Re-engagement

Meanwhile, Gunraj suggested that Persaud by virtue of his experience in elections could be re-engaged by GECOM to assist with election preparations. According to Gunraj, Persaud is likely to be an asset to the organization.

“This has nothing to do with Mr. Persaud in person, but anyone who has had the benefit of the training and experiences of the nature that he has had, should be an asset to the commission and I believe that the commission should take into consideration how best it uses that expertise if it is made avail-

able to the commission.”

In 2018, the Elections Commission was embroiled in controversy after it was alleged former acting Deputy Chief Elections Officer Vishnu Persaud was overlooked for the position because of his ethnicity despite him being the top ranked candidate.

The Commission went ahead and hired the second-ranked candidate Roxanne Meyers, after GECOM Chairman, Retired Justice James Patterson broke the deadlock and voted in favor of her.

Since then, there have been allegations that candidates applying for posts at GECOM were being rejected and accepted based on their ethnicity and political alignment.

After these claims were made, the ERC had met with Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, where the matters were raised.

The ERC also met with President David Granger at that time.

Female prisoners charged for assaulting each other G eorgetown Magistrate Faith McGusty on Tuesday, remanded two female prisoners for assaulting and wounding each other during an altercation at the East La Penitence Police Station Holding Centre.

Savita Persaud, who is on remand for two counts of trafficking-in-person and Revelana Smith, who is also on remand on a charge of attempted murder, both denied assaulting each other.

The charged against Persaud stated on April 23 at East La Penitence Police Station Holding Centre she unlawfully assaulted

Smith, while Smith is accused of unlawfully wounding Persaud on the same day in question.

The court heard that Smith attacked Persaud who retaliated and defended herself, however Smith in an explanation to the court stated that incident began at the New Amsterdam Prison but escalated while they were at the East La Penitence Police Station.

Magistrate McGusty remanded Smith to prison while Persaud was granted bail in the sum of G$20,000, however, she still remains on remand for the trafficking charges. The cases will continue on June 24.

Savita Persaud (R) and Revelana Smith (L)

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WEEK ENDING MAY 19, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

AG Williams yet to respond to claims of misconduct – President

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ttorney General Basil Williams has been silent since allegations of misconduct surfaced some weeks ago and President David Granger on Wednesday told the media that he has instructed the Attorney General to respond to the issue.

However, this has not been done.

“I’ve asked the Attorney General to respond to me. He hasn’t done so in writing but I have seen a copy of it,” he said.

The allegations were compiled in a letter and were addressed to members of the Government.

The letter revealed that 19 lawyers resigned from the Legal Affairs Ministry since 2015. The employees, who wrote

Attorney General Basil Williams

the letter, also levelled allegations of gross misconduct against the

Attorney General.

“It’s (the letter) anonymous and we have to be

very careful with anonymous letters. If somebody had evidence, they

would put their name to it and defend that evidence but if it’s a fake letter, anybody can write anything but I’ve seen it,” Granger positioned.

Along with the accusations, the employees called for a thorough probe into the operations of the Ministry, judging from alleged mismanagement and the substantial number of cases lost by the Attorney General’s Chambers.

According to the letter, lawyers in the AG’s Chambers have to contend with a difficult and even toxic and abusive working environment.

Some of those lawyers who left the Chambers include former Registrar and Solicitor General, Sita Ramlall, who was forced to move to the

High Court last year over her pension and gratuity being withheld. Former Deputy Solicitor General Prithima Kissoon also sued for wrongful dismissal.

The Attorney General had come in for much criticism, previously for his comments on Kissoon, with commentators bashing the manner in which he dealt with the matter.

In a letter to the Editor published in local newspapers in 2017, the former Deputy Solicitor General’s father, prominent Attorney Jailall Kissoon, pointed out that this is the first time in legal history that an AG has levelled such a blast of terror and fear upon the Judiciary or his own legal officer.

Trinidad doctor ambushed, killed fighting off attackers P

olice have launched a manhunt for two suspects, who fatally shot a former member of the Medical Board of Trinidad & Tobago just meters away from his Wallerfield home yesterday.

Dr Vin Sein Chiang was shot twice in the chest after he tried to defend himself from the two men who ambushed him while he was attempting to remove a wooden pallet from the roadway as he left home to make his way to his Port-of-Spain office.

It is suspected that the men may have wanted to take Chiang’s silver pickup van, however, nothing was taken from him. The two suspects were seen running away from the scene.

According to a police report, at about 4.30 am Chiang, 75, had just left his home at Lovers Lane in Wallerfield when residents reported that he came out of his van just around the corner from his house.

It is believed he noticed a wooden pallet placed across the gravel road and he got out to move it, he was ambushed by the two suspects.

Police said Chiang made an attempt to defend himself when he whipped out a knife from a sack on his waist and attempted to stab at one of the men.

That was when he was shot twice. Chiang’s body was found lying

pects are from the area.

She said they also suspected that Chiang was the intended victim.

“Just five minutes before a car drove off…one of the people here left for work and then as the doctor ready to leave home they put a wooden pallet on the road. Something strange about that… maybe somebody wanted him dead or maybe his van but the van remain there. We frighten to even talk right now.”

Chiang’s van was seen parked in his yard up to after 1 pm. His wife’s sister came out from inside the house and told the Guardian Media that they had no comment on the incident.

About 20 minutes after, Chiang’s wife left the area driving his van followed by another vehi-

Dr Vin Sein Chiang

next to his vehicle.

Police are also investigating another theory that there may have been a hit on Chaing’s life but a motive is yet to be determined.

Speaking with the Guardian Media yesterday, one of Chiang’s neighbours said she heard three shots— one of which she believes was a warning shot.

“It was 4.30 am when

I hear three gunshots.

Before that, I heard the doctor screaming and shouting out his wife’s name. I saw her running out and then I hear the gunshots.

“One I feel was a warning shot for she to run back in her house and for we not to run outside.”

The neighbour said residents in the area believed that the two sus-

cle driven by her sister.

Neighbours questioned why the police did not seize the van to have it processed as it was part of the crime scene.

A shop owner in the area said he knew Chiang as a pleasant and quiet individual.

“Every day before 6 pm he would stop to buy stuff in the parlour. But things never seemed to go well for him. He used to be seen walking the road with his umbrella in hand and flowers for his woman,” the shop owner said.

“Then he got a van and it crashed. He got a next van and he lost it in floodwaters in the last big flooding. We remember he was on the van hood waving for help and was saved. Just about four months ago we see him with this new van,”

the shop owner added.

Chiang was known as an advocate for healthy living.

In an article titled: ‘Health and Happiness after Retirement’ which he authored in the T&T Association of Retired People December 2008 magazine, Chiang motivated retirees to “relax and unwind and bask in the golden glow of your twilight years after a lifetime of dedication and continuous toil and tears.”

He encouraged people to enjoy the fruits of their endless labour from their “most productive years” so as to live a healthy, active and stress-free retirement.

Chiang was given an instrument of appointment to the Medical Board of T&T in 2011.

(Trinidad Guardian)

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Passengers forced to use tarmac despite million-dollar air bridge

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A still image from a video of the flooding in the CJIA

espite the millions of dollars in improvements being made at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), passengers on social media vented their frustration as they were forced to use the tarmac after one of the airport’s air bridges reportedly malfunctioned.

In a social media post, one such passenger complained about the fact that despite being forced to pay CJIA’s increased fees of G$7500, he had no choice but to disembark and walk on the tarmac while the boarding bridges were inoperable.

Last month, CJIA had announced that as of April 1,

arriving and departing passengers would have to pay an additional US$35… all to support the ongoing CJIA expansion project.

According to Caribbean Airlines, one of the major airline carriers at the airport, they were informed that both the airport security fee and the airport passenger service charge would be increased.

“The total cost of the new fees to all travellers for a return trip is US$35 or G$7315.

For departing passengers, US$17 and US$15 for arriving passengers, payable in Guyana dollars at the prevailing foreign exchange rate.”

Caribbean Airlines had also revealed that CJIA had

A photo taken by one of the passengers forced to disembark

advised all airlines that these increases were to support improvements at the airport, with the new fees being collected at the check-in counters and arrival hall for departing and arriving customers respectively from April 15.

It was only a few days ago that outside and inside the CJIA was flooded. Around that time, there had been heavy rainfall. Efforts to contact airport officials for a comment were futile.

The project got underway in 2012, under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration when Guyana secured a US$138 million loan from the China Exim (Export-Import) Bank to

fund the expansion and modernisation project, for which the Guyana Government was to contribute some US$12 million.

The A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC), when in Opposition, had cut the funds the then Government – People’s Progressive Party (PPP) – had allocated for the CJIA expansion.

When the coalition Government came in to power in 2015, the project was put on hold, but after some discussions, it was later announced that the project would be continued but several aspects were cut from the original design.

After the 32-month projected completion date had passed, officials had been optimistic of the project being completed by 2017. However, the extension of works into 2019 comes in disparity to an earlier commitment by Government where it committed that the works associated with the expansion would have been completed by the last quarter of 2018.

Upon completion, the airport is expected to have four air passenger boarding bridges for arrivals and departures; a 450-seat departure area, escalators and elevators in addition to an extended runway catering for larger categories of aircraft.

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Audit report paints worrying picture of NIS finances …states actuaries warned about effect of deficits on future of fund

A

s far back as 2016, the actuary review into the finances of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) had warned that repeat deficits may bring its reserves to the brink of collapse.

Chartered accountants TSD Lall and Company said in the independent auditor’s assessment for the entity’s 2016 annual report, which was recently laid in the National Assembly, that the actuaries had warned that the reserves were in danger of running dry by 2021.

“Without further qualifying our opinion, we wish to emphasise that… the actuaries reported several matters of concern among which were that the present value of shortfall of the fund over the period 2012-2041 amounted to G$340.1 billion and also that the cash flow deficits will continue … and reserves are expected to be exhausted in 2021,” the auditors wrote.

“When forming our opinion on the Scheme’s

financial statements, we were not required and did not express an opinion as to the completeness or accuracy of the long-term liabilities, as this is determined by the Scheme’s actuaries.”

According to the report, the NIS fund had G$32.6 billion at the beginning of the year. But with the income received amounting to G$19.5 billion and expenses amounting to G$19.7 billion, the fund had a defi-

cit of G$220 million.

“However, when other comprehensive income of G$44 million was included, a deficit of G$177 million resulted, which when subtracted from the fund at the beginning of the year amount to G$32.4 billion.”

Providing a breakdown, the auditors stated that the Scheme has fixed assets valued at G$2.6 billion and investments valued at G$29.4

billion. In addition, its net current assets are valued at G$386.2 million.

Concern has long been expressed that unemployment rates would have an adverse effect on NIS contributions.

For instance, concern has been expressed that layoffs in the sugar belt could undermine the Scheme’s position.

This is particularly so if the Scheme were to pay unemployment ben-

efits. At a previous press conference, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had said that the idea of paying out these benefits did not take into account the current financial status of the Scheme and its ability to meet its current obligations.

He had noted that the last actuarial report recommended that focus be placed on building the reserves to avoid a deficit. In fact, it was disclosed in that report that the life of the Scheme should come to an end by 2022 unless strategic plans for revenue earnings and expansion of the investment portfolio were effectively implemented. Jagdeo also referenced the thousands of dismissed sugar workers.

Last October, the then Chairman of the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI), Dr Surendra Persaud, who is also the NIS Chairman, announced steep increases in tolls at the crossing. At the time Guyana Times International was told that NIS, through its

Chairman, was forced to push for the increase in tolls in order to protect its investment. NIS has majority voting rights on the BBCI Board of Directors.

NIS had invested in Bond One of the project – G$300 million.

The Scheme received (not principal payments) G$270 million, a 90 per cent return on the investment.

NIS also invested in Bond Two, G$760 million, and received G$823 million in return. The company also invested G$500 million for subordinate debt (loan stuck) G$456 million and is now owed G$207 million.

Preference shares amounted to G$950 million. NIS was paid back G$163 million and is owed G$507 million.

Some G$80 million was invested in common shares with zero returns so far. At the time, this newspaper was told that monies invested were performing better than what was predicated in the concession agreement.

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City Hall making moves to recover G$8.4B owed in taxes T

he Mayor and City Council (M&CC) on Monday revealed that some G$8.4 billion, excluding accrued interest, is owed by taxpayers within the perimeter of Georgetown and as such, it would be moving to recover these monies.

City Treasurer John Douglas made this disclosure on Monday, telling media operatives that after a final computation, the sum of G$8.4 billion was found to be owed by residential and commercial taxpayers combined.

Some records show that persons have not paid taxes for over 25 years. As such, a rate recovery drive will commence on Thursday to go after delinquent taxpayers.

“We have finalised our approach as to the way we would go about garnering revenue. One of the things we have noticed in looking at the Council financially is there is a lot of rates that is outstanding. The

last we checked, it was G$8.4 billion and that was without interest,” Douglas stated.

The drive will commence in areas closest to City Hall, moving outwards to the outskirts of the city. The first zone on the agenda is Lacytown, Georgetown.

“One of the approaches we have decided to do is to carry out a rate re-

covery drive. It will be made up of six to seven individuals who would go about to a certain area and we’re looking to start off with Lacytown.

We’re trying to target all areas that are closest to Council first and then we would go out,” the City Treasurer stated.

He added that while there was a difference in rates for commercial and

residential taxpayers, some commercial enterprises have been paying the residential fee, which is significantly lower.

Persons who cannot pay the owed money will be given a chance to appear before City Hall’s Finance Committee to make arrangements to settle their debts.

“It is the obligation to pay what is due to us

… What we’ve noticed in the systems is that you have some individuals who is commercial, but is actually paying a residential rate. Those are one of the things we want to target,” Douglas added.

Meanwhile, the acting Town Clerk, Sharon Harry-Munroe explained that officers of the Council would dispatch themselves to encourage persons to pay the outstanding sums. If they do not comply, the Council will not hesitate to bring these persons before the courts.

“What we are doing is coaxing persons to pay their taxes. It’s our first approach in our discussions and thereafter, after we review it and recognise that persons are still not coming, eventually we will reach to the stage where we will be having persons before the court,” she stated.

Just a few weeks ago, Mayor Ubraj Narine had called out 140 businesses for owing taxes to the Council.

While City Hall is urging taxpayers to balance their accounts, the local organ is also guilty of owing taxes and pension payments for its employees. It was revealed last October during the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) that the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has been awaiting payments for rates and taxes dating back to 2016, while there has also been an examination of pension payments to a broker insurance company that has not been paid for the past 19 months.

Deputy Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Ron Simbhu told the Commission that City Hall was guilty of outstanding taxes, which have been owed for 2016, 2017, and 2018.

While they were unable to divulge the amount as part of agreements made, Simbhu positively stated that these payments were not made.

113 Jamaica farm workers leave for Canada K

I N G S T O N , Jamaica — A new batch of 113 farm workers will take up employment opportunities in Canada under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme (SAWP).

Of the total, 102 workers are returnees and will be deployed mainly to farms in the Ontario region of Canada. They will depart the island tomorrow (May 22).

The workers will be employed in greenhouse crop production, food processing, tobacco planting, vegetable farming and fruit tree cultivation.

The SAWP,

which is part of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s Overseas Employment Programme, involves contractual agricultural workers who are recruited to meet the shortterm demand of manual labour during planting and harvesting seasons.

A send-off ceremony was held at the ministry’s Overseas Employment Services Centre in downtown Kingston today. A previous batch of close to 300 Jamaicans departed the island in January.

In her address, Portfolio Minister Shahine Robinson, said the farm work programme has become a

household name in the country, adding that almost every family or community has benefited from the undertaking.

She urged the workers to be good ambassadors for Jamaica, pointing out that measures are in place to ensure that their rights are protected.

The labour minister said every year, representatives of the Canadian and Jamaican governments, along with the employers and non-governmental organisations from Canada, meet and discuss the terms and conditions of employment of workers on the SAWP.

Minister of Labour and Social Security Shahine Robinson (right) and Minister of State in the Ministry, Zavia Mayne (second right), interacting with some Jamaicans who will take up employment opportunities in Canada under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme (SAWP). They are (from right) Willis Morrison, Mark Downie and Omar O’Connor. Occasion was a send-off ceremony held at the Ministry’s Overseas Employment Services Centre in downtown Kingston on May 21. (Jamaica Observer photo)

“We seek to guarantee at all times that the labour standards governing employment on these farms are enforced.

Most importantly, we take into consideration the safety and well-being of our farm workers.

I would like to specially thank the Canadian government for its continued support in this matter,” she said.

The minister implored the workers to

keep in contact with their families, especially their children.

“You will need to maintain the lines of communication, and be sure to provide the financial and emotional support, which I am certain they will need in your absence,” she said.

The minister added that social workers from the Ministry’s Family Services Unit will be visiting and carrying out

interventions and extending support where necessary.

Robinson encouraged the workers, particularly those who will be travelling for the first time, to do their best. “Learn from the good examples of those who have worked well, have satisfied their employers’ expectations and have earned themselves a request to return,” she said. (Jamaica Observer)

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A tale of…

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…two communities

ver since sliding into office, the PNC-led government’s been working to relocate the squatters on a privately-owned piece of land in the prime real estate location at Broad and Lombard Streets. They were first told they’d be given house lots at Mocha on the East Bank, but they refused that offer after the NDC balked. Finally, a month ago, the government announced they’d be moving 20 of the families into houses built in collaboration with FFTP at Prospect on the East Bank. The remainder will be relocated to Cummings Lodge into similar homes to be built there.

Contrast this to the report this weekend that workers – purportedly from the CH&PA – swooped down on six squatter houses at Anna Catherina and demolished them to the ground. Why the difference in treatment between the two communities – apart from the obvious fact that one is rural Guyanese (Anna Catherina) and the other is urban-Guyanese (Broad and Lombard Sts)?

Well, the very next month after the May 2015 elections, then Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence, visited the Broad and Lombard St squatters and announced that: “their voices were heard at the recent elections, and it is time for the new government to intervene.” Yup!! This is the very same Volda Lawrence as Minister of Health and Chair of the PNC who said, “Only friends and PNC members can get wuk from the government”. With the recent developments on the Broad and Lombard St squatters, it’s clear that not only do PNC members get “wuk”, but also houses!!

Now if that’s all there was to it, one might mutter “well…political supporters must be stroked…” But look what happened to the squatters over on West Coast. They weren’t given three years to remain in their shacks while alternative arrangements were made. Instead, their houses were demolished on the spot and they were thrown into the streets with just their clothes on their backs – during the wettest period of the year. Why? The only variable is they were perceived as “PPP supporters” because of their ethnicity and singled out for “condign” treatment, as Burnham used to warn opposition members back in the day.

How different is this from what the same PNC government did to 7000 sugar workers when they unilaterally and arbitrarily shut down 4 sugar estates with no alternative employment opportunities arranged? They’re demonstrating they intend to destroy the PPP by destroying the morale of their supporters – come hell or high water.

All Guyanese – including supporters of the PNC – must stand up for what’s moral and just.

The PNC showed during their first iteration, after destroying PPP supporters, they’ll turn on their “own”

…moral blindness

After Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, was caught with his pants down with US$9000 deposited into his private account from China International Contractors (CIC), the government and its sycophants have their drawers all in a knot about how did the PPP get the info to release, rather than the deposit!! But that’s par for the course, for the PNC, ain’t it??

Then Patterson releases an INVITATION to an exhibition arranged by CIC and huffily insists he’d used funds from MARAD to cover the expense and when CIC paid for the trip into his account, he reimbursed MARAD! Well for one, how come if he was using MARAD’s bank account as his own, he didn’t tell CIC to send the money straight to their bank account??

But as a “Quantity Surveyor” – where the standard question to the client is, “How much do you want the property to be worth?” – Patterson’s been dodged by a dark cloud of shady deals.

Remember the “new” CJIA and sole-sourced DHB design?

…two cultures

Forced on the backfoot to explain the contretemps over their AFC colleague Patterson paying more for less on what was supposed to be a NEW terminal at CJIA, one AFC executive explained, “corruption is now cultural”!!

So why blame poor Patterson!! Blame his culture!!

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amadan is considered the holiest month of the year for Muslims. In Ramadan, Muslims fast from food and drink during the sunlit hours as a means of learning self-control, gratitude, and compassion for those less fortunate. Ramadan is a month of intense spiritual rejuvenation with a heightened focus on devotion, during which Muslims spend extra time reading the Qur’an and performing special prayers. Those unable to fast, such as pregnant or nursing women, the sick, or elderly people and children, are exempt from fasting.

Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, which is based on a 12 month lunar year of approximately 354 days. Because the lunar year is 11 days shorter than the solar year, each lunar month moves 11 days earlier each year. It takes 33 solar years for the lunar months to complete a full cycle and return to the same season. This y e a r , the month long fast of Ramadan began on May 7th,

2019 in Guyana. The month traditionally begins and ends based on the sighting of the first crescent of the new moon.

During this month, Muslims fast from pre-dawn until sunset, as a means to grow in God-consciousness and moral excellence.

Muslims fast from predawn to sunset, a fast of between 11-16 hours depending on the time of year for a period of 29-30 days. The fast of Ramadan entails forgoing food and drink, and if married, abstaining from sex during the fasting hours.

For Muslims, Ramadan is a time to train themselves both physically and spiritually by avoiding any negative acts such as gossiping, backbiting, lying or arguing. Muslims welcome Ramadan as an opportunity for self-reflection, and spiritual improvement.

Ramadan is also a highly social time as Muslims invite each other to break fast together and meet for prayers at the mosque.

The ultimate goal of fasting is gaini n g

greater God-consciousness, in Arabic, taqwa, signifying a state of constant awareness of God. From this awareness a person should gain discipline, self-restraint and a greater incentive to do good and avoid wrong.

In commemoration of the revelation of the Qur’an, Muslim’s holy book, which began during the month of Ramadan, Muslims attempt to read the entire book during Ramadan and gather nightly at mosques to hold special prayers during which the entire Qur’an is recited by the end of the month.

All Muslims who have reached puberty are obliged to fast. However, for people in situations where fasting would be a hardship, they are exempted from fasting. This includes anyone who is sick or traveling; women who are pregnant, nursing, or on their menses; or older people who are too weak or ill to fast. Anyone who is exempted must make up the fast later, except for those who cannot fast due to age or chronic illness. Instead, they can feed a poor person for every day of

fasting they miss.

While children are not required to fast until they reach puberty, it is customary for children beginning around seven years of age to perform limited or symbolic fasting such as fasting half days or on weekends.

This trains them gradually and helps to engender a sense of inclusion during the month long observance. Mosques often give special recognition to children who are fasting their first full day or first Ramadan.

A Muslim family usually rises about 5:00 a.m. before the first of dawn and eats a modest, breakfast-like meal called suhoor. After the meal, the family performs the morning prayer, and depending on the circumstances, the family goes back to bed or begins the day.

Particularly during the long summer months, people often take a nap in the late afternoon after work or school. At sunset, family members break the fast with a few dates and water, and depending on the culture, other light foods such as soup, appetizers or fruit. This is referred to as iftar which means “breaking the fast.”

After performing the sunset prayers, the family eats dinner.

Inviting guests to break the fast or going to someone else’s house for iftar is very common in Ramadan. Many families then go to the mosque for the night prayer and a special Ramadan prayer called Tarawih. After completing their prayers, the families return home and prepares for the next day. During Tarawih, the prayer leader recites at least one thirtieth of the Qur’an so that by the end of the month the entire Qur’an

will have been recited.

Many mosques host daily community dinners where Muslims can break their fast together. This is a great service for students, the poor and anyone who desires a break from cooking. Almost all mosques also host a community dinner on the weekends.

Since Ramadan is a time for Muslims to be especially charitable and fasting helps Muslims feel compassion for the hungry and less fortunate, many mosques hold food drives or fundraisers for charity during Ramadan. Many mosques also host open houses for their friends and neighbors of other faiths to join them for their fast-breaking dinner or iftar at the end of the fasting day.

The Night of Power known as Lailat al-Qadr, is believed to fall on one of the odd nights during the last ten days of Ramadan, but is most widely observed on the 27th night of Ramadan. It is considered the most blessed night in Ramadan because it is believed to be the night in which the Qu’ran was first revealed. Mosques are open all night as Muslims hold vigils in prayer, Qur’anic recitation, and contemplation.

Breaking the fast with dates is the only strictly traditional culinary custom associated with Ramadan. It is interesting to note the suitability of dates for this purpose as they are a concentrated source of energy and easily digestible. Different Muslimpopulated countries have a variety of special dishes and desserts for Ramadan.

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omeone once said “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” Fittingly, that quote embodies the drive and passion for spreading music that Nawaz Khan possesses.

The fifteen-year-old student of the Al Ghazali Islamic Academy has been singing for over eight years now and is intent on leaving an undeniable legacy. Though still young and untrained, Nawaz’s voice has the ability to move crowds to tears and invoke a sense of self-introspection.

Though initially taught to sing qaseedas, a form of Islamic poetry, Nawaz is very fond of the soul of qawaalis and envisions a future where he is allowed to make his mark in the music world.

When he was 7, Nawaz’s father introduced him to Islamic poetry in the form of qaseeda and he was first taught to sing “nabiyo kay Sardar Muhammad.”

That initial qaseeda would later forge an unbreakable bond with Nawaz’s love for music. However, as he was being taught by his father, Nawaz did not take a liking to the hours of practice so it was initially something he showed little interest in. However, after hearing of Pakistani singer Atif Aslam, Nawaz immediately realised his calling.

He became engrossed in the music that Atif made and started his own journey. He decided to pay more attention to his music and the hours and hours of learning complicated lyrics, harmoniz-

ing and controlling his pitch seemed not enough for him. He was focusing most of his spare time to watching youtube videos and teaching himself the intricacies of the various qaseedas, Sufis and qawwalis.

“Although my father was the person who taught me my first qaseeda and got me in the whole singing thing he is not a singer. In fact, I am the first person in my family that has taken up singing and it is something that I now enjoy. I cannot see myself doing anything else other than having a career in singing,” he said.

Still a student, everything Nawaz know about singing is what he taught himself. There are times when he would have to choose whether academics or music take precedence and more than often it is the latter. However, he still performs well in school and is somewhat saddened that music does not form part of his academic studies.

“School is good for me and after I finish I plan to take music training.

Atif Aslam is my role model and like

him, I want to make my name known in Bollywood. I know I can accomplish that I will do that because I will work hard to get where I want to be. It is my dream and I will achieve it.”

The devout Muslim was taught the Quran at a very young age and says that he uses it to guide his everyday life. He uses the teachings of the holy book to navigate the challenges he is faced with daily.

Thus far, Nawaz has participated in a number of qaseeda competition both locally and regionally. He has certainly placed his name out there as a force to be reckoned with and someone who is passionate about what he does. He credits his success to his parents Abdul Hamid and Nalima Nesha everyone who has been his supporter from day one.

“Singing is relaxing for me. When I sing I forget everything else and I go to place where it is just me and the music, a place where I am peaceful and happy.

I sing from my heart and I am sure people realise that I have the potential to go very far.”

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Punadai Ramdass (second right) with her husband Manzoor and three children on their way for Eid ul Fitr prayers

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he importance of family cannot be underestimated and stems from its significant role, namely the making of an individual who benefits himself and others. This calls for a much longer, deeper and harder period of training.

Taking care of one’s family is an important part of every religious belief since the bond forged by family members runs

deeper than any other bond. While everyone takes care of their family in their own unique way, Punadai Ramdass is no different. The mother of three girls does everything in her power to ensure that their lives are comfortable and that they can follow the teachings of Islam as prescribed by the Holy Qur’an.

Family togetherness

during Ramadaan is especially important for parents of young children and adolescents.

Children’s early experiences of Ramadaan informs the feeling and memories they associate with this blessed month throughout their lives.

Creating family traditions to get children excited about and engaged with Islam during this month will help them

grasp hold of the inexplicable aura of blessings and sacredness that we as adults cherish about Ramadaan.

For Ramdass and her family of four, Ramadaan is a time they use to reflect on the trials of the past year as well as all they would have accomplished. They set goals and set about achieving them.

“Ramadaan is where we reflect on everything. It is time for our family to follow the rules of Islam. We are not bothered about waking up at three in the morning and getting our day started.

We actually look forward to Ramadaan every year,” the matriarch said.

In preparation for Ramadaan, Ramdass and her family would get involved in thoroughly cleaning their house so that the workload is somewhat lighter during the period of fasting. This gives the family the time to become much closer as they would begin and end their fast together, pray together and visit the masjid.

One of the highlights of the family’s time during fasting is looking forward to celebrating Eid ul Fitr and breaking bread with their fellow Muslims.

This Ramadaan is like every other for the family as they reflect and give thanks for everything the Almighty Allah has afforded them.

Now that her eldest daughter is married and have started a family of her own, Ramdass prays imparts

Punadai and her husband Manzoor

that Islamic knowledge to her grandson. She spends time teaching him the Qur’an and ensure that he follows the rules of Islam.

Cops say “criminal network” in Berbice will be crushed

L

aw enforcement officials in Regions Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) are investigating what has been reported as a “criminal network” in the county of Berbice.

This is according to Commander of “B” Division, Paul Langevine, who told Guyana Times International on Monday that the recent deaths of three bandits during a shootout with Police suggest that there is a networking system.

He explained that while this incident can help residents breathe sighs of relief, they must still be alert, since some of the recent gun-related robberies were reported to have more than three persons involved.

Commander Langevine said the success of the Police on Sunday was due to intelligence gathering.

“It all happened that way because of the intelligence information mainly. We got the information, we checked it out and confirmed that. We worked on it, and that’s what led to the incident where the three suspects were shot and killed after they engaged in a shootout with our ranks,”

“B” Division Police Commander Paul Langevine

Dead: Ramnarine Jagmohan

Dead: Kelvin Shivgobin called “Kelly”

Langevine said.

He added that the SWAT team was not in that area at that time.

The Guyana Police Force reported that, on Sunday, ranks under the command of a senior officer ventured into the Mibicuri, Black Bush Polder area after receiving reports that “strange persons” were seen in those backlands. As the team approached the area, they came under rapid gunfire.

This led to a return of fire, and the exchange lasted for about five minutes and resulted in the deaths of the three men.

Three haversacks containing jewellery, two bul-

let proof vests, five cellular phones, a solar charger, torch lights, a crowbar, knife, cutlass, flash drive, duct tape, gloves, toques, a mask, tights with “eye holes”, 200 grams of cannabis, and G$609,330 along with two foreign currency notes were found.

Also, near the bodies of the dead men, the Police discovered a pistol, two revolvers, a rifle, three magazines, 253 rounds of live ammunition and seven spent shells.

With regard to where the trio would have sourced the bullet proof vests and rifle from, Commander Langevine noted that it is too soon to con-

clude, but investigations into the matter are underway.

“We are not certain as to where they would have gotten them from. We collected two vests, but we don’t know if they are Police vests or not, but we are investigating. We will also check the firearms to see where they originated from as well. But for now it is too soon, and the work for us starts now,” he declared.

In relation to the jewellery and other items discovered in the haversacks, Langevine noted that the robbery victims can visit the Police station(s) to claim their properties, but they would have to be able to

“properly identify them.”

Meanwhile, a senior Police source told this newspaper that it appears as though the three dead suspects were being assisted in their attempts to evade the Police.

“You know, when the ranks got there, they also discovered fresh food there. It was warm…someone cooked chowmein; so it appears as if they were getting food,” the source added.

The three men, who were believed to be the executioners of the daring robberies on the Corentyne over the past weeks, were on Sunday afternoon shot dead during an exchange of gunfire in the backdam of Johanna, Black Bush Polder, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

The three men have been identified as: wanted murder suspect 32-year-old Kelvin Shivgobin, called “Kelly”; acquitted murder accused Ramnarine Jagmohan; and Sewchand Sewdat, called One Eye Pappy, all of Belvedere Village, Corentyne, Berbice.

Bandits have been reigning terror on residents of Berbice for months now, and have been successfully evading law enforcement officials. (Kristen Macklingam)

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An important

Pillar of Islam

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he five pillars of Islam (arkan al-Islam; also arkan al-din, “pillars of religion”) comprise five official acts considered obligatory for all Muslims. The Quran presents them as a framework for worship and a sign of commitment to faith. The five pillars are the shahadah (witnessing the oneness of God and the prophethood of Muhammad ), regular observance of the five prescribed daily prayers (salat), paying zakah (almsgiving), fasting (sawm; siyyam) during the month of Ramadan, and performance of the hajj (pilgrimage during the prescribed month) at least once in a lifetime.

The first pillar, the shahadah, consists of two declarations. The first, “There is no god but God,” affirms belief in a single divine reality (tawhid). The second, “Muhammad is the messenger of God,” affirms submission to God via acceptance of His message as revealed to humanity through Muhammad. This declaration of faith signifies entrance of the believer into the broader community (ummah) of Muslims and is required of converts to Islam.

The second pillar, the five daily prayers, signifies the believer's submission to God and serves as public, physical evidence of the believer's adherence to Islam. Prayers are to be performed just before dawn, at noon,

in midafternoon, just after sunset, and in the evening, between an hour after sunset and midnight.

Prayers are to be made in the direction of Mecca and must be carried out in a state of ritual purity, achieved by either ritual ablutions or a bath.

Movements during prayer imitate entrance into the presence of a great ruler (symbolized by the raising of the hands to the ears and proclamation of the glory and majesty of the ruler for all to hear), bowing reverently, and then uttering the opening chapter of the Quran, the Surat al-Fatihah.

Worshipers then utter other Quranic verses while completing the ritual bowing, which is followed by prostration, performed on the knees with both hands on the ground and the forehead touching between them.

Worshipers repeat their glorification of God and prostration three times.

The entire cycle of prayer (rakah) is then repeated. After every two cycles and after the third cycle in the sunset prayer, the worshiper sits back on the heels and addresses God with a ritual prayer calling forth God's blessings upon Muhammad.

After completing all cycles of canonical prayer, the worshiper sits back on the heels and recites the shahadah, formally reaffirming the truth of Islam and engaging the worshiper in direct communication with God. Private pe-

titions are then offered. Formal blessings are requested upon Muhammad and Abraham . The prayer ends with an invocation of peace. Every canonical prayer requires between two and four rakahs. In total, seventeen rakahs are performed daily.

The third pillar is the zakah (alms tax), typically paid to a religious official or representative of the Islamic state or to a representative of a local mosque. This amount is traditionally set at one-fortieth, or 2.5 percent, of the value of all liquid assets and income-generating properties owned by the believer. It is used to feed the poor, encourage conversion to Islam, ransom captives, help travelers, support those devoting themselves to God's work, relieve debtors, defend the faith, and any other purpose deemed appropriate. The zakah serves as a reminder of one's broader social responsibilities to the community.

The fourth pillar is observation of the monthlong fast (sawm) of Ramadan (the ninth month of the lunar Islamic calendar), from sunrise to sunset. The believer is supposed to abstain from food, drink, and sexual activity during the daylight hours, demonstrating affirmation of ethical awareness and serving as a purifying act of sacrifice of one's bodily desires for the sake of God. The direct experience of pain and hunger over a pro-

longed period of time reminds the believer of the pain and hunger experienced by the poor.

The fifth pillar is the pilgrimage to Mecca during the first ten days of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah. Every Muslim who is physically and financially capable of making the trip and performing the prescribed rites is required to make the hajj. The nine essential rites of the hajj are the putting on of the ihram (unsewn cloth symbolizing the humility and equality of all believers), circumambulation of the Kaaba, standing at the plain of Arafat, spending the night at Muzdalifa, throwing stones at three symbols of Satan, sacrifice of an animal at Mina, repetition of the circumambulation of the Kaaba, drinking of water from the well of Zamzam, and performance of two cycles of prayer at the Station of Abraham.

The hajj can be considered complete without performing all of the required rites, but the pilgrim must pay expiation for the failure to complete them. During the hajj, the pilgrim is to avoid thinking about anything but the remembrance of God and the rites of pilgrimage, since the circumambulation of the Kaaba, like canonical prayer, symbolizes the believer's entrance into the divine presence.

Both Sunnis and Shiis agree on the essential details for carrying out the five pillars. In popular Sufi piety, the five pillars were personally internalized as acts of devotion and spiritual exercises.

The shahadah became a constant recollection (dhikr) of God and the obligatory prayers became a life of continuous prayer and meditation.

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Al-Masjid Al-Haram, Mecca

ecca is the holiest place for all the Muslims in the world. It is also the largest mosque in the world that covers an area of 356,800sq-m. Millions of Muslims visited here for performing Hajj. It is the largest gathering in the world.

Kaaba Mosque, Medina

The first stone of the mosque were placed by Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) when he arrived on his emigration from Mecca to Medina.

Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, Medina

It is the second holiest site in Islam. Masjid-e-Nabawi is situated in Medina. It was built by Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H). It is a big destination for pilgrims who perform Hajj from Mecca to Medina.

Al-Aqsa, Jerusalem

It is located in the old city of Jerusalem. The mosque is believed to be the second house of worship after the Masjid Al-Haram in Mecca.

Imam Ali R.A, Iraq

Imam Ali is situated in Najaf. It is a tomb of Hazrat Ali R.A. It was built by an Iranian ruler Fannakhosraw Azod ad Dowleh in 977.

Masjid Qubbat As-Sakhrah, Jerusalem

It is located on the Temple Mount in the old city of Jerusalem. It is the most controversial piece of property because it is the Holy place of Christians, Jews and Muslims.

Great Mosque of Djenne, Mali

It is considered an architectural achievement of the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style.

It is located in the flood plain of Bani River. It is the most famous landmarks in Africa.

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WEEK ENDING MAY 26, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana elected to WHO Executive Board

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Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence

ublic Health Minister Volda Lawrence was elected to the Executive Board of the World Health Organisation (WHO), giving Guyana a voice in helping to shape global health policies.

The WHO’s Executive Board has oversight responsibility for implementing decisions and policies of the World Health Assembly (WHA), which is an advisory body to facilitate WHO’s work.

Minister Lawrence will serve in the position for the next three years.

The WHO’s Executive Board comprises 34 individuals and meets twice annually; in January and in May. The 145th session of the Executive Board will meet in Geneva next week for a two-day meeting.

“The honour of serving in this esteemed position affords Guyana

the opportunity to shape global and regional health policies and to bring more health system resources to Guyana and the region of the Americas, thereby improving healthcare access and services to all its residents,” Guyana’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office and International Organisations, Geneva John RD Ford said in a statement announcing Lawrence’s election to the WHO body.

Minister Lawrence is currently attending her third WHA conference and has helped establish Guyana “as a strong advocate for universal healthcare to bring improved access and quality healthcare to all [of] Guyana’s citizens, especially those most vulnerable,” Ford’s said while making the announcement.

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Trinidad: Venezuelan refugees freed with no place to go

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arefeet and cold, lit­tle Lu­cia Meza sat on the street hun­gri­ly lick­ing an emp­ ty pack of bis­cuits while her moth­er tried to find ac­com­mo­da­tion for them to spend the night.

The five-year-old child was among 105 peo­ple picked up by po­ lice dur­ing a mas­sive crack­down on il­le­gal Venezue­lans on Wednes­ day. Among those ar­rest­ ed were four Venezue­lan po­lice of­fi­cers and a fire of­fi­cer.

Meza had been on a boat from Tu­cu­pi­ta with her moth­er and sev­er­ al oth­ er chil­ dren since Tues­day night. They ar­ rived at Beach Camp, Pa­ lo Seco be­ fore dawn.

They walked for two miles to a for­ est camp where they were round­ ed up and ar­ rest­ ed by the po­lice.

Thir­ty-five Venezue­ lans were held at Erin, 58 at Beach Camp and 12 at Ce­dros. ha­rassed Look­ing and scared, the Venezue­ lans were tak­ en to the Siparia Po­lice Sta­tion where they were in­ ter­ gat­ ed. They were re­ ro­ leased from cus­ tody around 5 pm af­ ter get­

Venezuelan nationals who sneaked into the country yesterday are offered food and drink outside the Siparia Police Station after they were released. (Trinidad Guardian photo)

ting an or­der of su­per­vi­ sion clear­ ance from the Im­mi­gra­tion Di­vi­sion to stay un­til Ju­ly.

How­ev­er, po­lice said more ar­ rests are im­ mi­ nent.

While some cel­e­brat­ ed their re­ lease, many were wor­ ried about where they would spend the night. A few of them were seen flag­ging down cars hop­ing to get trans­ porta­ tion to their des­ ti­ na­tions. Even­tu­al­ly, it was the me­dia who pro­ vid­ed them with tele­ phone calls and made arrange­ ments to get them safe­ly to their rel­ a­tives, friends and con­

tacts.

The chil­dren, in­clud­ ing Meza, sat on a grassy verge on the front of the Pe­ nal taxi hub. Of­ fi­cers from the Siparia Po­lice Sta­tion pooled their own mon­ey to­geth­ er and bought them dou­ bles, sand­wich­es and soft drinks. A busi­ness­man brought them wa­ter.

A few who used the Guardian Me­ dia's cell­ phone of­fer to make calls were sched­ uled to meet their con­tacts at var­i­ous parts of the coun­try, in­ clud­ing Va­len­cia, San­gre Grande, San Fer­nan­do and Pe­nal. turn to page 47

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42 NEWS

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PPP/C Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali is currently meeting with residents of several hinterland communities across Guyana

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WEEK ENDING MAY 26, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

House-to-House Registration: Former GCCI President says GECOM legal advice in line with the law

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GECOM Legal Officer Excellence Dazzel

he recent legal opinion by the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM’s) Legal Officer that the expired voters’ list should be refreshed without houseto-house registration continues to divide opinions. According to a former elections observer on behalf of the Private Sector, the opinion does follow what is set out in the law.

Making an appearance on Globespan 24×7 live show in New York on Sunday, former Georgetown Chamber of

Commerce and Industry (GCCI) President and election observer, Vishnu Doerga noted that having looked at the advice the legal officer offered and then comparing it with his own research, it appears in line with what the law prescribes.

“I’ve looked at that particular piece of advice and in my research, it seemed to be in alignment with what is called for in the legislations,” Doerga said. However, he also noted that if there are still doubts about the accuracy of the legal opinion offered

CXC to consider petition for Mathematics re-sit following breaches

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he Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) is to consider a petition calling for all students to re-sit the 2019 CSEC Mathematics exams following serious breaches of the examination regulations, a representative from the Barbados-based institution has said, according to Jamaica Observer.

“All of the queries regarding such were [reported] to the head of the department and it’s being worked on. The queries have not fallen on deaf ears so everyone will be notified of a decision in due course,” the representative was quoted as saying by Jamaica Observer.

It is unclear who launched the petition that has so far gained 5085 signatures – more than 60 per cent of the 7500 signatures required.

According to the report, last week CXC announced that it was investigating a breach in examination security in Trinidad and Tobago, where students were said to have used mobile

phones and textbooks during the exam.

“It would be unfair if these students are allowed a free pass, and equally unfair if only selected schools/students are allowed to re-sit a supplementary exam.

The extent to which exams could have been scanned and shared, not only nationally, but regionally is unfathomable.

“Students could have been privy to the exam questions earlier than the start time and they could have sent these images on social media to their counterparts in other schools across the country and Region.

The invigilator also could have further compromised the situation by sharing the exam with other invigilators.

“Given the conditions and circumstances, it is only fair and just that all students in the entire Region re-sit a supplementary Mathematics exam which should be done before the end of the exam period, June 6, 2019,” a summary of the petition read.

by the legal officer, all GECOM has to do is conduct an inquiry.

“So again, if we have any fear that it is not so, we should have some inquiry in terms of how we should go about coming to these conclusions.

Whenever any company hires a lawyer, it is their responsibility to do their due diligence to ensure this lawyer is both competent and is acting in their best interest.”

Doerga acknowledged that as the CEO of a company, there might be times when he wants things to go a certain way. But he added that if the laws do not allow for that and he is advised in accordance with the law by his legal counsel, then

he has to understand and take the requisite action.

Vilification G E C O M Commissioner Sase Gunraj also made an appearance on the show on Sunday. According to him, Legal Officer Excellence Dazzel is catching flak for tendering the legal advice that recommended Claims and Objections because it goes contrary to the agenda to delay elections.

“Myself and my fellow Commissioners have been asking from day one, can we have a plan for the holding of elections that does not include house-to-house registration. Because it is my considered view

that the refreshing of the list does not require house-to-house registration,” he said.

“That explains why so much harsh words are being directed towards the legal officer.

All kinds of motives are being imputed to her.

And the only reason for that, I am sure, is because she tendered a view that does not accord with certain members of the Commission.

Simple. So the opinion is bastardised and they’re attempting to crucify her for saying that.”

Responding to questions from viewers on whether the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) can compel GECOM to hold elections without

house-to-house registration, the Commissioner responded in the affirmative.

“The courts are the guardian of the Constitution. They have the responsibility to interpret and make orders that they see in keeping with the tenets of the law. It has always been my contention that house-to-house registration is a policy decision and a policy decision cannot take precedence over the law.”

“So the answer to that question is yes. I believe that GECOM can be ordered to conduct the elections without the need for house-to-house registration,” Gunraj added.

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India election results 2019

Narendra Modi secures landslide win

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ndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has secured another five-year term after winning a landslide general election victory.

Results so far show his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to win about 300 of the 543 seats in parliament.

The main opposition alliance, which is headed by Rahul Gandhi's Congress party, has admitted defeat.

The vote had been widely viewed as a referendum on the prime minister's Hindu nationalist politics.

Over 600 million people voted in a marathon six-week process.

Mr Modi has not just exceeded exit poll predictions but has also won a larger share of the vote than the 2014 elections, partial results show.

"Thank you India!" the prime minister tweeted. "The faith placed in our alliance is humbling and gives us strength to work even harder to fulfil people's aspirations."

At a press conference in Delhi,

What are the numbers?

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has secured another five-year term

opposition leader Mr Gandhi conceded the general election as well as his Amethi seat in Uttar Pradesh - which he had held since 2004 and his family had held for decades.

Partial and declared results show Mr Modi's BJP is projected to win 300 seats, while the main opposition alliance headed by Rahul Gandhi's Congress party is expected to win fewer than 100.

A party or coalition needs at least 272 seats to secure a majority in the 543-member lower house of parliament, or Lok Sabha.

In 2014, the BJP won 282 seats - the biggest victory by any party in 30 years - and with its allies it secured 336 seats in that parliament.

The Congress, which won just 44, suffered its worst defeat in 2014 and with its allies took up just 60 seats in the lower house.

This year, there were 900 million voters eligible to take part in seven rounds of voting, making it the largest election the world had ever seen.

Results are being released in phases by the Election Commission but a final result may not be known for several hours or longer. (BBC)

Learning…

W …from Indian elections

hen it comes to India and China, the numbers that crop up when discussing their affairs are more than humungous – they’re literally mind-boggling, since no one can wrap their head around them. Excepting when it comes to electing their leaders. In China, the President and the State Council are elected by the National People’s Congress – made up of 2980 people – while Modi and the Cabinet he’ll form are elected by 900 MILLION persons!! That’s the difference between an authoritarian and democratic system!!

How the heck do you manage to collect and then count 900 million votes? With great organisation, and by sticking to the rules, that’s how!! Running democracies, we’re told, is a messy business – and nowhere is it more evident than in India’s elections campaigns. “Mud-slinging” isn’t just a figure of speech then!! But, to their credit, their violence levels haven’t ever approached those of our own Jamaica, where a high of 889 murders were committed during their 1980 elections!!

In India, the Elections Commission takes a hard line against incendiary speech, and obstreperous candidates are penalised promptly and heavily.

With our particularly polarised politics, Guyana should take note. But the biggest takeaway from the Indian elections is that, unlike our local PNC, Indian politicians, by and large, accept the rules of the game and the verdict of the people. The Indian elections ended on Sunday, and in 4 days’ time, the elections results will be out!! And going by the tradition they’ve built since 1947, the results will be accepted – no matter how bitter the elections campaign.

But it’s not just in accepting the elections results that India differs from us – where every election the PNC lose they come out into the streets and wage violent protests — it also extends to the other rules of the game. Take their Elections Commission – it’s just three persons who’re appointed by their President on the PM’s recommendation. But there’s never been a time when the nominee – who’s always a senior career civil servant – has been accused of partisanship by the Opposition. These Commissioners can only be removed by Parliament. Maybe Guyana should imitate India in selecting Election Commissioners.

And there are other lessons for us. Back in 1999, the BJP Government of PM Vajpayee lost a no-confidence motion by 1 vote in their National Assembly – 269 to 270 of the Opposition. But rather than conjuring up half-men and half women, the Indian PM, accepted the verdict and resigned forthwith, and called elections.

Compare this to the bitterness roiling our democracy after the PNC refused to accept the NCM of Dec 21.

The PNC’s fundamentally anti-democratic, and no Indian example can change that; just voting them out!!

…from the PNC

What said the PNC has no lessons for us?? There’s that lesson from Burnham – Beware the maximum leader!! Paraphrased, of course, from Burnham’s sister, Jessie’s pamphlet, “Beware my brother Forbes!!” Not many believed Jessie back in the day – certainly not David Granger, Burnham’s protégé from 1965! The man still burns a candle on his window sill for Burnham, as he swears to continue the latter’s “legacy”.

Another lesson from Burnham is not to steer economic development just at your own party’s supporters – just as Granger’s PNC are doing right now. The money for development, after all – whether loans or treasury funds – will come out of, or are repaid from, the pockets of all Guyanese, from their taxes, and should involve all Guyanese. And it’s not just a matter of morality or justice — not that we should scoff at that — it’s about giving the country its best shot at development by spreading the opportunity to all Guyanese, since talent is randomly distributed.

And all ships will be lifted!

…not to make wild accusations

The PNC are discovering the danger of them branding all PPP leaders as “corrupt” for two decades.

Now even their own supporters don’t take their protestations about not having their hands in the cookie jar seriously!

It’s a case of “forewarned is forearmed”!!

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Severe penalties for accountants, auditors if caught in money laundering – AG warns A ttorney General (AG) and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams, SC, on Saturday highlighted penalties that accountants and auditors could face if they refuse to report or are found to be involved in money laundering and terrorism financing activities.

The AG delivered brief remarks at a session hosted to sensitise the professionals on their roles and responsibilities as Guyana moves swiftly towards Anti-Money Laundering/Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) compliance.

“The consequences that come with being involved in money laundering, whether willingly or not, are severe with penalties such as the loss of licence to practise to significant fines as much as G$40 million and even a prison sentence,” he warned.

According to a report from the Department of Public Information (DPI), he stressed the critical role of reporting, which lies within the accounting profession.

The Attorney General, who is also the Chairman for the National Coordinating Committee on AML/CFT,

The gathering of accountants and auditors at Cara Lodge

said that the accountancy sector was one set up without a supervisory body, with just a regulatory agency, which is the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Guyana (ICAG). The need for a supervisor, according to AG Williams, represents a gap in the AML/ CFT–PF (Proliferated Financing) regime locally.

This, he said, if not remedied or looked into, will pose a possible chal-

lenge to combating money laundering and terrorism financing.

“You are regarded as gatekeepers of financial systems as it can be used for purposes of facilitating or assisting illicit activities of criminals, including accounting and auditing malpractices … Additionally, money launderers utilise the expertise of accountants to facilitate money laundering through various mechanisms such as

transferring funds across several countries, setting up shell companies, and structuring complicated transactions.”

Member of the ICAG committee, Aaron Fraser was also in attendance and delivered brief remarks on behalf of the institute. He told the gathering of Guyana’s continued economic growth, and advised on how the profession could be safeguarded from money laundering and

terrorism financing activities.

“This particular workshop is timely in that it allows us as accountants to share some of the experiences that we would have had in the past, our interpretation of some of these things. At the end of the day, it will enable us to understand what is before us, read through the lines, and to really get to the bottom of what is going on.”

Accountants and auditors gathered at the Cara Lodge on Saturday, May 18, 2019, to learn more of how their profession can be compliant with the reporting obligations to the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).

This workshop follows a similar one held on May 17 where Attorneysat-Law were briefly engaged, and their role towards Guyana’s compliance with AML/CFT laws was highlighted.

WCD businessman charged for brutal murder of wife

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usinessman Ryan Sugrim was on Monday hauled before Magistrate Zameena Ali at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court to answer to the capital offence of murder.

The 38-year-old man was charged for the murder of Zaila Sugrim. The charge stated that between May 11 and May 14, at La Union, West Coast Demerara, he killed Sugrim, his estranged wife. Zaila Sugrim’s body, which was burnt, was found in a shallow grave with a gunshot wound.

Sugrim was represented

by Attorney-at-Law Sanjeev Datadin, who informed the court that his client did not confess to the murder. He also said that his client never led Police to the spot where the body was found. The lawyer also asked the Magistrate to warn the media to cease from publishing what he described as “inaccurate” information. The Magistrate, however, only listened to the lawyer’s submission but did not grant his request for the media to be warned.

Magistrate Ali remanded Sugrim to prison and the case will continue on June 25, 2019, at the Lenora

Ryan Sugrim being escorted by Police at Leonora Magistrate’s Court on Monday

Magistrate’s Court.

Reports are Zaila Sugrim was last seen at the Vreeden-Hoop Stelling on May 11, 2019, when she allegedly entered a motorcar with her estranged husband.

Sugrim left her brother’s Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD) house, where she had been living for

the past eight months, to be picked up by her estranged husband to visit the businessman’s home where she was expected to celebrate her eldest child’s birthday. However, by nightfall, the family became worried since it was very unusual for her not to call if she was out for long periods.

Her brother, Ahmad

Haniff, grew worried and called her cellphone but the phone was turned off.

Repeated attempts to reach Sugrim on her mobile proved futile and other family members confirmed that they had not heard from the woman.

On May 12, 2019, the worried brother visited the Diamond Police Station where he filed a missing persons’ report. In the company of several Police Officers, a visit was made to his sister’s estranged husband’s home but they were informed that he had not seen Zaila nor did he want anything to do with her.

Reports are close relatives reportedly inspected CCTV footage of the home but a particular time period was deleted. This was reported to Sugrim’s relatives, who in turn informed Police ranks.

This led to ranks swooping down on the suspect’s La Grange, WBD property where a search was carried out, however, nothing was found.

After relatives made additional reports at the Diamond Police Station, another group of ranks swooped down on the suspect’s Crane home.

It was not until a search

Dead: Zaila Sugrim

of the suspect’s motorcar was conducted by the police that they received a break in the case after blood was allegedly spotted in the car’s trunk.

This prompted Police to arrest the suspect and impound the car.

After much interrogation, the suspect allegedly broke down and reportedly informed the investigators that he had buried the body in a shallow grave near his home.

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WEEK ENDING MAY 26, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Independence and Armed Forces Indian Exclusion

By Ravi Dev

Crime… A Y …and retribution

our Eyewitness was one of those who called for a more proactive response by the Police to the crime tsunami sweeping the country in general, and Berbice in particular. With the overwhelming majority of the crimes being committed by gun-toting bandits, he called for the deployment of the SWAT Unit to take them on, on an equal footing. The regular Police were invariably late on the scene, even after frantic calls and it was suspected they feared they’d be outgunned.

Well, the SWAT Unit WAS rushed out to Berbice but it was the “regular” Police who, evidently acted on intelligence, swooped down on the bandits’ hideout and claiming they were greeted by gun fire, returned the same and killed all three bandits. Now we know they were the bandits since an AR15, several handguns, bullets, burglary equipment, jewellery and cash were recovered. But several questions arise.

The first one, of course, is why hadn’t the Police launched this operation before?? From what we heard from relatives after the strike, all three dead bandits were “known characters”, whose homes had been raided before when crimes in the area had been committed.

What was lacking, in the estimation of your Eyewitness, was the intelligence. And the main reason for this is there aren’t enough Police personnel drawn from the local communities who would be able to cultivate a network of informers to keep them posted.

These bandits didn’t helicopter out after their depredations. Like the bandits who’d been holed up in Buxton back in the day, these fellas remained in the community – and obviously were supported by their own network in the community. We’re told they had freshly cooked food – someone must’ve have prepared and delivered this! Police intelligence is lacking in all areas of the country – and this leads to another question on the minds of some citizens.

Are the Police in cahoots with some of the criminals??

And is this why in most of these encounters, the bandits are invariably all slaughtered and the Police don’t even get a scratch? If there were actually bullets flying first from the bandits – as is invariably the reason given by the Police for their deadly fusillade – how come their element of surprise is always lost?? Is it a case of dead men don’t tell no tales??

Last month we learnt that Police were being equipped with body cameras for traffic stops and other ordinary interactions with the public. Shouldn’t the units conducting raids with the possibility of using deadly force also wear cameras as Standard Operating Practice??

Your Eyewitness won’t discuss the accusations by some that deadly force is only used on bandits of a certain ilk.

Save to note this was this point made by Mr Hoyte, re “Blackie”.

…and its origins

In the mind-boggling round of criminality kicked off in the first decade of this millennium – with its epicentre in Buxton and led by the prison-breakout Mash 5 – there was a welter of analyses on the conditions producing it. While there were vehement disputations on many points, there was unanimity on two: the bandits were prison graduates and were nurtured in poverty stricken environments. There evidently weren’t too many ways to enjoy the “good life” by honest means.

And what do we already know about the Berbice bandits? They were all prison graduates and were operating in Berbice, which had always been at the lower end of the economic ladder. But with 4000+ sugar workers thrown out of work, they quickly slid to the bottom. The point is, while structural factors mightn’t ALWAYS compel people into certain actions, they certainly encourage those actions.

And it’s for this reason, the Government should’ve rethought their unilateral action on sugar. But vengeance is mine, said the PNC!

…and punishment

It was interesting that after one person was apprehended for a murder committed at Leguan, the father of the victim wrote a fervent thank you to some high-level Police officials from GT. Why couldn’t the arrest be made by the locals?

s we approach another “celebration” of our Independence from Britain, crime once again threatens to overwhelm the country. This is even as President Granger sits on the last of a string of Britishfunded proposals to “professionalise” the Police Force, which appears to be permanently on its back foot. It is more than passing strange that none of these plans recommend that the Disciplined Forces in general, and the Police Force in particular, be made more ethnically representative of the country’s population – much as the British Police have attempted to do, with great success, in their country. It is an article of faith in all multicultural countries that police drawn from the various groups are more effective in crime fighting.

What makes all of this more peculiar is that, in one of its last acts before granting Independence to Guyana under the PNC, the British had witnessed the dangers of having ethnically skewed forces during times of tension between the groups.

In 1964 in Wismar, the Volunteer Force and the Police stood by while hundreds of homes were razed to the ground; three persons were killed; dozens of women were raped; hundreds were beaten, and eventually 2300 Indians were forced to flee the community permanently.

The British Governor formed a “Special Services Unit” that year with equal numbers of African and Indian Guyanese, even though Indian applicants exceeded Africans. The SSU was commanded by an Indian — Major Ramon Sattaur, a Sandhurst graduate — who served under the British officer Colonel Pope. Six persons were selected for officer training in England at the Mons Officer Cadet School. They were Pilgrim, Naraine, Morgan, Roberts, Budhu and Ishoof (3 Indo-Guyanese and 3 Afro-Guyanese).

Elite soldiers from all over the world were students at that

prestigious military academy.

All Guyana was proud when Naraine won the coveted Sword of Honour, and Ishoof won top prizes for marksmanship and military knowledge. He went on to lead military units in Guyana on two dangerous military operations – the New River Triangle Operation, when soldiers from Suriname were driven out from that area, and the Ankoko Operation that repelled Venezuelan incursions from the Essequibo.

As part of the agreement for granting Independence, the British insisted that the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) would investigate and make recommendations on the composition of the police and army with the goal of making them representative of the country’s ethnic make-up. The ICJ then recommended that Indians be recruited in higher proportions than Africans until the numbers were balanced. On November 1, 1965, however, Burnham created the Guyana Defence Force, and went completely against the ICJ’s recommendations.

According to the CIA Fact Book, “The SSU was renamed the Guyana Defence Force in 1965. The transition to complete Guyanese control of the GDF began in 1966, shortly after independence was granted. Prime Minister Burnham, who also

served as Minister of Defence, oversaw the transition.

“Major Raymond Sattaur, an Indo-Guyanese officer and graduate of the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, was heir apparent to the British GDF commander. But perhaps because of ethnic considerations, Burnham selected an Afro-Guyanese officer, Major Clarence Price, as the new commander.

After the 1968 election, Burnham began to purge IndoGuyanese from the GDF officer corps. By 1970, Afro-Guyanese dominated both the officer and the enlisted ranks of the GDF. “The PNC attempted to both consolidate and expand the loyalty of the GDF by manipulating racial symbols and by materially rewarding loyal soldiers. Politicallyminded officers portrayed the PNC as the sole protector of AfroGuyanese interests. These same officers also portrayed the opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) as an Indo-Guyanese organisation whose victory would result in economic and political domination of Afro-Guyanese by IndoGuyanese.

“In 1973, an aide to Forbes Burnham openly advocated that the GDF pledge its allegiance to the PNC in addition to its loyalty to the nation. This recommendation was made policy the following year. Although the recommendation was unpopular among career officers, disagreement was not voiced openly for fear of losing high salaries, duty-free cars, housing, and other privileges.

Nevertheless, throughout the 1970s and 1980s, an undercurrent of tension existed between officers who favoured a politically neutral GDF and those who favoured political activism.”

Now President David Granger, an ex-Brigadier, was one of those who favoured “political activism”.

Isoof did not, and left in 1972.

Ironically, Granger sat on the 2004 Disciplined Forces Commission, but conveniently forgets he recommended their composition be reflective of our ethnic composition.

Trinidad: Venezuelan refugees...

Guardian Me­dia lat­ er called Siparia Re­ gion­al Cor­po­ra­tion chair­man Dr Glenn Ra­ mad­hars­ingh ask­ing ments be that arrange­ made for them. At first, he said they could stay in the old Siparia pavil­ ion but even­tu­al­ly the Ir­win Park fa­cil­i­ty was opened for them.

Last night, a fur­ther 12 peo­ple were picked up in the forests and tak­en to the sta­tion. A boat was al­so said to be out at sea wait­ing to dock.

The Min­ istry of Na­ tion­al Se­cu­ri­ty has im­ posed a crack­ down on the fer­ ries that bring in Venezue­ lans at Ce­ dros and since this more lans are risk­ Venezue­ ing their lives to come through il­le­gal points along the coast­line.

Among the places they used as hide­outs to await their con­tacts once sneak­ ing in­ to T&T are Dick­ ie Trace, Aquillera Road, RE Road, Beach Camp, Erin and San­ ta Flo­ra.

Since the in­flux in­ creased, res­i­dents of eas have been these ar­ very wary of go­ing to the beach­es be­cause of an in­ crease in smug­gling, con­ tra­band and traf­fick­ing.

Res­i­dent Frank Con­ nell said the ar­rests were long in com­ing.

“It's too much of them com­ing in here. The sit­u­ a­tion is we do not know any­thing about them. We don't know who sick, who is crim­i­nals. Imag­ine I can­not even go to bathe in Pa­lo Seco beach any­ more be­cause the Span­ ish com­ing in,” he said.

Con­nell ex­plained that the Venezue­ lans were wait­ ing for their con­tact per­sons to come for them when the po­lice ar­rived.

Vil­ lagers stood in their homes gawk­ing as lice pa­ trolled up the po­ and down the road. They searched Beach Camp, Dick­ie Trace, Jack­son Trace and in the forests of Beach Camp, which is two miles away from the beach.

An­oth­er vil­lager who was heard con­vers­ing in Span­ish said it was a sad thing to see the mi­grants in this state.

“They look­ ing for a bet­ter life, that's all,” she added.

Na­tion­al Se­cu­ri­ty Min­is­ter Stu­art Young last evening com­ mend­ ed the po­lice for the ar­

from page 41

rests, say­ing the ex­er­cise was in­tel­li­gence dri­ven.

He said 93 Venezue­lans were ar­rest­ed in the ex­ er­ cise and were hand­ ed over to the Im­mi­gra­tion Di­vi­sion for pro­cess­ing.

On Mon­day, Guardian Me­dia re­port­ed that five women were be­ ing held hostage in a for­est camp and be­ing pros­ti­tut­ed for $400 an hour. Fol­low­ing this state­ment, Se­nior Su­per­in­ten­dent of the South West­ern Di­vi­sion De­onar­ine Bas­deo dis­ missed the re­port as fake news.

He said 22 camps were searched and no one was ar­rest­ed. Guardian dia has al­ so done Me­ an ex­ pose on the traf­ fick­ing of Venezue­lans in Trinidad & Tobago.

(Trinidad Guardian)

48 Bollywood

WEEK ENDING MAY 26, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

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onam Kapoor walked the red carpet of the ongoing edition of the Cannes Film Festival.

She attended the premiere of Quentin Tarantino’s film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood on Tuesday.

The film stars Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead roles.

Just like her other looks from Cannes 2019, her red carpet photos were shared by sister Rhea Kapoor. The caption of one of the photos gave details about the Veere Di Wedding actor’s look. “@sonamkapoor tonight for the premiere of Once Upon A Time in Hollywood tonight at the #cannesfilmfestival for @ chopard In @ralphandrusso haute couture.

Shoes by @jimmychoo,” wrote Rhea.

Sonam Kapoor also shared her photos on social media and wrote, “The French Riviera suits me..” along with one of the photos. She also posted the look she

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sported during the unveiling of Chopard’s Garden of The Kings.

The actor, who represents a cosmetics brand, completes a decade at the Cannes Film Festival this year.

Talking about

Sonam’s outfits, Rhea had earlier told IANS, “I think this year we are going to focus on simplicity and elegance.”

Cannes Film Festival began in the French Riviera on May 14 and concludes on

ed very, very brave, and that’s why I decided to pick this subject, research, write and make a film,” Raj Kumar Gupta said.

India’s Most Wanted features Arjun Kapoor playing the role of Intelligence Bureau officer Prabhat Kapoor, a total departure from flamboyant characters he has played in his recent films like Namaste England and Mubarakan. (Indian Express)

anything, it helps a lot.

When you’re ready to learn from everyone, it’s great.”

Kher was speaking at the trailer launch of his upcoming film, One Day. The actor said once he is done with his international commitment, he will resume work on domestic projects “from next year”. He currently stars in a New Yorkbased medical drama

New Amsterdam from NBC. “In all these years, I have seen several ups and downs and for the first time I don’t have any film. I’ll be back from New York in a year’s time and we will start life all over again.”

Directed by Ashok Nanda and co-starring Esha Gupta, the film is scheduled to release on June 1. (Indian Express)

I

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fter inviting the ire of many for tweeting a tasteless meme on Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, actor Vivek Oberoi on Tuesday issued an apology on Twitter. He also deleted the offensive tweet featuring the meme.

The actor tweeted, “Sometimes what appears to be funny and harmless at first glance to one, may not be so to others. I have spent the last 10 years empowering more than 2000 underprivileged girls, I can’t even think of being disrespectful to any woman ever.”

He added, “Even if one woman is offended by my reply to the meme, it calls for remedial action. Apologies. tweet deleted.”

The PM Narendra Modi actor on Monday tweeted a collage of three photos of Aishwarya Rai with Salman Khan, himself and Aishwarya’s husband Abhishek Bachchan and daughter Aaradhya. The meme compared Aishwarya’s relationships to poll results. :”Haha! creative! No politics here….just life” read the caption of the tweet.

As the tweet went viral, many Bollywood celebrities including Sonam Kapoor, Urmila Matondkar and Madhur Bhandarkar reacted on it and called Oberoi’s tweet ‘disgraceful and distasteful’. The National Commission for Women (NCW) also issued a notice to Vivek Oberoi.

On Monday evening, talking to ANI, Vivek said he had done nothing wrong. He said, “People are saying

May 25. The red carpet of the gala event witnessed several Indian beauties like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Hina Khan and Kangana Ranaut.

(Indian Express)

aj Kumar Gupta on Wednesday said the story behind his latest directorial India’s Most Wanted touched him to such an extent, that he just had to tell it to the audience.

The film, starring Arjun Kapoor in the lead, traces the journey of five Intelligence Bureau officers on a mission to catch a dreaded terrorist, without any guns and backup to rely on.

In an exclusive chat with indianexpress.com in New Delhi, the director revealed what excited him to make a movie on a group of unsung heroes from India’s Intelligence Bureau.

“I think it touched me when I heard that there were people from the Intelligence Bureau who pooled in their own money, and went out to catch one of India’s most wanted terrorists.

They captured him in Nepal, without firing a single bullet, without using any gun and without the support from the government. That sound-

apologise. I have no problem with apologising, but tell me what wrong have I done. If I have done something wrong, I will apologise. I don’t think I have done anything wrong. What’s wrong in it? Somebody tweeted a meme and I laughed at it. I don’t know why people are making a huge issue out of it.

Someone had sent me a meme which made fun of me. I laughed at it and I appreciated the person for his creativity. If someone mocks you, you should not take it seriously.”

“Those in the meme don’t have a problem, but everyone else has. Kaam karne jaate hain nahi non-issues ke upar netagiri shuru kar dete hain. Didi put someone behind bars for a meme.

People now want me to be behind bars too. They couldn’t stop my film. Now they are trying this,” the actor added.

(Indian Express)

n a career spanning 35 years, Anupam Kher has seen several highs and lows but the actor says he will continue giving his all to films and retirement is nowhere in sight.

The 64-year-old actor said one has to be excited about work to be able to continue for long.

“You have to be excited about your work. The day you carry the burden of ‘veteran’, ‘legend’, ‘thespian’ (it wouldn’t work). You’re given these titles to signal it’s time to retire. But I won’t retire from work even in the next 50 years,” the actor told reporters.

For Kher, the key to be a relevant artiste is to approach every film with a clean slate – without any baggage of past laurels.

“Everyday when I go to work, I tell myself I don’t know anything about acting. That’s the only way. If we take pride in our knowledge, we won’t learn something new.

“So I always walk in thinking I don’t know

HOLLYWOOD 49

WEEK ENDING MAY 26, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

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ctor Reese Witherspoon has given an update on the third part of her Legally Blonde franchise.

During her appearance on the Ellen Show, Witherspoon said the team is still discussing the film.

“We’re meeting about it. I mean, we’re definitely talking about it.

I don’t know. Do you guys want to see ‘Legally

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irector Reed Morano and actor Kristen Wiig have announced that they will not shoot their respective projects in the US state of Georgia where an antiabortion bill was recently passed.

Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio and Georgia recently approved bans on abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can occur in about the sixth week of pregnancy.

Georgia’s neighbouring

Blonde 3’?” Witherspoon asked the audience.

“I mean, it’s sort of about women being underestimated and I think it’s a good idea — that things have changed, but not that much has changed!” she added.

The 43-year-old actor had kick-started the series with 2001’s “Legally Blonde”, where she played the idealistic Elle Woods who follows her boyfriend to a law school

state Alabama has also passed a bill that seeks to install an outright ban on abortion.

Morano, best known for directing Hulu’s dystopian drama The Handmaid’s Tale, was set to visit Georgia for scouting locations for her upcoming Amazon series The Power, but has now decided against it, reported Variety.

The 42-year-old director took to Instagram to share a Time Magazine

in order to win him back.

A sequel, titled Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, was released in 2003.

In June last year, Witherspoon had announced that she will be reprising her role in a threequel which would hit the theatres on Valentine’s Day in 2020.

Witherspoon’s production company Hello Sunshine is expected to produce the film. (Indian Express)

article about her decision to not film the show in Georgia.

“It feels wrong for a reason. And it felt wrong to us to go ahead and make our show and take money/tax credit from a state that is taking this stance on the abortion issue. We just couldn’t do it,” Morano wrote in the caption.

The Power is based on Naomi Alderman’s novel of the same and revolves around teen girls the world over who suddenly develop the power to electrocute people at will and leads to a “complete reversal of the power balance of the world”.

The 10-episode show is produced by Sister Pictures and executive produced by Jane Featherstone, Naomi de Pear, Naomi Alderman and Morano.

Wiig, who will feature alongside her Bridesmaid writing partner Annie Mumolo in the comedy Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, has also decided not to shoot the project in Georgia.

The duo co-wrote the new comedy which will be produced by Gloria Sanchez Productions and distributed by Lionsgate.

The studio, however, has not confirmed the news.

(Indian Express)

eonardo DiCaprio has revealed that he saw ’90s teen idol River Phoenix on the day he died of a drug intoxication outside a Hollywood nightclub.

Phoenix, like DiCaprio, started as a child actor and had built up an impressive resume by starring in cult classics such as Stand By Me, Running on Empty and My Own Private Idaho.

He collapsed and died on the sidewalk outside the West Hollywood nightclub The Viper Room at the age of 23.

DiCaprio said he wanted to shake hands with Phoenix but was too nervous to muster up the courage only to hear that the actor had died.

I grew up revering River Phoenix as the great actor of my generation, and all I ever wanted was to have just an opportunity to shake his hand,” DiCaprio told Esquire magazine.

“And one night, at a party in Silver Lake, I saw him walk up a flight of stairs. It was almost

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ctor Taron Egerton, who plays Elton John in the musical biopic Rocketman, says the film gives a true account of the music legend’s life without shying away from uncomfortable chapters of his story.

Egerton, who stars in the Dexter Fletcherdirected film alongside Richard Madden, Jamie Bell and Bryce Dallas Howard, said when they were making the film, they knew that John would be happy with what they were trying to show in it.

“I always felt, very keenly, that it’s no secret that Elton has his ups and downs. And for me, what was most important was that we were true to that

like something you would see in Vertigo, because I saw there was something in his face, and I’d never met him, always wanted to meet him, always wanted to just have an encounter with him and he was walking toward me and I kind of froze.

And then the crowd got in my way, and I looked back and he was gone.”

DiCaprio said he kept circling the actor for another meeting but that was not to be.

“I walked back up the stairs and back down, and I was like, Where did he go?’ And he was on his way to The Viper Room.

It was almost as if I don’t

know how to describe it, but it’s this existential thing where I felt like… he disappeared in front of my very eyes, and the tragedy that I felt afterward of having lost this great influence for me and all of my friends.

“The actor we all talked about. Just to be able to have that, always wanting to just and I remember extending my hand out, and then Two people came in front and then I looked back, and then he wasn’t there,” DiCaprio said.

Actor Joaquin Phoenix is the younger brother of River Phoenix.

(Indian Express)

because that’s who he is – and, frankly, that’s why we love him,” Egerton said in a statement.

“So, I felt very much when we were on set that I wanted to push it, because I knew the one person who wouldn’t mind me doing that was Elton, because he’s not precious. He knows where his strengths and weaknesses lie and he’s very at peace with who he is. And he’s been through a hell of a lot. He’s been through recovery. He is settled and solid and knows who he is and he’s frank and candid about it,” he added.

Egerton said he wanted to explore the duality of John’s personality where he is both generous and destructive at the same

time.

“I always wanted it to be that duality between this sweet, incredibly caring and generous person who just has this intense artistic sensibility and volatility. I believe that that is hand in hand with his creative genius. To not honour it felt incorrect,” the actor said.

The film features a much-talked about love scene between the characters of John and John Reid (played by Madden), and Egerton said he is really proud of it.

“I’m a straight actor playing a gay icon, so I felt very keenly that if I was going to do this properly, we had an obligation to honour that side of his story. Early in the film, there is a love scene between me and Richard.

I’m very proud of it.

“It’s the first love scene I’ve ever done and it’s two young guys falling in love at a time where it wasn’t that socially acceptable.

It’s a scene I’m really, really proud of. I think it’s lovely, actually,” the actor said.

Rocketman, a Paramount Pictures movie, will be exclusively distributed in India

by Viacom18 Motion Pictures. The film releases on May 31. (Indian Express)

50 SPORT

WEEK ENDING MAY 26, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

GFF submits 40-player roster for Gold Cup

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head of the Golden Jaguars’ first appearance at the 2019 Gold Cup next month, the GFF have submitted to CONCACAF a preliminary 40-member squad that would represent Guyana’s historic participation in the tournament.

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) has revealed the preliminary 40-player rosters submitted by the 16 participating Member Associations for this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. A mix of rising stars, including Christian Pulisic (Chelsea FC/ United States), Hirving Lozano (PSV Eindhoven/ Mexico) and Alberth Elis (Houston Dynamo/ Honduras), together with high-profile veterans such as Keylor Navas (Real Madrid/Costa Rica), Raúl Jimenez (Wolverhampton FC/ Mexico) and Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/ United States) are among the notable inclusions to the sixteen national teams’ rosters.

In accordance with regulations governing the competition, the submitted rosters will serve as the basis for the final 23-player lists for each team. The final 23-play-

er rosters will be announced by CONCACAF in the first week of June.

After the official announcement, only injury-related changes will be allowed, up until 24 hours before each team’s first match; and any injury replacements must come from the preliminary 40-player roster.

Guyana’s roster features 16 locally based players and 24 overseas based players, with the likes of Kelsey Benjamin, Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson and Curtez Kellman making the preliminary cut.

The 40-player provisional rosters have been selected and submitted

by each participating Member Association, and are published as such.

In order to be eligible to play in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, all players are subject to, and must fully comply with, the criteria stipulated in the applicable FIFA and Gold Cup player eligibility regulations.

The 2019 Gold Cup will be the biggest-ever edition of the event, with more participating nations (16, up from 12 in 2017), more host countries (three, including first-time matches in Costa Rica and Jamaica), and more stadiums (17, up from 14 in 2017), eight of which are

in contention to become a 2026 FIFA World Cup venue.

The 15th edition of the continental championship will kick off on Saturday, June 15, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, with Canada and Martinique marking the start of ‘Group A’ action. The second match of the day will feature seven-time Gold Cup champions Mexico versus Cuba.

As part of this expanded format of the tournament, ‘Group B’ will debut in the tournament on Sunday, June 16, in Costa Rica’s Estadio Nacional, marking the first-time the

tournament is played in Central America.

Costa Rica and Nicaragua will face-off in ‘Group B’s evening match, while Haiti and Bermuda will open the day’s doubleheader.

In ‘Group C’, the seeded nation Honduras will travel to Kingston, Jamaica to take on the Reggae Boyz, marking the first time the tournament is played in the Caribbean; while Curaçao and El Salvador will battle for early group dominance.

The Michael Johnsonled Golden Jaguars will take on defending champions USA, led by manager Gregg Berhalter,

series.

"We are very grateful to Hampshire CCC for agreeing to host us at the Ageas Bowl and to Cricket Australia for agreeing the additional warm-up game," Grave said. "Due to the commitments and promises

made, to both our players and the BCCI, this is the first time that our entire World Cup squad can get together since the IPL finished.

We are confident that these additional five days of training and the extra warm-up game will mean that our players will be ready to perform at their best in our opening match against Pakistan on the 31st May." Speaking about the reserves, Robert Haynes, the interim chairman of selectors, said: "The choice of players in the reserve list is to really cover our bases and ensure we have a good balance in the pool of players that can be selected if replacements are required. We think the skill-set in this pool is strong, with a good blend of experience and

in Minnesota’s Allianz Field in their first game, on June 18. On the same day, more ‘Group C’ action will see Panama taking on Trinidad and Tobago, in what is sure to be a tightly contested match, to round out the day and the first full round of Group Stage matchups.

In the Knockout rounds, Houston’s NRG Stadium and Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field will host two Quarterfinal matches each, on June 29 and 30 respectively. The winning teams will move on to State Farm Stadium in Phoenix and Nissan Stadium in Nashville for the Semifinals. The grand finale is scheduled to be played on July 7th in Chicago’s iconic Soldier Field.

The 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup is sponsored by a number of renowned names, including Allstate Insurance Company, Camarena Tequila, Cerveza Modelo, Nike, Scotiabank, Sprint, Toyota, and Valvoline.

The tournament will be broadcast on the Univision and FOX family of networks, transmitted on radio in Spanish

by Fútbol de Primera Radio Network, and broadcast by television partners in over 180 countries around the world.

Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard named among West Indies' World Cup reserves

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est Indies have named allrounders Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo in their 10-man list of reserve players for the upcoming World Cup. Bravo, who "officially retired" from international cricket in October last year, hasn't played for West Indies in any format since September 2016, and hasn't played an ODI since October 2014. Pollard last played an ODI in October 2016. Both players were involved in the IPL final on May 12, with Pollard helping Mumbai Indians clinch a record fourth title.

The official 15-member World Cup squad is undergoing a training camp in Southampton from May 19 to 23. Two reserve players will also be part of the camp.

Top-order batsman Sunil Ambris, who impressed during the recent ODI tri-series in Ireland, will cover for Evin Lewis, who has just recovered from a viral illness, and left-arm seamer Raymon Reifer will help the bowling unit manage its workload.

The camp also includes an additional warm-up fixture against Australia, on May 22, at the Rose Bowl.

The other six reserves are batsmen John Campbell and Jonathan Carter, spinbowling allrounders Roston Chase and Khary Pierre, wicketkeeper-batsman Shane Dowrich, and seambowling allrounder Keemo Paul.

CWI CEO Johnny Grave said the training camp and extra

warm-up game had been scheduled with a view to helping the squad acclimatise better to conditions in England, especially the seven members of the squad who were part of the IPL and as a result missed the Ireland tri-

upcoming young players who can be ready to contribute if and when required."

West Indies begin their World Cup campaign on May 31, when they face Pakistan at Trent Bridge.

West Indies World Cup squad: Jason Holder (capt), Chris Gayle, Kemar Roach, Darren Bravo, Andre Russell, Shai Hope (wk), Sheldon Cottrell, Evin Lewis, Shannon Gabriel, Carlos Brathwaite, Ashley Nurse, Shimron Hetmyer, Fabian Allen, Oshane Thomas, Nicholas Pooran Reserve players: Sunil Ambris, Dwayne Bravo, John Campbell, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Keemo Paul, Khary Pierre, Raymon Reifer, Kieron Pollard (ESPNCricinfo)

SPORT 51

WEEK ENDING MAY 26, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Power-packed GAW team named for CPL 2019

By Brandon Corlette

T

he Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) squad was officially announced on Wednesday last at the Gfinity eSports Arena in London.

Shadab Khan, the 20-year old Pakistan leg-spinner, headlined the draft for the Guyanese franchise when he was snapped up in the opening round of the draft. Among the 17 players drafted to GAW, eight of the players from Guyana were selected.

Nicholas Pooran, the marquee player was among the second round draft picks while Pakistan’s senior statesman, Shoaib Malik, was the third round draft pick. Guyana’s Shimron Hetmyer was the fourth round draft while Australia’s Ben Laughlin and Chris Green completed the first six round of drafts.

Laughlin has only played five One Day Internationals (ODIs) and three T20 Internationals (T20I) for Australia.

The 36-year old Laughlin, has represented Australia since January 2013 but has since dominated T20 leagues globally, including the IPL and Big Bash. The right-arm medium pacer has played 137 T20 matches and has 167 victims with a bowling average of 22.47.

His experience at this level, has earned him selection and his best bowling figure his 6-28.

Green who was a utility player in

2018 has been recalled for GAW duties; in 2018 he had 10 wickets in 11 matches at a stellar economy rate of 6.27. The 25year old Green is yet to make his international debut for Australia but his exploits in the Big Bash has exposed him to T20 leagues around the World. Green has 57 T20 matches to his name and 44 wickets and his off-spin bowling in the power-play overs have proved valuable for any T20 franchise.

Keemo Paul, who was picked up in the seventh round, is expected to be an important member of the team. His IPL teammate, Sherfane Rutherford who was picked up in the eighth round will add the x-factor in the GAW unit. Along with Shimron Hetmyer who scored 440 runs in 2018, the Guyanese trio will be certain picks in the starting XI. Jamaican batsman, Brandon King was also snapped up; the classy righthander, King has shown great promise in the Regional arena. The 24-year old has played for St Kitts and Nevis Patriot in 2018 where he played only seven matches and scored a career best 60. Romario Shepherd, Guyana’s impact player in the Regional tournaments, has been drafted in the tenth round.

Shepherd, one of five Berbicians in the GAW team, has p l a y e d t h r e e matches in 2018 for the GAW and had a best bowling figure of 3-29.

Odean Smith, t h e eleventh round pick,

is an extreme fast bowler who hails from Jamaica but plays for Trinidad and Tobago in the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional tournaments.

The 22-year old Smith has played two T20Is for West Indies in 2018 against Pakistan but has shown promise in both aspects of his game at the Regional level. Keagan Simmons, one of two Trinidadians in the set-up is a 20year old left-handed opening batsman who represent West Indies U-19 and had a fruitful season scoring the second highest score (166) for a Windies U-19 player. Chandrapaul Hemraj, who played for St Lucia Stars last season has earned selection for the GAW after some promising innings in Regional cricket and ODIs. Hemraj played two matches in 2018 and had a high score of 37.

Seasoned campaigner, Veerasammy Permaul was picked up in round 14 after Raymon Reifer was a right to match

by Barbados Tridents. Permaul, the leftarm spinner has featured in only three matches in 2018 for GAW but over the years he has proved a capable bowler. Anthony Bramble made his return to the GAW team after playing his last match in August 2016.

Bramble has made strides graduating the CWI Regional tournaments as the most successful wicket-

MS Dhoni should bat at No. 5 - Sachin Tendulkar

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ith just about a week to go for the start of the World Cup, Sachin Tendulkar spoke to ESPNcricinfo on what he expects from the tournament.

Keeping in the mind the pace at which batsmen are scoring in ODIs, the flat nature of pitches in England and Wales, and the smaller grounds, what do you reckon will define this World Cup? To score that many runs in 50-over format there are a number of elements. Firstly, the pitches are flat. You've seen in the last three to four matches that England played against Pakistan [recently] most of the scores were around 350 runs. It has to do with two new balls as well even in the 46th or 47th over the ball is only 23 or 24 overs old. So it is not an old ball as such, it still has a fair amount of gloss and it doesn't reverse. As per the earlier rule when we were playing with one ball, around the 28th over or so the

ball would start reversing. It would also get disfigured, get softer. So for a batsman it was a challenge to go out and tonk every bowler.

Here the ball is maintaining its hardness, shine, and with field restrictions - all these elements are putting a lot of pressure on the bowling attacks. I believe if you have quality spinners to bowl in the middle overs they would end up picking wickets. It is all about bowling in partnerships - if quality bowlers could bowl in tandem

and create pressure on the batting line-up, that is one way of countering all these factors [that] I feel are not in favour of the bowlers.

Shikhar Dhawan is the only left-hander in the Indian batting order. Keeping in mind the utility and importance of legspinners in limited-overs cricket, do you reckon it is imperative that Dhawan bat as deep as he can?

Yes, of course. A leftright combination always helps because that

means the bowler has to adjust his line every now and then and the [bowling] captain has to keep thinking. And if there is a partnership the job becomes even more tougher. So, yes, it is important for a left-hander to be there to put pressure on the legspinner or for that matter any bowler.

The Indian top order (1-3) is one of the best, but do you agree the middle order will be India's biggest challenge?

I look at it from a different point of view.

From No. 1 to 7 or 8 you expect the batsmen to deliver. Yes, each batsman would have a different role assigned by the captain and the coach, and one has to understand that role and deliver to the best of his ability. I feel up to No. 4 it is a different requirement as far as the delivery is concerned. And from Nos. 5-8 you are looking at finishers, who stay till the end and soak in that pressure. I feel we are well equipped to do that.

(ESPNCricinfo)

keeper in successive years. The 28-year old Bramble has also featured in the Global T20 league in Canada where he was captain of the Windies B team.

Clinton Pestano has earned his maiden call-up after a great start to his Regional career. Pestano has achieved a rear feat; picking up a hat-trick in the Regional Super50 against a starstudded Trinidad and Tobago team.

The final round draft saw the ICC American player, Saurabh Netravalkar who is a left-arm seamer from the United States of America. He has featured in the 2018 squad but has never played a match.

GAW draft was conducted by Team’s operation manager, Omar Khan, Head Coach Johan Botha and team owner, Dr. Ranjisinghi Ramroop. The full 17-member squad reads: Shadab Khan, Nicholas Pooran, Shoaib Malik, Shimron Hetmyer, Ben Lauglin, Chris Green, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Brandon King, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Keagan Simmons, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Veerasammy, Permaul, Anthony Bramble, Clinton Pestano, and Saurab Netravalkar.

Russell, Gayle among 6 Jamaicans drafted by Tallawahs

K

I N G S T O N , Jamaica — The Jamaica Tallawahs have drafted six Jamaicans in its squad for this year's staging of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

The draft took place earlier today in London.

The tournament is scheduled to run from September 4 to October 12.

All Rounder and last year's captain Andre Russell was retained in the first round, West

Indies legend Chris Gayle drafted in round two, Chadwick Walton round three, Rovman Powell round four, Oshane Thomas round six, while Christopher Lamont was drafted in the 10th round.

Afghanistan cricketer Zahir Khan, New Zealanders Glen Phillips and George Worker, and Pakistani Amad Butt were the international players selected.

(Jamaica Observer)

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WEEK ENDING MAY 26, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

CONCACAF Gold Cup Preparations…

3 challenging battles slated for Guyana

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he Guyana Golden Jaguars have a packed schedule for the rest of the year as the team prepare to take on the Gold Cup and the CONCACAF Nations League later in the year.

While the Golden Jags will enter a camp in Bermuda on June 1 ahead of their first-ever Gold Cup appearance in Guyana’s footballing history on June 18, it has been disclosed that the team will have many more international games to look forward to before 2019 is over – six games to be exact.

These six games will come as part of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Nations League, where Guyana have played their hearts out to earn a spot in League B. The Nations League, which was launched in March of 2018 and began shortly after in September with a series of qualification matches, found Guyana finishing in seventh place just outside of the League A bracket and ahead of Caribbean footballing giants Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz.

Finishing so high after the qualification stage also allowed the Golden Jaguars to enter the coveted CONCACAF Gold Cup. After the Gold Cup is concluded this summer, the Guyanese outfit will turn their

The Guyana Golden Jaguars during the CONCACAF Gold Cup Qualification

attention to the Nations League, where they have been drawn in Group G, League B. The local team will play three home and away game against their group mates Aruba, Jamaica, and Antigua and Barbuda.

Their first game will be against

Aruba on September 6 on their opponents’ home turf. Guyana will play their home games on September 9, October 14, and November 15.

If the Golden Jaguars survive the Group Stage, they will be able to go on to the semi-finals

and final, which are scheduled for March 21-23, 2020.

Golden Jaguars Nations League Schedule: September 6 Guyana v Aruba (Away) September 9 Guyana v Jamaica (Home)

October 11 Guyana v Antigua and Barbuda (Away) October 14 Guyana v Antigua and Barbuda (Home) November 15 Guyana v Aruba (Home) November 18 Guyana v Jamaica (Away)

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WEEK ENDING MAY 26, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Peterson puts in final preparation ahead of World Classic PL C’ships T

By Timothy Jaikarran

he International Powerlifting Federation’s (IPF’s) World Classic Powerlifting Championships are set to take place in Helsingborg, Sweden from June 3-15, and Guyanese Carlos ‘The Show Stopper’ Peterson will be aiming to move up the rankings and make his nation proud.

Peterson secured his spot at Sweden 2019 when he won gold in the Men’s Raw Open 93kg class, and followed up that performance in the Men’s Equipped Open division by claiming his second gold and setting a new National Total Record of 800kg. His Squat of 315kg was also a new national record, as was his Deadlift mark of 330kg.

When Guyana Times International Sport asked about his preparation for Sweden, Peterson said, “I participated in an event a few weeks ago. The event was great. (I) got 3rd place in the Strong Fit event, and won the Powerlifting event (overall).

“Firstly, I would like to say thanks to my spon-

ments to his techniques so that when he hits the stage nothing can go wrong.

He revealed that his opening lifts at the World’s will be Squat 680lbs/285290kg; Bench Press 350lbs/150-160kg, and Deadlift 730lbs/315-320kg, because

as the event goes forward, he would be increasing his load based on how the other foreign athletes are performing.

Peterson admitted to being nervous, but said he would be putting in his final work as he prepares for the event.

Clive Lloyd believes all-rounders will have biggest roles

Carlos Peterson will be seeking gold in Sweden

sors, Fitness Express/ Jamie McDonald and Space Gym, for believing in me. It was a great event; I was able to set a main focus on what my coach, ‘Big John Edwards’, told me and execute what was planned.

“This event was mainly a warm-up for the World Classics Powerlifting Championships. (It did not only give me a mind-

set, but) it helped me to set a deeper focus on what’s ahead at World’s.

I believe the more exposure we athletes get, the better for us; not only in training, but we’re able to see where we (are) at, and what’s missing.”

Peterson also related that, in terms of his preparation, the process never ends, as he continues to train, making adjust-

Greatest Captains of all times- Sir Clive Lloyd

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ONDON, United Kingdom (CMC) — One of the greatest West Indies captains of all time, Sir Clive Lloyd expects all-rounders to play a decisive role in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup. Sir Clive, who led the Windies to their only two World Cup titles in 1975 and 1979, said with the pitches in England predicted to be flat, he be-

lieved the play of those multidimensional players would determine the winner.

“From Afghanistan to England, or from India to West Indies, every team is blessed with top-class all-rounders, that's why I believe it will be an allrounders' World Cup,” Lloyd said.

With the Windies skipper Jason Holder currently ranked as the best Test all-rounder in the world and sixth best in ODIs, along with the explosive Andre Russell in the side, Lloyd said he expected the regional side to give a good showing.

He said the West Indies would be confident after drawing their ODI series with top-ranked England 2-2 in March.

“The West Indies Cricket Board has brought back the main players who have been doing well in different tournaments around the world. They will try their best.

“During the last 20-odd years, we lost so many good cricketers. I think the good cricketers have again come up with the intention of doing good,” Lloyd insisted.

The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup will run from May 30 until July 14.

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WEEK ENDING MAY 26, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

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