Guyana Times International 5th April 2019

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Dual citizenship dilemma hits Guyana’s Parliament ISSUE NO. 443

WEEK ENDING APRIL 7, 2019

…Confusion reigns as Govt backpedals; “resignations” have no immediate effect

…PPP’s Teixeira, Lumumba to give up foreign citizenship; Anamaya to step down

See stories inside

Upon completion of the extended runway at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, it would be the largest within the CARICOM community. (CJIA photo)

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NEWS 3

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Dual citizenship dilemma hits Guyana’s Parliament

…Confusion reigns as Govt backpedals; “resignations” have no immediate effect

…PPP’s Teixeira, Lumumba to give up foreign citizenship; Anamaya to step down

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pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo does not believe the coalition Government is serious when it comes to the resignation of their Members of Parliament (MPs) who hold dual citizenship status. This statement comes on the heels of Government saying on Wednesday that the resignation of its four Ministers, which was announced on Tuesday, will take effect only after certain constitutional processes are completed.

However, speaking at his weekly press conference on Wednesday, Jagdeo said the res-

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge

ignation of Ministers Joseph Harmon (State), Carl Greenidge (Foreign Affairs), Dominic Gaskin (Business) and Dr Rupert Roopnaraine (Public Service) was done only because of mounting public pressure on their duplicity since they fully accepted the Court of Appeal’s decision that the Opposition’s Noconfidence Motion was invalid but refused to accept both the High Court and Appeal Court’s ruling that dual citizens are not qualified to sit in the National Assembly.

“So they were caught in a dilemma and I think they’re trying to

Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira

get out of that dilemma (but) there’s quite a bit of confusion in this mat-

ter because they’re not sincere about it,” he notcontinued on page 7

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EDITORIAL

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Damage control mode

ast week, the Government staged what turned out to be a massive event at the Square of the Revolution. Its purpose was to allow citizens to meet and interact with various officials. Members of the public were also allowed the opportunity to raise issues of concern with the expectation of them being resolved or at the least, having the process initiated.

Representatives from some State agencies were also available to provide whatever support was needed in keeping with the intended purpose of the event. From all reports, the turnout was overwhelming as evident from the long lines as people braved the scorching heat to take advantage of what was supposedly offered. Under the modest tents were many Ministers who abandoned the comfort of their plush airconditioned offices to engage the residents.

The event, when viewed in isolation, is well-intended, welcomed and necessary as part of the process of making the Government accessible to the populace. When a more holistic perspective is taken, the activity can be seen as knee-jerked designed to convey the impression that the Government is caring and easily accessible. The latter, when examined in the current political context, can be seen as far from the truth.

The main premise for this is that, in almost four years since in office, the Government has not been engaging the citizenry in the manner expected. Unlike the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), which was known for sustained engagements with the public at various levels across the country, the current government built a reputation of being confined to offices.

The President, even prior to the official announcement of his illness, was not seen as having a preference to meet residents in their villages or through Cabinet outreaches as was a hallmark of the PPP/C. As a matter of fact, he did not avail himself for press conferences and apparently agreed only after pressure from the media and sections of society. Save and except the few Ministers who facilitated members of the public on assigned days, there was little else that could have been deemed as engaging the public in a meaningful way.

That drastically changed after the no-confidence vote on December 21, 2018. Having accepted on that historic night that it had fallen and would abide by the decision, and, even though it completely changed its mind after the injection of a controversial mathematical theory, the Government almost immediately embarked on exercises to meet citizens.

Some Ministers who never engaged in such activity hit the road and the fields with the weather appearing to be of little concern. The sudden and noticeable switch to meet with the ordinary folk was clearly precipitated from the action of one of its former Members of Parliament, Charrandas Persaud. His “yes” vote that led to the success of the noconfidence motion was what put into motion the Government’s action of rubbing shoulders with residents in the streets.

Despite him being vilified and despised by his former colleagues in the Government, it can be unambiguously stated that Charrandas’ vote literally woke up the Government. Through its unsurprising spin and fear of losing office, the Government is now advertising itself as caring, and accessible. It’s the complete opposite of what it appeared to be by its own actions prior to December 2018.

Many questions were asked as to why the Government seemingly secluded itself from the people. Some have posited that it would have been challenged to defend the draconian measures it introduced after taking office in May 2015. Those measures inflicted serious financial consequences as hundreds of jobs were lost and some businesses closed. The social impact continues to be devastating.

The bleak situation hasn’t changed and the Government has found itself in a situation where it is forced to engage the populace in an effort to show it possesses caring traits. In doing so, taxpayers’ money are spent to prepare the venue with tents, etc, to facilitate those who attended. Those familiar with such costs will know how steep it could be.

With that in mind, wouldn’t it have been more prudent for each of the Ministers to have extended engagements at the various Ministries to, at the least, spare from the blistering sun? By the same token, couldn’t the same be done for the Government agencies that were involved? These questions seem unavoidable in the context of what might have been the real purpose – a genuine engagement or a public relations activity.

The first option would demand sustained and meaningful interactions throughout the tenure; the second, an exercise in damage control. From what is evident since May 2015 to December 2018, and having been made to realise its apparent neglect of the public, the Government may have had no option but to enter a mode of damage control as it seems to be in now.

A scene from the Phagwah celebrations in Queens, New York. (Geeta Mohan Cheddie photo)

Hindus from the US and India should take a trip to Guyana

Dear Editor, Like most Americans, the only thing I knew about Guyana was that a very tragic event transpired some 40 years ago in the jungle that featured a megalomaniac preacher. There is a saying that we in the US can’t locate a country on a map until our military bombs it.

Among all the things I learned over the past few years is that Guyana has a sizable Hindu population. Thankfully, attending the annual Hindu Mandir Executive Conference in Trinidad some four years ago resulted in a serious offer to visit. The trip would be sponsored by a few Guyanese along with my advocacy organisation, The Hindu American Foundation (HAF), where I sit on its National Leadership Council (HAFSITE.ORG).

Though the A in HAF specifically indicates “America,” as in “the United States of…” the Board and staff agreed that we must not dismiss such sizable populations in close proximity.

The scenery in Guyana is awesome but it is the people that really make the lasting impressions. I was immediately overwhelmed with great kindness and hospitality.

The 1st few of my 9 days were spent at The Social Services Centre of Excellence in Woodley Park, WCB. This was founded by Pandit and educator, Ram Rattan, who currently spends most of his time in Florida but continues to maintain a presence in Guyana.

This is truly a jewel of a place, offering classes for social and individual improvement. Sri Ramji was kind enough to provide me with a room and all meals when he learnt the purpose of my trip. He even joined me for several of the lectures I gave in that general area.

Since so many Indians who became indentured in Guyana

were from Utter Pradesh, my experience allowed me to sample new tastes—seven curry on lotus leaves.

One breath-taking trip was the ferry from Parika to Essequibo. Everything about it—the water, passing the beautiful islands, and the wonderful breeze, all contributed to a feeling of great content.

Guyana has absolutely stunning homes. What impresses most is the originality of the designs and architecture.

All the houses are unique, unlike our dull subdivisions. I know that Guyana is not a “rich” country, but everyone in the US with whom I shared my photos would like to visit. I saw many inspiring temples outstanding among which was the one at Gay Park, overseen by female Pandita, Srimati Maraj.

Our guide for the day, generous and always willing to help, Rudy (back shop) Rampersaud, made sure that we visited the site where indentured servants first landed in 1838.

I would encourage Hindus from the US and India alike to take a lesson from the way pujas and yagnas are conducted in Guyana. We spend too much time in rituals that few can understand but in the land of endless summer, the rituals are briefer. There is always an accomplished harmoniumist and percussionist. The power of bhajans creates an atmosphere of true bhakti. The kathas delivered by the pundits are the centre of attention. Drawing from the stories of the Ramayana (mostly) they engage the devotees in a way that I don’t often see in standard American Hindu temples.

There are exceptions here, but they are rare.

At US temples people overindulge in socialising. No matter if it is a church, synagogue or mosque, members have to be constantly told to stop talking.

However, at a yagna with over 500 in attendance at Hampton Court on the Essequibo Coast, all eyes and ears were on presiding Pandit Lalaram from the Bath Settlement, Berbice.

They were also very kind to me when I was asked to speak.

Visiting and staying with Swami Aksharananda allowed me to speak for an entire day to the students at Saraswati Vidya Niketan, a private Hindu School at Cornelia Ida. The behaviour of the children, their rigorous schedule and the quality of the teachers, all contributed to its status as one of the best in the country. If we could import that level of academic professionalism to the US we would have a greater nation.

Fixed in memory is a trip to the Stabroek Market, where I was able to purchase a beautiful gold necklace from the most venerable jewellery merchants in Guyana. I was warned that this was not the safest place for a white foreigner, but I was fortunate to have Swami with me.

The purpose of my trip was to investigate the challenge that the Hindu community is dealing with what we call predatory conversion. While acknowledging the sanctity of a person’s decision to move from one religion to another, we know that some religious groups use methods on individuals and communities to persuade them to adopt a religion they wouldn’t normally join if not for pressure. This coercion can come in the form of bribery, medical aid, professional gains, etc. It was thought that a white American who did, in fact, leave his birth religion of his own accord to embrace Dharma might have a positive impact on the devotees who have to deal with ideas of superiority that the European explorers took with them to their colonies. continued on page 7

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What is left for Guyanese?

Dear Editor, The entry-level jobs in Guyana are going to the immigrants for a myriad of reasons.

The obvious is that migrants work for less money, are willing to endure harsher conditions as they make the first step on the ladder to success and Guyanese citizens are not aggressively pursuing entry-level jobs. This is a well-known phenomenon in developed countries but Guyana is by no stretch of the imagination close to being considered “developed”. In fact, it was only after years of sustained growth and systematic debt repayment and relief that Guyana moved from being classified as a Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) to an Upper MiddleIncome country, and that was with the consideration that oil has been discovered in commercially exploitable quantity. The problem would seem to lie with the workforce and Government policy. In this season of political panacea, where in the national discourse is the discussion of this fundamental issue of jobs and future of our youth?

A senior manager at a large

foreign conglomerate with expansive operations in Guyana had this to say about youth and employment “Unemployment???

That’s pure unadulterated BS. .. I interview countless young men for jobs and they would tell me the money we are offering can’t mind them…or after they get the job they are often late or absent with a dumb ass excuse of transportation hard.

I totally understand that it’s a Government responsibility to create jobs but it’s the people who have to want to jobs that are available”. This sentiment has been repeated by managers and employers in every sector that I asked questions throughout Guyana.

Our country has a problem of colossal proportions, we are not fostering a culture that appreciates a hard work ethic; understanding of the value of a job and its implications for a person’s future wellbeing and security.

Guyanese children do not have “holiday” jobs while on school vacation, there are no paper routes for school children, the children who man the “sweetie” stands for parents are the

only ones learning that lesson of work equals food and shelter.

The affluent and middle-class are making a grievous error in judgment by not encouraging or allowing their offspring to earn through work or enterprise during their formative years.

As a child of an affluent father who encouraged every aspect of our development, I can, with pride, talk of lessons learned from “eating the profits” of our boyhood gang’s chicken-rearing business and many other small ventures aimed at earning our own money. These are life lessons learned through trial and errors and are invaluable in the adult world. Given the appetite of some of the members of my youth ‘co-operative’ I can definitively say “partnerships are all too often sinking ships!”

Government too must play its part in this period in our evolution, with no clear policy on immigration in place, our youth that are willing to take entry-level jobs and gain valuable experience are being denied that opportunity. Promises of ‘oil jobs’ after a three-day workshop are folly and electioneer-

ing gimmickry, with entry-level jobs going to immigrants and top-level management jobs being filled by ‘expatriates’ what is left for Guyanese? Are we to become a nation of clerks? Clear leadership is needed on this issue and urgently. President Granger has made pronouncements on the issue where he has urged entrepreneurship. What he has not done, is create an enabling environment shaped by policy and helpful actions by the Government.

The youth of our nation must be made aware that we are at a critical juncture in history that affects them most. Young people must ask “Who is looking out for me and my future?”

In four years, the Granger Administration has presented no legislation on “local content” for the approval of the National Assembly. You, my young brothers and sisters, are that “local content”, get involved. Absens haeres non erit (an absent person will not be an heir).

Respectfully, Robin Singh

More chaos as Govt flip flops Dear Editor, First their resignation was accepted with immediate effect, then portfolios to be handled by stand-ins, now earlier position recanted and resignations not effective immediately.

In full flip-flop mode reminiscent of the passage of the no-confidence motion, more chaos is being created since some portfolios were already distributed.

Oh, what a tangled web.

Sincerely, S h a m s h u n Mohamed

Guyana is at a defining moment The majority of a vote in its history by “all elected members” is, by definition, an absolute majority

Dear Editor, With thousands of young people entering the workforce each year; fiscal resources severely constrained; and economic, social and political risks on the rise, Guyana is at a defining moment in its history.

Bolstering the private sector is critical to meeting this challenge.

However, the key to success remains elusive, principally because there is no trust between the regime and the real engine of economic growth (the business community).

Additionally, this policy arrogance on the part of Team Granger is fuelled by a myth that these oil investments would bring an end to all of Guyana’s troubles, and thus a marginalised private sector is no big deal.

But the empirical evidence points to a different outcome, if these oil resources are not managed transparently and with a long- term, sensible and efficient work plan.

The key to Guyana’s success remains in urgently unlocking the latent energy of private investments ON LAND, (both local and foreign), which would have a direct impact on the lives of the people. That will take genuine policy reforms to increase access to finance for the private sector, and improve the effectiveness of the public sector. Until that happens, we are wasting time in Guyana.

The bottom line remains that there is an urgent need for a smaller government and a bigger private sector; not the other way around.

This is the ideological shift that Team Granger are struggling to appreciate. They have actually expanded the public sector by some 10 per cent since May 2015, and have taken active steps towards crowding out the private sector. The ratio of private investment to GDP at the end of 2018 is expected to be under 20 per cent of GDP, based on the latest projections (the Minister is yet to release the 2018 End of Year Report with final numbers, and it is almost April 2019).

With the private sector having such low confidence in the economy, there will be adverse effects on the economic health of the nation. This will directly impact the economic well-being of the people, especially those residing at the bottom half of the economy, who live mainly in rural and hinterland Guyana.

This lack of confidence is creating blockages for the nation in accessing the necessary technological innovations that can bring the promised economic empowerment and upliftment truly needed by the people. For all the years that Guyana existed as an independent nation, we are still a raw materials producer in the main, and to rub salt into our

wounds, Jamaica is now exporting pigeon peas in tins to Guyana. This is something we used to do on our own, but we are no longer capable of doing at a commercial level.

The challenge is real, the quality of the school leavers is at the lowest level ever, the few infrastructure improvements are mired in massive corruption (see the CJIA Airport Project), and the capability levels in the Cabinet Room and at the Head of Department level in the public service are just plain downright incompetent.

These people just cannot get the job done.

The need for policy action to boost private investment is more critical than ever in Guyana. Policymakers need to focus on surrounding themselves with the best minds and on the necessary reforms that can help the nation catch up with their peers on education, infrastructure, financial development, and governance. These reforms would help offset the headwinds from global factors outside the nation’s control.

For us to succeed, the days of ethnic marginalisation must be over. This voyage demands all hands on deck to shore up the nation’s economic resilience for the future.

Can they do it? What ever happened to “let us co-operate for Guyana” Mr. Granger?

Regards, Sasenarine Singh

Dear Editor, I do not understand why even distinguished lawyers are having protracted arguments about the fact that our Constitution does not use the word “absolute” in describing the type of majority required

he has described to me as his “new math” theory of the halfman, I immediately began a marathon of sleepless nights of legal research which yielded much fruit. In the course of this research, I came across the simple explanation of why the

for the successful passage of a vote of no-confidence.

I hold neither a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) nor a Legal Education Certificate (LEC).

What I do hold is a rare Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Economics and Law from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, where I was taught Constitutional Law by the once Honourable Dr Kenny D Anthony and where I developed a passion for research.

When my good friend, Nigel Hughes, came up with what

word “absolute” is not used in the Constitution.

The simple reason is that it is not necessary. The framers of our Constitution were, unusually for lawyers, very precise and verbosity was anathema to them. There was no reason to say “absolute majority” because this is defined in the rest of the Article. The majority of a vote by “all elected members” is, by definition, an absolute majority.

Regards, FE Alleyne

news 7

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Dual citizenship dilemma...

Speaker is absent from Guyana, to the Deputy Speaker”; while Article 156 (4) (a) says: “The Speaker shall declare the seat of a Member of the National Assembly vacant where – (a) the Speaker receives a written declaration of the Member of the National Assembly… or (b) the Representative of the List issues a notice of recall…”

signed will remain in the Government service and this will be finalised when President Granger returns from Cuba, where he’s receiving treatment for NonHodgkin lymphoma.

But according to Jagdeo, this now means that taxpayers will have to carry the expenses of not only these four resigned Ministers, who will probably preserve

from page 3

the three Opposition MPs – Chief Whip Gail Teixeira, Odinga Lumumba and Adrian Anamayah – who are also dual citizens, will also resigned. He noted that they have already written to the Representative of the List, Donald Ramotar, and by next week, will all submit letters to the Speaker of the House.

However, the Opposition MP Adrian Anamayah

Business Minister Dominic Gaskin

ed.

This lack of sincerity and honesty by Government, according to the Opposition Leader, are reflected in the missives sent out by the Government over the past two days, indicating firstly the President has accepted the resignation of the four Ministers and that they would not return to the National Assembly, but then backtracked on that to say that the resignations will not take immediate effect until the necessary processes are completed.

“What process apart from a resignation (letter) to the President is required for you to resign as a Minister? As Member of Parliament, you have to send a letter to the Speaker and how long does it take to write a letter to the Speaker?

It could be done immediately…but clearly these people think Guyanese are fools; that we will buy this garbage that they shove at us every single day and we will not recognise that they are taking us for a ride.

But I have great faith in the people of this country, that they will recognise what is going on here.” Jagdeo asserted.

Immediate effect

One day after announcing the resig-

nation of the four Government parliamentarians, President David Granger in a statement from the Ministry of the Presidency on Wednesday said that while he accepted the resignation of the MPs, their resignations will not take effect immediately as there are several processes which have

Minister of State Joseph Harmon

to be applied.

These, he noted, include submitting their letters of resignation to the Speaker of the National Assembly, as well as a letter to the Representative of the

Hindus...

from page 4

In my conversations with retired lawyer and Guyanese-Canadian writer, Ram Sahadeo, we discussed a lecture tour I completed back in 2005 when I crisscrossed much of India’s northeast states, speaking at local temples, schools and public venues in an attempt to resist the rampant predatory conversion practices there.

There seemed to be much interest in our mission in Guyana. Several good connections were made

List from which they were elected.

Article 156 (1) (a) of the Constitution states: “A member of the National Assembly shall vacate his or her seat therein – if he or she resigns it by writing under his or her own hand addressed to the Speaker or, if the Office of the Speaker if vacant or the

and many ideas were discussed but much more coordination is needed to combat this problem using the Gandhian principle of Ahimsa.

Anyone interested in a more detailed report can contact me at Fred@ hafsite.org Sincerely, Fred Stella Member, National Leadership Council Hindu American Foundation

On this note, the President reminded that the nomination of new members can be done only after the extraction of names from the National TopUp list is approved by the Guyana Elections Commission.

This means the four MPs will remain Ministers until those processes are completed.

Furthermore, the Head of State indicated in the missive that he has not approved their replacements in the National Assembly at this time.

However, in a statement from the coalition Cabinet on Tuesday, it was noted that these four Ministers when re-

their current benefits and perks, but also that of their replacements as well.

Backpedals

On the other hand, the coalition Government also announced on Wednesday that the three A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Ministers of Government who have resigned from the National Assembly have indicated that they will renounce their foreign citizenship. These are Harmon, Greenidge and Roopnaraine.

Gaskin, an Alliance For Change (AFC) member, is a born Briton.

Meanwhile, Jagdeo also announced that

Opposition Leader explained that only Teixeira and Lumumba will be renouncing their foreign citizenship.

“Adrian Anamayah will not renounce. He has explained to me that there are family obligations and other issues so he will not renounce because of those commitments he has…,” Jagdeo noted.

Nevertheless, he revealed that Teixeira has already commenced the process and is awaiting a response from the Canadian authorities on her application for an expedited renunciation, while Lumumba is expected to start his process soon.

8 news

AFC’s Sherod Duncan sent packing from Guyana Chronicle

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he Guyana National Newspaper Limited (GNNL) on Wednesday said it terminated the services of its General Manager, Sherod Duncan, following recommendations from an audit which found that there were several breaches of financial regulations.

Duncan, who was the Alliance For Change (AFC) Councillor for the city of Georgetown and Deputy Mayor, served as General Manager of the company from June 1, 2018 to April 1, 2019.

The Board of Directors of GNNL in a statement said the decision to dismiss Duncan came after a five-hour long meeting at the company’s office where Duncan and his legal representative, Attorney James Bond were given the opportunity to provide an explanation in response to the findings of the audit report, which was dated March 18, 2019, and answer questions posed by the Directors as to why he should not be disciplined in accordance with the recommendations of the report, which was presented by the Office of the Auditor General.

“All Directors agreed that numerous breaches identified in the report in all of the areas under review were of a serious nature and disciplinary action against the General Manager was necessary especially since he was on probation,” the statement said.

According to the statement, one Director recommended one month suspension and an extension of probation for Duncan while two other Directors recommended an extension in the probation period while three other Directors held the view that Duncan’s services be terminated with immediate effect for gross misconduct.

The GNNL Board comprises of a Chairman and six Directors; one of whom was absent at the time of voting and a workers’ representative without voting rights.

A vote on the matter of termination of services was called and three Directors voted against, while three voted in favour. There was a tie and the Chairman Geeta Chandan-Edmond supported the termination of Duncan in accordance with Article 94 of the Company’s Articles of Incorporation.

There are over 20 transactions conducted under Duncan’s watch or by Duncan himself, which were in blatant violation of financial regulations.

A special audit ordered by the Office of the Auditor General found numer-

WEEK ENDING APRIL 7, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana Police to use body cameras during traffic stops, arrests

Sherod Duncan

ous violations during the short threemonth period under Duncan’s stewardship of the company.

Auditing firm Chateram Ramdihal Chartered Accountants conducted an audit of the State newspaper’s operations from June 1, 2018, to September 10, 2018.

The audit found that tender rules were violated, services were procured without contracts and approvals were given for payments without the regular procedure of company stamp or signature.

Further, cash advances were given to Duncan to travel overseas but he did not clear the amounts. It was also found that the company’s personnel policy and procedures manual were ignored during the recruitment, termination and dismissal of employees.

Guyana Chronicle has a Management Tender Committee, which approves transactions ranging from G$100,000 to G$300,000 before payments are made. But during the stipulated time examined, no approval was given for nine such transactions valued at G$1.6 million.

Duncan took an overseas trip with the marketing coordinator for the resuscitation of the publication’s New York edition. This trip cost an excess of G$736,028, but there was no approval for such an event and to date, no relevant documents were brought forward to support these expenditures, the audit found.

Efforts to contact Duncan for a comment on the issue proved futile.

A

s part of the reformation process for a more modernised and efficient Guyana Police Force, 40 ranks from within D Division (West Bank Demerara-East Bank Essequibo) were trained to use Portable Video Recording kits or ‘body cameras’.

The purpose of the training was to allow ranks to be able to operate the equipment to capture digital audio and video evidence for criminal, civil and traffic related offences, which will also assist ranks with recalling facts and other details captured by the equipment that would accurately relate a chain of events when writing reports, Police headquarters said in a state-

ment.

The ranks will be required to wear the body cameras during their shift at all times and should activate it when it is absolutely necessary in situations such as traffic stops, priority responses, vehicle pursuits, arrest situations, vehicle searches, physical confrontations and crimes in progress etc.

The training was conducted at the Leonora Police Station Recreational Hall on March 27, 2019, by Constable 24148 Callace Isaacs and Constable 24606 Leon Joseph of the Information Technology Department of the Guyana Police Force.

“Cobra” slapped with 15year sentence for murder

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yrone Rowe, popularly known as “Cobra,” was on Tuesday slapped with a 15-year jail sentence after pleading guilty to a lesser count of manslaughter for the unlawful killing of Troy “Natti” Collymore.

Rowe, of Albouystown, was charged for the 2010 murder but pled guilty to a manslaughter charge when he appeared before Justice Navindra Singh at the High Court during the commencement of the April Demerara Assizes.

He also pled guilty to an armed robbery charge to which he was given a nine-year sentence. The sentences will run concurrently which means that he will spend 15 years in prison.

In addition, the time Rowe spent on remand will be deducted from the sentence. In August 2010, Collymore, of Plaisance Squatting Area and Chandrika Datt called “Shiv,” of Industry, were chatting in front of a drug store at Plaisance, ECD. Datt, however, left to close the store after dealing with a customer. At this point, three armed men including Anthony Taylor, called “Bow Wow,” and Tyrone “Cobra” Rowe confronted

Murder convict: Tyrone “Cobra” Rowe

Collymore and an overseas-based Guyanese, Noel Phillips.

One of the men reportedly entered the store and held up Datt while Taylor and another accomplice accosted Collymore and Phillips.

The armed man took a quantity of jewellery valued at G$320,000 along with eight laptop computers from Datt, while his accomplices took jewellery valued at G$600,000 and an undisclosed sum of cash from Phillips.

During the robbery, several rounds were discharged which resulted in Taylor being shot and killed. Phillips was shot to his right arm and chest and Collymore was

shot to his head. In addition, a passer-by was shot to his left side jaw.

The alleged ringleader, “Cobra,” and his accomplice escaped.

Collymore was declared “brain dead” by doctors and succumbed two days later.

Rowe was subsequently apprehended and charged. In 2013, he was found guilty by a jury for the murder of Collymore and was sentenced to 78 years’ imprisonment by Justice Singh.

Rowe, through his attorney, appealed the ruling which was accepted and in July 2018, his conviction and sentencing were overturned.

As such, he was entitled to a new trial.

NEWS 9

WEEK ENDING APRIL 7, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Jagdeo for US, Trinidad trips this weekend G

An ecstatic Ayasia May LaFleur reacts upon hearing the news that she had won a G$4.5M house through the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) Open House Lottery

Rose Hall Estate workers take to streets over poor working conditions

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ield workers, who previously worked with the Rose Hall Estate and who have been transferred to the Albion Sugar Estate, are demanding their severance pay, saying efforts are being made to frustrate them and management of Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) seems to be in a direct ploy to force them to leave the job.

The workers staged a picketing exercise outside the old Rose Hall Estate compound, chanting “Severance!

Severance. No wuk.”

Workers are upset over the working conditions at the Albion Estate. Speaking with the media, the workers said the persons who were transferred from the Rose Hall Estate are being discriminated against by the management of GuySuCo. According to the workers, they are not told where they have to work until they arrive each morning at the estate. The workers also alleged that even if the work is not worth their labour, they are forced to work since the lorry driv-

er refuses to take them back home.

Some of the workers told this publication that the crop commenced five weeks ago and to date they are still to receive tools.

The workers also claimed they have to travel long distances to get to work. In fact, some of them claim that on occasions, it is almost four hours after leaving home that they arrive at their work site.

The hardship, the workers said, has resulted in their earnings being reduced by more

Cops hold 5 over brutal murder of young footballer

Dead: Christopher Mansfield, also known as “Gully Bop”

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s investigations continue into the murder of 18-year-old Christopher Mansfield who was stabbed, chopped and shot in Albouystown, Georgetown on Sunday; five young men have been arrested and the Police are on the hunt for the sixth.

A Police source told Guyana Times International that the five youths who

are in custody are known for their involvement in gang-related activities.

The sixth however, is reportedly the ring leader.

Eighteen-year-old Mansfield, also called “Gully Bop,” of Lot 66 Barr Street, Albouystown, Georgetown, was reportedly killed while playing football in the village.

The dead teen reportedly left home on Sunday morning to play football, something he did on a regular basis.

Police in a statement related that the murder was committed by three young men on motorcycles; one was armed with a cutlass, a knife and a gun. It was reported that the suspects approached the victim and proceeded to attack him.

During the altercation, the suspect who was armed with the gun shot the teen to the right side of his abdomen, and the injured youth barely managed to seek refuge in a nearby yard before he collapsed.

Mansfield was taken to Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC), where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His body is at the GPHC mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination.

than 60 per cent.

Meanwhile, in a statement, GuySuCo said the strike action is illegal and is in breach of the ‘Extant Collective Labour Agreement’ existing between GuySuCo and representative Union

u y a n a ’ s Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, during his weekly press conference on Wednesday, has confirmed that he will soon be travelling to Trinidad and then the United States of America where he will advance the PPP’s position and brief stakeholders, especially the Guyanese Diaspora on the political developments in the country.

Jagdeo is scheduled to leave Guyana this weekend, first for Trinidad and then for the United States.

He indicated that among the issues he plans to raise is the controversial deci-

sion by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to proceed with house-to-house registration, which the PPP continues to insist is not necessary. The Opposition Leader will also engage stakeholders on the developments in the no-confidence court case.

After the passage of the PPP-sponsored no-confidence motion against the Coalition Government on December 21 2018, the Opposition Leader had given his party’s commitment to continue engaging the Guyanese diaspora on the country’s political situation.

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WEEK ENDING APRIL 7, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Berbice murder

Magistrate denies husband’s request to see wife “one last time”

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he accused in the Williamsburg, Corentyne, Berbice murder was arraigned for the death of his 20-yearold wife on Tuesday.

However, during his court appearance, the man who allegedly hacked his wife to death begged the court to see her “one last time”.

Gavin Gill ap-

that he had been before the court previously for traffic offences and also on an armed robbery charge.

P r o s e c u t o r Inspector Althea Solomon informed the court that the prosecution was ready to commence the Preliminary Inquiry, saying that the police were able to obtain a video confession from

Kuwait writes off US$50M debt owed

by Guyana

– remainder to be paid off in 9 years

Remanded: Gavin Gill

Dead: Omawattie Gill

peared at the Albion Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Renita Singh slapped with the capital offence of murder.

It is alleged that on March 30, 2019, at Dr Tulsi Street, Williamsburg, he murdered his wife, Omawattie Gill.

In court on Tuesday, the taxi driver told the court

the accused.

Gill then told the court that while in the lock-ups, he was given “something to drink” and cannot say who had brought it for him.

He also alleged that he became unconscious and does not know what happened.

However, when he regained consciousness, he was given some-

thing to sign. He also claimed that the police arrested his mother and as such, she was unable to secure legal representation for him.

When asked whether he had any children, the accused broke down in tears and told the court that he is a father of three.

Meanwhile, Gill asked the court for an opportunity to be able to see his wife “one last time” but Magistrate Singh told him that it was not possible since she is dead.

The murder accused then requested permission to see his dead wife’s face for one minute before her funeral but again, Magistrate Singh denied the request.

He was remanded to prison and the PI will start on April 23.

Meanwhile, an autopsy performed on the body of Omawattie Gill on Monday gave the cause of death as a result of shock and

haemorrhage due to multiple stab wounds.

On Saturday last, Gill, a mother of one, was on her way to work when she was attacked by her husband.

The woman was first hit with a vehicle her husband was driving and pitched about 25 feet before being stabbed and then chopped with a cutlass.

The suspect reportedly lived in the US and returned to Guyana 17 months ago. The couple had been married for 14 months. According to relatives, Gill moved out of the matrimonial home with her sevenmonth-old baby after her husband became abusive.

She had moved out two weeks prior to her death and was living with her mother and found employment one week later.

At the time of her demise, she was on her way to work.

New York-bound woman busted with cocaine in books at CJIA

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anks of the Police Narcotics Branch have arrested a 24-year-old woman of West Coast Berbice, who had in her possession in excess of 10 pounds of cocaine concealed in books at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, East Bank

Demerara.

The four books were reportedly in her luggage. According to information received, the woman cut holes in the centre of the books and stashed the cocaine inside. She then used glue to past the pages together.

She was destined for the United States of America. Up to late Monday evening, she was being questioned by members of the Narcotics Branch. She is expected to be charged for trafficking in narcotics later in the week.

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Finance Minister Winston Jordan

he State of Kuwait has taken the magnanimous step of writing off US$50.7 million in debt owed by Guyana to the country since 1975, when the then Government borrowed the money for balance of payment support.

It is understood from the Finance Ministry that the debt writeoff was the product of an agreement signed

by Finance Minister Winston Jordan in the Middle East country on March 18, 2019.

According to the Finance Ministry, the monies saved through the agreement will be allocated to social projects set out in the national budgets. As such, the Ministry noted that the debt cancellation will allow an expansion of Guyana’s development agenda.

This debt writeoff is only a percentage, as Guyana still owes Kuwait approximately US$26.8 million. According to the Finance Ministry, however, this money will be settled through a combination of cash payments over the course of nine years, and a debt swap arrangement, which will be worked out in due course.

It is understood that Guyana’s debt from Kuwait originated from a Loan Deposit, contracted in 1975, from the Central Bank of Kuwait for US$10.3 million at the time. Since then, however, the debt accumulated arrears over the

past four decades, coupled with high market interest rates.

It was only recently that the Government of Guyana received a grant of Kuwaiti Dinars (KD) 500,000 (equivalent to GY$344 million) from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development to undertake a Technical and Economic Feasibility Study for the Redesign of the Belfield to Rosignol Road Network.

The study will be carried out by the Public Infrastructure Ministry and will aim to solve the issues of deteriorating roads, poor drainage and road safety of Belfield to Rosignol.

It is understood that the residents of more than twenty-seven villages along Belfield to Rosignol will benefit from this road project upon completion.

The redesign of the network aims to ensure enhanced capacity of the roads, strengthen trade and economic development and facilitate new and improved interactions among farming communities. It will also reduce delays and increase user satisfaction.

The Fund, one of Guyana’s developmental partners, has over the years, assisted Government to undertake feasibility studies and designs for the upgrade of road networks within the country. A similar project was undertaken in 2011 for the upgrade of the Better Hope to Belfield road continued on page 12

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WEEK ENDING APRIL 7, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Drama continues at GECOM P

…Opposition Commissioner threatens legal action over House-to-House Registration

eople’s Progressive Party nominated election’s Commissioner, Robeson Benn, is threatening to take legal action to prevent house-tohouse registration from denying a substantial bloc of citizens from exceeding their franchise, with his legal representative saying a court order will be sought if necessary.

In a correspondence seen by Guyana Times International, the Party threatened to move to the courts if the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) persists.

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who is representing Benn, explained in an interview with this publication that this could potentially disenfranchise overseas-based voters, who normally return home to exercise their franchise.

“In relation to dead people, I concede readily that that process of removing dead persons from the list should be one that should be pursued, but that shouldn’t require house to house registration. That can easily be accomplished by an exchange of data between the registrar of deaths and the GECOM.” “Because the registrar of deaths will be able to say how many persons have been recorded as dead over the past few years… And that data can be juxtaposed against the list and those persons removed by a very

Legal storm clouds are gathering over the Guyana Elections Commission

simple engagement, with relative speed and ease in this technological age.”

Nandlall explained that when GECOM staff go house to house and cannot find persons on the list living in Guyana, such persons will be de-registered.

The former Attorney General noted that Articles 59 and 159 provide for everyone to vote at General and Regional Elections once they are qualified and registered.

“What I have a problem with is the process that will remove persons on the list who are resident overseas,” he said, adding that Guyana’s Constitution does not require residency in Guyana as a qualification to be registered to vote. “Our Constitution is very clear. Once you are 18 years or over, Guyanese and registered, you can vote. So you have

Guyanese citizens, thousands of them, who are registered but when this exercise is completed, they will not find themselves in the new list and they will become disqualified through no fault of their own.”

Asked what legal remedies he will be seeking from the High Court, Nandlall said should GECOM push ahead and disregard the legal correspondence they will seek a legal order or injunction to stop the house-tohouse exercise.

Recently, former Minister of State, Joseph Harmon had said overseas-based Guyanese may lose out if they miss house-tohouse registration. He had noted that they would not be included on the new list if they are not present to register.

Even

Drama

as

legal

storm

clouds gather over GECOM’s Secretariat, another statutory meeting ended in drama on Tuesday with Commissioners walking out complaining of attempts by GECOM Chairman, retired Justice James Patterson, to block discussions about criticism from the outside world against his tenure.

In addition, the Oppositionnominated Commissioners complained that Patterson refused to permit discussions regarding the threat of legal proceedings against GECOM, as well as the ongoing legal proceedings at the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), where the Commission was recently added as a party to the proceedings.

“Chairman Patterson in the most autocratic manner was seemingly intent on only allowing continued discussion on “elec-

tions” arising out of house-tohouse registration, a matter on which discussion ended abruptly at the last statutory meeting of Tuesday, March 26, 2019,” a statement from the PPP read. “It is evident that the Chairman in collusion with the Governmentnominated Commissioners intended to avoid any references to the following matters.”

“The scathing Editorial by Stabroek News in its April 1, 2019 edition, which exposed the Chairman’s preference and behaviour relating to the Vishnu Persaud matter which engaged the attention of the Ethnic Relations Commission; a letter proposing legal proceedings, under the hand of Mohabir Anil Nandlall, attorney representing Commissioner Robeson Benn, requesting that GECOM… refrain from proceeding with this unlawful and unconstitutional exercise…,” that being houseto-house registration (and) the ongoing legal proceedings at the Caribbean Court of Justice, arising out of the No-confidence Motion.”

The Party explained that in view of the Chairman’s attempts to avoid comments and to proceed with an agenda item it noted was not listed or agreed to, Commissioners Sase Gunraj and Benn walked out of the meeting in protest.

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Berbice granny killed, set alight in backyard T

he remains of a pensioner were on Sunday evening discovered burning in her backyard. It is suspected that the woman was murdered and set alight in her backyard by the perpetrator.

The dead woman has been identified as 73-year-old Bhagwandai Deonarain, also called “Deeda”, of Lot 5 Plantation Hope, West Coast Berbice.

Police in a release said they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of the pensioner, whose burnt re- Murdered: Bhagwandai Deonarain, also called “Deeda” Coconut branches and dried cocomains were discovered in a dried-out pond at the back of her nuts were used to fuel the fire, and with the prevailing dry weather conpremises at about 19:45h.

A large portion of the victim’s es- ditions, the flames also spread to neartate (land) was also discovered de- by vegetation but had been reduced to smoke by the time the Police arrived stroyed by fire, the release indicated.

Deonarain lived alone and the and ventured into the backyard.

Deonarain had been living there Police had to be called to the house to investigate since it was reported that since 1988 with her husband who died at about 17:30h there were no lights in 2015.

A few years ago, she had a tenant on in the building which is highly unliving in the lower flat. He reportedly usual.

According to the now dead woman’s broke into the upper flat and robbed niece, Shanie Singh, she first contact- the pensioner. She was also beaten ed the Police and then family members during the robbery. Deonarain gave evidence against him in court, causing went to check on the woman.

She explained that there were no him to be jailed. He was however resigns of forced entry. “So we come leased from prison last year.

Police in a release said a man is downstairs and then we see smoke at the back and they (family members) currently in custody assisting with the decide to go and check. Is then they investigation.

The dead woman’s sister, Chan call everybody to come and see where Sukhra, told this newspaper that her they found the body.”

Singh said she only saw a part of eldest sister had been living in fear. the woman’s body when she rushed to She explained that her sister lost four the scene. “Just the head and shoulder of her teeth as a result of the beating part but beyond you cannot see any- she received from the ex-convict. As a result, she underwent surgery to rething else,” she explained.

The area where the burnt remains of the woman were found

The home belonging to the now dead pensioner

move a clot from her brain.

Reports are Deonarain had sold all of her jewellery before her husband died and lived off of her pension and assistance from family members.

Sukhra referred to her sister as being very religious and kind. The pension-

Relatives of CJIA employee killed in 3-vehicle collision call for thorough probe

The motorcycle the now dead man was riding at the time of the accident

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Dead: Collin Bourne

three-vehicular collision along the Soesdyke Public Road, East Bank Demerara (EBD), on Sunday night has resulted in the death of a 23-year-old employee of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).

The dead man has been identified as Collin Bourne of Lot 91 Timehri Prison Area, EBD, who worked as a “Red Cap” at the airport.

Based on information received, the accident occurred around 22:15h involving two minibuses (PHH 3467 and BVV 5802) and the motorcycle (CH 6758) that Bourne was driving at the time.

Reports are that the minibus, PHH 3467, was proceeding south along the eastern carriageway reportedly at a fast rate of speed whilst the other minibus, BVV 5802, and Bourne’s motorcycle were proceeding in the opposite direction.

Bourne was said to have been riding his motorcycle behind the minibus (BVV 5802) and while on the eastern carriageway, he collided with the other minibus (PHH 3467).

According to the police, as a result of the impact, the motorcyclist fell onto the western carriageway, into the path of minibus BVV 5802, and was subsequently struck down.

Bourne was picked up in an unconscious state and rushed to the East Bank Demerara Regional Hospital at Diamond Village, EBD, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The young man’s body is presently at the Lyken’s Funeral Parlour awaiting a post-mortem examination.

Meanwhile, both minibus drivers are in police custody assisting with the investigation. The police have since confirmed that the two men underwent a breathalyser test and it was revealed that the driver of minibus PHH 3467 was found above the legal limit of alco-

hol consumption.

Speaking with Guyana Times International, the young man’s father, who also works as a “Red Cap” was in a state of shock and disbelief. He stated that he was at home when he received the devastating news that his third child was killed.

The young man, who attended the Diamond Secondary School, has been employed with the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport for the past three and a half years.

He was described as an easy-going person. His distraught father is hoping that a thorough investigation is conducted into the accident which has left him mourning the loss of a child. At the time of the accident, the young man was reportedly heading to Georgetown.

The young man leaves to mourn his father and five other siblings along with other relatives and friends.

er’s remains are currently at Bailey’s Parlour awaiting an autopsy. She leaves to mourn four sisters and one brother.

The Police are continuing their investigations. (Andrew Carmichael)

Kuwait writes off US$50M...

from page 10

network.

The Kuwait loan is not the only debt Guyana accumulated dating back from the 70s. Another creditor is the YugoimportSDPR, which is a State-owned entity in the South-eastern European country of Serbia.

Government has been trying to negotiate the settlement of its debt with Serbia.

According to the Public Debt Annual Report of 2017, Guyana owed Serbia US$1.3 million, including US$745,359 as penalty interest and US$587,719 as the principal arrears. This loan was contracted since 1976.

The report in fact states that Guyana’s total public debt has been increasing over the past few years; going from G$317.7 billion in 2015 to G$344.9 billion in 2017.

Of this amount, almost 75 per cent is owed to foreigners.

According to the report, in one-year Guyana saw a 4.4 per cent spike in its debt. At the end of 2016, the total public debt was G$330.6 billion. This included G$240 billion in external debt and G$90.5 billion in domestic debt. As of 2017, external debt was G$256.1 billion, while domestic debt dropped to G$88.8 billion.

But even though Guyana’s indebtedness to external creditors has increased, so has debt servicing (repayments). According to the Bank of Guyana Quarterly Report and Statistical Bulletin released last year, repayment of external debt grew by some US$24.3 million to US$85.3 million.

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Donna Mathoo front runner to replace Gaskin as MP

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hairman of the AFC, Raphael Trotman, on Wednesday told the media that there have been deliberations within the party on a replacement for the post of the Business Minister, who resigned as a Member of Parliament because of his dual citizenship status.

Minister Gaskin was born in the NCN Berbice Manager United Kingdom.

Donna Mathoo However, according We look at their ability to Article 156 (1) (a) of the Constitution to attend sittings of the Assembly… states: “A member of the National Looking at the near and National Assembly shall longer-term, we need to vacate his or her seat take several matters into therein if he or she reconsideration,” Trotman signs it by writing under his or her own hand ad- related.

Meanwhile, Trotman dressed to the Speaker said Gaskin will continor, if the Office of the Speaker if vacant or the ue to hold the post as Speaker is absent from Treasurer of the AFC Guyana, to the Deputy and will serve in other Speaker”; while Article capacities in the future.

156 (4) (a) says: “The It was indicated that the Speaker shall declare Business Minister rethe seat of a Member of quested some weeks ago the National Assembly that he intended on revacant where – (a) the signing from his post and Speaker receives a writ- affirmation was given reten declaration of the cently for this to take Member of the National place.

Assembly… or (b) the Advocating for amendment However, going forRepresentative of the ward, he said the party List issues a notice of rewill lobby for an amendcall…”

As such, Trotman re- ment of Article 155 of the iterated that this sit- Constitution, so that peruation is somewhat sons with dual citizendifferent from other par- ship can serve as parlialiamentarians, who at- mentarians. He is of the tained citizenship in an- view that the oil sector other country after birth. will demand human reNonetheless, he said the sources, which can be AFC will comply with achieved through the rethe requirement and cruitment of persons in Donna Mathoo is one of the Diaspora.

Apart from Gaskin, the persons being conthree other Government sidered. Once confirmed, MPs namely Minister of they will announce the individual selected for State Joseph Harmon; Foreign Affairs Minister the ministerial post.

“We are in the pro- Carl Greenidge; and cess of identifying a Public Service Minister, replacement who is Dr Rupert Roopnaraine suitable and we are ex- have all resigned from amining the various lists their respective posts beand we will be making cause of the dual citizenthat announcement in ship rule.

In February, Chief due course. There are a number of persons who Justice Roxane George are eligible, Ms Mathoo had ruled on the case being one of them, and so filed by Compton Reid there is active consider- over the dual citizenship ation of appointing her,” of former AFC Member Parliament (MP) the AFC Chairman stat- of Charrandas Persaud. ed.

Mathoo was previ- In the case brought ously accused of being to the Chief Justice, Government had argued involved in fraud.

The AFC executive that Persaud’s dual citmentioned that they are izenship status invalseeking to fill Gaskin’s idated his vote in supposition with someone port of the No-confidence who embodies compe- Motion that brought the tency, loyalty and de- Government down.

The Court of Appeal livers their time during later upheld the January parliamentary sessions.

High Court ruling that “We’re looking at comit is illegal for persons petency, a person’s ability to represent us, holding dual citizenship their degree of loyal- status to be sitting in the ty if I’m to be upright… National Assembly.

NEWS 19

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WEEK ENDING APRIL 7, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Harmon justifies millions spent on Lindo Creek inquiry …inspite of several key recommendations not acted upon

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overnment is denying that monies spent on the Lindo Creek Commission of Inquiry were a waste of time; even as certain recommendations including those of a financial nature have not been acted upon.

This acknowledgement was made

by Minister of State Joseph Harmon, during a post-Cabinet press conference. According to Harmon, only some of the recommendations that had to do with restructuring the joint services have been implemented.

Harmon explained that changes have been made to ensure that more control is kept over the joint services. But there was no word on when compensation for the families of the eight victims, a major recommendation arising out of the CoI, would be paid.

“The Commission of Inquiry made several recommendations.

Some of those recommendations are administrative in nature. And they have been acted upon at the level of the Guyana Police Force and Guyana Defence Force. Some of them have pecuniary implications and those matters are still to be acted upon.”

The eight miners killed at Lindo Creek

“But I can say to you when Commissions of Inquiries sit, they make a huge amount of recommendations. For example, the Guyana Public Service Commission of Inquiry made 87 recommendations. And so you have to look at every one of these recommendations and see which ones can be implemented now and which ones can be implemented in the medium and long term.”

While Harmon acknowledged the cost of the CoI as exceeding G$100 million, he insisted that the money was not wasted as lives were lost and closure was needed.

Sometime between June 12, 2008, and June 24, 2008, miners Cecil Arokium, Dax Arokium, Compton Speirs, Horace Drakes, Clifton Wong, Lancelot Lee, Bonny Harry and Nigel Torres were shot

and killed and their bodies burnt at the Upper Berbice River mining camp, which was being operated by Leonard Arokium.

The Lindo Creek CoI was the first of what the coalition Government has said would be a series of inquiries into killings which occurred during a crime wave that began in 2002.

The CoI was established to inquire into the circumstances sur-

rounding the killings of the eight miners and to report its findings as well as recommendations to President David Granger. The CoI was completed and handed over since August of last year.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has been critical of the CoI, noting previously that the conduct of the Lindo Creek Commission of Inquiry (CoI) is reminiscent of

a Commission hell-bent on achieving a particular outcome – one which points the finger to the armed forces.

In particular, Jagdeo had expressed concern over what he said was the slant the CoI was taking and had pointed to the manner in which witnesses were being cross-examined, as though the testimony must fit a particular narrative.

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WEEK ENDING APRIL 7, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Ex-GDF officer jailed for 22 years over killing of 13-month-old

Dead: Arianne Gill

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arc Angoy of Buzz Bee Dam, Craig, East Bank Demerara (EBD), was sentenced to 22 years’ imprisonment by Justice Navindra Singh after pleading to a lesser count of manslaughter.

The 44-year-old was accused of killing 13-month-old Arianne Gill and feloniously wounding the child’s aunt, Ashley Wellington, on October 18, 2015, at Eastville Housing Scheme, East Coast

Demerara (ECD).

After his plea, he was sentenced to 14 years for the murder and another eight for the felonious wounding.

The sentences will run concurrently.

Angoy was represented by Attorneyat-Law Mark Conway while the State was represented by Prosecutors Tuanna Hardy, Abigail Gibbs and Teriq Mohammed.

The shooting reportedly stemmed from a restraining order that was taken out against him by his former lover, Shelly Norton, after being a victim of physical abuse.

It was reported that the former Guyana Defence Force member was previously charged, but later acquitted, for the murder of a man in 1998 at Twelve and a Half Miles Issano, Mazaruni, Region Seven.

However, during his confession, Angoy reportedly told detectives that he was angry that the woman had filed the restraining order al-

Second manganese miner air-dashed from Mathews Ridge succumbs The workers boarding a flight on Monday

A Murder accused: Marc Angoy

though he gave her everything she wanted to live a comfortable life.

On the day in question, he reportedly went to Norton’s Annandale, ECD home with the intention of killing her.

Armed with a gun and peering through a window, the suspect reportedly fired into the house.

The bullets struck and killed 13-month-old Arianne Gill and wounded her 12-year-old aunt, Ashley Wellington.

second manganese miner who had been air-dashed to Georgetown has now succumbed to the deadly leptospirosis disease outbreak while receiving medical treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

Reports are that this man had contracted the lethal virus and after exhibiting severe symptoms along with some of his colleagues, he fell terminally ill at the Matthew’s Ridge village, Region One, last week.

Health Minister Volda Lawrence had confirmed on Tuesday that 200 mining employees are being assessed for leptospirosis after several workers of GMI fell ill and one died.

The Minister noted that several tests were done on the miners and samples will be sent to the Caribbean Reference Laboratory, in St Vincent and the Grenadines, for further evaluation.

On Saturday last, a medical team from the Mabaruma Hospital was deployed to Matthews Ridge. Eight persons were air-dashed to the city after one died.

The symptoms the men exhibited

were pain, fever, headache and respiratory distress.

Meanwhile on Monday, six more miners from Matthews Ridge were flown out to the city with similar symptoms.

During the interview on Tuesday, Lawrence noted that there were no reports of any new cases at health centres in any neighbouring villages. As such, she said there was no suspected connection to the Venezuela border situation, since only the miners who were working at a particular tunnel have been affected thus far.

The manganese mining company has been instructed to halt further exploration until the Public Health Ministry and a team from the Occupational Health and Safety Department of the Social Protection Ministry advice further on the matter.

While the specialists continue to work on the patients admitted on Saturday, results have shown that two patients tested positive for leptospirosis, which is known to be spread through direct contact with rat urine or faeces.

Minister Adams-Yearwood bemoans low occupancy Duo remanded for 2014 rate at housing schemes murder of businesswoman

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By Rupa Sewnarine

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he establishment of many developing housing schemes along the stretch of coastland has not eliminated the low occupancy rate, as many of the allocated plots remain uninhabited.

This was the position shared by the Junior Communities Minister with responsibilities for Housing, Valerie Adams-Yearwood, who mentioned that the occupancy rate of many housing schemes remains below what is expected.

“It is no secret that while a number of schemes were developed in the past, the occupancy rate remains low, something that cannot be sustained… All those lots that were sold and most of those owners would have received their certificate of titles which gives them

ownership,” said Yearwood-Adams.

She made these remarks on Friday during an Open Day event, where the public was given an opportunity to view 50 houses that were constructed for low-income earners.

Because of the low numbers, the Minister stated that they are moving to repurchase these lands and allocate it to those who are searching for land.

“If you know people who have a house lot and they’re not occupying it all these years, tell them come into [the Department of] Housing and sell it back to us. We’re going to pay the price we sold them for,” she mentioned.

Through a collaborative effort by a number of contracting agencies, the Department of Housing unveiled the structures, which were built at Prospect on the East Bank Demerara.

alcolm Cully and Shaheed Alli on Tuesday were jointly charged for the 2014 murder of businesswoman Sumintra Dinool and were taken to the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The two men were not required to plea to the indictable charge which stated that at 04:00h on June 19, 2014, they gagged, bound to her bed and strangled 65-year-old businesswoman Sumintra Dinool at her Barr Street, Albouystown, Georgetown home. Reports are, Dinool’s 42-year-old son, Shah Dinool, arrived home after a night out and found his bedroom ransacked. It was then that he became suspicious and went to check on his mother, who he found gagged and dead in bed. Her hands and legs were bound with telephone cords and tied to the rails of the bed. The younger Dinool then raised an alarm and contacted his father, Sheik Dinool, who lived a few houses away. Together with another son, the men went back to the house and waited for the police.

Media reports in 2014 stated that a number of electronic equipment, including a flat-screen television set and other items, were taken from the home. However, some cash was reportedly found in the slain woman’s bedroom. According to media reports, the police had said that there were no visible signs of forced entry into the home.

The vendor had lived at the

Sumintra Dinool

Albouystown property for about 46 years. At the time of the murder, the police had questioned the son, among several other persons.

The post-mortem showed that she died from strangulation.

Malcolm Cully and Shaheed Alli were remanded to prison and the case will continue on April 23, 2019.

Cully, a 27-year-old water vendor was previously charged and remanded for wounding Ronald Khan with intent to commit murder on May 18, 2018, at Cooper Street, Albouystown.

The Virtual Compliant in that case suffered a punctured lung, three broken ribs, several lacerations about his body for which he had to undergo surgery and his condition was listed as critical.

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WEEK ENDING APRIL 7, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana’s Business Minister hails progress made by agro processors …as UncappeD Marketplace Expo 2019 deemed successful

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he UncappeD Marketplace exposition 2019 has been deemed a success by sponsors and Government. This brainchild of the Guyana Manufacturing Services Association (GMSA) saw hundreds of patrons at the Guyana National Stadium on Sunday and allowed exhibitors to showcase and sell the products, all locally made.

Speaking with Guyana Times International at the event, Business Minister Dominic Gaskin said that the event is in its third year and continues to get better.

“I am very, very pleased to be here and to walk through and actually see the progress that the local producers have made over the years in their products and their display and their packaging, their labelling and in their enthusiasm for actually selling their products, the confidence that they have that this is a good product, you try it. It is very good…the quality of packaging, I think three years ago a lot of things were in plastic bags with a little printed thing pasted on to it, a whole lot more professionally packaged products, now they can stand next to any imported product on the shelf in our local supermarkets,” the Minister said.

He stated that these are all very positive steps for local

Some patrons viewing and purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables from the booths at UNCAPPED Marketplace 2019

producers to take and now the next stage is for them to begin accessing more export markets instead of sticking to the local one.

Export market, he noted, is not easily gained but “we want, as a Government, to work with them, work with the Private Sector, the GMSA, who has really brought it to what it is today. We would like to continue working with them and see how we can encourage some of these producers to get their markets out of Guyana. It takes a lot of work but I have spoken to a number of them, some of them are already exporting, speaking with businesses outside of Guyana to market their products, so the will is there”.

He noted that the local producers need “some encouragement” to continue and make the necessary commitment in pursuing international markets because the domestic market (in Guyana) is not big enough for the “real growth and development” needed in the country’s agro-processing sector.

“We have to export and this is a very good start. The UncappeD programme, I have nothing bad to say about it. It is an excellent programme,” Minister Gaskin added.

Meanwhile, Senior Director of Public and Government Affairs at ExxonMobil, Deedra Moe told this publication that her company is proud to be a sponsor of the UncappeD ini-

tiative once again in partnership with the GMSA because the oil giant company believes that it is important not only to do business and develop the natural resources in Guyana but to also be a member of the community.

“So we hope that this type of initiative continues to highlight the wonderful small business owners that are here and help them to actually build capacity and work together and network and continue for others to be able to support the locals. This is the third year it has been in existence… there seems to be a continuing growing interest. This time I see more plants and fruits and vegetables, a variety of different things, jewellery, so it

is just not kind of like bar-bque sauces and the spices, it is kind of pretty robust across the board,” she added.

One exhibitor, Jennifer Spencer, of the Women’s Agro-Processor Development Network Group that represents a number of groups spearheaded by females in the agro-processing field, stated that she was more than pleased with the turnout at the event on Sunday. Another exhibitor, who had a wide array of flowers for sale at UncappeD Marketplace 2019, Patricia Chin, told this publication that such an initiative is the perfect opportunity to showcase what Guyanese can do and offer to both locals and the international community.

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Opposition not in favour of removing names of overseas-based Guyanese from OLE

…says there is need for enhanced scrutiny at polling places instead

O

pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo believes that there is no need to remove the names of Guyanese who are overseas from the Official List of Electors (OLE), saying that enhanced scrutiny at the polling stations can prevent any attempt at illegal voting.

Speaking at his weekly press conference last week, Jagdeo pointed out that it would be unconstitutional to remove people’s names from the voters’ list, especially if those persons are overseas for short-term visits.

“You cannot remove people’s name from a list if you’re simply abroad because what if you abroad for two or five months? Then you will lose your rights to vote, because your name would not be on the voters’ list,” he argued.

However, the Opposition Leader noted that his party – the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) – is not interested in working out a deal with the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition Government either.

He made this statement recalling that for the 1997 elections, the PPP had done that with the then People’s National Congress (PNC) Opposition, which is the leading party in the APNU alli-

ance, and ended up losing two years of its term in office owing to litigation filed by the PNC. “PNC and PPP agreed to use voters’ ID as identification absolutely necessary for voting. The same PNC, after losing elections, filed a case that the use of ID is unconstitutional and the elections were vitiated. We lost two years of our term, not because there was fraudulent elections, but because the arrangement we made with PNC was deemed unconstitutional. So we’re not interested in making no arrangements like that, so they can Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo go challenge it again,” he asmonths,” he noted. serted.

This way, according to the Moreover, he also ruled out using immigration re- Opposition, if someone from cords to cleanse the OLE, the immigration list shows up saying that it would not prop- to vote, then an alarm should erly reflect the movement be raised and that person of Guyanese, since persons will be thoroughly vetted and leave through the Suriname scrutinised before being al‘Backtrack’ route and through lowed to vote.

“Enhance scrutiny so you Lethem as well.

Instead, Jagdeo suggest- don’t have to worry about ed that a parallel list be pre- people aboard voting. So that pared in addition to the OLE, was what we suggested (as which would still have the to) how you address it. Not by removing people’s name names of overseas Guyanese.

“So each Presiding Officer from the OLE; that would be will have the Official List of unconstitutional. (You) can’t Electors and they would have remove them just like that, a list of the immigration re- but have to enhance the safecords of people who have guards that they don’t vote,” been abroad for over three he reasoned.

Extra polling agents

Further, Jagdeo, a former Head of State himself, said he had also suggested to President David Granger that monies be set aside to hire extra polling agents, in addition to those appointed by the parties, and to have an observer in each of the 2200 polling stations to lessen the chances of illegal voting and ensure that those eligible to vote are able to do so.

“Besides, GECOM (Guyana Elections Commission), themselves, have been arguing how robust their system with the Presiding Officer is. So, you would not have people, even with their names on the list and they may be abroad, they wouldn’t be able to vote and that would work well with us because we don’t steal no votes,” the Opposition Leader noted.

Jagdeo’s comment on the issue of overseas Guyanese voting comes on the heels of Government’s spokesperson, Minister of State Joseph Harmon last week saying Guyanese living overseas who usually return home to vote during local elections may not get the opportunity to do so at the upcoming polls.

Harmon said that once overseas-based Guyanese were not here to register during the house-to-house

registration exercise, then they would not be included on the voters’ list and as such, would not be allowed to vote at the next elections.

“It’s not a matter of dis-enfranchising anyone. Our laws do not provide for overseas voting save and except those persons who are in the employ of the State and are in the embassies, and so on, abroad. So persons who are Guyanese residents abroad, at the time of house-to-house if you are not here, then certainly your name cannot be on the list. That is why houseto-house is so important,” he asserted.

Only last week during a meeting with the GECOM Chairman, Retired Justice James Patterson and the Commissioners, officials from the US-based Carter Center suggested, among other things, that a list of non-resident persons be generated to use on Election Day to identify substitute voters and/or illegal voters.

GECOM has already rolled out its 2019 work programme, which includes the conduct of house-to-house registration, something which has been a topic of contention between the Opposition and Government-nominated Commissioners at the elections body.

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Cops seeking ECD Religious leader found woman over 2009 guilty of raping 9-yrmurder of fuel dealer old appeals ruling T Wanted: Milaimi Alli

O

n July 12, 2009, Good Hope, East Coast businessman, Ramzan Ali, 43, was found in the trunk of a rented white Toyota Carina AT 212 on the Railway Embankment in the vicinity of Coldingen.

Police are viewing the killing as a crime of passion. Nine years later, the police have issued a wanted bulletin for 50-yearold Milaimi Alli for questioning in relation to the murder which they say occurred between July 11 and 12, 2009.

Her last known addresses are said to be Lot 29 Good Hope, East Coast Demerara (ECD); Gordon Street, Kitty, Georgetown, and 107-15 110th Street, Richmond Hill, Queens New York.

Just a few days ago, Zaheed Mitchell, a 38-year-old driver of Foulis, ECD, was charged with the murder of the fuel dealer.

The indictment stated that Mitchell and others murdered Ali between July 11 and 12, 2009.

Mitchell was remanded to prison until April 15, 2019. It was during investigations that Ali’s name surfaced, hence an arrest warrant was issued for her arrest.

Back in 2009, the businessman’s body was found by relatives who had launched a search for him after several calls to his mobile went unanswered.

At that time, investigators could not say if Ali was shot but they informed that his skull was smashed in.

He was found with a paper bag sealed with duct tape over his head.

Ali’s death came at a time when family members were preparing to hold a religious function in memory of his brother Akbar Ali, a scrap metal dealer from Enmore who was gunned down on Brickdam on July 24, 2008.

One of the dead man’s cousins, who assisted in the search, said he observed Ali’s locked car on the Railway

Murdered: Ramzan Ali

Embankment.

Upon checking, he initially did not see anyone inside. He made further checks and observed that blood was dripping from the trunk onto the roadway.

The relative then broke the driver’s side window and unlocked the trunk where he made the shocking discovery.

“His head was bagged and taped,” the dead man’s relative had stated.

The police were contacted and they quickly cordoned off the scene and commenced their investigations.

The detectives believed that Ali was killed somewhere else and his killers brought him in his car and left him in the desolate area.

There was what appeared to be a skid mark on the parapet near where Ali’s body was discovered, leading investigators to believe that the killers fled the scene in another car.

Several persons had recalled seeing the parked car at around 01:00h but they did not have the slightest clue that it contained a body in the trunk.

hirty-three-yearold Nezaam Ali of Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, who was sentenced to 45 years’ imprisonment

by Justice Navindra Singh for raping a 9-year-old boy in 2011, through his attorneys, has appealed the ruling.

Based on reports received, Attorneys Latchmie Rahamat and Glen Hanoman filed the appeal to overturn the decision and sentencing on Thursday last, claiming that the decision was a miscarriage of justice.

The charges allege that between December 2011 and January 2012, Ali, being a teacher attached to the Turkeyen Masjid, engaged in sexual activity with the children, abusing a position of trust.

During the trial, Ali pled with the jury for mercy, as he further denied committing the offence by stating that he has erectile dysfunction and as such could not have raped the boy.

His attorney, Stanley Moore, in a plea of mitigation, further pled for mercy, revealing to the court that according to evidence, the child involved in the rape allegation did not suffer any psycho-social trauma.

Ali is yet to answer to eight other counts of rape at the High Court.

Those are expected to

Jailed: Nezaam Ali

come up next month during the new session of the Demerara Assizes.

Ali, of Lot 268 Section C 5, South Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, was first charged back in 2012 with raping the nine boys. However, after being committed to stand trial in 2013, the matter was stalled for some time after birth and medical certificates for the lads had gone missing from each of the nine files.

The parents and relatives of some of the alleged victims had, in the past, publicly expressed their frustration at the situation.

One parent had even claimed that there was a deliberate attempt to drag the matter out.

In 2017, however, there was a turn of events when

the Director of Public Prosecution’s Chambers, in a letter, ordered that the case be reopened. Ali was later re-committed to stand trial at the Demerara Assizes in 2018.

Ali is being represented by Attorneysat-Law Stanley Moore and Latchmi Rahamat The mother of three of the alleged rape victims had told sections of the media that persons had been taking photographs of her sons and she regarded this act as bullying.

Shortly after his previous committal, Ali’s then lawyer, Nigel Hughes, had filed in the High Court, an action to have the committal overturned.

This was rejected by the court and it was ruled that the committal would remain.

President Granger underlines need for more equitable society through education

P

resident David Granger, on Saturday, said that the Government puts emphasis on gender parity and is fostering equality in the society through education. The President made these remarks when he joined First Lady, Sandra Granger and several women leaders at Delices Appetisantes, an afternoon of conversation, cultural presentations and dining in observance of Women’s History Month, which was held in the Baridi Benab at State House.

The event was hosted in collaboration with the Ministry of the Presidency’s Department of Social Cohesion. The First Lady was the patron of the event.

“It is my belief that if woman were economically independent, if they were educated and if they were empowered, we would not have this sort of domination and domestic vi-

President David Granger delivers his remarks at Delices Appetisantes, which was held in the Baridi Benab at State House

olence that is taking place in this country. So, I call upon you my sisters, to move the process along by ensuring that your girl children particularly, can get to school that they are protected from abuse, that they are given education and that they

can take control of their lives,” President Granger is quoted by the Public Information and Press Unit within the Ministry of Presidency as saying.

The president also recalled that since making a request for a school bus for his 70th birth-

day in 2015, the Government has now established the Public Education Transport Service (PETS) and boasts a fleet of 29 buses.

The First Lady echoed these sentiments, noting that she too believes that empowering women enhances their quality of life as well as that of their children and families.

“Girls and our women have to be educated and independent and to know their power; to know how they are going to spend their money and to know how they are going to make the demands that come with that power and that comes with that sisterhood; then is when we will really start to see women moving forward,” Mrs. Granger said.

The First Lady noted that women who endure domestic abuse often do so because the man is the one who earns in the relationship and if the man

goes to jail, the woman worries about the wellbeing of herself and her children.

“My husband and I talk often about education, and we also talk about the burdens on women, particularly single women who are parents of children and struggle to get them to school and to put a roof over their heads and feed them…

We have to look at enforcing new legislation …charge the man and find some programme where he can continue to support the family while getting some kind of counselling and training” she said.

A number of representatives from Public Health Ministry along with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Resident Representative, Sylvie Fouet and representatives from other Government and non-governmental organisations also attended the event.

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FEATURE 29

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A

s a first-time mom, I eagerly looked forward to holding my baby girl in my arms for the first time. I already envisioned the type of child I wanted to raise and the many adventures we would experience together as mother and daughter.

Prior to her second birthday, I noticed she had very poor eye contact, she was unwilling to engage in play with me and toddlers her age, she seemed a bit stubborn, she had less than five words in her vocabulary and was not very responsive to anyone. She didn’t respond to her name; she didn’t acknowledge my presence when I returned home after a long day. I was worried about her. Why wasn’t she developing as other toddlers her age?

When she was two years old, I took her to see a psychologist who confirmed that she has mild to moderate autism.

This was very painful to hear since I had done my research and knew, to some extent, the challenges that lie ahead.

After crying for a while, I decided it was time to take action and I learnt all I could about autism and what interventions I could implement to help my beautiful baby girl. After play school, she was enrolled in a mainstream nursery school and there were several challenges in the classroom at this point.

The teacher complained of her walking out of the class during sessions, having meltdowns and a lack of social interaction, among other things.

My saving grace was that her teachers were open to understanding her condition and trying different methods to reach and teach her and get her to participate. After nursery classes, she attended the Step-by-Step School in the afternoons for interventions, and I also worked with her consistently when we were home. She slowly began to make progress and this was very encouraging to me.

Today, she is well adjusted to primary school and gets good grades. She has overcome several challenges, but yet there are others we are currently working on. She longs to feel accepted by her peers and to build friend-

ships, but she does not understand how this is done. She often feels ostracised, since she is not accepted in peer groups. Nevertheless, she has managed to maintain her grades over the years and she is working on developing other skills.

I cannot stress how important it is for parents, teachers, guardians, and professionals in the field to work together at the earliest possible time to realise optimum results.

I am forever grateful to the principal and teachers from her school who have gone the extra mile to ensure she is treated fairly and give her additional guidance and instructions as are needed.

Now, I look forward to a bright future once again with this beautiful, intelligent, talented, and energetic young lady. It’s “au-some”.

That was Rosanne Farley chronicling her experience as a mother of a child living with autism.

Rosanne’s daughter was diagnosed with mild to moderate autism in 2010 and ever since she has been working to make life easier for her. In order to better understand what her daughter is experiencing, Rosanne began working with the Step-by-Step School, where she was trained in working with children using the Applied Behavioural Approach, which is the therapy used for children with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder ( ASD).

Her daughter has been consistently improving and seeing that improvement has led Rosanne to become more invested in helping other parents who are going through the same experience.

It has been about five years now since she has been an Autism Consultant and she has helped numerous parents accept their child has an ASD. “I started screening children myself and once they scored high on the test, they would be referred to a visiting psychologist from the US. My daughter began to improve and because I was aware that there was a need and I wanted parents to understand that all is not lost when you get a diagnosis of autism, I decided to spread the

word and provide guidance for parents who need that sort of help,” she said.

Rosanne reached out to paediatricians within Georgetown and informed them of what she was doing with the hopes of them spreading the word. To date, some of those doctors would refer patients to her so that they can be screened and get the help afforded to them.

“Many parents are suffering in silence, because they do not know what is going on with the child. Autism, unlike some other disorders you cannot tell from looking at them. They look perfectly normal. It is because it is where they are on the spectrum and what behaviours they exhibit. There are some things they may get and some you expect them to get and some basic concepts the child may not understand, and that is quite frustrating to the parents and they can’t understand why my child is acting this way, why my child is speaking at a level lower.

So we help them to understand that,” she said.

For Rosanne, her biggest concern is children who are non-verbal owing to their ASD, because they are at a higher risk of being abused or molested.

“I am hoping to bring greater awareness of autism in Guyana so that parents will not be afraid to have their children tested, because there is great denial out there and I want to be

able to reach out to children and provide the therapy they need and ensure that they get it. We have schools in Georgetown for children who are moderate to severely autistic, but we have no schools for children who are mild to moderately autistic, so my focus is to reach to those who are on the mild to moderate end of the spectrum and provide the therapy they need.

"Early screening, early diagnosis, early intervention are what we need.

When this is done early, it increases the possibility of that child overcoming some of their challenges or getting better, and when parents wait until the child is eight or nine, it is more difficult and that is what is key right now. Parents need to understand that there is no reason to be afraid to get an autism diagnosis and it is not synonymous with retardation,” Rosanne declared.

To reinforce that, she uses the example of her daughter being exceptional in what is considered to be the regular school system. (Lakhram Bhagirat) (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

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Moving on…

Y …from confrontation

our Eyewitness is beyond ecstatic today at the news he just received from the DPI! He’s practically jumping into the air and clicking his heels!! Moses Nagamootoo decided to make a stand against the PNC’s scuttling of the promises they’d made in the Cummingsburg Accord! Imagine that!!

Who’d have thought he’d grow a pair after four years of humiliation and denigration?? But there it was, in black and white, on the DPI’s website, run by his loyal water boy.

The first demand was he be put back in charge of “governance” – covering the entire gamut of governmental activities, rather than just being in charge of a DEPARTMENT peddling propaganda.

And even there, the President’s PRO outfit dwarfed his two-bit operation. The worst mortification was having to personally write that weekly column in the Chronic, in which he had to sycophantly simper praises to President Granger. He pointed to the last one he wrote in yesterday’s edition, wherein he had to quote Granger at least four times!!

The second demand was on the related Cummingsburg promise to have him CHAIR Cabinet meetings, rather than having him sit in and twiddle his thumbs. He wasn’t even allowed to report on his work to Cabinet, since he wasn’t running a Ministry but just a Department!! Now he’d probably be able to get back at those snotty PNC Ministers who snickered when he attempted to get a word into any discussion.

But most of all, he insisted that Constitutional Reform begin immediately. He emphasised that it was a promise to the people, and he was a man of his word.

Your Eyewitness is sure it had nothing to do with the fact that, in the Manifesto, the constitutional change emphasised that several powers of the president would be hived off and passed on to the Prime Minister. Which just happened to be Nagamootoo.

To demonstrate that he was a “son of the soil” and a “man of the people”, Nagamootoo declared he would not be so ostentatious in public displays of his high status. He’d cut down the number of outriders that heralded his approach from twelve to eight!! He allowed that, sadly, he couldn’t reduce his whopping multi-million-dollar monthly salary, because then the Government would have to reduce the newlyconferred super pension of Hamilton Green. He didn’t want to embarrass that elder statesman, to whom he felt the PPP was very vindictive not to have awarded an Order of Roraima. He’d helped rectify that, hadn’t he?

Finally, he announced he’d apologise to those 7,000 fired sugar workers whom he’d led up the garden path!

Can’t believe this, dear reader?? Well, this is April Fool’s Day, isn’t it? …with the new math Finance Minister Jordan has a droll sense of humour, but he keeps it well hidden, doesn’t he!! Take his “announcement” that GDP growth for last year was 4.1 per cent, and even exceeded the optimistic 3.4 per cent he’d projected back then. I know you thought, dear reader, that the man was off his rocker – but he anticipated April Fool’s Day! After all, sugar has tanked – even the Chronic’s article on Jordan’s projection quotes the CDB as saying it’s shrunk by 30 per cent.

Bauxite is flat, with the Trump’s Deripaksha sanctions causing RUSAL not to ship for six months.

Production at Guyana Goldfields, the largest producer, has shrunk and precipitated a shakeup in that company. Businesses have reported a slowdown in sales; yet President Granger – probably using the same new math that Jordan used — says they don’t know what they’re talking about!!

You don’t know what “new math” your Eyewitness is talking about? It’s the same one that was used to decide that 33 isn’t greater than 32!!

So each sector shrank, and yet the economy’s growth increased …with house to house Even with a 60 per cent approval rate for the 72,000 who applied for US visitors’ visas, that means 43,000 were out in 2018 just to one destination.

If the same number of persons are out of the country this year during HtH registration, what’s their voting fate??

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FEATURE 33

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By Lakhram Bhagirat

I

t is my belief that parents of children with special needs live in their own worlds.

They create this space where imperfections are embraced as the new normal and they believe in things we ‘normal’ people cannot see as yet. Their eyes are opened to a world where we dare not venture but one where they happily dwell.

That model world has been all Yonette Collins has known for the past 19 years. Like every first-time mother, she had envisioned a certain path which her child would tread, but when she was told his path would be more unique than the one she envisioned, she did not know how to accept it. She felt that her world had shifted into the unknown and she started to panic at the level of uncertainty.

However, Yonette knew that the faster she accepted the reality, the faster her firstborn could start adjusting to the challenges in his life as she could be there to catch him every time he fell.

J u s t about 19 years ago, Yonette gave birth to Shaquille.

From the inception, she knew that he was a special boy not because he was her first born, but because he came before his time. He was eager to see what the world had to offer him and for the first year of his life, everything seemed pretty basic to him. He was developing as every infant should and even spoke three very clear words among the constant babble. He could boast about calling for

dada and identifying the doggies as well as expressing his love for everything cars.

However, as Shaquille grew, instead of developing more, he became distant. He stopped talking completely. He no longer looked at his momma when she spoke to him.

He stopped responding to her calls and this broke her heart. She knew something was amiss, but could never put her finger on it.

On a visit overseas, a family friend who had worked with autistic children told Yonette that Shaquille was exhibiting signs of someone who was on the Autism Spectrum and that she should get him checked out. Having never heard of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Yonette was puzzled so she collected all the reading materials about

A S D from the friend and upon her return home to Guyana, she started reading and researching.

“I used to look at him and he used to portray those signs in the book.

He doesn’t make eye contact, he won't respond, he had repetitive behaviour and he was fascinated with cars and he would line them up and play and so on.”

However, at that time she could not find anyone in Guyana to diagnose Shaquille so she kept observing him and trying to address the needs he had. He was doing everything in reverse and developing far later than those his age. He went to nursery school still not being able to use the washroom by himself. His communication issues had intensified with him just speaking two words at a time.

His phrases were to the point, identifying what he needed and that was all.

Children with an ASD that affects their communication ability are often taught sign language to be able to better communicate w h a t they are

feeli n g , b u t Yonette said she knew that it would be a last resort for Shaquille to learn sign language. She wanted him to be verbal and she pushed him to talk and express what he wanted. Now she can report that his phras-

es have turned into sentences with room for improvement.

After a few years, Shaquille and his family would move to the island of Jamaica where they lived for about three years. It was in Jamaica where Shaquille was officially diagnosed with mild to moderate autism, a diagnosis that brought no shock but relief to

Yonette because she knew that her special boy had very special needs.

He was about seven when he was diagnosed and she immediately accepted what was offered and began carving a path for her son to live the

best version of himself.

It is a path with numerous bumps, but a path where every little accomplishment is hailed as the greatest success. In Jamaica, Shaquille attended a school that catered for his needs and learning abilities and was rapidly progressing.

His communication issues were begin-

ning t o be addressed, he was learning by using pictures and his handwriting was IMPECCABLE. When the family returned home and got settled in Berbice, Shaquille had a big adjustment to

make. Yonette got him enrolled in the New Amsterdam Special School in order to cater to his needs.

“He is very choosy about who he gets close to him. When he was in school, I would know who is his friend. Because I was a regular visitor at the school, he would be all smiles and bring his friend to introduce them to me. Despite his communication issues I would know that this is his friend because he would be very happy.

I would be happy because I would know that he is communicating with that person,” she said.

Because of his ASD, Shaquille dislikes being touched by people who he does not know and he has severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

His OCD is the reason he was forced to drop out of school.

By the time he was about 16, the New Amsterdam Special School had grown from what it was when he first started and it meant more traffic as well as more people using the washrooms. Shaquille, because of his OCD, would not use the washroom because it would be wet or messy so after a while, he developed an infection that resulted in him being in immense pain. He was on med continued on page 34

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“I like having autism and I would never change anything about myself.

I would not be the person I am today if I did not have autism. I am very creative and smart because of this.

However, autism is just a little part of me; it is not who I am.”

W

hen their son, Milan, was officially diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at seven years of age, his parents felt a wide range of emotions. Years of uncertainty and concern suddenly collided with feelings of optimism and hope.

The family had increasingly noticed developmental differences between Milan and his twin sister, Livi. Why did Milan have sensitivity to loud noises and a heightened sense of smell? Why didn’t he like to be shown physical affection? Why was it so difficult for him to sit still for longer than a few minutes? And why

didn’t Livi seem to be affected by any of these things?

With the official autism diagnosis, the family was ready to exhaust every resource to ensure their son would have everything he needed to live a happy, fulfilling life.

"My husband and I researched autism spectrum disorder and ADHD, and spoke to Milan’s therapist and developmental pediatrician to develop a plan to deal with his diagnosis as a family. We reached out to other parents and the school social worker as well. Of course, Autism Speaks and SEPTO (Special Education Parent Teacher Organization) were also very helpful,"

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said Milan’s mom.

"We agreed that it would be best to share the diagnosis with Milan and his twin sister, who doesn’t have autism, to help them understand what the diagnosis meant.

We read and discussed children's books with them on ASD and researched autism heroes. We also shared the diagnosis with our friends and family and explained Milan’s sensitivities and needs."

Today, with the help of an Individualized Education Program (IEP), a dedicated team of teachers and paraprofessionals, and trusted medical professionals, Milan continues to make tremendous strides both socially and academically. In fact, he has come so far since his initial diagnosis that today, he’s

the proud co-author and illustrator of a children’s book titled, "Autism & Me." The paperback, co-authored b y

Milan’s former paraprofessional, tells the story of a fictional character, Mike, and creatively demonstrates how his mind works differently than those of most of his friends and family. Milan not only did all the illustrations in the book, but he provided valuable in-

years ago.

"When I think of autism I think of a big lightbulb on the top of my head. I do not want people to feel bad for me. I like having autism and I would never change anything about myself," he

sight into his daily triumphs and struggles in hopes of providing a better understanding about what it means to be on the autism spectrum.

In the final page of the book, Milan proudly describes the positive outlook he has adopted about his autism since being diagnosed two

said through the voice of Mike. "I would not be the person I am today if I did not have autism. I am very creative and smart because of this. However, autism is just a little part of me; it is not who I am." (Autism Speaks) (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

from page 33

ication for some two months and refused to go back to school.

Shaquille is a whiz when it comes to technology. He can navigate his way on a computer and enjoys gaming. Yonette allows him to hone his skills by exposing him to as many activities that interest him. He is still OCD and noise still affects him, but he is slowly overcoming those challenges.

She feels that there is more to be done in the field of autism awareness and screening. It is not the end of the road when your child is diagnosed with an ASD, according to Yonette. She said the faster we accept that this is who our child is, the faster we will be able to get them the help they need to fully develop.

“There will a lot of challenges because it will be all different. Acceptance is key.

Children with autism teach you patience and you have to treat them with love. This is a special child with special needs.

The child comes first and then the needs come after. You have to treat the child as a normal child and then treat the special need, because most times, we look at the needs and forget that the child is normal in every other way.”

You always have to be there for your child no matter what.

An autistic child requires special levels of attention and you have to dedicate your time to them for all your life, because when they choose you, they really choose you for life. Every child on the spectrum is different and as they progress, their needs change and behaviours evolve.

You have to be there to love them unconditionally and support everything they do. It is a lifelong commitment and one you must be prepared to execute once you decide to have a child. For Yonette, Shaquille and their family, the victories, no matter how small in the eyes of the world, are magnificent to them. There are constant high fives in their family to build Shaquille’s selfesteem and boost him up so that he can feel accomplished. (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

NEWS 35

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Guyana to launch Police Commander says National Child Labour high use of alcohol among Policy in April teens in Reg 2 worrying

T

he Social Protection Ministry is working to implement measures to curb child labour and is urging the public to report cases of children being employed.

Deputy Chief Labour Officer, Karen Vansluytman-Corbin is quoted by the Department of Public Information (DPI) as saying that the Labour Department will be launching a National Child Labour Policy in April and will enforce drastic measures for those persons who employ children.

“We are also developing a National Action Plan to help in our fight against child labour. We started last year to develop our policy and we hope for the draft action plan to be launched at the same time as the policy,” VansluytmanCorbin said.

According to the Chief Labour Officer, several organisations, including the Trade Union’s Movement, the Employers Organisation, the Education Ministry, several businesses, re-

ligious and youth organisations and NGOs collaborated with the Labour Department to implement the policy.

“There have been three reported cases for 2019, we are following up with those cases but we are concerned and continue to work towards eradicating child labour in the mining areas within the hinterland communities.

However, because of our intense sensitisation exercises, we are receiving good support to put an end to child labour,” Vansluytman-Corbin said.

She further stated that the Department of Labour has reached out to several communities to ensure that word gets out that child labour is illegal and persons caught employing children will be prosecuted.

The policy was crafted after an extended period of consultations and workshops with the relevant stakeholders from Regions Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight and Ten.

T

oo many youths are involved in alcohol consumption and it seems to be an issue which continues to go undeterred in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) which will result in negative impacts in their education and by extent, their future.

This is according to Commander of G Division (Essequibo CoastIslands), Khali Pareshram, who told this publication that there is a high use of alcohol among teenagers, specifically those still attending secondary schools, in his division.

Although they may not be consuming alcohol on the schools’ premises or during instruction periods, a number of youths appear to be resorting to drinking as part of their recreational fun, outside of the classrooms.

He explained that perhaps it could be due to the culture of some families and friends who believe that “a little alcohol” during celebrations would not harm children in any way, however, this is far from the truth.

Once a child becomes exposed to alcohol from early stages, chances are, that individual during the adolescent stage would continue along that line and in adulthood could become an alcoholic.

According to Commander Pareshram, there are sensitisation workshops ongoing at various learning institutions across

Commander of G Division, Khali Pareshram

Region Two geared at educating students about social ills, crimes, traffic violations, and healthy living. But parents and guardians also need to be aware that they have a role to play in practising the same with regard to their children.

“Like any other issue that has to be addressed when children are concerned, this needs a multistakeholder approach. Not just the police or organisations but families, neighbours, communities etc. That’s the main way of curbing issues that affect our youths,” he stated.

Drug use

Touching on the topic of drug usage and abuse by students in secondary schools, the Commander

noted that while there is involvement in Region Two, it is not prevalent.

In fact, in relation to illicit substances, the youths who are involved appear to be focused on using cannabis and not ecstasy or other harmful drugs.

“Yes, there is some involvement of substance abuse and usage of illicit substances but when the teachers notice this or are suspicious of this with their students they report what they have observed. In those cases, it is primarily instances where these students are smoking cannabis. However, like I said, through a multi-stakeholder approach we are targeting this matter and expect to see positive results,” the Commander said. (Kristen Macklingam)

Centenarian perishes in Bartica fire R

esidents of the mining town of Bartica, Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni) were in shock on Tuesday after two fires erupted leaving one person dead and millions in damages and losses.

In the first fire, Ethal Lucille Moseley, who celebrated her 100th birthday in January, died when her First Avenue, Bartica home went up in flames in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.

The charred remains of the woman, who was popularly known as “Aunty Lou” were removed from her Lot 84 First Avenue, Bartica property by undertakers after the fire was extinguished.

Based on reports received, at about 18:00h on Monday, the now dead woman’s caretaker visited the home, prepared her supper and left.

However, at about midnight, the woman’s grandson, who lives with his aunt in a back house

Dead: Ethal Lucille Moseley

on the same plot of land as Mosley, was awakened by screams and noticed the house on fire. The young man attempted to open the back and front doors of Moseley’s house but was unable to do so since it was locked from the inside.

The fire then quickly spread and engulfed the entire building. The fire service was called and upon arrival at the scene, the fire

The house engulfed in flames

fighters went into action and extinguished the fire.

The charred remains of the elderly woman were found on the floor in a corner of the structure.

The origin and cause of the fire is yet to be determined but according to information received, the elderly woman lived alone in the wooden

structure.

Regional workshop

Meanwhile, hours after that fatal fire, another fire of unknown origin completed gutted the regional workshop at Second Avenue, Bartica. Reports are the fire started after lunch on Tuesday in the warehouse which stored fuel and vehicle parts.

When contact-

ed, Region Chairman Gordon Bradford was unaware of the origin or cause of the fire but confirmed that the entire building was engulfed in flames within minutes of the initial flame being detected.

Guyana Times could not confirm whether any vehicle that was stored in the workshop was destroyed.

36 FEATURE

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he Arapaima is considered the largest scaled freshwater fish in the world and can grow up to three metres in length. They are considered as one of the endangered giants of Guyana. There is a unique subspecies of the arapaima found in the ponds around the Karanambu area in the Rupununi.

At the height of the dry season, younger fish can sometimes find themselves isolated in ponds that have become cut off from the river. As the ponds contract the fish become trapped which would be detrimental to the young fishes. As part of their continued commitment to the conservation of the Karanambu area, the Karanambu Lodge usually dispatch teams to monitor the ponds and over the years have pioneers a successful relocation for the trapped arapaimas.

This year, their effort commenced earlier than usual and thus far they have managed to relocate 17 trapped arapaimas to deeper waters so that

they can survive the Rupununi dry season. The Karanambu Lodge says it never discloses the relocation site because the arapaimas are still being hunted despite being protected.

The images, of the rescue operation which involved even the youngest resident, was captured by the Karanambu Lodge’s Operations Manager, Manuel Cook.

Karanambu Lodge’s story

Hidden in the dancing savannah grasses of the North Rupununi is Karanambu Lodge.

Featured on the BBC, National Geographic and the Discovery Channel, Karnambu was in 2013 the recipient of the Caribbean Excellence in Sustainable Tourism Award and is considered the Hallmark of Bush Tourism in Guyana.

There are as many as 700 species of fish at Karanambu - more than anywhere on Earth. During the biannual rainy seasons, the tributaries of the Amazon and Essequibo rivers flood their banks and meet. The union of these vast river systems result in the exchange of genetic and biological material, allowing Karanambu to be home to an extraordinary amount of aquatic life.

Over 600 species of birds also make their home here, making Karanambu a birdwatcher's paradise. The Lodge pro-

WEEK ENDING APRIL 7, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

vides excellent viewing opportunities of Giant River Otters, River Turtles, a variety of monkeys, as well as Black and Spectacled Caiman that live on the 30 mile stretch of the Rupununi River that runs through Karanambu’s land.

Giant Anteaters, Crab-Eating Foxes and Red Brocket Deer roam our savannahs and our many fresh water ponds are home to what has been called, one of the world’s best wild collection of Victoria Amazonica water lilies. These lilies - the largest in the world - can reach up to three meters in diameter and their flowers bloom every evening at dusk.

Ever so often, an Ocelot, Jaguarondi or White-Faced Tayra will wander through.

The Karanambu area was settled in 1927 by Edward ‘Tiny’ McTurk and his wife Connie, as a cattle ranch and Balata collection station. Their Old English heritage still persists today and helps to make Karanambu Lodge the perfect pairing of old-world charm and the raw beauty of the natural

environment.

‘Tiny’ himself, was extremely knowledgeable of the natural environment around him and in the 1950’s was instrumental in helping the young David Attenborough and Gerald Durrell, among other, make some of the earliest wildlife programs and collections of animals and specimens for different zoos across the world.

Edward and Connie’s daughter, Diane McTurk, took over the ranch after her parents and went on to establish the Karanambu Lodge. Karanambu is probably best known for having been her home. She was a conservationist and world-renowned expert on giant river otters. Her hospitality was legendary, as was her quick wit and infectious laugh.

She passed away in late 2016 after dedicating her life to the rehabilitation of the Giant River Otter Her work lives on through the Karanambu Trust, an organization set up by the McTurk family in 1997 to help fulfill Diane’s vision of establishing Karanambu’s lands as a protected area.

Diane’s fabled hospitality endures at Karanambu.

In keeping with ‘Aunty Di’s’ legacy, the Lodge welcomes travelers, adventurers, naturalists, film makers, conservationists and really anyone who loves nature and wants to experience the beauty that is found in our part of the untamed Rupununi.

(Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

FEATURE 37

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A

re you thinking about escaping to a faraway village or even more interesting, a faraway ranch?

Well, think no further, the Dadanawa Ranch is said to be one of the oldest, largest and most isolated ranch in the world.

Extending over 1750 square miles of natural savanna in the South Rupununi, the ranch is lush and unspoilt. It is also a unique place for involvement and insight of a working ranch. It serves as a great base for wildlife spotting such as jaguars and giant anteaters. As you continue to read, you will find out some interesting facts about the Dadanawa Ranch that would make your visit worthwhile but first examine its origin.

Origin Of Dadanawa

About

1865,

Dadanawa started out as a trading post by a man of the name DeRooie and was sold with 300 head of cattle in the late 1880s to H.P.C. Melville, a gold prospector from Barbados who found himself lost and near-dead of malaria in the area several years before. The ranch was sold to investors and was established as the Rupununi Development Company in 1919.

English ex-cavalry Harry E Turner was the manager of Dadanawa up to 1965, and retired to England that year.

It was also at one time managed by Stan Brock who was one of the host of the wildlife show, ‘Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.’

Did You Know?

Dadanawa Ranch is one of the most remote ranches in the world con-

taining about 5,000 to 6000 head of cattle.

Five Interesting Facts About Dadanawa

1. Cowboys: Ranch cowboys are called “vaqueros”, most of whom are Wapishana Amerindians. The ranch supports over 40 people in the main compound including the direct and extended families of the manager and staff, some of which extend for 3 generations.

2. Working Ranch: The cattle are wild and the vaqueros are barefooted as they head out on cattle drives to round up steers and wild horses, using the same techniques they used a hundred years ago. The ranch buildings are comprised of a small group of stilted wooden houses typical of the region, deep in the savannah with views of the beautiful Kanuku Mountain range.

3. Entrepreneurs:

The ranch is now run

by Duane de Freitas, his wife Sandie and son Justin along with his Irish partner, Erin Earl.

They run an Ecotourism business from the ranch and visitors from all over the world come to birdwatch or go on river trips in the savannahs and Amazon rainforest.

4. E c o - t o u r i s m : Duane and Justin have set up the Rupununi Conservation Society to protect the highly endangered siskins and other bird and river turtle species. The people at Dadanawa are ethical, responsible and aim for sustainable eco-tourism. All livestock is free range and the ranch’s electricity is powered by solar panels. On day trips and expeditions they aim to have minicontinued on page 38

38 FEATURE by

WEEK ENDING APRIL 7, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Preserving our literary Heritage

Petamber Persaud

(E

xcerpt of an interview with Dr. Manu Chander, Georgetown, Guyana, March 2019.

Chander is a Visiting Fulbright Fellow.

Chander’s publications include ‘Brown Romantics: Poetry and Nationalism in the Global Nineteenth Century’.

This interview coincides with and sort of celebrates World Poetry Day and World Storytelling Day given that Leo was a major Guyanese poet and a master storyteller.)

PP…..

You know, you academics like to put writers and their works in categories but there are many things going for Leo; apart from the fact that he was the first major black poet of Guyana, he was a writer. Let’s look at his prose writing. Let me quote him: ‘Scriptology is writing about writing, history about history, storytelling about storytelling.

It is a study of its own procedure’. Let’s talk ‘Scriptology’.

MC It is a remarkable collection; it’s only four stories. But we do know that he likely wrote more stories or planned to write more stories, although we haven’t traced any more yet.

There are a couple things that are very interesting to note about Scriptology. The first is it was deliberately meant to appeal to a wider reading audience and specifically to a Creole

audience. So he talks in his preface for the need of anyone who can identify as a Creole and who could spare a little money to support local Guyanese Literature…

PP That’s another outstanding characteristic of Leo… MC So he is very deliberate about creating a Creole culture and by Creole he means AfroCreole or Afro-Guyanese.

And he is working very hard to establish the relevance of locally produced literature to at least local readers, if not the world.

Now you asked about the term, the title – scriptology. First of all, the term doesn’t exist in the Oxford English Dictionary and certainly not before that moment; this is first usage of it that I’ve found.

What’s interesting about the term is the logos, the logic, of script, the writing; it’s about the ways in which through manipulating language we can reveal aspects, specifically in his case, Guyanese culture that otherwise goes unnoticed. So there’s a lot of meditation on the writing process throughout the work, a self-conscious engagement with what is it to write, I suppose a lot of that comes from the fact that he primarily wrote poetry. So before he is a storyteller, he is one works with language, who moulds language. For that reason, I think readers who are looking for a gripping page-turner may not

find it in Scriptology just as they wouldn’t find it in Wilson Harris I think, in both cases though different writing styles, there’s a desire to slow us down, to really ponder on the words and to play with them ourselves.

The first story is ‘The hole in the Pan’, it starts with a bit of a mystery – a colonial settler has a bedpan with a hole in it and his friend comes by to visit and wants to know why there is a hole in the centre of this pan and he asks for the whole story …. [laughter] …Martin certainly enjoyed playing with language, enjoyed punning. But one of the things that emerges as

you read the story that it is story with a hole in both senses. It is a story that doesn’t have a complete narrative of who these characters are, there is no sort of strong character development, there is something missing and yet there is a wh-o-l-e that gets reveal through these very thin characters, what he gives us is a picture of secular society in the 19th century – the desire for courtship and love, the loneliness of the man far from England who has come to settle, the need for fraternal bonds and romantic bonds. He is a thematic writer, he is working around a particular set of ideas he wants to put into a form that will ac-

tivate the reader’s imagination, get the reader to be active, to do some work, peeling apart the layers of what’s going on.

PP He was aware of his audience.

MC Deeply aware of his audience PP He begged for response MC He really did.

First of all, he wanted to be acknowledged… there was a moment in the preface to his first book where he says if I cared so much for fame then I would have put my real name to this, I would have signed Egbert Martin instead of signing ‘Leo’ But it was not so much the fame that goes with the name, it was more about fame

of the position in a way to be someone who is known for bringing readers together, creating a community, a literate community, organized around a shared text, his text – that idea is clearly represented throughout his work.

So in the preface to his second collection, Leo’s Local Lyrics, he is saying some people didn’t like the first book too much, they found it too goody- goody, too religious in spirit, in humourous fashion, he also says, frankly I’ve looked through a couple dictionaries and I haven’t been able to find the phrase ‘goody-goody’ – that term the London press had charged him with, nevertheless I’d write something more in line with public taste. So he turns from his religious theme in his first book to issues more of the local landscape, to try to paint a clear picture of Guyanese life for audience here and abroad.

And that strategy actually worked – his second book is much better received by the London press – poems from it appeared in London, New York, Boston.

He was very market conscious and that’s something that has been left out of the very few critical treatments of Martin that exists….( to be continued) Responses to this author please telephone 226-0065 of email: oraltradition2002@yahoo. com (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine) from page 37

mal impact on the environment, using ancient techniques to track or hunt for food, and leaving nothing behind but footprints.

5. Wildlife and Exploration: You can enjoy birdwatching, caiman spotting, canoeing, fishing, hiking, seeing petroglyphs, and visiting Amerindian communities. You will also find harpy eagles, jaguars, giant anteaters, anacondas and the red siskin finch.

Tip: The name “Dadanawa” is a distortion of the local Wapishana Amerindian name of Dadinauwau, or “macaw spirit creek

hill”.

How To Arrive At Dadanawa

Visitors can take scheduled flights to Lethem on the Brazilian border and utilize pre-arranged ground transport to the Ranch. The preferred means of travel to Dadanawa is by jeep.

It takes about 3.5 hours to drive from Lethem to Dadanawa in the dry season, and as much as 3 days in the wet season.

Tourists often stay at Dadanawa and use the ranch as a base for further journeys throughout the South Rupununi.

Dadanawa’s Environment

You can use Dadanawa as a base

to launch on a River Adventure down the Rupununi River, passing through Sand Creek Village (Suburun Tao) which sits between two rivers and close to the mighty Kanukus. Going further south from Dadanawa Ranch, there are villages such as Rupunau that is set in a hilly, quartz area, also set against the backdrop of the blue Kanuku and to the east of the village there are outcrops of black crop set strikingly against the blue sky.

Things To Try At The Ranch:

• Damooriid (pepperpot) – Local dish

made from fresh cassava water and fish, but can be served with other meats and cassava bread.

• P a r i k a r i (Cassava Beer) – Delicious, strained thin, sweet and strong, the local beverages in south Rupununi have no competition in Guyana.

• Farine: Local staple food made with cassava.

• Tasso: Dried, salted meat – often fried or roasted on open fire – a traditional cowboy food.

• P a s s o c k : Influenced from Brazil, pounded tasso, mixed with farine.

• Boily: A recipe with fresh beef, seasoning and water, slow cooked to perfect deliciousness.

• Local Fruits: There are various local fruits found in Rupununi that are simply delicious.

Dadanawa Ranch In Guyana

At the ranch, they have beds for up to 15 people but have in the past accommodated more with the use of hammocks.

Mosquito nets are provided. As you stay, you can travel with cowboys over the Savannahs looking for cattle on the open plains and seek wildlife

between the Kaiambe trees. You can take part in the action of bringing the cattle into the corral, parting the herds and watching the cowboys compete with each other in a mini rodeo, showcasing their skills and bravery. Feel free to take a peaceful, scenic canoe ride or relax in the creeks and rivers around the ranch. This ranch that has been about for years is indeed a beautiful place for you to take both literal and mental pictures – pictures that will stay with you for a long time. (www. thingsguyana.com) (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

NEWS 39

WEEK ENDING APRIL 7, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Mazaruni Prison expansion in progress P

hase One of the massive expansion of the Mazaruni Prison is set to be completed by October of this year. This was disclosed by Iain Peebles, Project Manager of the Trinidadian firm Kee-Chanona that has joint responsibility for the project alongside, the Guyanese company Nabi Construction Incorporated, according to the Department of Public Information (DPI).

On Wednesday, Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan who is performing the duties of Prime Minister, conducted a site visit to assess works completed so far. The G$4B expansion will hold 400 prisoners to help with the overcrowding at the other prisons across the country.

Peebles said with the construction of the first floor completed, Phase One is about 40 per cent completed. When finished there will be a U-shaped, two-storied building that will house cells, offices and a courtyard for the prisoners.

Phase Two of the project commenced about a

month ago with foundational works being carried out. The result will be a square-shaped building that will house offices, training centres and accommodation for the prisoners. Peebles said that everything is going to plan and that there is no need for any variation to the project.

A road will also be constructed to link the two prisons.

Minister Ramjattan expressed his satisfac-

Housewife on bail for ganja possession

A

housewife was on Tuesday brought before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan to answer to the charge of possession of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

Denisha Harris, a housewife of Lot 33 Campbellsville Housing Scheme, Georgetown, denied the charge which stated on March 29, 2019, she had in her possession 91 grams of cannabis.

According to the prosecution’s case, police ranks from Kitty Police Station went to the home of the mother of three but as they approached the front door, she was seen running inside the house. The pros-

Denisha Harris

ecution is contending that a rank who stood guard outside the house noticed the 32-year-old woman throwing a bag through the window.

The rank picked up the bag and reportedly found 91 grams of cannabis and subsequently arrested her.

In court on Tuesday, Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield did not object to bail but asked for conditions to be applied if it is granted. She was released on G$120,000 bail on the condition that she reports to the Kitty Police Station every Friday until the completion of the case. The case will continue on April 24, 2019.

tion at the pace in which the works are being carried out as there is a need for more space to

accommodate prisoners.

He said the two fires in 2016 and 2017 respec-

tively, placed a strain on the other prisons. “That is why we have

to get the prison estate in Mazaruni up and going and that is happening. I want to commend the contractors, the engineers and the consultants for ensuring that is happening... The important thing is to get prison space for prisoners so that we can shelve what Lusignan is presently and also some of the other prisons outside of Mazaruni, that is in Georgetown and in Berbice so that the main prison will be at Mazaruni.�

Also, prior to the expansion of the prison, 12 living quarters earmarked for prison staffers at the Mazaruni Prisons have been completed. The minister said that he was happy to see most of them being occupied by the ranks, DPI reported.

40

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Nabi Construction to build ExxonMobil Headquarters in Guyana

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ABI/KCL Oilfield Construction Services Guyana has been awarded the contract to build the new office facilities of Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (ExxonMobil Guyana) at Ogle, East Coast Demerara.

The state-of-theart campus will be constructed on a green field 15-acre site comprising two buildings, associated

infrastructure and a net zero energy footprint, the construction company said in a press release.

NABI/KCL Oilfield Construction Services Guyana is a Guyaneseled Joint Venture of two of the leading construction firms in the Caribbean: NABi Construction Inc. (Guyana) and Kee-Chanona Limited (Trinidad), headquartered in Georgetown, Guyana, SA.

NABI/KCL says it is honored to undertake this “prestigious project” for ExxonMobil Guyana and commend the emphasis on local content.

“We stand committed to growing local companies while delivering this project in accordance with the standards of Safety and Quality that the company is synonymous with,” the company stated.

Fly Jamaica staff made redundant CJIA and suffered extensive damage has been rendered useless.

S

till reeling from crash landing at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) back in November, Guyaneseowned Fly Jamaica has made all its staff redundant as of March 31, 2019.

This was announced by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Paul Ronald Reece in a letter to employees on Friday, March 29, 2019.

“The Board of Directors of Fly Jamaica regrets to inform you that due to our lack of aircraft and the impact that it has had on the company’s financial position, we have no alternative but to make all our employees redundant effective March 31, 2019,” Reece said. It has been reported that the Jamaica-based airline employs some 400 persons.

According to the CEO, this decision was not made without great sadness and remorse. He explained that the company was hoping to secure funding but that has been slow in acquiring. “…therefore, for the time being, no other resources or options exists,” he noted.

Reece, nevertheless, assured employees that the compensation they are owned from November to date will be provided to them but pleaded for time to fulfil this.

“We ask that you allow us more time to do so… We wish to thank you for your service, loyalty and dedication to

the company,” the CEO said in the letter while asking that they ensure that their contact information with the company’s Human Resources department is up to date.

Meanwhile, the employees were informed that if the circumstances of the company changes in the future and they are still interested in rejoining, then they will be allowed to do so.

This announcement comes on the heels of the company grappling with operational expenses after facing a huge compensation bill following last year’s crash in Timehri as well as loss of services with one of its aircraft being down.

On November 9, 2018, a Fly Jamaica-operated Boeing 757 crashed during an emergency landing at the CJIA less than an hour after taking off for Toronto, Canada. The aircraft had experienced technical complications and decided to return to Guyana.

At the time, there were 118 adults, along with two infants and an eight-member crew on board. The tragedy has claimed the life of 85-year-old Rookhia Kalloo, a pensioner who was on the flight and died a week later.

The company had subsequently promised to compensate passengers; not only those that were aboard the crashed flight but those who were affected due to delays caused by the crash.

The company’s Boeing 757, which had overshot the extended runway at

News 41

42

Scenes from Holi Parade in NY WEEK ENDING APRIL 7, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

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Scenes from Holi Parade in NY WEEK ENDING APRIL 7, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

44 NEWS

WEEK ENDING APRIL 7, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana records 4900 child abuse cases in 2018

T

here has been a growing number of reported child abuse cases in Guyana and for last year, over 4900 such cases were recorded, an alarming number that is fuelled by neglect and other social ills.

According to the Ministry of the Presidency, over 4900 child abuse matters were reported last year to the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA). From this number, 2400 were as a result of neglect. Up to January, 400 cases were reported with 122 being of a sexual nature.

It further states, “According to the statistics, 60 per cent of child neglect occurs when a child is between the ages of 4-13 years old, while 83 per cent of child sexual abuse occurs when a child is between the ages of 8-18 years old”.

But Director of the CCPA, Ann Greene is of the view that this number is far less than the actual statistics since abuse is a “hidden crime”.

“Child abuse is a hidden crime and particularly, sexual abuse

CCPA Director Ann Greene

is behind closed doors and some of the victims, they literally do not have a voice to report abuse, meaning many children are being abused and they can’t report. So even if we do get a report, that’s the tip of the iceberg,” Greene was quoted as saying.

Just a few days ago, ChildLink researcher Samantha Alleyne stated that she was very disturbed by the findings of a study that was conducted on child abuse.

“National statistics compiled

by Child Care and Protection Agency confirmed that abuse of children, both physical and sexual, starts from as young as zero to three (years old). The data indicates that the sexual abuse of girl children remains high in the country. The number of reported cases is as follows; 801 in 2018, 392 in 2017 and 616 in 2016. Similarly, cases reported for boy children were 179 in 2018, 442 in 2017 and 118 in 2016,” Alleyne told the gathering.

She added that during her research, it was also found that some parents were reluctant to accept the abuse story their children had told them. In such a case, she said a parent even blamed her child for what happened, saying that the child wanted to separate her from her spouse.

The interviews ran for one month with nine children and eight adults. However, she found that children between the ages of 14 to 18 and eight to 13 were more vulnerable to these attacks.

Presumptuous O

…and polarising the society ne of the debilitating features of Guyanese life that your Eyewitness has tried to highlight in this space has been the PNC’s proclivity for flouting the highest laws of the country, then whipping up their supporters’ emotions to defend them. This causes the ethnic tectonic plates in the society to drift ever further apart, and one wonders when they’ll become permanently disjunctured.

Take the fallout from the NCM moved by the PPP. The PNC and their propaganda tentacles have refused to acknowledge that this is a valid procedure with its basis in the very bowels of democratic parliamentary governance. It’s meant to ensure the government of the day maintains its legitimacy by demonstrating it has retained majority support in the Assembly of the peoples’ representatives. It’s been used on numerous occasions in Britain and India and other democracies. It was passed on by the British in the 1966 Independence Constitution; removed by the dictator Burnham in 1980, and replaced in the mass constitutional amendments on 2000, demanded by the PNC and approved by them!!

Ironically, the NCM was raised by the AFC with the support of the APNU in 2014, when they together held a majority of seats in the Assembly. It was only averted by the PPP when President Ramotar used another constitutional device: the power to prorogue parliament and call elections — in which the latter were defeated by the AFC/APNU coalition!

But when the PPP were successful with their NCM, the PNC convinced their supporters that it was “a coup d’etat”, which is an illegal overthrow of a government!! The PPP were “underhanded” and “cunning” and connived to “bribe” the AFC’s Charrandas, who voted with them.

The Police Chief said he was “investigating” claims, but 4 months later – blank!! Never mind there’s been no proof of any bribery, circulation of accusations by the PNC partisans of gold purchases and money passed in T&T was enough to convince their supporters that bribery was in fact used!!

One supporter with a column in the Chronic – the representative of African Guyanese on the ERC – repeated the slander of “bribery” without any qualification, and even implied that Persaud, not being a Christian, was more prone to offering bribes.

This charge, of course, is part of the stereotype that “explains” why Indians are more successful in business!!

Today, it’s an article of faith that the NCM was precipitated by PPP bribing Persaud.

The rearguard action by the PNC to prevent the workings of the NCM by jumping from limb to legal limb with their selective observance of the courts’ rulings have only continued to widen Guyana’s polarisation. But the PNC don’t care; they’re only interested in power. …on the voters’ list One of the excuses invented by the PNC to delay elections – in addition to their opportunistic use of the courts – was that the voters’ list had to be “sanitised”.

Never mind that when the NCM was passed on Dec 21 2018, the list was valid until April 30 2019, and preparations for elections by then could’ve been consummated But the PNC were forced to reveal their “wrong and strong” face when their unilaterally appointed GECOM Chair first dilly-dallied for months in calling for elections’ preparation. He then used his casting vote to strengthen the PNC’s agenda of stretching out the elections date to “the end of never”.

Once again, the polarisation is exacerbated as half of the country seethes in frustration as nice sounding platitudes about “clean lists” are used as a fig leaf for what is obviously an attempt to game the elections.

Guyanese, after all, know that the bullyism of the PNC will always be used to entrench their hold on power.

The prospect of oil money flowing from 2020 just gives them an extra incentive. …and Broomes If anyone epitomises the “wrong and strong” attitude of the PNC, literally it’s Simona Broomes. It was on show when she bullied those poor security guards over fried rice.

Where’s that promised “investigation by the party (PNC)”?

WEEK ENDING APRIL 7, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

45

46 NEWS

By Lakhram Bhagirat

A

utism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed or undiagnosed disorders in Guyana. It is also a topic not many Guyanese are knowledgeable about, since awareness surrounding this disorder is somewhat lacking.

In Guyana, when the common person hears the term autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder, they are almost immediately puzzled as to what the disease really is or whom it affects, because the fact remains that the Public Health Ministry, and by extension the Government, is doing a poor job at educating the populace about ASD and the only time the conversation begins about the disorder is in April, World Autism Month, and it dies on April 30.

We cannot deny the fact that we, the Guyanese people, are quite judgmental when it comes to the way children behave. We often shun mental health issues so when someone suggests that our children may be suffering from a mental healthrelated issue, we are quick to accuse them of referring to our children as ‘mad’. Then we would dismiss the issue and leave the child there without proper intervention for whatever they may be suffering from, resulting in us seeking treatment when it is quite often too late.

ASDs are intricate neurological disorders often categorised by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviours and general communication abilities.

However, persons suffering from ASD are more than likely to be on the higher academic scales, but suffer tremendously

WEEK ENDING APRIL 7, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

as it relates to their social skills and those on the opposite end of the academic field cannot access education, since they cannot speak or even concentrate.

While the causes of the disease have not been isolated, it is widely believed that it stems from a series of genetic and environmental influences. Contrary to the popular myth, there is conclusive data that proves ASD is not remotely related to measles, mumps and rubella vaccines received during early childhood, rather the data went as far as determining that vaccinations, as a whole, do not increase the risk of ASD. Autism, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), affects 1 in every 160 children worldwide, but sadly for Guyana there are no comparative statistics since autism is only highlighted during the month of April or whenever a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) hosts a programme that seeks to bring about awareness.

If we are to use the WHO figure of 1:160 given the approximate 775,000 persons resident in Guyana, then we would arrive at a figure of just over 4800 persons who have an ASD. But, that figure is yet to be confirmed or any data whatsoever in relation to ASD in Guyana.

In 2018, the Center for Disease Control (CDC), USA, determined that approximately 1 in 59 children is diagnosed with an ASD, with boys amounting for most of that number. It was determined that 1 in 37 boys has an ASD compared to 1 in 151 girls.

It was conclusively expressed that boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism and most are diag-

nosed after the age of four.

The WHO says individuals with ASD often present other co-occurring conditions, including epilepsy, depression, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The level of intellectual functioning in individuals with ASDs is extremely variable, extending from profound impairment to superior levels. Nevertheless, there are some telltale signs that can lead to early detection of ASD in children since they start appearing as early as six months of age.

Parents with children with ASD as well as activists urge parents to observe their child’s behavioural patterns and look for signs such as lack of eye contact; social isolation; delayed language development; struggles identifying social cues; constant repetition of words or phrases; unusual reactions to taste, sound or smells and intense vexation in response to minor changes in their routine or surroundings. Experts have related that the aforementioned signs should be taken seriously and immediate intervention should be pursued.

Once signs have been identified, it is advised that families seek the relevant information and services offered to help them address the individual needs of their child. But in Guyana services primarily for autistic children are not readily available since Government institutions offer very limited services and the NGOs are limited in what they can do since most of them depend on funding from donors and in most cases, the funding and grants are often minimal.

Nevertheless, to access information and services to care for an au-

tistic person one can visit the Step-ByStep Foundation, the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre, or the Sorsha Williams Foundation since those entities are equipped to offer advice and specialised care.

Additionally, one thing the organisations promote is acceptance of autistic persons since there is the stigma attached to persons who are not considered “normal” in the traditional sense. Persons with ASD often have to endure abuse at home from siblings who are tired of them getting all the attention and that is coupled with the deprivation of health, education and social opportunities.

Persons suffering

from ASD a r e heavily dependent on their primary care provider. There are a range of care options and skills training programmes for parents and other caregivers. The most effective is Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA), which teaches young people, with autism, the life skills they need and how to tap into their true potential. Additionally, depending on their needs, children who have autism receive a range of therapies which included behaviour therapy, speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, social skills training and sometimes feeding therapy. However, the

training and therapy are not limited to the children but incorporate the parents or caregivers since they are the ones who have to understand the person with ASD. Remember that autistic people can do anything a “normal” person could and in most cases, they can do it better. Take an example from singer Susan Boyle; movie director Tim Burton; mathematician and scientist Albert Einstein; mathematician, astronomer, and physicist Sir Isaac Newton; comedian Jerry Seinfeld and Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri among a host of others.

(Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

47

Works to soon The real conflict commence on EBD/ECD W bypass road WEEK ENDING APRIL 7, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

By Ravi Dev

W

ith all studi e s completed, as well as designs for the first phase of the new East Bank Demerara/ East Coast Demerara (EBD/ECD) bypass road, works are expected to commence soon, according to Public Infrastructure Public Infrastructure Minister Minister, David David Patterson Patterson. a great distance in beThe subject Minister, tween the two roads so, in a recent interview therefore, in the future, with this publication, we will look at rails and related that the various other amenities in the studies, including the median in between them feasibility study, have will be about 60 feet in been completed in adbetween the two roads, dition to the final de60 to 70 feet and we signs for Phase One of will do future upgrades the project which will there going forward,” he see the construction of shared. the new road from Ogle, The first phase of East Coast Demerara, the project will cost to Diamond, East Bank US$120 million. The Demerara.

Government, Patterson According to him, asserted, has already sedesigns for the seccured funding for this ond phase of the longaspect of the project. awaited project to pave Phase Two is likethe new road from ly to be within a similar Diamond to Soesdyke, price range, he added.

East Bank Demerara, In January, Head of the will commence afWork Services Group, ter the first phase of Geoffrey Vaughn notthe project would have ed that the feasibility gone to the National study was due in March.

Procurement and According to Vaughn, all Tender Administration preparations for the conBoard (NPTAB) so that struction phase will folworks can begin earlow once that is completly, especially since the ed.

Government secured a When he presentloan for this aspect. ed the budget last “So the first phase is year, Finance Minister finished, in two months’ Winston Jordan retime we will get the comvealed that the propleted designs and we go jected cost of the East to tender for Phase One Coast/East Bank road and then immediatelinkage project (Ogle ly after that, so around bypass) had jumped June we will start the from US$50 million to designs for Phase Two US$120 million. He notDiamond onwards. So ed that Government will Phase One will start approach its bilateral and you know we have partner, in this case, the a loan for that and that Export-Import Bank of will be completed and India, for more funds. then we will start Phase This EBD-ECD byTwo immediately after,” pass project is expected Patterson stated. to be 26 kilometres of The Public road constructed, linkInfrastructure Minister ing two of the counrelated that the plan try’s main thoroughis to have the new road fares. This new road be a four-lane highway, link will also be conwhich will also allow funected to key communiture modifications. ties in Georgetown and “It will be two lanes along the East Bank of one way and two lanes Demerara. These include the other way so, thereDiamond, Mocha, Eccles fore, it is a dual cart way – all on the East Bank – so it’s four lanes. The and Aubrey Barker Road road will be designed in in Georgetown. such a way that there is

itnessing the upsurge of ethnic tensions amidst the increased polarisation in our society following the successful Noconfidence Motion (NCM) in the National Assembly, there are renewed calls for “constitutional change” to resolve the political crisis that is seen as behind it all. “If only the PPP and PNC could gather around a table and come to a settlement!” I wish it were that simple.

As I have been saying for three decades, our conflict is so intractable because it challenges the premises on which our political institutions are based.

It is identity or more specifically ethnic based, rather than class or economic based and as such, most of our Liberal-based institutional innovations fail to address the roots of our political conflict. It is not surprising that we are back at square one with the two major groups “squared off” at each together.

Theories of social-psychological motivations far better explain our ethnic conflict and locate its sources in the way in which we perceive our society; locate ourselves in it, and on that basis, form individual and group identities that guide our behaviour and actions. In Guyana, each group has developed its own narrative of its place in Guyana and the hitch is these narratives clash at various nodes. Unless we identify and resolve these clashes, we are really shadow boxing at our conflict.

Groups placed in the same environment share a universal tendency to compare themselves against each other: each become “the other” to each other. When, as in Guyana, groups with reinforcing cleavages of culture, attitudes, race, religion, etc, are thrown into the same society, comparison is inevitable and inescapable. The intractability of ethnicity lies in this fact: social groups can only be evaluated comparatively. Each category of individuals with similar traits evaluates itself positively and others with dissimilar traits, negatively.

Over the course of time, the process results in stereotypical attitudes being formed as the cultural or physical or other trait is given a social meaning, which is applied, to the whole group. This group comparison is of great significance because of its stress on the “worth” of its members to whom this evaluation becomes an integral part of his/her identity and self-esteem. Some individuals may be impov-

erished but as members of a powerful group, they still have some pride of self-worth vis a vis members of less “powerful” groups.

At the abolition of slavery, the Whites, Coloureds and Africans formed distinct social strata in descending order of status, power and economic worth.

While, for instance, all accepted the values of Creole culture, the Coloureds had different speech patterns, foods habits, dress, etc from the African masses and considered the latter their social inferiors. The introduction of Indians into Guyana – with their acceptance of “slave work”, “heathen” religion, unfamiliarity with Creole culture and values – gave the society and especially the Africans, the opportunity to further compare and afterwards designate a new low man on the totem pole. He was the ‘coolie’, whose typical immigrant’s focus on economic advancement was labelled as “mean and stingy”, and stoic acceptance of hardships in fulfilling his indentured contract, “docile”.

The Indian on the other hand, sequestered in the rural

plantations came primarily into contact with rural Africans.

They defensively valued their culture and heritage highly, rejected the “coolie” categorisation and when in social comparison, utilised their own criteria to stereotype the African. They were “lazy” (for rejecting their despised “slave’s” work!), hedonistic (for his emphasis on fancy clothes and weekend revelry), licentious (for their serial polygamy) and lacking their own culture (for imitating the British).

One armament used by some groups in the competition over relative group worth, is the notion of ‘legitimacy’ where one group is convinced that it has a greater right than other groups to the national patrimony. In Guyana, as in the West Indies as a whole, because of their prior arrival, greater acculturation to White values, earlier entry into governmental services and politics, Africans and Coloureds viewed themselves as having greater claims to legitimacy than Indians, Amerindians and other groups.

The latter groups however rejected these claims and countered that their contribution to the development of the country and the international norms of equality conferred on them as much rights as other groups to all that the country offered.

The potential for ethnic conflict in Guyana, or elsewhere, is stimulated when there are changes that cause one or more ethnic groups in a given society to feel threatened by other groups. Changes that affect the groups’ self-worth, especially if they are structural and thus self-perpetuating and widespread, create the greatest potential for conflict.

This is where we are today.

48 Bollywood

Farah Khan: You’re not obligated to make social commentary through your art

WEEK ENDING APRIL 7, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

A

ctor Kirti Kulhari, who was last seen in Uri: The Surgical Strike, is all set to play a singer in her next film.

In the yet-to-be-titled film, Kirti will be seen playing the character of Sasha, who is the lead singer of a band and is someone who has lived her life on her own terms and persistently questions the society on its indoctrination, a press release said.

“What I find interesting about this character is that she is truly liberated, free and it’s a freedom that all of

F

ilmmaker-choreographer Farah Khan says when celebrities are attached to social causes it makes a huge impact in creating awareness but one is not obligated to make a commentary using their art.

The Om Shanti Om director said since every individual is different, even their art will have different things to say.

“There is no obligation and there should never be an obligation on art. It should come from within you. Whether they want to speak about something or highlight a cause,” Farah told PTI. “Not everyone is vocal, fiery and feisty. If you feel like doing it, you come out and do it,” she added.

The director, however, said films as a medium have often tackled societal stigmas on screen and now with the boom in OTT platform, there are more opportunities.

“To a great extent, Bollywood films do their bit. A film like ‘Taare Zameen

I

rrfan Khan, who is back in India after the cancer treatment in London, on Tuesday made his first public appearance at the Mumbai airport. Sporting a floral shirt, a hat and sunglasses, the talented star looked fit as a fiddle.

Irrfan had in March 2018 revealed that he was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour.

For the better part of the year, the 52-yearold actor was in London undergoing cancer treatment.

Irrfan Khan’s appearance on Tuesday has

Par’, for example, helped create awareness. Now we have a series of platforms too so we should do it.”

She was speaking on the sidelines of the 75th-anniversary celebration of Jai Vakeel Foundation on World Autism Day. Farah said it’s extremely important to create awareness regarding intellectual disability in the country where it’s considered a huge stigma.

“The awareness regarding autistic children’s need is missing in our country. According to last year’s data, almost two-three per cent of our population is mentally challenged, which means two and a half crores. Do we see them in the cinema halls, parks, malls?

“Because the stigma is tremendous.

The awareness that they need to be included in what we call a ‘normal’ society is needed. Maybe next time I’ll do a dance workshop for these kids because they love arts, painting and dancing,” she added. (Indian Express)

surely left fans excited. This comes amid reports that the actor will be returning to films soon, beginning with the shooting of Hindi Medium 2.

Hindi Medium producer Dinesh Vijan had recently told indianexpress. com, “He (Irrfan Khan) has gotten back. We are just putting the finishing touches to the script. I think it is too early to talk about it. I think in another two months, we will have clarity. But we will like to make it this year. I feel (since) he has come back, let him get comfortable. He is doing lovely. He is back in the city. But any official confirmation about the film will only come in about a month.” (Indian Express)

A

ctor Jatin Sarna, who gained popularity for playing Bunty in Netflix’s Sacred Games, is all set to portray former Indian cricketer Yashpal Sharma in the Kabir Khan sports drama 83. The film is led by Ranveer Singh, who plays Kapil Dev. In a recent statement, Jatin expressed his excitement about working in a Kabir Khan film. “Well, honestly I am a fan of him since New York and other films which he did. The kind of sensibility and entertainment he serves in his movies grew this desire in me to work with him,” Jatin said.

Jatin Sarna also stated that the filmmaker is extremel y sweet a n d

us seek but very few are able to find.

When I say free, she is free in her spirit and not bound by social norms or rules.

“She lives her life on her own terms.

I find that so exciting and amazing as it reflects who I am in real life and how I like to live. Her funda in life is live and let live,” Kirti Kulhari said.

Directed by Raj Singh Chaudhary, the film is being produced by Anant Roongta, Famous Digital Studios Pvt. Ltd and Sanjay Shetty’s Opticus Inc. (Indian Express)

pays “proper attention” to his team. In fact, he even joins them during their training sessions.

On playing the legendary cricketer, Jatin said, “Playing Yashpal Sharma was something I never imagined. I was given Madan Lal’s part for an audition but it didn’t work out. Though the audition went fantastic and they liked it too. But Harrdy is playing it now and Yashpal came to me which is eventually more interesting with the fact that most people don’t know his story and journey. Actually, India’s 83 win journey starts from Yashpal’s fantastic knock against West Indies in the very first match which laid the foundation for a bigger win.”

Apart from Jatin, the Ranveer Singh starrer also features Ammy Virk, Sahil Khattar, Jiiva, Pankaj Tripathi, Tahir Bhasin, Saqib Saleem, Harrdy Sandhu and R Badree among others in pivotal roles.

83 will release on April 10, 2020.

(Indian Express)

Kesari box office collection Day 12: Akshay Kumar film earns Rs 128.28 crore

A

kshay Kumar starrer Kesari is earning big at the ticket counters. The war drama is still dominating the box office well in its second week of release. The film has earned Rs 128.28 crore till now.

However, the big numbers shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody. The movie features Khiladi Kumar, who has been consistent at the box office for quite some time now.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted, “#Kesari is strong on [second] Mon… North circuits continue to lead, while other circuits are steady… Should collect 137 cr [+/-] by [second] Thu… [Week 2] Fri 4.45 cr, Sat 6.45 cr, Sun 8.25 cr, Mon 3.27 cr.

Total: 128.28 cr.

India biz.”

H e l m e d by acclaimed Punjabi director Anurag Singh, Kesari revolves around

the unbelievable Battle of Saragarhi which was fought between 21 soldiers of the Sikh regiment of British Army and Afghan tribes.

In an earlier interview with indianexpress.com, Akshay Kumar had said, “If you will Google the five bravest battle ever fought, it is the Battle of Saragarhi on the second or the third spot. Despite this, it has no mention in our history books. I wish that it gets included in the school syllabus and students get to know about the story of valour and courage of 21 Sikhs who had the chance to flee, but they stood strong and fought for their nation’s pride and honour.”

Jointly produced

by Karan Johar, Aruna Bhatia, Hiroo Yash Johar and Apoorva Mehta, Kesari released on March 21.

(Indian Express)

HOLLYWOOD 49

WEEK ENDING APRIL 7, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

A

lexandra Shipp, who portrays superhero Storm in X-Men films, has taken a sly dig at the makers, saying her character has little to do in the franchise.

According to IndieWire, at the press tour of her latest film X-Men: Dark Phoenix, the 27-year-old actor was asked about her reaction to the merger of 20th Century Fox with Disney, the parent company of Marvel Studios.

When posed a query about whether she would like to see the on-screen romance and marriage between her character and Black Panther, the actor said she would instead prefer a stand-alone

S

inger-actor Queen Latifah is set to appear in and produce teen comedy Paper Chase.

Latifah and Shakim Compere will produce the project through their Flavor Unit production company along with Gunpowder & Sky. Angela Tucker and Lauren Domino have penned the film, reported Variety.

Tucker will direct while Domino will produce.

“Shakim and I have known Van forever and we’re thrilled to collaborate with him and his team. This film is ex-

M

odel-actor Tania Mallet, best known for her role in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger, has died at the age of 77.

The official James Bond Twitter account shared the news of Mallet’s demise.

“We are very sorry to hear that Tania Mallet who played Tilly Masterson in ‘Goldfinger’ has passed away. Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time,” the post read.

Mallet was born in Blackpool on May 19, 1941. She is the cousin of Academy Award-winning actress Helen Mirren.

She attended Lucy Clayton’s

film on Storm.

“No! No, I don’t think Storm needs T’Challa, and I think she needs her own movie. It doesn’t have to be me, it just needs to be made. A woman does not need a man in order to give her validity and she has also been around longer than him,” Shipp said.

Dark Phoenix, which stars Sophie Turner in the lead, also marks the return of James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, and Tye Sheridan.

It will release in the US on June 7.

(Indian Express)

actly what we love to do, make fun and energetic projects that audiences have a blast going to see. Lauren Domino and Angela Tucker are such great talents and we can’t wait to get started,” Latifah said.

The story will revolve around New Orleans teenager Alicia, who is ready to reinvent herself at Kensington University in Atlanta.

When she cannot pay her tuition fees, Alicia, her cashstrapped mom and her best friend plan to throw a rager to raise the money to keep her college dream alive.

(Indian Express)

School Of Modelling and started a successful career at the age of 16.

Mallet made her foray into films with an audition for the Bond girl Tatiana Romanova in From Russia with Love. She did not get the role of Tatiana, but later appeared as Tilly Masterson opposite Sean Connery in the third James Bond film Goldfinger.

The Bond film marked her only big screen acting role. In 1976, she appeared in TV’s The New Avengers but did not appear in any acting roles after. She, however, continued her modelling career, saying that it was a more comfortable world for her.

“The restrictions placed on me

A

nother teaser of Avengers Endgame is out, and this time, the makers have released new footage from the film. This also gives us the first glimpse of Thanos from Avengers Endgame.

The trailer has a few highlights and the biggest one being Tony Stark and Steve Rogers reconciling after their big fight in Captain America: Civil War. We also see Stark reuniting with Pepper Potts.

In one of the key moments from the video, we see Natasha, James Rhodes, Steve Rogers, Thor and Rocket travelling with Captain America in her spacecraft.

The surviving Avengers, Bruce Banner, Thor, Captain America, Natasha and Clint have pledged to seek revenge. We see them uniting once again to fight against Thanos. The video also remembers Tom Holland’s Spider-man.

Towards the end of the video, it looks like we see our very first glimpse of Doctor Strange alongside Iron Man and Steve Rogers as they prepare to take on Thanos. A red cape is visible and it looks like it could be Doctor Strange.

Avengers: Endgame releases on April 26. (Indian Express)

A

ctor Anna Faris says she and her former husband Chris Pratt still share “kindness and love”.

The former couple, who have sixyear-old son Jack together, have remained amicable since their 2017 split, reported Contactmusic.

“We are so good and respectful towards each other. And I think that there is so much kindness and love,” Faris said on Divorce Sucks! podcast.

“It is very difficult to be completely separate from somebody you have spent so much emotional investment with. I had two 10-year relationships back to back so how do you emotionally leave that person behind?” she added.

Faris had earlier said that she had given her a “heads up” to Pratt before he proposed to Katherine Schwarzenegger earlier this year. (Indian Express)

for the duration of the filming grated, were dreadful, and I could not anticipate living my life like

that,” she told James Bond fan site MI6 in 2003. (Indian Express)

50 SPORT

WEEK ENDING APRIL 7, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Virat Kohli credits 'a lot of CONCACAF’s McIntosh depth' in squad as India retain pleased with progress Test Championship Mace of Guyanese football

…anticipates completion of D’Urban Park facility

I

ndia have ended as the top-ranked Test team for the third year running. With 116 points, they were eight clear of second-placed New Zealand on the cut-off date of April 1.

They will receive a purse of US$ one million and the Test Championship Mace again. In the period in question, India enjoyed success at home, beating Afghanistan in a one-off Test and West Indies 2-0. They endured mixed returns overseas, losing 4-1 in England but beat Australia 2-1 for their first-ever Test series win in the country.

"Retaining the ICC Test Championship Mace once again is something we are all really proud of," India captain Virat Kohli said in a statement. "Our team has been doing well across formats but it gives us extra pleasure to come out on top of the Test rankings. We all know of the importance of Test cricket and of how only the best can prosper in the format.

"Our team has a lot of depth and I am sure this will stand us in good stead once the ICC World Test Championship commences later this year. That is again something we are really looking forward to as it adds more context to Test match cricket."

India held the lead at the top of the rankings all the way - and Kohli took over as the top Test batsman as well

- while New Zealand rose to No. 2 for the first time. Kane Williamson's team was in third place, with South Africa second, before Sri Lanka swept their two-Test series in South Africa. That pushed South Africa down, and New Zealand consolidated their position behind India with a 2-0 home win over Bangladesh.

"It's an awesome achievement for our side to finish second in the ICC Test team rankings and as a team we should be very proud," Williamson said. "It's come off the back of a lot of hard work and perseverance; not just by the eleven guys on the field, but the entire squad and support staff.

"It's been especially pleasing to see the consistency we've shown in the longest form of the game over a decent period of time. We're now all really looking forward to the ICC World Test Championship getting underway and the added context the competition will bring."

Australia were at fourth place, ahead of fifth-placed England only on decimal points, followed by Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. The two new Test nations, Afghanistan and Ireland, have only played two matches so far, and will qualify for a full ranking after playing six more matches each. (ESPNCricinfo)

Lankan Premier League revival in the works - SLC secretary Mohan De Silva

S

ri Lanka Cricket is set to revive the Lankan Premier League (LPL), with September 8-28 tentatively set aside for the potentially lucrative T20 tournament.

"We have set the ball rolling and hopefully in August-September this year we will see the tournament taking place," SLC secretary Mohan De Silva said, speaking at Monday's launch of the Super Provincial 50-over Tournament in Colombo.

Bemoaning the cancelation of last

year's tournament, which had been the direct result of a prolonged period of administrative instability at SLC over the latter part of 2018, De Silva also claimed that it had significantly hindered Sri Lanka's World Cup chances.

"It is very unfortunate that Sri Lanka Cricket was not able to implement the envisaged programs that we had planned in preparation for the World Cup due to the disruption in administration," he said. "If the LPL tournament had gone ahead last September, we had arranged a much more competitive tournament, where players would have had the opportunity of competing with international players."

While many of the details are yet to be finalised for this year's tournament, it is understood that SLC is looking at five to six teams taking part, and the board is also expected to bring Russel Arnold back into the fold as tournament director. (ESPNCricinfo)

The proposed plan for the football complex

By Jemima Holmes

I

n a matter of years, a state-of-the-art football facility will sit in the heart of Georgetown at D’Urban Park, making international or even Elite League games more accessible to a larger portion of the Guyanese population.

One CONCACAF and Caribbean Project Senior Manager Howard McIntosh, who is visiting Guyana for a few days, was all smiles as he arrived at the 7.3 acre plot of land at D’Urban Park for his official tour on Wednesday morning.

The ‘prime location’ land, which was acquired by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) on a 25-year lease, through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Guyana (GoG) back in February, will not only hold a state-of-the-art full sized football pitch, along with stands, but also two mini pitches, an admin building and a convenient parking lot.

At the walk around on Wednesday, Director of Sport, Christopher Jones stated that the GFF’s acquisition of land is only the first of many.

He explained that he was committed to repeating the gesture for other sports associations, given that land was available and the Association was ready to utilise it.

“We will continue to lend support and make land available to the various associations or federations, once those lands are available for them. But, of course, it speaks to the capacity of the federations and associations to build on those lands,” Jones said.

McIntosh, in turn, welcomed the idea of this as he joked lightly about the abundance of land in Guyana as compared to

CONCACAF’s Howard McIntosh

other Caribbean nations.

GFF President Wayne Forde took the time to disclose the nature of McIntosh’s visit, stating “The purpose of Mr McIntosh’s visit is to convey to all of Guyana President (Victor) Montagliani’s warm wishes and congratulations for our success at the CONCACAF Nations League and our qualification for the Gold Cup.” The GFF boss went on to explain the value of McIntosh’s input, given the nature of his relationship with the Federation.

“Howard has remained very integral in providing guidance to the GFF in terms of how we prioritise some of our activities, the projects that we’ve been applying for. He’s been behind the scenes giving us as much support as we need from time to time,” Forde noted.

McIntosh, who is expected to complete his visit today after other official CONCACAF duties, proudly stated that he was satisfied with Guyana’s football development.

“It pleases me tremendously to come here to see and discuss more infrastructure development in Guyana. This type of development must lead to more returns in terms of football and sport generally,” he said.

Furthermore, McIntosh indicated that such ventures would directly impact the quality of Guyanese football, noting that the country was already seeing the benefits.

“I think the Director of Sport and the GFF President have already indicated the possibilities. And there’s nothing like seeing the manifestations of the possibilities becoming a reality, such as the performance at the Nations League, such as the performance of your girls as well and the qualification to the Gold Cup,” McIntosh explained.

While commending the President and the Federation on the remarkable performance at the CONCACAF level, the Caribbean Project Senior Manager emphasised the importance of having such a facility or two. He touched on the possibilities having the leisure of structured training times and continued grassroots programmes.

“What this can do to change football in Guyana is grassroots development, youth football development. And of course the elite football development in terms of training pitches,” he said.

The facility at D’Urban Park is expected to be completed by 2021.

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CWI Women’s T20 Blaze…

STORY AND PHOTOS BY BRANDON CORLETTE

A

small but vocal crowd, led by the Guyana U-19 team that are in camp to depart for the regional tournament in Trinidad from April 15, saw Guyana dance to their third consecutive victory in this T20 Blaze tournament.

Guyana won this encounter over the wounded

Tremayne Smartt topscored again for Guyana opening the batting

Windward Islands by 18 runs; after they posted 105-8 and re-

stricted the visitors to 87-8 in 20 overs.

It was once again the brilliance of Erva Giddings, who grabbed 3-17 in four overs, bowling 17 dot balls in her match-winning spell, to dent the Windward Islands, as she copped a third Player-ofthe-Match award in as many matches.

Winning the toss, Windward Islands Captain Afy Fletcher opted to field first under the lights at the National Stadium Providence. Sheneta Grimmond began in fine fashion cracking fast bowler Akeira Peters through extra cover for a boundary. Two balls later, the adrenaline got the better of Grimmond when she was out, bowled for four.

Guyana’s most experienced duo in Tremayne Smartt and Shemaine Campbelle were t h e n together at the crease and took the score to 70-2 in 12.3 overs, adding a valuable 66 runs. After getting herself in the groove, Campbelle hit one down the throat of long-on for a 33-ball 28, striking two boundaries. Prior to her dismissal, she soaked up 14 dot balls in her innings that included 14 singles.

Smartt, who had scores with the bat in all of the T20 Blaze matches thus far, opened her account with an exquisite back-foot punch through the cover region, off the Windward left-

arm seamer. Playing with a compact technique, Smartt hit a sound 40 from 43 balls, including five top-notch boundaries.

She fell at 77-3 in the 14th over, running past a Qiana Joseph delivery to end up out, stumped. One run later, Giddings lost her wicket via the run-out route and Shabika Gajnabi in the same Swayline Williams over was trapped leg-before for four after she survived a dropped catch.

The Guyanese scoring rate halted when they lost five wickets between overs number 13 and 16 for only 17 runs.

Windward Islands were into the game after the main Campbelle-Smartt partnership.

Akaze Thompson, who is yet to score, was run out for one.

The struggling Melanie Henry looking to up the ant, was out caught at deep m i d wicket for four, leaving

Shemaine Campbelle cuts one during her innings

Cherry Ann Fraser (17) to push Guyana over the 100-run

mark.

Entering the final over, Guyana were 96-7; a Fraser boundary straight over Fletcher’s head brought up Guyana’s 100 milestone before she was run out. The innings ended prematurely as Guyana reached 105-8 in 20 overs.

Bowling for Windward Islands, Swayline Williams had 2-21 as the Guyanese batters failed to bat with maturity with the exception of the mainstays in Smartt and Campbelle.

I n Windward Islands’ run chase, they had a steady start prod u c e d b y o p e n ers Stacy Ann Adams a n d Nerissa Crafton, who added 35 runs together.

Offspinner Mandy Mangru got the first wicket when she took a return catch to dismiss Crafton for a run-a-ball 22.

Giddings, who was hit for a boundary in her first spell, returned with a vengeance; she took two wickets in two balls, trapping Fletcher and Juliana Nero leg-before.

Windward Islands were in all sorts of trouble as the firedup Giddings wreaked havoc.

Thompson removed Stacy Ann Adams for 18, caught in the covers by Campbelle.

Giddings, the girl from Alness Village, Corentyne, Berbice, continued her brilliance with the ball, bagging her third wicket in her third over: bowling on target and trapping Glendeen Turtin for four, at 53-5.

Erva Giddings takes one of her three victims leg before

Guyana w e r e o n course to victory as Thompson removed Qiana Joseph for a duck at 54-6.

It was a drought in the scoring column for the visitors as they ended on 87-8 in 20 overs. Giddings starred with 3-17 while Thompson had 2-7 in four overs. Guyana, who have three wins in four matches, will be hoping to take their momentum through to today’s match when they face the mighty Barbados team from 19:00h local time.

ISG backing Regal for Florida Cup dominance

T

he annual Florida Cup S o f t b a l l Tournament is quickly approaching and defending champions Regal All Stars and Regal Masters have been busy fine-tuning preparations both on and off the field.

Last Sunday at the GNIC Sports Club Ground, Woolford Avenue, Georgetown, the Masters Champions, Regal Masters challenged Well Man Masters as much-needed preparation heading to the April 12-14 mega softball tournament in Fort Lauderdale.

Coinciding with the warm-up match was a

sponsorship presentation by Industrial Supplies of Guyana Inc (ISG) to the Regal teams to aid in their title defence in North America.

On behalf of the engineering company was Technical Support Engineer Bobby Lakhan, who handed over the sponsorship cheque of US$1800 to tour manager Parmanand Persaud in the presence of players from both of the champion sides.

Lakhan stated that it was the first sponsorship by the company of a sporting team, and he was confident that Regal teams would represent the

brand well while playing good competitive cricket to repeat as champions in South Florida.

“It is our (ISG) first sponsorship of this kind, but once Regal do us proud it will not be, our last sponsorship,” Lakhan said.

According to information coming out of the South Florida Softball Cricket League, the 15th edition of the Florida Cup will be the biggest yet with 10 All-Star teams, 10 Masters’ teams (Over 45 years old) and eight Legends teams (Over 50 years old) battling over three days. The preliminary matches and semi-fi-

Bobby Lakhan, third from left, with the Regal Masters and All-Star players at the presentation on Sunday at GNIC Sports Ground

nals will be played at the Brian Piccolo Park while the champion-

ship matches will be played at the only international cricket ven-

ue in North America – the Central Broward Regional Park.

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Barbados complete double with 8-wicket win over Guyana – Dottin shines with sparkling 43* Story and Photos By Brandon Corlette

S

ealed with a Deandra Dottin six into the red stands, Barbados won the T20 Blaze championships by eight wickets against hosts, Guyana, at the National Stadium Providence.

Batting first, Guyana struggled to 85-7 in 20 overs while Barbados replied with 86-2 in 16.1 overs with player of the match, Deandra Dottin smashing an unbeaten 43 from 28 balls.

Guyana captain, Shemaine Campbelle won the toss and elected to bat first on the slow Providence pitch.

Melanie Henry and Tremayne Smartt opened the batting in the unsettled bat-

ting line-up; but Barbados tasted success early removing Smartt with the score on 5-1.

It was Smartt’s first failure with the bat in this T20 Blaze tournament

as the p a i r found it difficult to score.

At

Deandra Dottin on the charge Akaze Thompson is bowled for a golden duck

Sheneta Grimmond is out bowled for a duck

when she fell for two.

Two balls later, Sheneta Grimmond was bowled all ends up for a golden duck

by Shanika Bruce.

Henry was partnered by her captain Shemaine Campbelle

t h e power-play the Guyanese were 34-2, with some discipline bowling from the Barbadians Melanie Henry was out caught off the bowling of Shakera Selman as wickets came at regular intervals.

Guyana’s leading run scorer, Campbelle skied one and was caught in the ring for 18 off the bowling of Hayley Matthews.

She ended the T20 Blaze season with 165 runs; the next ball, Matthews

found herself on a hat overs, trick when she bowled including the Akaze Thompson 17 dot balls. for a duck at 48-5 in Windies fast bowler, 11.4 overs.

The strugShakera Selman gle continued as had 2-16 while Shamilia Connell, Shabika Gajnabi faced 27 balls arguably the fastest bowler in the tournafor her 12 runs hitting ment had 1-16 while a lone boundShanika Bruce had ary; after she 1-18.

In Barbados’ was caught chase they had and bowled to work for evby Selman. ery run; Erva Barbados dried up Giddings the runs took her as Fraser, Hayley Matthews bowls who had the best strike r a t e b y a T20 Blaze tally to Guyanese prior to this 10 wickets when she rematch, hit two fours in moved Barbadian opener, Danielle Small for her 15 from 23 balls.

The Guyanese bat- one, after facing 12 balls. ters once more put on a The fluent Matthews, poor show ending on 85-7 had to dig deep as the in 20 overs. Bowling for nature of the slow pitch the Barbadians Hayley and Guyanese bowlMatthews took her tour- ers stooped her in her nament tally to 11 wick- tracks. ets with an impressive After scoring 15 from haul of 2-13 from four 30 balls, she played a

false sweep s h o t and was caught on the juggle b y Tremayne Smartt at backward square-leg.

That meant the dangerous Deandra Dottin took center stage, where she dominated from the get go.

Dottin ended unbeaten on 43 from 28 balls hitting six fours and smashed two sixes included the biggest shot into the red stands.

Kycia Knight finished unbeaten on 24 from 27 balls. Dottin and Knight featured in an unbroken 58-run partnership that dented the Guyanese hopes.

Barbados finished unbeaten on 86-2 in 16.1 overs; bowling for the Guyanese, Erva Giddings had 1-11 in three overs while Sheneta Grimmond had 1-18 in her three overs.

8-member Billiards team to compete in T&T

G

uyana’s eight-man Billiards team have been selected from the 20 finalists who played in the Grand Finals at Grand Central Sports Bar over the weekend.

Coming out victorious were Sean De SusauZa, Steven Persaud, Jonathon Parbhu, Kamil Hussain, Ryan Rambalak, Anthony Xavier, Abdool

Salim and Dave Hussain, with De SusauZa and Persaud securing the top two spots to secure sponsorship to travel to Trinidad.

The organisers would like to thank the sponsors of the event including Banks DIH, Suraj Sports Bar, and Grand Central Sports Bar (Jerries Grove).

The top performers of the recently-concluded event

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