Guyana Times International August 31 2018

Caribbean Invitation IX defeats Guyana in ICF game in Queens

INTERNATIONAL

Page 51

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Guyana’s new Top Cop sworn-in

for FRee distribution guyanatimesinternational.com

You can also read Guyana Times daily edition online at www.guyanatimesgy.com WEEK ENDING september 2 , 2018

ISSUE NO. 413

…urged to restore public trust See story on page 7

Commissioner of Police, Leslie James being sworn in by President David Granger (MOTP photo)

More oil …Exxon makes 9th oil discovery offshore Guyana Page 3

CJIA to test operations at new Terminal Arrival Building Page 9

US-based Guyanese on a mission to help 15-yr-old girl ‘walk normal’ Page 24

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WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

More oil

NEWS 3

WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com The Stenacarron drillship

…Exxon makes 9th oil discovery offshore Guyana

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xxonMobil has made its ninth discovery offshore Guyana at the Hammerhead-1 well, marking its fifth discovery on the Stabroek Block in the past year and proving a “new play concept” for potential development, the company said on Thursday in a release.

Hammerhead-1 encountered approximately 197 feet (60 meters) of high-quality, oil-bearing

sandstone reservoir. The well was safely drilled to 13,862 feet (4,225 meters) depth in 3,373 feet (1,150 meters) of water.

The Stena Carron drillship began drilling on July 27, 2018.

“Hammerhead is another significant oil discovery that further demonstrates the tremendous prospectivity of the Stabroek Block, where we continue to see multi billion barrels of additional exploration

potential,” CEO John Hess said. “This ninth discovery further enhances our potential to maximize value through rapid phased development.”

Hammerhead-1 is located approximately 13 miles (21 kilometers) southwest of the Liza-1 well and follows previous discoveries on the Stabroek Block at Liza, Liza Deep, Payara, Snoek, Turbot, Ranger, Pacora and Longtail.

These previous discoveries are estimated to contain gross recoverable resources of more than 4 billion barrels of oil equivalent and have established the potential for up to five floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels producing over 750,000 barrels per day by 2025.

It was outlined that there is potential for additional production from significant undrilled targets and plans for accelerated exploration and appraisal drilling.

A second exploration vessel, the Noble Tom Madden, the statement posited, is due to arrive in Guyana in October to accelerate exploration of high potential opportuni-

ties and will commence drilling at the Pluma prospect approximately 17 miles (27 kilometers) from Turbot.

Liza Phase 1, which is expected to begin producing oil by early 2020, will use the Liza Destiny FPSO to produce up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day.

According to Hess, construction of the FPSO and subsea equipment is well advanced. Pending government and regulatory approvals, Liza Phase 2 is targeted for sanctioning by the end of this year. It will use a second FPSO designed to produce up to 220,000 barrels per day and is expected to be producing by mid-2022. A third phase

of development, at the Payara Field, is targeted for sanctioning in 2019 and will use an FPSO designed to produce approximately 180,000 barrels of oil per day, with first production as early as 2023.

The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometers).

ExxonMobil's affiliate Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited is operator and holds a 45 per cent interest in the Stabroek Block.

Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds a 30 per cent interest and CNOOC Nexen Petroleum Guyana Limited holds a 25 per cent interest.

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WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

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EDITORIAL

Teachers’ strike: Uncertainties ahead

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he new academic year is expected to commence on Monday, September 3. Come that day, thousands of Guyana children will be attending school for the first time, going to a new school or to a new level. It is always a moment of pride, expectation and a bit of apprehension as a next stage along the path of enlightenment and personal development is undertaken.

There will be tremendous pride for those who were successful at the previous stage with the expectation of similar results as new challenges are confronted. However, apprehension always seems to lurk given the uncertainty that can prevail over what this new path can bring.

Given what is currently unfolding with regard to the current strike by teachers, uncertainty seems sure come Monday. For the multitude in the process of preparing for that historic first day within the public school system, there must be concerns especially for those rife with expectation on both sides; teachers and students.

For the young minds, more so those entering high school, Monday’s moment is another stepping stone and generally an eagerly anticipated one. It is not dissimilar for the teachers as they look forward to welcoming their new batch to mould over the next year. It is also a time when their own success can be seen at different levels as their previous batch take another step in the process of advancement. Unfortunately, the stage seems very much unprepared as Monday approaches.

There is no disputing the need for teachers to benefit from increased salaries as other public servants. With the focus currently on the teachers, their plight continues to be played out for all to see.

Their clarion call for much needed increases has reached the stage of strike and protest action as negotiations remain unsuccessful.

One of the uncertainties is how long this will obtain.

There is no doubt of the impact the strike will have, especially if it were to be prolonged. There is no argument over the important role teachers continue to play in the development of children and the nation by producing the necessary human resource skill.

Teachers are also part of that critical human resource and like everyone else, have challenges including having to provide for their own children who attend school.

To provide what it takes is burdensome for many and the removal of the education grant compounds the situation, as do increase taxation and the continuous rise in cost of living. This makes current salaries woefully inadequate to mitigate the increasing demands. Come September, teachers and students who use public transportation will have to pay more for their commute as increase in minibus fares are expected as agreed with officials and operators.

This is not a charge they and the other users of public transportation can escape when implemented. As a matter of fact, this increase has already been enforced in some areas and deeming it illegal has no effect. This will further squeeze workers who are already drowning in financial challenges to meet even the basic of demands of supporting their families.

Everyone who has to outfit a child, or children for some, knows of the economic difficulties in doing so. The teachers are no exception and with additional transportation cost, their plight worsens. With that a given, there other uncertainties; whether their salaries will be withheld during the strike period, how long the protest will be sustained and support mechanism during the process.

These will be answered as time progresses but a fundamental question remains; how can success be achieved if the salaries remain inadequate? More than likely this will be vehemently articulated by the leadership of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) within the negotiating room whenever the sides find themselves back there.

Therein lies the bottom line; for a nation to go forward, especially with the coming of oil, sustained academic success is vital.

The infamous and seemingly imposed brain-drain that plagued the country a few decades ago ensured a protracted denial of necessary skills for development. If current uncertainties, as alluded, coupled with the worsening economic situation were to continue, then it becomes extremely difficult to stop a renewed exodus of academic skills. That is why it becomes even more imperative for an immediate solution for the short and long-term solution to be continued on page 11

Members of the Guyana Amazon Warriors pose for a selfie after one of their games. Like in previous CPL tournaments, the team is creating quite an impression and many are of the opinion that once they continue to play the way they are at the moment and even step up a notch, they could walk away with this year's title.

Some Caribbean countries yet to implement effective tobacco control measures – PAHO

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ASHINGTON, United States (CMC) — A new report by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says while progress has been made to address the tobacco epidemic in the Americas, including the Caribbean, over one-third of regional countries is yet to implement the highest level of effective tobacco control measures.

Based on this, PAHO's Regional Report on Tobacco Control in the Americas 2018 has urged regional governments to urgently increase efforts to apply these measures and save lives.

The report says the number of tobacco users in the region has dropped to just 17 per cent, which is below the global average of 20 per cent.

“However, this means that one in every five adults above the age of 15 still uses tobacco, one of the main causes of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs),” PAHO said.

It said countries have committed to implementing measures to reduce premature mortality from these diseases by one-third by 2030, in accordance with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

PAHO's report notes that it is vital for countries to step up efforts to increase tobacco control measures in order to meet this objective.

“While we are certainly heading in the right direction when it comes to reducing the number of tobacco users and protecting the population from the adverse effects of tobacco exposure, we are just not moving fast enough,” said Dr Anselm Hennis, PAHO's director of the Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health Unit.

“The fact remains that more than two thousand people die each day in the Americas as a direct consequence of tobacco use, and this epidemic will continue unless countries acceler-

ate the speed at which effective policies are being implemented,” he added.

The new report highlights progress that countries in the Americas have made towards implementing the measures outlined in the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), which aims to protect present and future generations from the devastating consequences of tobacco use and exposure.

These measures include regulations to protect people from tobacco smoke by establishing 100 per cent smoke-free environments; the mandatory inclusion of large, graphic health warnings on all tobacco packaging; raising taxes on tobacco; and a total ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.

According to PAHO, the report shows that 12 out of 35 countries in the Americas have yet to implement even one of these effective tobacco control measures.

The report also shows that while implementation of tobacco control measures has increased in the region over the past decade, progress has re-

cently slowed down.

The report says the two most implemented tobacco control measures in the Americas are those that protect against exposure to tobacco smoke through 100 per cent smokefree environments, and mandatory health warnings on all tobacco packaging, implemented in 19 and 18 countries respectively, two more for each measure than in 2016.

Fourteen countries in the Americas have reduced the affordability of tobacco products, increasing the price of the most popular brand of cigarettes in relation to income, the report says.

Since 2016, the report says just one country in the region has banned tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, bringing the total number of countries implementing this measure to six.

“The increase in the number of countries to have put into effect at least one effective tobacco control measure is reassuring,” said Dr. Adriana Blanco, chief of the Risk Factors and Nutrition Unit at PAHO. “But since 2016, the number of countries to have imcontinued on page 11

NEWS 5

WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Foreign investment important for national development – Ambassador Bayney Karran G

u y a n a ’ s Ambassador to China, His Excellency Bayney Karran, has said there must be balance in the execution of our diplomatic relations as foreign investment is important to development.

“One should certainly exercise caution with one’s international interlocutors. In Guyana, we have had some bad experiences with some Chinese companies and this is very much in the public mind,” Ambassador Karran observed, noting that local authorities must ensure that investors follow the law. “When investors don’t operate like good corporate citizens, the onus is on us to ensure that our laws, regulations and customs are applied and enforced.”

The Guyanese diplomat further explained that many Chinese companies are not only more open to doing business in States like Guyana, but are willing to take the greatest risks for such investments.

“One has to have a

Ambassador Bayney Karran

balance between what is coming in and what we can utilize. It is up to us to filter the good ones from the bad because Guyana is open to all investors… We have to be careful that we don’t throw the baby out with the bath water,” he said.

Guyana and China recently signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MOU) on the Belt and Road initiative (B&RI) that was launched in 2013 by the Chinese Government. It aims to enhance the orderly free-flow of economic factors and the efficient allocation of resources. It is also intended to further market integration and create a regional economic co-

operation framework.

This has been widely criticized as a move by China to ensure global market dominance.

In the face of suggestions that this could render Guyana indebted to China, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Carl Greenidge, said the MOU was not a loan agreement. Instead, it

merely represents an intention embraced by the two States.

Moreover, he explained the incentives of Guyana’s engagement with China as one where “China is prepared to engage without multiple-layered political and other conditions”.

Minister Greenidge also emphasized that

China’s general inclination to fund infrastructural projects complements Guyana’s intent to take advantage of the MOU for related development.

“China views infrastructure projects in the context of a bid to build regional and global networks and views such projects in the long term and this initiative is a means of laying a claim to such arteries,” he noted.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Minister pointed out that “recent work undertaken by William & Mary College suggests that developing States have received significant additional responses, thanks to the B&RI and that few of the 68 States which have accessed it have suffered the kind of horrors that are being promulgated”.

While some countries such as Pakistan and Sri Lanka have experienced some difficulty with their projects, the Guyanese Foreign Minister said not all responsibility can be laid at the door of the Chinese initiative.

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WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Blatant case Never expected AFC would have of political gone to this stage interference and intrusion in the affairs of a sovereign nation

Dear Editor, In a section of the media, the British High Commissioner is reported to have made a statement which I find to be very curious and, frankly, disturbing. He said the United Kingdom is getting value for money as it relates to the operation of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) under the guidance of his countryman and Financial Investigations Advisor to SOCU, Dr. Sam Sittlington.

Responding to questions from the press at his residence on Friday, August 24th, Greg Quinn is quoted as saying, “It is not for SOCU to decide when and if a prosecution should move forward, and I KNOW (emphasis mine) that SOCU has done a lot of investigation on a whole range of subjects… all SOCU can do is put forward good cases; and I think if you ask Sam, he would say they have been doing that. SOCU is doing its job.”

Editor, in a previous letter, I had expressed concern over the level of interference in our domestic affairs by the UK High Commissioner and Dr. Sittlington, whose role is still undefined as he has been seen active in operational investigations.

The UK Envoy spoke as though he knows about the quality of the work being done by SOCU. Apart from the fact that he is Sittlington’s friend, any reasonable person would assume that Quinn could only make that assessment if he has access to confidential documents informing him of the extent and contents of investigations taking place at SOCU. Considering most, if not all of the cases being investigated by that Agency targets former PPP/C Ministers and officials, this raises the question as to whether any foreign representative would make this their business, and the extent to which High

Commissioner Quinn is involved. The UK High Commissioner speaking so candidly on operational security matters can only be considered political interference and intrusion in the affairs of a sovereign nation, which is being ignored by the APNU+AFC Government, for it aids their objective of the political witch-hunt of former PPP/C officials.

Is Gregory Quinn doing this on his own? Or is it his way of appeasing London to justify the cost of Sittlington’s advisory role and going after political opponents to gain favour with the APNU+AFC government.

The freeing of Dr. Jennifer Westford of trumped-up charges brought against her on the advice of SOCU did nothing to improve Government’s image with its hard-core PNC base. They have more disappointments to come!

As he seems interested in our security affairs, does the UK High Commissioner know that the APNU+AFC Government has hired several lawyers friendly to the APNU+AFC Administration as Special Prosecutors who now benefit from the G$100 million the Government set aside to pay special prosecutors, while at the same time cuts the DPP budget, compromising her ability to go after the real hardcore criminals: murderers; armed bandits and rapists that are terrorising the entire nation on a daily basis?

I wonder what are the views of the UK High Commissioner on these issues, since he is not shy to comment on other security matters.

Sincerely, Harry Gill PPP/C Member of Parliament Member of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee

Dear Editor, Social cohesion is always an elusive element in our country, primarily because it is not the will of our politicians who believe in the ‘divide and rule’ principle. Being in Government is the biggest business, and nasty politicians can sell their own maternal and paternal affiliations to gain a share in that pursuit.

I must commend the effort of our President, His Excellency David Granger, for his brave attempt to bring the Emancipation Celebration to Region 6 at Union Village, which saw the attendance of people from various races and ethnicities attending in their numbers. In fact I saw our East Indian brothers and sisters fully decked in African wear, which sends a clear message that cultural and social cohesion are possible, but it must start with our politicians.

However, what I have been witnessing on the television in Berbice has convinced me that the Alliance for Change, especially one particular Minister and his cohorts, are uninterested in social cohesion and are leaving no stone unturned in blasting this concept to smithereens, not by using weapons of mass destruction, but by sheer hate and personal attacks.

I have read with interest the rantings and ravings of the Quixotic character who unfortunately resides in Region 5 and was shocked when this was the first caller who, through in the AFC’s program, ‘Alliance on the Move,’ was given free air time to continue his vitriolic and personal attacks on the PM’s Representative, Mr Gobin Harbhajan. Is this how the AFC intends to be ‘on the Move’?

It is evident that the leader of the party, Mr Raphael Trotman, has allowed someone near to him to hijack the party and hold it captive while it is being ravished and mercilessly raped by his unconscio-

nable, barbaric and uncouth cohorts who are so deficient in basic decorum. I had never expected that the AFC would have descended to the depths of the cesspool. The stench emanating is now unbearable.

Furthermore, these TV ‘stars’ have been making unrealistic promises to the residents, so that I need to ask which ministry these guys represent? They are making statements pertaining to agriculture, public infrastructure and public security, which I have not heard coming from the relevant ministry.

Can Mr Trotman please answer me? These AFC fakes believe that they could even hold the residents in Berbice as captives to their falsehood and fabrication. Why are these persons given the tacit acquiescence of the Minister to destroy the Coalition? These TV ‘personalities’ are destroying the work of the Social Cohesion Ministry, and I do feel Minister Ally should bring pressure to bear on these AFC Region 6 officials and members for bringing the efforts of her ministry to zero.

Finally, one cannot help but notice that the presenters on ‘the Alliance on the Move’ programme are of one race and ethnicity, so where are the others, are they selectively excluded? I knew that once upon a time the AFC boasted multi-ethnicity and race, but it seems that principle has also been thrown under the bus. More so, I could not help but notice that the reputation of these mercenaries leaves much to be desired, and this will further destroy the remnants of respectability of the AFC. Mr Trotman needs to move quickly and decisively to save some face at least.

Yours sincerely, Desmond Thompson Former Teacher

Guyanese Public Servants live on meager income while Ministers live large Dear Editor, With America and the United Kingdom having vested interests in Guyana, for strategic geopolitical reasons and as a former colony respectively, these countries, particularly the United Kingdom, must be shaking their heads at what continues to obtain in Guyana in our political and economic affairs.

Not only they, but Guyanese can very probably attest for themselves that granting Guyana independence in 1966 was premature; because while there was no doubt a need to curtail the extraction of our wealth while we were a colony as a means of promoting development locally, releasing Guyana as an independent nation has, in retrospect, been disastrous.

After 52 years of economic mismanagement and retrograde politics, many Guyanese workers and their families survive on depressed incomes while our Government ministers, with the approval of the President himself, recently made themselves right by granting themselves multi-million-dollar annual salaries, deliberately ignoring public servants on the lower salary scales.

It is eye-opening to note that the Coalition was willing to extend a G$450 million contract as a reward for ‘political favours or support’, while the people whose votes brought the administration into power are being treated like fools. I was made to understand

that the Police Force did not receive an increase in their salaries in one of the more recent years. It is my considered opinion that underpaying workers is equivalent to robbing them.

The last three years of the PNC-led coalition’s administration have been a display of utter ignominy, having learnt nothing from its previous misadventure in the political economy of Burnhamism. It is impossible for an economy to prosper, or a Government to survive, by casting aside the private sector and marginalising close to 50% of the population. These, I think, were thoughts of Dr. Cheddi Jagan on Burnhamism. This aside, I wish to address the concerns of our teachers and public servants in general.

The current administration has adopted measures which clearly demonstrate that it intends to de-emphasise workers and their rights both in respect to working conditions and compensation. I reiterate that public servants and workers in general have to make their welfare a priority of this Government; and for that matter, any Government.

I have consistently maintained that the salaries of all public servants should be adjusted by an amount which brings the salary of the lowest paid worker up to an acceptable ‘living wage’. While there has been no agreement as yet on this figure, the adjoining table places the current demands of

the Teachers’ Union in context, excluding miscellaneous items.

These I suggested should be dealt with subsequently, since I think that ensuring all workers receive at least an acceptable living wage is more important. The annual increases have been applied to the base figures alone, since this method produces reasonable numbers.

Examination of these figures, the base numbers of which are estimates, reveals that the union was correct, at least with respect to addressing the needs of teachers on the lower salary scale, in its demands in respect of its proposed annual salary increases. It is only in 2019, using these salary adjustments alone, that the salaries of the lowest paid teachers approach anything close to acceptable.

Further, G$1.2 billion would more than comfortably cover increases for all teachers (estimated at 9,500) if based on the salary of G$67,000 on lowest scale, up to 2019. Teachers should be comfortable with the proposed increases as presented here, and should clarify these numbers with their union. Applying the percent increases to all teaching salary scales pushes up the annual cost by a not insignificant amount, which makes it more onerous to be applied to all public servants.

Yours faithfully, Craig Sylvester

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WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana’s new Top Cop sworn-in …urged to restore public trust

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ormer Crime Chief Leslie James, on Thursday, took the Oath of Office to serve as Commissioner of Police of the Guyana Police Force, mere hours after President David Granger made the announcement that he (James) was selected to serve in that capacity.

During the simple ceremony held at State House on Thursday evening, President Granger said the Office of Police Commissioner is a serious one that must be taken seriously. He also urged the new Top Cop to do whatever it takes to restore public trust in the work of the organization.

“The Office of Commissioner of

Police is not a toy, it is not trinket, it is not a tool of political favour or patronage. The very security of the state, the safety of the Guyanese people, rests on the Police Force and the Officers who command it. And unless those officers are persons of integrity, of intelligence and impartiality, this country would never be secured and our women and children would never be safe, the Head of State said.

President David Granger, on Thursday, announced that following consultations with the Leader of the Opposition, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo at State House, Leslie Albert James will now serve as the Commissioner of Police with immediate effect.

The Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces also noted that Mr James will be supported by four deputy commissioners who are Mr Lyndon Alves, Ms Maxine Graham, Mr Nigel Hoppie and Mr Paul Williams.

These appointments will also take immediate effect as of August 30, 2018.

In an invited comment following the conclusion of the meeting, President Granger said that the four deputies will be responsible for four areas of the Force; these are Operations, Administration, Law Enforcement and Special Branch/ Intelligence.

“My intention is that the four deputies will be responsible for various aspects

of the Police Force, for example, Operations, Administration, Law Enforcement and Special Branch or Intelligence.

What we have done today is we have not only appointed a Police Commissioner but we have also improved the architecture of the Police Force so that instead of having a flat structure, we now have clearly defined responsibilities in those four deputy commissioners.

So, things will be better. I am sure there will be better performance in those areas and other officers can now look forward to, in due course, filling those appointments.

It will help to enhance the specialisation of the Police Force. It will help to spur the career

mobility of officers and I am convinced that the efficiency of the Police Force as a whole will be enhanced,” the Head of State was quoted by the MotP as saying.

“I was not interested in having a foreigner head the Guyana Police Force. I felt that we had local talent. I think the process has resulted in the best five being selected to lead the force and I will be meeting later today (Thursday) with the Commissioner and deputy commissioners.

I think this is the best outcome and they are all fit and proper persons to lead the Police Force,” he said.

President Granger had earlier this month said that his choice for substantive Police

Commissioner would be someone who is “unbribable” and can steer the organisation in the right direction.

“Integrity is the most important and I am looking for intelligence and impartiality. I don’t give orders to the Commissioner of Police but I want somebody who is unbribable. I want somebody who is intelligent and want somebody who is committed to carrying out the programme of security sector reform, who has the initiative and who can generate public trust. If I put somebody there who is not trustworthy… the public would laugh,” he told reporters, when asked about some of the qualities he is looking for.

GA-FDD laboratories receive Certificate of Accreditation from JANAAC

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he Government AnalystFood and Drug Department (GA-FDD) was presented with the Certification (Award) of Accreditation in conformity with the ISO/IEC 17025:2005 Standard on Monday last from the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC).

GA-FDD received the Certificate (Award) on the occasion of the 23rd General Assembly of the InterAmerican Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC), which is currently being hosted at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Delivering the feature address at the IAAC Assembly’s Inauguration was Jamaica's Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture, and Fisheries (MICAF), Hon. Audley Shaw.

The GA-FDD Laboratories that were accredited include the - Food Chemistry Laboratory; Food Microbiology Laboratory; Excise Laboratory and Water Chemistry Laboratory.

Director of GAFDD, Marlan Cole, received the Certificate (Award) from Donovan Stanberry, Permanent Secretary to MICAF. The certification was handed over in the presence of JANAAC’s Chairman, Simon Roberts, and Chief Executive Officer

Sharonmae Shirley.

This Accreditation now gives the Government AnalystFood and Drug Department Laboratory the authority and scope to provide results generated from its analysis and tests which (are) now recognised and accepted anywhere in the world.

The agro-processing industry in Guyana will now be expected to have more access to international markets because of the enhanced competence of the GA-FDD with testing and certification.

Additionally, the Government AnalystFood and Drug Department Laboratory is the only of its kind within the public sector entity in the region that is accredited.

During brief remarks, Cole thanked the Government of Guyana (Ministry of Public Health - MoPH); the GNBS; CROSQ, via the 10th EDF Fund; Staff and QA Dept of GA-FDD for meeting this milestone.

“On behalf of the Government of Guyana/ Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), the Government Analyst-Food and Drug Department (GAFDD), I wish to convey sincere thanks to the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JAANAC) for conferring the Department with the status of accredita-

tion in accordance with the ISO/IEC 17025:2005 Standard… It would be remiss of me not to recognise the hard-working staff of the GA-FDD, particularly our scientific officers, our QA Department, and most importantly the MoPH’s key, critical and invaluable support given to the entire process. Last but not least, we must single out for special praise our own Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), for the unwavering support given to

Marlon Cole, Director of GA-FDD (second left), receiving the certificate award from Donovan Stanberry, Permanent Secretary to MICAF

the department throughout the years” he said.

And in his closing re-

marks, he said: “It is our intention to maintain such a prestigious status

and guarantee customer satisfaction”.

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WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Asbestos discovered at Guyana to launch Child Abuse Registry secondary school in Linden – officials call for urgent attention in September

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CC&PA Director Ann Greene

irector of the Childcare and Protection Agency (CC&PA), Ann Greene, has revealed that the long awaited and much needed Child Abuse Registry will be launched in September.

This was recently related to this newspaper by the director, who reminded that this year’s Child Protection Week will commence on September 23 under the theme ‘Supporting families to prevent child abuse through education and community involvement.’

The Child Abuse Registry will be helpful in providing information in relation to a person’s biography. Greene pointed out that the perpetrators of sexual abuse will be publicised and exposed to the public, who will be able to access the requisite information on

the internet.

“People were clamouring for that, and so I gave a commitment to launch the Child Abuse Registry. It is really to put online the persons who would have committed offences against children. If anybody wants to employ anybody, you could run the Child Abuse Registry,” she explained.

According to her, a few “final touches” are being added to the Registry to ensure it meets the mandatory requirements. “We got some equipment to set up, and that is being done right now,” she asserted.

Greene did not reveal the cost of the programme, but only said it was budgeted for and it is a rather technical database.

“A lot of information will be made available

through the Registry; (like) the type of abuse, the person’s age, their name, where they’re from, and so on. Because when we set up this database, we can do drafts and look and see where the abusers are. We can pull up the map and see where they are,” she revealed.

The perpetrators’ pictures, she said, will also likely be available through the Registry, since the department is cognisant of the fact that people have the same names.

It was on this note that the Director reiterated the importance of such a database in combating child abuse nationally.

The Social Protection Ministry first announced plans to establish this type of registry back in 2016. The then Guyana Information Agency (GINA) had reported that the Ministry would be embarking on a series of community outreaches countrywide to develop a registry to ensure that all vulnerable individuals and families are accounted for.

Minister Volda Lawrence, who then was in charge of the Ministry, said, “For instance, if someone goes to the Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency (CRMA) for a job, that agency will be able to see that person’s information…”

T

Christianburg Wismar Secondary School

he rediscovery of asbestos at the Christianburg Wismar Secondary School (CWSS) in Linden Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) has led to urgent calls by regional officials and parents for immediate attention by the Education Ministry.

Regional Chairman Renis Morian has indicated that officials recently received reports from parents while conducting checks on the school’s readiness for reopening, as the asbestos had been discovered in the ceiling of the school by contractors who were conducting repairs.

“This is a great problem for us because school is reopening on Monday… I am calling on the Ministry of Education to move urgently. This is disaster risk mitigation right now and we need to move now to remove this asbestos before Monday…

These are the findings of the parents in this

community and it’s valid and this matter needs to be addressed,” Morian stressed. He added that there might be a few days delay for the school’s reopening when asbestos is removed since the school would have to be ventilated.

He pointed out, however, that this should not be considered a form of strike action but a genuine cause for concern.

The Regional Chairman further related that officials are aware that in 2001 to 2002, a contract was handed out for the removal of asbestos from inside the school; however, he noted that it appears as though some had been hidden given the way they were placed.

“Now that a new contractor is doing works, those things are being discovered… Our interest is the health of our children and teachers…,” the Regional Chairman said, as he promised to make contact with several education officials.

Meanwhile, Region

10 Education Committee Chairman Denise Belgrave confirmed that based on a visit to the school, there is indeed the presence of asbestos as she noted that it is important to look at the health of students and teachers. She also thanked parents for bringing the issue to the attention of officials.

“We are trusting that the relevant authorities will give us that time so that we can rectify this issue and have school sessions continue on a regular basis,” Belgrave said. Officials are presently in the process of visiting schools across Linden to ensure that they’re ready for next week’s reopening.

The removal of asbestos must be done with great care due to the toxic properties of this substance. Asbestos removal is a very dangerous and expensive undertaking.

Locally, very few companies have the capacity for proper removal of this hazardous substance.

NGSA examination

NEW GPC awards bursaries to employees’ children T

he NEW Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation (New GPC) on Wednesday distributed several bursary awards to its employees’ children who would have written the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) examinations.

Among those in attendance at this ceremony were the awardees, summer attachments of the company, staff members, and representatives from the Guyana Labour Union (GLU) and the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU).

The six bursary awardees, Narendra Maraj, Menakshi Singh, Kelly Singh, Darryle David, Reshma Seemangal and Alaycie Datson, were also given school supplies.

Meanwhile, recognition was also given to three work study students, Shaqueon Scott, Shelleeza Mohamad and Neveash Kumar.

Company Secretary Zulfikar Ally charged the stu-

Recipients of the bursaries along with NEW GPC Human Resources Manager Faye Scott; Company Secretary Zulfikar Ally; Executive Assistant Jonnellor Bowen; GLU General Secretary Carvil Duncan, and a CCWU representative on Wednesday

dents to work towards excellence as he renewed the company’s commitment towards assisting the students in their academics.

“The NEW GPC Inc once again is proud to continue this

tradition of handing out bursary awards to students and children of our employees,” said Ally.

“We have been doing this for a very long time, and we will continue to do this as long

as we have bright young kids who continue to excel. Your whole future is ahead of you, and we would like to support you in your quest to become whatever you would like to be,” he said to the students.

General Secretary of the Guyana Labour Union, Carvil Duncan, in his remarks, told the young students, “It is not where you are that is important, but where you want to be. Everything you want to achieve in life you’ll have to work for it.”

He noted that for all students to excel, preparations must be made from the time they commence their academic journey.

“You must programme yourselves from now for what you want to become in the next ten, fifteen years; and once you programme your thoughts and you are conscious of what you want to become, then the responsibility lies with you.”

Additionally, Jonathan Motieram of Covent Garden Secondary was also named the top bursary graduate for securing eight subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination.

WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana Govt appoints top int’l Oil and Gas expert to advise energy dept

M

atthew Wilks, who has 32 years of experience in the global oil and gas industry, has been appointed Oil and Gas Adviser in the Department of Energy within the Ministry of the Presidency.

The Ministry of the Presidency has, in a release, stated that Wilks is an experienced senior oil and gas business developer and negotiator in the globe, spanning all segments of the energy value chain, including exploration and production, liquid natural gas, pipeline transportation, power generation, and project financing.

Moreover, it was outlined that he previously held management responsibilities for international asset management and joint venture operations.

During his career, he has worked for, or opposite, several heads of state, other senior Government officials, and senior corporate ex-

Matthew Wilks

ecutives.

The Ministry has said the new adviser, who will be based in Georgetown, has worked in Asia, East Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and South America; and had corporate portfolio responsibility for assets in Central Asia, the Levant, and North Africa.

“Wilks, most recently, was Chief Commercial Officer at Maersk Oil, where he was involved

in projects in Angola, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Norway, and Qatar.

Before that, Mr. Wilks worked at BG Group, where he was Country Manager for Tanzania at the time of significant offshore discoveries and rapid sector development there. He worked on projects in Bolivia, Egypt, Libya, Palestine, and Thailand, also at BG Group” the Ministry of Presidency detailed.

60 to attend Council of Legal Education meetings in Georgetown

T

Basil Williams

he Government of Guyana in collaboration with the Council of Legal Education (CLE) will be hosting meetings of the Executive Committee and Council of Legal Education for the fifth time in Guyana from September 6-8 at the Guyana Marriott Hotel, Kingston, Georgetown.

According to the Department of Public Information (DPI), sixty participants have confirmed attendance at the meetings, where a number of matters are expected to be discussed. Some of these include a feasibility study for the establishment of the JOF Haynes Law School in Guyana and the recommendations of the review committee as well as the Impact Justice Report and recommendations for legal education in the Caribbean.

Implications arising from proposals for other law schools in Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda and Barbados are also top of the agenda.

Chairman of the CLE, a representative of the Caribbean Court of Justice, Attorneys General, Chief Justices from CARICOM Member States, Members of the Bar Association and Principals of the three Law Schools located in Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and the Bahamas will be in attendance.

On September 6, a Special Meeting of the Executive Committee will be held at 09:30hours at the Marriott Hotel. Members of this committee are the CLE Chairman, Attorneys General and Principals of the Law Schools.

According to DPI, President David Granger will address the opening of the Meeting of the Council of Legal Education on September 7 which commences at 09:30 hours. Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, SC., MP, as the host will deliver welcome remarks.

Chairman of the Council of Legal Education, Reginald Armour, SC, is also expected to deliver remarks.

Additionally, on the evening of September 7, AG Williams will host a Reception and Cultural event at the Umana Yana at 19:00 hours in honour of the participants.

The Council of Legal Education Meeting will continue on September 8, DPI said.

These meetings were held here during the years 1975, 1981, 1987 and 1994, respectively.

NEWS 9

FINAL CHECKS:

CJIA management to test operations at new Terminal Arrival Building

T

he management of Cheddi Jagan International Airport Corporation (CJIAC) will be conducting trial runs of the new Arrivals Terminal and Boarding Bridges between 13:00h on August 31 to 10:00h September 1, 2018.

According to a release from the CJIAC on Thursday, the objective of these tests is to ensure all systems under the passenger treatment/loading conditions are acceptable to allow the identification of final opportunities for improvements ahead of the proposed official opening of the terminal.

The 4,891 square meters terminal features 10 passport control booths, one Elevator, one Escalator stair, two functional Boarding Bridges, three baggage carousels, a spacious Custom area and a public Greeting hall to welcome the arrival of family and friends.

In light of this, airport users are

asked to the adhere to the following: • Motorists will now park in the parking lot adjacent to the new Arrival Terminal building. The fees for the various types of vehicles remain the same. http://www.cjairport-gy.com/airport/airport-parking-0.

• During this trial phase, motorists will not be allowed access under the Arrivals Canopy to uplift passengers this is to analyse the readiness of the collection of passengers that was proving difficult in previous experiences.

“It is the extended desire of CJIAC management to ensure the new Terminal operations attain the most favorable efficiencies, stress-free and supple passenger movement, and superior service to all its users. CJIAC appreciates the patience and the public cooperation through this process”, the release added.

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WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana must prepare for huge influx of Venezuelans …says human rights body

By Samuel Sukhnandan

W

ith thousands fleeing Venezuela on a daily as the humanitarian crisis intensifies, the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) has warned that more persons are likely to seek refuge in Guyana.

Most Venezuelans are fleeing to Latin American countries that border Venezuela, but GHRA President, Mike McCormack said while the numbers here might not be as many as those other countries, they will continue to come.

“It is possible that the numbers will increase in Guyana, particularly now that this crisis is getting worst,” he told Guyana Times International on Wednesday, explaining that the Government must do everything to prepare for such an event.

McCormack noted that countries in the Andean region seem to be reaching their capacity and they have also made life a bit more difficult than it was before for Venezuelans, by placing visa restrictions, among other things. This, he said, could lend to more Venezuelans coming to Guyana.

“We will see more people coming. My sense is, we won’t see this mas-

GHRA President Mike McCormack

sive number marching down roads. But I think we need to make a modest effort to try to get early warnings,” he said.

The GHRA President feels persons in the bordering regions, particularly in Region One (Barima-Waini), should be educated and trained to respond to these cases.

“So, if they notice the numbers are increasing and if we get that information early, we can take measures and, coordination groups in the various Ministries could respond effectively.”

He also noted that the arrival of over 100 Arrau, a few months ago, was handled efficiently.

“We have been learning by experience. And we have been fortunate that the border controversy, the nature of the terrain, the language barrier, may be reasons

why they are not coming but that could change because there is a lot of interest being shown.”

McCormack told this newspaper that the GHRA is also monitoring the situation and would encourage everyone to continue to be observant.

“If we can keep up the work and the ‘don’t panic kind of attitude’…and don’t anticipate major problems before they actually arrive, I think we can keep this humanitarian obligation intact.”

On that note, he commended the Government for its response, saying it has been doing a “remarkably good job” in adhering to calls by international agencies to use a flexible approach to the issue.

Learning curve

“Our feeling is the Government has been on a learning curve and we feel much more assured now with the official response to the crisis than… say a year ago, when the standard response of when Venezuelans coming to Guyana was either they needed a passport or a visa and then if they over stayed they were put before the courts and fined and so on,” he stated.

According to McCormack, that has changed, as there is now a more flexible, efficient and comprehen-

Venezuelans at a make shift camp in Region One

sive response to allowing Venezuelans who are seeking to stay in Guyana.

“The way that kind of manifested, is…not only did they require passports or visas, but they got a three-month initial visa and it is renewable. Government has improved its reception procedure,” the GHRA President noted, while pointing out that medical checks are also being done. He said that is an indication of the Government being more confident from the experience of addressing the situation.

McCormack also pointed to an example, where 27 females, mostly Venezuelans, were found inside a “strip club” at Bikers Bar, Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara.

“A year ago, they

would have all been charged for prostitution and put before the courts and deported. This time the Police raided the place, the girls were checked by the medical authorities and those who didn’t have visas, they were given and their status regularised.

And the people who own the bar were prosecuted,” he observed.

According to the human rights activist, this approach is much more effective and a humanitarian way of addressing the current situation of Venezuelans coming to Guyana.

While Colombia has received far more Venezuelans than other countries so far, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said they are spreading out to

other countries.

At least 40,000 Venezuelan migrants arrived in Peru in the first two months of this year.

Thousands more have emigrated to Panama, Ecuador, Chile, Spain, the United States and beyond.

It has been reported also that boats carrying Venezuelan migrants have landed on some islands in the Caribbean.

In January, one capsized off Curaçao, killing at least four people.

The number of Venezuelans seeking asylum abroad has rocketed by 2000 per cent since 2014. Brazil is another of the countries to have received a huge influx. There is about 600 Venezuelans in Region One (Barima-Waini).

Impasse continues over wage increases for Guyana’s teachers

…Union pushing for arbitration

A

s the impasse between the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) and the Education Ministry continued over wage increases for teachers, the union said on Wednesday it would consider calling off the strike as long as its conditions are met, which include uitlising arbitration to settle the matter.

This disclosure was made after conciliation talks at the Social Protection Ministry’s Labour Department, where the GTU outlined its justification for arbitration.

However, Guyana Times International understands that the GTU was excused and a brief closed-door meeting with Education representatives and the Labour Department was held.

It was related that after this meeting-within-a-meeting concluded, the Education Ministry’s officials returned, holding on to the position that conciliation is the way forward. Under arbitration, a neutral par-

ty would take evidence from both sides and then make an award afterwards.

GTU General Secretary Coretta McDonald, in an interview with this newspaper, contended that the MoE’s representatives: Social Protection Minister Amna Ally; her junior, Labour Minister Keith Scott; Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle, and Labour Advisor Francis Carryl, were all members of Government who were advocating on the employer’s (Education Ministry’s) behalf.

The union believes that such advocacy compromised the spirit and intent of conciliation.

“The Education Ministry’s acting DPS (Deputy Permanent Secretary) said they are prepared to go to conciliation, and to ensure that we go to every step of the way until we would have exhausted the process; then we can move on to arbitration…

“GTU, at that point, reiterated our position:

that we are prepared to go to arbitration because we have no faith and confidence in the persons who’re representing Government wanting to stand as the mediator,” she explained.

GTU, through its letter to the Labour Department, advised that the State installs an arbitration panel of three persons – a chairman they can both agree on, and one of two additional members to be nominated by each side. The union said there should be no victimisation by either side. It further demanded that teachers must not lose pay or their seniority. The GTU also wants the arbitration panel and its chairman to be identified before teachers turn out to school, and for all parties to respect the final decision of the arbitrator.

However, the Social Protection Ministry, in a statement on Wednesday, said “Conciliation talks” were adjourned until further notice. The Ministry maintained that “be-

Representatives from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Protection Labour Department and Guyana Teachers’ Union engaged in discussions

fore any progress could be made at conciliation, the current strike action initiated by the Union must be called off after a memorandum containing terms of resumption has been signed by the parties.”

According to the Ministry, it is unfortunate that the GTU did not find comfort with the suggestion, which it states necessitated the continuation of conciliation.

“Since the GTU could not find favour with possible terms of resumption facilitating the termination of the strike and the progression of

conciliation, the meeting was adjourned to a time and date to be determined shortly,” the statement highlighted.

The union is seeking agreement of 40 per cent increases on each year from 2016 to 2020, but Government has stressed that this request is just not feasible for the over 10,000 teachers in the system.

Education Minister Nicolette Henry was not present at Wednesday’s meeting. However, at an engagement at Queen’s College on Tuesday, she observed that GTU had made an “unnecessary proposal” for duty-free

concessions for Union executives.

The Education Ministry has been hosting several meetings, urging parents to send their children out to school when classes start next Monday. The Ministry has said that striking teachers would be substituted by CPCE trainees, recent graduates and retired teachers. Some parents, however, fear that their children could be shortchanged by this arrangement, especially those preparing for CXC examinations and National Grade Six examinations in 2019.

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WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Some Caribbean...

from page 4

plemented at least four measures remains unchanged, at six,” she added. “If we are to effectively protect populations against the impact of tobacco use, we need to go much further and ensure that more measures are implemented.”

The report says one of the main areas of progress in the last two years occurred in the Caribbean, although it remains the subregion with the lowest number of countries to have implemented the measures outlined in the WHO FCTC. The reported highlighted Guyana as the country passed its comprehensive tobacco control law in 2017.

This law now positions Guyana among the most compliant in three

areas: protecting people from tobacco smoke; bans on advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and mandatory large graphic health warnings on all tobacco packaging.

PAHO said St Lucia and Barbados are following suit with the approval of measures to include mandatory health warnings on tobacco product packaging.

“We welcome recent efforts from the Caribbean to begin the implementation of effective tobacco control measures, and we hope this will show other countries in the sub-region the long-term benefits that measures will have on their economies and, most importantly, the health of their populations,” Hennis said.

Teachers’ strike: found.

When workers are told that monies are not available for salary increases, it appears to be deceptive through the actions of the Administration.

This seems evident by the 50 per cent hike in ministerial emoluments; Government’s increased dietary, travelling and security bills; costs for numerous Commissions of Inquiry and funding for projects like the imposing fence at the Ministry

from page 4

of the Presidency and D’Urban Park that appears to have little or no impact on national development.

These scenarios not only fester uncertainty, but can infuse a deep sense of irrelevance through growing despondency in those who are the builders of society but are made to feel otherwise. For the builders, there appears to be no uncertainty about that.

Bus fares hike seen as additional burden on Guyanese – union

T

he Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) has labelled the G$20 across-the-board increase in minibus fares, expected to be active by September 1, a burden on the beleaguered working people.

The union on Monday expressed its dissatisfaction over the fare hike, expressing that “it was disheartening for us that the Government, it seemed, did not take cognisance of what impacts the increases would have on the pockets of the working people.”

According to FITUG, although it accepts that the operators have found themselves in a difficult position, taking into consideration the ban on used tyres and increases in the costs of licences and fitness in addition to other increases, the new increases, depending on the route, could work out to as much as a 25 per cent hike in fares.

The Union pointed out that it believes the new fare structure would now require workers and their families, depending on the number of buses they would have to take, to fork out as much as several thousands more per month on transportation, though promised a ‘Good Life’ by the ruling Coalition Government.

“Naturally, we expected the Administration would have sought to see what assistance the State could have lent to easing the woes of the bus operators, without placing additional burdens on our people. This is the approach any responsible Government would take as it seeks to protect its people’s

Relocated minibuses parked outside Ashmin’s Trading and Silvie’s Variety Store on High Street, Georgetown

well-being,” FITUG stated.

Moreover, the Union asserted that it had high expectations of the Government to do ‘what is right and decent’. “Certainly, the Coalition had several possible fiscal measures at its disposal, but rather ‘uncreatively’ passed on the increased costs to hapless, overburdened Guyanese”, the agitated Union noted.

In addition to the hike on minibus fares, FITUG also complained of the impending hike in water rates, which it said are being saddled on to the backs of our overburdened working people.

The union added that while the administration boasts of high economic growth, “we find many of our people cannot cope with the pressures of life. This is not a healthy situation, and one we urge the Administration to pay careful attention to.”

About one week ago, the Business Ministry announced that minibuses in the various routes would be benefiting from an additional G$20 from each passenger, beginning on September 1.

According to the Business Ministry, a new fare structure would be made available to minibus drivers, who would then be responsible for displaying same in their buses.

President of the United Minibus Union (UMU), Eon Andrews, has said he is satisfied with the Ministry’s decision to implement a G$20 increase. He said, “It might not be a lot, but we are satisfied.”

The President of the Minibus Union had in June submitted a proposal for not only a fare increase, but for several other requests to ease the pressure on minibus operators.

Although the call for a fare increase came at a time when fuel prices were constantly escalating, Andrews had noted that the call for the additional money was not only due to the fuel prices, but to several other issues. Because of this, the Union’s President said, even if the fuel prices were to be lowered, he would not be willing to drop the transportation costs.

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WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Ali urges Govt to cut back on ‘wasteful spending’ I

n citing a recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) Report that has highlighted the need for Government to cut back on its wasteful spending, former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Minister Irfaan Ali said the recommendations should be taken seriously.

He was referring to the recently concluded 2018 staff report by the IMF on Guyana’s economy, where the international financial institution made two main policy recommendations, and where it underscored the importance of macroeconomic and financial stability.

On the notion of preserving macroeconomic stability, a policy that prepares an economy for growth by safeguarding it against external shocks, the IMF had cautioned the Government of continued expansionary fiscal policy. This involves increased Government spending.

According to the report, the IMF is extremely concerned how short-term fiscal deficit is being financed: primarily, by usurping domestic credit.

Allocation of scarce resources to best meet the needs of the people through wealth generation and improved wellbeing is crucial.

Ali told this newspaper that from 2014 to 2018, the trajectory, however, has been one that represents reckless spending. Moreover, Government increased its dependence and

Opposition MP and former Minister, Irfaan Ali

reliance on domestic credit to fund short-term fiscal deficit.

Statistics indicate that from 2014 to 2017, domestic borrowing increased by more than twofold, from G$11.3 billion to G$23 billion.

In 2018, it is further estimated to increase by another G$11 billion to G$34 billion.

Hence, this huge increase, indeed, would crowd out private investment. The crowding out effect is the increase in interest rates because of higher levels of Government borrowing.

This, however, means the increase in Government borrowing leads to greater demand for loanable funds, increasing interest rates. When this happens, it's more expensive for private companies to borrow and invest.

Meanwhile, according to the latest Bank of Guyana (BoG) Statistical Abstract, for the month of June, loans and advances from commercial banks to individual customers contracted by more than 6.5 per cent or G$2.4 billion, during the first six months of 2018. Central Government, on the other hand, recorded a huge increase in borrowing by more than 1600 per cent or G$61.3 billion.

Ali, who is the economic spokesman for the Opposition said it is interesting to note, that projected fiscal expenditure in 2018, when compared to 2015, is expected to increase by more than G$75 billion or 39 percent, in tandem with an increase in fiscal deficit by more than G$33.7 billion or 375 percent.

“From 2017-2018, fiscal expenditure is anticipated to increase by G$18 billion or 7.2 per cent, attracting a budget deficit of G$9 billion. Of the two major components to fiscal expenditure, capital and recurrent, the latter, when compared to 2014, is projected to increase by G$46 billion by the end 2018, in comparison to an increase of G$8 billion by its counterpart, capital expenditure.”

He said another important point to note is the increase in recurrent expenditure, which, among others, represents expenditure on goods and services; wages, salaries, and other charges such as travelling,

Finance Minister Winston Jordan

dietary etc. This makes up 84 per cent of total increase in fiscal expenditure, an indication that clearly speaks to what was described as the “gross misappropriation of funds.”

Ali said not only significant amount of resources being squandered on goods and services that yields no wealth generation or improve standard of living for the people, but expenditure on capital items (goods that make products, provide services) has grown by a mere 15 percent.

“And if one is to adjust for inflation and VAT (Value Added Tax), this amount would become significantly less. In other words, of every dollar spent by this Administration, less than $0.10 is spent on wealth generation activities for the people,” he pointed out.

Re-prioritise

The former Minister said there is ample resources to accommodate all projects initiated by the previous Administration that sought to address core economic issues at the grass-root level.

For example, Ali said by slashing all excess allocation from “dietary” and “national and other events” (G$2 billion), to 2014 level, enough funds could be garnered to rehire and offer a 66 per cent increase in stipend to all 1972 dismissed CSO Amerindian Workers.

He said it could lend to an increase in the National Toshoa Council subvention by 221 per cent to G$50 million, and provide each Amerindian village, across the country, with a G$3.5 million cash grant to fund developmental projects.

Moreover, he said by removing all excess allocation from “security services” and “transport and travel” (G$3 billion), the “Because We Care” cash grant programme not only could be fully re-instated, but each parent could now receive a 50 per cent increase in allocation to G$15,000 for each child, attending primary and nursery school.

Ali noted that there will still be an untouched G$17 billion in employment cost, and G$24 billion in other charges; adequate funds to address payment of severance for sugar workers and increased salary for teachers.

Remigrants’ process to be transferred to Department of Citizenship – Greenidge M

inister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, anticipates that by October, the Department of Citizenship will be responsible for designating persons as remigrants and his Ministry, which is currently responsible for the process, will play a consultative role as the need arises.

According to the Department of Public Information (DPI) Minister Greenidge said in 2015 the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Finance made several recommendations to the Cabinet, including a proposal for this responsibility be transferred from the Foreign Affairs Ministry to the Department of Citizenship.

Furthermore, it was outlined that the Department’s staff has received the necessary training to facilitate a smooth transition.

In shedding light on the remigrant system and the ministry’s role in the process, Greenidge clarified that over the years, the fiscal concessions afforded to remigrants has been the source of many scandals.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge

The minister however, said that the records of the ministry do not show any significant amount of these cases either by complaints or action by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), the institution which grants the concessions.

“Our records do not suggest that you have had any dramatic infringements, primarily be-

cause we at Foreign Affairs in defining remigrants do not go outside the law,” the minister noted.

A remigrant is any Guyanese living abroad for a period of five years or in the case of a student, four years and wishes to return to Guyana. The person is expected to make the claim for remi-

grant status within six months of arrival.

That person, once classified as a remigrant by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, is then able to bring to Guyana certain items including one motor vehicle, tools of the trade and personal belongings at concessionary duty rates.

This arrangement, he explained, is a combination of the laws of Guyana and regulation orders passed by ministers. Passports and other documents are presented to the ministry to support the claim.

The Ministry of Finance, through the GRA, is responsible for administering the tax concessions, “so if you want to bring in a car, or a motorcycle or a motorboat… the tax concessions are granted through the Ministry of Finance by GRA, that is the arrangement,” the minister stated.

He said the arrangement has worked “on and off” for many years with some specific challenges.

Another challenge lies with those persons who make the claim for the sole purpose of gaining the tax concession on the motor vehicles, which they

usually sell or purchase on behalf of another individual.

“The bigger scale of the problem [lies] with those who are not bonafide remigrants but they may be seeking to facilitate someone else or more worrying they may be seeking to facilitate a business,” Minister Greenidge pointed out.

This is an illegal act and, in these instances, GRA informs the ministry.

The GRA, he reminded, has the responsibility of informing the remigrants of the stipulations, which states that the vehicle must be 2,000cc or less and be owned by the remigrant seeking the concession.

Many persons, he noted, wait beyond the stipulated 6-month period to register as a remigrant, “persons come and they may have difficulties proving they’ve been abroad, that is one side, or they come and do not make the claim, they really should make the claim before a long period expires …you find somebody comes back a year, two years or more and then come to be classified as remigrant.”

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‘You were irresponsible and negligent’ …Judge tells ex-Army Officer found guilty of fatally shooting friend

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Deceased: Devon Howell

x-Guyana Defence Force (GDF) officer, Alistair Woolford, was on Monday sentenced to 15 years in prison at the High Court for the shooting to death of his friend Devon Howell, who met his demise at the former soldier’s D’Anrade Street, Kitty, Georgetown residence. The sentence was handed down by Justice Sandhil Kissoon nearly one month after Woolford was found guilty by a 10-2 jury proportion. However, it was high drama as family members exchanged words after an emotional Woolford was escorted by Police ranks on Monday.

Police stationed at the court were called in to settle tensions as the

Jailed: Alistair Woolford

two sides traded barbs; both outside the courtroom and on the court’s South Road entrance.

During the trial, the 24year old discharged soldier never denied that he killed Howell but instead claimed that he was only “joking around” on the day in question – November 12, 2014.

It was believed to be a game of Russian roulette based on reports that Woolford, Howell and others were taking turns feeling the GDF service weapon that former soldier, Jonathon Williams obtained from Army headquarters at Camp Ayanganna.

Justice Sandil Kissoon, who handed down the sentence continued on page 21

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WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana records 481 cases of child sexual abuse for first half of 2018

‘Blatant conflict of interest’ …former Minister says Mortimer Mingo should resign as Chairman of local gov’t body

Abdool Jamil

Former Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud

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s of June 2018, Guyana has recorded an increase in reported cases of sexual abuse against children.

The eye widening figure was related by the Director of the Childcare and Protection Agency (CC&PA), Ann Greene on Friday during an interview with Guyana Times International.

“By the end of June, we had 481 sexual abuse cases and that’s an increase,” she revealed. Greene went on to explain that she believes the high number exposed itself only due to intensive work by the department.

According to her, “it’s not an increase to say it is more now than what it was before because we got more awareness, we got more channels to report. We encourage persons to report more so when we do all these programmes and all these awareness and so on, put in a hotline and all of that, the reports would increase, but it does not signal that there is more child abuse this year than last year”.

She sought to point out that she believes the figure exposed is just a ‘tip of the ice berg’ since abuse, especially sexual abuse, is often hidden and goes unreported.

Greene said she believes a holistic approach is definitely needed, as the Department continues to raise awareness in the heart wrecking area of child sexual abuse.

It was further related by the child enthusiast that most of the children from the 481 figure are under the age of 16.

Moreover, Greene said most of the matters reported are still being investigated.

Numerous cases of child sexual abuse have managed to ache the heart of readers in recent days. Several weeks after being found guilty of two counts of sexually penetrating a 10-year-old girl on May 30 and June 2, 2014, at a West Coast Demerara (WCD) village, Abdool Jamil, a 67-yearold pensioner, was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in jail.

On August 13, 2018, he was ordered to serve two life sentences by Sexual Offences Court Judge Priya SewnarineBeharry, who said the offend-

er must serve at least 45 years before he was eligible for parole.

When he was allowed to have his say, the pensioner, a father of six, told the Judge that he never raped the child – lamenting several times, via vivid description, that he was impotent.

“I never had sex with a young person, much less this person,” Jamil told the court.

The child, through an impact statement read by child counsellor Celeste Mullen, said she could not concentrate or perform well in school. She said she could not forget what happened to her.

“I felt really bad and upset.

My life has not been the same and my grades started to drop.

I trusted him, he was nice to me, but I don’t want to see him again. I want him to be punished,” the now teenaged girl expressed.

Back in July, in what she said was meant to send society a strong message, Justice Sewnarine-Beharry also sentenced 46-year-old Navindra Badal, called ““Uncle Ravi,” to serve two consecutive life sentences for raping a nine-yearold girl on two separate occasions during 2016.

It was determined in the Sexual Offences Court that the acts were committed between July 1 and 31, 2016, and August 14 and 15, 2016, at an East Coast Demerara village.

Now 11 years old, the victim also said she wanted the offender to go to jail for what he had done to her.

Following a series of attacks on a young victim, Rohan Daniels, a logger, also known as “Shine Buck” was found guilty on two counts of sexual activity with a child family member by a 12-member jury at the High Court. The panel deliberated for about three hours and they were tasked with handing a verdict on four separate counts of child sex activity.

According to the particulars of the first and fourth counts for which he was found guilty, “Shine Buck” between April 12 and 13, 2014, and July 23, 2016 performed vaginally penetrative acts on the minor. She was between 10 and 13 years old during the span of the attacks.

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he election of Chairman of the Local Government Commission (LGC), Mortimer Mingo, to the executive of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) last week, is not sitting well with Opposition members, who see this move as a conflict of interest.

In an interview with Guyana Times International, former Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud pointed out the importance of the Chairman being as unbiased towards a particular party as possible.

“It is clear now that as a central committee member of the PNC, he’s in the decision-making body of that party and obviously when the issue of Local Government comes up on that agenda of that party’s deliberation at the central level, then he will have opinions and views influenced by information to which he was privileged, being Chairman of the Local Government Commission,” Persaud said.

“So I think, right away,

that the information resources at the Local Government Commission will be compromised by the chair being an executive member of PNC. Because that is not like being a party member… party member is different from being in the leadership of your party.”

Persaud expressed concerns that because of this conflict of interest, the Commission’s interests may be subsumed with those of the PNC party. Considering the scope of the Commission’s power, including disciplining local politicians, Persaud noted the need for Mingo to choose.

“It will have serious conflict of interest and it can cause the Commission to act on the direction of the PNC and the PNC council. I think that the decent thing for him to do would be to give up on one, because they conflict.”

“The Commission is not just any other organisation.

The Commission requires you to act impartially, without influence or bias. And I’m not sure, being in the executive of the PNC that will help his quest to be fair and transparent.”

The Commission is charged with, among other things, control over who gets appointed as officials in the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils and other local authorities. In addition, it would have to approve budgets for the NDCs. By law, the Commission is to be made up of eight members. The members of the Commission include four nominated from the Government, one from the unions and three nominees from the Leader of the Opposition.

The Commission was sworn in last year October, after a

Local Government Commission Chairman and PNC executive, Mortimer Mingo

lengthy delay. The parliamentary Opposition had named its nominees to the Local Government Commission since 2016. However, since the Government did not submit its nominees, this resulted in a deadlock.

The Commission’s members are Chairman, Mortimer Mingo; Clement Corlette; Marlon Williams; Jo Ann Romascindo; Andrew Garnett; former Local Government Ministers Norman Whittaker and Clinton Collymore; and former Georgetown Town Clerk, Carol Sooba.

There are a number of controversies in the Local Government system, which have been in the public domain for some time. One such issue includes previous reports that in some Local Authority Areas, officials are being appointed without any vacancy being advertised. In addition, there have been reports that young, qualified applicants are being overlooked in favour of others.

‘You were irresponsible ... for the manslaughter charge, called the offender’s actions reprehensible, reckless and unbecoming of a trained GDF officer. The Judge opined that Woolford, by way of his conduct, failed his mother, society and himself. Howell died on December 8, 2014, just weeks after being shot. The Judge considered that Woolford is a father to one and is expecting another child. He was out on bail prior to being found guilty.

The Judge started at a base of 25 years but subtracted six years for a favourable probation report and four years for his young age and other mitigating factors.

“The death is indeed tragic and unfortunate. You were irresponsible and negligent,” Justice Kissoon observed.

The probation report disclosed that Woolford’s father has been incarcerated for the last nine years. It also unearthed that even though the offender left school in Third Form, his fellow ranks described him as having to potential to go very far in the Army.

Woolford shed a few tears

from page 20

Tensions flared when the two families exited the courtroom

as he was being led away but his friend’s mother, Allison Howell told Guyana Times International that she is extremely upset that Woolford or his relatives never apologised for her son’s demise. She made similar remarks when she took the stand at Monday’s sentencing. The still grieving woman told the court that she can never forgive Woolford for his actions.

However, the jailed officer’s mother, Feona Edwards later on responded that she will continue to support her

son as she maintained that the two males were good friends.

In an unsworn statement to the court last month, her son said he was only joking around when he squeezed the trigger and the gun went off.

Williams had however claimed that he was in the washroom at the time the weapon was fired. The prosecution’s case was that Woolford discharged the loaded firearm with intent to murder Howell.

State Counsels Abigail Gibbs and Mandell Moore prosecuted the case. (Shemuel Fanfair)

22 NEWS

WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Opposition Leader roasts Govt for ‘hostile rhetoric’ towards mining association

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pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has dubbed the coalition Government’s response to concerns expressed by the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) as unhelpful ‘hostile rhetoric.’

Jagdeo was referring to a recent statement issued by the GGDMA where it called for an immediate investigation into the execution of a miner who was working legally on a legal claim, among other issues.

The former Head of State said, “I am concerned about the hostile rhetoric by Government in response to GGDMA… The GGDMA was factual… talked about the state of the road, taxes, harassment of miners, corruption in the sector and bullyism.”

Jagdeo said rather than responding to the concerns raised by the Association, the Government, he said, “we saw threatening rhetoric coming from the Government.”

Jagdeo repeated his call for Government to pay attention to the concerns of the miners, given the importance of the mining sector to Guyana’s economy.

“It seems that some people are totally seduced by the lure of oil, that they believe that we can just wait for oil to save use,” the Opposition Leader opined.

The GGDMA had called for a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) to be launched into the death of a Brazilian miner who was

shot and killed by two Police Officers in Puruni, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

The Association made calls via a strongly worded statement to the media on Wednesday which highly condemned the action, and more so the officers, who committed that act.

“No one in the Government is doing anything to help miners, they are just applying pressure. We are demanding our respect… there seems to be no one in charge of the mining sector and the Government is yet to articulate its policy on continued mining in Guyana,” the GGDMA stated in the release.

The organisation bashed the Finance Ministry for not addressing issues within the sector.

“When the Minister of Finance takes to the media to bemoan and lament the dismal performance of the Guyanese economy, he must address the outstanding issues under his portfolio that are negatively impacting the industry and then look squarely in the face of his colleagues who, for the last four years, have mismanaged and neglected the industry which carried Guyana on its back,” the GGDMA added in its release.

In addition, the body said it has taken note of the increasing levels of bullyism which is seemingly going unnoticed by the Government, which is clearly responsible for the

downturn in the mining sector.

“There is an increasing level of bullyism taking place and public officers are clearly operating outside the law without consequence… death, corruption and frustration are now the pillars on which the current Government seems to be moulding the industry”.

Against this backdrop, the Association said “Mining is surely on the down turn and the blame for this lies squarely at the feet of the current Government”.

It complained that is has now been more than three years since the coalition Government took office and the President is still refusing to meet with the largest Private Sector employer in the country. “We will not take it anymore.”

Government, through the Natural Resources Ministry, responded stating its concern regarding the miner’s death.

“We trust that there will be an expeditious and fair hearing to determine all of the relevant facts and that justice will be served,” it said.

However, in response to the criticisms over the purported failure of Government to address the concerns of the industry, it said that was far from the truth.

“The miners in particular, and the public in general, will recall the numerous efforts made by various Ministries to support the mining community by providing greater incentives for fuel and spares, granting duty-free concessions, assisting with the establishment of the National Mining Syndicate and providing mining lands to name but a few of the initiatives that have been introduced and are ongoing.”

Further, the Ministry said the GGDMA speaks of respect and yet has publicly challenged President David Granger on issues such as mercury eradication following his attendance at the First Conference of Parties for the Minimata Convention, and given ultimatum for a meeting to be held.

“The Government of Guyana takes issue with the insinuation that the GGDMA

has been disrespected by it and wishes to place on record that it endeavours to treat respectfully, all persons, group and organisations in its interfaces. Respect begets respect and if respect is demanded, it first has to be given and be deserving,” it added.

Government said too that it can well appreciate the nervousness of some miners that the emerging green economy and imminent oil production will displace their standing and wishes to assure that the gold mining industry will remain an indelible feature of Guyana’s economy and culture.

“It is time the GGDMA decided whether it is a political pressure group and a body representing the interests of an elite group, or a partner in national development.

The Government of Guyana waits with great expectation for meaningful and respectful engagement, and meanwhile, will continue its efforts to ensure a better organised and regulated mining industry.”

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Over 3,000 new university students enrolled at Turkeyen Campus

Woman remanded over alleged murder of 3-yr-old son

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taff of the University of Guyana (UG) on Monday welcomed the new batch of 2018/2019 university students, at the George Walcott Lecture Theater (GWLT) at its Turkeyen Campus.

Registrar at the University of Guyana, Dr Nigel Gravesande explained that the diversity of the student and faculty population has seen massive growth this year, with members coming from 35 different countries and all the administrative regions in Guyana.

Dr Gravesnade congratulated the students on gaining successful entry to the various programmes offered at the university. “As you join this special community at UG, you need to know and understand what its purpose and core values are. We are a community of scholars engaged in the generation, dissemination and application of knowledge.”

The registrar told the students, that while engaging in the gathering of information at the tertiary institution, they should be invested in the details of

knowledge making. “I urge you as new students beginning a journey in tertiary education, to never sacrifice the hallmarks of critical thinking and critical inquiry.”

Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Guyana, Professor Ivelaw Griffith encouraged the freshmen to embrace and foster certain values in order to attain success. “The habituation of excellence is a value you want to practise if you want to be successful. The value of integrity must also be practised, you are not allowed to plagiarise.”

Professor Griffith also advised them to make their university life worth the experience and by being involved in extracurricular activities on campus. “It is not just about the classes, do other things; join a club, get involved in sports, get involved in undergrad research, find other things and build relationships.”

Over three thousand new students were enrolled at the Turkeyen Campus for the new academic year 2018/2019.

he 26-year-old mother who allegedly killed her 3-year-old son on August 25, 2018 was, on Wednesday, arraigned for murder at the Cove and John Magistrate's Court.

Pat Brenda Ferrieria, a housewife of Foulis, Enmore, East Coast Demerara was not allowed to plead to the indictable charge when it was read to her

by Magistrate Peter Hughes.

She was remanded to prison until September 12, 2018.

This newspaper had reported that on the day in question, 3-year-old Ramdeo Ferriera was killed after his mother allegedly pursued him with a knife and stabbed him twice- once to his neck and once to his back.

Neighbours reportedly contacted police after the child’s 4-year-old brother witnessed what transpired and fled the scene to inform them.

The now deceased toddler was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) by ranks attached to the Enmore Police Outpost.

However, he succumbed

Remanded: Brenda Ferreira

to his injuries at around 12:00h that same day.

Ferreira, after her arrest allegedly told Police that she dreamt she was going to die on Saturday and did not want to leave her favourite child (Ramdeo) behind. As such, she decided to kill him.

According to the woman’s 50-year-old reputed husband, Shamlall Mahadeo, his wife started to act strangely on August 21, 2018. He

said that he reported her queer behaviour to police, but it was not taken seriously.

He added that his wife was in the habit of neglecting the children, which would cause them to have arguments.

Meanwhile, according to Psychologist, Dr Dawn Stewart, the accused should be psychologically evaluated as the woman displayed telling signs that she is suffering from a mental illness.

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Top Judicial appointments

Jagdeo throws cold water on prospect of reconsidering President’s nominees D

espite the need for the President and the Opposition Leader to consult before top judicial posts such as that of the Chief Justice and Chancellor can be filled, no contact has been made with Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo to set a date for a meeting.

This was conveyed by Jagdeo during a recent press conference, where he was asked about the status of this process.

While Jagdeo had previously said that the two sides were unlikely to meet before Local Government Elections (LGE), he revealed that overtures to set a date for the meeting after the elections have not even been made.

In fact, Jagdeo said he has not heard anything from the President about the top judicial appointments since his public statement that the ball was in the Opposition Leader’s court. The last time the two did meet, which was last month, that meeting was intended to sort out the appointments of the Police and Public Service Commissions.

Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards

“I have no contact with the gentleman. So I don’t know what his state of mind is or what he wants to do or what he doesn’t want to do. I do know, however, that the President outside of a public statement saying that the ball is now in Jagdeo’s court and that he doesn’t intend to withdraw his nominee, I’ve had no other contact outside of that,” Jagdeo said.

When asked if he would be inclined to reconsider his rejection of Justices Kenneth Benjamin and Yonnette Cummings-Edwards for the respective Chancellor and Chief Justice posi-

tions, Jagdeo made it clear that he would not.

Back in February, Jagdeo had rejected the two nominees for the posts. While the former President never stated his reasons publicly, there had been criticisms in the public domain of Justice Benjamin’s performance in Belize, where he served as the Chief Justice.

The Guyana Bar Association had even passed a motion calling on Granger to confirm Cummings-Edwards and Justice Roxane George in the acting Chancellor and Chief Justice positions they currently hold.

Acting appointments

Nursery school teacher dies after car slams into lorry

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Dead: Carlotta James

ursery school teacher Carlotta James, called Abigail, of Lot 27, Middle Walk, Buxton, East Coast Demerara, died after the car she was driving, PHH 67, slammed into the back of a lorry along the Good Hope Public Road, ECD at about 02:00h on Saturday.

The driver of motor lorry GPP 143, a 31-year-old resident of Mahaicony, ECD, reportedly told investigators that he had slowed down the vehicle and had indicated he was about to turn south across the Good Hope public road when the car being driven by the 45-year-old James, proceeding east along the northern side of the Good Hope road behind the motor lorry, ran into his rear.

Initially pinned in her vehicle, James was subsequently removed

therefrom, placed in a Police pickup, and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

James’s niece, Melissa Younge, said she was returning from the airport at about 02:07h and was stopped by the Police at Good Hope. She exited the minibus in which she was travelling and discovered her aunt’s car plastered to the back of a truck.

“We went to see if she was in the vehicle but the car was empty, and I saw the blood and the damages and her wig. A guy told me that he was from Golden Grove and he was passing and he saw the accident, so he went to render assistance. He said she was holding his hand and staring at him, but he don’t know is who she was, so he couldn’t contact nobody.

“The Police (were) there and I gave him the information and I called my other aunts and told them what (had) happened, and I went home,” Younge detailed.

She said her aunt had left earlier in the day to go to the Dorcas Club Nursery at Plaisance, ECD, where she had been head teacher, and she cannot tell where else her aunt had gone afterwards.

“I didn’t go to the hospital, I saw a guy with the Police and I was looking for her bag and so on. The truck driver was about to tell me what (had) happened and the Police told him to ‘Shut up,” she added.

The Police have said the lorry driver was subjected to a breathalyser test and it is certain he was not under the influence. He is presently in Police custody assisting with investigations.

There is a good reason for putting an end to acting appointments. Last year, former President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Sir Dennis Byron had zeroed in on the trend of persons being appointed to top positions in Guyana’s Judiciary but being forced to act for years while their confirmation remains in limbo.

Byron, who was at the time addressing the Guyana Bar Association, had condemned the fact that since former Chancellor Desiree Bernard demitted office; an agreement has not been reached for the substantive appointment of a Chancellor.

“This has brought us to the situation today where the number one and number two officials of the Guyana Judiciary have not been substantively appointed. This is a most unfortunate state of affairs,” the legal luminaire had stated.

“This situation has moved well beyond what ought to be acceptable in a modern democracy where respect for the rule of law is maintained. The Constitution envisages

Roxanne George- Wiltshire

the Judiciary of Guyana to be headed by officials who are substantively appointed and enjoy all the legal and institutional mechanisms to secure their tenure,” he continued.

Referring to Article 122 A(1); which states that “All courts and all persons presiding over the courts shall exercise their functions independently of the control and direction of any person or authority; and shall be free and independent from political, executive and other form of discretion and control.”

Byron had bluntly stated that the delay is

a breach of the spirit and intent of the Constitution.

Edwards was appointed by President Granger in May of 2017 to act as Chancellor. Prior to that, she acted as the Chief Justice from December 2015. She was never confirmed to that substantive position.

Cummings-Edwards replaced Justice Carl Singh, who retired after acting as Chancellor since 2005. On the other hand, the current Acting Chief Justice, Justice Roxane George, was also appointed to her position on the same day as CummingsEdwards.

US-based Guyanese on a mission to help 15-yr-old girl ‘walk normal’

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he prayer of a mother to see her daughter walk normally is soon to be realised following an intervention by a US-based Guyanese through a Guyanese US-based chapter in Georgia.

Overseas based Guyanese Dr Slater Jeffery has stepped forward to champion the cause of 15-year-old Shebena Belle, who was born with a disability that has prevented her from walking properly.

Giving an insight into the project, Dr Jeffery disclosed that in 2016 he was visiting Guyana on a mission to secure pigeon peas seeds. During his visit to Bare Root, East Coast Demerara, while visiting a farm he had an accidental meeting with Shebena.

Having undergone a heart transplant, he decided this year to make a meaningful contribution to the life of Shebena Belle, as he recognised he was privileged to be alive.

He said he wanted to contribute to someone’s life in an equally meaningful way.

Dr Jeffery has said that since arriving in Guyana, he and the Belle family have met on several occasions, with both the Orthopaedic (bone specialist) surgeon and Health and Educational Relief (HERO) officials to decide on the best way for the surgery.

He disclosed that the visiting surgeon is Dr Claude B. Scott, noting that the local surgeon would be Dr A. Watson, who is the Orthopaedic surgeon at GPHC. It was pointed out that for Shebana to have the surgery done successfully, a number of specialised tools would be needed, which the GPHC did not have. Dr Jeffery said he and the team have already secured the equipment, which includes a CR machine which costs some US$40,000. He assured the family that regardless of what it takes, he is prepared and committed to ensure that young Shebena would be able to benefit from the surgery.

Shebena Belle smiles as she anticipates her successful surgery in 2019

He revealed that the Bladen Hall Multilateral third former was assured that the surgery would be done in Guyana and would take place in March 2019.

Dr Jeffery declared that a team of persons would be in Guyana to ensure that the surgery is completed adding that they are currently working on securing the expenses needed for the equipment. He noted that the equipment would be donated to the GPHC, thus making it easy for other persons plagued with similar challenges to have same surgically corrected. He said that he is happy that they would be giving the machine to the hospital, noting that after visiting the hospital he was made aware that at least 100 persons are in need of similar surgeries.

Expressing confidence that Shebana would walk normally after the surgery, the visiting US based Guyanese said that the team of doctors that would be working on Shebana are experts who have had a very long history of performing such successful surgeries.

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FEATURE 29

WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com

By Lakhram Bhagirat

D

aniel Boodhoo is a quiet, reserved and respectful young man and a teacher’s dream student. He does what is expected of him and questions his teachers if he does not understand a topic and for some of his teachers it came as no surprise when he secured five Grade Ones, two Grade Twos and a Grade Four at the CSEC level.

I first encountered Daniel when I joined the teaching staff at the Vreed en Hoop Secondary School and he always stood out amongst the boys in his class. His personality was dominant and his questions were sometimes never ending. While he was in Third Form, I taught him Integrated Science and when he sat the National Grade Nine Assessment, he was awarded the most outstanding Science student. Now he is the school’s top performer, gaining Grade One passes in Agricultural Science, Food and Nutrition, Human and Social Biology, Integrated Science, Mathematics; Grade Two in English A, Social Studies and a Grade Four in Family and Resource Management (Home Management).

“I was surprised to see that I do so

good. I worked very hard though but I don’t like the Grade Four that I get in Management. It was hard work and the teachers at school worked hard with us and I am thankful for them,” he said.

Daniel’s life has been and remains a challenging one. At the age of nine, he lost both parents and ever since then the challenges have been far too numerous to remembers. He tells me, even though he does not talk much about it, his father Chandra Boodhoo, first died due to kidney issues and a mere five months after his mother, Sushila Devi, died due to heart related problems.

After both his parents died, being the youngest, Daniel began living with his sister Tasha Boodhoo in the Jetty Squatting Area, West Coast Demerara.

He explained that because his sister works he would have to do most of the chores before he goes to school and after he returns home. He attended the Vreed-en-Hoop Primary School and gained 417 marks when he sat the National Grade Six Assessment examinations and was awarded a place at Vreed-en-Hoop Secondary School.

“It was more tough for me after my parents died. They didn’t have any sick but they died just like that. I had to live with my big sister and I didn’t get as much as they would have given to me but I improvised. My sister worked hard to make sure that would get the text book and so but sometimes I would have to wait until we get enough mon-

“It was more tough for me after my parents died. They didn’t have any sick but they died just like that. I had to live with my big sister and I didn’t get as much as they would have given to me but I improvised. My sister worked hard to make sure that would get the text book and so but sometimes I would have to wait until we get enough money to buy more.”

ey to buy more.”

However, when Daniel started secondary school, a woman by the name of Angie (only name given) began paying for all his school supplies to ease the pressure on his sister. He said that he is forever grateful to her for that support throughout his secondary school life.

I asked Daniel what is next for him and he calmly told me “more CXC.” I was somewhat baffled when he told me that and as I pressed on further, he related that he is currently seeking entry into another secondary school to write Chemistry, Biology and Physics as he intends to pursue a career in the medical field.

“I went into the Ministry (Department of Education, Region Three) to see the school I could enter to do back the three science subjects and I will be getting some help from Miss Angie and some other people. I want to do the three subjects and then CAPE after that I will go to UG to do medicine.”

For now, he is awaiting a call from the Department of Education to tell him whether he gained a place at the West Demerara Secondary School or Stewartville Secondary to complete the remaining subjects.

Daniel remains optimistic about his future despite the challenges and hopes to serve all the people who stood by him to help him achieve his dreams.

(Times Sunday Magazine)

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WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Meltdown…

I …in Venezuela

f there was any doubt that Venezuela’s meltdown had reached a point of no-return, it was put to rest by the US Congressional Delegation’s visit to Guyana and its other neighbours. With 2.3 million refugees having fled a country with the largest reserves of oil in the world – even more than Saudi Arabia! – neighbours like Brazil, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia may be more willing to consider the most radical ‘solution” to this regional crisis: regime change via military intervention.

When President Trump suggested that option last year, Caribbean and Latin America quickly objected, but a lot of water has since flowed under the bridge. Over in Brazil, locals in Roraima state, bordering Venezuela, have turned violent against Venezuelan refugees after their services were overwhelmed. Roraima, after all, earned the reputation as “the armpit of Brazil” because it’s the most underdeveloped state in that country – a thousand miles from glittering Sao Paulo and Rio. While the world has become transfixed by refugees streaming from the Middle East into Europe, 1.5 million Venezuelans have ended up in Colombia, a country already wracked by poverty and drugs. Across one bridge alone, over 35,000 Venezuelans trek across daily with their miserly possessions slung across their backs. After accepting 400,000 refugees, Peru has started to tighten up on its regulations. Ecuador has already done the same.

And it’ll only get worse. Venezuelan inflation has crossed the ONE MILLION PERCENT mark, and Maduro has had to lop off five zeroes from the value of the Bolivar! That’s 100,000% devaluation, which has wiped out the value of all savings!! Floating a crypto currency is an act of desperation! Venezuela can’t meet its contractual obligations to ship its oil to customers to the tune of 600,000 barrels per day!! In the meantime, there are shortages of even basic foodstuffs in the country – much less pharmaceuticals.

And how did all of this start? With the presumably “good” intentions of Hugo Chavez, who railed against “American Imperialism” and nationalised a wide swathe of foreign businesses in Venezuela – including Exxon’s. He wanted to “help the poor” by directing oil revenues directly to them – and even tweaked the US’ nose by offering free oil to US inner-city ghettoes!!

Venezuela developed the classic Dutch Disease when the nationalised businesses collapsed and oil revenues were used to fill the gap.

When oil prices collapsed by 2014 – by which time Chavez had unexpectedly died and his successor was the inept Maduro – the Venezuelan economy imploded.

Your Eyewitness is worried that Maduro might try to rouse nationalistic sentiments to gain support by invading Essequibo.

As such, he supports that military intervention to staunch the implosion of Venezuela. But it must be led by regional forces. …and Guyana déjà vu Older Guyanese reading the above – or younger ones who know their history – would be struck by the parallels between the present collapse of the Venezuelan economy and that of ours under Burnham back in the 1970s. Like Chavez, Burnham was a “socialist” who wanted to “help the poor”, and railed against US and British “imperialism”. He nationalised foreign firms, and saw them collapse after he placed them in the hands of his ideologues!! Refugees poured out of Guyana, and we now have large communities in Suriname, Venezuela, New York and Toronto. We ended up with one of the largest per capita debt burdens in the world. Rats started eating babies’ toes at GPHC! Luckily, the Cold War ended and the PPP Government painstakingly rebuilt the economy, to move us from being a Highly Indebted Poor Country into a Middle Income Country. But now that the PNC’s back in office and oil has been found, its socialist proclivities have resurfaced.

Witness the crescendo of demands that oil revenues flow directly to the poor!! While sugar is killed!! …and confrontation?

USAID has pumped in $56 million to assist with the refugees…but it’s a drop in the ocean. The US also deployed a Naval Medical Ship off Colombia to help.

But so have the Chinese!!

And they’ll oppose military intervention for sure!

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Carlos Eduardo Ricci

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uite often we do not hear foreigners saying they are thankful for the opportunities offered by Guyana but for 16 year old Carlos Eduardo Ricci he will forever remain grateful for the opportunities he was afforded in Guyana.

Carlos was born in Brazil to a Guyanese mother and Brazilian father. He spent the first five years of his life in Brazil and after his parents separated, he moved to Guyana with his mother. They made St Ignatius Village, Region 9 (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) their home and since then he has been trying to integrate.

“When I moved

here it was kind of difficult because coming from Brazil. It was a whole different country and they spoke a different language. I learnt English and fell in love with the language and I am now fluent in both.

I try to do my best to show how grateful I am to this country and all I was able to do here. I am really thankful to Guyana,” he said.

He recently completed gained 14 passes at the CSEC examinations and was awarded the top performer spot in his Region. He gained Grade One passes in Human and Social Biology, Physical Education and Sport; Grade Two in Agricultural Science,

Biology, Caribbean History, English A, Geography, Industrial Technology, Information Technology, Integrated Science, Mathematics, Physics, Social Studies; and a grade Three in Chemistry.

The St Ignatius Secondary student said that growing up in his village was a fun experience. He speaks about the level of comradery among the villagers and the generous nature of the residents. He said throughout his school life he was always curious about learning and it excited him to venture into different topics. However, he notes that during Secondary School a lot of his classmates were disinterested in their school work and it made focusing in class somewhat difficult due to the constant interruptions.

When it came to CSEC, Carlos was determined to write as much subjects as possible because he felt that he had the capacity to do so.

However, many persons were aimed at discouraging him since they felt that he would not be able

Carlos and some of his classmates

to withstand the pressure.

“I believed in myself and wrote those subjects and I passed all of them.

I did not get the grades I want but I still did very good.”

In terms of preparing for examinations, Carlos said that he understood the importance of CSEC but said that he could not devote all his time to studying. He participated in revision at school

but that was as far as his studying went .

“I came home and I never picked up the book.

I knew what I needed to.

I thought it was useless for me because I knew it. I knew it (CSEC) was important but not to the point where I had to wake up late in the night or early in the morning and hurt up meh head.

I knew that I came five years in school, I learned and I was ready. There

was no need for me to be hurrying to get a book,” Carlos said.

Carlos is now gearing up to move to Georgetown to begin his studies at the Georgetown Technical Institute as he begins pursuing his dream career in the ICT field. He hopes to become a programmer in the near future since computers fascinates him. (Times Sunday Magazine)

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A and three Bs as well.

However, she scored 0.5 more of a mark than I did.”

After he completed Third Form, he was places in the Sciences stream and hit the ground running. His biggest enemy was managing his time properly and battling the School Based Assessment (SBA) component of CSEC. But studying has never been a strong suit of him and despite that he recalls investing the time to study earlier.

“It was actually easier for me in that way because it wasn't a lot of pressure on me for any last minute studying. I must thank Sir Harrinarine, the Headmaster, for that advice and everything

By Lakhram Bhagirat

A

mother always tries her best to let her children live the best life possible without revealing the struggles she goes through to give them that life, and that is exactly what Satram Mohamed’s mother did for him. For that, he says he owes every success in his life to her.

Satram, a student of West Demerara Secondary School (WDSS), recently sat 15 subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Examinations Council (CSEC) exam and gained Grades One to Three passes in all. His performance was so exceptional that he was awarded the top performer spot at WDSS. The 17-year-old is from the village of La Grange, on the West Bank of Demerara and would have attended the La Grange Primary School during his early years. He wrote the National Grade Six Assessment and gained a spot at WDSS. He explained that throughout his early educational life, he was a high flier but that never got to his head and he remained humble.

Going back to growing up, Satram tells me that it was a fun experience. He would spend his afternoons riding on the narrow street and his father would take him fishing. One of his favourite things to do was to visit their relatives who lived far away.

However, his parents would later separate and Satram, his mom Mohanie Makoon and

feature 33

else h e h a d d o n e .

He was my Mathematics and Principles of Accounts teacher,” Satram said.

When I asked him, why 15 subjects? His response was one that didn’t quite surprise me since he said that he had no exact reason. Like many teenagers, Satram too was unsure of the career path so he wanted to be prepared for any eventuality and felt that he needed to write more subjects and he was fully supported by both his teachers and family.

Satram and his mother Mohanie Makoon

brother would move to his maternal grandparents to live.

He is very coy when it comes to talking about his family life and how it would have affected or motivated him. “My parents are separated and currently I'm living with my mom, brother and grandparents. My mother gave me all the support I needed to be who I am today and I would like to thank her for that.” That’s all he tells me and I don’t push it.

His younger brother, Shivesh Mohamed is now a Fourth Form student at Queen’s College and he hopes his performance can motivate his brother to do far better than he did. Redirecting me to his education, Satram tells me that during his years at La Grange Primary, he al-

ways strived to maintain the first position in class and noted that his percentage was never below 80.

When he entered secondary school, he tried to do the same but that proved to be a bit more challenging.

Nevertheless he persisted and continued the streak.

“Secondary school however, was much tougher. Form One and Two, I was never actually serious about studying and books. Third Form I started being more serious and in the National Grade Nine Assessment I attained one A in Mathematics and three Bs in the remaining core subjects and that was the second highest for West Dem. The top student, Anjalie Ramraj, had attained an

Satram and some of his friends

Now t h a t CSEC is over, Satram is working temporarily but has his eyes set on the field of geology. He hopes to become a Geologist but later on wants to venture into the field of Oceanography.

He is basking in the glory of his success and taking life in stride.

He remains thankful to those who support him and urges everyone to follow their passion since following his passion led him to being his school’s top performer. (Times Sunday Magazine)

34 FEATURE

Leah with her parents Ignatius and Wendy Hernandez

L

eah Stephani Hernandez is a quiet 16-yearold from the village of Yarrowkabra located along the LindenSoesdyke Highway.

She aspires to join the media fraternity where she plans to use her pen to highlight issues and tap into the power of the fourth estate to effect change and bring about awareness.

Leah is currently a work study student with the Guyana Times.

Leah recently sat the Caribbean Examination Council’s Secondary School Exams where she gained Grade One to Three passes in the 15 subjects she wrote. She explains to me that she wrote Mathematics in 2014 and gained a

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Grade Two and opted not to rewrite it; rather she focused on the other 14 subjects.

She obtained Grade Ones in EDPM, English A, English B, Human and Social Biology, Information Technology, Office Administration, Principles of Accounts, Principles of Business; Grade Twos in Social Studies, Integrated Science, Food and Nutrition, Agricultural Science; and Grade Threes in Chemistry and Biology.

Leah explains that she is the youngest of three children and for her growing up was unlike any other since she became involved in a number of activities from a young age. Her parents encouraged her to read and write as well as got her involved in the church.

As she grew up, Leah devoted more time to studying and got the encouragement to pursue her dreams.

Now she has her eyes set on a career in the media, she is leaving no stone unturned

to achieve that.

She attended the Kuru Kuru Primary School and gained a place at Diamond Secondary School after she sat the National Grade Six Assessment but because of the distance, her parents opted for a private school.

She initially attended Achievers Academy but wanted to be chal-

the debating team and I was also elected to be a part of the Prefect Body in Form Four and moved on to be elected Head Prefect in Form Five. That taught and helped me develop leadership qualities and responsibilities,” she said.

Leah at her Primary School Graduation

lenged more so she enrolled at Camille's Institute for Business and Science Studies where she completed her secondary education.

“I was in the general stream pursuing 15 subjects, combination of business and science subjects. During my time at Camille's I was given the opportunity to become a part of

From a young age, Leah knew of the sacrifices her parents made to ensure she had the best possible education. Her father, Ignatius Hernandez, would work two jobs while her mother Wendy Hernandez dedicated her time to caring for the family. So, while there no pressure for her to excel, she knew that she

A young Leah Hernandez

Leah Stephan Hernandez

had to do her best to show her parents that their sacrifices were not in vain.

The challenge of writing 14 subjects at one time caught up with Leah since she had to forgo church on Sundays and time with family. She had to attend classes from Monday to Saturday and would use every spare moment to go through her school notes. There was also the challenge of access to the Internet.

She explains that because of the absence of phone lines in her village, she would have to purchase a lot of phone cards to activate mobile data plans to access the Internet in order to complete some assignments.

“There was also the challenge of doing 15 subjects and having to find time to study for all. Preparing for CSEC entailed me being at home going through my notes and I would try to understand everything along with extensive research when I wasn't clear on a topic.”

Leah plans to take a break before heading off the either the University of Guyana or University of the West Indies to read for her Degree in Communication Studies. (Times Sunday Magazine)

FEATURE 35

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Guyana Times’ journalists cop press association awards

T

wo Guyana Times journalists were recipients of various awards as the Guyana Press Association (GPA) hosted its second annual dinner and awards ceremony on Sunday evening at the Georgetown Club.

Shemuel Fanfair, who reports primarily on agriculture, politics and legal matters, received the second prize for Young Journalist-of-the-Year as well as the third prize for the best political story.

Meanwhile, Lakhram Bhagirat, who principally specialises in health, human rights, community issues and feature writing, secured the third place prize for the Young Journalist-of-the-Year category and for best coverage of human rights issues. Both winners are West Demerara natives.

The Young Journalist-ofthe-Year Award for which the two reporters secured second and third respectively required that entrants submit five stories of a consistently high quality. Fanfair’s five entries

Guyana Times Journalist Shemuel Fanfair

ranged from a Wales father of four pleading for his severance pay, to the social ills abound in Wakenaam, Essequibo River, owing to challenges in the rice industry.

Bhagirat’s third place prize for best coverage for human rights stories focused on his in-depth reporting on the Mental Health Unit’s plans to

roll out a suicide surveillance system. Therein, he reported that teachers would be trained to identify children with psychological trauma.

For his five entries that secured him the third place prize for Young Journalist-ofthe-Year, the journalist’s work included the September 2017 report where parents of threeyear-old Anisha Singh were calling for a probe into their daughter’s death.

Bhagirat was one of the reporters who went to the interior community of Chenapau, Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni) and his story was focused on the plight of miners who were arrested for allegedly mining in protected areas. Additionally, he reported on Charity Market vendors refusing to relocate and another story where a first-time mother recalled a horrifying experience at the Georgetown Public Hospital’s Maternity Ward.

His final entry in this category concerned Berbice businessmen laying off sugar workers in preparation for the closure

Revenue body moves to strengthen enforcement in Bartica

T

Commissioner General of GRA, Godfrey Statia and team in discussion with Region Seven REO, Roderick Edinboro along with staff

he Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is in the process of relocating its office in Bartica to a more full-fledged location within the town, since it aims to improve the standards of taxpayers’ service and by extension, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

The GRA’s Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia, led a group of tax officials on Thursday last to the site which is the proposed new location for the tax office at Fifth Avenue, Bartica. This is where the Authority intends to begin its operations officially as from November this year, and in addition, the new location will also include among other things, living quarters for some senior staff, allowing them to have less rental rates and other related expenses.

This move is in keeping with the agenda of strengthening tax compliance and enforcement activities countrywide, beginning with improvements of the existing Integrated Regional Tax Offices (IRTOs), together with the soon-to-be functional Mabaruma office.

Existing IRTOs are located at Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); Parika, East Bank Essequibo, Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); New Amsterdam and Corriverton, in Berbice, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne); Bartica; Region Seven; Lethem, in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo); and Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

An initial assessment was done

at the aforementioned locations and from this, it was determined that despite earlier efforts to provide a onestop-shop at these sites, improvements were necessary in terms of a more enabling environment for staff and building capacity for the benefit of taxpayers who would otherwise have to travel to Georgetown for some services.

It was also discovered that in order to be effective, regional offices must not only be equipped to offer complete taxpayer services but also be able to conduct audits and investigations in relation to economic activities by individual and corporate taxpayers in the said localities.

The GRA is of the view that this resourcefulness is very timely, in light of the attainment of Bartica’s township status back in 2016, and the continued anticipated growth in economic activities and revenue flows. The Bartica IRTO is currently located at First Avenue, where it had commenced operations in 2007 before it was declared an IRTO under the Integrated Regional Offices initiative in 2008.

Several meetings were held by the GRA’s team together with the Regional Executive Officer (REO), Roderick Edinboro, in which plans and strategies were outlined for the region.

Additionally, a new office will be commissioned by the GRA in Mabaruma, Region One within a few months, which is the first of its kind in the region.

of the Rose Hall Estate.

Attorney Nigel Hughes was the guest speaker at the media awards. Giving brief remarks, he highlighted the importance of journalists in several sectors, but especially in the political arena.

“You possess the unrivaled talent to shape the development of our country – use it for this purpose rather than lend support to talking heads which are sometimes focused on making political points spreading doom and gloom without spreading alternative solutions and approaches,” Hughes implored.

Meanwhile, GPA President Nazima Raghubir observed that the 2018 ceremony was organised to give the muchneeded credit and recognition for outstanding performances in the media fraternity. She said too that the work of journalists is key to holding members of civil and political society accountable.

Vanessa Braithwaite from the State newspaper emerged at the top awardee after cop-

ping a total of seven awards, Guyana Times Journalist Lakhram Bhagirat

including Young Journalist-ofthe-Year.

More than 30 journalists entered stories in the print, television and online categories. There were more than 180 entries across 11 categories which exceeded last year’s ceremony.

Guyana Goldfields to lay off 80 employees

C

Guyana Goldfields operations

anadian mining company Guyana Goldfields has taken a decision to lay off approximately 80 local workers in a bid to consolidate its operations. Any rehiring would be contingent on their skills sets.

This position was explained to this publication by Aurora Gold Mines’ Public Relations Officer Leon Roberts.

According to Roberts, the company will be focusing its operations at Aurora, located in Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni). This means that the company will be cutting back operations from its Greenfield prospect, also located in Region Seven.

“Yes, Guyana Goldfields Inc will let go of approximately 80 of our Greenfield exploration employees,” Roberts explained to this publication.

“This is because the company has taken a decision to focus on our operations at Aurora, and consolidate on same while we pull back on exploration activities away from our main site,” Roberts confirmed.

The layoffs, meanwhile, are expected to take effect from next month. It is understood that the mining company would make an effort to rehire the redundant workers, but according to Roberts, this will be done on a case by case basis.

“With respect to re-absorbing some of the employees who will be laid off, this will be on a case by case basis, as an evaluation is made of whether they possess transferable skills that could lend to them being engaged in our operations at Aurora,” Roberts explained.

The Aurora mines achieved commercial production in January 1, 2016 with output of 151,600 ounces of gold, in line with the company’s upwardly revised guidance of 140,000 to 160,000 ounces.

Guyana Goldfields has long had a major role to play in the local mining sector. Government had announced shortfalls in gold production for last year. Budgeting for 694,000 ounces, what was actually recorded was 653,674 ounces. But according to data from the Bureau of Statistics, only Guyana Goldfields remained on production target.

Catering for 160,637 ounces, the company actually produced 168,112 ounces. The other major gold producer, Troy Resources Limited, produced 66,024 ounces, falling short of its target by over 3,000 ounces. In comparison, small and medium scale miners were expected to deliver 482,613 ounces of gold. For 2017, they delivered only 419,538 ounces.

Last year, the Finance Ministry’s half-year report had showed contractions in certain sectors when compared to the corresponding period in 2016.

The declining sectors had included sugar, livestock, forestry, mining and quarrying and even the bauxite industry.

In particular, the mining and quarrying sector had contracted by 4.0 per cent during the first half of 2017.

Gold production fell by 1.7 per cent to 317,096 ounces in the first half of 2017, compared to the same period in 2016.

36 NEWS

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T&T: Trade union calls on Gov't to rescind decision to shut down oil refinery P

ORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — The Federation of Independent Trade Unions and Non-Governmental Organisations (FITUN) Wednesday demanded that the Trinidad and Tobago government rescind a decision to shut down the refinery at the state-owned oil company, PETROTRIN. “FITUN, demands that the Prime Minister and his government immediately rescind their ill-advised and hastily taken decision to shut down the oil refinery at PETROTRIN. From all reports emanating so far, it is clear that the government has abandoned their publicly stated position of consultation and engagement with the recognised majority union at PETROTRIN, the OWTU (Oilfield Workers trade Union) and has engaged in “One Manism and Governance by Arrogance,” FITUN said in a statement.

P E T R O T R I N , Tuesday defended the decision to end the company's oil-refining operations, saying that it is undertaking a restructuring exercise aimed at curtailing the billions of dollars

(One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents) in losses.

PETROTRIN chairman, Wilfred Espinet, in a statement following a meeting with the OWTU, said the company was now redesigning entirely its exploration and production business.

“The restructuring exercise is geared to curtail losses at the state owned oil company and get it on a path to sustainable profitability. Approximately 2,600 permanent jobs will be affected – the re-

designed exploration and production business will have approximately 800 workers and all 1,700 jobs in refining will be terminated,” he said.

Espinet said that PETROTRIN is committed to cushioning the effects of any fallout that occurs from the planned changes and that Tuesday's announcement follows months of careful review and analysis by the board of directors, appointed last September to identify the problems

at company and take the steps necessary to make it self-sustainable and profitable.

“PETROTRIN has lost a total of about TT$8 billion in the last five years; is TT$12 billion in debt; and owes the government of Trinidad and Tobago more than three billion (TT) in taxes and royalties,' Espinet said, adding that the company currently requires a cash injection of TT$25 billion to stay alive “ to refresh its infrastructure, and to repay its debt and even with that, if left as is, it is projected to continue losing about TT$2 billion a year”.

But in its statement, FITUN said the decision to shut down the refinery “is not backed by any sound and cogent financial, economical and social analysis and arguments.

“How can a government in a sovereign nation that is on the eve of celebrating 56 years as an Independent nation, take

such an unpatriotic decision based on the advice of a foreign consultancy firm. This seems to have placed us right back to the days when our energy sector was in the hands of the colonial masters,” said FITUN. The umbrella trade union organisation said that it is urging the country to “step back and take note of some of the reasons for the current state of PETROTRIN,” adding it recalls the union raising concerns with respect to several financial issues by previous governments.

“FITUN would like to reiterate that we duly believe that the OWTU has proffered very reliable and meaningful recommendations on the restructuring of PETROTRIN, which would have seen the maintenance of the refinery operations in a restructured and reengineered company, which would have been viable and sustainable.”

The union grouping is calling on Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley to instruct the company's board of directors to “put an immediate hold on this ill-timed and ill-advised decision and follow the principles of good and proper industrial relations practices and engage the OWTU in meaningful discussions aimed at resolving this very critical socio-economic issue.”

It warned that the fallout from the decision to close down the refinery coupled with other similar actions in the private and public sectors “can only add fuel to the already toxic and rampant social decay and the attendant rampant crime situation.

“A word to the wise is sufficient,” it added.

Meanwhile, the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) is due to meet later on Wednesday to discuss the closure of the refinery.

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Begum Shafrana Baksh

uring Secondary School most people would have an intended career and shape their studies in that path but for Begum Shafrana Baksh she needed to be well rounded so she can function in any field. It is for that very reason that she wrote 16 CSEC subjects and secured 15 Grade Ones and a Grade 2.

Begum was named as number 12 amongst the country’s top 20 at this year CSEC Examinations.

For that, the Anna Regina Secondary student, said she is elated and that she would not have been there without the support of her teachers, parents and grandparents.

She attained Grade 1 passes in EDPM, English B, Mathematics, Office Administration, Social

Studies, Economics, Human and Social Biology, Integrated Science, Caribbean History, Principles of Business, Geography, Agricultural Science, Physical Education and Sport, Information Technology, English A; and a Grade 2 in Spanish.

The 17-year-old lives with her mother and maternal grandparents in Sparta Village along the Essequibo Coast. Her mother and father separated almost three years ago and she explains that this would have some amount of impact on her.

Begum attended Fisher Primary School and was valedictorian when she graduated.

Throughout school, she was a high flier and said that there was not much

pressure on her to perform exceptionally well but she always aimed for the best.

“Growing up I struggled a bit because you know my parents were going through a rough divorce and they weren’t always on terms but I managed. From Form 1 to 3 was kind of okay and so on. As I came down to Form 3 and the divorce, it was a bit too hectic and my grandparents were always there

for us. They were supporting me and although these things were happening they always assured me that it will be fine and even my father was there. It was difficult but as time passed it didn’t bother me that much.”

She said that coming down to CSEC time that was when the pressure began mounting since her stream in school only offered 10 subjects and she wanted more.

So she attended a lot of “off timetable” classes and that took up much of her free time. She explains that she would attend classes every day of the week and sometimes until 20:00h.

“I didn’t have much time to myself but I had the support and I just went for it. I started off with just a few subjects and it kept adding on. I want to be well rounded and I want to be so many things that I feel that

I needed me to be prepared for everything,” Begum said.

Begum initially wanted to get into Law but now she has her eyes set on the Marketing world.

For now, she is taking a break from studying and will be helping her sister prepare for CSEC. After that, the duo would begin their university studies. (Times Sunday Magazine)

Begum and her siblings

S

ecuring 15 passes at the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate level is not an easy task and requires dedication and commit ment, according to 17-year-old Derianna Williams.

Derianna, a student of the Three Miles Secondary School in Region 7 (CuyuniMazaruni) secured Grade 1 passes in EDPM, English A, Mathematics; Grade Two in Agricultural Science, Biology, Food and Nutrition, Human and Social Biology, Information Technology, Integrated Science, Principles of Business; and Grade Three in Chemistry, English B, Physics and Social Studies.

Growing up Derianna was always a quiet person and to this date she remains that way. She attended the St Johns Baptist Primary School and then secured a place at the Three Miles Secondary School. She was given a Hinterland Scholarship and continued her studies at the Three Miles Secondary.

Derianna explains that she had very little challenges while studying and noted that she always believed in herself even when everything seemed to be go-

Derianna Williams

ing haywire. She chose to write 15 subjects be cause she wanted to outshine her sister who gained 11 passes when she wrote CSEC a few years back.

“In Secondary School it wasn’t that hard be cause I would always do my work and make sure everything is done in time. I had the help of my big sister and when it was time to pre pare for CXC I just put my best foot forward.

I would stay up late with my mom and sister and they would help me study,” she said.

Derianna now intends to pursue a career in the medical field and is hoping that she could get a scholarship to study Medicine in China or Cuba. She says that by becoming a doctor she can better serve her country and its people.

“Medicine is my passion. I wrote all that subjects because I want to bel well rounded but also I want to become the best doctor possible.

I like helping people and medicine would help me to do that. If I get the scholarship it would be easier because it would ease the burden of having to pay for Medical School.”

For now, Derianna is at home and enjoying a break from studying. She says that the break is much needed and the real would commence in a few months. (Times Sunday Magazine)

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one was not bothered about her having a child and they treated her as one of their own. She said that attending school would not have been possible without the help of the MMP Foundation who sponsored her education.

Viroshni found it a bit difficult balancing the school work and caring for her son but noted that her parents would have assisted tremendously.

“I want to say to all the young girls out there that if you make a mistake don’t get

B y L akhram B hagirat

“G

etting to go back to school was really tough because I had my son and I had to divide my time between him and studying for exams. So when I saw that I did so good I was happy because it was really hard and the hard work and sacrifices did pay off,” says Viroshni Mithuram.

Viroshni is 18 years old and sat the 2018 CSEC examinations where she gained passes in 10 subjects (4 Grade 1s and 6 Grade 2s).

But Viroshni’s situation is different from many of those who sat this year’s CSEC examinations as she is the mother of an almost three year old.

She was a student at the JC Chandisingh Secondary School in Region 6 (East BerbiceCorentyne) and while in Fourth Form she fell deeply in love, dropped out of school and got married. The marriage would only last a few weeks but by that time, she was already pregnant. Viroshni did not even contemplate an abortion and would later give birth to her son, Asir Tikka, who is almost three years old now.

After her marriage ended and subsequent childbirth, Viroshni took up employment at the Nand Persaud International Communications Center as a telemarketer. She spend six months there and during that time her Supervisor, Trainer and the Human Resources Manager were so impressed but her abilities that they began urging her to go back to school and complete her education.

“The Human Resource Manager and Trainer told me to go back to school because that it’s not a problem and then I decided to think about it.

I went and asked my cousin and they said that I could go and my Trainer said it doesn’t matter if I have child that I can go back to school and that I

Viroshni and her son Asir

should leave the job and I did,” she said.

After she left her job, Viroshni said that she wanted a new start to her school life so she opted to enroll at the Corentyne Comprehensive High School instead of her former Secondary School. She met with the Head Teacher, whom she described as very friendly, and was advised to contact the Regional Department of Education for approval.

With optimism and a pep in her step, Viroshni contacted the Education Department only to be met with what she described a “discrimination.”

“I called Sir Deno (only name given) at the Regional Education Department and he turned me down. He said that I am involved in big people activities and that I can’t go back to school and I should go private. He was discouraging me and I had a bad impression of him. I called the Trainer at NPIC and I told her what he said and she was shocked and she told me to go to the Ministry of Education and I went.” ‘ When she visited the Ministry’s Brickdam Office, Viroshni met with one of the Officers who questioned her as to why she wanted to go back to school and the reason for leaving in the first instance.

“I told her I have a

son and she said okay.

She asked where is the father and I said I don’t know and she said that hope this does not happen again and she wrote the paper up and signed me up for school.”

Viroshni said that she requested to be placed back in Fourth Form and the Officer granted that request.

She attended her first class at Corentyne Comprehensive High on October 31, 2016.

Speaking about the treatment she received at the school, Viroshni related that it was exceptional since every-

down courage.

Make sure you finish your education and m a k e yours e l f somebody.

D o

Viroshni Mithuram

your best and watch everything fall into place.”

For now, she is con-

templating a Degree in Public Management.

(Times Sunday Magazine)

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Jamaica: Agencies working to capture crocodile that killed man

(Reprinted from Jamaica Observer)

T

he National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) have started the process to capture a crocodile that attacked and killed a man in Hellshire Pond, St Catherine, on Sunday.

The deceased, Wilford Edmondson, was fishing with friends about 9:15 am when he was attacked by the reptile.

In a release yesterday, NEPA and UDC acknowledged the tragic passing of Edmondson and expressed condolences to his family.

The release, which was sent to the media by NEPA, also said an incident response team visited the location on Sunday and that it is awaiting the completion of the Jamaica Constabulary Force's investigation into Edmondson's death.

“Members of the public are reminded to exercise

caution in areas which are clearly identified as natural crocodile habitats, observe the posted warning signs and refrain from interacting with the crocodiles,” NEPA said.

The agency also reminded the public to immediately contact NEPA at 1-888-991-5005 or 876-7547540 if crocodiles are seen in areas where they may pose a threat to human life.

When the Jamaica Observer visited Edmondson's Newlands, St Catherine community on Monday, people who knew him said he was a good father — a man who would spare no effort to provide for his wife and children.

In fact, he was killed on Sunday doing just that.

The Observer was told that the crocodile took the 67-year-old into the mangrove and inflicted wounds to his head.

According to Edmondson's wife, Carlene, he had

Wilford Edmondson

gone fishing hoping for a good catch to sell in order to earn money to send his children to school when the new academic year opens next week.

The father of four had been fishing for more than 30 years, his wife said.

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Teen to spend 10 Son jailed for 26 years for killing father years behind bars A for fatal stabbing of CD vendor

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ighteen-year-old Eton Calistro was on Monday sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by High Court Judge Sandil Kissoon for stabbing a CD vendor to death July 18, 2015 at Soesdyke, on the East Bank of Demerara.

Upon the State’s murder indictment,

ney, George Thomas, informed the court that his client was defending himself as Calistro saw himself as a victim in the matter. Thomas pointed to alcohol consumption being a notable factor of the incident while his client begged the court’s mercy. Prosecutor Gibbs observed that even

Corentyne, Berbice man, who was sentenced to death in January 2011 by Justice Dawn Gregory-Barnes, was on Monday sentenced to a reduced term – 26 years in prison.

The new sentence was handed down at the Berbice Assizes by Justice Joann Barlow.

Gowkarran Ramdayal, called “Silence”, 25, of Queenstown, Corriverton, had received the death sentence after he was found guilty for the 2008 murder of his father. In July last, the Court of Appeal handed down a decision overturning the conviction and sentence of Ramdayal.

On Monday, Ramdayal pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter and was given the 26-year sentence. Ramdayal, who lived with his father, mother and younger brother admitted to killing his father, 51-year-old Bhowan Ramdayal.

The facts of the case stated that the senior Ramdayal was allegedly beaten about his body with an iron bar at the home the family shared after a misunderstanding between the two men.

Gowkarran Ramdayal had al-

Jailed: Gowkarran Ramdayal

legedly asked his father for G$100, which the senior Ramdayal had refused to give him, telling his son that he should seek a job.

An argument then developed during which the accused picked up an iron bar and beat his father.

He then picked up a piece of pipe and continued the beating, before walking out of the yard with the pipe in hand.

The injured man was picked up and rushed to the Skeldon Hospital, thence onto the New Amsterdam Hospital before being transferred to the country’s main medical institution in the city – The Georgetown Public Hospital.

He was discharged from hospital a month later and stayed at his niece’s home for a while before returning to the Skeldon Hospital, after suffering a relapse.

He subsequently succumbed.

In handing down the sentence, Justice Barlow told Ramdayal that he must work if he wants money. “You killed an adult, who was your father when he told you to go and get a job,” Justice Barlow said in court before handing down her sentence.

Justice Barlow deducted one year off his sentence based on an early mitigation plea. A further 10 years was deducted for the period that he had already spent in prison before Monday’s sentencing.

Preserving our literary heritage

Jailed teenager: Eton Calistro by

Calistro, who plead not guilty to the murder of 21-year-old Leroy Moore, called “Jim Carrey”, admitted guilt to the lesser count of manslaughter.

State Counsels Abigail Gibbs and Mandell Moore appeared for the prosecution while attorneys George Thomas and Sonia Parag defended Calistro. According to the facts of the case presented by Prosecutor Gibbs, the labourer, who was just 15 years old at the time of his crime, went to a bar with his two brothers and while there, the deceased, Moore “hustled” a female, which annoyed Calistro. The court heard that the two had an exchange of words, after which, Calistro left with his siblings. Moore was with seven other males at the time.

The prosecutor further explained that after they left the bar and went to Soesdyke, the accused and the deceased met up and had a scuffle. Moore was stabbed twice and succumbed whilst being transported to hospital. A post-mortem examination revealed he died from perforation to the heart and lungs due to stab wounds.

In plea of mitigation, the defence attor-

though the killing was unfortunate due to ages involved; persons must face the consequences for their actions. She contended that a period of incarceration could give the offender an opportunity to reflect on what he had done so that he would not repeat his crime.

After a brief adjournment, Justice Kissoon passed down sentence, observing the impact that alcohol had on the events that led to the outcome. He started at a base of 25 years for manslaughter and deducted one-third of the sentence for acceptance of guilt; three years for time spent on remand and three years, six months for his age and other mitigating factors.

In July, Calistro appeared before Justice Brassington Reynolds and pleaded not guilty to both murder and manslaughter after reportedly telling his then lawyer, Stanley Moore that he indented to plead guilty to manslaughter. Those proceedings were discontinued, and he was ordered to appear before another Judge.

Moore was a former resident of Caneview Avenue, South Ruimveldt Gardens.

Petamber Persaud

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

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

It would be useful before going into the book to examine its title, Stepping on Cracks, which is taken from a children’s game with

the complete first line/ stanza: ‘Step on a crack, break your mother’s back’. The author uses this symbolically in reference to a recent visit to her motherland, Guyana, with the intention of relocating but discovers many cracks in the system (poor race relations, inadequate health care, poor infrastructure, insufficient job creation, unsatisfactorily reading, comprehension and expression skills etc) which she knows will break a lot of hearts for these many cracks in the system were disheartening.

However, she is quick to clear any misconception

about her writing ‘that pointing our issues in the country comes from a place of deep caring’.

The book is divided into two contrasting parts consisting of chapters one to six where she remembers and looks forward to enjoying some of those good old days and chapters seven to twelve consisting of reasons why she could not come back home including detailed accounts of jealousy and envy among people, infrastructure problems, race relations and aftermath of racial conflagration in the 60s, some of it, she says, will make your stomach

churn with bile of anger and distaste.

A fourth novel about Guyana was never on the cards. And Subryan gives reasons how the book was birthed, evolved and finally published. She was retired from Howard University after teaching there for forty-one years so she wanted some time ‘to decompress’ while hoping for the opportunity to share her knowledge with students in Linden and to ‘focus on reading’.

But writing was in her blood and because of her training as an English major and Journalism minor, she always carries around notepads which on this visit she filled to overflowing.

In her new book, Stepping on Cracks: Reflections on my Homeland, Subryan confesses she wanted to prove Thomas Wolfe wrong in that she could go back home again but discovers after an explorative five plus months in the land of her birth, she could not go back home while rediscovering that her real home was where the heart is, in Maryland, USA. Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo. com Teenaged mother Viroshni Mithuram excels at CSEC

47

WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com

By Ravi Dev

On the brain…

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…and off his rocker

our Eyewitness is getting worried about PM Nagamootoo. No, it’s not about him being shafted out of what he was promised in Cummingsburg.

He clearly enjoys “shafting”, since he so revels in being reduced to a weekly columnist in the Chronic!

The worry’s actually about his brain’s getting enough oxygen to function properly!

Take his first article — “Plight of the refugees” — after returning from his check-up in the States. He launched into a long and meandering attack on (who else?) his bete noir, Bharrat Jagdeo. Now, we know Nagamootoo has Jagdeo on his brain, because he convinced himself the younger man did him out of his “right” to become the PPP Leader. He never realized that calling Cheddi and Janet “Ma and Pa” never blinded them to his (vast) inadequacies!!

But this last attack went beyond his usual cattiness, since it betrayed a total lack of comprehension of what the Opposition Leader said about the influx of Venezuelan refugees. Just so your Eyewitness isn’t accused of bias, he refers to the Muckraker’s account of Jagdeo’s position. It was summarised by their headline’s strap: “WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO TREAT THEM FAIRLY AND IN A HUMANITARIAN WAY BUT IN THE LONG TERM, THEY MUST BE REPATRIATED TO VENEZUELA.” – Jagdeo.

Jagdeo insisted the refugees produce passports, and expressed two concerns – one: that the GDF was taking the lead role on the refugees; and second: that the refugees were indiscriminately lumped together.

He suggested that refugees of Guyanese ancestry be accepted and resettled; those of Amerindian ancestry be allowed to remain, because they are migratory. But “given the nature of the threat on the border and what a settlement on our side of the border with permanent residents of Venezuela can pose,” the last group must accept eventual repatriation.

But how did Nagamootoo interpret that position? “It was a vintage piece of pure undiluted hypocrisy for him to oppose temporary settlement in our sovereign and secure border areas of Venezuelans, who are coming to Guyana as refugees,” he screeched!! Now where, for goodness sake, was Jagdeo opposing “temporary settlement” of refugees?? But if Nagamootoo can’t see the strategic danger of allowing Venezuelans to establish settlements in an area that ALL of them were indoctrinated to see as their birthright, then his brain is oxygen deficient at a minimum, or he’s gone off his rocker, at worse!

But worst of all was for him to claim Venezuela’s ally, “Equador, is accepting Venezuelans with ID cards only”. That’s just not true – and also for Peru!!

Is it that Nagamootoo now can’t even comprehend newspaper reports? It’s a shad, shad shituation!! …with moral licensing Quite a lot of Guyanese – even supporters of the PNC-led Government – wonder how these Ministers and other officials can commit so many egregious actions and still live with themselves. One explanation is they practice “Moral Licensing”. That’s the term psychologists and researchers use to describe the process by which folks use a “good” behaviour to later justify a “bad” choice. We all do this, like you know, asking for that “Diet Coke” and then gorging ourselves on a bucket of KFC, or a whole bunjal duck!!

But in the case of the Government officials, right off the bat after elections, they convinced themselves that being “public servants” is their “good behaviour”, and this then rationalises all the outrageous behaviour that follows! Like giving themselves a 50% raise but stifling the teachers from getting a living wage and forcing them to now come into the streets for what is rightfully theirs.

The irony is: the Government Ministers and other high officials are anything but “public servants”.

They behave like they’re our lords and masters. …“denialism” From his elevated perch of upper class, “Coloured” self-righteousness, President Granger continues to insult lower-strata supporters. This time he warned Cuffy 250 members about the disease of ‘denialism’!!

But isn’t he suffering from that on the Hinds’ banishment from the Chronic?

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hree years down the line, the PNCled Government still insists “Social Cohesion” is its official goal, even as it has been most partisan in its actions– from unilaterally shutting down the sugar estates to blanking the Opposition from the US Congressional Delegation (CODEL).

Unsurprisingly, there have been complaints by citizens, who are worried about the end game.

Intuitively, they accept that “cohesion” cannot be a “bad thing”. The Jubilee Independence Commemoration poignantly brought to the fore rueful thoughts about “what could have been” if we had not been as divided as we’ve been.

Guyanese do not need experts in sociology or politics to also apprehend that while social cohesion is a desirable state of affairs, there are no silver bullets to getting there. In other words, they understand efforts must take place simultaneously in a whole number of dimensions – at a minimum including social, political, economic and cultural ones. All of which the PNC-led Government studiously avoids.

Starting with the last, the cultural problematic is fundamental, because it plays such a key role in forming our individual and collective identities, and hence our perspectives. When we were brought to labour in the plantations, the Europeans – in our case,

first the Dutch and then the English – invented both “race” and “culture” to “keep us in our place”.

Which is to say, subservient and second class at best. The Africans were described as “savages” who had no “culture”, and as such, their “bestial practices” were to be extirpated as a salutary practice. They were to be “thankful” and grateful for being “exposed to civilised culture”.

The problem, however, is that when one is imitating a “standard” that is intrinsically yoked to the physical characteristics of “race”, it becomes absolutely impossible to ever reach that standard.

Even those “Coloureds” who, because of the rape of African women had “half” or “three- quarters” white “blood”, could never become completely “civilised”. This did not stop many from feverishly trying, even into the present. But this one-sided clash of the dominant “white European” culture with the “African” did produce a hybrid culture – called “Creole” – that was the lived experience of the ordinary African, who stubbornly retained aspects of ancestral culture.

Persons become individuals with distinct identities through their own experiences and inculcated beliefs to form their memories that act as narratives of their “selves”. But man, unlike other animals, is enmeshed in social relations in which his identity develops; and in turn,

those social relations are generally mediated by cultural norms in both the public and private spheres. In a society that is culturally homogenous, these are quite integrated; but if the public and private cultures are different and clash, as with ordinary Africans, this can cause dissonances for the individual. Granger’s denunciation of “Guinness Bars” recently illustrated this disjuncture.

For ordinary freed Africans, this strain to emulate white/European culture was much greater than the Coloureds’, since the latter were seen by others as an intermediate group. The Africans were relegated to the lowest strata, and could move up only by becoming educated, acting “proper” in imitating white behaviour, and marrying “fairer” to join the coloured. This constructed identity out of the values and beliefs of the culture form the framework for the individual’s interpretation and organisation of new experiences. This would become very relevant when new immigrants would be introduced into the society to provide cheap labour on the sugar plantations. And form a new basis of comparison.

It is of more than passing interest that when the Portuguese from Madeira were brought as indentured servants, they were not then, nor later, classified as “European” – even

though they were phenotypically that. They were “Portuguese” to the British, and seen by the freed African people and later indentureds as such – never white, notwithstanding the pretensions of the ones who later moved up the economic and social ladder.

While they imitated the ruling British/ European lifestyle, their Catholic variant of Christianity also served to distinguish them culturally. Many of the ones in the lower economic oracles intermarried with Africans and adopted Creole Culture.

There were very few men among the Chinese who were brought as indentured labourers, and most intermarried with locals and adopted Creole Culture even while contributing their cuisine to the new land.

All of them, including lower strata Africans, were to evaluate the “heathen” Indian Indentureds as the new lowest man on the totem pole. Their success creates severe cognitive dissonances that lead to dangerous scapegoating – and lack of cohesion.

(To be continued.)

He’s baaack!

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atiricus was happy his leader Nagga Man was back in Guyana, all “fit”. He knew the fellas at the Back Street Bar didn’t think him “proper,” or had him high on their hit parade.

But Satiricus admired Nagga Man, if for no other reason than he’d imbibed in every rum shop – before they were called “bars” — in Guyana. To do that and still remain “fit” deserved respect!

“Budday, is de cuttas Nagga Man like fuh eat w’en ya drink!” volunteered Cappo, after Satiricus had expressed his opinion upon joining them.

“Yes, me hear Nagga Man too like ‘e fry po’k, when ya drink,” confirmed Bungi.

“So how does that work?” inquired Hari with interest.

“Well, de po’k ile does line ‘e stomick,” explained Cappo, “and de likker cyaan eat ‘e livva out.”

“So how come YOU don’t eat pork cutters?”

Satiricus wanted to know. “You only eat fried Banga Mary!”

“Me relig’on na mek me eat po’k,” said Cappo, with a virtuous look on his face.

“But Sato, tell me something,” said Hari.

“What the Chronic got against Nagga Man?”

“What you mean?” answered Satiricus. “He’s their boss!”

“Well their headline announcing his return, was ‘He’s back’!!” ” said Hari, as both Cappo and Bungi guffawed loudly when he stretched out the “baaack”.

“What’s wrong with that?” asked Satiricus in confusion.

“Budday you na bin see all dem friken pitcha wid Freddy Krueger?” asked Cappo.

“And wid ev’ry new pitcha, dem does announce, ‘He’s baaack!!’ fu fri’ken abee mo’!” interjected Bungi with glee. “Da man face prappa swingy an’ ugly!!”

“They even had a song for Freddy,” said Hari, as he belted it out, “One, two, Freddy’s coming for you/ Three, four, Better lock your door/ Five, six, grab a crucifix/ Seven, eight, You better stay awake/ Nine, ten, HE’S BACK AGAIN!!!”

“So you think those fellas at Chronic mocking Nagga Man?” asked Satiricus in concern. “His face isn’t THAT swingy.”

“Me t’ink ‘e days done, an’ even dem Chranic bais na respeck Nagga Man now,” said Cappo. “’E jus’ a wan C’rismuss blow-blow now!” concluded Bungi.

48 Bollywood

WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Amitabh Bachchan: Will soon play Kaun Banega Crorepati with Aaradhya

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mitabh Bachchan will soon be back on the small screen with Kaun Banega Crorepati 10. On Tuesday, the Bollywood superstar interacted with media on the sets of the game show. While talking about the importance of the show in his life, Bachchan shared that he might soon start playing KBC with his granddaughter Aaradhya. When a reporter asked Big B if he has ever played the Kaun Banega Crorepati game with his granddaughter Aaradhya, he said, “Haven’t done it yet. But you have given me a good idea. Will go home and play the game with her soon.”

Bachchan further shared, “Aaradhya is too young for it but she does have an idea that I do something called KBC. She also quite likes the signature tune of the show.” Daughter of Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, six-year-old Aaradhya is quite close to her grandfather.

The Paa actor also added that his granddaughter is too young to understand the general knowledge game.

“She is very young. Also, she is quite busy with her various school activities.

She does have quizzes in her school. I must also add that she is very knowledgeable and an inquisitive child.”

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ctor Pooja Hegde said filmmaker Imtiaz Ali writes amazing characters and she would love to work with the Jab We Met and Rockstar director. The other thing on her to-do wish list is to make Children’s films. Also, Pooja, who originally hails from the coastal town of Mangaluru in Karnataka, hopes she gets offers to do Kannada and Malayalam films. “I would love to work with Imtiaz Ali, and I would like to make children’s films, that’s on my list”, Pooja, who made her Bollywood debut with Mohenjo Daro

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Starting September 3, Kaun Banega Crorepati 10 will air Monday-Friday at 9 pm on Sony TV. (Indian Express)

fter playing Sartaj Singh in Netflix’s Sacred Games, Saif Ali Khan has started shooting for his next project, Hunter. Directed by Navdeep Singh, Hunter has Saif playing a Naga Sadhu. His look from the film was captured by Mumbai Mirror and it looks quite intriguing. Sporting dreadlocks and a long beard, Saif is dressed in worn-out clothes here. His dreadlocks are held together by a bandana. This is Hunter’s second schedule after the first schedule was wrapped up in Rajasthan. A source from the set of Hunter told Mirror, “Saif kicked off work around 9am and the shoot went on till late evening. For the ongoing schedule, Rajasthan has been recreated in the studio and he is currently

A Saakshyam, with a couple of more in the works, including Housefull 4.

She hasn’t yet done Kannada and Malayalam films and hopes that something good comes along her way. Pooja says without a ‘godfather’, it’s not easy to come up in the film industry and success is slower but she isn’t complaining.

“When you get success, it is sweeter. I know that whatever I have done, I have done on my own, because of my own capability and not because of anything else than that. Success is slow

ctor-director Nandita Das, who is gearing up for the release of her forthcoming film Manto, says that more than entertaining the audience, it is necessary to engage them with the film. Nandita was interacting with the media here during the third edition of the WCRC Ideafest 2018 awards on Monday. Talking about audience reaction to trailer of the film, Nandita said, “People used to think that it’s a period film which is set in 1940s and Nandita only makes serious type of films. But with the response to the trailer, we came to know that lot of people relate themselves with the film.

“We often think that there should be only entertainment in a film but I think it is necessary to engage the audience. If the audience gets engaged

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(2016), co-starring Hrithik Roshan.

“I think he (Ali) writes amazing characters, whether it’s the character of ‘Geet’ (Kareena Kapoor) in Jab We met, Alia Bhatt’s in Highway and Ranbir Kapoor in Rockstar,” she said.

“I just think he somehow brings out the best performance in every actor, and I would love to see how he does with me.”

Pooja made her acting debut in Tamil film Mugamoodi (2012) and went on to feature in Telugu movies Oka Laila Kosam, Mukunda, Duvvada Jagannadham, Rangasthalam and

but sweeter”, she said.

Pooja said it was “absolute laugh and fun” working on the sets of ‘Housefull 4’, produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and directed by Sajid Khan, during the recent shooting in London, with “silly jokes and pranks” of Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh and Sajid Khan in full flow.

On key takeaways from her film career so far, she said: “Success and failure are both short-lived, and success brings in more success, and at the end of the day it’s all about talent.” (Indian Express)

ilmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj has confirmed his next with actor Priyanka Chopra, which will go on floors next year. This will be their third project after 7 Khoon Maaf and Kaminey.

Bhardwaj had earlier expressed his desire to collaborate with Priyanka on a film based on William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. He had, reportedly, also said that the duo had met three-four times to discuss the film.

When asked if there is any progress on the project, Vishal Bhardwaj said, “Priyanka (also) wants to work with me. And we are working with each other. Hopefully, we will start the film next year.”

The director interacted with reporters at the song launch of his upcoming directorial Patakha, starring Sanya

shooting an action sequence.”

In many of his recent interviews, Saif Ali Khan explained that he was growing his beard for his role in Hunter. The actor said that he had to grow a real beard so the fake one could be attached to it. The success of Sacred Games has certainly revived Saif’s career as many of his films had not been performing well at the box office in the recent past. His Baazaar is yet to release in the theatres.

Navdeep Singh, the director of Hunter, is known for helming the 2015 film NH10 starring Anushka Sharma and the critically acclaimed film Manorama Six Feet Under. (Indian Express)

then they don’t try to figure out whether the film has songs or dance in it.”

Talking about the storyline, Das, who previously directed Firaq, said, “It’s a story of the writer and the obstacles of his life and the reasons why he left Mumbai which he used to love so much and later shifted to Lahore (Pakistan) and what kind of stories he wrote in his life so, we have also shown glimpses of his stories.”

Manto stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the title character of Indo-Pakistani author-writer Saadat Hasan Manto along with Rasika Dugal, Tahir Raj Bhasin in lead roles. The film is produced by HP Studios, Filmstoc and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures. It is releasing on September 21. (Indian Express)

Malhotra, Radhika Madan and Sunil Grover in lead roles. The film, based on a short story by Hindi writer Charan Singh Pathik, revolves around two sisters who happen to be each other’s biggest enemies.

The film, co-produced by Rekha Bhardwaj, will arrive in theatres on September 28, in a box office clash with Varun Dhawan and Anushka Sharma starrer Sui Dhaaga.

“During Haider, we had Bang Bang against us. I don’t think this matters.

Audience will watch both the films.

Gandhi Jayanti has been very lucky for me. Talvar also released on Gandhi Jayanti. I wanted this film also to release during Gandhi Jayanti. It’s a long weekend,” Bhardwaj said. (Indian Express)

Hollywood 49

WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Soundarya Sharma bags role in ‘Wonder Woman 1984’

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ctor-comic Eddie Murphy is set to become a father for the tenth time. The 57-year-old actor’s representative said in a statement that Murphy and his partner Paige Butcher are all set to welcome their second kid.

The news comes after Butcher, 39, was spotted with a baby bump this month.

“Eddie Murphy and longtime girlfriend Paige Butcher are pleased to announce that they are expecting their second child in December,” Murphy’s rep said.

The couple, who have been in a relationship since 2012, already have daughter Izzy, 2. The Dr Doolittle actor has oldest son, Eric, 29, with Paulette McNeely. He shares daughters Bella, 16, Zola, 18, Shayne, 23, Bria, 28, and son Miles, 25, with former wife Nicole Mitchell Murphy.

Murphy also has son Christian, 27, with Tamara Hood, and shares daughter Angel, 11, with former Spice Girl Mel B. Back in 2016, his eldest daughter Bria shared a family photo of herself and her siblings along with her dad and Butcher just months after Izzy was born. “ Merry Christmas!!! #MurphyFamily Photo by : @justwilliet,” Bria wrote in the caption.

According to a report by People, while talking about his big family Eddie had earlier said, “None of my kids are like me, and I’m sure parents say this all of the time, they are all totally different from each other. None of them are chips off the old block. They all have their own thing, They’re good kids.” (Indian Express)

Johnny English Strikes Again trailer: Rowan Atkinson returns as the confused and well-meaning spy

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owan Atkinson starrer Johnny English Strikes Again’s trailer is out and it packs quite the punch. This is the third movie in the Johnny English franchise and the trailer reminds us why the films are popular with the audience. Atkinson stars as the beloved and bumbling spy Johnny English who is called in from his retirement to save the country. The

trailer begins with Olga Kurylenko’s character remarking how she has never met a man like Johnny, which we can all relate to. And then Rowan’s character confirms, “I am sure you haven’t.”

He then proceeds to flip what seems like olive over his shoulder, which of course lands on some poor waiter causing him to drop his tray suddenly.

Johnny is then seen handling some fancy-looking pieces of technology and causing further damage to those around him. Emma Thompson’s character marks her presence as well to

reprimand Johnny. And in the middle of this brouhaha, the screen screams “He is back doing what he does best.”

And don’t we know that already?

The official synopsis of the film reads, “Johnny English Strikes Again is the third installment of the Johnny English comedy series, with Rowan Atkinson returning as the much loved accidental secret agent. The new ad-

venture begins when a cyber-attack reveals the identity of all active undercover agents in Britain, leaving Johnny English as the secret service’s last hope.

Called out of retirement, English dives head first into action with the mission to find the mastermind hacker.

As a man with few skills and analogue methods, Johnny English must overcome the challenges of modern technology to make this mission a success.”

The film will release on October 26, 2018.

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anchi Diaries actor Soundarya Sharma has bagged a role in superhero film Wonder Woman 1984, starring Gal Gadot.

“This I can say is a ‘dream coming true’ situation. It’s exhilarating to be a part of such a larger than life character film where you get to play your dream role. I have always dreamt of playing such a character and idolised it,” Soundarya said in a statement to IANS. Details of her role are being kept under wraps.

Her statement suggests

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she is playing an important character. She is expected to start shooting for Wonder Woman 1984

by October end. Directed

by Patty Jenkins, the film also stars Chris Pine, who played the role of Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman. Gal Gadot returns in the title role of Amazonian warrior goddess Princess Diana/Wonder Woman.

Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot and producer Geoff Johns have released details about the film in bits and now we have a decent idea about how the film is going to

ctor Kristen Stewart has said that the upcoming reboot of Charlie’s Angels will be more “grounded”. The 28-year-old actor was announced as one of the leading ladies of the reboot which will be helmed by actor Elizabeth Banks.

“We are not trying to do an impression of the last one, so yeah, I think Liz is like so genuinely naturally funny all the time anyway,” she added.

Launched in 1976 on ABC, the original TV series, Charlie’s Angels, ran for five seasons with Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith playing private detectives working for their unseen boss, Charlie Townsend.

Sony Pictures later produced a film by the same name, starring Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu as angels.

The movie became a huge hit and went on to earn 264 million dollars worldwide. It was followed by a bloated and not well-received sequel, 2003’s Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.

In the reboot, Stewart will be joined

by Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska as the other two Angels. Banks will also star in the movie as the genderflipped Bosley.

The actor says she has started training for her role in the film and is undertaking boxing les-

turn out, even though some aspects are still secret. The plot of the film is largely unknown.

Pedro Pascal, known for playing Prince Oberyn Martell in HBO’s Game of Thrones and DEA agent Javier Peña in Netflix’s Narcos, is also one of the new cast members in the upcoming film. Kristen Wiig was cast in the role of Cheetah, an archvillain of the Princess of Themyscira in DC comics.

Wonder Woman 1984 releases on November 1, 2019. (Indian Express)

sons.

“I have been boxing a bit, which I have never done. I am so addicted to it. As soon as I have to actually start sparring though, I realize what I am doing is intended to fight people. I am like, it really is assaulting and I really hate it.

“But all I am doing lately is talking to Liz, and can’t wait to meet the other girls and I leave on Sunday … gonna start doing more fight training, getting more aggressive quite soon,” Stewart said. (Indian Express)

50 sport

WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation …Ramdhani shines again

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ollowing the Junior and Senior competitions, Caribbean Regional Badminton C o n f e d e r a t i o n (CAREBACO) has now moved on to staging their Regional Under-11, 13, 15, & 17 Championships also in neighbouring Suriname.

The competition which is also being held at the Ring Sports Center in Paramaribo, is providing much needed international exposure to a group of Guyana’s youngest badminton players, most of whom have not competed overseas before.

The competition which began on Sunday evening saw the Guyanese players performing to the best of their abilities against more seasoned players their age.

Expectantly, Priyanna Ramdhani continues to showcase ex-

cellent skill and talent as she participates in yet another CAREBACO International tournament, this time it is the Under 17 competition.

Going into her third straight week of competition, Ramdhani has proven that talent does not get tired or weary.

Given that the badminton powerhouse is only 16 years of age, she is now competing against players who are roughly within her own age group. Similarly to the other CAREBACO championships in previous weeks, Ramdhani has started out with a blemish-less streak.

In the women’s singles, Ramdhani has advanced to the semifinal round by defeating Fiona Li 21-14, 21-1.

Later on in the women’s doubles, the young woman paired up with Robyn Sobers of Barbados to defeat

Suriname’s Kayleigh Moenne and Faith Sariman 21-17, 21-17.

Over in the mixed doubles division she partnered with Trinidad and Tobago’s Vance Juteram to secure a win over Kevin Karg and Faith Sariman of Suriname 219, 21-9, in order to advance to the semis.

Additionally, in the Under 11 category, Mishka Beharry was defeated by Le Yan Sharon Li of Suriname 21-7, 21-1 and by Gillian Jones of the same country 215,21-2 in round one and two respectively.

Vikash Mootoo and Matthew Beharry were the Guyanese who competed in the Boys Under 15 category.

Playing against Ky-Mani Ormskerk of Suriname, Mootoo lost 21-6, 21-5.

Beharry also lost his encounter with Suriname’s Rivano Bisphan 21-3, 213.

The team of Vikash Mootoo and Matthew Beharry competes in the Under 15 doubles

The duo also teamed up for the doubles competition which they lost to Rivano Bispan and

Timothy Karg 21-6, 21-4.

The competition will continue for the remainder of the week with

games every evening at the Ring Sports Center in Paramaribo Suriname. rnament 2018…

Gold and bronze for Americas Rugby Challenge Paraguay proved Guyanese ladies too tough for on CAREBACO Guyana fourth day

Priyanna Ramdhani and Mishka Beharry

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he fourth day of the CAREBACO International Under-11, 13, 15 and 17championships bore much fruit for the young Guyanese team, along with a change in fortunes. The team has so far copped two medals out of the round robin plays,

with the ladies being the shining stars.

In the Under 11 category, Mishka Beharry had a bumpy start to her singles competition, but made an impressive comeback for a player who hasn’t had much international exposure.

In match four of her competi-

tion, Beharry lost to T’Shelle Barnes of Trinidad and Tobago 21-5, 21-2. However, the youngster bounced back in her fifth matchup to defeat Suriname’s Megan Chen 21-14, 21-12. This win secured her a bronze in the round-robin segment.

Priyanna Ramdhani took the Under 17 division by storm, securing gold in the Girls Doubles round-robin and cementing her spot in two finals.

In the Singles segment, Ramdhani registered yet another win, this time against Suriname’s Kayleigh Moenne, 21-11, 21-5, to advance to the finals of the competition.

Later on, Ramdhani and her mixed doubles partner, Vance Juteram of Trinidad and Tobago, defeated Danny Chen and Chaista Soemodipoero of Suriname: 21-12, 12-21, 21-16 to cop yet another spot in the finals.

Ramdhani found a partner in Barbados’ Robyn Sobers for the Girls Doubles round- robin. In their second match, the duo easily defeated Fiona Li and Demi Sjauw Koen Fa of Suriname in straight sets, 2111, 21-12.

In their next encounter, the pair lost to Suriname’s Erisa Bluea & Chaista Soemodipoero in an extremely close match up, 22-21, 19-21, 21-10. However, Ramdhani and her partner were awarded the gold medal based on the amount of points they amassed in the competition.

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uyana Men’s Rugby Team suffered a massive defeat at the hands of their Paraguayan counterparts when they locked horns proverbially in the Americas Rugby Challenge which continued on Wednesday in Medellín, Colombia.

Selwyn Henry scored a try and Ryan Gonsalves made good on the conversion, but Paraguay won 86 – 7 and Guyana picked up their second loss in as many games.

Gonsalves, the Guyanese captain, believes defence was the common denominator that contributed to the blowout result. According to him, they were too scrappy on second and third phases when defending.

He also mentioned that the level of play in Colombia is altogether higher than the local

Ryan Gonsalves

ruggers have to offer, but the locals are not far away.

The scrum-half further noted, “The team is very disappointed, and will use the remaining days before our final game against Mexico on Sunday to clean up the errors that cost us, and look for the win.

“This is a learning experience for the entire team playing 15s rugby at this level. We can only build from this and adjust to it; work to improve on our weaknesses, and build on our strengths,” he admitted.

The final round, slated to be held on Sunday, September 1, will see Mexico clash with Guyana, and Colombia come up against Paraguay as the closing match. The winners will be the team accruing the most tournament points.

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WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Caribbean Invitation IX defeats Guyana in ICF game in Queens

Members of the Caribbean Invitation Team

By Sam Soopersaud

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he Caribbean Invitation Xl once again reigned supreme over a Guyana Select XI in the 28th Edition of the Annual Indo Caribbean Federation Trophy Game, featured on Saturday, August 25, 2018, at the Baisley Pond Park Cricket Field, Jamaica, Queens, New York.

Let me be very forthright: it was a low scoring game, void of anything spectacular. The over 300 fans watching the game from around the boundary simply went through the motion of "watching a cricket game". The first two and a half hours were "very trying" for the spectators to bear. The final fifteen minutes gave them "some sort of a reprieve" from boredom.

It was a day when

Mother Nature smiled on cricket lovers, giving us a glorious sun shine day, considering that for the few days preceding game day, we had our share of wet weather. Joe had done a great job preparing the field.

The grass was well manicured and the wicket compressed hard prior to laying of the matting. The over 300 fans came early and set up their tables stacked with delicious foods and of course, the ever present cooler stocked with invigorating "cold beverages". I will not say what the beverages were. Use your imagination.

The match umpires were decked in their usual black trousers, and, for the first time, ever seen, sporting a yellow official umpiring jersey; topped off with a white hat. For the first time, in over two decades, Umpire Steve

Members of the Guyana Team with ICF President Ralph Tamesh

Kalloo was not on duty.

He was honored at the 27th Annual Game last year, and he decided to "take a rest". Replacing him in the middle was Umpire Danny Khan, who shared the duty with another perennial, Umpire Ashook Brijcoomar of Canada.

The Caribbean Invitation IX won the coin toss and inserted the Guyana XI to take first knock. The opening batsmen, Randall Wilson and Amar Persaud found the speedsters Juanoy Drysdale and Al Small "too much to handle". Wickets tumbled.

Guyana 17 for 2. A third wicket partnership of 53 between Wasim Haslim (35) and Matt Marques (22) was the only resistance offered against the Caribbean bowling attack. Once they were separated the rest of the batsmen were bundled out within 30 over for

108 runs.

Spearheading the bowling were Juanoy Drysdale 3 for 16, Renwick Batson 3 for 17, Dino Chooweenam 2 for 19 and Andrew Davis 1 for 2.

Needing a meagre 109 for victory, Caribbean IX lost a wicket with no run on the board, but a second wicket partnership of 44 between Mark Gomes (11) and Dino Chooweenam (34), and a third wicket partnership of 42 between Dino Chooweenam and Gavin Wallace (36) stopped the rout. However, once the third wicket partnership was broken, the flood gates opened. Wickets fell as frequent as bowling pins. Caribbean IX slipped from 86 for 3 to 108 for 9: 6 wickets fell for 22 runs. This was the only juncture of the game at which the spectators had "some sort of excitement". One wick-

et in hand, one run to win. A maiden over bowled. Would there be a Super Over! Nah, the first ball in the 16th over was touched for a single. The game was over.

Caribbean IX was able to squeeze a victory.

Accounting for the wickets to fall were: Karan Ganesh 2 for 14, Gajanand Suknanan 2 for 21, Yudesh Bisnauth 3 for 11, and Wasim Haslim 1 for 24.

The fans were then treated to a short cultural program featuring female dancer, Chandani Singh and local artistes Gopaul and Son Son who sang a Mohamed Rafi number.

Because the game had ended in a little less than three hours, Ralph Tamesh, the President of the ICF, after consultation with both Captains, players and umpires, decided to play a second game: a

twelve over’s match to entertain the spectators.

Rest of the World made 106, Guyana in reply made108. After a short presentation ceremony in which Ralph Tamesh thanked all for "making this day possible" everyone dined on some delicious ethnic food donated by Mr Hafeez Ali of Rockaway Roti Shop, Buddy Ramsarran of Palm Court Restaurant and the family members of Tamesh family.

The best bowler prize went to Juanoy Drysdale 3 wickets for 16 runs, best batsman went to Gavin Wallace 36 and the MVP went to Dino Chooweenam who made 34 and took 2 wickets for 19 runs.

The prizes were donated by Ravi Etwaroo of Cricket Zone USA and Lesly Lowe President of the Commonwealth League.

Jomel Warrican back in West Indies Test squad J

omel Warrican, the left-arm spinner, returned to the West Indies Test squad for their two-match series against India in October.

Warrican played the last of his four Tests in January 2016, but was handed a redball contract by Cricket West Indies in January this year, indicating that he remained very much part of their plans.

Warrican has spent the last two months with the West Indies A team, playing England Lions and India A in England.

While his numbers from those games are not particularly striking, he did cause the touring Sri Lankans issues in May, claiming 4 for 81 in a warm-up game in Tarouba. In India, he will offer West Indies a second-specialist spin option behind legspinner Devendra Bishoo.

Alzarri Joseph, the 21-year old fast bowler, is also set to return to Test cricket after more than a year. Joseph broke into the West Indies side as a 19-yearold in 2016 and has since played six Tests, the last of which was last August in England.

Joseph is returning from a stress fracture in his back, which he picked up in New Zealand in December. He returned to limited-overs cricket in the preceding series at home, against Bangladesh, and was picked in the squad for the second Test of that series. He, however, did not play, making this his first chance at long-form cricket since the injury.

Batsman Sunil Ambris is also back for his first Test of the year, having missed out recently due to injury, according to West Indies'

Jomel Warrican

chairman of selectors Courtney Brown. It is not clear what the injury was. Ambris had fractured his left forearm during the series against New Zealand last December - his debut series, where he was hit-wicket twice in two games - but it was believed that he had re-

covered from that injury ahead of West Indies' home-summer series against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Jahmar Hamilton, the uncapped wicketkeeper-batsman, also made the 15. Hamilton was picked for the home Tests against Sri Lanka but didn't get a game.

In India, he will provide back-up with the gloves to Shane Dowrich.

Batsman Devon Smith, who made a return this season against Sri Lanka after three years out of the team, and fast bowler Miguel Cummins are the only two to miss out from the squad that played the Bangladesh series.

Browne said: "The panel congratulates Jason Holder and his team on the excellent performance against Bangladesh. As the team embarks on a tough tour of India, the successes against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh should hold them in good stead.

The panel welcomes back Sunil Ambris, who missed the last couple of series due to injury, along with Jomel Warrican, who adds a second spin-bowling option to the attack."

While West Indies are coming off a convincing 2-0 series win against Bangladesh and a drawn series against Sri Lanka, they have struggled significantly against their upcoming opponents.

Their last Test win against India came in Kingston in 2002, while their last Test success in India was a 243-run win in Mohali in 1994.

The two Tests in India will be followed by five ODIs and three T20Is. West Indies Test squad Jason Holder (capt), Sunil Ambris, Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich (wk), Shannon Gabriel, Jahmar Hamilton (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Keemo Paul, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican

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WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Hero CPL 2018…

Green replaces Malik for remainder of season

Guyana represented at World Archery Americas’ General Assembly for the first time

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General Assembly 2018 at which Guyana was represented by Nicholas Hing

S

Chris Green celebrates with Imran Tahir

hoaib Malik will be returning to Pakistan to link up with his national team for a training camp ahead of the Asia Cup, as a result Chris Green will be staying on with the squad for the rest of the 2018 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Green originally joined the Amazon Warriors squad as cover for Cameron Delport but he will now stay with the team until the end of the tournament.

Green has impressed for the Guyanese franchise so far in this year’s Hero CPL picking up five wickets with an excellent economy rate of 6.5 runs

per over. He also made an important contribution with the bat in the win over St Kitts & Nevis Patriots where he made 25 not out.

The Amazon Warriors are currently fourth place in the Hero CPL standings with three wins from their first five matches.

The top four teams at the end of the group stage will make it into the knockout phase of the tournament with the final taking place at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad on 16 September.

Windies ‘B’ tour of Canada…

“Looking forward to exciting tournament” – Head Coach Crandon – Guyanese elated over new role

BY CLIFTON ROSS

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ewly appointed West Indies ‘B’ team Head Coach; Esuan Crandon said he’s elated over his appointment as he plans to help the team properly prepare ahead of the Canada Cricket Summerfest tournament; which bowls off on September 1.

Crandon, the Guyana Jaguars fourtime Cricket west Indies Regional 4-Day winning coach was named Head Coach while former Windies pace legend Sir Curtly Ambrose was named coach of the Windies B team as they set to lock horns with the Canadians in 3 T20’s and two One Day Internationals.

Following a practice session at the Everest Cricket Club ground with some of his local players; the ex-Guyana pacer told Guyana Times International Sport that he was privileged to be entrusted with the role of Head Coach of the Windies B side. “I’m very happy and elated of the opportunity given to me to coach the team not only me [but] the young players as well. So I’m looking forward to a very exciting tournament with some exciting players in the squad.”

Crandon and Skipper Anthony Bramble are the lone Guyanese in the squad while Neil Barry Jr. is appointed as the physiotherapist and will be on his maiden trip at this level. Bramble who led the Windies ‘B’ team to the inaugural Global T20 League in Canada

in July is retained as captain and his coach believes he’s the right man for the job.

‘It’s always good to have your countrymen alongside you in any tourna-

uyana for the first time was represented at the World Archery Americas General Assembly which was held in Medellin, Colombia on August 18, 2018.

Representing Guyana at this historic sitting was Nicholas Hing who expressed delight at being there at the General Assembly, noting in particular that it was exciting to hear all the news on upcoming competitions in the Americas and how we can all work together to develop the sport throughout the Region.

Moreover, Archery Guyana sent official congratulations to Maria Emma Gaviria who was re-elected as president of World Archery Americas for a four-year term running until 2022 at the Confederation’s General Assembly, held during the 2018 Pan Am and Para Pan Am Championships in Medellin, Colombia.

She noted that there were 45 delegates from 26 countries during the

General Assembly, with the British Virgin and Guyana taking part for the first time. President of WAA indicated that “It’s a big step forward and we will continue to work non-stop for archery in our continent.”

Cuba’s Sergio Font and Colombia’s Ana Maria Lopez were reassigned as Secretary General and Treasurer.

Financial and development reports were presented during the assembly and approved by the member associations in Medellin.

It was decided that Mexico City would host the 2020 Pan American Championships and the Tokyo 2020 continental qualification tournament for the Americas. Chile’s world ranking tournament in 2019 will act as the second qualifier for the Lima 2019 Pan Am Games.

Mexico and Brazil will also host world ranking events in 2019, while the Bahamas will run the 2019 Caribbean Developmental Championships.

“I look at it as cricket, it’s just a different kind because we are going to play white ball cricket. It’s a lot of differences; the shorter version is one day so you can’t make too many mistakes on that day. There is also not much time to make up after then because in 4-Day you can make mistakes and make up in the sessions or days after but T20 and ODI is just one day,” Crandon explained.

Bramble and a few of his players in

their pitches and so plus we have some guys who will be going back to Canada so they can share experience with the new guys so it will be good when we get up there.”

Meanwhile, the Windies ‘B’ team will tackle the Canadians at the Maple Leaf Cricket Club in Toronto. The sides will engage in three T20’s and two ODI’s bowling off from September 1.

West Indies B team- Anthony Bramble (Captain), Sunil Ambris, Esuan Crandon working on slip catching with the Guyana Jaguars at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (John Ramsingh photo)

ment. Bramble has proven his capabilities especially in the shorter versions and he had a good season in the 4-day tournament and he’s a good cricketer so I’m looking forward to working with him and the other guys in the side,” said Crandon.

While Crandon has found success since 2013/14 by winning the Regional 4-Day title every year since, the former all-rounder said that he hopes to replicate similar results in the upcoming tournament, he’s keeping one eye trained on making few errors.

the side will be returning to Canada after they lost in the Finals of the Global T20. With a new-look side, Crandon believed that once the team plays as a unit and executes their plans well; success can be achieved over the next week.

“I had the opportunity to coach the Guyana Jaguars in 50 over cricket, obviously we have to go and adjust to conditions as a group and prepare well and execute well as a group. I have had an opportunity to view the Canada T20 League, I have a fairly good idea about

Alick Athanaze, Sheeno Berridge, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Derval Green, Jahmar Hamilton, Sherman Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Kimani Melius, Jeavor Royal and Jomel Warrican Team Management Unit- Esuan Crandon (Head Coach), Sir Curtly Ambrose (Coach), Alexander Forde (Strength & Conditioning Trainer), Neil Barry (Physiotherapist) and Avenesh Seetaram (Data Capturer)

WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 2 , 2018| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyanese trio Hetmyer, Bishoo, Paul selected for Windies tour of India

Keemo Paul

Shimron Hetmyer

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he Guyanese trio of Shimron Hetmyer, Devendra Bishoo and Keemo Paul, all of whom are currently playing for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the 2018 Hero Caribbean Premiere League (CPL), have once again been included in the 15-member West Indies squad which commences their tour of India from September 26.

Spanning a period of almost seven weeks, the West Indians will engage the hosts in two Tests, five one-day internationals and three T20 matches.

West Indies completed a similar three-series tour under a month ago when they hosted Bangladesh and won the Test Series but lost both the ODI and T20 series.

Meanwhile, India are currently engaged in a grueling five-match Test series with England on their tour of Ireland and England.

West Indies and India have played 94 Tests against each other since 1948

with the Caribbean side ahead on 30 wins, while they’ve lost 28 and drawn 46.

The Test side, to be captained by Jason Holder also features a bowling department with the likes of Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel and Jomel Warrican.

Roston Chase, the all-rounder, will be supporting in the batting department which comprises of Kraigg Brathwaite, Shane Dowrich, Shai Hope, Sunil Ambris, Jahmar Hamilton and Kieran Powell.

Chairman of Selectors, Courtney Browne said, “The panel congratulates Jason Holder and his team on the excellent performance against Bangladesh.

As the team embarks on a tough tour of India, the successes against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh should hold them in good stead.”

The tour concludes on November 11 with the final T20 match.

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