Guyana Times Monday April 29. 2019

25 Influential Women P10 Leaders’ Award launched Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 3908

MONday, april 29, 2019

AG report flags MoE over procurement of textbooks

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Restructuring of GFC not a “witch hunt” – Trotman P14

Page 7

Region 3 ministerial outreach greeted by protesters Page 9

Bandits P11 break into car, cart off bags

P12 M&CC preparing for rainy season

Unions pledge to work P14 together for betterment of workers

Miss India Guyana 2019 contestants, along with reigning Mrs India Guyana Shivanie Latchman and Miss India Guyana Shoshanna Ramdeen, participated in the National Autism Walk on Sunday

14-year-old girl allegedly attacked, Page 2 injured by men in Lethem Parking meters

Corrupt DHB contract

Mayor says in Jagdeo calls “no rush” to for charges reintroduce project to be laid …vows to renegotiate deal Cops remain under close arrest for fraud Page 11

Page 3

Page 13

EBD residents blast Diamond Diagnostic P10 Centre for unprofessionalism

Pa

2 news 14-year-old girl allegedly attacked, injured by men in Lethem area A monday, april 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

fourteen-year-old girl is now suffering from head and throat injuries which she received while attempting to evade two men on her way home on Friday.

The teen of Tabatinga, Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), had reportedly visited the library in that area after which she headed over to her teacher’s residence to receive further assistance in order to complete her assignment in a timely manner.

F Division Commander Kevin Adonis

However, as she was returning home on her bicycle she heard two males, whose faces were masked, screaming and running towards her. Speaking about the incident, President of the Guyana Women Miners’ Association (GWMA), Urica Primus explained that the teenager began to pedal faster but the men continued to pursue her.

“It was actually quite a long chase because she stopped riding and started to run… she dropped her school bag and ran all the

way to Takutu River but the men threw a wood hitting her to the head. She fell into

the river and she called for over 15 minutes for assistance.”

Primus explained that it was a fisherman in the area that heard the child’s screams and went to her rescue.

“She was screaming for help and there were a number of persons there. Sadly, she said between everything, she could hear them mocking her. Some persons said that she was on drugs or she got problems but she was just a 14-year-old girl that was running for her life.”

She also stated that the teen’s mother took the child to the hospital in Lethem on Friday where they “got very little assistance”, hence the reason the GWMA intervened.

“She was admitted and discharged and now her throat is swelling and we are trying to get her back to the hospital…so we are trying to call ahead to see if when she goes there now someone can be ready to receive her.”

Meanwhile, Commander of F Division (Interior locations), Kevin Adonis explained that the teenager was reportedly returning home from classes that were held in Brazil.

“It was while she was crossing the Takutu Bridge, the incident occurred. The two men were returning to Brazil after reportedly working in Tabatinga area.

However, from what I was told, the child, while trying to evade them and slipped and ended up in the river. Another child, who witnessed the event, related this,” the Commander stated.

In addition, he noted that police ranks in his Division are investigating the matter, and although it may not have occurred in the Guyana Police Force’s jurisdiction, statements are being taken and the file will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice on the way forward.

(Kristen Macklingam)

Police hunt man terrorising Georgetown residents

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he police are on the hunt for a young man who goes by the name of Christian Webster also known as “Sharkie” for allegedly terrorising citizens by breaking into their homes. The break-ins are carried out in South and North Ruimveldt, Festival City, Tucville, Lamaha Springs and Park areas.

The residents claim that they are frustrated since the police are unable to arrest the nuisance.

The young man is known to the law and was recently released from prison for similar offences. The residents stressed that the crimes have been going on for the past few months. It is believed that the man has also been poisoning dogs in order to carry out his motives.

Reports are that he inflicted two wounds to a young woman’s throat and arm with a knife.

Several reports have been made to the police station but the young man has managed to evade the lawmen.

In addition, the residents are claiming that the main

Christian Webster

suspect has been working with others in executing the robberies in the various areas.

As such, they are pleading with members of the public to assist the police in apprehending the man since they are fearful for their lives. They have also urged persons in other villages to be on the lookout for the perpetrator.

news

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monday, april 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Monday, April 29 – a night retraction at 01:30h and a day retraction from 14:30h-16:00h and Tuesday, April 30 – a night retraction at 02:30h and a day retraction from 14:30h-16:00h.

Corrupt DHB contract

Jagdeo calls for charges to be laid

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Monday, April 29 – 13:00h-14:30h and Tuesday, April 30 – 13:40h-15:10h.

FERRY SCHEDULE Parika and Supenaam departure times - 05:00h, 11:00h and 16:00h daily

WEATHER TODAY Sunny intervals are expected during the day, followed by clear skies in the evening.

Temperatures will range between 21 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-easterly to North-easterly between 2.23 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 12:59h reaching a maximum height of 2.14 metres.

Low Tide: 06:32h and 19:02h reaching minimum heights of 1.16 and 1.01 metres.

saturday, april 27, 2019

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Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

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pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has lamented that almost four months after the investigation was completed into the award of a sole-sourced contract for a feasibility study into the construction of the new Demerara River Bridge, no charges have yet been instituted.

The contract in question was awarded to Dutch company LievenseCSO for a feasibility study into the new bridge. A probe conducted by the Public Procurement Commission (PPC), upon request from the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), had flagged Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson for requesting from Cabinet that the $148 million contract be sole-sourced instead of being processed through the Procurement Board as the law says should be done.

As a result of the findings, the Opposition last August asked the Guyana Police Force’s Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) to investigate the PPC’s findings.

According to Jagdeo, that probe was completed since January this year and the file was handed over to the Police Legal Advisor for advice and to date, there is no update as to what is happening with the matter.

“So, from January to now, on a project that is totally corrupt – where the probe was completed – we haven’t seen any single charge laid against the Minister. He should have been charged by now and before the courts for corruption. The same minister who welcomes the probe and doesn’t know there are probes taking place,” the Opposition Leader said at his recent media briefing.

Pointing out that Patterson has a lot to answer for regarding controversial projects under his Ministry, Jagdeo, a former President, outlined that the matter was not being pushed with the alacrity it requires but had it been a PPP Minister then the response would have been different.

“Since January, the Police completed the probe … and every week, the media asks when you’re gonna charge some of the PPP people, but what about Patterson?

They should be asking the Police ‘when do you intend to charge?’ We are now almost approaching May and

they finish the probe since January (but nothing has come out yet),” he stated.

On March 29, Guyana Times contacted SOCU Head Sydney James for an update on the matter, but he hung up the phone.

Recent efforts by this newspaper to contact him again as well as other senior officers of the Police Force on the probe into the solesourced contract were futile.

Nevertheless, Minister Patterson last month had indicated to this publication that he understood that SOCU has concluded its investigations, but he was uncertain of the findings.

However, the Public Infrastructure Minister noted that the project for the new bridge is expected to come up at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) soon.

According to him, “That is supposed to be a public-private partnership. It’s being piloted at the moment, reviewed by the public-private unit under the Ministry of Finance with the help from the [Caribbean Development Bank] CDB, and obviously that will go to tender shortly.”

Based on a complaint filed by then Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, the Procurement Commission completed its investigation into the award of the contract for a feasibility study on a new Demerara River bridge and handed its report over on August 7, 2018.

The report noted that several companies had bid for the project to do the feasibility study and design for the new Demerara River bridge and 12 companies had been shortlisted.

It further outlined that

Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson

only two of the 12 companies had made proposals.

As such, the bidding process was annulled. It added that on November 12, 2016, the Tender Administration Board approved the move for the project to be re-tendered. The project was not re-tendered; instead, Dutch company LievenseCSO was engaged by the Public Infrastructure Ministry to do

the work.

Page seven of the report noted that the bid from LievenseCSO was “unsolicited”, but Patterson took the company’s proposal to Cabinet for approval, and Cabinet granted its approval for the company to be engaged. The report, on page seven, stated that monies to be spent on the project were taken from the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (Asphalt Plant Accounts).

It was subsequently announced that SOCU would be investigating the matter.

Patterson submitted a statement to the investigative unit in September 2018, although this was criticised as the Opposition said the same standard utilised for questioning its members should apply to Government.

Around that time, Opposition politicians were being questioned at SOCU headquarters over other matters.

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monday, april 29, 2019

Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

Debate our economic order

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he “one shoe fits all” formula that defines our present neo-liberal economic system was always doomed to fail, since the premises that undergirded those prescriptions were flawed from the beginning, in 1989.

But even though the premises had led to global crashes in 1997 and 2008, we still have not questioned them. Take their injunction that the capital and financial markets, and indeed the entire financial systems of the ‘globalised” world, ought to be completely liberalised, so that financial flows would be utterly unimpeded. Can one imagine what the condition of the world would have been today if China and India, among others, had not resisted that piece of dogma?

Our major frustration, however, has been the model’s obsession with “macro-economic fundamentals”, at the expense of any meaningful growth in the economy. The conditionalities, summarised as the “Washington Consensus” -- which the PNC Government of Desmond Hoyte signed on to in 1989, when they accepted the IMF’s Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) -- forced us into what was supposed to be a “golden straightjacket”, in the words of one enthusiastic supporter.

Joseph Siglitz, a former Chief Economist of the World Bank, is a Nobel Prize winner to boot, but he trenchantly took the IFIs to task for their myopic vision on development. He was one of the earliest advisors to the Chinese Government on its studied integration into the global economy. Apart from his rejection of unbridled capital and financial liberalisation of economies, he most importantly disagreed with the IMF/ World Bank on the role of governments in the creation of sustainable growth in developing economies.

In addition to several other mainstream economists, he pointed out that the IMF/World Bank’s extolling of a “nightwatchman” role of the state, particularly in relation to creating industries, was based on a myth; even in the AngloSaxon economies, where the neo-liberal ideology was honed.

In the early days of these economies, and certainly those of every “Eastern Tiger”, government’s role was critical. Every country that is now developed -- for instance, in its early stages -- practised some form of “infant industry” protection, while limiting foreign investment. Yet we were coerced into liberalising our trade, and signing treaties that would result in us being flooded with products in markets that we might later have been able to compete.

The bottom line is that a level playing field leads to unfair competition when the players are unequal. It was interesting that the World Bank eventually invited Stiglitz to be a member of an elite panel to chart its future direction.

The present Government has to accept that finance is not our major obstacle to the creation of new industries, or the expansion of the old; our endemic excess liquidity “problem” rejects that thesis. A pragmatic approach to development is necessary, because the cause of our underdevelopment is, to some extent, strategic rather than structural. We had proposed the creation of a “Catalytic Entrepreneurial State” (CES) that would go beyond the minimalist facilitative state pushed by the IFIs. Japan and the Eastern Tigers explicitly tied assistance to selected private industries based on their commitment and ability to export. This strategic decision had two significant and faithful results, which differed from the “import substitution strategy” that failed between 1964 and 1992, and which the present PNC Government seems to be reintroducing.

In the Far-Eastern model, the assisted firms were subjected to the market discipline of the competition of international trade. This was the most intense competition, and ensured that efficiencies and productivities had to be raised to the highest levels. These firms not only couldn’t afford to be fat and lazy, like the protected ones in Guyana in the ‘70s, they had to become world class; and they’ve remained world class.

The second benefit, of course, was that the exports brought in foreign exchange, and there was no need to ban anything to save foreign exchange. They engaged in market orientation, rather than market control.

We hope there will be more debate on the system that guarantees this outcome.

GTU General Secretary Coretta McDonald lays a wreath in remembrance of Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow at Parliament Building on Sunday, when union leaders gathered to reflect on the life and sacrifices of the father of trade unionism who fought for better working conditions for workers

Guaidó cancels western Venezuela rally after ‘dictatorship’ blocks route

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he leader of V e n e z u e l a ’ s Opposition-controlled National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, cancelled a rally scheduled to be held in the country’s fourth-largest city on Sunday and said the “dictatorship” had prevented him from entering.

Guaidó has travelled outside the capital, Caracas, more and more in recent weeks to pressure President Nicolás Maduro to step down. In January, he invoked the Constitution to declare himself interim president, arguing Maduro’s 2018 re-election was illegitimate.

While he has previously reported delays in arriving to cities in the country’s interior due to roadblocks by the armed forces and Maduro

Venezuelan Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó, who many nations have recognised as the country’s rightful interim ruler, gestures during a swearing-in ceremony for supporters in Caracas, Venezuela, April 27, 2019

supporters, Sunday’s cancellation of the event in the western city of Barquisimeto was unprecedented.

P r o t e s t s are planned for Wednesday, May 1, including what Guaidó has said will be “the largest march in Venezuela’s history”, part of what he calls the “definitive phase” of his effort to take office in order to call fresh elections.

“Today we had a meeting planned, were going to embrace the streets of Lara that filled from end to end,” Guaidó said in a voice recording sent by his press team, referring to Lara state, home to Barquisimeto. He

Protests are planned for Wednesday, May 1, including what Guaidó has said will be “the largest march in Venezuela’s history”, part of what he calls the “definitive phase” of his effort to take office in order to call fresh elections.

said he would reschedule the event for next weekend, and called on supporters to rally on Wednesday.

“Today the dictatorship blocked the path, the dictatorship did not allow us to arrive in Barquisimeto, but it will not prevent us from seeing each other.”

Guaidó did not provide further details on who blocked him or where the incident occurred. Venezuela’s Information Ministry, which handles media inquiries for the Government, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Maduro calls Guaidó a US-backed puppet who seeks to oust him in a coup.

The Government has arrested his top aide, stripped Guaidó of his parliamentary immunity and opened multiple probes. It has also barred him from leaving the

country, a ban Guaidó openly violated earlier this year.

Last week, Guaidó said his congressional ally – Opposition lawmaker Gilber Caro – had been detained, and that 11 members of his team had been summoned to appear before the Sebin intelligence agency. (Reuters)

Venezuela looks at local food production

Sanctions banning US companies from buying Venezuelan oil come into effect on Sunday, making it even harder for President Maduro’s Government to import much-needed food.

A quarter of the population, or seven million people, are in urgent need of humanitarian aid.

Faced with this crisis, the Government is discussing making local food production a priority. (Al Jazeera)

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monday, april 29, 2019

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You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Advocating for free and fair elections on behalf of all Guyanese Dear Editor, The APNU/AFC Government must accept the fact that on the night of December 21, 2018, 33 of the 65 members of the National Assembly voted in favour of a No-Confidence Motion (NCM) brought against the coalition Government by the Parliamentary Opposition, People’s Progressive Party/ Civic. It is pellucid that the now partisan agenda of the GECOM Commission runs counter to its constitutional role. In addition, pensioner Patterson is merely a tool of the PNC for a simple major-

ity in the Commission while Alexander and his cabal are deliberately attempting to illegally and unconstitutionally keep the fallen APNU/ AFC cabal in power by ensuring that the Commission keeps GECOM at an unready state for elections.

The PNC-APNU/AFC coalition Government is hell-bent on rigging the next General and Regional Elections and needs time to conjure up their clandestine mechanisms. The cabal is well aware that no major disruption or disenfranchisement of voters will occur if

the current list is updated via the approved Continuous Registration process for the elections. The call for houseto-house registration, therefore, is just another delaying attempt that we must resist with full strength and total togetherness.

Patterson has proved that he is open to manipulation by the PNC and being effectively receptive to dragging on the process of holding elections, and worst, that he is likely to be a conduit for facilitating all skulduggery if allowed the time and space.

The CCJ has before it, arguably the most significant case that will likely impact regional judicial harmonisation and its own integrity. There is also abundant evidence of precedence and relevance regarding regional States restructuring to avoid the possible tie result regarding what constitutes a majority when it involves an even number parliamentary seat setting.

Only recently, the eminent former Chairman of the Caribbean Association of Electoral Organisation, Professor Emeritus Errol

Miller convincingly articulated and presented his now circulated discussion on the matter by the cases of Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica. In these instances, the States purposefully changed their election constituency structure to an odd number to avoid parties winning equal seats. This is very instructive and must be given due consideration.

One expects, therefore, that logic and facts along with the intent of the constitutional framers will be closely looked at, as the judgement will be looked at and have

Worrying situation Dear Editor, Over the years, there have been numerous complaints by the public about the situation at the Stabroek Market, mainly under the clock concerning the buying/selling of stolen articles (mostly jewellery, cell phones etc) and people being robbed blatantly there. Quite recent-

ly, one Minister had the audacity to go whilst someone was videoing her and question and have conversations with some of those gathered around the area of concern.

During the period, the Minister’s position seemed defensive towards the men there and somewhat in agreement with the illegal

activities being conducted there, while she criticised the Opposition and encouraged the gathering to talk ills at the same time.

The Guyana Police Force, The City Constabulary and Government, among others, tried all methods to eradicate the sores from that vicinity to no avail.

Now we see a Minister bla-

tantly going and seemingly condoning the nefarious activities being conducted there.

Her being there and being videoed only makes me come to one conclusion: that she is tired of hearing of police raiding there (which seems quite a lot recently) and decided to visit the area, ensuring that she’s

APNU/AFC Government is functioning in secrecy Dear Editor, Act 21 of the 2011 Access to Information Act was approved by the National Assembly during the PPP/C Government. The basic objective of the Rights to Information Act is to empower citizens, promote transparency and accountability in the functioning of the Government, contain corruption, and make our democracy work for the people in real sense.

It establishes, without saying, that informed Guyanese are better equipped to maintain the necessary vigil on the instruments of governance and demands a more accountable Government to the people.

The Access to Information Act is to make citizens informed about activities of the Government also.

This APNU/AFC coalition Government continues to strangle the rights of people from the access to information that would expose the corruption, dictatorial policies, racial discrimination etc.

The Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region Six is an elected second-level Government that represents the people, but continues to be disregarded when it requests information for projects, decisions and policies that are being executed and implemented by the APNU/ AFC coalition Government.

This dictatorial Government operates in Region Six with-

out any respect or regard for this elected regional governance. Numerous projects that are being managed by central Ministries don’t even inform the RDC of project execution or give a copy of the contract documents because Ministries are scared of scrutiny that will unearth massive corruption.

The East Bank Berbice Public Road Project is one of the biggest projects in the region that is being undertaken by the MOPI but they refused to make available the contract documents to the RDC. Likewise, the Indian Monument site at Palmyra, where billions of taxpayers’ monies are disappearing through the sale of materials etc. Berbician are still anxious to know what is the total cost of these projects.

The RDC was informed through the REO that the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority said that Cabinet made a decision to reallocate budgetary funds from the 2019 regional allocation without providing any information or evidence of the Cabinet’s decision. The RDC of Region Six is stunned because this can cause serious implications in transferring these funds to the NDIA without the approval of the RDC. The Fiscal Management and Accountability Act does not allow for the transferral of funds allocated for Drainage and Irrigation in the region-

al budget to be transferred to NDIA without the permission of the RDC. The NDIA is being used, evidently, as an arm of the PNC to satisfy their supporters. Excavators are being used to execute private jobs for PNC supporters in Region six because of political intervention by senior Government officials.

Imagine that the REO of Region Five is shutting down an RDC meeting because of alleged usage of NDIA excavators to execute private work in Bath settlement, but when NDIA excavators are used by PNC activists in various areas it becomes legal. This issue was highlighted to the CEO, Flatts, but he refused to comment on the issue.

Finally, the circus of “Bringing the Government to the people “, continued in Region Five a few days ago.

Unfortunately, Government continued to disregard the most serious problem in Region Five, that is, where APNU/AFC councillors and the REO are purposely shutting down the functioning of the RDC, which can be considered the “voice of the residents” in that region.

Disregarding this major issue of democracy in Region Five is an insult to David Granger who boasted about democracy in Guyana.

What is happening in Region Six is a replica by this APNU/AFC coalition Government throughout Guyana. The RDC is demanding their constitutional rights for the access to information for all projects and policies that are implemented within.

Regards, Zamal Hussain

being videoed to let those in authority know that she has an interest there (maybe with Government’s consent) and they must stop pressuring that area. Her action should be a cause of concern to everyone.

Editor, conveniently, the late Abdul Kadir is being honoured for his contributions, which might be the right thing to do be for some, but for many, his contributions might not be that much to warrant him being honoured and there are many who accomplished more than him that should have been ahead of him, but conveniently, he comes first.

Based on the recent outcome after the NFC recently, we all know that all the MP’s have to know what is going on before the sitting so that means everyone was in agreement with that motion.

There are many people that deserve the award more than him and I am wondering if they will be given any consideration. One such person is Winston Murray, who was very much active in politics until his untimely demise.

Ask most within the PNC

far-reaching effects.

I believe that there is an absolute basis, as well as strong and sufficient evidence to support the CCJ’s upholding of the NCM and that this should inform the instructive decisions to puncture the wheels of the ‘rigging’ clique who are busy working around the clock to postpone elections in Guyana.

I am advocating for free and fair elections on behalf of all Guyanese.

Sincerely, Neil Kumar

about his contribution and you will hear.

Like him, there are many others and some are still alive and I strongly believe that they should be honoured. Let them know that this nation appreciates their contributions towards the development of Guyana. I was privileged to interact with a few and learnt a lot from them and after listening to their works, I wonder why they are not being recognised.

We have great men like Jeffrey Thomas, Oscar Clarke, Clifton Mortimer Llewellyn John, just to name a few. I have heard of the changes they made while serving this country, the impact and some are still being used to date.

These men are very much alive and they should be honoured now, instead of waiting after their death.

It’s comical to see a convicted terrorist being honoured. Great men being bypassed. It just shows the nature of thinking within the coalition which all members support.

Sincerely, Sahadeo Bates

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Foundation

Do you know how to be street smart?

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fter sleeping in or doing things on your time, the alarm bell announcing that first day of school can be a rude awakening.

Dread it or love it, you gotta go to school. Here are some ways to make the transition a little easier.

First-day mania There’s no escaping the fact that the first day of school can be crazy.

Having a brain drain?

School seemed simple when you were younger.

Everyone told you where to go, what classes to take, and how to finish your homework. Now things are different; there are so many choices and priorities competing for your time.

Stretch yourself too thin and you may find yourself feeling stressed out.

Here are some things you can do to help regain control: Plan ahead. Get a wall calendar or personal planner.

Mark the dates of midterms, finals, and other tests. Note the due dates of term papers, essays, and other projects as they are assigned. List any other time commitments you have, like basketball practice or play rehearsals. When your calendar starts to fill, learn to say no to additional activities until things calm down.

Stay ahead. Try not to fall behind. If you feel yourself

falling behind and starting to feel frustrated, let your teachers know. It’s better to get help early on than to wait and think you can ace the final if you spend a few nights cramming.

Almost everyone struggles with a particular subject or class. If you’re having trouble with a particular subject or homework project, ask your teacher for extra help after class. Taking a few minutes to address the problem right away can save time later, and if your teacher knows that you’re struggling with something, he or she is likely to be more understanding of the situation.

Listen up. Paying attention in class can actually pay off in the long run. Sure, it’s often easier said than done, but actively listening and taking notes during lectures can make recalling information easier when it comes time to study and remember things.

Take notes. If you take notes and review them before class begins (or while studying for an exam), you can ask a teacher to go over anything you don’t understand. It can also be helpful to go over notes with a friend after class — as long as you’re confident your friend really grasps the material! Learning good notetaking skills in high school also helps put you ahead of the curve in college, when good lecture notes are key to studying and doing well.

Ahh-choo! What to do?

Nearly everyone gets sick at one time or another. If you’re out sick, ask friends to take notes and pick up your homework.

If you’re out for more than a day or two, do a little work every day if you feel up to it to keep from falling behind. Some teachers post assignments and notes on the Internet – find out if they will accept faxed or emailed homework. If not, have your mom or dad drop your assignments off at school.

Then be prepared to make up lab time and tests when you return.

If you’re not feeling well enough to keep up with your classes, that’s OK. It’s more important that you take care of yourself. Again, establishing a good relationship with teachers helps them be more understanding and they’ll be able to help you catch up when you make it back to school.

Survival tips Here are some more things that can help put you ahead in school: The old saying “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” is never more true than when you’re going to school.

Students are more alert and perform better in class if they eat a good breakfast.

Get enough sleep. Studies show that teens need at least 8½ hours of sleep each night to feel rested. Sleep deprivation

can lead students to fall asleep in class (embarrassing if you’re caught!) and can also make it hard to concentrate. It can be more productive to get the sleep you need than it is to stay up late cramming: A recent study found that students who got adequate sleep before a Maths test were nearly three times more likely to figure out the problem than those who stayed up all night.

Do more at school and you’ll have less to do at home.

Take advantage of those times during the school day when you’re not in class: Review notes, go to the library or computer lab, get a headstart on your homework, or research that big term paper.

You’ll be thankful later while you’re at the mall or a concert and your classmates are stuck at home cramming!

One of the best ways to make friends and learn your way around is by joining school clubs, sports teams, and activities. Even if you can’t kick a 30-yard goal or sing a solo, getting involved in other ways — going to a school play, helping with a bake sale, or cheering on friends at a swim meet — can help you feel like a part of things.

School is a time to make friends and try new things, but it’s also a place to learn skills like organisation and decision making that will come in handy for the rest of your life. (Excerpt from

kidshealth.org)

o you know how to be street smart? Being street smart means knowing how to keep yourself safe from strangers when you’re alone or with other kids. Whether you’re walking to school or to the bus, hanging out on the playground, or riding your bike in your neighbourhood, being street smart helps you stay safe. When you’re street smart, you know your way around, you know how handle yourself in tough situations, and you’re able to “read” people.

Imagine if a baby were able to walk around alone.

The baby couldn’t understand a “Don’t Walk” sign, wouldn’t know where to go for help, and couldn’t find the way back home. What’s more, the baby might not know good people from bad people. The baby would be in danger.

Thank goodness you’re not a baby anymore! You know your way around and you know the rules of the road. The most complicated thing to learn is how to deal with strangers (people you don’t know).

But if you follow a few rules all the time and trust your instincts, you can be really street smart.

Who are strangers?

When you’re walking home from school, a person in a car pulls up and asks you for directions. At the park, someone says he needs you to help look for his lost puppy. These people may seem friendly, but no matter what they say to you, they have one thing in common: They’re strangers.

Most strangers aren’t dangerous and wouldn’t do anything to hurt kids. Unfortunately, though, some strangers can be dangerous, and it’s impossible to tell who’s OK and who’s not. A dangerous person doesn’t necessarily look scary or mean – the person might look nice.

That’s why it’s important to follow these safety rules all the time:

Make your whereabouts known

The adult who’s taking care of you needs to know where you are at all times. That means telling your mom or dad, grandmother, babysitter, or whoever is keeping an eye on you where you are and when you’ll be coming home.

Stick with a friend

It’s more fun and safer to do things with friends. Take along a buddy when you walk to school, bike around the park, or go to the store. Travelling with a friend whenever you can is a good idea, and travelling with a bunch of kids is even better.

Pick out safe spots

What are safe spots? Safe spots are places where you can stop if you need help, like the houses of kids you know, your parents’ friends’ houses, stores, restaurants, police stations, libraries, and fire departments. When you’re walking or riding your bike, make a mental note of the safe spots along your route. That way, you’ll know where they are in case you ever need one.

Avoid places that aren’t safe

Be sure to keep away from isolated areas. These are places where no one is around, like the woods or small, dark streets. (Excerpt from kidshealth.org) To be continued

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monday, april 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

AG report flags MoE over procurement of textbooks

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report from the Auditor General has flagged the Education Ministry for not complying “in all material respects” with the relevant Acts, regulations and policies regarding the procurement of textbooks in 2016.

A “Compliance Audit of the Procurement of Textbooks by the Ministry of Education for the year ended 31 December 2016” was conducted after the Auditor General’s 2015 Annual Report found, among other things, that contracts were not signed and textbooks were not delivered.

The report on the Compliance Audit of the Procurement of Textbooks by the Education Ministry, which was completed last year, was presented in the National Assembly on Friday last.

The findings highlighted, “Internal controls were weak and not functioning in some instances. Moreover, pertinent records were not properly maintained.

Whilst relevant records were also not located and submitted for audit scrutiny. In addition, the manner and environment in which textbooks were stored presented a health and safety hazard”.

The report noted that in the year 2016, some $506 million was budgeted for the Education Ministry to procure textbooks for nursery, primary and secondary schools. But it now noted that $35.064 million was paid in excess of the Ministry’s approved allocation under Line Item 6224 for the nursery and primary levels.

“This represented a misallocation of expenditure, which is a breach of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act 2003… The Ministry entered into contracts exceeding its approval allo-

cation by $36.534 million.

This is also a breach of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act 2003, which prohibits agencies from entering into contract that exceeds its approval allotment for any given period.”

Furthermore, the report outlined that poor planning cost the Ministry $15.9 million. It said that 3609 “New 30 SEA Practice Test in Mathematics (Student Edition)” textbooks were bought in 2016 at a cost of $15.9 million and a total of 3559 were distributed. Subsequently, the Ministry purchased 12,550 “32 SEA Practice Test in Mathematics (Student Edition and Teacher Book)” for $61.2 million to replace the “New 30 SEA Practice Test in Mathematics (Student Edition)”.

Additionally, it was also found that the Ministry received 15,000 “Timehri Readers/Animal Friends W/Book 1” textbooks at the cost of $128.30 each.

However, the Ministry had contracted the same contractor to supply 30,000 of the said textbooks at the unit price of $64.15, amounting to a total of $1,924,500. As a result, the Ministry received 15,000 textbooks for the contracted price of 30,000 of the same books.

“We could not determine whether the Ministry received textbooks valued $91.639 million, which is approximately 26 per cent of the total textbooks paid for in 2016… The correctness and accuracy of payments totalling $247.668 million, which is more than two-thirds [approximately 70 per cent] of the total payments for textbooks could not be verified… We could not determine whether contractors complied with the requirements of the contracts totalling $276.015 million.”

According to the report, the absence of performance security bonds places the Ministry in a quandary to levy on defaulting contractors. It added too that adherence to contractual requirements could not be determined due to the absence of key documents.

On the other hand, the Compliance Audit of the Procurement of Textbooks highlighted that textbooks had no identification as being the property of the Education Ministry as they had no official stamp. This is said to be a breach of the Book Policy as well as the fact that textbooks are being stored poorly at the Book Distribution Unit located in Evans Street, Charlestown.

“A physical inspection of the Unit’s bond revealed the following unsatisfactory features: Some textbooks were stored on the floor; racks/shelves were dusty – this posed a health hazard – and the bottom flat of the bond is at the same level of the yard; hence, flooding could pose a threat.”

It was also noted that the Book Distribution Unit is unable to determine whether the Unit was receiving the quantities of books as per contract.

As a result of these findings, the Audit Office recommends that the Education Ministry comply with all relevant legislation, including Procurement Act 2003; Fiscal Management and Accountability Act 2003; Stores Regulations 2003, and Book Policy 2007.

The Ministry was also urged to enforce all requirements of its contract.

Recommendations were also made for the Ministry to document its meetings and secure same to aid audit scrutiny as well as secure all relevant documents/records for audit in a way that aids easy retrieval for audit scrutiny.

Climate change office hampered by lack of technical staff – parliamentary report ...but developing strategies to protect against climate change

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asked with developing policies to help Guyana mitigate the challenges of climate change, the Office of Climate Change (OCC) is not without challenges of its own, as articulated in the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee’s fifth periodic report.

In the report, head of the Office of Climate Change, Janelle Christian explained that some of the constraints under which her office works include a lack of technical staff and the need for improved technology at the regional and national levels.

But also, when it comes to preparing the low coastal plain region from the effects of climate change which could include overtopping of the seawall, Christian revealed that a draft Climate Change Resilient Strategy was awaiting Cabinet’s approval.

“Also, the Office of Climate Change would be pursuing how to prepare farmers and the various communities for the natural disaster of flooding.” She further stated that a project financed by the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) through the Ministry of Public Health would be working with various health centres around the coastal areas to ensure that they’re equipped and trained to handle any flood situation.

Head of the Office of Climate Change, Janelle Christian

She also spoke of a project supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and financed by Japan, which would support disaster risk reduction for crop and livestock farming in the agriculture sector.

It was only a few weeks ago that the office, based in the Ministry of the Presidency, hosted a stakeholder validation workshop on the National Climate Change Policy and Action Plan.

The workshop, which was hosted at Cara Lodge and saw several stakeholders in attendance, was aimed at pursuing sustainable management of forest resources, which is a major source of mitigation to the

change in climate.

Guyana’s climate change policy is intended to integrate the socio-economic and environmental challenges of climate change into national sustainable development planning that generates strategic actions at all levels for adaptation, mitigation and resilience.

The national goals for addressing climate include the reduction of climate-related loss and damage across productive sectors, promoting community development and redirecting economic activities away from vulnerable areas. It also aims at reducing poverty, loss of livelihood and food insecurity and promoting a clean environment for all.

Some of its other objectives include targeting the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions across sectors and transitioning to climate resilient infrastructure and integrated physical land use plans. It also seeks to promote holistic development planning by utilising environmentally friendly materials and adopting new technologies and early warning signs.

Further, it also aims to develop and implement sustainable land management best practices to combat land degradation with focus on the hinterland and improved availability and access to climate change data and information.

8 News 2 more witnesses testify in Co-op Crescent murder PI monday, april 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

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wo more witnesses took to the stand last week as the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the murder of 55-yearold Lindener Leroy Barron continued at the Linden

Magistrate’s Court.

The matter is being heard before Magistrate Wanda Fortune. Travis Hazel, also called “Fifty” of 24 Silver City, Wismar, Linden, is on trial for the September 15, 2018 murder.

He is being represented

by Counsel Stanley Moore while Police Prosecutor Vernetté Pindar is representing the State.

Several witnesses have since testified since the

commencement of the PI on March 26, including the brother of the now deceased man Kevin Barron, former ambulance attendant Fiona Mingo, Police Corporals Tyrone Van Hearsel and Omyanna Layne, and Police Constables Alex Sancharie and Devon Greene in addition to Engineer Rawle Watson and clothes vendor Romain Haynes.

The witnesses have all been questioned in relation

to their involvement in the incident.

It is alleged that on the day in question, while at Co-op Crescent, Mackenzie, Linden, Hazel inflicted injuries upon Barron during an altercation, which resulted in his death. Initial investigations had revealed that there was an argument between Barron, who was known to do odd jobs around the Mackenzie Market, and the defendant, during which the defendant allegedly armed himself with a piece of wood and gave the now deceased man a severe beating before fleeing the scene.

The now deceased Barron reportedly received several lashes to the head.

He was later taken to the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) in an unconscious state, and was pronounced dead on arrival.

A post-mortem examination later gave the cause of death as brain haemorrhage due to blunt force trauma to the head. The matter will be heard again on May 15, 2019.

PNC’s calumny…

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…and terrorism our Eyewitness is still floored by the PNC’s arrogance to officially “big up” their ex-MP Abdul Kadir, who’d been convicted as a TERRORIST by a US Federal Jury for plotting an act that would’ve made the World Trade Center terrorism look like tiddlywinks.

NY’s JFK International Airport is one of the busiest in the world, with an internationalised clientele as no other. If Kadir and his co-conspirers had succeeded in exploding the fuel tanks and fuel pipeline under the airport as they had planned, the explosion would’ve reverberated across the world. This meant they weren’t merely looking to take out their anger at the US, their “Great Satan”, but to create a “Big Bang” in more ways than one. And Kadir was no pawn in the plan, but was central to its execution.

According to the FBI, “Kadir, a trained engineer with connections to militant groups in Iran and Venezuela, provided the conspirators with links to individuals with terrorist experience, advice on explosive materials, and a bank account through which to finance the terrorist attack.

The members of the plot attempted to enlist support from prominent international terrorist groups and leaders as well as from the Government of Iran, including Abu Bakr, leader of the Trinidadian militant group Jamaat Al Muslimeen, and Adnan El Shukrijumah, an al Qaeda leader.”

This was a key revelation. From a local perspective, the PNC’s honouring of Kadir in the National Assembly at a time when the PPP were boycotting the session was a tactical move. They didn’t want the PPP to expose the fact that Kadir wasn’t only willing to inflict damage to the US and the world, but to their own native Guyana. The FBI’s report revealed: “At trial, Kadir, a former member of the Guyanese parliament, admitted that he regularly passed information to Iranian authorities about sensitive topics, including the Guyanese military, and believed himself bound to follow fatwas from Iranian religious leaders.”

Why would Brigadier Granger and crew honour a traitor to our military? PNC leader Hoyte had draped the Guyana flag over arch criminal Blackie London, saying the Police had shot him while he was surrendering. Did London allow his victims to surrender? The PNC’s acts aren’t empty braggadocio, but signals to their extremists that their services (when needed) won’t go unrecognised. We see this in their constant refrain about “400 black youths” killed between 1998 and 2008, but not a word about the hundreds of terrorists on that list who’d murdered as many innocent men, women and children to make a “political point” to the then PPP Government.

But while cultivating their thug reputation for internal intimidation, the PNC are making Guyana into a rogue state.

…on destruction of integrity Your Eyewitness looked at some clips of an on-line “Town Hall” discussion of “Integrity in Politics” by three card-carrying members of the chatterati class. It was so banal. Asked by a viewer to comment on their storm and fury over the 12 acres of land at Pradoville while maintaining a deafening silence over 400+ acres of state land being heisted only a mile away, none of the panellists including the head of TIGI, who admitted he’d been alerted to the matter privately by the (well known) viewer - offered a comment!! The viewer, of course, was talking about the heist of the Ogle Airport lands!!

So much for integrity!! What none of the chatterati would ever admit, however, is that integrity in politics went to the dogs after the PNC started rigging elections. Hoyte, in the Elections Commission in 1967, corrupted so many officials for the 1968 rigging that it cascaded and subverted all institutions, as the illegal PNC Government bedded in after 1973, 1978, 1980, and 1985.

And now GECOM in 2019! …and AFC’s copying The AFC have selected as a “replacement MP” one Donna Mathoo. She’s tailor-made for the den of inequity that the National Assembly’s become with only APNU/AFC MPs showing up.

Systematic fraud in the Berbice NCN accounts prepared her for the big leagues!!

Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

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MONday, april 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Region 3 ministerial outreach greeted by protesters

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s Government continues its ministerial outreaches throughout the country, they continue to be marred with protest actions as was seen in the recent one held at the Leonora Synthetic Track, West Coast Demerara, on Sunday.

At the event, which was attended by many, protesters called on the APNU/AFC Government to do a better job at fulfilling its mandate to the Guyanese people.

Chief among the calls made was for the Government to find jobs for the 40 per cent of young people who are jobless.

According to one protester, her daughter completed her studies at the University of Guyana almost a year ago and to date, has failed to gain meaningful employment.

The outraged woman noted that it is a sickening situation, taking into ac-

In the meanwhile, former Minister of State Joseph Harmon, who delivered the opening remarks, said that the outreach is part of Government’s mandate since it is outlined in Article 113 of the Constitution of Guyana.

Harmon noted that the exercise is part of Government’s move to promote inclusion with the Guyanese people.

“It [is] mandatory that the type of Government we practice is an inclusionary one. One which makes people feel that they are included in the decision-making in our country “Harmon said.

According to the former Minister, following the first few outreaches held, his Government recognised that the initiative was an important one which needed to be continued as it not only brings the Government to the people but also provided

count all of the money that was spent on fees and other expenses.

“You know how long she deh home? Long she deh home, it wasn’t easy sending her but I made the sacrifice because [I] didn’t want to see her struggle like [me] and [so I] did and watch, same thing. She can’t find a work up to now, ow man, this Government needs to do much better than this,” the woman complained.

Ganesh (only name given), another protester, claimed that he has been unemployed since 2017. The man, who presently sells fruit in the market on the weekends in order to maintain his new family, underscored that paying jobs in Guyana are hard to find.

“You can find one one lil work but you barely getting money, watch me now got a lil son and I can’t find work to provide for it properly and it does grieve my heart that is why I had to try to start up something on my own.

Is what really them people doing man?” Ganesh questioned.

a platform for Government to better serve the people.

However, several booths were set up around the track but the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) booth attracted the largest turnout.

A representative of the Authority revealed that Government will distribute hundreds of house lots in the region in the Meten-MeerZorg, West Coast Demerara (WCD), area.

Speaking with a few of the persons at the booth, one woman relayed her frustration at having to wait since 2009 for a plot of land.

“I’m waiting for years, since 2009, every time me go in to them, them does tell me that them ain’t find one yet. I just hoping to hear some kind of good work today man because it’s been long” the woman explained.

Several others had the same complaint including one man who revealed that he has been waiting for the past 13 years.

Meanwhile, hundreds of persons were given the opportunity to apply for their

house lots on the spot.

The Communities Ministry booth also saw a large turnout where

Communities Minister, Ronald Bulkan interacted with scores of residents as he attempted to address

their concerns.

Social Protection Minister, Amna Ally and Minister of Culture, Youth

and Sports, Dr George Norton were some other Ministers who were at the outreach.

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monday, april 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

EBD residents blast Diamond Diagnostic Centre for unprofessionalism

The Diamond Diagnostic Centre

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hirty-eight-yearold Natasha Gill of North East Grove, East Bank Demerara, was left to sit on a bench at the Diamond Diagnostic Centre on Tuesday evening last after she was rushed to the medical facility crying out for severe pains in the area of her stomach.

The pains, her son stated, could have been related to a heart attack.

Avinash Ramgolam told Guyana Times that he was

afraid he would have lost his mother that evening and had no idea how she coped with her pains.

In a recent interview, the young man explained that around 22:00h on the day in question, his mother complained of feeling unwell and was later struck by intense pains and after he realised that the pain was constant, he alerted other relatives.

The young man explained that he arrived at

the hospital around 22:20h with his mother, who was barely even able to stand on her feet. The woman’s son further explained that they were made to sit on a bench and wait while doctors at the medical facility were seen walking around and not attending to any patients.

This sprouted concerns and Ramgolam noted that he inquired about what was happening and asked when his mother would be attended to, only to be told that

they would have to continue waiting.

After waiting for over an hour, the woman was then taken to a private hospital where she was attended to promptly and diagnosed with gallstone.

He argued that his mother’s situation could have been worse and he cannot imagine what would have happened if her condition had deteriorated that night right at the hospital.

The senior doctor at the hospital refused to comment on the matter.

This publication was told that another male visited the said hospital and waited for about two hours with his head bleeding before he was attended to.

The woman’s family is contending that the doctors should have at least been kind enough to offer some

Patient: Natasha Gill

tablets to relieve the pain or even advise them to take her to another hospital if they knew they were pressured with a heavy workload.

This is not the first time that the hospital has been

accused of negligence as patients have vented their frustration over the services being offered at the institution in the past.

In fact, some persons even choose to go directly to the Georgetown Public Hospital instead of the Diagnostic Centre in Diamond as critical services are hardly ever available.

In 2016, a mother of four was pronounced dead at the institution after carrying a dead baby inside her womb for five days. The woman, Carol Suniram, of Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, had suffered a miscarriage and was prescribed pills by a doctor to pass out the five-monthold foetus. A few days after, Suniram went to the hospital to do an operation to have the foetus removed but died while in surgery.

25 Influential Women Leaders’ Award launched

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ominations were opened for the public to select women for the 25 Influential Women Leaders Award, which was organised to highlight the work of Guyanese women in their various fields of work.

The award is set for May 16 at the Pegasus Hotel, where 26 women will be celebrated for their contributions to society.

One of the organisers and Managing Director of Cerulean Inc, Lyndell Danzie-Black told Guyana Times, “The award is the brainchild of the Nico Consulting Incorporated and Cerulean Inc. We decided that we wanted to provide a platform for women, especially the celebration of the work of women”.

She added, “We realise that there is so many women who are doing great work and not being recognised for it. Because of that, we thought that it would be a good thing to do the

award, which we call the 25 Influential Women Leaders Award.”

To nominate persons, a Facebook page was created under the title 25 influential women leaders where persons can get acquainted with the details and requirements.

“What the award does is that it gives the public an opportunity to nominate 25 women leaders. We want to encourage them to start the nominations. We are going through in a very transparent way with seven judges.”

Danzie-Black said that anyone is eligible to enter the award ceremony as long as they have made a valuable contribution to assist others. Corporate companies can also sponsor spots for their employees to attend the event just to witness the recognition of outstanding ladies.

While the nominations are closed, the 25 persons will be announced shortly to the general public. It is the inaugural event and promises many more in the coming years.

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monday, april 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Parking meters…

Mayor says in “no rush” to reintroduce project …vows to renegotiate deal

By Devina Samaroo

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t has been more than a year since the former City Council approved amendments to the controversial parking meter project, which was massively rejected by citizens of Georgetown.

However, newly-elected Mayor Ubraj Narine said he is in no rush to reintroduce the initiative.

“I would not move in that rush to introduce parking meter unless the PSC (Private Sector Commission) and GCCI (Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry) can come to a decision,” Mayor Narine told Guyana Times during an exclusive interview.

The Mayor is expected to meet with the two Private Sector bodies soon to discuss,

Bandits break into car, cart off bags

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parked vehicle at the Chateau Margot Road on the Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was broken into on Friday afternoon and two bags containing valuable documents were stolen.

According to information received, the incident occurred at about 17:30h and happened in just under five minutes.

Narendra Guyadin, owner of the car, explained that he parked the vehicle bearing registration number PJJ 1008 along the Chateau Margot Railway Embankment and ventured out of the vehicle with his sister to purchase food. Upon returning, they noticed that the door’s lock was opened.

“When I check, the stuff missing. Her bag was in front and my bag was at the back on the left side,” he explained.

Guyadin said he heard a crashing sound prior to him returning to the car but did not pay heed.

Adding to that, he recalled seeing three men in a car before entering the fast food outlet.

“We spent like just five minutes before we came out. There was three guys in a car looking at me a bit strange but at the moment, I didn’t take it seriously,” the young man explained.

His bag contained a yellow envelope with his birth certificate, primary education certificate, CSEC certificate, University degree, TIN certificate and passport among other documents.

His sister’s black bag contained University of Guyana books, an identification card (ID) and other unnamed belongings. Anyone with details is asked to contact the nearest police station.

among other things, the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding which will pave the way for greater partnership and collaboration between the Mayor and City Council and the business community.

While he did not divulge much details, the young Mayor explained that parking meters are a good initiative for the city, “but it’s the way you introduce [it]”.

The City Council had entered into a contract with Smart City Solutions (SCS) on May 13, 2016, for the paid parking system to be rolled out in Georgetown.

On January 23, 2017, the meters were active.

However, this was met with strong resistance from the Opposition, Private Sector umbrella bodies and ordinary citizens, who formed themselves into an organisation called Movement Against Parking Meters (MAPM) – which successfully held some of the largest non-political protests ever seen in the city.

Mayor Ubraj Narine

Amid public pressure, the Guyana Government finally intervened and suspended the bylaws, effectively halting the parking meter project.

It has since remained stalled.

In January 2018, a “Parking Meter Renegotiation Committee” Chaired by Councillor Akeem Peter, proposed a reduction in the parking fee from $500 per hour to $150 per hour. The Committee comprised sev-

eral Councillors as well as representatives of the concessionaire, SCS, who were tasked with renegotiating the contract.

In April 2018, the then City Council approved amendments to the bylaws – which are still with Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan, who has to give approval in order for the project to restart.

In June 2018, the Council appeared before Cabinet to discuss the changes of the contract but to date, no de-

cision has been announced.

At the time, the then Town Clerk Royston King said SCS has been cooperating with the City Council as it awaits the determination on the project.

With a new Council elected in November 2018, there is still no word on how City Hall will proceed with the contentious initiative.

GCCI is on record rejecting the return of the metered parking system on the grounds that there needs to be a proper feasibility study to determine costs, social impact, and other factors.

Even though the contract has already been renegotiated, Mayor Narine told this publication that before he moves to reintroduce the project, he wants to talk certain things over with SCS. “…as Mayor standing right now, I would need to renegotiate with the investors in parking meter. I will not go and introduce parking meters without renegotiation with the investors,” he said.

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MONday, april 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

M&CC preparing for rainy season A head of the rainy season due in the months of May and June, the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) is making preparations to ensure that Georgetown, the capital city, does not come under full attack by floods.

This is according to the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of City Hall, Debra Lewis, who in an exclusive interview with Guyana Times on Saturday explained that these works would include exhaustive efforts to fix deficient pumps.

According to her, two pumps in the city are presently down but noted that one is expected to be up and running by today.

Lewis said that Georgetown is plagued by inconsiderate people who continue to dump their gar-

Drainage works being done on the La Penitence drainage channel earlier this month

bage carelessly which makes the work of the Council much more difficult.

“We continue to do our works as it relates to the drainage system but we are still experiencing the problem of persons disposing of their refuse indiscriminately and that has somehow affected us because when we clean that particular area sometimes we have to go right back and clean it,” Lewis explained.

She further noted that the very garbage that ends up in the canals reaches near the pumps and results in them being damaged.

The PRO added that the Council is trying its best with its limited resources available to ensure that the city does feel the full brunt of floods.

Meanwhile, the official related that the City Hall workers have been doing their part to ensure that key areas are kept clean in and around the city. Additionally, Lewis reminded that the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) has been clearing the major canals in Georgetown, also with the intent of avoiding destructive floods this year.

“We also have some other long-term plans which you will hear of shortly,” she told this publication. Over the past few weeks, the Mayor and councillors, as well as residents, have been on clean-up campaign especially in the Georgetown area.

Hydrometeorological office

According to the Hydrometeorological office of Guyana, the number of rainy days in the city will be increased from 12 in April to 20 in May and 22 in the month of June.

The Weather Department said on its webpage that for April to June, “Rainfall is expected to be the usual or wetter. In the coming weeks, generally dry conditions are expected to continue. However, a gradual increase in rainfall is expected from the latter part of April as there is a transition into the rainy season in some areas”.

A European firm, Vivid Economics, while handing over a report on Climate Resilience Support for Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility to the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) earlier this month

had revealed that some $1.3 billion is lost every year in Georgetown as a result of flooding.

The lead consultant from the agency, Charlie Dixon, shared a few findings during his presentation, which indicated that not only is the vast sum a reason for concern presently but in years to come, as it is expected to increase significantly with oil production.

Dixon said, “At the present day, the risk of flooding is expected in the wider Georgetown area to cause around $1.3 billion of damage every single year… so then as we look to 2040, looking into the future as climate change worsens, and we expect these flooding effects to become more impactful, that number rises by round about a factor of four, so expected damages are round about $4 billion”.

Following this revelation, NDIA announced a series of manual and mechanical drainage works within the capital city. The project was pegged at $163 million and was geared towards increasing the drainage capacity to significantly reduce flooding throughout Georgetown.

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MONday, april 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Cops remain under close arrest for fraud

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olice investigators have obtained permission to further detain two colleagues attached to the Finance Department of the Guyana Police Force for an additional 72 hours as they continue to probe the alleged conspiracy to commit fraud.

A source close to the investigations told Guyana Times on Sunday that the police thought it necessary to keep the ranks in custody as the investigations continue.

He said that the investigation, thus far, has gone to a new dimension and the sum involved has amounted to millions of dollars.

“Investigations are unfolding new information. A lot of monies involved,” he

said. He added, however, that no charges were laid thus far and once liable, the ranks will be charged accordingly.

The two sergeants were detained on Wednesday last and remain under close arrest at the Tactical Services Unit, Eve Leary.

The ranks were called in for questioning on Wednesday after a number of irregularities pertaining to the accounting system at the Guyana Police Force appeared to have been compromised.

According to information received, the two sergeants have been working within the Finance Department for a number of years.

The irregularities found are with respect to monies

and vouchers for ranks, who would have performed extra duties and were to receive additional payments.

Among the duties some ranks were to be paid for were for working at shows, cricket games and other national events. Guyana Times was told that the parents of one rank and relatives close to the other rank were called in for questioning on Friday last.

“This is all part of the investigation process. We are

dealing with serious allegations here,” the source said.

In the past, police ranks complained that they were

Office of Professional Responsibility to actively monitor Police performance

Commissioner James said enquiries focused on follow-ups about noise nuisance complaints, investigations, a lack of feedback from stations about incidents, possible false imprisonment cases, gun licence applications and a reported “unusual death” that was currently under investigation.

Sunday’s government outreach follows a similar successful exercise conducted at Fort Wellington in Region Five (MahaicaBerbice) on April 25. The next outreach will be held in Linden on April 30.

Police Commissioner Leslie James greeting residents at the Government outreach

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he Guyana Police Force’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is undertaking a programme to tackle the main complaints and issues prevalent in each department.

In an exclusive interview, Police Commissioner Leslie James described it as a “thinking outside of the box initiative”.

According to the Department of Public Information (DPI), the plan

will help to better ascertain what are the issues affecting residents and, by extension, what the OPR needs to address urgently within the various communities, the Commissioner said.

The Commissioner was among senior ranks manning the Public Security Ministry’s booth at the Sixth Government Outreach at the National Track and Field Centre in Edinburgh, Berbice.

He explained that previ-

ously the OPR gathered information that was fed to it directly. However, by now tasking OPR officials to visit each division, the body and, by extension, the Force, would have an idea of what was going on. The new move will also serve as a tool for understanding how divisional ranks are perceived to be performing by the residents and stakeholders they protect and serve.

Providing an overview of the booth’s activities,

either short-changed or in other instances, not paid at all for extra duties.

There are also claims by some that they would sign for the monies but those monies are not given to them. “There are lots of allegations and [they] are all being investigated. Information is being gathered right now after which charges will follow if necessary. We are carrying a very thorough investigation because this has been going on for quite some time and we are leaving no stone unturned,” a source told Guyana Times.

Efforts to contact Crime Chief, Deputy Commissioner Lyndon Alves and Deputy Commissioner with responsibility for administration Paul Williams on Sunday proved futile. The Guyana Police Force has not yet released an official statement on the matter.

Just recently, Police

Commissioner Leslie James had urged police ranks to desist from accepting bribes and any involvement in unlawful activities, stating that they will be “penalised”.

The Top Cop had made these comments while addressing the opening of a training programme at the Officers’ Training Centre, Eve Leary, where he also stated that he is looking for a change in performance of ranks and fewer allegations of corruption. He added that while the Force will be engaging particular departments to tackle the issue of corruption; if the ranks believe that their salaries are too small, they should tender their resignation.

“If you’re not comfortable with your salaries, leave the job. You came on, you were told what is being offered and you decided to become an agent of the Force. How come you have an issue with your remuneration,” the Commissioner stated.

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MONday, april 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Restructuring of GFC not a “witch hunt” – Trotman

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he restructuring of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) is not intended to be a “witch hunt” or to advance a political agenda, but rather, to bring the agency into alignment with Government’s green agenda and modernisation.

This is according to Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman, in response to recent publications in sections of the media with regard to calls made for the removal of the Task Force’s convenor, Clayton Hall, or the quashing of the restructuring process.

“I’ve seen some letters in the press and have been able to ascertain that some were deliberately planted. GFC has found itself in an embarrassing situation regarding salaries and the servicing of some debts…In so far as the Task Force is concerned, Mr Hall is only one of several persons and I am looking for the collective view of all to be brought to bear and don’t expect the view or opinion of one person to be dominant,” the Minister told Guyana Times on Sunday.

According to him, he will continue to monitor the work of the Task Force, and if he realises that it is going “contrary to Cabinet’s direction”, then he will intervene.

Earlier this month, Government announced that the GFC needs to be restructured in keeping the national objective of moving towards a “green” economy and the consequent realignment of critical agencies of State. But after the first meeting in this regard between relevant authorities and the GFC’s staff on Friday, the workers are calling on the Administration to halt this move or replace the “Restructuring” Committee’s convener,

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman

Clayton Hall.

According to some staff who were present at the meeting, the event was initially planned to “put the minds of staff members at ease” that the restructuring of the GFC is “well-intended and aimed at positive outcomes.”

Several questions were posed concerning issues such as the merging of the Monitoring Division and Resources Management Division, dismissal of staff members, if the restructuring process was a “witch-hunting exercise” aimed at removing specific individuals from the GFC and if the Task Force, which Hall heads is experienced in Human Resources Management to undertake a task such as this, among other questions.

However, according to a staff member, Hall was “unprepared for those questions” and responded instinctively, which was deemed as the “most striking degree of unprofessional conduct”.

This publication understands that this situation was witnessed by an average of 230 GFC staff along with

members of the Commission and several Board members.

“Hall has brought embarrassment to the Ministry of Natural Resources and the honourable Minister Trotman, whom he represents. He has shown his true colours as a partisan political operative who has motives that will not serve the GFC well, not on this restructuring process nor on any process in the future.

His judgement is not objective; he is not fair-minded nor is he open-minded,” a letter from concerned staff to this media house stated.

As such, staff members of the GFC are contending that if the Natural Resources Ministry is well-intended on this restructuring process, they will consider forthwith, “a more logical and transparent route to the restructuring, in resting this important activity to the GFC Board as the main body that oversees the Commission”.

The Task Force was established jointly between the Ministry and the Board of Directors of the GFC to address the reorganising and restructuring of the Commission. Guyana has an area of 214,970 km2 of which nearly seventy-five per cent is covered with natural vegetation. Of this area, approximately fourfifths is classified as State forests under the jurisdiction of the GFC. According to the Ministry earlier this month, the Task Force will include the technical and administrative talent and personnel of the Natural Resources Ministry, the Board, and the Commission who will examine the structure and functioning of the GFC to make recommendations to Minister Trotman. He, in turn, is mandated to present a report to Cabinet.

Unions pledge to work together for betterment of workers

Lincoln Lewis

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he two most vocal workers’ representatives, the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) and the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), will again this year unite to march through the streets of Georgetown on Labour Day, usually observed in Guyana on May 1.

In a joint statement issued to the media on Saturday, the unions revealed that the parade will commence from the Parade Ground in Georgetown at 8:00h, and will make its way through several streets of the city before culminating at the National Park in Thomas Lands for a joint rally from around 11:00h.

The rally will see speakers from the two unions, as well as politicians from both the Government and Opposition, addressing the gathering.

This year’s event is being commemorated under the theme “A long journey for Social Justice - Together we can achieve”.

Leading up to the massive march in celebration of workers, the unions will also pay tribute to Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, who

is known as the Father of Trade Unionism.

A wreath-laying ceremony was held at Parliament Buildings on Sunday.

The unions vowed in the statement to continue working together on behalf of workers across the country, as they noted that they are cognisant of the fact that there are still many issues troubling the workers.

In the past, FITUG and GTUC had joined forces to fight for the rights of fired bauxite workers, as well as teachers who were pleading for a salary increase.

The unions’ statement read, “Incidentally, our Critchlow activity comes on World Occupational Safety and Health Day. Indeed, when we consider the times of Critchlow to now, we will recognise that much advancement (has) been scored and our workers today enjoy greater protections from occupational hazards. In as much as that may be, we also cannot ignore that workers, day in and day out, continue to face dangerous, and sometimes life-threatening, situations at work.

“We recall several workplace accidents which have led to serious injuries, and in some cases death. This is a disturbing feature of our times, especially recognising the hardships that sometimes can be created by such incidents. Undoubtedly, we must, once more, reiterate the need to re-double our efforts regarding such matters, especially recognising that the newly established oil and gas production industry should be fully operational in the not-too-distant horizon”.

According to the workers’ unions, this year’s Labour Day activity has even more significance, as the “cen-

Carvil Duncan

tennial anniversary” of the Trade Union Ordinance of British Guiana, which allowed for trade unions to be registered as legal entities, will be observed.

“We well recognise that, over the last one hundred (100) years, the working people have realised several successes in their march towards betterment and social justice. Today, though pleased about those worthwhile and notable developments, our movement cannot ignore, at the same time, that challenges have appeared and attempts, whether below the surface or otherwise, are being furthered to roll back the real triumphs of our nation’s workers. Undoubtedly, the need for solidarity cannot be underscored at this time as we seek to advance the just causes of our workers”.

The Labour Day Parade is often well attended by employees and few employers, well decked in their white and red or black and red attire. The workers usually take to the streets to make a statement, in some cases demanding better working conditions, among other things.

2nd phase of Work Readiness Programme kick-started in Region 10

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he Christian D e v e l o p m e n t Foundation, with the aid of the Regional Democratic Council of Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice), and other private organisations, recently kick-started its second phase of the work readiness programme. This initiative caters for the region’s youthful population and gives them the opportunity to be involved in much-needed training for their potential profession by being attached to varying agencies.

Regional Chairman and programme coordinator, Renis Morian on Saturday briefly explained that the programme is now in its second phase, and has been witnessing success within Linden as well as other outlying communities namely Kwakwani and Ituni.

The Chairman further

Regional Chairman Renis Morian

stated that 60 youths are catered for in each session of the programme as it is now facing some challenges in securing funding to take these participants through training.

However, Morian disclosed plans to have the pro-

gramme started in Berbice so that youths within that region can also benefit significantly as they work towards eliminating the high rate of youth unemployment in Guyana.

The Regional Chairman also reiterated calls to privately-owned businesses to assist in sponsoring at least one person who is interested in participating in the programme, since each participant is supplied with a stipend of $15,000 for their personal use which exempts transportation costs.

The programme was undertaken in 2016 to have youths trained for six months, providing them with work experience and job opportunities while undergoing training at the various organisations. This initiative is aimed at resolving the difficulties youths face when trying to obtain a job.

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monday, april 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

VOX POPULI

What the people say

I SAY...

The current rate of unemployment among youths in Guyana stands at a whopping 40 per cent. Given this revelation by Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr George Norton, we are asking persons their views on what Government could do to decrease this percentage?

Brandon Persaud “I don’t think youths are being driven as much as before to find jobs. They’re either letting themselves be deterred by the thought of hard work or they’re not finding a job they want. The economic slowdown might also be an issue.

Companies not turning over a profit won’t hire more people than they already have.

With all that being said, if someone wants to find a job, they will.”

Shivo Narine “Just let the companies that can employ them be more courteous and help them instead of asking for years of experience. People need to just realise that youths are the future and if they don’t get jobs, sooner or later it’s gonna be real tough on them.”

Vadesh Parasram “We might say have more jobs for them but the problem in Guyana today is that if you don’t have experience, you can’t get a job and how do these companies expect youths coming out of high school or even university to have 5 to 10 years’ experience?

Then, on the other hand, some of our youths are dropping out of school and not getting any CXC grades so if the Government is to help with this problem, they need to work with companies and rectify the amount of experience needed to get a job.”

Vickanand Deokie “The job opportunities to fit the education and wants of youths are not there. Young minds have a better chance at getting a job but entry-level jobs are not available. With the sugar estates closing, there is an even higher overall unemployment rate, not just cane cutters are without jobs - engineers, lab technicians, servicemen etc.

If you reduce sectors of work, there will be less jobs and more workers to fit the job and not getting it. If you reduce production, you reduce exports, there is less revenue, taxes get higher, cost of living goes up an economic constraint. My input is to bring factories here, aluminium processing plants, start building cars here, and give infrastructure works to Guyanese contractors. Invest in your human resources in your own country.”

Hazel Ramjit “In every community, we need to have youth empowering programmes where young people who didn’t get a chance to complete CXC can still have an opportunity to be trained because some families lack finances and that may have caused some children to drop out of school because parents are unable to find passage for their children to catch a bus to travel to school or even to buy textbooks or even pay for lessons. So they fall out of school and are not able to get a job because of not having CXC. My daughter wrote CXC two years ago, she got six subjects and she is still at home with no job as yet after two years now because she failed maths. So think about it, if we had programmes in place that helped these youths as soon as they come out Fifth Form, just waiting to guide them or help them find a job so they can be able to have some sort of finance, so they can further their education as they work, I know we would have more youths employed and we would have a better society and lower the percentage of youths on drugs and alcohol.”

Rajesh Ramgolam “Tax or other financial incentives for businesses that employ a certain minimum number of youths (5-10), including school drop-outs of the legal working age. This will not only allow young people to be gainfully employed but also allow them to garner that critical experience. Similar options can be explored for businesses that employ skilled tradesmen so that those young people who are not academically inclined could be given the opportunity to develop a skill that they are interested in.

In addition, the Government needs to multiply its efforts to create opportunities for young people to become entrepreneurs – not the plantain chips, cook-up and dog food businesses – but more attractive and lucrative entrepreneurship opportunities, especially in the area of Low Carbon (Green Economy), agroprocessing, agriculture, meat and dairy products, etc.

Young people need to be able to secure a business loan from the commercial banks without having to sacrifice a 60-year-old virgin and give an arm and a leg. Sadly, it is much easier to get a loan to go to some party to squander money than to get a loan to start up a business.

Madhurie Ramgolam “After graduating from high school, my problem was where I can find a job since I didn’t have any sort of experience.

But with the passing of time, I remembered a few things of how I can change that. So I’m putting forward 3 major strategies that I think the Government can put in place to decrease the youth unemployment rate in Guyana.

First and foremost, I would suggest early career advice. In my schooling, I was provided with a sense of direction regarding career pathways by Fazal Bacchus, a lecturer at Cacique Accounting College. Students need to be aware of the vast opportunities that is out there for them.

Furthermore, I would strongly encourage entrepreneurship.

Teaching students to start operating and managing their own businesses would be a step in creating more small businesses along with independent youths.

And finally, I would recommend for there to be an increase in work-study experience opportunities for students across a variety of organisations/industries since this broadened my mind on opportunities available and I also got a real feel of what the workplace environment was like.”

Collin Domingo “In order for the Government to decrease the high rate of unemployment, they need to provide effective training, especially in rural communities as well as pave the way to job opportunities through allowing foreign investors to build businesses in these areas so that young persons can demonstrate or practice the training they have received.”

Mark Felix “You know the old saying, ‘you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink’?

Well. That’s the situation in most cases in Guyana. There’s lots of jobs available in Guyana but guess what? The young people have style and fashion about what job they do. Qualfon is always hiring. The other telemarketing place, I forgot the name. Security always hiring. I personally got three persons on at the fishery. One called out so many times that they sent her home the other had an outlook of ‘oh the boss them not like me’ and the last lasted over a year and then left because she met a man there that told her he don’t want her working he’s going to take care of her. Ask today if they still together. In Guyana, since the rain fall people say ‘I am not working today’. There is zero to little discipline in the workforce.”

Arvin Amarnauth “Reopening of sugar estates and by creating opportunities for our young people in politics to show off our ideas because there are a lot of educated youths who are unemployed too…and also avoid illegal immigrants in our country who are working for a cheaper cost. If Guyanese are caught working illegally in other countries, they are either imprisoned or deported and allow Private Sector to invest in our country and or in ExxonMobil which I don’t know much about.”

Dan Rahim “It’s funny, asking what Government can do for young people. Well, they can do something and that’s what, they are not doing anything.

The past Government dragged their foot and the present is not moving their foot. The people of Guyana have no say.

And it is amazing how many kids went on to the University of Guyana and yet they are in some store writing bills.”

Olivia Myles “Increased investment by the Private Sector.”

Navindra Lackraj “Private Sector should pay a decent wage so more people would not be afraid to go work for them.”

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monday, april 29, 2019

Regional

3 cops accused of killing civilian, Pope donates US$500,000 for 1 dies as escape vehicle crashes migrants stranded in Mexico

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he Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) has confirmed that three Police Officers were involved in a shooting incident Sunday morning at the intersection of Jobs Lane and Brunswick Avenue in Spanish Town, St Catherine which left a civilian dead.

According to INDECOM, an off-duty Police Officer intervened in the shooting incident and was in pursuit of the occupants of an escape vehicle when a crash occurred.

A man, who turned out to be a Policeman, travelling in the escape vehicle succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash, INDECOM said.

Another occupant identified as a Police Officer, was taken into custody, while the

INDECOM investigators at Sunday morning’s crime scene at the intersection of Jobs Lane and Brunswick Avenue in Spanish Town, St Catherine

third cop is on the run and is being sought by the authorities, INDECOM said.

INDECOM said it has since launched an investigation into the shooting death of the civilian who has been identified as Sheldon

Daley of Chedwin Park, St Catherine.

According to INDECOM, two of the officers involved in the killing of the civilian had been previously charged with murder by INDECOM and were released on bail.

ope Francis has donated US$500,000 to help migrants stranded in Mexico as they try to reach the US border, the Vatican said.

The money comes from the Catholic Church’s Peter’s Pence fund, from church collections around the world.

A statement said vital aid for the migrants was falling as global media coverage of the crisis decreased.

The Pope has previously criticised US President Donald Trump’s aim of building a wall to keep migrants out.

The US has put pressure on Mexico’s Government

to stem the so-called caravans of people from Central America heading north.

“In 2018, six migrant caravans entered Mexico, for a total of 75,000 people.

The arrival of other groups was announced,” the Peter’s Pence office said.

“All these people were stranded, unable to enter the United States, without a home or livelihood. The Catholic Church hosts thousands of them in the hotels within dioceses or religious congregations, providing basic necessities, from housing to clothing.”

Many of the migrants say they are fleeing persecution, violence, and poverty

in their home countries.

Last week, officials detained nearly 400 migrants travelling through Mexico’s southern Chiapas state trying to reach the US. “Media coverage of this emergency has been decreasing and as a result, aid to migrants by the Government and private individuals has also decreased,” the fund added.

In March, the Pope criticised political leaders who tried to erect barriers to keep migrants out.

“Builders of walls, be they made of razor wire or bricks, will end up becoming prisoners of the walls they build,” he said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Caricom leaders to meet in T&T Friday

C T&T: Parliamentary report (Jamaica Observer)

tabled on immigrants

A

bout TT$23 million a year is spent to house illegal immigrants in Trinidad and another TT$2 million each year to deport some of them, yet many detainees languish at the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) because the language barrier slows down the processing of their cases.

This was revealed in a recent report by Parliament’s Joint Select Committee (JSC) on Human Rights.

The IDC was run at a cost of TT$12 million in 2014, TT$16 million for each year of 2015-2018, and TT$23 million in 2019 (recurrent expenditure). A further TT$6 million was spent

on development work at the IDC over the past three years.

Of the 716 immigrants deported from the IDC in 2016, 162 were Jamaicans, 127 Guyanese, 101 Venezuelans, 95 Chinese, 78 were from the Dominican Republic and 31 were from Nigeria.

Despite this big expenditure, the report notes detainees complaining of difficulties posed by the language barrier, which impeded the hearing of their cases, whether applying for refugee status or fighting deportation.

Amid a huge influx of Venezuelan migrants, the

IDC has only two staff members with CSEC passes in Spanish, respectively grade 1 and grade 2, amid a detainee population at any time of 120. One employee also speaks Mandarin Chinese.

The report showed a snapshot for March 2018, when out of 126 detainees at the IDC, some 81 were Venezuelan (51 men and 30 women). For all of 2017, some 585 detainees passed through the IDC, of whom 227 were Venezuelans (145 men and 82 women). For 2016, passing through the IDC were 1146 people, of whom 222 were Venezuelans (125 men and 97 women).

(Trinidad Newsday)

Barbados: Broadcaster Vere Walcott dies

A

familiar voice from the airwaves of the 1980s and 1990s has gone silent.

Broadcaster Vere Walcott died Saturday.

Walcott, of Mangrove Park, St Philip, worked at both the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation and the Starcom Network and became particularly known for his business reports. He was also the very popular Charlie Bravo delivering early morning traffic reports from a helicopter.

His son Sheldon Walcott remembered his father as someone who was always there for him and his sister Veria, hardworking and goal-driven.

“He was always willing to help others,” Sheldon said.

On Saturday manager of news with Starcom Stetson Babb, who worked with Walcott, remembered his former colleague as a Journalist with great skills who worked across a number of fields from broadcasting, announcing to news reporting.

“I worked with Vere at both CBC and Starcom Network and he was a veteran Journalist of great skill. A great gentleman and a great person and in later years was deeply into his faith and religious principle,” he said.

Former director of news and current affairs at CBC Michelle Arthur who worked

aribbean Community (Caricom) leaders will meet in Port-of-Spain on Friday to discuss security issues within the 15-member regional integration movement.

Antigua, Haiti, Jamaica and Suriname will be not be represented by their leaders.

Trinidad Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley, the chairman of Security Council for Caricom and Law Enforcement (CONSLE), will chair the 19th Special Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community on Security on May 3. A Government statement said that the one-day meeting will focus on recommitted efforts of the various stakeholders for implementing the Regional Security Framework.

“The overall purpose of the Nineteenth Special Meeting on Security is to foster mutual knowledge, analysis, debate and exchange of ideas and experiences on security related matters in attempts to better contribute to the safety and security of Member States at the regional level.

T&T Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley, Chairman of the Security Council for Caricom and Law Enforcement

“These issues include but are not limited to trans-national crime, terrorism, cybercrime, narco- and gun trafficking, trafficking in persons, intelligence cooperation between Member States and the Region’s capability to analyse, predict and respond proactively to organised criminal networks.”

The meeting comes amid concerns about rising criminal activities in the Region, including gun violence and high murder rates.

“Recent events in in the Region makes this high-level security meeting even more relevant and comes at a time when crime has become one of the main challeng-

es threatening economies and livelihoods in Caribbean countries,” a statement said, while not naming Venezuela, where the economic and political situation there has led to several Caribbean countries expressing concerns at the illegal movement of criminal gangs and guns.

The statement noted that the Caricom leaders will also review a rapid response mechanism to include the development of investigative teams to assist member states with intelligence-led operations and legal teams to assist in the strengthening of prosecution capabilities of perpetrators of transnational organised crime. (Excerpt from

Trinidad Guardian)

New PAHO initiative seeks to tackle malaria in the Caribbean

A

Vere Walcott

alongside Walcott as a reporter recalled that he had a keen sense of business news and was well respected in the field. Along with the Bravo Charlie traffic report , Walcott also developed a segment of news called “That Bugs Me” a satirical piece addressing issues of situations that many frowned upon but did not openly address.

“He never had an unkind thing to say about anyone, always pointing out the best in people,” Arthur said. (Excerpt from nationnews)

new initiative from the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) aims to address the burden of malaria in the Region of the Americas, including the Caribbean, where it is most concentrated.

PAHO said “Municipalities for Zero Malaria” will focus on bringing together key partner organisations, relevant Government agencies, and municipalities affected by malaria in order to support local efforts to take effective action against the disease.

The launch took place in the framework of the World Malaria Day 2019, held on April 25 — and was part of a concerted effort to tackle the noted concentration of most

cases of malaria in just a few municipalities.

In 2017, for example, PAHO said 25 municipalities accounted for about 50 per cent of all reported cases of malaria in the region of the Americas.

At a country-level, between 25 per cent and 70 per cent of all cases of malaria are usually concentrated within no more than three municipalities.

“It is clear that acting where the problem is most concentrated is crucial to achieving the malaria elimination goals that countries have committed to,” said Dr Marcos Espinal, Director of the Department of Communicable Diseases and

Environmental Determinants of Health at PAHO. “Organisations, citizens and local government authorities must be engaged in developing key interventions for malaria elimination at a municipality level if we are to ensure that no one gets left behind,” he added.

PAHO said the initiative supports municipalities in taking measures to address malaria, including strengthening surveillance and capacities for monitoring at local level; improving access to early diagnosis and treatment; and empowering communities and raising awareness of the importance of health seeking behaviour, among other aspects. (Excerpt from CMC)

guyanatimesgy.com

monday, april 29, 2019

Thousands take to HK streets to protest new extradition laws

Demonstrators march during a protest to demand authorities scrap a proposed extradition bill with China, in Hong Kong, China, April 28, 2019

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ens of thousands of people marched on Hong Kong’s Parliament on Sunday to demand the scrapping of proposed extradition rules that would allow people to be sent to mainland China for trial - a move which some fear puts the city’s core freedoms at risk.

Opponents of the proposal fear further erosion of rights and legal protections in the free-wheeling

financial hub - freedoms which were guaranteed under the city’s handover from British colonial rule to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.

Police said 22,800 people marched at the peak of the procession, but organisers estimated 130,000 turned out - making it one of the largest street protests in the city for several years.

Some sported yellow

umbrellas - the symbol of the Occupy pro-democracy movement that paralysed parts of Hong Kong for 11 weeks in 2014.

Chief Executive Lam and other Government officials are standing fast by their proposals, calling them vital to plug long-standing loopholes.

Under the changes, the Hong Kong leader would have the right to order the extradition of wanted offenders to China, Macau and Taiwan as well as other countries not covered by Hong Kong’s existing extradition treaties.

As a safeguard, such orders, to be issued case-bycase, could be challenged and appealed through the city’s vaunted legal system.

The proposals could be passed into law later in the year, with the city’s pro-democratic camp no longer holding enough seats to block the move.

T

en days after Indonesia held the world’s biggest single-day elections, more than 270 election staff have died, mostly of fatigue-related illnesses caused by long hours of work counting millions of ballot papers by hand, an official said.

The April 17 elections were the first time the country of 260 million people combined the presidential vote with national and regional parliamentary ones, with an aim to cut costs.

Voting was largely peaceful and was estimated to have drawn 80 per cent of the total 193 million vot-

ers, who each had to punch up to five ballot papers in more than 800,000 polling stations.

As of Saturday night, 272 election officials had died, mostly from overwork-related illnesses, while 1878 others had fallen ill, Arief Priyo Susanto, spokesman of the General Elections Commission (KPU), told Reuters news agency on Sunday.

The Health Ministry issued a circular letter on April 23 urging health facilities to give utmost care for sick election staff, while the Finance Ministry is working on compensation for families of the deceased, Susanto added.

Around the World

Spain Socialists win but no majority – poll

Leading players: Pedro Sánchez (PSOE); Pablo Casado (PP); Albert Rivera (Ciudadanos); Pablo Iglesias (Podemos) and Santiago Abascal (Vox)

T

he Socialist party has won Spain’s third general election in four years, but may struggle to form a Government, a postvote survey suggests.

The governing party is set for 28.1 per cent well ahead of its rivals, while the conservative Popular Party is heading for its worst ever result, on 17.8 per cent.

Centrist and radical leftist parties are close behind.

For the first time since

The General Elections Commission of Indonesia (KPU) has come under fire because of the rising votecount death toll.

Prabowo, who independent pollsters said was the loser of the 2019 polls based on quick counts, has alleged widespread cheating and his campaign claimed some officials punched ballots in favour of incumbent President Joko Widodo.

Widodo’s Security Minister said the allegations were baseless.

The KPU will conclude vote counting and announce winners of the presidential and parliamentary elections on May 22. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

military rule ended in the 1970s, a far-right party is set to win seats in Parliament.

Vox, which opposes multiculturalism, feminism and unrestricted migration, is predicted to take 12.1 per cent of the vote.

The Socialist Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, has presented himself as a bulwark against the far right’s advance.

The highly polarised campaign was dominated

A member of the Libyan internationally recognised Government forces fires during a fight with Eastern forces in Ain Zara, Tripoli, Libya, April 28, 2019

F

orces backing Libya’s internationally recognised Government fought house-to-house battles with troops loyal to Commander Khalifa Haftar in southern parts of the capital Tripoli on Sunday

and appeared to be gaining ground.

Government soldiers, some in jeans and t-shirts, took cover by abandoned buildings as they fired on Haftar’s positions. Some carried anti-aircraft guns they had had to remove from their trucks to get through the narrow streets.

Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA), which is allied to a rival administration in eastern Libya, mounted an offensive on Tripoli three weeks ago but despite heavy fighting has failed to breach the city’s southern defences.

The battle for the capital has all but wrecked UNbacked efforts for a peace deal between the rival factions and threatened to fur-

U

mulling extending the scheme to all Ukrainians.

But Zelensky - a former comedian with no political experience who was elected last Sunday - said he did not believe many of his countrymen would take up the offer.

“Ukrainians are free people in a free country,” he said.

Instead, he offered citizenship to “all people who suffer from authoritarian and corrupt regimes”, but firstly “to the Russian people who suffer most of all”.

Relations between the

two countries were further strained this week when Ukraine’s Parliament passed a law making the use of the Ukrainian language mandatory for public sector workers.

Russia said the move discriminates against Russian speakers in Ukraine - for many, particularly in eastern regions, Russian is still the first language.

The new tensions add to the challenges facing Zelensky, who ousted Petro Poroshenko by a landslide.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

ther disrupt Libya’s oil industry.

Two eastern operations of state oil firm NOC - which have in the past made broad statements backing Haftar on Sunday for the first time specifically said they supported his offensive. The NOC as a whole has tried to stay out of the conflict.

A Reuters team visiting the southern suburb of Ain Zara on Sunday estimated the Tripoli forces had gained up to 1500 metres compared to a visit a few days earlier.

Other parts of the frontline appeared unchanged and the situation remains fluid. Both sides have gained and lost territory within days or even hours during the fighting. (Excerpt from Reuters)

“We are losing everything”: Flooding in cyclone-hit Mozambique

Ukraine’s President-elect rejects Russian passport plan

kraine’s Presidentelect has mocked Russia’s offer to give passports to his countrymen, saying the document would provide “the right to be arrested”.

In a Facebook post rejecting the idea, Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to give citizenship to “suffering” Russians.

Earlier this week, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin signed a decree offering people in eastern Ukraine’s separatist territories passports.

He later said he was

by issues including national identity, gender equality and the future of Catalonia.

The semi-autonomous region held an independence referendum in October 2017 and declared its independence from Spain weeks later.

A dozen of its leaders have since gone on trial in Madrid, facing charges including rebellion and sedition.

Analysts say support for Vox has been boosted by widespread anger at the independence drive. The party fervently opposes any concessions to the secessionists.

Speaking after casting his vote at a polling station near Madrid, Prime Minister Sánchez said he hoped for stability.

Meanwhile, Albert Rivera, leader of the centre-right Ciudadanos, renewed calls to oust Sánchez as he cast his vote in Barcelona. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Libyan forces push back against Haftar in house-to-house battles

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Indonesia: More than 270 election staff died from fatigue

17

A woman crosses a flooded street in the aftermath of Cyclone Kenneth in Pemba [Mike Hutchings/Reuters]

R

escuers raced to help people caught in fast-rising floodwaters in Mozambique’s cyclone-hit city of Pemba on Sunday, as houses collapsed in one neighbourhood and heavy rain raised fears of worse to come.

More than 160,000 people have been affected in the largely rural region, many left exposed and hungry.

“Help us, we are losing everything!” residents of the northern city shouted at passing cars as the rushing

waters flooded their homes.

Women and girls with buckets and pots tried to scoop away the torrent. But in vain - the water poured into doorways.

In the worst-affected neighbourhood of Natite, homes have begun to collapse, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a tweet.

Cyclone Kenneth arrived just six weeks after Cyclone Idai ripped into cen-

tral Mozambique and killed more than 600 people in the flooding. The new storm’s remnants could dump twice as much rain as Idai, the UN said.

As much as 250 millimetres, or about one-quarter of the average annual rainfall for the region, has been forecast over the next few days.

This was the first time in recorded history that the southern African nation has been hit by two cyclones in one season, again raising concerns about climate change.

Rescue workers evacuated at least 130 people to centres elsewhere in the city on Sunday, mostly by boat, said Salviano Abreu, spokesman for OCHA. In the city’s Mahate neighbourhood, a large crack had formed in the ground, prompting OCHA to warn of landslides.

More than 35,000 homes in parts of Mozambique’s northernmost Cabo Delgado were partially or fully destroyed by the storm. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

monday, april 29, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

dilbert

Keep your distance from anyone looking for an argument. Keep an eye out for opportunities that will allow you to use your talents and skills. Romance will improve a relationship.

CANCER

Don’t take anything or anyone for granted. If you want something done, do it yourself without overspending. Aim for stability and greater security, not for uncertainty and confusion.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

Don’t make a change based on hearsay. If someone makes you an offer, get it in writing. If you rethink the way you handle money, you’ll discover a way to lower your overhead.

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

(June 21July 22)

Peanuts

Look inward and make personal growth a priority.

A change of scenery, company or activity will do you good. Walk away from temptation, indulgent behavior and unsafe situations.

Change doesn’t always bring the happiness you are looking for. Before you alter your life personally or professionally, consider the consequences of your actions.

You’ll be torn between what you want to do and what you should do. Stick to facts and avoid temptation.

Do what you know is right.

The best way to overcome personal problems or handle interactions with a difficult person in your life is to offer incentives. Once you take care of your responsibilities, do something you enjoy.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

You’ll have plenty of options, ideas and support, so don’t hesitate to follow your heart, chase your dreams and fulfill your destiny. An offer shouldn’t cost you emotionally or financially.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

Problems will develop if you let someone meddle in your personal affairs. Don’t mix business with pleasure or allow friends or relatives to interfere in your love life.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

solution for LAST PUBLISHED puzzle AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Don’t share your thoughts, feelings or plans with anyone.

Make adjustments at home that will contribute to your comfort and entertainment.

Be honest when dealing with tax, legal and health issues.

Let your experience guide you to make the right choice.

Getting together with an old friend or attending a reunion will lead to mixed emotions. Personal improvements and health should be your priority.

A change of attitude will alter your lifestyle. Not everyone will be happy with the choices you make, but you have to do what’s best for you.

monday, april 29, 2019

19

Delhi Capitals hold off RCB to make playoffs after 6-year gap D

elhi Capitals vaulted to the top of the IPL points table with a 16-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore at home, the win putting them in the playoffs for the first time since 2012. They had star performers all around, starting with halfcenturies from Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer, then a good finishing job from Sherfane Rutherford and Axar Patel, and finally a clinical bowling performance led by Amit Mishra and Kagiso Rabada.

Mishra took two wickets in the crucial 13th over, and Rabada was excellent in the Sherfane Rutherford fired 28 from just 13 death overs - not to forget Ishant however, just one blip in an outstanding catching performance Sharma’s four-run 19th over - to leave Royal Challengers with no from the Capitals players on the day. chance of pulling out a fourth successive win in their late-season The first was from Axar, who plucked Parthiv’s crunched cut resurgence. out of thin air at point in the sixth over. Rutherford then took a straightforward - though hard-hit - catch off a Kohli pull at the Dhawan, Iyer set a strong platform deep soon after, but the real stunners were to follow. Axar again, Dhawan and Iyer struck fifties, lasting exactly 37 balls each. away at deep midwicket, made good ground, caught the ball, and They struck seven fours and five sixes between them, as they did a neat skip to avoid the boards to send AB de Villiers back, added 68 runs for the second wicket that put Capitals in a position and Shikhar Dhawan pulled off a cool, running catch for Dube’s to push towards a big total. Dhawan mostly got his boundaries dismissal. on the on-side, apart from hitting a four and a six through the The what-a-catch moments, though, belonged to Pant. First, covers and long-off. All five of Iyer’s boundaries - the two fours when he hared away towards square-leg and threw in the dive to and three sixes - came through midwicket, while he found plenty just about pouch Heinrich Klaasen. And then, in the penultimate of ones and twos on the leg-side too. over, when he dived and flung out his right hand to grab the chance off Gurkeerat Singh’s flash.

Late charge gives Capitals a winning total But once Dhawan and Iyer fell within three overs of each other, Kohli & Co lose their way Capitals slowed down significantly. In between their dismissals in Parthiv Patel once again provided Royal Challengers with a the 13th and 16th overs, Rishabh Pant also fell for seven off as fast start, hitting seven fours and a six in his 20-ball 39, as he many balls, which left the rest of the batting with a lot to do to added 63 with Virat Kohli in the opening stand. But once Axar get close to the 200-run mark. Colin Ingram fell for 11 too, to caught Parthiv smartly at point off Rabada, Royal Challengers make it tougher, but Rutherford and Axar added 46 runs in the slowly slipped downwards. last 3.1 overs to get them to a score that eventually proved good Kohli and AB de Villiers both fell to catches in the deep trying enough. Rutherford struck three sixes and a four in his unbeaten to pull half-trackers from Axar and Rutherford respectively, 13-ball 28, while Patel struck three fours in his unbeaten 16. before Heinrich Klaasen, playing only his second IPL game of the season, was brilliantly caught by Pant in the 13th over. After Klaasen’s attempted scoop hit his helmet and lobbed away from Capitals fielders back up their bowlers the wicketkeeper, Pant ran hard to his left and dived to complete Rahul Tewatia, fielding as a substitute, dropped Shivam Dube the catch at full stretch. Shivam Dube’s departure later in the at a crucial juncture in the game, in the ninth over. That was, same over added to Royal Challengers’ woes, as the equation

3

SCOREBOARD

Delhi Capitals Innings (20 overs maximum) PP Shaw c †Patel b Yadav 18 S Dhawan c Sundar b Chahal

50 SS Iyer (c) c Kohli b Sundar 52 RR Pant † lbw b Chahal 7 CA Ingram c Sundar b Saini

11 SE Rutherford not out 28 AR Patel not out 16 Extras (b 4, lb 1) 5 TOTAL (20 Overs, RR: 9.35)

187-5 Did not bat: S Lamichhane, A Mishra, K Rabada, I Sharma Fall of wickets: 1-35 (PP Shaw, 3.3 ov), 2-103 (S Dhawan, 12.2 ov), 3-127 (RR Pant, 14.5 ov), 4-129 (SS Iyer, 15.3 ov), 5-141 (CA Ingram, 16.5 ov) BOWLING UT Yadav (4-0-39-1) W Sundar (4-0-29-1) YS Chahal (4-0-41-2) NA Saini (4-0-44-1) MP Stoinis (3-0-240) S Dube (1-0-5-0) Royal Challengers Bangalore Innings (target: 188 runs from 20 overs)

PA Patel † c Patel b Rabada

39 V Kohli (c) c Rutherford b Patel 23 AB de Villiers c Patel b Rutherford 17 S Dube c Dhawan b Mishra

24 H Klaasen c †Pant b Mishra 3 Gurkeerat Singh c †Pant b Sharma 27 MP Stoinis not out 32 W Sundar c Iyer b Rabada 1 UT Yadav not out 0 Extras (lb 3, w 2) 5 TOTAL (20 Overs, RR: 8.55) 171-7 Yet to bat: YS Chahal, NA Saini Fall of wickets: 1-63 (PA Patel, 5.5 ov), 2-68 (V Kohli, 7.2 ov), 3-103 (AB de Villiers, 11.3 ov), 4-108 (H Klaasen, 12.2 ov), 5-111 (S Dube, 12.6 ov), 6-160 (Gurkeerat Singh, 18.4 ov), 7-164 (Washington Sundar, 19.2 ov) BOWLING I Sharma (4-0-40-1) AR Patel (4-0-26-1) S Lamichhane (3-0-36-0) K Rabada (4-0-31-2) A Mishra (4-0-29-2) SE Rutherford (1-0-6-1)

went up to 77 from seven.

No late surge as Rabada and Ishant shine Gurkeerat Singh hitting Ishant for two fours and a six in the 17th over certainly gave Royal Challengers some hope, with the equation down from 52 off 24 to a very gettable 36 from 18. But Rabada conceded just six runs in the following over and Ishant, desperate to have another go and prove a point, then went for four in the penultimate over, before Rabada shut down the chase with another efficient final over in which he gave away just nine runs. (cricinfo)

Bottas wins Azerbaijan Grand Prix with Hamilton 2nd

T

he scene of some dramatic racing for the past two seasons, this year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix fell with barely a whimper to the flawless perfection of what appears to be an unstoppable Mercedes juggernaut. For winner Valtteri Bottas, there was pleasing redemption after a puncture cruelly denied him last year and with teammate Lewis Hamilton taking second, Mercedes have now secured four successive one-two finishes. It is the most successful start to a season in the sport’s history, concluded with flawless control to tame the streets of Baku.

Sebastian Vettel was third for Ferrari with Max Verstappen in fourth for Red Bull. Vettel’s teammate Charles Leclerc, who had started from eighth after crashing in qualifying, made a valiant effort on an alternate strategy to come though to take fifth. The Monegasque driver’s run caught the attention as Bottas, Hamilton and Vettel were unable to challenge one another out front but it is the bigger picture that Ferrari must consider as Mercedes leave Azerbaijan having now proved untouchable in three of the four races this season. In Bahrain, Leclerc was set to win before a mechanical problem pushed him down the field.

Having surpassed Williams’ record of three one-twos in opening the 1992 season, Bottas praised Mercedes. “It means a lot to win,” he said. “It’s incredible the level we’re performing at as a team, that’s why I was saying to the guys I’m so proud to be part of that. We’re all performing really, really well. It’s only my fifth win and it feels good and payback from last year.”

Ferrari had appeared to be the form of the field in preseason testing but have since been overwhelmed as their pace has not re-materialised and Mercedes have repeatedly had the advantage. Hamilton confirmed he felt Ferrari had yet to really compete.

“We are delivering on a very, very high percentage,” he said. “Both Valtteri and I are both delivering on the laps. Our

Valtteri Bottas navigates a turn

team are pumping on all cylinders, they [Ferrari] are not. If they start pumping on all cylinders and start delivering then we will have much more of a fight.”

Bottas’s fifth career victory, after his win at the opening round in Australia and two second places in Bahrain and China continues what has been the strongest start to a season of his career. He has issued stern notice to Hamilton that he will face a real fight and that he intends to take a shot at the title.

Indeed, it was enough for the Finn to retake the championship lead from Hamilton over whom he now has a one-point advantage. Unfortunately it looks increasingly in danger of turning into a two-horse race as Vettel dropped further back, now 35 points behind Bottas.

Ferrari had brought aerodynamic upgrades to Azerbaijan and with a straight-line speed advantage had expected to be strong here. But as they have done so many times before, Mercedes were able to find extra in qualifying and the race.

With F1 now set to return to Europe where Mercedes will bring upgrades of their own, they are very much on the front foot, while Ferrari need to find a step forward. They are

confident the car has the capability but if it is not unlocked soon the championship will have gone.

Vettel believes the difference between them was largely down to making the tyres work and remarked on the frustration at not being able to challenge. “It’s boring isn’t it?” he said. “We have to work harder, work better, they are doing phenomenally well. I know we can improve, I think we have a good car we just haven’t managed yet to put it where it belongs, I am sure it is going to turn around.”

Baku had produced dramatic qualifying but the race proved to be an uneventful battle at the front, the key moment coming at the start. Bottas and Hamilton went wheel to wheel with inches to spare through the first two corners but the Finn held his nerve and his line to maintain his lead. It was breathless stuff and while Hamilton said he might have been more aggressive in squeezing his teammate, both drivers kept it clean as the walls loomed over them.

Having held his place from pole, Bottas put in a confident drive to secure victory. Hamilton stayed with him throughout, as largely did Vettel but neither had a shot at the lead.

Crucially once again Mercedes executed flawlessly. The team are operationally at an exceptional level and, with the habit of winning, show no sign of dropping the ball.

Having expected to be chasing Ferrari, to conclude the opening four flyaway races with two victories apiece for Bottas and Hamilton is an opening Mercedes could not have imagined. All that separates their drivers is the single point for fastest lap the Finn scored in Australia. Their fight is finely poised but Ferrari simply must find their way into the fray at the next round in Barcelona.

Sergio Pérez took a strong sixth for Racing Point with his teammate Lance Stroll doing well in ninth. McLaren’s Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris also turned in impressive runs for seventh and eighth, with Kimi Raikkonen in the Alfa Romeo in tenth. (The Guardian)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

MONday, APRIL 29, 2019

BCB/Beacon Foundation 20/20 cricket…

RHTY&SC crowned champions after defeating Albion

― Young Warriors knocked out in Match 1

By Brandon Corlette

T

he dominant Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) got the better of their counterparts, Albion Cricket Club, by five wickets in the BCB/ Beacon Foundation 20/20 Cricket competition played at the Albion Sports Complex to help in raising cancer awareness.

Three of the top cricketing clubs in Berbice: RHTY&SC, Albion and Young Warriors, participated in this exciting cricket fest, but six of the players were debarred from competing in response to a call from the higher authorities. Those debarred players included Devendra Bishoo, Veerasammy Permaul, Clinton Pestano and Gudakesh Motie.

Albion v RHTY&SC

In the second and final match of

this competition, home team Albion took first strike and scored 112-8 in their allotted 20 overs. Skipper Sharaz Ramcharan top-scored with a classy 38 that was decorated with five fours, while fellow opener Adrian Sukwah chipped in with 14.

Bowlingfor the disciplined RHTY&SC team, Keith Simpson took 3-10 in his quota of four overs, which included one maiden. Captain Shawn Pereira took 3-24 in four overs with some

Gourav Ramesh took one wicket in a losing effort.

Young Warriors v RHTY&SC

The victorious RHTY&SC team

superb leg-spin bowling, and Berbice U-17 off-spinner Jonathan Rampersaud took 2-24.

Responding, the RHTY&SC registered 113-5 in 18.1 overs, with Delbert Hicks cutting during his left-handed stroke-maker Delbert Hicks top-scoring with an elegant 30 top-score in the final

that included four spicy boundaries.

He was well-supported by “Player of the Match” Keith Simpson, who scored an entertaining 23 not out that included one four and one huge six.

Off-spinner Sharaz Ramcharran took 2-14 in his four overs, while

The RHTY&SC had earlier defeated Young Warriors to set up the finals with Albion Cricket Club. Young Warriors had tak- en the first strike and had scored 103-9.

Batting for the Canje-based team, L i n d e n Austin had scored 30, inclusive of three fours.

Bowling for the RHTY&SC, J o n a t h a n Rampersaud had Player of the Final Keith Simpson on the charge (Brandon Corlette photos)

taken 3-17 while Shawn Pereira had taken 2-12 in three overs.

In reply, RHTY&SC had scored 104-7 in 19.5 overs, with the left-handed Surrendra Kissonlall top-scoring with 36.

Bowling for Young Warriors, Linden Austin had snared 4-25 in a losing effort, with the RHTY&SC winning the match by three wickets.

Numerous spectators were present during this tournament, including those players who were debarred from participating.

Among the sponsors of this event were ANSA Mc AL, BK and the Beacon Foundation. The RHTY&SC was awarded the first prize of $100,000 and a trophy. The cash prize was promptly donated to the Beacon Foundation. The Albion Cricket Club, which also won $50,000 and a trophy, likewise promptly donated their cash prize to the Beacon Foundation.

KKR break MI jinx despite Hardik’s blistering 91

Andre Russell was adjudged Man of the Match

K

olkata Knight Riders kept their campaign alive with a 34-run win over Mumbai Indians as Andre Russell, Shubman Gill and Chris Lynn fired the team to 232 for 2 at the Eden Gardens on Sunday (April 28). The visitors threatened for a while, on the back of Hardik Pandya’s 34-ball 91, before they were restricted 198 for 7. With the win, KKR moved to the fifth spot but need to win both their last games to stand a chance of making the playoffs.

The perfect start KKR came into the contest on the back of six consecutive losses. Add to that the pressure of facing MI - a team that has beaten them in the last eight meetings and had won 18 out of 23 contests in the history of the

tournament. Put in, on a track full of runs, KKR needed a fast start. They once again decided to open with the combination of Lynn and Shubman Gill. The attack was on right from the first over - the match started with two crisp boundaries from Gill’s bat and he smashed a six to collect 14. KKR were 31 for no loss after four and the openers looked set to tee off.

Lynn was dropped in the sixth over and made the most of it by taking on the spin duo of Rahul Chahar and Krunal Pandya. From the 17 balls he faced from the spinners, he took out 33 before falling to the former. By the time the opening stand ended - after 9.3 overs - KKR had 96 on the board and Lynn had 54 off 29.

This was KKR’s highest score for the opening wicket in this tournament and the pressure was on MI to pull things back.

What next?

Andre Russell walked in at No. 3 Russell had for quite some time advocated for himself batting just a tad bit above in the order. On the night, he had 10.3 overs to do the damage.

It wasn’t the perfect start and for the first 12 balls, it felt the allrounder would fail to walk the talk. He had just one boundary and was on just six. The wrist injury kept hampering him and Russell, often, tried too hard to muscle the ball. The two sixes against Chahar - in the 14th over - changed things a bit and

got him going. After 16 overs, Russell was 29 off 21. The tide turning over, however, came only in the 18th. Hardik Pandya was smashed over midwicket twice and then over third man as KKR’s score soared to 197.

Jasprit Bumrah conceded 15 in the 19th, with Russell scoring 11, before Lasith Malinga was handed some harsh treatment.

The 20th over read 6, 4, 4, dot, dot, 6 - an over where Russell refused two singles - as he raced to 80 off 40, scoring 74 in the last 28 deliveries he faced. The three half-centuries from the KKR top three had put the match beyond MI by then.

Add to that, Russell gave away just 25 from his four overs and bagged two wickets to show how underutilised he’s been so far.

The Gill innings that made the difference...

When Russell struggled, it was Gill who kept the runs flowing, allowing the allrounder to ease into his innings. Chahar’s theatrics at the bowling crease successfully put off Russell for a while but had no impact on Gill’s concentration. The legspinner bowled 11 deliveries to Gill and leaked 25 as MI failed to regain control after the opening strike.

Gill fell in the 16th over but not before he became the fourth teenage to register a 75-plus score in IPL. The dismissal had little impact because it was time for Russell to dent the visitors.

How did the chase start?

As it the case in most tall chases, rather underwhelmingly.

Quinton de Kock fell with just nine on the board while Rohit Sharma fell in the fourth with the score just 21. The visitors soon slipped to 58 for 4 in the ninth over before an unlikely revival came.

The Pandya who refused to give up...

When Hardik Pandya walked in to bat, MI needed 172 off 66. In his first fifty runs, Pandya smashed seven sixes and registered the fastest halfcentury in IPL 2019 off 17 balls.

In the last six overs, MI needed 100 and the hopes were firmly pinned on Hardik, who was batting on 57 off 19. From there on, Hardik threatened to take the game away from the home side every single over. Though Russell gave away just seven in the 15th, Hardik struck a six and three fours against Piyush Chawla in the 16th and reduced to the equation to 73 off 24.

Hardik entered the 80s in the 17th and was hampered

by Krunal’s patchy strokeplay.

While Hardik was striking them clean, Krunal laboured his way to 15 off 10. Hardik looked at ease against Harry Gurney, scoring a six and a four in the 18th, but fell on the last ball of the over as he smashed a back of length delivery to Russell at long-on. Krunal fell after making

24 off 18 as MI ran out of steam.

(cricbuzz.com)

3

SCOREBOARD

Kolkata Knight Riders Innings (20 overs maximum) Shubman Gill c Lewis b HH Pandya 76 CA Lynn c Lewis b Chahar 54 AD Russell not out 80 KD Karthik (c) † not out 15 Extras (lb 1, nb 1, w 5) 7 TOTAL (20 Overs, RR: 11.6) 232-2 Did not bat: SP Narine, RV Uthappa, N Rana, RK Singh, PP Chawla, HF Gurney, S Sandeep Warrier Fall of wickets: 1-96 (CA Lynn, 9.3 ov), 2-158 (Shubman Gill, 15.2 ov) BOWLING BB Sran (2-0-27-0) KH Pandya (3-0-7-0) SL Malinga (4-0-48-0) JJ Bumrah (4-0-44-0) RD Chahar (4-0-54-1) HH Pandya (3-0-31-1) Mumbai Indians Innings (target: 233 runs from 20 overs) Q de Kock † c Russell b Narine 0 RG Sharma (c) lbw b Gurney

12 E Lewis c †Karthik b Russell

15

SA Yadav c †Karthik b Russell

26 KA Pollard c Rana b Narine

20 HH Pandya c Russell b Gurney 91 KH Pandya c & b Chawla 24 BB Sran not out 3 RD Chahar not out 1 Extras (b 4, lb 2) 6 TOTAL (20 Overs, RR: 9.9) 198-7 Yet to bat: SL Malinga, JJ Bumrah Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Q de Kock, 1.2 ov), 2-21 (RG Sharma, 3.3 ov), 3-41 (E Lewis, 6.1 ov), 4-58 (SA Yadav, 8.2 ov), 5-121 (KA Pollard, 13.2 ov), 6-185 (HH Pandya, 17.6 ov), 7-196 (KH Pandya, 19.4 ov) BOWLING S Warrier (4-0-29-0) SP Narine (4-0-44-2) HF Gurney (4-0-37-2) AD Russell (4-0-25-2) PP Chawla (4-0-57-1)

Premier League: Man City edge past Burnley to go top again City scrap it out again

Sergio Agüero celebrates his crucial goal which moved Manchester City a step closer to winning the title

M

anchester City stand just two victories away from retaining their Premier League title after Sergio Aguero’s second-half goal gave them a scrappy victory over Burnley at Turf Moor.

Aguero’s 64th-minute goal - bundled in and given via goal-line technology despite Matthew Lowton’s attempted clearance - summed up much of City’s performance as Burnley’s organisation and resilience threatened to keep them out.

Gabriel Jesus had another effort kicked off the line by Ben Mee and while Burnley rarely threatened, City knew only victory would do or the initiative would be handed back to Liverpool. It was duly secured with a 12th successive league win.

Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton also saved from Aguero, Aymeric Laporte and Bernardo Silva in a City performance that was average for long spells - but the main priority of three points was achieved and they know victory at home to Leicester City and away at Brighton will ensure they keep the crown.

City have been put to the test since their Champions League quarter-final exit against Tottenham - and they have responded in the manner of champions with three wins without conceding a goal.

And in Premier League victories at home to Spurs and here at Burnley, with a routine derby win at Manchester United sandwiched in between, they have had to show a different side of their character, one not associated with the flowing football which has become their trademark.

City were so sloppy in spells, with passes going astray and moves breaking down after moments of carelessness, that there must have been genuine anxiety at half-time that they would be the first to blink in this magnificent tit-for-tat title battle with Liverpool.

In the end it was Aguero, predictably, who made the decisive contribution, as he became only the second player in Premier League history to score 20 or more goals in five consecutive campaigns, after Thierry Henry between 2001-02 and 2005-06.

The goal, like City’s display, was not a thing of beauty but City’s players and their fans did not care as they celebrated another vital step forward on the road to the title at the end.

De Gea error gifts Chelsea advantage

A mistake by goalkeeper David de Gea gifted Chelsea an equaliser as Manchester United’s hopes of playing in next season’s Champions League faded at Old Trafford.

With United leading through Juan Mata’s goal against his former club, De Gea spilled Antonio Rudiger’s 30-yard attempt for Marcos Alonso to level shortly before the interval.

It was a costly error by the Spaniard, whose form has come under scrutiny in recent weeks, although De Gea did come to his side’s rescue deep in stoppage time to deny Gonzalo Higuain a dramatic winner.

Up until Chelsea’s equaliser, United had been in control yet they remain sixth in the table, three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea with two games to play, after a third successive league game without a win.

In a competitive game, both teams suffered injuries.

After Rudiger was forced off in the 64th minute, United defender Eric Bailly, who was making his first league start since 3 February, was helped off six minutes later, while Marcus Rashford also went off.

Vardy double dents Arsenal’s hopes

Jamie Vardy scored twice as Leicester dented Arsenal’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League with a dominant victory at the King Power Stadium.

The unmarked Youri Tielemans headed in a cross from James Maddison just before the hour mark, then Vardy struck late on with a header and a tap-in from close range.

Arsenal played almost an hour of the contest with 10 men after Ainsley Maitland-Niles was sent off.

A third successive Premier League defeat left them two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, who drew 1-1 with Manchester United at Old Trafford in Sunday’s late kick-off.

Leicester can still finish seventh - they are three points behind Wolves with two matches left - which could earn a Europa League place depending on the outcome of the FA Cup final.

Arsenal’s task was made significantly more difficult after Maitland-Niles was sent off for the first time in his career following two bookings in the space of 28 minutes - for a soft foul on Ben Chilwell and then needlessly scything down Maddison near the halfway line.

However, a three-goal margin flattered Arsenal and, even with a full complement of players, it is difficult to envisage a different outcome such was the conviction of the performance of Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester.

Arsenal were indebted to goalkeeper Bernd Leno for a string of fine saves, the pick a magnificent one-handed diving effort to paw away a Wilfred Ndidi header. (BBC Sport)

guyanatimesgy.com

MONday, april 29, 2019

21

Windies not dependent on Russell’s bowling – Reifer

Andre Russell

T

he Windies have a plan to manage the workload of Andre Russell at the ICC Cricket World Cup in England and Wales next month.

That plan, explained interim head coach of the Windies, Floyd Reifer, includes using the destructive batsman, as a batting all-rounder.

Russell has had knee problems over the last few years, hampering his bowling, though he can put down some fiery spells in the Twenty20 format where he is only required to bowl four overs at maximum.

“Look at his form in the IPL, he’s been scoring a lot of runs [and] we’ll be using him as a batting all-rounder in the World Cup,” said Reifer.

Cricket West Indies chief selector, Robert Haynes, is in agreement with Reifer about the way format though he did admit that Russell had injuries. Those injuries, though, Haynes is suggesting won’t be a problem.

“He just has a few niggling injuries – one with his wrist and one where he was feeling some pain behind his knee – but he assured me he will be ok for the World Cup,” said Haynes.

Russell played for the Windies nearly a year ago and could only feature in one match of three-game series against Bangladesh after a knee injury forced him out.

Against England in the Caribbean recently, Russell was called in but could take

no part in proceedings because of the same injury concerns.

Hungry Russell ready to fire

Windies all-rounder Andre Russell has admitted he is champing at the bit to get back on the field for the regional team, after recently being included in a 15-man squad for next month’s ICC World Cup. The bullish all-rounder has been in fine form for Indian Premier League squad (IPL) Kolkata Knight Riders this season, where he has scored 406 runs from 11 games, at a brilliant strike rate of 209.27.

Despite having not played in ODI cricket since last year against Bangladesh, the 30-year-old is confident of making an impact in England next month.

Russell was previously called to the ODI squad for the se-

ries against England but could not take the field after being hampered by a knee injury.

“I’m so hungry now to represent the West Indies.

The last time I joined the West Indies team was recently, when I had taken two injections to better my knee and it flared up again. I was so upset. I was watching the game against England and couldn’t do anything about it,” Russell said.

“I wasn’t surprised that I was called to the World Cup squad. I’ve been doing well, I’ve been back and forth with the selectors and the coaches back home. I know once I’m doing my work here and performing, it will lead to national duties. I wasn’t focused on the World Cup. I was just making sure that whatever happened here, I was doing my best,” he added. (Sportsmax)

Guyanese trio to compete at Pan Am U-23 Elite Road Cycling Championships

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he trio of cyclists Jamal John, Romello Crawford and Briton John are in Mexico to represent the Golden Arrowhead at the Pan American U23 Elite Road Cycling Championships, which pedals off later this week.

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President of the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF), Horace Burrowes, who will arrive in Mexico tomorrow, the trio arrived in Mexico since April 19, well ahead of the championships, in order to get acclimatised.

Burrowes will represent Guyana at the COPACI Congress on April 30, while Jamal John will go into action on Wednesday, May 1st, in the Time Trials which would be run over 33km - 3 laps on the Circuit Río de la Avenidas.

John is the only rider of the trio who would be competing in the Time Trials.

Jamal, Briton and Romello will all contest the U-23 Individual Road Race, to be staged on Saturday, May 4, over a distance of 132.3km, the equivalent of 9 laps around the Circuit Ciudad del Conocimiento, Pachuca de Soto, Hidalgo.

From left are Briton John, Romello Crawford and Jamal John

Burrowes has informed that if either of the cyclists should finish in the top 10 in the race, that cyclist would

be eligible to compete at the World Championships set for September in London.

The Elite-Sub 23 Pan-American Road Championships has been jointly organised by the Government of the State of Hidalgo, the State Cycling Association and the Mexican Cycling Federation, with support of the Pan-American Cycling Confederation under the regulations of the International Cycling Union (UCI).

London Marathon 2019: Eliud Kipchoge wins, Mo Farah 5th

K

enya’s Eliud Kipchoge ran the second fastest marathon in history to win the London Marathon for a fourth time as Britain’s Mo Farah finished fifth.

Kipchoge, 34, who broke the world record in Berlin last year, triumphed in two hours two minutes 38 seconds.

Farah finished three minutes one second behind Kipchoge, while fellow Briton

Callum Hawkins was 10th.

Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei, 25, became the youngest female London winner, with Britain’s Charlotte Purdue 10th.

Ethiopia’s Mosinet Geremew and Mule Wasihun finished second and third respectively behind Kipchoge, who finished 59 seconds shy of his world record of 2:01:39.

Earlier, American

Daniel Romanchuk and Switzerland’s Manuela Schar won the men’s and women’s elite wheelchair races.

More than 40,000 runners, some dressed as giraffes, bells, cars and even Big Ben, took to the streets of the capital as the amount raised by the London Marathon passed £1bn. (BBC Sport)

Eliud Kipchoge

New York Giants pick Corey Ballentine injured as friend shot dead

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he New York Giants’ sixth-round pick Corey Ballentine has been injured in a shooting in which his university team-mate Dwane Simmons was killed.

The shooting happened “off campus” in Topeka, Kansas, early on Sunday.

The pair, both 23, played for Washburn Ichabods but Ballentine who is expected to make a full recovery - had just been picked in the NFL draft.

University president Jerry Farley said it was a “terrible way” to end a day that should have been a

The pair were defensive backs for Washburn Ichabods ― Corey Ballentine (right) has been selected in the NFL draft

“celebration”.

Dr Farley added it was meant to have been

“a day to look forward to Dwane’s upcoming year at Washburn and the be-

ginning of Corey’s professional career”.

In a statement, the Giants said they were “aware of the tragic situation and continue to gather information”.

“We have spoken to Corey, and he is recovering in the hospital. Our thoughts are with Dwane Simmons’ family,” added the Giants.

A scheduled news conference with cornerback Ballentine at 3pm local time has been postponed until further notice, Washburn University said.

Ichabods head coach Craig Schurig, said:

“Dwane’s infectious smile and love for football and his team-mates was truly inspirational.”

The NFL draft is one of the biggest events in the United States sporting calendar as all 32 teams select fresh talent coming out of the American collegiate system.

The draft gives the less successful teams the chance to pick the best new talent coming into the league, with the Arizona Cardinals, the worst team this year, getting to pick first. (BBC Sport)

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MONday, april 29, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

Narine keen on returning to international cricket

Sunil Narine was Windies' leading spinner at one point

O

ff-spinner Sunil Narine has rued missing the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 England & Wales, starting next month, but has not given up hope of returning to West Indies colours.

Selectors sounded out Narine’s availability, but a finger injury meant the 30-year-old was not

considered for selection to the 15-man squad announced in Barbados on Wednesday.

“I would have loved to play in the World Cup,” Narine told noted cricket website, ESPNCricinfo. “I have missed international cricket and I’ve missed representing West Indies. It’s where my heart lies. But I don’t feel my finger is quite ready for One-

day International cricket. I can get through a Twenty20 match, where I bowl just four overs. But even that isn’t easy, and I need help from the physio.”

He added: “It’s holding me back from playing international cricket.

I wouldn’t be able to do myself or the team justice. I don’t think it would be right to go

into such a big tournament carrying an injury that won’t permit an increased workload and stress on the finger. The performances are fine, but I need to build up the required strength to go from four to 10 overs regularly.”

Narine has taken 92 wickets from 65 One-day Internationals, but he has not played in three years

for varying reasons. He last represented West Indies in a T20I on the tour of England two years ago, but has since plied his trade on the global T20 circuit for various franchises.

He was one of several previously out-of-favour T20 stars to be considered under Cricket West Indies’ revised selection policy, and said he

was pleased with the new move by the governing body.

“I’m really happy that the selectors considered me,” he said. “It shows they have faith in me. I haven’t played international cricket in so long and this shows how much they want me to come back. It was good to have some conversations with them and I feel we’re all on the same page going forward.”

West Indies have struggled badly in ODIs of recent and it was their No.9 ranking in the ICC charts which caused them to miss out on direct qualification for the World Cup. There were signs of a revival however, when they played courageously to earn a 2-2 draw in a five-match series against World No.1 England in the Caribbean last February.

Narine, who boasts the third-most wickets in T20 cricket with 366 from 322 matches, assured that once he was fully fit, he would be vying for a place in the Windies side again.

“International cricket is where I want to be,” he said. “Once I’m able to give the team my all, I’d like to be back there helping West Indies win games.”

The Trinidadian is currently campaigning for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. (CMC)

Golden State hold off Houston to take 1-0 series lead

I

n a rematch of last year's Western Conference finals, the Golden State Warriors narrowly defeated the Houston Rockets, 104-100, in Game 1 of this second-round series.

Despite rough performances from Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the Warriors prevailed behind another sensational performance from Kevin Durant, who led the way with 35 points.

While the Warriors did emerge victorious in this one, there were several questionable non-calls from the referees -- most of which hurt the Rockets.

On at least five different occasions it appeared James Harden and Chris Paul were fouled on 3-point attempts, only for the referees to ignore the obvious physical contact and fouls following their shot attempts.

None was more prevalent than during the closing seconds of the game with the Rockets trailing 103-100 when Harden appeared to be fouled by Draymond Green on the

Kevin Durant (left) and James Harden both scored 35 points in the series opener

close-out with 9.1 seconds remaining. The refs didn't call a foul and the Rockets went on to turn over the ball after grabbing an offensive rebound.

The close win by the

Warriors sets up a Game 2 matchup for Tuesday night at Oracle Arena in which the Rockets absolutely cannot afford to fall down 2-0.

Boston stuns Milwaukee to draw first blood

They say that a playoff series doesn't truly begin until a road team wins a game. Well if that's the case, then the second-round

series between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks is underway.

Coming out with an impressive defensive game plan, the No. 4 Celtics frustrated the top-ranked

Bucks all afternoon long, before pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 112-90 victory to take a 1-0 series lead.

Al Horford was tremendous, finishing with 20 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three blocks, while also shutting down potential MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo on the defensive end. The Greek Freak couldn't get anything going, as his drives to the basket were shut off on a consistent basis. He finished with 22 points, but needed 21 shots to get them.

Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving finished with 26 points, 10 assists and six rebounds in another stellar postseason performance. The Celtics also got strong games off the bench from Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier, who combined for 22 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.

The surprising blowout win for the Celtics sets up a vital Game 2 on Tuesday night. Already down 1-0, the Bucks cannot afford another loss to open up this series. (CBS Sports)

guyanatimesgy.com

monday, april 29, 2019

23

Onus on Gayle, Bravo to lead inexperienced WC batting group Christopher Gayle

A

mong the six specialist batsmen (excluding allrounders) in the West Indies World Cup (WC) squad, only two can be considered ‘experienced’ -- Christopher Gayle and Darren Bravo, who have six WC appearances among themselves. Neither Shimron Hetmyer nor Shai Hope nor Evin Lewis nor Nicholas Pooran has any ‘experience’.

Chris Gayle has played in four WC tournaments for the West Indies, while Darren Bravo has played in two. Gayle

Darren Bravo

is, without doubt, the leading batsman of the squad.

The two premier allrounders, Andre Russell and Jason Holder, each has ‘experience’ and add depth to an inexperienced batting lineup. Russell will be competing in his third WC, while this is Holder’s second WC participation.

In Gayle’s first WC participation, in 2002/03, he was among the runs for the West Indies, scoring 206 runs at an average of 34.33, and having a high score of 119.

Jason Holder

The self-proclaimed Universe Boss scored 228 runs in his second WC, in 2007; followed by 170 runs in his third WC, in 2011. In his fourth WC, in 2015, he led from the front in scoring the most runs for the West Indies -- 340 runs, with a monumental top-score of 215.

Gayle will be playing a fifth WC, and he requires 253 runs to overtake Brian Lara in becoming the leading ODI batsman for the West Indies.

The big Jamaican has had a prolific Home Series against

England, scoring 424 runs in four matches, and hitting a record 39 sixes therein.

Gayle has played in 289 ODI matches so far, and has scored 25 centuries and 51 half-centuries in compiling his 10,151-run ODI career. He is currently displaying superb form in IPL 2019, wherein he has scored 444 runs at an average of 49.33 and has a strike rate of 162.04.

The classy left-handed Darren Bravo will be featuring in his third WC for the Caribbean side. In contrast to Gayle, he has had little success therein, compiling only 139 runs in the seven WC matches he played in the 2011 World

Cup. In the 2015 edition of the WC, Bravo played only two matches, and scored only 49 runs. He sustained injury, and was replaced on March 1, 2015.

The explosive Evin Lewis has played 35 ODIs, wherein he compiled 1,010 runs at an average of 32.58 with a high score of 176*. Lewis has registered two centuries and three half-centuries, and will be an X-Factor at the top of the order with Gayle.

One of the brightest batting prospects in the Caribbean, Shai Hope, another debutant at the WC, has played in 49 ODIs, wherein he has compiled 1,777 runs at an average of 45.56, and has four centuries and eight half-centuries on record.

Shimron Hetmyer has an average of 40.86, with

four centuries and two halfcenturies on record, but his form of late has been a reason for much worry. He will nevertheless be an important asset to the Windies team.

Nicholas Pooran, the other WC debutant, is still young in his ODI career, having played only one match.

The batting group will be completed with Jason Holder, who has scored 155 runs in the four matches he played in the 2015 World Cup. Andre Russell had scored 104 runs in the six matches he had played in that tournament.

With this tournament looming, Gayle, Bravo, Russell and Holder will have to inspire the WC debutants.

Dey outsprints Narine in Fly- London wins Assuria Golf Classic ing Ace Cycling event

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Top performers of the Assuria Golf Classic

Veteran cyclist Syborne Fernandes leading the pack

I

Curtis Dey outsprinting Balram Narine in a nail-biting finish (Brandon Corlette photos)

n the 10-lap racing event staged in New Amsterdam on Sunday, April 28, by the Flying Ace Cycling Club (FACC) to honour Mayor Winifred Haywood, residents and cycling fanatics witnessed some riveting battles, with the main one being Curtis Dey dethroning last year’s champion Balram Narine in an intense contest that brought supporters to their feet.

Occupying third position was Ralph Seenarine, while Mario Washington finished in fourth overall, and Kevin Ross finished in fifth.

Mario Washington, fourth place winner, topped the Juvenile category, while Jerimiah Joseph and Steve Bhimsingh finished respectively in second and third positions therein.

The U-14 category was won by Corriverton lad Aaron Rajnarine, while Whiteny Poyer was

Cyclists at the awards presentation

the lone female in the race, and the lone veteran in the race was Syborne Fernandes. They each received a special prize for competing.

Ralph Seenarine grabbed three sprint prizes while Balram Narine copped two sprint prizes.

The overall winner, Curtis Dey, had one sprint prize.

The final lap of the race lasted for 12 minutes, and saw riveting action in the Narine/ Dey personal contest.

The race began with the New Amsterdam Mayor gracing the event with her presence, and cycling action commenced at 13:00h.

This is the third edition of the race, and the second year in which it is being held in honour of New Amsterdam Mayor Winfred Haywood.

(Brandon Corlette)

etermined to re-enter Winners’ Row at the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC), Dr Philbert London drove, chipped and putted his way into first place in his flight in the Assuria Golf Classic, played at LGC on Saturday. And in so doing, he became the overall winner of that keenly contested and well attended inaugural tournament.

Known to have coached former Guyana Open Female Champion Shanella Webster, Dr London said, “Having coached Shanella and, more recently, Eureka Giddings, who both entered the Winners’ Row last Saturday, I determined that I should focus a bit more on my personal game and strive to make a mark in my flight.”

And make a mark he did! Not only did he win his flight, but he produced the best net score in the tournament, which was played in 3 flights: 0-9, 10-19, and 20-28, with prizes being awarded for 1st and 2nd places in the net scores.

Special prizes awarded after the tournament were as follows: Dr Philbert London - Overall Champion; Patrick Prashad Nearest the Pin winner; Parmanand ‘Max’ Persaud - Longest Drive winner; and Richard Haniff - Best Gross winner.

Winners in the 0-9 flight were: Richard Haniff (72/9) - 1st, and Patrick Prashad (75/9) - 2nd. In the 10-19 flight, winners were Ayube Subhan (69/15) and Dr Joaan Deo (70/14). Keen competition in this flight came from Rabindranath Persaud (71/17); Lekhnarine Shivraj (72/16); Haresh Tewari (73/19); Colin Ming (74/14), and Satrohan Tiwari (75/16).

In the 20-28 category, winners were: Dr Philbert London (69/25) - 1st, and Jeremy Fernandes (70/24) - 2nd. Great performances were also recorded by Videsh Persaud (71/28); Eureka Giddings (73/28); Clifford Reis (75/25), and Imtiaz Subhan (75/23).

Assuria’s Managing Director Yogendra Arjune, who joined the club as a member last year, feels the partnership between the

LGC and Assuria is a good development for both parties.

“The vision of the current executive (of the LGC) leads me to believe that this club will be at the forefront of business development in the years ahead,” Arjune declared.

And LGC President Aleem Hussain said, “We want to attract golfers of all levels of ability, so this tournament will feature three categories: 0-10, 11-19 and 2030, so that more players can partake and enjoy the game. Prizes will be awarded to the top three players in each category, Longest Drive, and Nearest to the Pin, as well as for the Best Net and Gross Scores for the day. As a result, we hope that everyone in Guyana, even if you are not a member but have an interest in playing, will come out and take part.”

Arjune was on hand, with several Assuria staff members, throughout play in the tournament. He expressed delight at the progress the Club has made under the guidance of President Aleem Hussain during the one year that he (Arjune) has been a member of the Club, and at the great day of play that had just been witnessed.

Arjune has said, “I have always seen golf as a game of tremendous focus and energy – qualities that are the foundations of Assuria General.”

He noted the commitment of the golfers, spending at least 4 continuous hours in the sun, and committed Assuria to having a greater involvement, including a larger sponsorship, the next time around.

For more information on the LGC, and how to learn the game or become a member, please call 220-5660/645-0944. To find out more about the services offered by Assuria General, please email the company at guyana@assuria.sr or visit their offices located in Giftland Mall, or Church Street, Vreeden-Hoop, Parika, Port Mourant, Diamond or Linden.

monday, april 29, 2019

Sports is no longer our game, it’s our business

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Dey outsprints Narine in Flying Ace Cycling event Page 23

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BCB/Beacon Foundation 20/20 cricket…

RHTY&SC crowned champions after defeating Albion ― Young Warriors knocked out in Match 1

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