Guyana Times Monday February 17, 2020

Royal Castle hosts P15 Mash 2020 Jumpstart Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4199

THE BEACON OF TRUTH MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020

PRICE

PPP/C’s Bath rally

Ali details plans to revitalise agriculture and economy See story on page 3

$80 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

“Don’t be P7 seduced by ‘new’ promises from coalition” – Jagdeo

After turbulent relations with Private Sector

APNU/AFC promises now Public/Private Partnership Unit P15

Boat Captain who shot P12 clothes vendor still on run – Police

...to avoid PNC pitfall of fixating only on oil

PPP/C to implement anti-crime fighting strategy

89 complete First Lady’s ICT, STEM robotics P14 workshops

See story on page 9

Cop flung from Govt called out for ATV after failure to avoiding pothole …suffers head injuries appoint new coroners en route to crime scene Page 9

Page 14

Preservation of 10,000 jobs for sugar workers P11 – GAWU says it’s another false promise by coalition Govt

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Monday, February 17 – 12:30h – 14:00h and Tuesday, February 18 – 01:00h – 02:30h and 13:30h – 15:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Monday, February 17 – 11:40h – 13:10h and Tuesday, February 18 – 12:50h - 14:20h.

PPP/C’s Bath rally

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Ali details plans to revitalise agriculture and economy

...to avoid PNC pitfall of fixating only on oil

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY There will be light rain showers during the early morning hours followed by light cloud. Sunny intervals are expected for the rest of the day.

There will be clear skies at night. Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Supporters at the PPP/C’s massive rally on Sunday at Bath Settlement, WCB

Winds: Easterly to East North-Easterly between 1.34 metres and 5.36 metres.

High Tide: 11:13h reaching a maximum height of 2.23 metres.

Low Tide: 17:27h reaching a minimum height of 0.99 metre.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2020

LOTTERY NUMBERS B

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Bonus Ball

DAILY MILLIONS

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DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Crude Oil Rough Rice London Sugar

$57.32/barrel $239.58/ton $407.20/ton

Live Spot Gold Bid/Ask Low/High Change

$1583.60 $1573.60 0.00

Change % +1.71 +0.04 0.00

USD Per Ounce $1584.60 $1585.80 0.00%

PPP/C Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali addressing supporters

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PP/C’s Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali on Sunday said that the revenues Guyana will earn from its budding oil and gas industry will have to be used to strengthen other traditional economic sectors such as agriculture. He was emphasising what has been described as the “Dutch Disease” which has stagnated growth in other petroleum-producing countries that neglected other sectors.

Addressing thousands of supporters during a massive rally at Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, Ali gave a bravura performance as he succinctly outlined plans of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) to revitalise the economy that has stagnated under the neglect of the PNCled regime during the past five years. He took pains to elaborate on the agriculture sector which is dominant presently in Region Five.

Recognising the agricultural potential of Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), the PPP/C Presidential Candidate noted that this could have never been fully realised because the incumbent coalition’s spiteful and draconian acts such as increased rental fees and cancellation of leases are driving people out of the sector.

“We have to reverse all those increases and give back the land to the people, give you back your titles. Not only must we give you back your land, if we want to promote agriculture for the younger generation, we will be investing in the opening up of new lands so they can [have] ownership of agricultural lands too,” he posited.

Ali went on to outline that the rice industry is a major sub-sector of agriculture.

He noted the APNU/AFC Administration declaring that “rice is private business”, rubbishing the statement which meant that Government should not intervene to assist.

“Let me make it very clear, every single grain of rice is Government business and after March 2, the PPP/C Government is going [to] make the rice farmers its business.

And we will start from day one by reversing the taxes on the equipment and machinery that they charge all rice farmers. We’re gonna start by reversing those drainage and irrigation charges and by reversing those new land rent fees. We are going to take it

back to 2015 and remove the burden they have brought on you over the past five years,” he contended.

Cognisant of the lag in cash flow that is endemic in the rice industry, the PPP/C Presidential Candidate further declared that his Administration will also work with the commercial banks to reschedule rice farmers’ loans so that they can be able to get back on their feet. He also assured the farmers who have lost crops that they will be supplied with paddy seeds to replant again for the new crop.

Ali also spoke of the establishment of a rice stabilisation fund to help rice farmers in time of need and distress when, for a variety of reasons that plague the industry, prices plummet.

“You will be voting for a Government that will be supporting you on exploring newer varieties to give you higher yields. You will be voting to return the extension service that the Government once give you. In essence, you will be voting for prosperous and vibrant future for the rice sector

in Region Five and all across Guyana,” the PPP/C front runner also stressed.

Looking to other sub-sectors in agriculture, Ali further noted that a PPP/C Administration will also look into importing better breeds of animals to boost international markets for local livestock farmers.

“There are many new markets that exists that can support a strong livestock industry. But a strong livestock industry requires a Government that will invest in infrastructure that will support the industry. We have to build a state-of-the-art abattoir, we have to build a stateof-the-art packing facility, a storage facility that meet international standards so you can have access to higher and better-paying markets,” he asserted.

Turning his attention to the fishing sector, Ali posited that the fisherfolk have faced many difficulties in recent years including security threats at sea and increased taxes on equipment which also results in the cost of operation rising.

To this end, he said when the PPP/C gets into office it

will support the fishermen by removing taxes on equipment and help them to recapitalise their operations. He added too that his Administration will also ensure security for the fisherfolk as well as provide opportunities for them.

“We are going to provide security for them, give them access to technology and support them in accessing what is required to protect themselves when they go out to sea. We are going to support our fisherfolks by ensuring we explore new markets,” he noted.

Added to this, the PPP/C Presidential Candidate said that the party will have to work on establishing a packing and storage facility to prepare fishermen for those new markets. He further stated that they will also restore the catfish/“gillbacka” market which nosedived when the US imposed restrictions on its importation.

“We have to give them incentives so they too can invest in technology and as Government brings new regulations for this sector, we have to help our fisherfolk to meet these new regulations so that they can remain competitive,” Ali stressed. TURN TO PAGE 11

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guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020

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

Stop the slide into dictatorship

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n March 2, the citizens of Guyana will have to draw a proverbial line in the sand on the creeping subversion of the rule of law, which is a disturbing sign of a return to the dark days of the PNC’s dictatorial rule, especially between 1968 and 1985 under Forbes Burnham, that party’s “founder leader”. During the last five years, there were too many examples abounding of governmental institutions -- led by President David Granger -- stretching and acting outside their constitutional remit, and taking unilateral political decisions that plunged the country further down the Burnhamite abyss.

As usual, it began with testing actions that violated the spirit of agreements that were solemnly crafted to guide actions in the political realm. For President Granger to renege on the agreement with the AFC contained in the “Cummingsburg Accord” -- to have his Prime Minister chair the Cabinet and be in charge of domestic governance -- by claiming the Constitution precluded it was more than bad faith. It was a sign that, without compunction, Granger was willing to break the moral contract between parties that undergirds the rule of law writ large. The Constitution authorises the President to delegate any of his Executive powers to any of his Ministers, but unfortunately, the AFC were unwilling to challenge him on his claim. Their mouths were muzzled by the hand that feeds them.

Granger moved on to actually violate the Constitution when he disputed, in a long and contentious argument, the clear language that was inserted to approve the nomination and appointment of “any other fit and proper person” than a judge as the Chair of GECOM. He said it was simply the “perception” of the Chief Justice, to whom the matter was referred. He insisted that he was entitled to his “perception”, and took the matter all the way to the CCJ. Even when that apex court ruled against him, Granger insisted on another obtuse interpretation of the law to claim he was entitled to include his nominations on the list of six names the Opposition Leader was supposed to submit for him to make a choice from.

It is when these intrusions form a pattern of violations of the spirit of the rule of law that the vigilance of the citizenry becomes critical, since dictatorships are usually constructed in broad daylight while the citizens are inattentive. Soon the rights of those citizens themselves are trampled upon as the “dictator in the making” enlarges the scope of his unilateral actions.

In fact, the Chief Justice had to rule that a unilateral action by President Granger to annul the leases of several West Coast Berbice farmers was illegal. But clearly, from his subsequent actions, that judgement did not serve to disabuse the President of his misapprehension of the “separation of powers” doctrine and his encouragement of the traducing of the rule of law.

Not surprisingly, the President’s cavalier attitude infected other officials of his Government, and almost every day one could read of further transgressions. The secreting of the “signing bonus” received from Exxon in the Bank of Guyana (BOG) for over a year -- done by two senior Ministers: Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman and Minister of Finance Winston Jordan -- and not in the Consolidated Fund as mandated by the Constitution (Art 216) was only the tip of the proverbial iceberg of egregious transgressions.

The overreach on the oil contract signed by Trotman is still an ongoing saga, which had to be approved by the imperious Granger.

The fact that Ministers can alternately try to stonewall and then offer patently specious “reasons” for their breaking of the law demonstrates their contempt for the Guyanese people. But it is grounded in their following a President giving short shrift, if any, to even the highest laws of Guyana.

What has been very unfortunate is the partisan lines along which the citizenry has been split towards these transgressions, evidently oblivious to the encouragement it offers to our country’s inevitable slide into authoritarianism at best, and to a dictatorship at worst.

This must be halted on March 2.

Hundreds of friends and family members bid farewell to national cyclist Jude Bentley on Sunday. In photo, close relatives including the wife stood next to the casket in tears. Bentley was killed last week in a motor vehicle accident on the Rupert Craig Highway

Granger’s presidency must be seen for the abject failure it is

Dear Editor, Kaieteur newspaper seems to be having some difficulty in accepting the realities of David Granger and his central role in the maladministration of our nation’s affairs. In an article appearing on February 16, entitled “Same story, different players!” the news outlet highlights the illogical juxtaposition of Government taking a loan of $121 million to bolster expertise in the Energy Department while simultaneously spending $1400 million on the construction of two schools “which also can be built for half of that sum”.

There is little doubt that the newspaper has the facts correct, but, inexplicably, they state “Granger and Jagdeo need to explain to the nation what is really happening in this country”.

Mr Jagdeo has been explaining exactly what has been happening in this country in great detail at his weekly press conferences.

The list of patently corrupt

and surreptitious acts by the Granger Administration has grown almost weekly; to list but a few of the notables requires indulgence of news editors who have grown weary of the litany; drug bond; mining concessions; family contracts; bridging deeds, poorly negotiated PSA et al. and of last week’s vintage, prime land allocations mere weeks before the General and Regional Elections.

Editor, no reputable company would be acquiring leases from a Government that has suffered a loss of legitimacy (at the most generous point) on September 19, 2019. It is not surprising that Marriott International Inc or any other international hotel chain has not made announcements of agreements for the branding or management of the latest ventures.

Reputable companies, managed by reputable people, seek reputable legal advice. Such advice would surely state that engaging

an illegitimate Government for sale of land and granting of concessions weeks before the election would have a deleterious effect on reputation and future business dealings in Guyana.

The contrast in performance in constitutional offices by David Granger (President) and Bharrat Jagdeo (Leader of the Opposition) cannot be greater. Granger has opted for silence, with annual press conferences (with limited engagement) and a reliance on remarks on the sidelines of ceremonial events. It has been a presidency marked by pomposity.

On the other hand, Jagdeo has performed his duty as Leader of the Opposition in such exemplary fashion that even in the absence of parliamentary democracy; the Guyanese public has been kept abreast of the wanton use/abuse of its resources, and every conceivable issue that affects their daily lives and their

short and long-term future.

However painful the truth about David Granger and his tenure as President may be to those who admire him personally, it (his presidency) must be seen for the abject failure it is.

The Global Witness Report ‘Signed Away’ details the great loss of US$55 billion and the Clyde & Co investigation commissioned by David Granger confirms ineptitude and negligence that borders on criminal.

Thus, the hypocrisy of trying to associate Jagdeo with dubious Granger actions as outlined by Kaieteur News is an odious, shameless and (possible) subconscious cry for help. Those responsible for this article in the Kaieteur News need to look inward at their conscience for future guidance, should they need to look elsewhere, Matthew 7: 1-5 may be helpful.

Dear Editor, Georgetown, the Garden City of the Caribbean, with luscious trees, the greenest foliage and clean, pleasant environments, has unfortunately become described as ‘The Garbage City.’ Heaps of refuse, clogged and contaminated drains and trenches and overflowing bins can be seen in the city.

It is no doubt that we as citizens are failing to protect our environment.

Steven Chu, former United States Secretary of Energy and Nobel Prize winner, claimed that – “the climate is changing and the proper political debate should be how to deal with these risks”. Apart from political campaigning and preparation for 2020 elections, it should be the Government and the City Council’s significant duty to ensure that the Capital’s affairs are still being man-

aged, especially with the problem of waste disposal.

Aside from our differences in opinions and choices, we as citizens should focus on beautifying and enhancing our environment so that there can be a guarantee of the next generation surviving. What is the reason for our country being labelled as the Garbage City?

Georgetown disposes of waste legally and illegally – dumping and burning.

Most of the legal dumping is done by sanitary service companies which take the garbage to the Haags Bosch Landfill at Eccles. The site covers an area of 50 hectares with a waste fill area of 26 hectares and an estimated lifetime of 25 years.

The facility opened in 2011 and receives approximately 110,000 tonnes of waste annually.

Respectfully, Robin Singh

Modernising waste management

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020

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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

Free and fair elections are obligatory Dear Editor, According to Granger and the PNC, elections are not mandatory nor is it necessary to have elections, they are really a bother to him. These are the sentiments and sure facts sourced from his actions ever-since.

For these very same reasons, he delayed the holding of Regional and General Elections some fourteen months after the successful passage of a no-confidence vote.

Further, he was caught making that asinine remark that he would change the Constitution as it relates to a no-confidence vote. The ultimate aim here is that elections should be avoided at all costs or not be held at

all. Elections pose a threat to Granger and his autocratic rule, he dreads facing the people who brought him there in the first place, so one should examine the reasons why he is fearful of elections and elections being free and fair.

Now, being in office and forming a Government, one has to go through the electoral process, the people vote you into power and in that way, grant you the mandate to rule. In this regard, elections are valuable tools with which democracy is manifested and a sure way you can and should hold power, any other route is illegal and constitutes fraud.

The PNC-led coalition came to office in 2015

through the electoral system, under a cloud of controversy for the most part because that election never passed the test of verification. Nevertheless, they were granted that mandate to govern unfettered. This they did until - according to the law - the Government fell under a no-confidence vote on December 21, 2018, this meant that elections were to have been held by March 21 of the following year, 2019.

This did not take place because the Granger Government was hell-bent on completing its five-year term, irrespective of the no-confidence vote. In addition to that, they want to remain in office illegally, how-

ever, after intense pressure from the Opposition as well as the international community the law was brought to bear on Granger and he had to call elections.

Well, here we are at this juncture of an election after having endured the torture of an illegal Government these past fourteen months.

We have endured the torture and are now at the threshold of elections which, according to Granger, should not be because he does not want to relinquish power. So, in essence, Granger is actually saying if you cannot hold off the election then try every illegal way possible to at least eke out a win using the PNC’s age-old rigging machinery.

Modernising waste...

Land, water and air pollution are primarily caused by reckless and illegal dumping. The chemicals and non-biodegradable materials in waste, both domestic and industrial contaminate groundwater and soil. The value of property diminishes if it is littered by illegal dumping. Lands or places that have been turned into unlawful dumpsites can serve as magnets for criminal activities and homes for the destitute and also diseases.

The dirt and smell can also make such areas unappealing which affects tourism, especially if the dumping is done in forests or beside the roads. This illegal dumping penetrates the water chain.

Yearly, thousands of cash in terms of taxpayers’ money is committed to cleaning the mess brought about by illegally disposed unwanted materials. Municipalities spend lots of money fixing natural areas and infrastructure affected by illegal dumping only for this to be repeated almost like a cycle, by irresponsible elements and ‘junkies.’

Although dumping and burning may be the quickest method of waste disposal, it is also very harmful to the environment and poses potentially grave health risks. Smoke pollutes the air we breathe. Ash pollutes our soil, groundwater, lakes, rivers and streams, and res-

idents living in Eccles can experience the raining of thick, messy airborne particles (ash).

Burning anything in the outdoors can cause wildfires.

Similarly, setting a flame to materials, such as rubbish, plastic and painted/treated wood is harmful to the environment because these materials release toxic chemicals into the air. Polluted air can be inhaled by humans and animals, and deposited in the soil, valuable cultivated sites, plants and other public assets.

Unburned portions of plastic become litter and animals may consume these toxicants. Significant particles of non-biodegradable plastic can become breeding grounds for diseases, contributing to an unsafe environment by clogged drains.

Unpleasant odours are bothersome to and irk people.

Both odours and smoke residue can enter dwelling sites or can impact anything outside, such as cars or hanging laundry.

The gases released by open burning also corrodes metal siding and damage paint on buildings over time. Other chemicals released while burning plastic includes benzo(a)pyrene (BAP) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which science has proven to be a cause of cancer. If agricultural bags or containers are contaminated with pesticides or other harmful sub-

stances, it will also be released into the environment.

In Trinidad and Tobago, the National Integrated Waste Management Policy (NISWMP) of 2014 manages the country’s waste in accordance with a hierarchy that minimises land-filling, reduction of toxicity and volume of waste, through reuse, recycling and source-separated organic waste management (IDB’s report).

Also, Trinidad’s Solid Waste Management Company (SWMCOL) has initiated a Recycling Depot, which allows eco-conscious citizens the opportunity to dispose of their recyclable items such as water bottles, glass bottles or milk cartons.

The Sustainable Barbados Recycling Centre (SBRC) is integral to waste management in Barbados.

Approximately 1000 tonnes of waste are dropped off daily. However, through the recovery of recyclable materials, 70 per cent of this waste is diverted from the landfill. Diverted waste is recycled to be composted, such as coconut husks that are used to create mulches; tree clippings and wood used to make wood chips; soils to

So, this is our main thrust, election time is here again and the onerous task of getting The PNC out.

Getting them out is not the difficult part because all the telltale signs are there to prove that they will lose the next election, however, getting them out on a legal straightforward free and fair way is another matter.

To this end, the international community has issued a clarion call that there must be free and fair elections in Guyana. That call is for the PNC party as well as the electoral body GECOM. To all and sundry the call is, you must conduct yourselves in a free and fair atmosphere with no conditions attached. Trying to turn

back the hands of time will not work.

I say serious and dire will be the consequences of those on the ground as well as those at GECOM if any skulduggery is applied. In that regard, we are taking no chances, we are watching their every move like a hawk. Be it known that free and fair elections is not an option of the PNC, it is a legally binding obligation that must be adhered to and for which the people of this nation shall decide on March 2. We are looking forward to that day in which the truth will be told.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

FROM PAGE 4

use as top-soils in gardens, and rocks to be used in land reclamation projects.

Waste to Energy (WTE) is a process of creating energy in the form of electricity or heat from the incineration of a waste source. The waste is combusted, turbined to produce electricity and then air pollution control equipment cleans emissions and toxins into water vapour and cleaned fuel gases. The above mentioned is the policy in Martinique and St Barthelemy. The IDB also confirmed that some other Caribbean countries such as Barbados and Bahamas are currently looking into it.

The World Bank estimates that global annual waste is expected to increase by 70 per cent. Guyana is experiencing increases in waste disposals over the years. Haags Bosch was initially designed for an inflow of 250 tonnes a day, however, it is currently accepting an average of 400 tonnes per day. With the oil and gas industry on stream, it is expected that this issue will be resolved. Such advancements – WTE and recycling, can produce less waste accumulation and alternatives

to illegal and harmful waste disposals. These innovations can be very advantageous to our country.

As residents, we should practice the three R’s: recycle, reduce, reuse. We should spread the word and educate our communities about the importance of conserving our planet. Recycling is one of the best ways of having a positive impact on the world in which we live. It saves the earth, energy and mitigates global warming and pollution.

It starts in the home, reuse household materials such as water bottles, boxes, tires, scrap irons, fruit and vegetable peelings, instead of dumping them. For example, tires can be used as flower pots or an item for storage, or even a swing.

Fruits and vegetable peel-

ings can be used to add nutrients to the soil. Instead of filling dump sites with plastic, reuse them.

Comparatively, there has been an uneven improvement in our exercise of disposal in the urban communities, but there is a far way to go. It is important to note that it is not only the duty of the Government and municipalities, as Guyanese citizens, it is our responsibility to stand together, erase social differences, in order to protect, enhance and develop our environment before it’s too late. We can all join hands to reduce the amount of waste going into our landfill.

Sincerely, Hadiyyah Mohamed Student

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020

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I

t should come as no surprise that success – or failure – at school starts at home. Studies have linked poor academic performance to factors such as a lack of sleep, poor nutrition, obesity, and a lack of parental support.

The good news is that those same studies also show higher test scores for students who live in homes where healthy habits, regular routines, and good communication exist. Follow these tips and your child thrive.

Develop healthy habits You can’t perform well when you don’t feel good. To have the best chance at doing well in school, follow healthy habits at home. Go to bed at a time that will give you plenty of sleep, and eat a healthy breakfast each morning.

Exercise, and limit the amount of time you spend watching TV, playing video games, listening to music, or using the computer.

Foundation

Stick to a routine Most kids thrive on structure and will respond well to routines that help them organise their days. Your routines may

differ, but the key is to make it the same every day so your child knows what to expect.

Create a “launch pad” Veteran parents know it’s important to have a single place to put backpacks, jackets, shoes, lunchboxes, and school projects each day.

Some call it a “launch pad”, while others call it a “staging area”. Whatever your family call it, find a place where you can keep the items you need

for school each day and keep organised. Then you’ll know right where to find everything during the morning rush.

Designate a space At school you have a desk or table where you work. There is plenty of light, lots of supplies, and enough room to work.

Why not get the same type of environment for homework?

A designated homework space often makes it easier and more fun to complete assignments at home. A desk is great, but a basket of supplies and a stretch of kitchen counter work just as well.

Read, again and again

It is often said that children spend the first several years learning to read, and the rest of their lives reading to learn.

The written word is a gateway to all kinds of learning, and the more you read, the better chance you have of becoming a proficient and eager learner.

Try to sit down to read a little bit every day, read out loud to your parents or younger siblings, as well, and above all have fun.

While the importance of reading cannot be stressed enough, it should not be the cause of stress.

the AAP Council on School Health. “There’s only so much teachers can do. Parents have to fill in with good support at home.”

Parents should look for ways to teach children throughout the day. For example, cooking combines elements of Maths and science. Use the time when your parent/s make dinner as an opportunity to read and follow directions, to discuss fractions, to make hypotheses (“What will happen when I beat the egg whites?”), and to examine results.

Talk often Tell your parents how you

feel about your classroom, your teacher, and your classmates.

If not, ask her. Talk about what you like and don’t like at school. Express your anxieties, excitement, or disappointments about each day.

Expect success Perhaps the most important way parents can support your efforts at school is to expect you to succeed.

That doesn’t mean that you be the best student or the best athlete or the best artist.

Rather, they expect you to do your best so that you’ll be proud of what you can accomplish. (Adapted from healthychildren.org)

Learn always You may be past the preschool years, but home education is still a critical part of your overall learning experience. “Some of the attitude recently is that it’s up to the schools and teachers to figure it all out, to make sure children are learning and healthy and safe,” says Barbara Frankowski, MD, MPH, FAAP, and member of

T

hink about something that tells about you – what you like to do, something you like to wear or eat, a place you like to go, something that makes you special…

Illustrate your idea on a 7-inch square of white paper.

Leave room under your illustration to complete your caption “I am_________” Glue your competed square on an eight-inch square of construction paper.

Practise your quilt square before you do your final one.

Add your square to those of a classmate’s or friend’s to form a quilt. Keep adding to form a quilt like the one pictured. (Adapted from startwithabook)

NEWS

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“Don’t be seduced by ‘new’ promises from coalition” – Jagdeo

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pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Sunday urged Guyanese not to be seduced once again by the fallacious promises made by the incumbent APNU/AFC coalition.

He told supporters at a massive rally in Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, on Sunday that they should not trust nor believe

don’t be seduced by this nonsense of new promises,” the Opposition Leader noted.

Jagdeo recounted in 2015 when he warned that if the APNU/AFC coalition won that election then the country would be on a decline and the people would suffer. That, he noted, was not being prophetic but was based on the reality of their time in office.

Supporters at the PPP/C rally in Bath Settlement on Sunday

the coalition Administration since it failed to fulfil its many promises made in 2015.

“How could anybody in their right mind believe anything that APNU says. How could you believe anything that they say when everything that they put in their manifesto in 2015, they failed to fulfil. So comrades,

“By end of that period in 1992, the hardships had manifested themselves and the economy was totally destroyed and so we knew what was to come… In 28 years of rule, they did not use that time to enhance freedom but remained in office through rigged elections so we knew there would be an assault on democratic

values…,” he posited.

The Opposition Leader pointed out that many people fell in love with the promises they heard from APNU and AFC at that time.

“The sugar workers, rice farmers, pensioners, young people and many others all thought that this Administration would do something to improve their lives. And today we don’t have to tell what has happened because you’ve seen every single promise broken. You’ve seen the deterioration of every sector, you’ve seen the hardships that people face now and people want this change, and that’s why I have no fear that the outcome on March 2, will be anything but a PPP victory,” he asserted.

Jagdeo, who is also the General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), noted that they have outlined many of their measures over the past four months, showing Guyanese their specific plans for the future to benefit everyone.

Plan for Guyana

He pointed out that the PPP/C is the only party that has a plan for Guyana and all of its people. In fact, he noted the reason that the PPP stayed in office for over 23 years is because it is a

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

national party that caters for the development and enhancement of everyone, from residents in Linden to those in the hinterland.

These developments will continue under a new PPP/C regime, he assured.

According to Jagdeo, after telling citizens about cash grants from the oil revenue, the coalition is now saying that they will have to do a feasibility study before doing that. He pointed out that they did not do a feasibility study before increasing the salaries of Ministers mere months after taking office.

The Opposition Leader noted that the PPP/C Administration had started a cash grant programme, which was cancelled by the coalition, for school children and this was done even without oil money.

“We did it without and with oil… you gonna get back that money and it will go to $50,000 and we don’t need a feasibility study,” he stated.

Jagdeo told supporters that even if there were no oil revenues, the PPP/C would have restored the cash grants and this would have been funded by cutting back the hefty spending of the coalition Government.

“We’re gonna cut out the $1.1 billion more that these Ministers spend on local travel. We’re gonna cut out the $1 billion more that they spend on rental of buildings, another nearly billion dollars more on maintenance of vehicles and another billion dollars more food in Government. If we cut all of those things, then we can afford the cash grants to the child without oil money and

we can give the pensioners double what they’re getting,” he asserted.

On this note, the Opposition Leader encouraged supporters on Sunday to ensure that they go out to vote on March 2 to secure victory for the PPP/C. He pointed out that getting to this point was not an easy journey as the party had to fight the coalition in every step along the way.

“But your party is very strong. Don’t underestimate the strength of the People’s Progressive Party,” he contended.

The PPP General Secretary further urged persons to ensure that they check their names on the voters’ list and know their polling places to avoid confusion on elections day.

“Ensure that you know where you are voting and if you’re misplaced in another division, make plans to go there and vote. Every vote matter comrades…

We’re in the last stretch.

We’ve run the more distance. It’s been a hard battle to get here. We’ve had to fight them tooth and nail, in Parliament etcetera, to get to this point. We’re two weeks away, let's accelerate. The sprint is now on, we can’t let down now and I’m counting on all of you here…,”

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Spinning…

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…for his pension ne thing you gotta say about Moses Nagamootoo: he’s sure certainly keeping alive the family tradition of producing spinners!! Stripped of even the mundane powers of the Prime Ministership – much less the promised powerful ones – he was given responsibility for spinning the PNC-led coalition’s dismal record in the Chronic. In a Freudian slip, he dubbed his column “My Turn”, which, of course, evokes what it really was: “MY Spin”!!

So, what did he spin this week? NO surprise there – the manifesto which wasn’t a manifesto!! But this time he outdid himself – cause the spin had to be really outrageous to even attempt to deflect the sordid reality that he and his partners-in-crime can do nothing but make empty promises!! Nagamootoo chose to discuss the 21 promises APNU/AFC had made in their 2015 Manifesto, which were going to be delivered in 100 DAYS!!

He conceded failure but emphasised that failure when he offered the excuse that the budget took months to present and pass, and they couldn’t meet their timeline on account of no funds!! Who does this Bozo think he’s fooling?? First of all, after boasting ad nauseum about his “50 years in politics”, didn’t he know ahead of time about Budgets? But even there, he’s lying in his teeth!

Which one of the 21 promises needed budgetary support that exceeded the 50% raise in salaries that he, Granger and the Cabinet awarded themselves – right after they assumed office??!!

Let’s look at one promise he didn’t even try to spin – to liberalise the telecommunications sector. How much money would it have taken to call in GTT for negotiations??

Today, 18,000 days later, the Telecommunications Sector – on which the country’s success in this new millennium depends – still haven’t been liberalised!! Maybe under the PNC new maths, 18,000 days is less than 100 days?? Or maybe they are using Einstein’s theory of relativity which posits that under some conditions time slows down??

To illustrate Nagamootoo’s priorities and pettiness, he boasted that “we pruned the excessive benefits under the former presidents’ law by placing a cap on the number of vehicles, guards, guns, overseas trips, duty-free concessions and other benefits that Mr Jagdeo had given to himself (monetised at some $3 million monthly), and to his two colleagues who had also served as president.” But what about the pension they created for Hamilton Green under a special “Hamilton Green Pension Bill”??

Why didn’t he contest the GHRA’s contention that under the “obnoxious” Bill? “Green would receive an annual pension of $20,580,000, other benefits to the value of $3.1 million annually, two vehicles provided and maintained by the State and two first-class annual airfares provided by the State.”

Even in politics “chucking” is illegal!! …green energy In terms of substantive policies, nowhere is the PNC’s confusion more evident than in the energy area. In its 2020 manifesto-that-is-not-a-manifesto, they once again committed to “the goal of 100% renewable energy by 2030”. But when one looks at the details, they emphasise the gas from the Lisa 1 field and solar energy. Do they realise that gas-fired power plants don’t count as “renewable” energy?? And since we will be getting gas from the fields for the next three decades, do they envisage us flaring this gas to reach their goal??

Now there’s nothing wrong with solar power – save that as, they found out at Mabarama, it’s not without its challenges. But most stunning was their blanking of Hydro Power: just mentioning supplying Lethem and Mahdia with the two micro-plants in the pipeline that’ll barely supply 3MW!! At least in 2015, they gave lip service to pursuing AFHEP, while arguing that larger projects in the Mazaruni basin were preferable!!

What’s with the PNC? They suffer from hydrophobia?? …Deep water harbours The 2020 Manifesto-that-is-not-a-manifesto promises to “Upgrade the Linden–Kwakwani road and construct a new highway from Linden to Lethem with access to deepwater harbours”!!

Deep-water Harbours at Lethem and Linden?? On the interior lake where El Dorado lies??

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

NEWS

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

PPP/C to implement anti-crime fighting strategy P

eople’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Prime Ministerial Candidate, Retired Brigadier Mark Phillips on Sunday said that safer communities were needed for Guyana to attract foreign investors.

According to Phillips, for this to happen there needs to be an expansion in use of modern technology and intelligence in the fight against crime throughout Guyana.

He made these comments at the Party’s Bath Settlement, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) rally, where he assured supporters that the Party would make communities safer when it resumed office after the March 2 General and Regional Elections.

“We will provide more equipment and training for the law enforcement personnel. We will improve the

investigating and forensic capabilities of all the law enforcement agencies. We will expand and use modern technology and intelligence in the fight against crime throughout Guyana. We will expand intelligence-gathering and processing capabilities in all of the law enforcement agencies in order to promote intelligence-led policing throughout Guyana,” Phillips told the thousands

Govt called out for failure to appoint new coroners

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espite the coalition Government passing the Coroners Amendment Act of 2016 over four years ago, it has failed to appoint a single coroner to ensure inquests into unlawful killings can be held.

It is a lapse that was zeroed in on by former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who in a statement on Sunday questioned why his successor, current Attorney General Basil Williams, was unable to appoint any coroners.

Legal Affairs Ministry

Former AG Anil Nandlall

He noted that the whole point of passing the bill was to increase the number of coroners. In addition, Nandlall noted that this was a campaign promise of the coalition Government that remained unfulfilled.

“In January 2016, the National Assembly enacted the Coroners Amendment Act 2015, piloted by Attorney General Basil Williams. The purpose of this Act was to facilitate the appointment of an increased number of coroners so that more inquests into unlawful killings can be held,” Nandlall said.

“In presenting this Bill in the National Assembly, Williams told the nation that it was a platform promise of President David Granger in the 2015 elections campaign to hold thousands of inquests into alleged unlawful killings and the coalition Government is very anx-

ious to hold these inquests.

Five years after, not a single new coroner has been appointed under this Act. Yet, they pretend to care about those who died,” the former AG added. Efforts to contact Williams were futile.

On January 14, 2016, the National Assembly had passed the Coroners Amendment Bill 2015 after a heated and lengthy debate between the Government and Opposition. According to the amended Bill, at present, the magistrate of the magisterial district in which an unnatural death occurs is the coroner.

If that magistrate cannot conveniently or speedily be found, or is unable to act, the nearest Justice of the Peace who is able to act shall be the coroner. A coroner is defined as a public official who investigates by inquest any death not due to natural causes.

The amendments to the Act effected by the Bill do not affect the law as it stands, apart from widening the meaning of a coroner. According to the explanatory memorandum, the amendment provides for the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to appoint fit and proper persons to be coroners for the country.

A coroner shall also have the powers, privileges, rights and jurisdiction of a magistrate and Justice of the

Peace as are necessary for the performance of his duties. In his presentation prior to the Bill being deliberated on, Williams had stated that Government was moving to have this Bill passed since there were a number of families who needed closure on the deaths of their loved ones.

Section 3A (2) of the amended Act specifies that “In the county of Demerara there shall be at least three coroners; in the county of Berbice at least two and in the county of Essequibo at least one.”

The Coroners Act, Chapter 4:03, states that “where an unnatural death is reported or comes to the knowledge of the coroner, he shall, subject to the other provisions of this Act, forthwith cause due investigation to be made as to the cause of that death and if necessary, hold an inquest or if the circumstances so require, shall hold an inquiry.”

Some of the cases for which a coroner’s inquest was held last year included the 2018 drowning of engineer Neil Sookram at a Soesdyke Wharf, East Bank Demerara. However, the Government’s failure to hold inquests into the extrajudicial killings that occurred in Guyana during the period 2000-2008, despite campaign promises to do so before it took office, has been noticeable.

PPP/C Prime Ministerial Candidate, Retired Brigadier, Mark Philips

of supporters.

He said the PPP/C would ensure greater accountability by the Police in solving crime in Guyana.

“We will provide better renumeration and conditions of service for persons in the security forces. We will decentralise crime-fighting resources and capabilities across Guyana,” Phillips added.

Security capabilities in the hinterland will also be improved, Phillips said, adding that the Party would support Amerindian communities as well as the forestry and mining sectors.

The Financial Intelligence Unit and the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit are also to be strengthened as part of the crime and security strategy.

“We will increase international cooperation in the fight against the smuggling of narcotics. We also need to look at road safety.”

To this end, policies will be implemented to make the roads in Guyana safe for pedestrians and all other class-

es of road users. He also noted that a PPP Government would improve the prison system and prisoners would be put to work.

“They will have to learn a trade. We will rehabilitate them and most of all, we will return the bonus paid to the hard-working men and women of all the Joint Services,” he reiterated.

The Party’s Prime Ministerial Candidate noted that more money must be spent on the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) so that the country would be able to ensure its borders are secure. Hence, it will have to be equipped with the necessary vessels and equipment to patrol Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Phillips also took time to address issues affecting Guyanese under the current administration. Among them are the extensive spending by Government and the economy.

Extensive spending

Phillips noted that US$1.3 trillion was spent

by the Government since it took office in 2015. While noting that there was not much to show for that money, Phillips recalled that many persons supported the coalition back then owing to the concrete promises made in 2015.

“I went to Maria and a friend told me that they had a lot of concrete promises, but they only gave us concrete roads,” the retired Army Brigadier related.

“The people are starving,” he said, “and have to contend with 200 new taxes implemented by the coalition Government and to add insult to injury, they took away the $10,000 ‘Because we care’ Grant for schoolchildren.”

Economic decline

Referring to the coalition, Phillips said it lacked vision, as he was still to see a strategic plan for Guyana developed by the coalition Administration.

Thirty thousand jobs have been lost since the coalition took office. Many householders are not making enough money to cushion the impact of a rising standard of living which is being triggered by increased taxes, including VAT on water, medical supplies, education and electricity.

All these, Phillips said, will be removed when his party takes office after the March elections.

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

ECD family seeks public assistance for woman to undergo brain surgery

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he once-normal life of 47-year-old Sharmila Rampersaud of Lot 9 South, Better Hope, East Coast Demerara (ECD), has taken another turn after she

was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm last December, damaging her vision and causing other serious health conditions.

Today, her family is

pleading with the public for assistance for her to have much needed medical attention so as to bring about some normalcy.

Doctors at the Georgetown

Public Hospital Cooperation (GPHC) after conducting a computerised tomography (CT) scan and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) found that Rampersaud was

suffering from an aneurysm in her brain, a condition which involves the bulging or ballooning of a blood vessel in the brain.

In this case, surgical clipping or endovascular coiling is expected to be done to seal off the unruptured aneurysm and help prevent a future rupture.

However, if treatment is delayed, the blood vessel will continue to grow, causing severe localised headaches, blurred vision, neck pain and even a rupture which can lead to death.

In an interview on Monday, the woman’s daughter, Melisa Bacchus, shared that her mother was experiencing severe pain in the neck last December, which prompted a hospital visit during which doctors made the discovery and recommended immediate surgery.

“I took her to the hospital and they did a CT scan,

it found that she had blood in her brain and she was placed on medication. Later on, her right eye shut down and after that, we did an MRI and it showed that she had an aneurysm growing in her brain, which she has to do a surgery for,” the daughter explained.

However, the cost of this much-needed operation is estimated to be $6.4 million – an amount the family is fighting to secure, but to date, little progress has been made.

Bacchus shared that her mother is presently in neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago, with hopes that the surgery can be done there at a much lower cost. For this cause, family members are asking the public to help fund the operation needed to save Rampersaud’s life.

Interested persons can contact Bacchus on cellphone number 681-2577 or telephone number 5012376.

Woman surrenders to Police after dousing husband with hot oil

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woman, who is accused of dousing her husband with hot oil almost three weeks ago and had gone into hiding, has turned herself in at the Central Police Station, New Amsterdam, Berbice.

This was confirmed by Regional (East BerbiceCorentyne) Commander Calvin Brutus when he was contacted on Saturday.

However, the Commander refused to give further information regarding the matter.

The victim, Devon Thomas, was discharged from the New Amsterdam Hospital after being treated for burns to his face, torso and shoulder.

It was reported that days before the incident on January 20, Thomas, a lecturer at the New Amsterdam Technical Institute, had signalled his intention of filing a divorce after accusing his wife of an extra-marital affair. This newspaper was told that the suspect attempted to prevent Thomas’ actions by pleading with him

Injured: Devon Thomas

to reconcile with her, however, these attempts failed.

On January 20, Thomas had just exited the bathroom when the woman approached him with the pan of hot oil and doused him with it.

Prior to the incident, another woman – Lotoya Angel – a salesgirl of Gangaram Village, East Canje, Berbice, was also remanded for committing the same act on her partner. Angel was charged for pouring hot oil on her partner, Danny Vannooten, causing him to be hospitalised for serious burns at the New Amsterdam Hospital.

NEWS

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Preservation of 10,000 jobs for sugar workers – GAWU says it’s another false promise by coalition Govt

GAWU General Secretary Seepaul Narine

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roken promises surrounding returning the sugar industry to a profitable industry have resurfaced once again, during the A Partnership For National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition manifesto launch for the March 2020 elections.

According to the manifesto, an APNU/AFC coalition GOVERNMENT will secure and preserve the livelihood of some 10,000 sugar workers who are still employed by GuySuCo as it continues its programme of restructuring the industry.

However, this does not sit well with the General Secretary of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), Seepaul Narine, who noted that “this is again false promises,” during an exclusive interview with Guyana Times.

The Union representative went on to question the party’s plans for preserving the industry, given the fact that consistently in 2013 and 2014, they promised that no sugar estate would be closed, but ended up doing the total opposite.

“How they going preserve when they put out 7000 people and those who are there, they did not give them an increase for five years. It is promises, promises but action speaks louder than words and what they have really done is really to make those people poorer,” Narine added.

Moreover, President Granger stated that he “inherited a moribund industry,” but Narine is contending that the coalition Administration has tossed over 7000 into a financial crisis, instead of making it profitable as it once promised in 2014 and 2015.

“He inherited an industry that had 7000 people more in employment and taking care of so many families. But he has an industry now that he has [driven] those people into poverty.

The hardship and the sufferings that the people faced was actually caused by him, but he is not saying that he forgets that.”

Nevertheless, the President stated that his Government has “established a strong East Berbice, West Demerara, and West Berbice sugar industry…three mega estates are working and the jobs of about 10,000 harvesters have been preserved,” after the operations of the La Bonne Intention Estate were amalgamated with those of the Enmore Estate; those at Wales were amalgamated with Uitvlugt, but this claim was fiercely refuted by Narine.

“What he did was to close Wales, close Enmore, close Rose Hall, close Skeldon and he is now saying that he amalgamated them, but if you are going to amalgamated it means

APNU/AFC Executives at the launch: Joseph Harmon, Dawn Hastings-Williams, Presidential Candidate David Granger, Khemraj Ramjattan and Raphael Trotman

you are bringing it to make it bigger in one entity, but what he did was to slash and to amalgamated, if you are amalgamated, two entities becomes a bigger one but that has not happened.”

Narine outlined.

Moreover, the unionist stated that “if [the coalition] is re-elected, [they] will close the sugar industry and everyone is seeing that.” Since the only plan they have for the retrenched workers is a State Land Resettlement Commission to “enable former sugar workers to access land for housing and agriculture”.

Given the track record of Government to open these lands, even the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) had referred to the offer as “a fly in the sky. It sounds good but it smells bad,” when it was announced on the campaign trail a few weeks ago.

Also, a few weeks ago, the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Ltd (NICIL) sent out a press statement stating that it has provided ex-sugar workers with lands for farming, but GAWU noted that an investigation revealed that this was not true.

“They said that they will

give sugar workers land and they had five years to do it and they put five people in the papers and if you investigate those people they don’t really [have any-

thing]. We tried to find four of them and they are unfounded. There is one man who was given one field of land 13 years ago.”

However, the People’s

Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) stated that they will re-open the closed sugar estates given the fact that so many lives depend on it. (Shemar Alleyne)

Ali details plans...

FROM PAGE 3

Moreover, he also drew attention to the challenges of cash crop farmers who are a significant block in Region Five. Ali reminded of the assault on those farmers by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), noting that if the PPP/C gets into office then this will end.

Instead, he outlined that this Administration will support these farmers by addressing the high costs of transportation to get their produce to markets as well as expand their markets through agro-processing.

“You will be voting for a packing and storage facility that will buy the excess from our farmers so that we can package and store for export.

That is what you will be voting for: sustainable markets, new markets, higher prices and support to the cash crop farmers. These are things that will make a real difference on the table…These are the things that will determine whether the economy

is strong or weak in Region Five,” he stated.

According to the presidential hopeful, the impending benefits from the oil and gas sector will not be restricted to just one region in Guyana.

In fact, he noted that it will be used to build capacity in the regions to boost job creation and new opportunities for the people there.

Addressing the position of the APNU/AFC regime since 2015 to base all their plans and promises on expected oil revenues, Dr Ali declared, “We don’t only have a fixation on oil and gas. There are many other segments of the Guyanese economy that can create tremendous wealth.

We have to use the resources from oil and gas to open up opportunities in these areas, to build the infrastructure to ensure that these new areas and new opportunities are strong, resilient and bring the economic prosperity it can bring. This is what you are voting for: a diversified

economy, a strong economy, a balanced economy.”

Moreover, Ali stated that the PPP/C will also ensure the enhancement of other industries that once kept Guyana’s economy going before oil and gas such as mining. He noted that since the revelation of the coalition’s manifesto on Friday, many miners have been reaching out to him with concern.

“As the Presidential Candidate, let me reassure every miner and every worker in the mining sector that we will work with this sector to ensure that it is profitable, to ensure it’s viable and to ensure that it survives. We are going to invest and support investment in the mining sector,” he contended.

The PPP/C Presidential Candidate also spoke of his party’s plans for other social sectors such as health, education, security and education as well as plans for the electricity and water sectors.

12 NEWS

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Rape of 9-year-old

Suspect yet to be arrested as family calls for justice – perpetrator ‘disappears’, moved out of home after release from police station

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ver five months have passed since a nineyear-old girl was allegedly raped in the mining town of Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), by a male relative and the police are thus far unable to apprehend him.

Despite several failed searches, the police issued a wanted bulletin for the 53-year-old man of Mackstrad, Blueberry Hill, Wismar, Linden. He is wanted for questioning in connection with the rape of the child.

Initially, upon a report made about the incident, he was arrested and placed on station bail and it was while being a free man, he went into hiding. During this time, the police were seeking legal advice on the matter.

However, by the time

the file had been returned from the Director of Public Prosecution’s (DPP’s) office, the man had already moved out of his residence without notifying the cops.

Reports are that the child left her residence on September 27, 2019, to spend the weekend with relatives in the mining town and re-

turned home on September 29 in a withdrawn state. She subsequently confided in her aunt about the incident and a report was made to the police.

The GPF is urging anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of the three men to contact the police on telephone numbers

261-2760, 216-0254, 2160251, 226-6978, 911 or the nearest police station, as all information will be treated with the strictest confidence.

It was reported that the child left her mother’s residence on September 27, 2019, to spend a weekend with relatives in the mining town. However, upon returning home, she confided in several relatives who contacted the police.

The child’s grandmother told Guyana Times that the middle-aged perpetra-

tor took her granddaughter along with his two grandchildren to “Blue Water Lake” and a creek in “Buck Town” under the pretence of teaching them to swim.

However, he allegedly touched the 9-year-old’s private parts inappropriately despite her asking him to stop. The man reportedly used his genital to rub the child’s buttocks before inserting his finger inside of her private part.

Following the police report, the suspect was arrest-

ed and told of the allegation, which he denied. He was released on a small amount of station bail.

The furious grandmother further explained that the child underwent a medical examination which proved that she had been sexually violated.

It was reported that relatives of the suspect contacted the relatives of the child offering to settle the matter in the form of financial compensation.

Boat Captain who shot clothes vendor still on run – Police

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he boat captain who allegedly shot 38-year-old Ayesha George to her left side buttock on Saturday afternoon has gone into hiding in the Puruni Backdam, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

Presently, ranks are scouring the vast location with the hopes of arresting the man.

According to a senior police source, since the incident took place, officers were deployed to the area with the aim of apprehending the suspect but he was not at any of his known locations.

Based on information received, the ranks were no-

tified that the suspect fled into the backdam and went in pursuit of him to no avail.

The suspect, commonly referred to as “Kartel” by his colleagues at Puruni Landing, Mazaruni River, hails from Victory Valley, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

It was reported that the man is an acquaintance of the woman after they met at the Puruni Landing area where they both operate their businesses.

The injured woman reportedly told investigators that she did not have any old grievance or issue with the suspect and cannot fathom why he would shoot her.

Reports are that on the day in question, George went to purchase a carton of cigarettes from a nearby shop and whilst walking along the pathway, she heard a “loud explosion” and moments after she felt a burning sensation to her left side buttock.

Persons in the vicinity quickly rendered assistance to the injured woman and rushed her to the Bartica Regional Hospital for emergency treatment but she was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

The clothing vendor is said to be in a stable condition at that health facility.

NEWS

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Rape of 6-year-old granddaughter

No evidence that suspect fled jurisdiction – Commander

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s Police continue their hunt for a 54-year-old man who allegedly raped his six-year-old granddaughter, there is no evidence to support the theory that he

fled the jurisdiction.

This is according to Police Commander of Region Five (MahaicaBerbice), Superintendent Yonette Stephen, who told Guyana Times on Sunday

that the police have not received any information about the man leaving the country to avoid justice being meted out.

She acknowledged that her ranks are active-

Suspect in attack, robbery of 12-year-old remains on run

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s 12-year-old Irshad Ali remains in a serious condition at the Georgetown Public Hospital, the man who attacked and assaulted the lad is yet to be arrested.

The young man sustained a fractured skull and internal bleeding as a result of the attack.

The lad, after regaining consciousness, told investigators that his attacker is a well-known person in the village and goes by the name “Blackboy”. Several visits to the man’s premises proved futile.

Police Commander of Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Assistant Police Commissioner Simon McBean on Sunday stated that ranks are currently on the hunt for the culprit.

On Monday young Ali was attacked while riding his bicycle on his way to his Pouderoyen, WCD home from school.

Reports are that on the day in question, the young man was riding along

Coglan Dam, WBD, when the suspect rode behind him.

The youth continued along the street but was unaware that the person was trailing him. As he reached a point, the perpetrator took a heavy object and dealt one blow to the young man behind his head, rendering him unconscious.

The suspect then escaped with the lad’s cellular phone. Persons in the street noticed the youth laying on the roadway and quickly contacted his aunt who arrived at the scene.

He was then rushed to his home in an unconscious

state and his father transported the unconscious child to the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) for emergency treatment.

According to the child’s father, Ameer Ali, his young son was admitted at that health facility and a battery of tests were conducted including a Computed Tomography (CT) scan.

The CT scan revealed that upon admittance at the hospital, the young Ali had suffered a fracture to his skull and was bleeding in his head.

Police are continuing their investigations.

ly in search of the man and have visited his home along with other locations he is said to frequent. To date, the police are unable to apprehend the alleged rapist.

It was reported that the suspect was watching pornographic videos when he committed the act on the child.

He was expected to make his court appearance earlier in the month after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) recommended that charges be instituted.

The 54-year-old man was released on station bail after the matter was reported to the police by the child’s mother earlier in January.

Based on reports received, the child and her younger brother were left with their grandparent at Mahaicony, Region Five, after their father died

Police Commander of Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Superintendent Yonette Stephen

about a year ago.

It was reported that the man was looking at pornographic videos as he allegedly sexually assaulted the child. Further, it was reported that it was a

neighbour who heard the child pleading with her grandfather to stop that went to investigate.

The woman, upon peeking through a window, caught the man in the act as the child cried bitterly.

The neighbour, according to reports, contacted the police and the man was arrested.

The mother of the sixyear-old, who lives away from her children, reportedly received a telephone call from her mother notifying her that something was wrong with her child.

She went to the house and the child reportedly told her mother that the man had interfered with her multiple times.

This publication understands that a medical examination was conducted on the six-year-old which proved that the child was molested.

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

89 complete First Lady’s ICT, STEM robotics workshops A total of 89 persons on Monday graduated, after successfully completing four weeks of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) training and a two-day STEM robotics workshop hosted by First Lady, Sandra Granger in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam).

Thirty-seven persons are now equipped with ICT skills, while 36 students of the CV Nunes Primary School and 16 youths of the Henrietta Community Group have basic knowledge in STEM robotics.

At the simple ceremony held in the auditorium of the Anna Regina Secondary

First Lady Sandra Granger along with the graduates of the STEM robotics workshop who participated through a collaboration with the Henrietta Community Group

School, Cotton Field, Essequibo Coast, the First Lady charged the graduates to use their newly acquired skills to contribute to the development of agriculture within their region.

“You can be the ones who are developing new things for the growth of your community. You can be looking at your drainage and irrigation, your crops and all the ways that you can use technology to help our farmers…

Essequibo Coast has great agricultural potential, so think about where you can be in that chain, you can help your families, whether you’re in a farming community, selling, agro-processing or even manufacturing; making jams and jellies, all

these things are profit-making and you can do it,” Mrs Granger said.

The ICT workshop started on January 13 and required students to complete 158 hours of training, while the two-day STEM robotics workshop was held on February 3 and 6, 2020 respectively, at State House, Anna Regina.

Regional Executive Officer, Denis Jaikaran in congratulating the graduates, pledged that the region under his management will continue to support the development of its youth and will build on the success of the recently concluded training. He encouraged the participants to consider seriously, the next steps of their personal development.

“You are now certified and you can take that to the world of work and to the next stage of your lives.

You have to think very seriously about where you go from here… you are now fit to go into the world of work or to be able to establish as a corporate body, your own businesses, so this training would have been very important to you,” Jaikaran said.

The pieces of training were a collaborative effort between the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) and the office of the First Lady. Robotics kits were presented to each of the groups in an effort to allow them to practice and expand their skill set.

Cop flung from ATV after avoiding pothole …suffers head injuries en route to crime scene

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police constable is now battling for his life in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) after suffering severe head injuries from a fall he received.

The injured policeman is Constable Harris, who is attached to the Bartica Police Station, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

Based on reports received, the injured policeman along with another Police Constable were on an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) driven by a Detective Corporal. However, the had been travelling through the Takatu Trail, Mazaruni River, Region Seven, towards a location where they had received reports of a shooting incident.

Reports are that the vehicle was proceeding North along the Takatu Trail, al-

legedly at a fast rate of speed, when the driver swerved to avoid a ‘pothole’.

The unexpected move resulted in Constable Harris being flung off of the ATV and landing on the roadway.

According to the police, Constable Harris received injuries about his body. He was picked up by his colleagues and rushed to the Bartica Regional Hospital.

Upon examination of the injured cop, the doctor immediately admitted the man at the hospital for emergency treatment, but hours later he had to be transferred to the GPHC for advanced medical care.

As a result of the severity of injuries about his body and his head, the Constable was admitted to the ICU at the city hospital.

Up to press time, his condition was unknown.

NEWS

15

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

After turbulent relations with Private Sector

APNU/AFC now promises Public-Private Partnership Unit

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ne of the A Partnership For National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) pledges in its recently released manifesto is to promote PublicPrivate Partnerships (PPP).

According to observers, however, this comes despite the Government’s lamentable track record on such partnerships while in office A Public-Private Partnership is a means of funding expensive infrastructural projects meant to provide an important public service. It is a collaboration between the State and Private Sector. According to APNU/AFC, it intends to set up a Public-Private Partnership Unit to promote such partnerships.

The manifesto gives some examples of potential projects, including infrastructure for transportation such as roads, rails and ferries. Another example is in the construction and operation of renewable energy and gas generating plants.

The coalition also promises that the construction and operationalisation of specialised hospitals will be pursued under this arrangement. This is despite the coalition itself sabotaging previous efforts by the PPP/C Administration to build one.

Other initiatives thrown out by the coalition party in its manifesto include the construction of new housing schemes and facilities that can attract re-migrants. Another proposal was the construction of new regional residential care facilities for senior citizens, orphans and differently-abled individuals.

Another proposal was the

development of Information and Communications Technology centres.

The Government’s relations with the Private Sector have reached to the point where it refused to pay monies owed to Trinidad company Dipcon, despite a court order to do so. The Trinidad-based construction company then took Finance Minister Winston Jordan to court for failing to honour the payment of millions of dollars, which was awarded to Dipcon by Justice Rishi Persaud in 2015.

Justice Priya SewnarineBeharry had ordered Minister Jordan to pay Dipcon the US$2.2 million award or face jail time. He did not pay the fine and at the penultimate moment, President David Granger issued a grant of respite saving him from jail, in keeping with his powers under Article 188 of the Constitution.

After this case, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had noted that the Government’s treatment of the issue sends a bad signal to the Private Sector “that contracts can be broken at will, orders of the court against the State, even in commercial disputes, can be ignored at will.”

The Government was even taken to court by a local company, the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI), which had actually entered a PPP with the Government in order to construct a bridge across the Berbice River.

However, efforts by the company to raise tolls after years of not making profits were met by the coalition Government’s takeover of

The Berbice Bridge Company’s case is a perfect example of Public-Private Partnership gone wrong under the current Govt

the bridge.

Prior to filing the legal challenge, the Bridge Company had written Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson asking for the facts and reasons for takeover within

14 days as provided for by Section 15 of the Judicial Review Act. However, they claimed that the Minister never responded.

The new tolls proposed by the BBCI were to take effect on November 12,

2018, but the Government, through Minister Patterson, issued an order and unilaterally took control of the bridge on November 1, 2018.

However, the BBCI approached the High Court late November, asking it

to quash the Minister’s order, thus allowing the company to resume responsibility for the bridge and also to implement the toll hikes.

Both Minister Patterson and Attorney General Basil Williams were named defendants in the court action and were served with notices.

In the 1970s and 1980s, numerous private properties were compulsorily acquired by the then People’s National Congress (PNC) Administration. These properties include what is now Citizens Bank, Hope Estate Limited, a huge tract of land at Liliendaal, Takuba Lodge, Echilibar Villas and dozens more.

In many instances, no monies were paid to the owners of these properties and in the cases where there were payments, the price was pegged to previous valuations as was the law during that period.

Royal Castle hosts Mash 2020 Jumpstart

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opular fast food outlet, Royal Castle was transformed into a carnival-like atmosphere on Sunday when the entity hosted its first Mash Jumpstart as Guyana ushers in its 50th Republic Anniversary.

Mashramani is the name given to the annual celebration held to commemorate Guyana’s gaining its Republican status. Republic Day is usually celebrated by way of a costume float parade through the streets of the capital city Georgetown depicting various artefacts symbolic to the composite Guyanese folklore.

A child taking a selfie with the selfie frame at the Jumpstart

At the event on Sunday, customers were entertained by live Soca music while the children partook in face painting and games.

Marketing Manager of Royal Castle, Jermaine Cranmore explained the reason behind the compa-

ny’s decision to host the event.

“Basically, the Royal Castle Mash Jumpstart it is for kids because it is basically a jumpstart to Mash because when I was younger, Mash was a real nice festive stuff, so it is bringing

back that entire feeling to Guyana, that pre-hype up Mashramani Guyana”.

Additionally, Cranmore explained the reason for the company choosing its Sheriff Street branch to host the event.

“It is the first time Royal Castle is doing a Mash Jumpstart and this is something that we want to continue to do and it is being done at our Sheriff Street location because it is our flagship store.”

The theme for Mashramani 2020 is “Guyana Together – Reflect, Celebrate, Transform”.

16

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020

Regional

PM Trudeau calls off diplomatic visit to 50 farmers, homeowners to make way for highway Caribbean amid ongoing rail stoppages extension in Trinidad

P

rime Minister Justin Trudeau cancelled a trip to Barbados scheduled today as Indigenous demonstrators and their supporters continue to halt train service across parts of the country.

Trudeau planned to bring his pitch for a United Nations Security Council seat to a two-day gathering of leaders from across what is known as the Caribbean Community, or Caricom, but will send Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne instead.

“Following the Government’s ongoing efforts to address infrastructure disruptions across the country, the Prime Minister Will convene the Incident Response Group tomorrow to discuss steps forward,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

The IRG is a group of Cabinet members and high-level officials the Prime

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Minister leans on in times of crisis.

“Our priority remains the safety and security of all Canadians and the swift resolution of this issue to restore service across the rail system in accordance with the law,” the statement said.

Trudeau returned to Canada late Friday after spending a week in Ethiopia, Kuwait, Senegal, and Germany and spent the weekend in private meetings, according to his public schedule.

The decision comes amid mounting pressure from business leaders and politicians who want the Government to take more of an active role in resolving the crisis, which some say is damaging the economy and could lead to shortages of propane and other consumer goods. (Excerpt from CBC)

Electronic glitch triggers Dominican Republic vote suspension

D

ominican Republic’s nationwide municipal elections were suspended only four hours after voting began on Sunday due to a glitch in the electronic voting system, officials said.

More than 7.4 million voters were due to vote to elect 3849 positions in 158 municipalities across the Caribbean nation. The failure of the system is likely to raise concerns ahead of the May 17 presidential elections.

Julio Cesar Castanos, President of Dominican Republic’s electoral body, said nearly half of the electronic devices did not work properly and many virtual ballot papers did not load, leaving citizens unable to cast their votes.

“We are going to initiate a thorough investiga-

Dominican Republic’s electoral body chief, Julio Cesar Castanos

tion of what happened and why those ballot papers did not load correctly,” Castanos said in a press conference.

The electronic system was used in 18 of the 158 municipalities and focused

on cities and regions with high population density, accounting for 62.4 per cent of the electorate. Paper ballots were due to be used elsewhere.

Castanos said that the

failures only occurred in the 18 municipalities that used electronic voting.

Eduardo Frei, President of the observer commission from the Organisation of American States (OAS), recommended an exhaustive audit to determine the failure and called for a dialogue of all political sectors to find a solution and hold new elections.

Luis Abinader, leader of the Opposition Modern Revolutionary Party, said the suspension of the vote was “outrageous and unjustified”.

Several Opposition parties, such as the People’s Force, of former President Leonel Fernández, objected to the use of electronic voting due to fears software could be manipulated.

(Reuters)

Costa Rica makes TT Promoters Association biggest ever cocaine haul takes legal action

T

Costa Rica has seen a surge in drug traffickers using the country to move cocaine to the US and Europe

P

olice in Costa Rica seized more than five tons of cocaine bound for the Dutch port of Rotterdam in the country’s largest-ever drug bust, officials said.

The authorities on Saturday found the cocaine in Costa Rica’s Caribbean port of Limon, stashed inside a shipping container of decorative canopy plants bound for the Netherlands.

The anti-narcotics Police discovered the drugs in 202 small bags and said the cocaine was produced in South

America, though did not specify where.

The drugs had an estimated street value of about 126 million euro (US$136 million) in Holland, Costa Rica’s Security Minister Michael Soto said late on Saturday.

“It’s a historic seizure,” Soto said in a statement. “It is a blow to the regional criminal structures.”

A Costa Rican man, who drove the shipment from north of the country to Limon port, was detained, authorities said. (Reuters)

he TT Promoters Association (TTPA) have initiated legal action to begin the process of standardising the staging of events.

TTPA’s advocate Paige deLeon, at a press conference at the Queen’s Park Oval, last week, said legal letters were sent to three copyright management organisations: the Copyright Collection Organisation (TTCO); Awesome Copyright of TT and the Copyright Organisation (COTT).

“The environment in Trinidad is, without question, the worst, most difficult environment for any operator to work in,” she said.

She described the situation as “untenable”.

DeLeon said the CMOs are organisations which collect copyrights fees on behalf of artists and musicians.

“These letters are to ask the CMOs for a standard-

ised response to the questions we ask: who are your members, what rights do you represents, what is the formula for asking us to pay for these particular things?

“There is no standard.

The goalpost keeps shifting all the time. Every five minutes something’s different.

We never know what we’re going to get. As you can appreciate, in any enterprise, if I can’t predict, with some degree of certainty, what my costs are going to be then it becomes almost impossible for me to make any kind of prediction on what to spend, how to spend the money, and then it causes a collapse in my internal financial environment,” she said.

DeLeon said the association was formed primarily to represent and lobby for the interest of people who host all types of events in TT. (Excerpt from newsday)

C

onstruction of the proposed multi-million-dollar ChurchillRoosevelt Highway extension to Sangre Grande by the National Infrastructure Development Company (NIDCO) is not sitting well with some Wallerfield farmers who will have to find land to continue their livelihood when they are given notice to leave.

More than 50 farmers and homeowners will have to be removed to make way for the highway.

The farmers, who said the Government was giving them a raw deal as they are now forced to hunt for alternative accommodation, believe it is a total disrespect to their profession.

At a meeting with residents and farmers late last year, a pamphlet bearing a map and details of the new route was circulated by

NIDCO. The project involves several packages which will be done in phases – work starts this month and is expected to be completed by 2025.

Livestock farmer Wayne Bowen said they were told

by NIDCO that Government needed their lands for the mega project.

An executive member of the Wallerfield Farmers’ and Allied Welfare Association, Bowen said an assessment was yet to be done on their land.

He said plans were being made without the farmers’ involvement or having a say.

“They doing what they have to do and then coming to talk to us. There has been no consultation. We were told after an assessment is made by the Government we would be paid for our properties and we have to move out…” (Excerpt from TT Guardian)

Brazil real jumps as central bank intervenes again

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Brazil’s central bank

razil’s real rose more than one per cent against the dollar on Friday to chalk up its biggest rise since late November after the central bank intervened in the swaps market for the second straight day following the currency’s slump this week to new lows.

In late trading, the real was changing hands at 4.2940 per dollar, up 1.3 per cent on the day. The greenback slid below 4.30 reais BRBY after the central bank’s US$1 billion sale of 20,000 foreign exchange swaps contracts.

On Thursday, the greenback was at a record high above 4.38 reais before the first central bank intervention.

The real was on course for a 0.5 per cent rise on the week, snapping a run of six consecutive weekly declines that had brought its year-todate losses against the dollar

close to 10 per cent.

The intervention announcement “reaffirms expectations that the central bank would eventually try to cap the upside in dollar/real, and could bring some nearterm support to the currency,” Barclays analysts wrote in a client note.

“However, we remain structurally bearish on the real, as disappointing growth, the erosion of carry, and a widening current account limits the attractiveness of Brazil as a destination for foreign portfolio flows,” they added.

The central bank offered relief to those market participants bullish on the real, who had seen the exchange rate go against them. But traders said it may have to come back into the market if the real is to stage a more sustained recovery. (Excerpt from Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

OILNEWS IEA: Oil demand to fall for first time in a decade

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he IEA slashed its demand forecast for the first quarter of 2020, predicting that global oil consumption will contract for the first time in over a decade.

In its first publication on the oil market since the outbreak began, the International Energy Agency (IEA) dramatically revised its oil demand forecast, predicting consumption will actually contract by 435,000 bpd, the first outright decline year-on-year since the global financial crisis more than a decade ago. Previously, the agency expected consumption to increase by 800,000 bpd from a year earlier.

For the full-year in 2020, the IEA cut demand growth by 365,000 bpd to just 825,000 bpd. That would be the lowest annual increase since 2011, and slightly below the growth figures for 2019, which itself was a down year.

The coronavirus continues to ravage China. Beijing released revised data, and the new number of infected cases is vastly higher than previously reported, raising questions about the severity of the crisis.

The number of cases jumped 45 per cent after the data revision to nearly 50,000, which increased the global total by a third to 60,000. Those numbers could still be an undercount. Still, the number of new cases on a perday basis seems to have peaked earlier this month, offering hope that the outbreak is slowing.

Even still, the effects on the oil market are deep. China accounted for about three-quarters of oil demand growth last year, so the crisis has struck a blow to total global consumption.

ChemChina, a state-run refining company, announced that it would cut refining runs by 100,000 bpd. According to Reuters, the total refining reductions now total 1.5 mb/d.

“As refining crude oil has turned into a loss-making business, (it’s) better to store crude oil instead of refining it,” a source with the company told Reuters.

The IEA’s numbers are based on an assumption that China’s economy “returns progressively to normal in 2Q20.”

However, “[t]he crisis is ongoing and at this stage, it is hard to be precise about the impact.”

Demand estimates are still a bit of guesswork.

A Reuters analysis looks at actual import data from the Chinese Government, and finds that in the first 12 days of February, China imported 7.58 mb/d of oil, down from 8.88 mb/d a year earlier, and down from 9.67 mb/d in January.

The data also shows that shipping queues are backed up, which suggests that cargoes might unload quickly when port bottlenecks clear.

Meanwhile, financial markets may not exactly be moving on, but the rally in equities on Wednesday suggest that investors are growing confident that the worst may be over. “’Coronavirus? What coronavirus?’ That’s what the markets seemed to be saying Wednesday as the S&P ploughed (once again) to all-time highs,” Raymond James wrote in a note.

But the effects will linger, and are not isolated to China.

The IEA said that the reduction in trade and tourism could shave off 0.4 percentage points from US GDP growth in the first quarter.

For the oil and gas industry, the effects are more severe.

“Lower oil prices, if sustained, are also bad news for highly responsive US oil companies, but we are unlikely to see an impact on output growth until later in the year,” the IEA wrote in its monthly Oil Market Report. “The effect of the [coronavirus] on the wider economy means that it will be difficult for consumers to feel the benefit of lower oil prices.”

The IEA said that the oil market was already heading into the first half of 2020 with a bit of a supply surplus.

The demand destruction as a result of the coronavirus will magnify this overhang. The agency said that the “call on OPEC,” or the amount that OPEC would need to produce in order to balance the market, falls from 29.4 mb/d in the fourth quarter of 2019 to just 27.2 mb/d in the first quarter of 2020. However, the group produced 1.7 mb/d more than that in January, a rather large implied surplus.

That helps explain the group’s rush to coordinate additional production cuts.

Still, the 600,000 bpd would not be enough to close the gap, at least in the first half of the year. That’s especially true if Libya brings disrupted supply back onto the market.

But the IEA sees the gap narrowing in the second half as the worst of the coronavirus clears. (Excerpt from Oilprice.com)

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020

17

Around the World

Coronavirus: Forty infected Americans among cruise ship evacuees

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orty Americans being taken off the quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess are infected with new coronavirus, a US official said.

They are among 400 people from the US leaving the vessel docked in Japan.

Most are due to depart for the US on two Governmentchartered aircraft. But those carrying the virus will be admitted to Japanese hospitals.

Meanwhile, China has tightened restrictions on movement in Hubei province, the centre of the outbreak.

The Diamond Princess has been quarantined in

Americans are being evacuated by bus from the ship to the planes

Japan’s port of Yokohama with some 3700 passengers and crew on board since February 3 after a man left the ship in Hong Kong and was found to have the virus.

It has the largest clus-

ter of coronavirus cases outside China. The Japanese authorities on Sunday said the number of new cases on board the ship had risen by 70 to 355.

Those entering the US

will undergo a 14-day quarantine - on top of the time they have already spent confined on the ship.

“And the reason for that,” Dr Fauci added, “is that the degree of transmissibility, on that cruise ship, is essentially akin to being in a hotspot.”

Some of the Americans have declined to be evacuated by plane, preferring to wait until the ship quarantine comes to an end on February 19.

Passenger Matt Smith, a lawyer, said he would not want to travel on a bus to the plane with possibly infected people. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Uncertainty as deadline Parents protest as Pakistani for South Sudan unity students stuck in China under coronavirus lockdown government looms

South Sudan’s rebel chief Riek Machar (left) and President Salva Kiir (right) have disagreed over the creation of new states [Sam Mednick/The Associated Press]

Family members hold signs demanding the evacuation of Pakistani students from Wuhan city in China, who couldn’t return after the coronavirus outbreak, during a protest in Karachi, Pakistan February 16, 2020

ival leaders in wartorn South Sudan face a February 22 deadline to form a long-delayed Government of national unity.

But just a few days before the milestone, hopes for a breakthrough dampened after Riek Machar, a former Vice President and rebel leader, expressed his dissatisfaction with a peace proposal made by his rival, President Salva Kiir.

Announcing a “painful” compromise, Kiir on Saturday said the world’s youngest country would return to a system of 10 states from 32, a key opposition demand, plus the three “administrative areas” of Pibor, Ruweng and Abyei.

While Machar said he appreciated Kiir’s decision to “revert to 10 states”, he expressed his dissatisfaction with the creation of the three administrative areas.

When it gained independence from Sudan in 2011,

round a hundred people called on Pakistan’s Government to “bring back our children” from the locked down Chinese province of Hubei in a demonstration on Sunday in Karachi.

Pakistan’s Government has so far ruled out evacuating the more than 1000 Pakistani students in the province, home to the city of Wuhan, at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak.

State Health Minister Zafar Mirza said on Twitter on Friday that he and other Ministers would hold a meeting for parents in Islamabad on Wednesday and that his Government was working with Chinese authorities to ensure students were taken care of.

But many students and their families have expressed growing frustration as the death toll in China mounts, pointing to other countries,

R

South Sudan had 10 states, as set out in its Constitution.

Two years later, the country descended into war when Kiir accused his former deputy, Machar, of plotting a coup. The conflict has so far killed at least 380,000 people and forced millions from their homes, with nearly half the country in dire poverty.

In 2015, a fragile peace deal came under further pressure when Kiir increased the number of states from 10 to 28, and later 32 - before reverting on Saturday to 10 plus the three “administrative areas”.

Of the three areas, the oilrich Ruweng in the north is thought to be the most contentious and the scene of some of the heaviest fighting during the war.

Oil provides almost all of the government’s revenue, making it one of the world’s most oil-dependent nations.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

A

including neighbouring India and Bangladesh, evacuating their citizens.

Earlier in the week dozens of families in Lahore held a similar protest outside the Chinese consulate.

Nonetheless, students in touch with Reuters from China over the past days said they wanted to leave.

Mir Hassan, a student whose father died of a heart ailment this month while he was stuck in Wuhan, said he had been told by Pakistani officials he would not be evacuated despite wanting to return home to his grieving mother.

Sahil Hassan, a PhD student in Wuhan, said he was finding it hard to receive scholarship payments, leaving them unable to afford food and bottled water from their university’s food delivery service while in lockdown.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Yemen’s warring sides agree to ‘large-scale’ prisoner exchange

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emen’s warring sides have agreed to implement a major prisoner swap, the United Nations has said, in a breakthrough that came after another bout of heavy fighting, including air raids by a Saudi-UAE-led military coalition that killed dozens of civilians.

Sunday’s announcement over the long-delayed exchange came after seven days of meetings in Jordan’s capital, Amman, between the

Houthi rebels and the internationally-recognised Government, which is backed by the coalition.

The UN mission in Yemen said in a statement that both sides had decided to “immediately begin with exchanging the lists for the upcoming release” of prisoners, calling it the “first official large-scale” exchange of its kind since the beginning of the long-running conflict.

The prisoner swap

deal was seen as a breakthrough during the 2018 peace talks in Sweden. The Houthis and the Government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi agreed at the time to several confidence-building measures, including a ceasefire in the strategic port city of Hodeidah.

The conflict in the Arab world’s poorest country broke out in late 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of the coun-

try’s north.

Since then, nearly 20,500 air raids have been carried out in the country, according to information collected by the Yemen Data Project.

On Sunday, the Houthis said more than 30 civilians were killed in coalition air raids, with the UN confirming the death toll as it deplored a “shocking” failure to protect the war-torn country’s unarmed population. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO

CALVIN AND HOBBES

(Aug. 23Sept. 22)

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Adjust the way you do things. A change of attitude will help ease stress. Focus more on your goal and less on what’s happened in the past.

A trip or a conference will change the way you do business. You will gain popularity if you put a unique spin on an idea that has potential.

You can prosper using your ingenuity, but don’t make promises you can’t keep. A partnership will be complicated. Trust issues will arise. Be direct, ask questions and take your time.

Don’t shy away from something or someone because of unfamiliarity. Open your mind to new endeavors. Refuse to let uncertainty come between you and a chance to advance.

Mingle, learn and explore what’s available. Make investments that will change your direction or location.

Romance is on the rise and will improve your life.

Find the best way to approach what you want, and channel your energy into attaining the lifestyle you desire. Expect someone to use emotional tactics to change your mind.

Personal problems will lift if you are willing to adjust and comply with the necessary changes required to make life better. A relationship will take a positive turn. Romance is featured.

Your intuition and expressive way of presenting your ideas and plans will win the necessary support from someone who has something to offer. Make proposals, close deals and explore new possibilities.

Fix up your surroundings SAGITTARIUS to suit your plans. A change (Nov. 23of heart will encourage you Dec. 21) to branch out and try something new. Listen to your heart, not to what an outsider has to say.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

THURSDAY’S WORD

SOLUTION FOR THURSDAY’S PUZZLE AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Stop thinking about making a change and do something. Refuse to let an emotional situation stand between you and what you feel is best.

A sensitive attitude when dealing with others will help ward off frustration. Personal growth will encourage you to broaden your awareness of the possibilities. Live in the moment.

Reaching out to people or groups that share your concerns will be comforting.

Your input will lead to an unexpected offer that will be hard to turn down.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020

19

International horse-racing…

Tiger Roll places 5th

– but still aimed at Cheltenham and Grand National

H

e was only fifth past the winning post, but Tiger Roll made a very encouraging return to action in the Boyne Hurdle, his first race since winning the Grand National for the second time 10 months ago.

While he made this comeback on a low-key Sunday card at Navan, his next two outings will be at the very centre of racing’s spotlight: at the Cheltenham Festival and then at the Grand National.

“I thought he ran a brilliant race,” was the immediate reaction from Tiger Roll’s trainer Gordon Elliott, whose mood was no doubt elevated by the fact that his other runner, Cracking Smart, defied odds of 16-1 to carry off first prize. “It’s great for him to win it,” Elliott added, “but he’s probably going to get overshadowed by Tiger Roll.”

Keith Donoghue, who rides Tiger Roll in his work at home, got the ride on him this time, and apparently believed they were going to win the Boyne for the second year in a row, so well was

Tiger Roll, with Keith Donoghue in the saddle, jumps a flight during the Boyne Hurdle at Navan

his mount travelling at the third-last hurdle. Soon after that, however, the 10-yearold’s lack of race-fitness told, and the front three got away from him.

Elliott had predicted as much. “He’s only been back cantering since January 1, and people shouldn’t be expecting fireworks,” the trainer was quoted as saying in the Racing Post on

Sunday. “He’ll be ridden out the back, and hopefully he can pass a few horses. If he does that and enjoys himself, it’ll be a job done.”

Tiger Roll was a notable drifter in the betting market, as punters cottoned on to that lack of expectation.

He opened at 7-2, but slid out to a starting price of 9-1, with twice as big available on the exchanges. In that

context, he ran very pleasingly, coasting into the argument half a mile from home like a talented horse, even though the distance of this race would be well short of his optimum.

“I was very, very worried with the [heavy] ground, and I was worried about his fitness. But I thought it was a positive run,” Elliott said.

“As long as he’s okay in the morning, it’ll be all systems for Cheltenham; and then, all being well, the Randox Health Grand National.

“He’ll probably go to Cheltenham in the next 10 days for a pop round over the cross-country course. I’m absolutely thrilled.”

Bookmakers largely opted to leave their prices unchanged. Tiger Roll is 6-4 favourite for Cheltenham’s Cross-Country race, and 6-1 to achieve an unprecedented third consecutive success in the National on 4 April.

However, Magic of Light, runner-up in the National last year, was eased out to 20-1 for this year’s race by several firms, after finishing last of the eight runners in the Boyne. (The Guardian)

Serie A football…

Juventus defeat Brescia 2-0 – Dybala and Cuadrado on target in Ronaldo's absence

P

aulo Dybala scored his sixth Serie A goal of the season, and Juan Cuadrado was also on target as Juventus earned a 2-0 victory over 10-man Brescia.

It moved the Bianconeri top of Serie A, ahead of Inter's evening kick-off at Lazio.

With in-form Cristiano Ronaldo rested by head coach Maurizio Sarri, Argentina international Dybala provided the firepower the champions needed from a first-half free-kick, after Brescia forward Florian Aye was sent off.

Sarri's men were guilty of wasteful finish-

Paulo Dybala

ing against their 19th-placed visitors, who might have ground out a point towards their battle against relegation had they kept 11 men on the field, but Cuadrado kept his cool to double their lead after 75 minutes.

It was far from a vintage performance, but two goals proved enough to earn Juve a first win in three matches, and relieve some of the pressure m o u n t ing around Sarri's position.

G i o r g i o Chiellini's ap-

pearance as a second-half substitute following a long injury lay-off also boosted the home crowd.

An early clash with Gonzalo Higuain left Brescia goalkeeper Enrico Alfonso unable to continue, and he was replaced by the club's third-choice stopper Lorenzo Andrenacci after nine minutes; but Brescia's impressive first half fell apart 10 minutes before the interval.

Aye brought down Aaron Ramsey on the edge of the box and received his second yellow card in four minutes, before Dybala curled a sublime free-kick into the left corner of the net with Andrenacci rooted to the spot.

Andrenacci kept the deficit to one goal at

the break with a superb one-handed save, turning a Daniele Rugani header onto the crossbar when the Juve defender looked certain to score.

Leonardo Bonucci was denied early in the second half, Andrenacci parrying the Italy international's powerful header away from danger.

Dybala danced through the Brescia box after 66 minutes, only to have his shot from 12 yards blocked by Birkir Bjarnason.

Bjarnason blazed over the crossbar when the ball fell to him unmarked on the edge of the box moments before Cuadrado made sure of the victory, playing a neat onetwo with Blaise Matuidi and applying a cool, dinked finish past Andrenacci from six yards out.

Higuain saw a header disallowed for offside late on, and Dybala hit the bar right at the death, with Juventus comfortable in the end.

(Sportsmax)

MVP Award named in honour of Kobe Bryant

The Kobe Bryant MVP Award was unveiled at a press conference during NBA All-Star Saturday night at United Center

T

he National Basketball Association All-Star Game MVP Award has been permanently named for the late Kobe Bryant, league Commissioner Adam Silver said on Saturday.

Bryant, an 18-time All-Star who won a record-tying four All-Star Game MVP awards, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles on Jan. 26. He was 41.

“His loss, together with his daughter and those other seven people on the helicopter, is unspeakable,” Silver said at a news conference before the AllStar Saturday Night event at the United Center in Chicago.

“As the father of a child… that’s unimaginable.”

The Kobe Bryant MVP Award will be presented on Sunday to the most valuable player at the end of the 2020 NBA All-Star Game.

“Kobe Bryant is synonymous with NBA All-Star, and embodies the spirit of this global celebration of our game,” Silver said in a statement. “He always relished the opportunity to compete with the best of the best and perform at the highest level for millions of fans around the world.”

Bryant made his NBA All-Star Game debut in 1998 at age 19 – the youngest player to ever play in an All-Star Game. His 18 All-Star selections are the second most in NBA history, behind Kareem AbdulJabbar, at 19.

Silver said the decision to name the MVP Award in honour of Bryant was made collectively by league officials and some players.

“To all of us, it seemed like the appropriate way to bring honour to him,” Silver said.

Silver also spoke about the loss of former NBA Commissioner David Stern, who oversaw explosive growth in the popularity of the game during his 30-year tenure. Silver said that Stern, who died in January, and Bryant had a lot in common.

“They were both determined to win,” he said.

“They could be difficult at times because they prioritized winning, and often they didn’t have time for some of the niceties around personal relationships, because it was about winning.”

Moments after Silver’s news conference ended, the packed United Center stood and cheered as the game clock was wound up to 24.2, in honour of Bryant’s jersey number (24), and the No. 2 that Gianna Bryant wore when she played basketball at her father’s Mamba Sports Academy. (Reuters)

20

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020

“Hit-it for 50” schools’ windball cricket competition…

L’Aventure, Tucville, New Central High among winners A

ction in the “Hit it for 50” schools windball cricket competition ongoing at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Homestretch Avenue continued over the weekend with notable wins being recorded by both L’Aventure and Tucville Secondary schools, and by The New Central High School among others in the male and female categories.

In the Boys category, the first matchup saw L’Aventure Secondary post 140-2 in their allotted overs, with Jonathan Samaroo top scoring with 55 and Ravin Paramdeo J Samaroo contributing 44. In reof L’Aventure Secondary led his ply, Brickdam Secondary side with a brilliant 55 could accumulate only

97-4, with Julius Craigen contributing a valiant 58. J Samaroo bagged 4-22.

In the second game, Tucville Secondary scored a dominant 149-1, with Dwayne Jones contributing 93. School of The Nations, in reply, fell for 108-3 despite Kampta Persaud’s 51.

The final match in this category saw The New Central High School batting first and scoring 132-1, of which Deonarine Tiwari contributed 97 in a winning effort. While attacking from the first ball bowled in their innings, Richard Ishmael Secondary could post only 94-2, of which Alive Persaud made 58.

In the Girls category, L’Aventure batted first and made a solid 110-3, with Melea Beckles contributing 30 and Sarah Hughes 22.

However, Richard Ishmael exceeded the target with ease to end their innings on 113-1, of which Akalla Rampratop scored 64.

Game two saw Queenstown Secondary making 108-2, with Kiesha Rawlins contrib-

uting 43 and Aliyah Peters 40. Brickdam Secondary, however, exceeded that target to end their innings on 114-0, of which Taquasha Thompson contributed 42 and Ashanti Kennedy 38.

School of the Nations were able to post 81-2 in their game against Tucville Secondary. Amy Grant with 45, and Tenecia Noble with 35 were top scorers. Tucville, replying, made 85-0, with Kizian London contributing 62.

The final Girls game saw The New Central High posting 64-3, of which Tiqumba Hunte contributed 22 as the only scorer who put up resistance to the Charlestown Secondary bowlers.

Althea Barnwell bagged 2-8. Charlestown Secondary effortlessly chased down that paltry score and ended their innings on 66-1, of which Donna Lowe made 32.

Pre-season basketball series between Trojans and Eagles…

Spoils evenly distributed

Akalla Rampratop of Richard Ishmael top scored with 64

NBS 2nd Division 40-Over Cricket…

UG Trojans render GDF defenceless – Vantull goes on rampage with 131*

A

The victorious UG Trojans side

I

n the pre-season basketball series played between the UG Trojans and the Eagles as a means of keeping themselves ready for impending competition, the Eagles defeated the Trojans in the U-23 games 2-1, but the Trojans bounced back in the Senior league to defeat the Eagles 2-1.

In the final game played at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, the Trojans were able to prevail by a score of 7267.

On the previous night, the senior Eagles squad had levelled their three-match series against the Trojans at 1-1. Taking this determination and inspiration into the series, the Trojans dug deep into their resources of strength and stamina to prevail over the unfortunate Eagles in the final game, and take the series 2-1.

From the opening quarter of the final game, the Trojans signalled their intent by outscoring the Eagles 27-20. Both first quarters had been closely contested in the previous

The Eagles lost the senior games 2-1 but won the U23 series 2-1

two games, but this final game saw the emergence of a more confident and determined Trojans squad.

The Warren Wilson-led side continued in the same vein in the second quarter, outscoring the Eagles 16-11.

At half time, the Trojans led 43-31.

In the third quarter, Eagles made some substitutions and won that quar-

ter 19-16 to put the outcome of the game back in the balance. However, the Trojans still held the upper hand with the score at 59-50 when the final quarter commenced.

Nervousness affected both teams in the final quarter, and the prospect of either a close victory or an upset began to emerge. The Eagles seemingly gave their

all in the third and fourth quarters, since a charged Eagles side comfortably took the last quarter 17-13.

Alas, it wasn’t close enough, as the final buzzer rang and the Trojans still remained on top, with the final score reading 72-67.

Thus the Trojans defeated the Eagles in the Senior league 2-1.

ction in the NBS 2nd Division 40-Over Cricket competition played over the weekend at the Queen’s College Ground has seen the UG Trojans defeat a pugnacious Guyana Defence Force (GDF)team by 91 runs.

Winning the toss and electing to bat on familiar territory, the Trojans were immediately rocked by some attacking bowling coming from the GDF, and lost their first wicket with only five runs on the board.

They needed to rebuild, but the unrelenting GDF collected three other quick scalps to take the score to 47-4.

Continuing to lose wickets at regular intervals because of failure to read the line and length of the deliveries, the Trojans lost Omesh Danram for a duck and Ershad Ali for 31, as the GDF smelled victory and reduced the Trojans to 96-8 at one point in the game.

Then the ever-reliable Damion Vantull came to the crease, and, with all his experience, began to attack the army bowling from the get-go, smashing balls to every part of the ground and frustrating the pugnacious soldier boys.

Vantull saw out the entire Trojan innings, top scoring with 131 and receiving support from number ten batsman Yekkini Favourite, who chipped in with a valuable 36; thus the Trojans were able to post 263 all out.

Bowling for the GDF, Joshua James returned figures of 3-54, while both Leon Swamy and Leon Andrews chipped in with two wickets

Damion Vantull went on a rampage in scoring an unbeaten 131

each.

Needing 264 to win off 240 balls, the GDF went about their chase by playing off the good bowling and dispatching the bad deliveries.

However, after Omesh Danram had taken their first wicket, the army resistance collapsed and they began struggling to find momentum. Selwyn Collier and Leon Semple each scored 34 runs in a losing effort, as the GDF were bundled out for 172.

Bowling for the UG Trojans, Yekkini Favourite took 3-54, Ershad Ali took 3-29, and Omesh Danram chipped in with 2 wickets.

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020

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Magnum Tonic Wine Mashramani Futsal Championship…

Bent Street to tackle Rio All-Stars in finale F

ormer champions Bent Street and emerging force Rio All-Stars will contest the grand finale of the 3rd annual Magnum Tonic Wine Mashramani

Street in the finale was a probability due to their pre-tournament status, once again, the tournament has provided an unexpected outcome, as Rio All-Stars have defied ex-

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Futsal Championship on Saturday, February 22nd, following semi-final wins on Saturday at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue.

Tournament coordinator Esan Griffith, during post-match comments, said: “After weeks of action and the participation of 24 teams, the coveted title will now be contested by Bent Street and Rio All-Stars.

While the presence of Bent

pectations to seal their maiden appearance in a national final. This once again illustrates the competitive and unexpected nature of the tournament, which has provided several unexpected outcomes.”

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minutes. Trayon Bobb added a goal in the ninth minute. For the losers, Delwyn Fraser found the back of the net in the 25th minute.

The losing finalists will face-off in the third-place playoff. Winner of the event will pocket $600,000 and the championship trophy, while the second-placed side will collect $400,000 and the respective trophy. The third and fourth placed units will receive $200,000 and $100,000 respectively and the corresponding trophy.

Among the other sponsors of the event are the National Sports Commission and MVP Sports.

Lee, Couchman, Rodrigues in control after Day 1 M

arian Academy’s Ronan Lee got off to a super start in the Mae’s Mashramani U14 Chess Competition on Saturday at the Mae’s School auditorium, and

competition and represent Guyana on the Regional Stage at this year’s Junior CARIFTA Chess Championships, Lee overcame Matthew Spooner and Jacob Mc Donald after

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e s tablished and traditional power against an emerging force and threat.

“Once again, the success of the tournament has hinged directly on the steadfast support of the players, fans and sponsors, whose input is vital for the continued evolution and progress of this platform and brand.”

Bent Street justified their tag as tournament favourites with a 5-3 win over dark horses Kingston. Colin Nelson led the way with a first-half double in the third and 18th minutes, and was assisted by the trio of

William Europe, Sheldon Holden and Adrian Aaron, who scored in the 11th, 24th and 26th minutes respectively.

For the losers, Stephon Reynolds again solidified his status as a star of the future with his third consecutive hat-trick in the knockout round. Reynolds scored in the 10th, 31st and 38th minutes.

Meanwhile, Rio All-Stars battled past Leopold Street 3-1. In what was a rematch from the earlier group round, which ended scoreless, Rio All-Stars upset Leopold Street through the efforts of a double from Kelsey Benjamin, scored respectively in the 19th and 35th

Mae’s U-14 Chess Competition…

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21

Ronan Lee is poised to take the U-14 title

now sits comfortably on 3 points after a rigorous day of play.

Favoured to win the

three rounds of play.

Trailing closely behind but also with 3 points is U12 National champion

Kyle Couchman, who weeded out the competition in the U12 championships just a few weeks ago, and had registered a win over Ethan Persaud by close of play on Saturday.

It will be interesting to see whether Couchman can grab both the U12 and U14 accolades.

Neal Rodrigues, Adia Alphonso, Italy Ton Chung, Joel Wong and Mayas Khan of Marian Academy, along with Harmony Dodson and Omar Shariff of Mae’s, all sit on three points going into day two of the competition.

On two and a half points are Matthew Singh of Queen’s College and Emmanuel Primus and Joshua Khan of School of the Nations.

Alphonso and Dodson currently lead the field of female players, and are going head-to-head for the special ‘best female player’ accolade.

Saturday’s four rounds of action saw a bit of fireworks when Neal

Riveting chess action in progress on Saturday

Rodrigues battled Kyle Couchman, Italy Ton Chung took on Joshua Khan, Marcus Hinds vied with Arysh Raghunauth, Jacob McDonald engaged Isabella Rodrigues, and William Escarraga took on Katara Rodrigues.

The Mae’s developmental tournament was hosted to boost the school’s chess programme and simultaneously scout talents for the upcoming CARIFTA Junior Chess Championships, which for the first time ever will be hosted in Guyana -from April 10-13, 2020. The

tournament also seeks to boost the under-12 players by having them compete against their older under-14 counterparts.

At conclusion of the two-day action, prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third placed finishers; and special prizes will be awarded to the best female player, best under-12 player, and best under-10 player.

Three more rounds will be contested today at the school’s auditorium at 9-19 Third Avenue Subryanville, Georgetown.

22

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GCB/Dave West Indian Imports and Exports U-15 Inter-county Tournament…

Demerara, Berbice record wins

T

he GCB/Dave West Indian Imports & Exports U-15 Intercounty Tournament rolled off on Sunday February 16 at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground at Bourda and at the Lusignan Community Centre ground, East Coast Demerara.

The match at Bourda featured the President’s XI clashing with Berbice – a match which Berbice won by 206 runs.

Man-of-the-match Rampertab Ramnauth stroked an impressive 96 runs off 98 balls to fuel the Berbice win, while Avishkar Persaud contributed 66 and Rashaad Gafur contributed 30.

Sanjay Algoo registered 29 runs and Kevin Kisten 11 to top the Berbice score at 286-4 off their allotted 50 overs. The bowlers John Persaud and Tariq Walker each took a wicket.

The spectators at Lusignan witnessed Essequibo battling Demerara, with the latter winning the match.

Inserted to bat, the Essequibo innings collapsed at 56 runs scored by the 36th over, with Shazif Mohamed being the only batsman to reach double figures, 12 runs.

Star players Nicholas Sheopersaud and Sachin Balgobin each collected 3 wickets, while teammate Hemraj Harriprashad supported with figures of 2-11.

Demerara successfully chased down that score in just 15 overs, with Riyad Latif and Nicholas Sheopersaud contributing 25 and 13 runs respectively.

Bruce Vincent, in a courageous attempt to restraint Demerara, collected 2-28. Demerara won by 7 wickets.

Round two of the GCB/ Dave West Indian Imports & Exports U-15 Intercounty Tournament will see Essequibo competing against the President’s XI at Everest, and Demerara facing off against Berbice at Lusignan on Tuesday, February 18. (GCB)

Nicholas Sheopersaud

Seven Seas 40-mile Cycle Race…

Rampertab Ramnauth

CWI PCL 4-Day Championship…

Match drawn Red-hot Romello – as Smith, Hodge resist Jaguars with centuries Crawford storms to victory

Story and Photos By Brandon Corlette

A

midst slight showers that wafted across Region 6, East BerbiceCorentyne, on Sunday, top Berbice cyclist Romello Crawford stormed to an emphatic win in the Seven Seas 40-mile Cycle Race that was run from Alexander Street in New Amsterdam to the Taki Gas Station at Adventure Corentyne, and back to the point of origin for conclusion of the event.

He completed this race in two hours, 20 minutes, at the finish defeating a spirited challenge from Balram Narine, who rode in second, and Ajay Gopilall who rode in third. Ralph Seenarine and Jason Sampson respectively completed the top-five finishers in the Open category of this race.

Sampson, Crawford, and Gopilall each took two sprint prizes, while Narine and Seenarine each took one.

This was Crawford’s second win in as many weeks, and he distin-

V

Devon Smith

The outstanding cyclists and Seven Seas representatives pose with other officials

guished himself from the 17 starters that participated in the event.

He found himself in the leading bunch early, and maintained that speed to cap off the victory in the end.

Crawford said after the race that it was an easy ride for him. He noted that the road was wet, but despite his sliding, he was good enough to come out on top.

"I was not planning on winning. (I) was riding for the team, but I still managed to win",

Crawford explained.

The young cyclist disclosed that he is aiming to win the major races in the United States of America, where he will be plying his trade.

The race for the 1214 category turned back from the Benjamin Sports Bar at Courtland Corentyne, and Richard Crandon won that race from Aaron Rajnarine (second), Stephon Cumberbatch (third) and Ravikant Mootoo (fourth).

In the Juveniles cate-

gory, Mario Washington beat Jeremiah Joseph into second place.

Meanwhile Wazim Ali, senior branch manager of the Massy company, has signalled the company’s intention to show support for cycling for an extended period.

After the race, cyclists showed their respect for the late Jude Bentley who was buried on Sunday.

The next race in Berbice is expected to pedal off next weekend.

eteran batsman Devon Smith and his prolific team mate Kaveem Hodge have each scored a century as the Windward Islands Volcanoes resisted the Guyana Jaguars’ push for victory in their fifth-round clash that was played in St George’s Grenada.

The match ended as a draw, with the Volcanoes on 273-1 after 82 overs.

Smith, whose innings included 12 fours and one six, slammed an unbeaten 147 from 262 balls to register his 38th first-class century, while Hodge made an even 100 from 227 balls, including 11 boundaries.

Kaveem Hodge

The Jaguars had earlier replied to Volcanoes’ 318 all out with a strong batting effort of 426. In a game which featured Shimron Hetmyer, it was Leon Johnson who led from the front with a career best unbeaten 189, while Christopher Barnwell had made a stylish 107.

In Volcanoes’ second innings, only Raymon Reifer was able to take a wicket, ending the hard toil with 1-50.

After five rounds of play, Jaguars have recorded two wins, two defeats and one drawn encounter, and will now meet Jamaica Scorpions in Jamaica in their sixth-round match from February 27 to March 1.

SCOREBOARD

Windward Islands Volcanoes Innigns Devon Smith not out 147 Roland Cato lbw b Reifer 2 Kaveem Hodge not out 100 Total (1 wickets, 82.0) (24 extras) 273 FOW 10/1 (5.4) Roland Cato

Bowling Keon Joseph Nial Smith Raymon Reifer Veerasammy Permaul Devendra Bishoo Christopher Barnwell Leon Johnson

10-1-21-0 10-1-41-0 13-2-50-1 19-6-41-0 17-0-52-0 8-1-32-0 5-0-25-0

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020

GMR&SC's National Race of Champions…

23

Bounty Farm Ltd Handicap Squash Tournament…

Persaud, King, Singh Jonas, Edwards record wins against top-seeded lead list of victors players T

O

Andrew King easily tore away from the pack after the safety car had departed

n one of the coolest Tuners, Starlet Cup and ry in the battle. and Haniff Mohamed. days ever experi- Group categories.

King made light work For the larger bikes, enced at the South Stefan Jeffery and of the Group Four compe- Kevin Persaud was winner Dakota Racing Circuit, the Andrew King dominated tition in his supercharged of the Super Stock category Guyana Motor Racing and Groups 3 and 4, each RX-7, securing wins that after chalking up two comSports Club (GMR&SC) on of which cons i s t e d saw every competitor being fortable wins while sportSunday staged the 2020 of 3 races. After Jeffery lapped once. ing the number 93. edition of the National swept Group 3 in Chet Singh reigned suRoopnarine Dasrat Race of Champions, where- the first two raced to two victoin just over 20 events were races, he was ries and placed secscheduled to be contested. forced to reond in the three However, although en- tire before Street Tuner events trance was free to the view- the start to claim the categoing public, the meet was ry win. He battled with scarcely attended, and the Raymond Seebarran, competition was a bit tame. whom he bettered It was clear from the inceponce but was vantion that, in almost every quished in the othrace, each competitor er races. was in a lane of their Meanwhile, own -- whether it was Rameez Mohamed in terms of experihad a good day in ence or build of mathe Starlet Cup, chine. which saw him Following the Rameez Mohamed sports the checkered flag after his Starlet Cup triumph claim two comforttraditional late start, able victories to top top performances came of the third race, which left preme in Group 2, where- the category. from the usual suspects Adrian Bacchus and Aaron in he swept the category More details about in the Street Bikes, Street Bethune favoured for victo- ahead of Rameez Mohamed the category participants would be published in a subsequent article.

T20 stars join the Republic T20 Bash

I

Rayad Emrit

Lendl Simmons

nternational T20 stars Rayad Emrit and Lendl Simmons are confirmed to be part of the Golden Republic T20 Bash set for February 21, 2020 at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

However, the experienced players will be on opposing sides in the feature clash of a doubleheader at Guyana's international cricket venue.

Right-arm medium fast bowler Emrit is considered a limited overs specialist with his skillset earning

him places in many franchise teams globally, while Simmons is an attacking top order batsman who was part of the West Indies T20 side that won the title in India in 2018.

Both players are popular with the local fans, each having played with tremendous success for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in a number of seasons in the Caribbean Premier League.

The Golden Republic T20 Bash will see two exciting matches being played for the enjoyment of all cricket fans

as Guyana celebrates 50 years as a Republic nation on February 23.

In the first game, at 2pm, national softball champions Regal All-Stars will take on the up-and-coming Ariel Speed Boat All Stars. The feature event would follow at 6pm, when Hetmyer Hurricanes take on Rutherford Renegades.

This event is organized by the Guyana Cricket Board in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Cohesion, Department of Culture, Youth and Sport.

he 2020 Bounty Farm Ltd Handicap Squash Tournament continued last evening at the Georgetown Club on Camp Street with quarter-final matches being played in the Open category, and Plate matches being played in both categories.

The night full of upsets in the Open category, as both top-seeded players were beaten. Lucas Jonas (2) played excellent squash to defeat Peter Michael De Groot (-15) 15 - -4, 15 – 1, while Brian Edwards (9) had to come from one game down to miraculously oust Nicholas Narain (-15) 13 - 15, 15 9, 15 - 9. Mohryan Baksh (0) beat Lloyd Fung-A-Fat in two close games 15 - 13, 15 – 13, while in the last of the quarter-final matches

Lucas Jonas defeated Peter Michael De Groot

Louis da Silva (10) easily beat Zachary Persaud (10) 15 - 8, 15 – 11.

Results of all the matches played are as follows.

Open category

Lucas Jonas (2) defeated Peter Michael De Groot (-15) 15 - -4, 15 - 1 Brian Edwards (9) defeated Nicholas Narain (-15) 13 - 15, 15 - 9, 15 - 9.

Mohryan Baksh (0) beat Lloyd Fung-A-Fat 15 - 13, 15 - 13 Louis da Silva (10) easily beat Zachary Persaud (10) 15 - 8, 15 - 11

Open Plate

Kirsten Gomes (0) beat

Robin Lowe (9) 15 - 12, 15 – 11; Lydia Fraser (7) beat Regan Rodrigues (8) 15 8, 15 – 14; Steven Persaud (9) defeated Abosaide Cadogan (0) 15 - 4, 15 – 10; Medhi Ramdhani (6) beat Tian Edwards (12) 15 - 7, 15 – 9.

Category A Plate

Nathan Rahaman (5) beat Joshua Verwey (-5) 15 - 12, 15 – 12.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020

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

guyanatimesgy.com

GMR&SC’s National Race of Champions…

Persaud, King, Singh lead list of victors Page 23

Stefan Jeffery’s car was aligned to the grid for the final race, but withdrew with an issue after the warm-up laps

The bikes attack the first turn

Seven Seas 40-mile Cycle Race…

Red-hot Romello Crawford storms to victory

CWI PCL 4-Day Championship…

Match drawn

– as Smith, Hodge resist Jaguars with centuries

See stories on page 22

See story on page 23

Romello Crawford celebrates in style

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