Guyana Times - Monday, June 10, 2019

Plastic ban still high on EPA’s agenda Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 3950

P13

THE BEACON OF TRUTH monday, june 10, 2019

PRICE

Removal of emigrants from voters' list

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

GECOM discarded Carter Center proposal after Appeal Court ruling – Govt Commissioner

New challenges emerging P10 in tackling maternal mortality – CMO

Page 3

...several contributing factors identified, being aggressively addressed

...PPP, APNU Commissioners back public scrutiny of statutory meetings

Essequibo man kills male neighbour over alleged sexual assault See story on page 2

Ghana’s President arrives today for 2-day visit Page 9

Hugo Chávez Centre P2 providing “excellent” services – Minister Ally

Shortage of staff, drugs plaguing Diamond P10 Hospital

Members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) were hard at work at practice drills at the Square of the Revolution, preparing to welcome the Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, who arrives today for a State visit (Shaconiel Burnette photo)

Business P14 Minister to push domestic tourism

Bank of Guyana report

Cost of basic foodstuff, medical Republic Bank services on the rise earns $2.7B in 2018 Page 11

Page 7

CXC committed to providing examinations to regional P7 students

2 news

monDAY, JUNE 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Essequibo man kills male neighbour Hugo Chávez Centre providing “excellent” services – Minister Ally over alleged sexual assault

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20-year-old man is now in the lockups after he fatally chopped his neighbour, whom he alleges sexually assaulted him at his Farm, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) home.

Dead is 43-year-old Andrew Drakes called “Beach Clothes”. He was killed sometime around 17:30h at his lot 7 Pump Station Street, Farm, EBE residence.

According to police reports, the 20-year-old claimed that at about 20:30h on Friday, the now dead man had sexually assaulted him at his home. This reportedly led to the suspect attacking the man.

Reports are that Drakes was sitting on a bench in front of his yard when the suspect noticed him there and armed himself with a cutlass. The 20-year-old then approached Drakes and inflicted multiple chop wounds onto the man and then fled the scene.

However, an off-duty female Police Corporal, who was in the area at that moment, enlisted the assistance of residents to nab the suspect. The young man was pursued, disarmed, and apprehended.

In the meantime, an injured Drakes was rushed to the Leonora Cottage Hospital, West Coast Demerara (WCD),

where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

His body is presently at the Ezekiel Funeral Home awaiting a post-mortem examination which is expected to be done today.

Meanwhile, the suspect also received medical attention after ranks noticed an injury at the back of his head, which he claimed he received while he was being apprehended.

The 20-year-old is said to be cooperating with detectives as investigations into his alleged sexual assault and the murder of Drakes continue.

…necessary care and treatment being provided to many on a daily basis

The Hugo Chávez Centre for Rehabilitation and Reintegration, located at Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice, Region Five

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cores of persons in dire need are presently benefiting from services being offered at the Hugo Chávez Centre for Rehabilitation and Reintegration, located at Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice (WCB); and they are being provided with “excellent” care.

This is according to Social Protection Minister Amna Ally, who, during an exclusive interview with Guyana Times on Sunday, stated that the facility, which provides refuge for some of the country’s homeless population, is functioning better than expected.

She explained that this was also due to the commitment and hard work of the staff at the Hugo Chávez Centre, who monitor operations there.

In relation to reports that the Social Protection Ministry recently advertised various vacancies in a bid to replace those workers, the Minister posited that this was far from the truth, since all posts are filled and no worker has left the job, or needs to be replaced.

“We did not advertise.

That was a 2016 advertisement, and some foolish person put up that. We did not advertise anything,” the minister declared.

According to Minister Ally, despite claims being made that some form of corruption is taking place at the Hugo Chávez Centre, the process of managing the day-to-day task at that facility is both efficiently and effectively executed.

Presently, there are between 70 and 75 persons housed at this Centre, and obtaining quality care and treatment, the minister noted.

She added that allegations of millions of dollars that were intended for the Centre having gone missing are far from the truth.

Last year, following the successful implementation of its ‘Self-Sufficient Agricultural Economic Services Project’, which was launched in June 2017, the Hugo Chávez Centre became fully self-sufficient.

A main food supplier to State-benevolent centres, the Hugo Chávez

Social Protection Minister Amna Ally

Centre produces organic vegetables, chicken, and fish. Minister Ally had, on a past occasion, explained that in less than a year, the centre was able to produce and supply chicken to centres such as the Palms, the Mahaica Children’s Home, and the Mahaica Hospital.

“I am proud of the facility’s self-sufficiency. What I love about this programme is that we have our agencies being the beneficiaries of this project…and I am very proud and happy that this is a seven-and-a-halfmonth achievement since the President commissioned this facility. it is a very proud moment for us,” Minister Ally has told media operatives.

The project also formed part of the reintegration programme for those residents at the facility who were trained in the field of agriculture and farming.

Over the past two years, a number of persons have been trained under the Patient Care Assistant training programme, and some of them have been deployed to the Hugo Chávez Centre, where they provide direct and/or indirect care, which includes medical assessment, treatment, counselling and psychological assistance.

They were successfully trained to interact with indigent persons who have no fixed place of abode, as well as the less fortunate and homeless who may be in need of medical assessment and treatment. They provide counselling and psychological assistance to enable those persons to become disciplined and productive members of society.

news

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monDAY, JUNE 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

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

Monday, June 10 – 10:30h-12:00h and Tuesday, June 11 – 13:00h-13:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Monday, June 10 – 09:45h-11:15h and Tuesday, June 11 – 11:00h-12:30h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

Removal of emigrants from voters’ list

GECOM discarded Carter Center proposal after Appeal Court ruling – Govt Commissioner …PPP, APNU Commissioners back public scrutiny of statutory meetings

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

WEATHER TODAY Thundery to light rain showers are expected during the day, with sunny intervals in the late afternoon. Light rain showers are expected in the evening hours. Temperatures should range between 23 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

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

High Tide: 10:22h and 23:06h reaching maximum heights of 2.35 metres and 2.33 metres.

Low Tide: 16:29h reaching a minimum height of 0.84 metre.

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GECOM Commissioner Robeson Benn

E

arlier this year, representatives of the Carter Center had proposed that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) activate measures to cleanse the voters’ list without the need for Houseto-House registration and thus, any undue delay in the hosting of General and Regional Elections.

However, during an appearance on Globespan 24×7 live show in New York on Sunday, government-nominated Commissioner at GECOM, Vincent Alexander, revealed that this suggestion was never followed up after Guyana’s Court of Appeal ruled the December 21, 2018 no-confidence motion (NCM) was not validly passed, thus handing the Government a lifeline on its time in office.

But now, with Guyana still waiting for the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to confirm or reverse the Appeal Court’s ruling, there is a real possibility that GECOM will be called upon to fast track the holding of elections.

According to Alexander, the National Registration Act Chapter 19:08 provides for the Chief Immigration Officer to submit to the Chief Registration Officer a list of Guyanese who have left the country and have not returned for three months.

“The law further provides for the registration officer, in his deliberate judgement, to take those names off the list. It has never been done.

The Commission has never taken the relevant action,” Alexander said.

“I made the proposition that what we could do in the interest of time, was that we could seek to get from the Chief Immigration Officer those lists and we could then apply those lists to the register of registrants and by that way come up with a clean list.

The Carter Center said, ‘well rather than do that, what you could do is create a parallel list of persons overseas’.”

According to Alexander, the Center’s recommendation was that the list be placed at the place of poll to prevent substitute vot-

ing. But Alexander admitted that even though the suggestion was brought to the Commission, there was no consensus.

The Governmentnominated Commissioner further admitted that the number of deceased persons on the voters’ list is a minority, compared to overseas voters. But despite this fact and the Carter Center’s proposition aimed at removing these overseas voters, he said the proposal died a natural death at GECOM. “That happened the day before the Appeal Court gave its ruling and once the Appeal Court gave its ruling, that issue was never raised again.

But I was not averse to the fact that we ought to be able to produce a list as quickly as possible. I was equally concerned about the bloated list,” Alexander posited.

Back in March when the Carter Center made its suggestion, the Georgia, USAbased advocacy, which has a long history of supporting free and fair elections locally, had sent a delegation to Guyana to seek a resolution to election preparation delays. The group met with GECOM Commissioners from both sides of the political divide.

“I think ultimately our role here, of course, is limited. We’re not Guyanese, [but] we care about this country.

The Carter Center has been here for many, many years, almost 30 years. This country is important to my grandfather. It’s important to me and my family as well, but

GECOM Commissioner Vincent Alexander

ultimately the issues that are being confronted right now (are) going to require the cooperation of political leadership of this country and we are optimistic, and we have had a very productive meeting with GECOM,” Jason Carter, a member of the group and grandson of former US President Jimmy Carter, had said after their meetings.

GECOM has since moved ahead with its House-toHouse Registration exercise, which would further delay the holding of elections.

This is despite a court challenge filed by a private citizen who contends that the exercise would disenfranchise her and many others. It is a concern the parliamentary Opposition has previously expressed.

Public disclosure

To minimise contention in the public domain and

in the interest of transparency, Alexander (who was nominated by the coalition A Partnership For National Unity (APNU)) and fellow Commissioner Robeson Benn (nominated by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP)) were asked during the live programme whether they were in favour of GECOM’s statutory meetings being open to the public.

Here, the two Commissioners found common ground, with both agreeing to the suggestion.

According to Alexander, however, acceptance of this suggestion was entirely up to the Commission. But according to Benn, his previous efforts to bring transparency to these meetings through this measure were thwarted by successive Commissions.

“When [Dr Steve] Surujbally was Chairman, at one of my first interactions I said the meetings of GECOM should be public … that there should be a gallery that the media and the public should be there, so that all that is said and done would be free and open.

This was rejected,” the PPP Commissioner stressed.

“I said this more recently at a meeting of the present Commission (headed by retired Justice James Patterson). They don’t want to hear about that, because they don’t want to put the discussions out there and the constitutional requirements of GECOM, to be out there in the public,” Benn contended.

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monDAY, JUNE 10, 2019

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

The Ghanaian Paradox

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oday, the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa AkufoAddo, begins a two-day State Visit to our country. As a British colony like Guyana, Ghana shares much with us, apart from a similar sounding name. Many of our African ancestors were shipped across the Atlantic as slaves from Ghana, the first British colony in Africa to gain independence, becoming an inspiration to our local “independence” politicians from both the PPP and PNC. We present excerpts from an analysis of Ghanaian politics by former World Bank Macroeconomic Policy Sector Manager, Cadman Atta Mills: “Politics, policy, and implementation: The ‘Ghanaian Paradox’”.

“Ghana is a vibrant democracy where elections are vigorously contested. They are generally free and fair, and voter participation rates are high. Two political parties — the New Patriotic Party (NPP) (President Addo’s party) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) —have dominated the political scene since 1992. No political party has been able to succeed itself after the mandatory two-term limit of four years each.

Elections in Ghana are “winner takes all.” The spoils are: the right to appoint ministers, presidential staffers, managers and board members of all parastatals, and more importantly, the right to award contracts. Two political parties — the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) — have dominated the political scene since 1992. No political party has been able to succeed itself after the mandatory two-term limit of four years each.

“The political parties define themselves by ideology. The NDC claims social democracy while the NPP is liberal democratic.

There are also differences in the geographic support bases of the two dominant parties. The Ashanti Region is NPP’s stronghold while the Volta and Northern Regions reliably vote for the NDC. The Accra Metropolis as well as the Central and Western Regions are typically swing regions…

“The political economy of policy formulation and implementation has led to outcomes that we characterize as the “Ghanaian paradox”. The economy has been very vibrant. Growth rates have been respectable and, at times, spectacular, though the exceptional performances are usually linked to booms in the primary sectors. There has been heavy investment in productive, transport, and housing infrastructure. Moreover, Ghana has experienced a relatively stable macroeconomic environment of moderate inflation, stable exchange rates, downward trending interest rates, and sustained public sector wages since 2000.

“At the same time, the economy is afflicted with crushing indebtedness and unemployment. Income distribution is grotesquely skewed. There is underfunding of social programs. The bulk of the population is increasingly impoverished. Social tensions are heightened. The population bitterly complains about unkept promises and predictably votes for “change” every eight years.

“The Ghanaian polity slows economic growth, promotes inefficiency, and is inimical to inclusive and broad-based development. Contracts are awarded to individuals perceived as sympathetic to the political party in power. As a result, a viable and dynamic national private sector is slow to emerge, as few contractors (engineering and architectural firms, for example) survive the eight-year cycle of political alternation of power.

“Contracts awarded under previous administrations are often cancelled or forcibly renegotiated, leading to sizable judgement debts.

“The Ghanaian case demonstrates that democracy does not always get it right, and it is definitely not a panacea. In fact, democracy is guaranteed to get it wrong if the choices are all unpalatable (i.e., six of one versus half a dozen of the other). The agenda for reform in Ghana must include economic, regulatory, and political measures. Campaign financing laws must be reformed to eliminate “pay to play,” cronyism, and influence peddling. It is an affront to economic efficiency and justice that contracts are awarded exclusively to party financiers, partyfaithful, and family members.

“In conclusion, as democracy makes more inroads and consolidates across Africa, it would be important to ensure that political parties emerge that are more inclusive and reflect the socio-economic aspirations of the broad segment of the population. Moreover, specific socio-economic groups need to find their voices on issues such as the management of national resources and economic and trade policies, as well as demand political representation, regulatory, and political reforms.”

This young fisherman is taking the business of bagging a fish seriously at the National Park on Sunday

With Venezuela in collapse, towns slip into primitive isolation A t the once-busy beach resort of Patanemo, tourism has evaporated over the last two years as Venezuela’s economic crisis has deepened and deteriorating cellphone service left visitors too afraid of robbery to brave the isolated roads.

Gone are the vendors who once walked the sands of the crescent-shaped beach hawking bathing suits and empanadas – a traditional savoury pastry.

These days, its Caribbean shoreline flanked by forested hills receives a different type of visitor: people who walk 10 minutes from a nearby town carrying rice, plantains or bananas in hopes of exchanging them for the fishermen’s latest catch.

With bank notes made useless by hyperinflation, and no easy access to the debit card terminals widely used to conduct transactions in urban areas, residents of Patanemo rely mainly on barter.

It is just one of a growing number of rural towns slipping into isolation as Venezuela’s economy implodes amid a long-running political crisis.

From the peaks of the Andes to Venezuela’s sweltering southern savannahs, the collapse of basic services including power, telephone and Internet has left many towns struggling to survive.

The subsistence economy stands in stark contrast to the oil boom years when abundance seeped into the most remote reaches of what was once Latin America’s richest nation.

“The fish that we catch is to exchange or give away,” said Yofran Arias, one of 15 fishermen who have grown accustomed to a rustic existence even though they live a 15-minute drive from Venezuela’s main port of Puerto Cabello.

“Money doesn’t buy anything so it’s better for people to bring food so we can give them fish,” he said, while cleaning bonefish, known for abundant bones and limited commercial value.

In visits to three villages across Venezuela, Reuters reporters saw residents exchanging fish, coffee beans and handpicked fruit for essentials to make ends meet in an economy that shrank 48 per cent during the first five years of President Nicolás Maduro’s Government, according to recent central bank figures.

Venezuela’s crisis has taken a heavy toll on rural areas, where the number of households in poverty reached 74 per cent in 2017 compared with 34 per cent in the capital of Caracas, according to an annual survey called Encovi carried out by private Venezuelan universities.

Residents rarely travel to nearby cities,

A man weighs coffee beans, given as a means of payment, in a hardware store in Guarico, Venezuela April 24, 2019

due to a lack of public transportation, growing fuel shortages and the prohibitive cost of consumer goods.

In some regions, travel requires negotiating roads barricaded by residents looking to steal from travellers. At one such roadblock in eastern Venezuela, a Reuters witness saw a driver fire gunshots in the air to disperse a crowd.

“I haven’t been to the city centre in almost two years. What would I do there? I don’t have enough (money) to buy a shirt or a pair of shorts,” said a fisherman in Patanemo who identified himself only as Luis.

“I’m better off here swapping things to survive.”

Coffee for fuel

Venezuela is suffering one of the worst economic collapses in modern history. Inflation has topped one million per cent, according to figures released by the Opposition-run congress. The United Nations says four million citizens have fled Venezuela, 3.3 million of them since 2015.

Maduro blames the situation on an “economic war” waged by his political adversaries as well as US sanctions that have hobbled the oil industry and prevented his Government from borrowing abroad.

The central bank in April released economic indicators for the first time in the nearly four years, showing a less severe cataclysm than figures published by congress.

But the bank’s data underscored a dramatic contraction and spiralling consumer prices, nonetheless.

The bolivar has lost 99 per cent of its

value since Maduro took office in 2013.

In the mountains of the central state of Lara, residents of the town of Guarico this year found a different way of paying bills – coffee beans.

Residents of the coffee-growing region now exchange roasted beans for anything from haircuts to spare parts for agricultural machinery.

“Based on the cost of the product, we agree with the customer on the kilos or number of bags of coffee that they have to pay,” said hardware store manager Haideliz Linares.

The transactions are based on a reference price for how much coffee fetches on the local market, Linares said. In April, one kilo (2.2 pounds) of beans was worth the equivalent of US$3.00.

In El Tocuyo, another town in Lara state, three 100 kilo sacks of coffee buy 200 litres (53 gallons) of gasoline, which is in increasingly short supply in the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) nation due to chronic operational problems at state oil company PDVSA. In Borburata, another town a few miles from Patanemo, Keila Ovalles harvests eggplant, tomato and passion fruit in the backyard of her modest home. She said it was similar to the way her family lived in the early 20th century.

She stopped drinking coffee after being unable to pay for it, and now makes tea out of lemongrass instead.

“I tell the guys that I’m swapping passion fruit for something else, they spread the word and someone always comes,” said the 55-year-old woman. (Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, JUNE 10, 2019

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

Bulkan’s advisor hijacking regional procurement system Dear Editor, The situation in Region Six is being worsened daily as the APNU/AFC coalition Government continues to destroy the lives of thousands of Berbicians.

Since this region is the heartbeat of the PPP/C, the APNU/AFC coalition Government’s agenda is to ensure that the PPP supporters feel the brunt of the punishments in every aspect of life. The present flooding situation in Black Bush Polder is because of the incompetence of the Minister

of Agriculture and NDIA. Since the debate of the 2019 budget, the Regional MP Zulfikar Mustapha and the RDC enquired about the maintenance of these canals from Ministers Noel Holder and Ronald Bulkan but was told that the RDC would continue to do the maintenance. Unfortunately, the NDIA still went ahead and awarded the contracts for the canals and refused to send a circular of Cabinet’s decision.

This dictatorial approach is a clear indi-

cation of the hypocritical attitudes of the entire APNU/AFC Government since President David Granger, who at the National Congress of Local Democratic Organs in July 2018, said that RDCs and NDCs were bound by the Constitution to provide certain services, which include drainage and irrigation.

The President is a total disappointment in the management of the Cabinet and his Government must be held responsible for everything that is allowed to de-

stroy the lives of Guyanese.

The Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, continues to undermine the Regional Democratic Council of Region Six by appointing a “political hack” in the position of Advisor to the Minister to manipulate the RDC. This political appointee is being used

by Bulkan in his capacity to undermine the regional engineer, the Regional Executive Officer, the Regional Tender Board, and even the position of the

Regional Chairman, in order to ensure the regional system benefits PNC contractors and activists.

This doesn’t stop here, the advisors to Ministers’ office is used to give PNC contractors and activists the contract documents to do selective bidding and as such, manipulate the procurement process.

This dictatorial approach is undermining the system and contractors who cannot do certain jobs are still receiving them because they are APNU/AFC

coalition Government activists.

The Regional Executive Officer is the Chairperson of the Regional Tender Board and must not allow the Ministers’ advisors to manipulate the procurement system in the region.

This situation is a clear case of organised corruption by the APNU/AFC coalition Government and must not be tolerated in Region Six. Regards, Zamal Hussain

Beggars on the roads are increasing at too rapid a rate!

Dear Editor, I wish to highlight a situation which is getting out of control and needs to be addressed ASAP by the Government and Social Protection Ministry.

I am a professional who works out in the fields visiting several areas on the coast on a daily basis. I will give a synopsis of my typical day at work and highlight the number of beggars and homeless persons I interact with.

I would start out on the East Coast and head to Georgetown. At the Conversation Street stoplight, I would be greeted by two guys whose feet are amputated and who are begging. At Lamaha Street and Vlissengen Road, I would see at least 2-3 mothers and child/children at the junction begging. At Lamaha and Camp Streets, there would be another two who are begging. At Water Street or downtown whilst parking, I would be greeted by at least 2 persons directing me into a parking space and expecting a tip when I return to my vehicle. They are usually unstable persons or junkies looking for a tip to buy

drugs. At DSL junction, I would be greeted by at least 3-4 other beggars/homeless persons. At the Eccles stoplight, I would be confronted by another 2 beggars. At the Harbour Bridge junction, I would be bombarded by another 3-4 persons on both sides of the road. This brings the total to about 15-17 beggars per day that I am being bombarded by. This does not include those who harass me to clean my windshield daily for a little tip. I don’t have a problem giving a small change or tip but this is too much!

This situation is getting out of control and I am calling on the Government and the Social Protection Ministry to get these persons off the streets and into a home. Some of them are mentally unstable and can cause harm to ordinary citizens. They can also be easily involved in an accident since they are usually at main junctions where traffic is very heavy. This also paints a very bad picture of our city and country. Imagine a tourist coming to Guyana for the first time to explore and is approached by 20

beggars on his first day of touring. What will he think about Guyana? I’m calling on the authorities to have some pride in Guyana and get these minor things sort-

ed out which is having a major impact on our image as a country.

Kind regards, R Ramkhelawan

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monDAY, JUNE 10, 2019

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“O

K, class. Count off by fives.”

When your teacher gives you that instruction, you know what’s coming next. Sometimes, breaking into small groups lasts as long as the class does. Other times, it signals the start of a “group project” – which means you’ll be working with a few classmates for a day, several days, or longer on an assignment.

Ever wondered why this type of project is so popular in school? Or what you can do to make sure your group project is fair, fun, and successful? You want a good grade, right?

Why group projects?

Few of us act alone in the real world.

Most things are done with the help or ideas of other people. Group projects are great practice for high school, college, and real life, when you will probably have a job that requires working with others. Right now, group projects can be fun and they often allow you to do a bigger, more interesting project than you could alone. With group work, you can actually learn more in less time.

Group projects also give you a chance to get to know kids you might not otherwise know or talk with – maybe the quiet kid in the third row, the boy who lived down the street when you were in kindergarten, or the girl you’re sometimes scared to say “hi” to at recess.

Group projects are also a great way to practice skills you’re not so sure of. For example: working on a deadline, staying organised, or being patient. And if you’re a little nervous talking in front of a group, a joint project can help you become more comfortable with it.

Maybe your group will pick you to tell the whole class about your project. If so, you’ll know your whole group is rooting for you!

Getting started One of the most important things about group work is talking and meeting together. It’s a good idea to continually check with everybody on their progress and to see if anyone needs help. Here are some other tips for making group work really work.

You might think the first step is figuring out who will do what, but actually it’s getting to know one another a little. Take

Foundation a few minutes to chat. Even if you know each other well, it can help to take a minute to think about your skills and share your strengths and weaknesses. For instance, you might say, “I’m a good artist, if you want me to make the poster.” Or, “I’m not the greatest artist, but I’d like to get better at it – would anyone like to be my partner on the poster?”

The second step is to go over ground rules from your teacher and any that you want to create together as a group (for example, how the group will help people who are behind on their work). Will all of your meetings be in class? Do you need to plan time to work together outside of school? Now’s the time to talk about it.

makes suggestions and offers ideas.

The asker asks members to share information or ideas on a topic.

The peacemaker looks at opposing views and finds something useful in each of them, helping people work out differences.

And try not to play any of these negative roles: The non-participant does not contribute and/or discourages the others.

“Captain Critical” responds to other people’s ideas with criticism.

The dominator interrupts and talks more than listens.

The clown distracts the group and keeps it from focusing on the work.

Focusing on fairness Figuring out individual jobs within the group is a really important part of the process. One of the most common pitfalls of group work is that someone may end up doing all the work if the rest of the team can’t quite get it together.

From the beginning, it’s important to divide the work fairly and evenly. If you feel like you or another kid are doing too much, gently bring it up with the group. If nothing changes, you might want to talk with your teacher.

If problems arise Just as it takes work to complete your project, it also takes work to make a group successful. Maybe you can’t stand the way one group member always talks over other people or you’re sick of one of your group members being a non-participant. The best approach is to try to talk about the problems, in a nice way.

Bring your concerns up gently with the group as a whole. (It’s a bad idea to whisper to a few group members to try to get backup. A good group requires honesty and everyone’s involvement.) You might say, “Sara, it hurts my feelings when you interrupt me when I’m trying to say something.” Or, to someone who’s not doing his share of the work, “Jesse, what part of the research do you want to do?” If you can’t solve these problems on your own, talk to your teacher.

It’s natural to ask your mom or dad for help on a big project. It’s fine if they give you advice and encouragement. But it’s not OK for them to do the actual work for you. They shouldn’t do your research or write the letters on your poster – even if they can do it perfectly. A project, like other homework, is to help you learn by doing.

If a parent is too involved, bring it up with your teacher or with the group as a whole. You don’t have to be mean – just say, “It’s nice that Billy’s mom is helping, but I think Mrs Brown wants us to do the work ourselves.”

Usually, group projects end with a presentation to the class. Then, the teacher gives your project a grade. If you cooperate and do your best, you just might be sharing an “A”! (kidshealth.org)

Holding good meetings One key to a good meeting is having a leader, who should help the group stay focused. It doesn’t have to be the same person every time. In fact, it’s better if it’s not. It’s a good idea to talk about how the work is going, and if anyone needs help.

What if you’re not the leader? Important roles to play during a meeting include: The starter

T

hroughout your academic career, you’ve likely noticed that there are several distinct types of group member personalities. However, you still may not have discovered how to deal with each character.

Don’t worry – we have tips on how to approach each person’s to better handle situations, know where they’re coming from and, ultimately work together so that you can work together to achieve the grade you’re all hoping for.

While we may not have every personality type down, most students will more or less fit into one of the following descriptions!

The invisible student How to handle the situation: Unfortunately, this person doesn’t really offer much in terms of opportunity to work with to make this better. This is a scenario where you don’t have much of a choice other than to speak to your professor about getting the person removed from your group. If you don’t, each member of the group (or, in some cases, one member) will have to end up doing the person’s extra work which isn’t fair for anyone involved.

The silent student How to handle the situation: Try to promote group discussions, like going around in a circle and asking each group member to contribute an idea or an area they would like to contribute to make sure each person’s opinion is heard.

Or, perhaps, asking direct questions may be a good route. When asked direct questions, it’s difficult to deny giving an answer. Make sure, however, that you’re not asking questions with yes or no answers.

For example, ask things like, “What areas do you have talents in that would lend to the project that you’d like to work on?”

The procrastinator How to handle the situation: Create group deadlines and talk to the person. People do work differently, however, if he or she doesn’t give the rest of the group enough time to work on their areas of the project, which depends on getting that portion of the work, that’s unfair.

Likely, this group member cares about the assignment and will understand that – he or she just hasn’t thought of it that way.

The person who likes to over-promise & under-deliver How to handle the situation: All group members should participate fully within group projects. But, surprises the day of a presentation are never a good thing! Make sure you collaborate and see everyone’s work before you present or turn in the final project so that the project meshes well together.

Make sure you give positive feedback to each member regarding their contributions and never put a group member’s work down. Constructive criticism can help but make it a personal rule that for each piece of constructive criticism you’re giving, you’re dolling out a compliment as well.

The control freak How to handle the situation: Let them know that, while you appreciate all of their hard work and effort, you’re completely capable of doing your own work. Say that you know how stressful group projects can be but you’re willing to take on whatever tasks necessary and they don’t need to worry when it comes to you. In fact, you’re probably just as worried as they are and you’ll get through it together!

That way, they’ll likely see you as a friend rather than a dreaded g r o u p m e m b e r.

(Excerpted from fastweb.com)

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monDAY, JUNE 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Republic Bank earns $2.7B in 2018 – despite challenging external environment

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epublic Bank Guyana Limited (RBL) has revealed that its profit before taxation for the year 2018 was a staggering $4.664 billion, and it net income for that same year was a whopping $3.134 billion. This is an increase of 14.4 per cent over the $2.738 billion the bank had earned in 2017.

This achievement came even as the bank navigated what it termed a “challeng-

ing external environment” that resulted in various amounts of money disappearing from the accounts of many customers.

In his Director’s Report, Managing Director of Republic Bank Guyana Limited, Richard Sammy, said normal banking operations accounted for $2.951 billion. He attributed these increased earnings to the sale of the bank’s fixed assets.

“Against a challenging external environment, the bank focused on improving its operational efficiency by aggressively managing costs, restructuring workflow processes, and reviewing systems and procedures,” Sammy reported.

“A key project, which commenced in 2018 and will be completed in 2019, is the information Technology Consolidation initiative that will harmo-

CXC committed to providing examinations to regional students …after workers strike

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he Barbadosbased Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) says it will stick to its mandate of providing examinations to students in the Member States of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) even as it continued to hold discussions with the Barbados Workers Union (BWU).

In a statement, the CXC said that the discussions with the employees and the union centred on “an important restructuring exercise which will equip CXC, and by extension examination candidates, for the continued evolution of examination products and services.

“In 2019, the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) will mark the 40th anniversary of providing examinations to the Member States of Caricom. This is a mandate which the management of CXC is firmly committed to, as it will assist citizens of the Region

to position themselves as skilled practitioners in an ever-changing, competitive, global employment market,” it added.

Last week, unionised workers at CXC stayed off the jobs for two days and the BWU said that following

talks with the CXC management, they indicated they could not accede to the conditions that would form the basis for further discussions.

The workers are reported to be disgruntled also at the fact that several vacancies have been posted on the CXC site, including jobs that are currently filled.

In its statement, CXC said that its “commitment” to the mandate of assisting Caribbean people to function in a changing global environment has been the “driving factor as we hold discussions with employees and the Barbados Workers’ Union”.

“The management of CXC has resolved that it is vital that any disruption to ongoing examinations and marking must be mitigated in order to ensure the optimal experience for examination candidates.

“Therefore, consultations were held with the BWU, under the guidance of the Chief Labour Officer and the Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations, and both parties have agreed that the circulated requests for employee applications will be temporarily discontinued pending further discussions.” (CMC)

Republic Bank Guyana Limited

nise the bank’s IT platforms with other members within the Republic Group, ultimately advancing our technology and improving our product and service offerings to our customers,” the Managing Director noted.

Of recent, Republic Bank has had to contend with customers complaining of millions of dollars going missing from their accounts. Some customers even took to social media to call the Bank out over the discrepancies.

Last month, RBL publicly confirmed that the monies were indeed missing, after previously denying knowledge of the reports. After several customers had reached out to Guyana Times about their missing money, a call to the Bank by this publication was met with denial by one of its managers.

One customer related to this newspaper that he had visited the Republic Bank Automated Teller Machine

(ATM) at Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara to do a transaction, but he received a notice saying there were insufficient funds to honour the requested amount.

He said this prompted him to conduct a balance inquiry, and to his astonishment, his account only had $9000. The customer said he was left speechless, since he was aware that his account had over $140,000.

The customer noted that he went to the bank and made a report, and was given a dispute form to fill out. He said he was advised by the teller that the investigation process for such a claim takes between 60 to 90 days.

According to the customer, he was also informed that the matter has to be investigated by the bank’s Trinidad branch.

The customer had expressed dissatisfaction with the response from the bank, adding that when he enquired about reimburse-

ment, he was not given positive feedback.

Meanwhile, another customer said that he, too, was left shocked when he realised that $2 million had gone missing from his account. He said an inquiry revealed that money was deducted from his account to pay for several online purchases.

Another customer revealed that she had gone to the ATM and found that $60,000 was missing from her account, and she went right away to the bank.

She said she also was given a dispute form to fill out.

The young lady criticised the bank for not being honest with its customers about the hacking incident.

It is understood that several of these customers have since had their monies returned to them, with the bank implementing improved security features for online transactions involving the international Visa card.

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monDAY, JUNE 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Region 5 cattle farmers approach court to get back pasture lands

Common fate…

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The distressed farmers with their lawyer, Anil Nandlall

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he group of evicted cattle farmers is asking the High Court to, among other things, have the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary-Agricultural Development Authority (MMA-ADA) grant their lease applications and to remove other parties occupying the lands.

The farmers have been occupying some 1360 acres of lands located at Rampoor, Blairmont, West Bank Berbice (WBB) for over 20 years to rear their cattle. These lands were obtained via permits from the Agriculture Ministry and over the years, the farmers have filed applications to secure lease documents.

However, the farmers received a notice from the MMA-ADA earlier this year, indicating that they have to vacate the lands, which will be reissued. But according to the farmers, the agen-

cy has since issued out the lands to other persons, some of whom are not even cattle farmers.

Without the lands to graze their cattle, the farmers have complained bitterly over the losses they have been suffering.

Against this backdrop, they approached the court to regain possession of the lands. The MMA-ADA was named the respondent in the legal action, which was filed last week.

The farmers – Pooran Balmukund, Moonessar Somaroo, Rajnarine Harrynarine, Chrisna Sookdeo, Amar Nauth, Khrisinchand David, Ganesh Balkrisin and Subramannie Madray – are seeking a declaration that they are entitled to the 1360 acres of leased lands.

The document is also requesting an order for the MMA-ADA to pro-

cess the farmers’ applications for leases, as well as “an injunction restraining the Respondent from dispossessing or in any manner interfering with the Applicants’ peaceful enjoyment and occupation” of the lands.

They also want the court to quash any decisions made and leases granted to any other party to occupy those lands. The farmers are asking for “an injunction restraining the Respondent from processing, allocating or issuing any Lease, Licence and/or Permission” to occupy the lands.

In the legal documents, which were filed

by Attorney-at-Law Anil Nandlall, it was noted that the lands are and were always communally occupied and currently, the farmers have approximately 650 heads of cattle there.

Furthermore, it was

stated that the farmers have expended huge sums of money to fence a large portion of the lands and over the years, continued to expend millions of dollars in up-keeping the lands and ensuring that it is properly drained and irrigated. “…over the years, the applicants expended millions of dollars in the erection of buildings and structures to house these cattle and also constructed a dwelling house in which they dwell while they are on the said lands; to date, these structures are still on the said lands and continue to be maintained and upkept by the applicants,” the legal document outlined.

It was further explained that following an attempt by rice farmers back in 2011 to enter on portions of the land for cultivating, the then Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud and then President Donald Ramotar had intervened and after a series of engagements, it was decided that the lands would continue to be used “exclusively for cattle rearing” and that the farmers’ occupation would be formalised and regularised.

Over the preceding years, the farmers applied for their leases but were never granted same despite numerous tries, in some cases.

Nevertheless, Guyana Times had reported that the farmers were issued with a letter dated January 18, 2019, from MMA-ADA ordering them to vacate the land by February 1, 2019, and according to the notice, from that date, those animal farmers would have been deemed illegal.

Along with their removal, the men were also required to demolish all structures constructed on the property. Attempts were made to reach an agreement with the entity to no avail.

Hence this step by the farmers to seek legal recourse.

The matter is fixed for hearing before acting Chief Justice, Roxanne George on June 13 at 10:00h.

…with Ghana oday the President of Ghana starts a two-day State Visit.

Most overseas Guyanese have reacted with indignation at their country being confused with Ghana when they say where they’re from, but our literal Ghanaian connection goes so far back it’s beyond human memory.

Billions and billions of years ago, the continents were all joined together, and when Africa moved away from what was to become South America, Ghana broke away from Guyana!!

In fact, when Tullow struck oil off Ghana in 2007, they reasoned that, geologically, oilfields had to also be formed off the coasts of the Guianas, hence their successfully drilling off Suriname!

Ghana’s experience with oil should be an object lesson for Guyana. Their people had great expectations for their standard of living to rise to First World levels, since they had a democratic political system, a two-party system, and an educated populace. Their problem was that the politicians jumped the gun and borrowed heavily, with the expectation they’d be able to repay from oil revenues. But the flow of oil wasn’t as smooth as they had expected; there were problems with their pipelines for oil and gas and to shore.

They’re now stuck with a huge debt overhang!!

Like with the PNC here, they felt gas from their oilfields would solve their power generation woes, but ran into a slew of glitches. Lesson for our politicians.

While Ghana haven’t been able to completely eliminate their ethnic politics, they’ve developed a swing vote in the urban areas that ameliorates the divisions.

Young Guyanese should know that the first Ghanaian President, Kwame Nkrumah, played an important role in attempting to bridge the gap between Jagan and Burnham, after the latter split from the PPP to form the PNC. Jagan and Burnham both attended Ghana’s independence celebrations in 1957, and asked for Nkrumah’s intervention. However, Nkrumah was influenced by his close advisor, Trinidadian Pan-Africanist George Padmore, and met Burnham along with other West Indian leaders, who told him that Jagan was going to form an “Indian state in the Caribbean”.

In 1964, in the midst of the CIA-sponsored ouster of Jagan, the latter asked for the anti-imperialist Nkrumah’s help once again. His aide, W.E. Alexander, was however unsuccessful, since Burnham reneged on his promise for a coalition government between the PPP and PNC. And the rest, as they say, is history.

It was also the same for the leftist Nkrumah in Ghana.

Two years later, just before Burnham was rewarded with “independence” for his collusion, Nkrumah was ousted in a CIA-instigated military coup when he went to visit North Vietnam; even though he’d famously declared, “We neither face East nor West; we face forward.” …of obeah’s denigration?

Moses Nagamootoo, the soon-to-be erstwhile PM of Guyana, who’s fighting desperately, dirtily and treacherously to have another go at being given “Larwah” rather than any real power, came out swinging at his critics.

In the Chronic column he awarded to himself while axing Lewis and Hinds, he sniped snarkily: “On the sideline, the enemies of the party expect to see blood on the floor of the conference. Like the fabled but terrifying witch-doctors, they have been concocting a toxic devil’s brew of division and personality clashes amongst AFC leaders.”

Imagine, when the Attorney General of his government just announced he’ll introduce legislation to remove obeah from the Summary Jurisdiction Act as an offence fetching up to 12 months’ imprisonment, Nagamootoo warns about “terrifying witch-doctors”, which is what the colonials dubbed voodoo practitioners!!

How insensitive! On the eve of the State Visit of the President of Ghana, where obeah is considered as a native healing practice!! Some countries, like Tanzania, even register obeah practitioners.

How insensitive can Nagamootoo get? Shame on him!!

…of UF and AFC But Nagamootoo’s fighting a moot battle; the AFC ain’t getting the chance to nominate the PM candidate again.

Why should the PNC give them that power when they couldn’t even elect a single RDC Councillor?

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

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monDAY, JUNE 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Ghana’s President arrives today for 2-day visit people of our two countries,” the Ghanaian Minister said.

Although Guyana officially established diplomatic relations with Ghana on May 14, 1979, Guyana’s Independence movement was greatly influenced by Pan-Africanist and first President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah. During the celebration of Ghana’s Independence in March 1957, Guyana’s political leaders, Dr Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham travelled to the West African State to attend the festivities. Throughout their years of leadership, both

President David Granger with President Nana Akufo-Addo in Cuba earlier this year

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he Guyana Government is set to host the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa AkufoAddo, who is arriving later tonight for a high-level twoday visit.

The State visit was announced by President David Granger two weeks ago when he accredited the new Ghanaian High Commissioner to Guyana.

The Guyanese Head of State had disclosed that he met President AkufoAddo twice – first, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference last year and again this year, in Cuba, where the African Leader accepted an invitation to visit Georgetown.

During his two-day visit, the Ghanaian President will be spending his time “deepening and strengthening the cordial relationship” the two countries have built over the past 40 years. President Akufo-Addo will arrive in Guyana around 23:00h today and depart on June 12.

President Granger had previously noted that his Ghanaian counterpart’s visit will result in practical measures aimed at enhancing relations and cooperation between our two states, particularly in the fields of agriculture, culture, energy, environment, investment, petroleum production, Private Sector cooperation, tourism and transportation.

This State-visit comes on the heels of a recent visit by a large Ghanaian delegation two weeks ago to engage local stakeholders on areas of mutual interest in the oil and

gas sector, among others.

The more than 15-member team, led by Ghana’s Energy Minister and Deputy Minister (Petroleum) Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, had met with a number of Government Ministers and officials including those from the Department of Energy.

“I think anybody who says Guyana is not the hottest place to be and I am not speaking about climatologically but in terms of what we have found thus far in the oil and gas sector would not be lying. It’s a time in which also, we are keen to ensure that as a Department though young… we seek as best we can to ensure that these resources are managed in an efficient manner and an effective manner for all of Guyana,” Director of the Energy Department, Dr Mark Bynoe, posited.

Dr Bynoe further noted that the Department does not underestimate the momentous task ahead and continues to seek partner-

ships to ensure that it obtains the best value for the nation.

“We do not pretend to have all the answers to all the challenges that are before us, but we are very much positioned and we are keen to learn from others; the good, the not so good and even the indifferent experiences so we do not have to trod the same path which others may have trod before us,” the Director of Energy said.

Meanwhile, Dr Adam posited that he was pleased for the opportunity to discuss issues relative to cooperation with the Energy Department here.

“We are bound by so many factors [that] unites us because as you know, the …formation in your offshore bases is analogous to what we have in Ghana. So it’s not surprising that Exxon, which is here, has also entered Ghana and so we are united by so many factors and …will be able to leverage that for the benefit of the

Presidents Jagan and Burnham maintained good relations with Ghana.

Guyana has long shared common interests with those of the Republic of Ghana.

In fact, President Granger and many Guyanese historians have documented the contributions of Africans in Guyana, highlighting specifically the contributions of the “Maroon people”. This African group, who came to Guyana through the Atlantic slave trade, originated in West Africa as a part of the group of Asante people who lived in a region of what is now modern-day Ghana.

As the diplomatic relationship between Guyana and Ghana continues to flourish, so does Ghana’s cultural stamp on Guyana.

Earlier this year, on March 3, Guyana celebrated its 9th annual Ghana Day, organised by the Ghana Day Organisation. The Ghana Day festivities this year focused on the resuscitation of African culture among African-Guyanese. The cultural day usually features a parade and pageant of traditional Ghanaian clothing and a fair showcasing African food, clothing, accessories, and art.

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monDAY, JUNE 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Shortage of staff, drugs plaguing Diamond hospital

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he Diamond Diagnostic Centre continues to be plagued with operational issues with the facility reportedly facing staff shortages and lacks the basic services and equipment necessary to offer adequate medical services to members of the public.

Nurses attached to the East Demerara Regional Hospital reached out to Guyana Times over the weekend and complained that all of the operations of the hospital are being done by only a few nurses, who are left to multitask and are forced to work long hours beyond their shifts in order to get the work completed.

One of the nurses, who wished to remain anonymous due to fear of victimisation, told this publication that a majority of the staff of the hospital have been migrating to England through agencies soliciting medical personnel for overseas jobs while others have sought transfers to escape the “stressful” environment at the Diamond hospital.

“A lot of the nurses gone away to work in England and others are seeking time off to study at University, and others are taking transfers because they can’t continue to work at Diamond.

This place is like a slave camp with no proper facilities to carry out the job.

It’s just a few of us doing all the work. It’s like one person doing four persons’ job. We don’t even have basic medication to give to patients. It’s a very ridiculous situation here,” the nurse stressed.

Further, the nurses added that machines and other vital equipment have been out of order for an extended period of time despite several reports to the administration about seeking repairs.

“The X-ray and EKG machines are not working for a long time now. We keep reporting over and over, but nobody cares about getting it fixed. There are no proper facilities here and when patients come, we have to send them away or refer them to GPHC. We have nothing here really. It’s an exhausting situation here and the condition of this hospital and is getting from bad to worse,” another nurse decried.

Additionally, the nurses related that there is a major shortage of drugs and other medication at the institution and this greatly limits their ability to treat patients in need of medical attention.

The nurses contended that the Diamond hospital

has a negative stigma attached. The blame for this, they insisted, should be placed at the feet of the administration that is responsible for ensuring the hospital is properly equipped with nurses, doctors, and supplies to perform its services effectively.

“People always have something negative to say about this [Diamond] hospital but it’s not our fault. We can only do so much. When patients come, sometimes we don’t have anything to treat them with… and other times, a doctor isn’t even on duty and they have to wait and people get agitated by these things. If we are taken care of and are properly supplied with the necessary tools, we can carry out our job efficiently”, one nurse posited.

This is not the first time staff are complaining about the condition of the East Bank medical facility. In fact, back in 2017, medical workers had staged a strike

in order to have their concerns and issues addressed.

This led to the Public Health Ministry and regional officials hosting a meeting with

staff to iron out the matter.

That meeting was headed by then Junior Health Minister Dr Karen Cummings, who had noted that the main concern of the Ministry is to ensure that patients and staff are treated with care and respect at all health facilities throughout Guyana and that necessary systems should be in place to ensure that health services are provided in an unhindered manner.

The issues that affected the hospital at that time were the lack of security presence, non-functional sewerage systems and faulty electricity supply due to poor installation.

Now, less than two years later, the hospital is once again facing issues hampering the effective delivery of

healthcare services.

This comes on the heels of Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence, recently boasting of her Government’s commitment to improving access to primary healthcare to all of Guyana. The Minister’s statement comes at a time when the healthcare system is experiencing the longest and most widespread shortage of drugs in recent history.

Furthermore, the credibility of the public hospitals is under much fire owing to the alarming number of reported deaths of children and newborns.

Nonetheless, the Minister acknowledged that these problems exist and undertook to continue working to address them.

Chinese CDC/MoPH to upgrade Pakera Hospital – specialists, laboratory to be added

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he Chinese Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in collaboration with the Public Health Ministry is putting measures in place to upgrade the Pakera Regional Hospital at Matthews Ridge, Region One (Barima-Waini).

This was disclosed

by Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Shamdeo Persaud, who told reporters that after the discovery of the histoplasmosis organism fungus which claimed the lives of two Chinese nationals who were working with the Guyana Manganese Company to clear a mine in the area, the Chinese CDC has been in talks with the Public Health Ministry here to offer much-needed assistance to upgrade medi-

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud

cal facilities at the Pakera Hospital.

According to Dr Persaud, the organisation has committed to upgrading the

Pakera Hospital with the addition of specialists and a laboratory and X-ray department so as to enhance the services to members of those communities.

This, he noted, will also aid in the delivery of timely and improved services being offered to patients in that region. The CMO added too that the Chinese CDC will also be assisting in the enhancement of the National Public Health Laboratory in Georgetown so that it will be able to facilitate additional testing locally, eliminating the need for samples to be sent overseas for such testing, creating delays in the facilitation of medical services to patients.

Turn to page 13

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monDAY, JUNE 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Bank of Guyana report

Cost of basic foodstuff, medical services on the rise

– drop in some prices due to less consumer spending

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The Central Bank

he price of basic foodstuff including milk, fish and eggs, have steadily increased over the past year, with the price for at least one category of products increasing by as much as 10 per cent.

This is according to the

Bank of Guyana (BoG) 2018 Annual report. According to the report, the price for a domestic basket of food (variation of an economic term that tracks inflation in consumer products) increased by 3.0 per cent.

According to the report,

this is a reflection of increases in the price of fruits (by 10.9 per cent), meat (8.2 per cent), fish and eggs (4.2 per cent) and alcohol, milk and related products by 2.3 per cent.

The Central Bank noted that unpredictable weather was largely responsible for the increased food cost.

But food is not the only thing that has been on the rise. According to the report, the cost of medical care and health services climbed by 2.1 per cent. Other sectors were also hit by increases.

“The transportation and communications category registered an increase of 1.9 per cent relative to 1.1 per cent decline at the end of Dec 2017. The sub-category of operation/personal transport (tires, gas, parts and re-

Patterson donates ‘self-help’ equipment to Sophia residents

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ublic Infrastructure Minister David Patterson last Saturday handed over a number of materials to residents of North Sophia, Greater Georgetown, fulfilling a promise he had made to that community during a community walkabout earlier this year.

Handed over in a simple ceremony, the equipment will be used by residents in furtherance of community self-help clean-up endeavours over the coming months. Among the materials donated are wheel-barrows, shovels, rakes, cutlasses, pitchforks and buckets.

Minister Patterson has deemed the self-help project an excellent initiative being promoted by the Chairman and Project Coordinator of the community. In a social

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo interacting with vendors during a previous walkabout in commercial zones

pairs) increased by 9.8 per cent compared to an 8.3 per cent decline at the end of December 2017.”

“There was an increase in the price index of housing by 1.1 per cent compared to 0.4 per cent rise for 2017.

This was due to the upward movement in fuel and power (domestic gas, kerosene and electricity) by 4.8 per cent compared with the 1.9 per cent increase at end of December 2017.”

Declines

Items donated by Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson to the residents of North Sophia, Georgetown

media post, he noted that he has fulfilled a promise made to the community to support them in their ‘selfhelp community clean-up’ efforts.

“We were able to deliver on that promise. Clean

efforts started (Sunday) morning,” Minister Patterson stated.

After works have been completed, 12 LED lamps will be installed at various points within the community.

It is not all bad news for consumers, however, as the prices for some products like vegetables and sugar declined. The price of items like footwear also declined, though the reason is nothing to clap about. According to the Central Bank, this is because fewer people are spending in the domestic economy.

“Conversely, there were declines in the prices of pulse and pulse products, vegetables, sugar, honey and related products and cereals by 8.4 per cent, 1.7 per

cent, 1.5 per cent and 0.3 per cent respectively.”

“There were declines in the price indices of footwear and repairs, education, recreation and culture, clothing and furniture by 12.6 per cent, 1.7 per cent, 1.6 per cent and 1.3 per cent respectively; attributed to lesser domestic spending,” the report states.

According to the BoG report, the Inflation Consumer prices measured by the Urban Consumer Price Index (CPI) registered an overall inflation rate of 1.6 per cent… a level generally considered as stable by economists and a rate in the range recommended by institutions like the Federal Reserve.

“The monthly average inflation rate was 0.8 per cent.

The monthly change [year to date] in the Consumer Price level ranged from as low as -0.4 per cent in April to a high of 1.8 per cent in October,” the report stated.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had predicted back in 2017 that

Guyana’s inflation would continue to rise in 2018. They had urged Governments to urgently press ahead with much-needed structural reforms to ensure that growth is sustained and inclusive.

It had also recommended that countries improve their infrastructure, invest in human capital, encourage more females in the labour force, increase oversight of the labour market, enhance governance and anti-corruption efforts and take steps to further trade.

For the year 2018, the IMF had projected a 2.6 per cent increase in Guyana’s inflation rate. The eventual figure turned out below the projections of even Finance Minister Winston Jordan.

Following previous walkabouts in the markets and other consumer zones, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had previously warned that consumer spending was on a decline and that one of the reasons for this was the Government implemented Value Added Tax (VAT) measures.

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monDAY, JUNE 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

THAG lobbies for concessions to make sustainable tourism an export industry A

s part of its efforts to make sustainable tourism, the new frontier industry in the country, the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) is lobbying the Government for concessions as it seeks to become an export industry.

This request was made

by President of THAG, Mitra Ramkumar, on Friday evening during a welcome reception held by the new Business Minister, who has responsibility for tourism, Haimraj Rajkumar.

According to Ramkumar, the Tourism Association, in recent times, had to rewrite the narrative about sustainable tourism in order to convince policymakers of the emergence of experiential tourism, that is, travel that incorporates an active lifestyle, the need to reconnect to nature and the demand for authenticity.

“We endured a lot of hard years of lobbying and will continue to do this [for development of industry in Guyana],” he posited, adding that they have lobbied for a Tourism Director with the necessary skill set to lead the industry and were successful. The fruits of this, Ramkumar said, has already been seen

Business Minister Haimraj Rajkumar (middle) poses with former Business Minister Dominic Gaskin; President of THAG, Mitra Ramkumar; Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), Brian Mullis and THAG executive member Andrea de Caires at Cara Lodge where the welcome reception was held on Friday evening

with Guyana recently being named the number one eco-tourism destination in the world.

Back in March, Guyana copped the first ever “Best of Ecotourism” award at the second annual “Best of Top 100” in Berlin, Germany – putting the country ahead of well-known and experienced eco-tourism destinations like Sierra Gorda in Mexico, Tmatboey in Cambodia and

the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador.

The second annual “Best of Top 100” awards is a selection of the finest top 100 destinations selected by a panel of experts who review sustainability success stories submitted by destinations worldwide.

According to the President of THAG, this can be credited to former Tourism Minister, Dominic

Gaskin, who listened to the Private Sector and created an enabling environment to allow for such development in the sector.

To this end, Ramkumar asserted that they will continue, as stakeholders, to appeal for tourism to be truly recognised as an export industry. It was previously stated that Guyana’s tourism industry has the potential of becoming the third largest export industry in the country after gold and rice.

“So we appeal for this industry to be granted the same concessions as every other industry. So this means, it’s either zero tax or a reduced, at minimum, rate of tax,” Ramkumar contended.

He went on to play on Finance Minister Winston

Jordan’s charge that Guyana needs to diversify its economy and make it robust to shocks from commodity prices. According to the President of THAG, the rice and gold industries are both vulnerable to shocks from commodity prices, and the same goes for the much-anticipated impending oil and gas sector.

However, he pointed out that the oil and tourism sectors mesh well and complement each other.

“One is an industry that is highly capitalised and highly skilled while tourism is an industry that is labour intensive and that will create employment for the vulnerable. So these two industries need each other.

Tourism needs infrastructure, capital investment to market and so the oil industry will give us that reach by providing the resources to have this done,” he stressed.

But according to Ramkumar, in order for this to be successful, it needs to go through a deliberate and focused strategy.

“So I appeal to all of you and to the powers that be, that we are committed to working with the Government of the day. And it is for the Government of the day, to create an enabling environment and then we will take it from there. So I appeal to you to make sustainable tourism the new frontier industry for Guyana,” the THAG President pleaded.

This commitment by the tourism sector was lauded by former Minster Gaskin, who told stakeholders at the reception that he was

advised that the industry is poised to be much more productive than the third largest export.

Recognising that tourism makes a significant impact on the economy, Gaskin noted that “It is less tangible than sugar and bauxite but it certainly does brings in foreign dollars into Guyana’s economy and that money trickles down and goes a long way. So we cannot ignore this sector and its value. I believe between Government and this sector, there is enough goodwill and commitment to really push this sector further”.

Gaskin was forced to resign because of his dual citizenship status, being a born Briton. However, he has since been appointed Director of Manufacturing and Marketing within the Business Ministry with responsibility for the enforcement of standards, providing assistance to small producers and access to markets, particularly Eastern Caribbean markets.

His successor, Minister Rajkumar, has commended the strides made under his tenure, committing to continue to push Guyana’s tourism industry. In fact, he foresees Guyana’s tourism being among the top, if not the top, export industry.

“Perhaps with the correct management, with correct input and with cooperation of all of us working together, I believe tourism industry can make a significant contribution to our development,” the Business Minister posited.

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monDAY, JUNE 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Plastic ban still high on EPA’s agenda W

ith pollution taking its toll presently on the environment, resulting in more frequent flooding as a result of clogged drains and canals, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reiterated the importance of having the ban on single-use plastics implemented sooner than later.

In an interview with Guyana Times on World Environment Day, Executive Director of the agency, Dr Vincent Adams explained that the EPA has been in consultations with international agencies in this regard.

“We’re still working on it in partnership with others too. Of course, you know we have been going to international meetings and conferences with the international communities under

the United Nations etcetera but we are putting together a programme and a plan for it and again, all of that is going to be built into our entire strategic plan for the agency in terms of work,” he explained.

According to him, the ban on single-use plastics is critical at this point as is a second look at what mercury is doing for the environment.

He intends to have a microscopic view of what the effects of these and other contaminants are.

When asked how soon can the ban implemented, the Director said he chooses to be “realistic”, saying “in a few years”.

Adams reminded that consultations must be held with Guyanese before such a step is taken. He stated that “There are commit-

ments and I don’t wanna say next year. I would like for it to be as soon as maybe next couple of years or so but we’ve got to be realistic

Chinese CDC/MOPH to...

In addition, Dr Persaud stated that the CDC has also donated equipment, medication and other medical supplies to the MOPH and they are also working to support other areas.

Providing an update on the histoplasmosis organism outbreak in the region back in April which claimed the lives of two Chinese miners and affected 24 other workers, the CMO said the issue has been resolved as all affected workers were closely monitored and treated and are all fully recovered.

The other Chinese workers who were medically

evacuated to China after the death of their colleagues have also recovered and according to the last report received, Dr Persaud said no further occurrences were detected.

He explained that the said organism is not deadly in patients whose immune systems are strong, however, the two workers died as a result of the large dosage of the fungus they inhaled during a prolonged period of time in the decades-old mines, which were filled with faeces of rats and bats.

Dr Persaud pointed out that the Manganese

here too. It’s not as simple as saying ‘okay you’re going to ban it.’ What are you going to put in place after you ban it and how it’s going to im-

from page 10

Company, in keeping with recommendations from the Ministry, has since sealed off the mines where the incident occurred.

Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is still evaluating the mine before giving approval to the Manganese Company to commence operations.

In April last, 14 miners had to be air-dashed to the city after they fell ill resulting in one of them dying. The symptoms the men exhibited were pain, fever, headache and respiratory distress.

They were all being treated in a secure area at the Georgetown Public Hospital, where a second miner succumbed to those symptoms.

After samples were sent to Caribbean Reference Lab for further testing, it was discovered that the miners were infected with histoplasmosis organism, a fungus which results from exposure to droppings of rats and bats.

pact business, so there are all kinds of complexities but of course we are doing everything possible to make it happen as soon as possible.”

Last April, the then Minister of State, Joseph Harmon at a post-Cabinet press conference announced Government’s position on ending of the use of plastic bags across Guyana.

He explained that plastic is a problem across the world and Guyana, for its part, was not exempted from the consequences of this pollution.

“Cabinet agreed that the matter had to be addressed if we were truly committed to the tenets of our Green State Development Strategy… It was further

agreed that the Government would adopt and institute measures to minimise the use of plastic and propose appropriate legislation to give effect to these measures,” he had explained.

According to Harmon, a Cabinet memorandum was prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency in this regard.

Providing a timeline, Harmon was optimistic that the ban could be pulled off by the year 2021.

“The intention is not going to be immediate, but they are basically going to get people, over time, to wean themselves off of plastics. There are six supermarkets that have indicated willingness to work with the EPA that they start to reduce… the use of plastic bags.”

The implementation of this initiative comes at a time when Guyana happens to be one of the countries in the Caribbean that is mostly affected by plastic pollutants.

In Guyana, plastic articles, specifically plastic bags, have been the reason for clogged drains, trenches and canals and have oftentimes resulted in flooding over the years. As though a precursor to banning plastic, the Government took a decision to place a ban on styrofoam back in 2016, after much contention.

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monDAY, JUNE 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

New challenges emerging in tackling maternal mortality – CMO …several contributing factors identified and being aggressively addressed land, and (among) rural mothers, where their HBs are a little bit below what is expected of a pregnant mother. This can be twofold: 1) because of, maybe, nutritional challenges; you know, in terms of the diet, the presence of worms… which can draw some of the nutrients from the body. And then, secondly, if pregnancies occur too frequently -- if wom-

By Kristen Macklingam

T

he task of addressing the maternal mortality rate in Guyana continues to pose great challenges for the relevant authorities, and despite progress made over the years, instances of mothers dying after childbirth are still too many.

This is according to Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Shamdeo Persaud, who, during an exclusive interview with <Guyana Times> on Friday, explained that there are a number of contributing factors which had led to maternal deaths, and the Public Health Ministry is aggressively trying to address them.

“That’s a very difficult task, bearing in mind the magnitude of the problem here in Guyana. First of all, pregnancies will occur wherever people are; so you can imagine (this means) all across Guyana. It is a large country (with) not so large (a) population, but people are all over, so pregnancies occur.

“Some pregnancies that occur too early in life, especially in the female’s life -- for example, teenage pregnancies and maybe a few pregnancies that occur later in life; or when there are multiple pregnancies; or, a lot of you know, with mothers getting their ninth, 10th, 11th child -- those usually are the higher-risk pregnancies that do challenge us,” he explained.

He said that, more often than not, in such cases, medical practitioners have to move

Guyana in last year’s report confirm that many persons had succumbed to post-partum haemorrhaging than in previous years.

child or children after the age of 35, but those pregnancies “come with their own risks too”.

It was also observed that there were other issues that significantly contributed to the maternal death rate in the country, including mothers who had contracted HIV giving birth.

“Some of our HIV persons, who contracted HIV during their birth or during 20 years or so ago, have survived because of our good treatment programme, and some of them have actually gotten pregnant.

And we have actually lost two

mothers who survived that whole challenge now to become pregnant…. So we are looking at those now,” the CMO posited.

He said that, in this regard, the Georgetown Public Hospital presently has a training programme for additional training of medical practitioners, so as to ensure that “high clinics” are done and “high-risk mothers” are identified as early as possible.

“Also, across the hinterland regions, we are establishing more maternal waiting homes; so once we identify a mother who is high-risk, we bring them closer to where services are. We now have obstetricians based at Lethem and Mabaruma and Bartica, so that they can actually take care of most of the immediate needs. Blood and blood products are now available to those institutions also. So there are things that we are working on in terms of these (challenges), but there is more (that needs to be done); and here, again, we would like the participation of the public, families and so on to cooperate with us to curb this issue,” Dr Persaud explained.

In March last, Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) Representative, Dr William Adu-Krow, highlighted that one of the challenges Guyana’s health sector faces is the number of maternal deaths per year.

“For us now, maternal mortality is an issue. We can-

ent from anything that is being offered by its Caribbean neighbours; that is, the usual sand, sun and sea.

“We have something different, and we have an opportunity to create a different package and product. But even though it’s different, we must be able to package it in such a manner that it becomes desirable, so that people would want to be part of this. We must be able to put our energies together to become one of the leading sustainable tourism destination,” he noted.

The minister noted that with Guyana having been recognised as the number one eco-tourism destination in the world, the sector needs to capitalise on this and build, so that the country can be seen as not just a destination with beautiful scenery, but a deep

and diverse culture.

“We, as a people, should be patriotic and recognise that we have a very valuable product in our natural flora and fauna, (but) we also have people of six races, and each one of us has our own cultural background which is completely different from (that of) any (other) Caribbean country. We are a place of six people living together as one people, one nation and one destiny; that itself is something different, and we can always market that. So we can sell (to others the opportunity) to come and discover the culture of our people,” Minister Rajkumar explained.

The Business Minister, who also has responsibility for the tourism sector, further clarified that in order for the tourism industry to

New challenges emerging

According to Dr Persaud, more and more, women are becoming more educated and “pushing back pregnancies” by choosing to have their first

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud

these mothers from one location to another, in order for them to be provided with adequate healthcare.

However, there is still some resistance from those mothers or their families, when it comes to doing this.

“Especially when you have to transfer mothers who may have other children at home.

They have the challenge (of) ‘who will take care of them?’ and they resist coming out, or they come out too late. That sometimes can be a little difficult to handle, but we are working on those areas,” he said.

Low Haemoglobin (HB) levels a main factor in deaths

According to Dr Persaud, among the assessments recently conducted is one which revealed that low Haemoglobin (HB) levels are usually a main cause of mothers succumbing after childbirth.

“Especially in our hinter-

A mother with her newborn baby after a successful delivery at a regional hospital

en get pregnant rapidly within a short space of time.”

The CMO said it has been recommended that pregnancies should be at least two years apart. He explained that if a woman does not adhere to this recommendation, her body could become drained of the nutrients that are necessary to keep the Haemoglobin at an adequate level.

Further, he said that after delivery, many Guyanese women still suffer post-partum haemorrhage and shock, which could lead to death.

He noted that figures on the maternal mortality rate in

PAHO/WHO Representative in Guyana, Dr William Adu-Krow

not continue to talk about it all the time and continue to have maternal deaths all the time. I was surprised, because I thought we had only four deaths, but [it is] six or seven. If we have six by the end of February, that means we are looking at 36 deaths [for the year]. I think we need to do more,” he had said.

Dr Adu-Krow noted that much more work needs to be done to address the alarming rate of maternal deaths, but his organisation was lending a helping hand.

“We want to have zero mortality from haemorrhage. That means no woman should die delivering a baby from blood loss. This is a tall order, because the last data that I looked at indicated that 52 per cent of our women come into labour with haemoglobin less than 10. That already puts them at a disadvantage,” the PAHO Representative said.

Business Minister to push affordable domestic tourism

A

s Guyana continues with efforts at being promoted as an eco-tourism destination, newly appointed Business Minister Haimraj Rajkumar, who has responsibility for Tourism, has said he believes that in order for the country to be successfully marketed abroad, it first needs to be promoted locally.

“I do believe that citizens of Guyana can act as ambassadors (of) our country and help sell our tourism product. But when (you) look carefully, you find that people spend (their) vacations in other countries rather than (in) Guyana, and many of those persons would have hardly visited a place in another county (other) than (the one) which they live in,” Minister Rajkumar pointed out at a reception recent-

ly held to welcome him in the new position.

At the Cara Lodge on Friday, He told a room full of tourism industry stakeholders that for the initiative of promoting Guyana’s tourism to succeed, a collaborative approach is needed.

“I think we, as stakeholders in this sector, should put our heads together and somehow try to encourage local tourism; tourism that our citizens can be able to afford – a destination that can be affordable and a destination that can be easily accessible; so that when they leave and go to another destination, they will be able to sell the things we have. It’s highly unlikely for someone to sell the things that they don’t know about, and it’s somewhat shameful to know that you know about

Business Minister Haimraj Rajkumar

Manhattan and (all those places) abroad, but you cannot sell Fort Island, you can’t sell Sloth Island,” the minister posited.

He said Guyana’s brand of tourism product is differ-

move forward, it is necessary to analyze and see where its strengths and weaknesses are. “(We need) to develop the areas that are weak and to form strategies to maximise the benefits of the areas that are strong. So we need to start a policy of data collection so that we can analyze how our sector is doing, and determine how many visitors come to Guyana, where they spend their money, and how they spend their money, so that we can tap into those (areas). I would like to see stakeholders working together to increase the quality of our tourism product and make Guyana a desirable destination. This will result in the increase in visitors’ arrival and directly making a contribution to our economy,” Rajkumar stressed.

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15

monday, JUNE 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

VOX POPULI

What the people say about

I SAY...

The 2nd GPL submarine cable being disrupted on Thursday due to another maritime accident Andrea Bailey “To be frank, this situation is quite upsetting since one of my home appliances got damaged. This is a big setback for many, and my area is very dark. Currently, I am afraid because a lot of robberies have been taking place recently.”

Sasha Mittelholzer “I am honestly tired of the constant blackouts since it interrupts me from doing my chores. And to make matters worse, I have a baby and he becomes irritable when we can’t have access to the fan because of the blackouts.”

Kashana Milo “GPL needs to do better!

The constant blackouts affect me greatly, every single day when I get home from work, no electricity. A lot of my food stocks in my refrigerator have spoiled, and it is really taking a toll on me.”

Mark Gill “Since the second cable damage, all that can be expected is more blackouts ‘cause we already being affected a lot with the same thing. No light, no water is what we are facing each day in the week.”

Ignatius Hernandez “This is and it will continue to affect us greatly if GPL does not fix these cables quickly.

Having blackouts for more than one day in the week is very inconvenient to everybody.

This cannot continue to happen.”

Shanette Persaud “Having an unreliable supply of electricity is a major problem. On normal operations, we encounter power outages almost every week so this present situation is even more unbearable.”

50 complete Youth Leadership Programme

Leana Bobbsemple “Well even before these constant blackouts, a few months back, the blackout had damaged two of our CCTV and even now it has even damaged one of our fridges. All these damages that the blackouts caused will have to be replaced by us and it’s very sickening.”

F

Vina Sahadeo “The Government promised no more blackouts but ever since they take power, we have no power. Blackouts are more frequent now. Some nights my family can’t even sleep because of this.”

ifty youths from eight regions graduated a two-week Youth Leadership Training Programme on Sunday at the Madewini Training Centre.

The module two leadership programme prepared the participants for decision-making, problem-solving, financial management, psychology, good leadership, mental health and other areas, the Department of Public Information (DPI) reported.

Participants were given the opportunity to partake in a mock parliament, debating the challenges of climate change in Guyana.

Senior Administrative Manager for Youth Empowerment, Department of Social Cohesion, Culture,

Youth and Sport, Fayonne Marshall explained that the programme began in 2015.

“When we started, it was more of a consultation with the various regions with the aim to establish new youth organisations with the main focus to groom persons for leadership. However, the actual programme started in 2016 after realising that persons who were in existing youth organisations did not possess the requisite leadership skills,” she informed.

Marshall emphasised that persons who completed module one and displayed leadership potential in 2016, were given the oppor-

tunity to visit the United Nations Conference in the United States of America, as Youth Ambassadors in 2017.

“This is our 18th programme and… youths who would have graduated were given the opportunity to practice their leadership skills through managing another of our existing programme under the Department of Social Cohesion which is the Night School,” Marshall disclosed.

“What is most important for youths in Guyana is that they understand leadership and apply leadership. It is important for the youths of Guyana to possess lead-

ership qualities to prepare them for the future, country, region and their communities,” Khan noted.

Meanwhile, graduate, O’Neil Belle, shared his view on the programme, saying “[it] was very informal and quite practical, before many of us were not outspoken but we leave here today, motivated enough to partake in public speaking and most importantly, build our self-esteem to effectively apply our leadership skills.”

Module three of the Youth Leadership Programme is expected to commence soon with a packed schedule of practical exercises for the youths.

16

guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, JUNE 10, 2019

Regional

Venezuelan man killed in service Mexico holds off Trump’s fire, but seen vulnerable station line amid fuel shortages to new pressure A M Venezuelan man was killed on Saturday night in a service station line in the western state of Merida, a municipal mayor said on Sunday, signalling the growing impact of the nation’s fuel shortages.

Citizens have been spending hours and in some cases, days queued up to buy gas over the last month as plummeting refinery output and stalled imports have added to the chaos of a hyperinflationary economic collapse.

The killing took place in the town of Tabay when a fight in a service station queue led to gunshots, Tabay Mayor Jose Otalora said in a telephone inter-

A man handles the nozzle of a fuel dispenser at a State oil company PDVSA’s gas station in Caracas, Venezuela, May 17, 2019

view, adding that those involved had been drinking alcohol.

“In the midst of confusion and a series of impasses with the National Police, re-

grettably a firearm was used that caused the death of one man, left another wounded,” Otalora said.

He identified the victim as Wilderman Paredes,

and said the wounded man was receiving medical treatment. He did not provide additional details or say who was responsible.

Venezuela’s information ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The country’s socialist economy and its once powerful oil industry have unravelled since crude prices collapsed in 2014, leaving a nation that once exported fuel unable to supply its own internal market.

As shortages worsened last month, soldiers began overseeing rationing of gasoline at service stations in several parts of the country.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Cops under probe for theft of TT$30,000

T

hree Trinidad Policemen, including a Sergeant, have been detained by their colleagues following a complaint by a civilian that they took his money.

The officers attached to the Central

Division were on Saturday being questioned by officers of the Professional Standards Bureau.

The man reported that the Officers searched his car and found over TT$30,000 which he was going to use

to purchase a car.

He alleged that the officers took his money. The man reported the incident at the Professional Standards Bureau.

Investigations are continuing. (Trinidad Guardian)

exico avoided the most extreme immigration concession sought by US President Donald Trump in the deal reached to fend off threatened tariffs, but it is left even weaker than before in the face of potential new pressure from Trump as he formally kicks off his re-election campaign this month.

Under the deal reached on Friday, Mexico agreed to use a large part of its newly formed National Guard to hold back immigrants crossing from Guatemala, and to take in possibly tens of thousands of people seeking asylum in the United States while their cases are adjudicated.

Led by Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, negotiators in Washington resisted Trump’s core demand that Mexico be declared a safe third country, a classification that would oblige Central Americans crossing through Mexico to seek safe

haven there, not the United States.

But the two sides agree more action could be taken if within 90 days the measures do not have the desired result of drastically bringing down the numbers of undocumented migrants reaching the US border from levels that are at a more-than-decade high. Last month alone 132,000 were apprehended

by US authorities.

Former World Trade Organisation Head Pascal Lamy called Trump’s approach to coercing the US’s neighbour and ally “hostage-taking”, reflecting widely held concerns in Mexico that the US President will come back with more threats to extract greater concessions.

Those fears are sharpened because Trump has used Mexico-bashing to fire up his base on repeated occasions since kicking off his first campaign for the White House in 2015. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Thousands march in Port-au-Prince J’can to appear in court for to demand President’s resignation illegally entering Trinidad

S

everal thousand demonstrators marched through Port-auPrince on Sunday to demand the resignation of Haitian President Jovenel Moise over allegations of embezzlement.

Led by dozens of protesters on motorcycles, the mostly youthful demonstrators filled city centre streets in a rally organised by Opposition parties and civil society groups.

Amid a heavy Police presence, the marchers erected barricades of burning tyres, and at least two buildings near the departmental Police headquarters caught fire.

There were also clashes near the presidential palace, but no immediate reports of injuries.

“We demand that all those squandering (public) funds be tried and punished, their assets seized and turned over to the State for

Haitian President Jovenel Moise

serious development projects, and that the President resign and turn himself in,” said Velina Charlier, a protest leader.

The Judges of the High Court of Auditors said in a voluminous report last week that Moise was at the centre of an “embezzlement scheme” that had siphoned

off Venezuelan aid money intended for road repairs.

Venezuela’s PetroCaribe aid programme has been plagued by allegations of corruption since its establishment in 2008.

The Judges’ report laid out a litany of examples of corruption and mismanagement.

The Magistrates discovered, for example, that in 2014 Haitian authorities signed contracts with two different companies — Agritrans and Betexs — for the same road-repair project. The two turned out to have the same tax registration number and the same personnel.

Moise, before he came to power in 2017, headed Agritrans, which received more than 33 million gourdes (US$700,000 at the time) to do the road work, though the company in principle did nothing but grow bananas. (Excerpt from AFP)

A

Jamaican man who allegedly escaped immigration officials at the Piarco International Airport (PIA) on June 1, is due to appear in court this week after he was captured by Police last Friday.

Police had been searching for O’Shane Bailey ever since he walked out of the airport on June 1. Bailey was denied entry to the island after arriving on May 31 to visit relatives and was due to have been returned to his country the following day.

Police said when he was captured on Friday; he was going about his business as

The Piarco International Airport

normal, “like a tourist”.

One newspaper had reported last week that Bailey had indicated he was willing to surrender to Police and denied he escaped but paid an official US$500 to leave.

Bailey told the Trinidad

Guardian newspaper that he walks with a limp and could not run out of the airport and after paying to be released, he was supposed to pay another US$300 to get his passport which was seized by immigration. (Excerpt

from CMC)

Holness, McKenzie move to end disquiet over Seaga’s Antigua: Public divided on closed casket students’ expulsion

O

n the heels of the decision taken by the Education Ministry in Antigua to expel two male secondary school students who were involved in a widely circulated video that displayed disturbing acts of bullying, members of the public have taken sides with some condemning the expulsion of the student who recorded the video.

The video, which went viral last week showed one stu-

dent placing the cord from an electric fan around another student’s neck, as others cheered on the perpetrator.

According to the Director of Education Clare Browne, “The Ministry took the decision that the student who was seen in that video wrapping the cord around the young man’s neck, that student was expelled … also, the student who recorded the video, who not merely recorded the video but was

encouraging this and was the fuel behind this act … being as well, part of the whole process, he too was expelled.”

This decision, which was revealed during a hearing on Thursday, has since received public criticism to the effect that the videographer should have received a lesser punishment, and expulsion should have only been the last resort if he committed another infraction. (Excerpt from Antigua Observer)

P

rime Minister Andrew Holness and Member of Parliament for Kingston Western Desmond McKenzie have pleaded with Labourities to accept the wishes of the family of their beloved “Papa Eddie” and to cool their anger over the decision not to allow the viewing of his body when his casket lies in state in the constituency next week.

Several residents of the constituency, which former Prime Minister Edward Seaga represented for 43

years, have reportedly expressed anger that they will not be able to see his face when his casket is taken there today and Tuesday.

They have been joined by other members of the public who have taken to the airwaves, and social media, urging a rethink as they want a last look at the man who strode Jamaica’s political stage like a colossus for more than four decades.

But addressing a massive crowd during a “nine night” for Seaga in Tivoli

Gardens Tuesday night, Holness called for understanding as he said his late mentor had indicated that the casket should remain closed.

“So what I would say, my belief, from speaking with Mr Seaga, and from knowing him for these many years, is that he would want you to remember him in life, as he lived … and not in death. So I want to put that argument to rest,” Holness said. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, JUNE 10, 2019

17

Around the World

Hong Kong plunged into political crisis Kazakhstan election: Hundreds after huge protest against extradition law arrested in poll protests

Riot Police push back demonstrators during a protest to demand authorities scrap a proposed extradition bill with China, in Hong Kong, China

H

ong Kong plunged into political crisis after huge protest against extradition law Riot police surrounded Hong Kong’s Parliament early on Monday after what had been a peaceful million-strong protest against an extradition bill descended into running clashes between police and protesters.

Several hundred riot police armed with batons, shields, tear gas guns and pepper spray sealed off the

on Wednesday to pass a new Government bill that will allow suspects wanted in mainland China to be sent across the border for trial.

Earlier on Sunday, hundreds of thousands had jammed Hong Kong’s streets to protest the bill in the biggest demonstration in years.

Many said they feared it put the city’s vaunted legal independence at risk.

The rallies — and the violence — plunge the global financial hub into a fresh political crisis, with marchers and opposition leaders demanding the bill be shelved and that the city’s Beijing-backed Chief Executive Carrie Lam resign.

The demonstration capped weeks of growing outrage in the business, diplomatic and legal communities, and human rights groups, which fear corrosion of Hong Kong’s rule of law and the lack of a fair and open legal system on the mainland. (Excerpt

Legislative Council as a similar number of protesters charged their lines shortly after midnight, Reuters witnesses said.

Police used batons and fired pepper spray at protesters, who still managed to close off part of a nearby road. Several people on both sides appeared to be injured, and ambulances were called.

Metal barriers were left twisted and torn in the clashes.

The Legislative Council is where debates will start

from Reuters)

Security forces arrested a number of airport officials and employees of Sudan’s central bank on Sunday, according to DPA news agency, citing colleagues of those detained.

Opposition groups called for a general strike and civil disobedience campaign to pressure the ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) to hand power to a civilian-led Government.

On Sunday, protesters gathered tyres, tree trunks and rocks to build new roadblocks in Khartoum’s northern Bahari district, an unnamed witness told AFP news agency, but riot po-

lice swiftly moved in and fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The latest bid by demonstrators to close off streets in the capital comes nearly a week after a deadly raid on a sit-in outside the army headquarters that killed dozens.

The bloody crackdown last Monday prompted the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which spearheaded protests against longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in December, to announce the campaign.

The CCSD on Sunday said a total of 118 people have been killed since the crackdown was launched on June 3. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

P

olice in Kazakhstan have arrested hundreds of people protesting against a poll to elect the country’s first new President in 30 years.

The election was called after long-time leader, Nursultan Nazarbayev, 78, stepped down in March.

His hand-picked successor, interim President Kassym Jomart-Tokayev, is widely expected to win the vote.

Protesters and opposition candidates claimed Sunday’s poll was not free and fair.

Tokayev, 66, disputes their claims and has described the process as democratic and open.

Exit polls suggest Tokayev, a former DirectorGeneral of the United Nations Office in Geneva, won the election with 70 per cent of the vote.

Large-scale protests - the biggest the country has seen in years - against the elec-

Protesters were seen being dragged into buses by riot police in Nur-Sultan

tion have been reported in Kazakhstan’s capital, NurSultan, and its largest city Almaty.

At those protests, hundreds of peaceful demonstrators calling for a boycott of the vote, and several journalists and activists monitoring them, were detained by police.

Kazakhstan’s Deputy Interior Minister Marat Kozhayev said 500 people had been arrested at “unsanctioned rallies”, AFP news agency reports.

Tokayev, who cast his ballot in the capital, has

urged police to exercise restraint. He told the BBC his Government would be tolerant towards those with different views.

Mukhtar Ablyazov, leader of banned opposition group the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan, urged his supporters to take to the streets in protest over Sunday’s vote.

Believing the vote to be a sham with a predetermined outcome, the fugitive banker had called for peaceful protests in cities across the country on Sunday and Monday. (Excerpt from BBC News)

a deal - and the Government does not ask the EU for another delay - there risks being major economic disruption from a disorderly departure.

The 39 billion pounds represents outstanding British liabilities to the EU, which would be paid over a number of years according to the withdrawal agreement negotiated by May. Johnson also said border arrangements with Ireland should be settled only as part of a long-term agreement, rejecting a “backstop” which would avoid checks on Northern Ireland’s border but which Conservative lawmakers fear is a backdoor way of requiring

Britain to continue to follow EU rules after Brexit.

Separatel, one of Johnson’s rivals, Environment Minister Michael Gove, said he would scrap the value-added tax (VAT) levied on most goods and services and replace it with a lower US-style sales tax.

VAT is one of Britain’s main taxes, which the Government expects to raise 137 billion pounds this year.

Another leadership contender, Sajid Javid, said he was willing to pay Ireland hundreds of millions of pounds towards the cost of new border arrangements to facilitate a Brexit deal. (Excerpt

Sudan: “Several killed” on UK’s Johnson threatens to 1st day of civil disobedience withhold US$50B Brexit payment

S

udanese police have fired tear gas and live ammunition to disperse protesters taking part in a civil disobedience campaign, called in the wake of a deadly crackdown on demonstrators.

Four people have been killed in the capital Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman as the campaign began on Sunday, according to an opposition-aligned doctors’ committee.

Two people died after being beaten and stabbed and two people were shot dead, the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors (CCSD) said, blaming paramilitary groups.

B

oris Johnson, the leading candidate to succeed Theresa May as Britain’s next Prime Minister, said he would withhold a previously agreed 39 billion pound ($50 billion) Brexit payment until the European Union gives Britain better exit terms.

The EU has repeatedly said it will not reopen discussion of the Brexit transition deal it reached with May last year, which British lawmakers have rejected three times, prompting May to announce her resignation earlier this month.

Britain is due to leave the EU on October 31. If Parliament does not approve

Moldova crisis: Snap elections India’s Modi makes unscheduled called by interim President stop at bombed Sri Lanka church Dodon of his duties because

Protests have been staged in front of Moldova’s Parliament in recent days

M

oldova’s pro-Russian President Igor Dodon has been stripped of his duties, escalating a political crisis stemming from inconclusive general elections.

The move came after his party agreed on a coalition Cabinet with a pro-European Union block, welcomed by the EU. Outgoing PM Pavel Filip’s party challenged the deal and the Constitutional Court intervened to appoint him as interim President.

Filip then announced the

dissolution of Parliament and new elections.

Parliament, however, has refused to accept his order, saying the country’s State institutions had been seized.

There are now fears that the prolonged political crisis could lead to violent clashes on the streets.

Elections in Moldova in February resulted in a stalemate, with no clear winner emerging between rival proEU and pro-Russian parties.

On Sunday, the Constitutional Court in the capital Chisinau relieved

of his refusal to dissolve Parliament.

This came a day after the pro-EU Acum political bloc and Dodon’s Socialists struck an unlikely deal and formed a compromise Government.

In Parliament, lawmakers also declared that Moldova’s state and legal institutions “have been seized” by influential oligarchs, calling for the resignation of several top officials.

But their opponents say the formation of the new Government took place a day after a constitutional deadline for this expired a claim both Acum and the Socialists dispute.

Filip’s Democratic Party - which is led by Moldova’s richest man Vladimir Plahotniuc - later filed a legal challenge which was backed by the Constitutional Court. (Excerpt from BBC News)

from Reuters)

I

ndia’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made an unscheduled visit to a Colombo church bombed during the Easter suicide attacks on his first trip to neighbouring Sri Lanka since his election triumph.

Modi’s motorcade made a detour to St Anthony’s Shrine on Sunday while en route to President Maithripala Sirisena’s seafront office in the capital, where a red carpet military parade awaited.

Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who received Modi at Colombo’s airport, said the two discussed ways to combat attacks such as the assault on the three hotels and as many churches which left 258 dead and nearly 500 injured on April 21.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) claimed responsibility for the Easter

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) shakes hands with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena during a welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo

Sunday attacks, which were carried out by a local group, National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), that allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIL. Modi also held talks with opposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksa and minority ethnic Tamil leaders before returning home later on Sunday.

Since first becoming Prime Minister in 2014, Modi has stressed a “neigh-

bourhood first” policy for the South Asian region, promising neighbours prioritised benefits of India’s economic growth.

Modi stopped in Colombo on his return from an official visit to the Maldives, where he inaugurated a radar system and military training centre. The two projects, costing US$26 million, were funded by India. (Excerpt from Al

Jazeera)

18

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monDAY, JUNE 10, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

dilbert

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

SUDOKU

An open mind will help you see situations differently. Don’t rule out what’s possible due to fear of failure or the criticism you might face from demanding individuals.

You can make a change if you use your intellect, connections and experience to your advantage. If you show strength and conviction, onlookers will respect and support you.

New beginnings are favored. Take pride in your appearance and actions.

Refuse to let anyone meddle in your affairs or tamper with your emotions.

Diligence will come in handy when making changes at home that will influence your daily routine.

You’ll receive accolades from those who benefit from your insight and updates.

Generosity can be costly.

Emotionally motivated spending is not an option, nor is trying to buy someone’s love. Put your wallet away and offer kindness and understanding. Bring joy to others through laughter.

Simplicity will be useful when dealing with loved ones and making personal adjustments. If you are honest about what you want to see happen, you’ll get the help you need.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Personal growth will help you realize what you want and how to go about making it happen. Question what you are doing and why, and change situations that are no longer suitable.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Live and learn.

Experience is the spice of life, and it will help point you in a direction that will make you happy. Stay on top of current trends and keep moving forward.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

If someone plays with your emotions, walk away.

Look for people and partners who are not intrusive.

Call the shots instead of putting up with unnecessary interference.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

A change at home will turn out better than anticipated. Do the preliminary work and save a bundle. Loved ones will pitch in and help once they see your plans kick into gear.

solution for saturday’s puzzle AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

An opportunity will arise for something you want to do. Don’t hesitate or let anyone interfere.

Take action and do whatever is necessary to pursue your goal.

Your input will be welcome if you volunteer your time or services. Someone you meet will offer suggestions that will help you expand your interests, skills and relationships.

monday, june 10, 2019

Can the

seal the deal tonight?

- Durant trained

on Sunday

T

ired, wounded and facing a daunting 3-1 series deficit in the NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors are in desperate need of a boost.

Needless to say, Kevin Durant’s long-anticipated return would fit the bill.

Warriors Coach Steve Kerr said that his all-star forward would practice Sunday, setting up a possible return for Monday’s Game 5 against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. Durant, who has missed Golden State’s last nine games after suffering a strained right calf on May 8, watched as Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors seized command of this series by winning Games 3 and 4 in Oakland.

“He’s going to practice with us and he’ll get some extra work in with some of our younger players,” Kerr said. “We’ll gauge it from there. What he’s going to do today he hasn’t done [before]. He’s doing more today and then we’ll know more after that.”

Word of Durant’s progress, and his possible return, comes after days filled with murky updates about his health and reports that the Warriors were growing frustrated with his continued absence. As Durant’s return timetable seemed to shift between Games 3 and 4, Kerr said that Durant hadn’t suffered a setback but added that the team would be more tight-lipped about its injury updates to prevent mixed signals.

Durant, who has been around the Warriors and traveled with them throughout the Finals, has not addressed the media during the series and did not take questions Sunday. In the vacuum created by his injury and silence, Durant’s status as an upcoming free agent and months of rumors about a possible offseason departure have led outsiders to speculate about his motivations.

Before Game 4, he posted a cryptic horoscope message to his Instagram account.

“False information doesn’t become true just because it’s repeated,” the message read.

H

been hampered by injuries, with Klay Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins, Kevon Looney and Andre Iguodala all playing through various ailments. Stephen Curry began to show signs of exhaustion during Game 4, as the Warriors scored just 92 points, their lowest total of the postseason, and struggled to contain Leonard,

Kawhi Leonard (2) and Klay Thompson have been the driving forces of the NBA finals

There’s no question the two-time Finals MVP will be of great use if and when he returns, even if he’s in a limited state. Golden State’s rhythm and confidence have

Portugal defeat Neds to claim inaugural Nations League o s t s Portugal claimed their second trophy in three years by beating the Netherlands to win the inaugural Nations League.

Fernando Santos’ side triumphed at the 2016 European Championship and Goncalo Guedes’ second half strike gave them a narrow victory in Porto.

The Valencia winger smashed in from the edge of the area following Bernardo Silva’s clever cutback, though Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen will be disappointed he did not keep the effort out.

The Dutch looked to get back into the game but Memphis Depay’s powerful header was well saved by Wolves number one Rui Patricio

19

and ex-Middlesbrough midfielder Marten de Roon lashed over.

England finished third in the tournament after a victory on penalties over Switzerland in Guimaraes.

The game was billed on the clash of the two influential captains - Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Netherlands centre-back Virgil van Dijk.

Both players claimed silverware at club level last season, Ronaldo winning the Serie A title with Juventus, while Van Dijk contributed to ending Liverpool’s seven year wait for a trophy by triumphing in the Champions League.

Ronaldo, 34, scored a sublime hat-trick in the semi-final victory over Switzerland but was unable to add to his 88 international goals, seeing a thumping, goalbound drive blocked by the towering Van Dijk.

The closest he came to netting was when he skipped past two defenders from the left, but stuck a shot straight at Barcelona’s Cillessen. He also smashed a free-kick wide late on.

Former Southampton and Celtic player Van Dijk was his solid, assured self at the back but could do nothing about the winning goal, though Cillessen was unable to keep out Guedes’ strike having got a hand on the effort.

Portugal are now unbeaten in their last 10 games and despite defeat, Netherlands who have failed to reach the last two major tournaments - will take heart from their progress since the appointment of Ronald Koeman as boss. (BBC Sport)

who notched 36 points.

“We made a lot of defensive mistakes that seemed borne from the frustration and maybe fatigue,” Kerr said. “We’re playing

guys heavy minutes and all that stuff. That’s why I’m pleased that there will be two [off] days before [Game 5] and the next couple after that, if we can keep extending the series. As we get healthier and have some time to heal and rest, I like our chances.”

Durant is averaging 34.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game in the playoffs, and he was sensational in the Warriors’ opening-round victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. The 2014 MVP seemed poised to stake his claim as the best player in basketball, only to suffer a noncontact leg injury during Game 5 of a second-round series against the Houston Rockets.

A Durant return would ease Curry’s burden, rebalance Golden State’s offense, give Kerr an isolation scoring threat to help unlock Toronto’s defense, and provide a long defensive option against Leonard or Pascal Siakam. On an even more basic level, Durant would also help fill minutes. Kerr has had to rely on backup forwards Alfonzo McKinnie and Jonas Jerebko, who have been badly overmatched against the Raptors.

“It’s just having another powerful weapon out there that can do some very dynamic things on the floor,” Curry said. “He’s been in plenty of Finals and has played well. No matter what percentage he’s at, I’m sure he’ll be impactful and effective.”

The Warriors are seeking to join the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers as the only teams in NBA history to win a title after facing a 3-1 deficit in the Finals. Of course, it was the Warriors who sacrificed that 3-1 lead three years ago. That same year, they dug out of a 3-1 hole against Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder to win the Western Conference finals.

While Toronto has been the healthier, steadier and more impressive team throughout this series, Thompson allowed himself to dream about the possibility of a Durant-led comeback.

“I feel for Kevin,” Thompson said. “I know what type of competitor he is. We obviously miss him out there and he’s propelled us to two championships in the last two years. It would be pretty storybook if he could come back and help us do the same.” (Washington Post)

Nadal racks up 12th French crown as Thiem runs out of steam

D

efying the years and one of the most fierce onslaughts he has ever faced at Roland Garros, Rafa Nadal won his 12th French Open crown on Sunday, leaving Dominic Thiem crushed and a packed Parisian stadium shaking their heads in wonder.

The first set had been one for the ages, the second ran it close, but after three hours and one minute all that mattered was that Nadal was once again in familiar pose, flat on his back on the clay, a 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1 winner to clinch his 18th Grand Slam triumph in total.

Of them all, this was one of his most satisfying.

“Lots of issues with my knee recently... with my foot... too many issues the last few months which makes this last few weeks very, very special,” Nadal smiled to reporters, the large silver trophy at his side. “Physically and mentally I had been down.”

Rarely, if ever, has any opponent played so well against Nadal on the Philippe Chatrier center court as Thiem did on Sunday.

Rarely, if ever, has Thiem, the best of the young guns, struck the ball so firmly, or played with such purpose and aggression.

But it was not enough. Not nearly enough. Not even before Thiem ultimately ran out of steam.

The 33-year-old Nadal, who becomes the first player to win the same Grand Slam title 12 times, going past Margaret Court’s 11 Australian Opens, now sits two major titles behind his great foe and men’s Grand Slam title record holder, 37-year-old Roger Federer.

“It’s incredible,” Nadal told the crowd. “For me it was a dream to play here in 2005 and I could not imagine I would be back here in 2019.

It’s a very special moment for me.”

Afterwards he would not be drawn on his Grand Slam title chase with Federer.

“Your neighbor has a nicer house than you... or a bigger TV, or better garden...

I don’t see life like this,” he laughed.

MENTAL TOLL

Physically, Thiem had looked strong and resolute but who can say what mental toll his rain-delayed semi-final victory over world number one Novak Djokovic had taken?

The Austrian had had to play on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and now Sunday while Nadal had enjoyed Saturday off, having dispatched Federer on Friday before the rain set in.

Certainly it would have taken a monumental effort to remain mentally positive after playing an opening set as he did, and coming out of it empty handed.

Thiem slammed backhands for all they were worth, cleaned the lines with his forehand, and the sonic boom from his serve resonated around the court. (Reuters)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

monday, june 10, 2019

238: Cejudo beats Moraes

as Shevchenko and Ferguson win

Precariously placed South Africa face uphill Windies challenge A fter a chastening first week and a half at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, South Africa will be eyeing their first win as they take on West Indies at the Hampshire Bowl, Southampton on Monday.

Dale Steyn ruled out due to injury, Lungi Ngidi unfit, an uncertain batting lineup and three losses on the trot- South Africa have had a tough start to their 2019 World Cup campaign. The fast bowlers’ performance in the 6-wicket loss to India must be heartening for the team management, but it’s the batsmen who need to step-up against an aggressive West Indies pace attack on Monday.

With Ngidi still in doubt, Du Plessis might look to draft in Beuran Hendricks, who came in as a replacement for Steyn, to add some teeth and variety to the bowling attack. The Proteas desperately The West Indies will look to rise up after their narrow defeat to Australia at Trent Bridge, a game they would have felt was under their control for most part of the day. While the ag-

gressive opening burst from the fast bowlers in the first two matches reminded us of their glory days of old, failure to consolidate on the start and poor shot selection by the batsmen in the run-chase, hurt them dearly against Australia.

However, having won their opening fixture and having pushed Australia

for South Africa so far this tournament, with the highest opening stand for the Proteas at this World Cup being just 49. The wicket-keeper batsman, currently ranked fourth in the in the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Rankings, will aim for a match-winning performance against a potent West Indies attack.

Quick runs down the or-

success with the ball so far, the all-rounder, with his ball striking abilities, is capable of producing match-winning performances against any opposition on his day.

With even chances of rain, a few showers might be expected in the afternoon at The Hampshire Bowl. With cloud cover expected to remain for most part of the day, fast bowlers might once again play a decisive role on Monday.

Squads

West Indies: Jason Holder (c), Fabian Allen, Darren Bravo, Shannon Gabriel, Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite, Sheldon Cottrell, Chris Gayle, Shai Hope, Ashley Nurse, Kemar Roach, Oshane Thomas

Dale Steyn

close, they will be the happier of the two teams heading into this match.

Runs early on in the innings has been sadly lacking

der and wicket-taking abilities with the ball - Russell is an integral part of this West Indies team. While he has been a big part of their

South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock (wk), Hashim Amla, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, JP Duminy, Dwaine Pretorius, Beuran Hendricks, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi (ICC)

Hamilton wins in Canada after Vettel penalised

U

FC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo added the vacant bantamweight world title to his collection after staging a thrilling come-from-behind TKO victory against Brazilian Marlon Moraes at UFC 238 in Chicago.

American Cejudo, 32, battled back after a torrid opening round to dramatically turn the contest in his favour, as he closed the distance on his opponent and found success with his close-range boxing and Muay Thai knees.

Eventually, Moraes, who had loaded up with heavy strikes early in the fight, began to tire and Cejudo finished his opponent with ground strikes with nine seconds remaining in the third round.

Cejudo’s victory meant he became only the fourth athlete after Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier and Amanda Nunes - to hold two UFC world titles simultaneously.

It is a status known to fight fans as being a “champ champ”, but Cejudo gave himself a different label after his historic victory.

“No, I’m not champ champ, ladies and champion. My name is ‘Triple C’. Olympic champion, flyweight champion of the world and now bantamweight champion of the world.

“I am the greatest combat athlete of all time.”

Cejudo captured a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and transitioned to mixed martial arts five years later.

After his first attempt to win a UFC world title ended in a knockout loss to then-flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson in 2016, Cejudo went back to the drawing board and defeated Johnson in a rematch to win the title two years later.

He then turned back the challenge of then-bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw with a 32-second knockout and, after Dillashaw was stripped of his title for testing positive for blood booster EPO, faced top bantamweight contender Moraes for the vacant bantamweight title in Chicago.

After his win, Cejudo sent a message to UFC president Dana White, saying: “Wherever you are, I have a hit list. But I want to start getting paid. I want to start making heavyweight money.”

Shevchenko delivers highlight-reel finish

The night’s co-main event produced one of the most spectacular knockouts in women’s MMA history as reigning UFC women’s flyweight world champion Valentina Shevchenko stunned number-one contender Jessica Eye with a stunning head kick KO 26 seconds into the second round of their title fight.

Kyrgyzstan’s Shevchenko was a huge 1/14 favourite to retain her title against American Eye, and made good on the bookmakers’ confidence as she connected cleanly with a left high kick to retain the title she won against Poland’s Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 231 last December.

S

ebastian Vettel lost victory in the Canadian Grand Prix to Lewis Hamilton after being penalised for dangerous driving against his rival.

The Ferrari driver made a mistake under pressure from the world champion, running wide at Turn Three, and pushed Hamilton wide as he rejoined the track.

Race stewards decided Vettel had rejoined the track unsafely and penalised him five seconds for forcing Hamilton off the track.

The Mercedes driver would likely have passed Vettel had he not been blocked with 22 laps still remaining.

The move will doubtless lead to a major controversy but Hamilton was clear that he felt Vettel had been unfair.

He said over the radio immediately after the incident: “He’s just come back on the track so dangerously.”

Vettel complained vigorously, saying: “Where the hell else was I supposed to go? I had grass on my wheels.”

Told to stay focused, he said: “I am focused but they are stealing the race

UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko delivers the head kick which stopped Jessica Eye

Ferguson’s winning run continues

Sebastian Vettel

from us.”

Vettel complained that Hamilton could have gone to the inside but that was inaccurate reading of the situation as it unfolded.

Nevertheless, doubtless many will feel that Vettel should have been excused and the drivers allowed to race.

However, others will see it as yet another error under pressure from Vettel, whose 2018 season unravelled as a

Race winner Lewis Hamilton (Getty Images

result of a series of them and who made another in Bahrain earlier this year, spinning after being passed by Hamilton.

And the stewards may well have used precedent to inform the decision, such as when Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was penalised in the same fashion for forcing then-Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen off the track in last year’s Japanese Grand Prix. (BBC Sport)

Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone was back in the octagon less than five weeks after defeating Al Iaquinta Former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson claimed a crucial victory over fellow contender Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in their eagerly-anticipated main card clash, but it didn’t pan out in the way anyone had hoped.

After a back-and-forth battle over the first two rounds - and a controversial late punch by Ferguson at the end of round 2 - Cerrone made a critical error before the start of the third round when he blew his nose.

It saw Cerrone’s already swollen right eye close up immediately forcing a premature end to the contest, with UFC president White later confirming that Cerrone had been transported to hospital with a broken orbital bone.

The TKO victory for Ferguson extends his win streak in the UFC to 12 fights and puts him in pole position to face the winner of the UFC 242 title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier in Abu Dhabi. (BBC Sport)

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Barnwell, Griffith in top form during T10 league

G

uyana Jaguars’ seasoned campaigners Christopher Barnwell and Trevon Griffith were in top form during play in the UDECOTT/ Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) T10 League, played on Sunday last at the Brain Lara Cricket Academy.

Griffith scored 68 against the Windward lslands in the first fixture of the day, setting up the Jaguars to contest the grand finale against the Kieron Pollard-led North Tobago team.

Batting first in that final, Guyana Jaguars chalked up 130-7 in their allotted 10 overs.

Barnwell, who also plays for the Demerara Cricket Club,

was the top-scorer with 44, made against the likes of eminent West Indies players Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo, Khary Pierre and Rayad Emrit.

Barnwell hit sixes all along the Brian Lara Academy ground as he continued his rich vein of form in this T10 league, batting at number three.

In reply, North Tobago were 64-1 in six overs when rain delayed play, being watched by a packed Stadium. Narine was on 37.

The winners of this match were rewarded with US$10,000. More details would follow in a later publication.

Christopher Barnwell

McIlroy shoots 61 to win Canadian Open 4 days before US Open starts

N

orthern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy shot a nine-under 61 to win the Canadian Open by seven shots for his 16th PGA Tour title.

A birdie at the 18th would have given him a round of 59 but he bogeyed after finding a greenside bunker.

It is the perfect preparation for the US Open, the third men’s major of the year, which begins on Thursday.

“I just got it going out of the gates,” said McIlroy. “I said at the start of the day I wanted to be aggressive.”

Speaking to Sky Sports, he added: “I played with so much freedom over the weekend, more freedom than I’ve had for a while, which is exciting.

“To get a win going into next week is huge.”

Fellow Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell has qualified for the Open Championship at his home course of Royal Portrush in July after finishing tied eighth on 10 under, alongside England’s Danny Willett (67).

The Canadian Open is Rory McIlroy’s second PGA Tour title of 2019 after he won the Players Championship in March (Getty Images)

McDowell did it in style, too, holing a 30-foot putt for par on the 18th and a round of 68.

The leading three finishers in the top 10 in Canada who had not already secured Open spots qualified for the final men’s major.

McIlroy’s victory - seven shots ahead of Webb Simpson (68) and Irishman Shane Lowry (67) - is the largest margin of victory at the tournament since American Johnny Palmer won it by 11 strokes in 1952.

He is only the seventh golfer to complete the tri-

ple crown of victories at the Canadian Open, US Open and Open Championship the three oldest events on the tour.

McIlroy hit five birdies on the front nine, before four more followed in succession from the 11th hole. He then hit an eagle on the par-five 17th, sandwiched by two bogeys.

Dustin Johnson finished tied 20th on seven under after a 69, while world number one and defending US Open champion Brooks Koepka was on two under following a 70. (BBC Sport)

The curious case of the immovable bails

T

here’s one easy way for the bowler to get the batsman out in a cricket match: hit the stumps.

However, that hasn’t always been the case in this World Cup. Five times in 13 games since the tournament started a bowler has hit the stumps and the electronic ‘zing’ bails have lit up but stayed firmly in place.

Australia opener David Warner was the latest batsman to be given a lucky escape when he edged India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah on to his leg stump on Sunday at The Oval - and the bails didn’t move a jot.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan described it as “ridiculous” on BBC

Test Match Special.

“It’s 80-odd miles per hour and it has hit leg stump,” he said. “If you’re not getting out when you’re getting bowled, it’s a concern. Something needs to be done. It’s madness.”

The incidents

- England v South Africa, The Oval: In the opening match of the tournament England leg-spinner Adil Rashid flicks the off stump of South Africa’s Quinton de Kock with a delivery which goes to the boundary for four.

- New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Cardiff: Dimuth Karunaratne chops New Zealand pace bowler Trent Boult on to his stumps, hard

21

enough to shake the bails but not dislodge them.

- Australia v West Indies, Trent Bridge. Chris Gayle is given out caught behind off a 93mph delivery by Australia pace bowler Mitchell Starc, but the decision is overturned when TV replays show the ball hit his off stump rather than bat.

- England v Bangladesh, Cardiff.

Bangladesh’s Mohammad Saifuddin miscues a pull off Ben Stokes on to his off stump. The bail lifts out of the groove briefly but doesn’t fall.

- Australia v India, The Oval. Warner drags India’s quickest bowler Bumrah on to leg stump via his boot.

Again, the bail is not for budging. (BBC Sport)

ICC said no to ‘Universe Boss’ bat

W

indies batting star Chris Gayle was not allowed to use a specially branded ‘Universe Boss’ bat for the ICC Cricket World Cup final.

According to reports, the 39-year-old batsman had sought special permission from the International Cricket Council (ICC) to imprint his moniker on the bat ahead of the tournament.

The request would, however, have violated the ICC code as its related to the displaying of messages. The issue came to the fore after the ICC on Friday also denied India wicketkeeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni permission to wear a dagger insignia on his wicket-keeping gloves.

“The regulations for ICC

Chris Gayle sports his specially designed World Cup Cricket bat

events do not permit any individual message or logo to be displayed on any items of clothing or equipment,” the ICC said.

“ICC couldn’t have made an exception for Dhoni as no personal messages are allowed on equipment. Gayle wanted it but when he was refused permission, he accepted it and moved on,” an official privy to the detail of the situation later told the media.

During India’s World Cup 2019 opener against South Africa at Ageas Bowl in Southampton on June 5, MS Dhoni sported a pair of wicketkeeping gloves with regimental dagger insignia of the Indian Para Special Forces. He has since had to remove the symbol. (Sportsmax)

YBG Linden hopes for start today

W

ith inclement weather forcing postponement of the first two days of the Linden Regional Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) Conference basketball championship, the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) is pressing for a start on Monday afternoon, when the scheduled day three matches are set for play at the tournament’s venue, the Mackenzie High School hard court.

The opening match will actually begin at 14.30hrs, when Linden Technical Institute and Linden

Foundation Secondary square off in the first game of a double-header.

The second game, from 16:00hrs, is between New Silvercity Secondary and home team Mackenzie High School.

On Tuesday last, Friday’s opening games were rescheduled. This rescheduling has now set play in the first game between Linden Foundation and Mackenzie High, and play in the second bringing together Linden Technical Institute and Wisburg Secondary, from 16.00hrs.

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monday, june 10, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar shine in India's Oval win

t the start of the 40th over of the chase, Australia needed 117 runs. At the crease, they had a well-set Steven Smith batting on a run-a-ball 68 and an off-theblock Glenn Maxwell who was striking the ball clean.

To follow, was a decent list of big-hitters. The game was on. But an angling in delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar that trapped Smith plumb and an incoming ball that rocked Marcus Stonis's stumps threw the game off balance.

Australia adopted a traditional approach, something that was unconventional for their opening pair but something that had brought success to India's batting only a few hours earlier. Aaron Finch and David Warner started slow but steady - 29 for no loss in 9 overs. However, just when it seemed that Finch was about to take off, having hit 14 runs in three balls off Hardik Pandya, four overs later he found himself short while attempting a quick two.

Warner continued his good form, and stroked another fifty, but failed to be at his aggressive best. He managed only five boundaries through the course of his 84-ball stay, allowing the required rate to creep.

Smith, promoted to No. 3, too failed to do any good to that. Much like Finch, Warner fell just when it seemed like he was ready to up the tempo, slog sweeping Yuzvendra Chahal to deep mid wicket.

Even when he was dismissed, Australia preferred to stay cautious and take the game deep, sending

SCOREBOARD

A

Shikhar Dhawan’s 17th ODI century put India in the driving seat against Australia

Usman Khawaja to bat in the 25th over. The southpaw took time to settle in, Smith's scoring rate too dropped drastically as the Indian spinners - Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav - tightened the noose around the scoring rate in the middle overs. However, both batsmen picked up, kept striking around run-a-ball and stitched a third successive half-century partnership.

What seemed like a risky move, in turn, turned productive as Maxwell's early assault - including three boundaries in an over off Bumrah - allowed Australia to move to 235 for 3, marginally ahead of India's 230 for 2 at the same stage. All this, before Bhuvneshwar's double-wicket 40th over that turned the tide in favour of India again. To dent their chase further, Maxwell too fell in the next over top-edging a slog off Chahal.

Alex Carey's late hits, a 25-ball fifty - the fastest

in this World Cup - helped Australia stay on par with India's score till the end of 45th over, but the pressure was being mounted from the other end with wickets and dots. Eventually, Australia's lower order came second best as they were bundled out for 316 - only their fourth loss against India in World Cups.

It was a day when all of India's much-famed topthree - Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli - came to the fore; the former cracking a century, while the latter two hitting fifties and involving themselves in strong stands with the southpaw. The innings of all three was very characteristic in nature, started slowly and paced up as the innings progressed.

India started slowly against Australia's new-ball pair of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc even as there was negligible assistance for the bowlers on the wicket. However, Dhawan be-

gan the attack in the eighth over, stroking three consecutive boundaries off Nathan Coulter-Nile. Having managed only 22 runs off the first seven overs, they plundered 89 off the next 13 to give India's innings a move on.

Much unlike Dhawan, who hit 16 fours through the course of his 109-ball 117, Rohit and Kohli largely relied on working the ball around in the field. The duo combined to hit only seven boundaries and three sixes in their total of 139.

By the time Dhawan was dismissed, India had found themselves cushioned in a strong position - 220 for 2 in 37 overs - allowing them to promote the hard-hitting Hardik Pandya to No. 4.

Much like Rohit, who was dropped by Coulter-Nile in the second over, Pandya too received a reprieve early in his innings when Carey missed an easy chance off a thick edge.

The all-rounder took

Windies Women suffer defeat in rain-hit game as England clinch series

E

ngland Women have opened an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match One Day International (ODI) Series with a 121-run victory over West Indies on Sunday last.

Tammy Beaumont hit a top-score of 61 for England, and Nat Sciver’s 35 helped England post 233-7 in 41 overs, after winning the toss.

Player of the match, Anya Shrubsole, and Kate Cross then took two wickets each as West Indies, in pursuit of a revised target

of 209 in 28 overs, slumped to 87-6 in the allotted 28 overs.

Lone Guyanese Shemaine Campbelle topscored with 29 for the Windies Women, while Hayley Matthews scored 17.

England will look to complete a whitewash at Chelmsford on Thursday in the third and final ODI. Player of the match, Anya Shrubsole, cuts loose during her 32 This victory earned the English two points them to the verge of quali- bowlers. She declared that in the International fication for the 2021 World “it was good to revisit the videos that we had, and for Cricket Council's Women's Cup in New Zealand.

So, while improvements us to come out and bowl the Championship, and took were noticeable, there was way that we did”. still an obvious gulf in class, Taylor added, post the particularly in terms of ap- second ODI, that the loss of plication and intent; with the quick wickets played a role Windies Women showing lit- in her team’s defeat, as the tle or no desire to chase the chase never got underway. readjusted target of 209 from “We have another game 28 overs on the Duckworth- to play, and it was importLewis-Stern method after ant to see what the bowlers the rain had abated. were bowling and get some West Indies captain practice in before the final Stafanie Taylor was pleased ODI” on Thursday, Taylor Stafanie Taylor reacts during the second ODI with the work put in by her disclosed.

India Innings (50 overs maximum) RG Sharma c †Carey b Coulter-Nile 57 S Dhawan c sub (NM Lyon) b Starc 117 V Kohli (c) c Cummins b Stoinis 82 HH Pandya c Finch b Cummins 48 MS Dhoni † c & b Stoinis 27 KL Rahul not out 11 KM Jadhav not out 0 Extras (lb 3, w 7) 10 TOTAL (50 Overs, RR: 7.04) 352-5 Did not bat: B Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, YS Chahal, JJ Bumrah Fall of wickets: 1-127 (RG Sharma, 22.3 ov), 2-220 (S Dhawan, 36.6 ov), 3-301 (HH Pandya, 45.5 ov), 4-338 (MS Dhoni, 49.1 ov), 5-348 (V Kohli, 49.5 ov) BOWLING PJ Cummins (10-0-55-1) MA Starc (10-0-74-1) NM Coulter-Nile (10-1-63-1) GJ Maxwell (7-0-45-0) A Zampa (6-0-50-0) MP Stoinis (7-0-62-2) Australia Innings (target: 353 runs from 50 overs) DA Warner c Kumar b Chahal 56 AJ Finch (c) run out due advantage of that and his assault put Australian bowlers off their lines and lengths, the mercies of which were passed on even to Kohli who cashed in on their erratics en route his 77-ball 82. Starc and Cummins, who had bowled an economical first spell, were carted around in the death overs. MS Dhoni and KL Rahul too added some

(Jadhav/Pandya) 36 SPD Smith lbw b Kumar 69 UT Khawaja b Bumrah 42 GJ Maxwell c sub (RA Jadeja) b Chahal 28 MP Stoinis b Kumar 0 AT Carey † not out 55 NM Coulter-Nile c Kohli b Bumrah 4 PJ Cummins c †Dhoni b Bumrah 8 MA Starc run out (sub [Shankar]/Kumar) 3 A Zampa c sub (RA Jadeja) b Kumar 1 Extras (b 3, lb 3, nb 1, w 7) 14 TOTAL (50 Overs, RR: 6.32) 316 all out Fall of wickets: 1-61 (AJ Finch, 13.1 ov), 2-133 (DA Warner, 24.4 ov), 3-202 (UT Khawaja, 36.4 ov), 4-238 (SPD Smith, 39.4 ov), 5-238 (MP Stoinis, 39.6 ov), 6-244 (GJ Maxwell, 40.4 ov), 7-283 (NM CoulterNile, 44.5 ov), 8-300 (PJ Cummins, 46.6 ov), 9-313 (MA Starc, 49.1 ov), 10-316 (A Zampa, 49.6 ov) BOWLING B Kumar (10-0-50-3) JJ Bumrah (10-1-61-3) HH Pandya (10-0-68-0) Kuldeep Yadav (9-0-55-0) YS Chahal (10-0-62-2) KM Jadhav (1-0-14-0) quick as India amassed the highest score by any team against Australia in a World Cup. The total worked well as Australia were always playing the catch-up, an attempt in which they eventually fell short against the death over skills of Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah, who bagged three wickets each to bundle them out 36 runs short. (Cricbuzz)

SCOREBOARD England Women Innings TT Beaumont lbw b Fletcher 61 AE Jones c Matthews b Henry 18 SJ Taylor † c King b Fletcher 23 HC Knight (c) b Fletcher 14 NR Sciver b Matthews 35 DN Wyatt c Matthews b Taylor 3 KH Brunt c Matthews b Connell 23 A Shrubsole not out 32 S Ecclestone not out 11 Extras (b 1, nb 1, w 11) 13 TOTAL (41 Overs, RR: 5.68) 233-7 Did not bat: LA Marsh, KL Cross Fall of wickets: 1-59 (AE Jones, 13.3 ov), 2-110 (SJ Taylor, 23.2 ov), 3-110 (TT Beaumont, 23.3 ov), 4-142 (HC Knight, 29.5 ov), 5-153 (DN Wyatt, 32.1 ov), 6-179 (NR Sciver, 35.6 ov), 7-200 (KH Brunt, 38.1 ov) Bowling SS Connell (8-0-42-1) HK Matthews (7-0-57-1) CA Henry (5-0-28-1) SACA King (5-0 -18-0) ASS Fletcher (8-0-48-3)

SR Taylor (8-0-39-1) West Indies Women Innings (target: 209 runs from 28 overs) HK Matthews c †Taylor b Shrubsole 17 B Cooper lbw b Shrubsole 6 Kycia A Knight † c Brunt b Cross 0 SR Taylor (c) c Sciver b Cross 6 CN Nation b Marsh 9 SA Campbelle b Knight 29 Kyshona A Knight not out 14 Extras 6 (w 6) TOTAL (28 Overs, RR: 3.1) 87/6 Did not bat: SACA King, ASS Fletcher, SS Connell, CA Henry Fall of wickets: 1-18 (B Cooper, 5.5 ov), 2-23 (HK Matthews, 7.1 ov), 3-23 (Kycia A Knight, 8.4 ov), 4-32 (SR Taylor, 12.3 ov), 5-42 (CN Nation, 16.5 ov), 6-87 (SA Campbelle, 27.6 ov) Bowling KH Brunt (4-0-14-0) A Shrubsole (5-3-12-2) KL Cross (4-1-4-2) S Ecclestone (6-0-21-0) LA Marsh (6-0-14-1) HC Knight (3-0-22-1)

guyanatimesgy.com

monday, june 10, 2019

23

Amazing Alfred leads Tiger Bay to Corona Championship – Future Stars thump Bent Street for 3rd

By Jemima Holmes

T

he lights at the National Gymnasium went off in the wee hours of Sunday morning after the final of the Corona 2019 tournament was concluded, but the name Deon Alfred is one that every spectator, player and official would surely remember for years to come.

Frontline man for the Tiger Bay team, Alfred had led his team to victory several times before, but the vicissitudes of playing a final is one that often trumps the best of players. However, the humble but confident Alfred, who had declared his faith in his team’s abilities at the pre-match press conference, rose to the occasion in the wee hours of Sunday to lead Tiger Bay to the Corona 2019 championship.

Tiger Bay’s strategy was to score early and put their opponents in a difficult position. This task was perfectly executed by Deon

Alfred, who wasted little time in getting Tiger Bay’s scorecard ticking with backto-back goals scored in the 6th and 7th minutes.

Back Circle’s frustration became increasingly evident as they failed to hit their target, and Josiah Charles added to their agony in the 11th minute with a third goal for Tiger Bay. Back Cirlcle’s ‘lethal weapon’, Trayon Bobb, was able to break the momentum in the 15th when he netted his team’s first goal, but Alfred completed his hat-trick in the 19th minute when he had the score reading 4-1 one minute before the half had ended.

The boisterous spectators thought they would see another high score from Tiger Bay, but instead were treated to a noble fightback from Back Circle. The eventual second place team was more composed in the next twenty minutes, which afforded them two more goals, coming off the boots of Trayon Bobb (24th) and

Stephan Mc Lean (34th).

Back Circle upped the pressure on goal in the final five minutes of the game, but the young Tiger Bay goalkeeper was able to weather the storm and hold out for his team’s 4-3 win.

Alfred’s hat trick in the final brought his goal tally to 18. This, coupled with his heroics throughout the tournament, rendered the situation such that a better MVP could not be named.

Prior to the final, Future Stars outplayed the experienced Bent Street to get their hands on the third place prize. Future Stars did well to rebound from the 8-5 drubbing they had received at the hands of Tiger Bay in the semifinal, and instead inflicted a similar humiliation on Bent Street with an 8-4 win.

William Europe led the way for Future Stars with a hat trick of goals in the 5th, 9th and 40th minutes.

Keron Soloman (19th, 26th) and Jamal Cozier (34th, 38th) both contributed a

Corona Futsal’s MVP Deon Alfred’s hat-trick enabled him to ride away with a new Hero motorcycle, compliments of Rose Ramdehol Auto Sales

brace, and Randel Bowman netted one in the 26th for Future Stars’ 8.

In reply, Sheldon Profit found the back of the net twice, in the 24th and 36th minutes; while both Clive Nobrega and Adrian Aaron scored once for Bent Street’s four, but they were nev-

Bound To Achieve Greatness

er able to match the dominance that Future Stars brought to the third place playoff.

While Tiger Bay received $500,000, Back Circle had to settle for $250,000. Future Stars copped the $125,000 third place prize while Bent Street took home $75,000.

BCB Let’s Bet tournament rescheduled to June 15-16

The story of Windies U-15 D

selectee Rampertab Ramnauth

By Brandon Corlette

T

he first time one observes Rampertab Ramnauth at the batting crease would leave one in awe at his attractive cover drives and straight drives along the carpet.

‘The ancient county’ of Berbice continues to produce exceptional cricketing talents, and Ramnauth is the latest such product.

On Sunday last, Guyana Times Sport visited Ramnauth at his residence in the tranquil settlement of Tain on the Corentyne Coast in East Berbice, and the prolific left-handed opening batsman sat down to have an exclusive interview with this reporter.

Expressing his great delight at attaining West Indies Under-15 selection, this humble youth, who has been played cricket at the Port Mourant Community Centre Ground (PMCC) since the age of eight, disclosed that he is aiming to follow in the footsteps of certain former players from the PMCC, Test cricketing greats Rohan Kanhai and Basil Butcher.

Ramnauth is one of three Guyanese -- two of whom are Berbicians -- selected to tour England as part of the Windies Under-15 team from August 4, 2019. He said his main goal will remain the same: to score runs, especially since he has been given opportunity to be part of the West Indies Under-15 team.

His career-defining innings came against Essequibo in an under-15 inter-county match played at Lusignan, in which he scored 147 for Berbice. He finished as the leading run-scorer in that tournament, and that feat placed him on the radar for selection to represent Guyana.

Continuing his rich vein of form, Ramnauth finished among the runs in the under-17 Inter-County

Rampertab Ramnauth

Rampertab Ramnauth in action

Tournament in which he played for the Select Under-15 team.

Playing for the Guyana Under-15 team, which placed second in the Cricket West Indies Regional Tournament in Antigua, he smashed a career best 114 against Jamaica, immediately distinguishing himself in the first match he played.

And in another well-crafted innings, this time against Trinidad and Tobago in the finals of that tournament, he scored 92 runs.

His performance saw him finishing narrowly behind his Guyana and West Indies teammate Mavindra Dindyal, both of whom achieved a rare feat by playing inter-county cricket at all three levels in the same year.

Ramnauth, further, was given opportunity with the Select Under-17 team that finished above Essequibo in the tournament. It was a greater challenge for the opening batsman, who became exposed to faster bowlers at the Under-19 level.

Ramnauth’s performance with the bat in 2019 has been staggering, but his success could not have been achieved without much-needed support; thus, in presence of his mother and siblings, he revealed his deep gratitude for his parents’ support, especially in terms of finance.

His parents, Roopnarine Ramnauth and Lilowatie Lachminarine, are proud of their son’s accomplishments; and, like all good parents, are urging him to stay focused in order to achieve greater success.

“I would like to thank all those who supported me, especially my coach Leslie Solomon and the president of the PMCC; but, most importantly, I must thank God for health and strength to play cricket”, Ramnauth declared.

Ramnauth will be heading to the United Kingdom to compete in six 50-over matches and one T20 match during the two-week stint with the West Indies Under-15 team.

The most valuable player, Deon Alfred, rode away with a Hero motorcycle compliments of Rose Ramdehol and Hero.

The Corona/ Top Brandz Distributors-sponsored tournament was coordinated by the Petra Organization.

espite sunny conditions prevailing in Berbice in the latter part of the day, the first round of matches of the BCB Let’s Bet 100 Balls Second Division tournament could not have been played because some of the grounds across the ancient county were not in a state for any match to be played.

Thus overnight and early morning showers played a role in the fixtures being rescheduled to next weekend, June 15-16.

Chairman of the Berbice Cricket Board’s (BCB’s) Competitions Committee, Neil Rudder, has reliably informed this publication that all the matches in both second and first divisions have been rescheduled because of the inclement weather that prevailed over the last weekend and the match readiness of the venues.

Rudder is urging all cricket clubs across the ancient county to get their respective grounds in shape, as cricket will continue this weekend (June 15-16).

This reporter visited the Port Mourant Community Centre Ground and found the outfield wet and the grass at great height. However, the pitch was in good shape.

Port Mourant were to host Bush Lot in their fixture, but the match has been rescheduled.

The Let’s Bet Second Division 100 balls tournament is one of the most lucrative tournaments in BCB history, but players under the age of 18 are prohibited from participating. More than 35 matches will be played during the upcoming weekend in this second division tournament that is divided into four zones.

monday, june 10, 2019

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

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Amazing Alfred leads Tiger

Bay to Corona Championship – Future Stars thump Bent Street for 3rd

Page 22

Corona Futsal's MVP Deon Alfred collects the spoils for Tiger Bay from Corona Brand Manager Colin Stuart after their triumph against Back Circle in the final

Precariously placed South Africa face uphill Windies challenge Page 20

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