Guyana Times October 17, 2019.

“Operation Walk” team spearheads joint replacement P15 surgeries at GPHC Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

CJ denies constitutional directive compelling President & Cabinet's resignation – cites previous CCJ ruling, doctrine of precedent guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4079

THURSday, OCTOber 17, 2019

– Nandlall to challenge ruling

See story on page 3

Coalition seeks alliance with Shuman’s party to pull Amerindian votes Page 7

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Over 40% of adult Guyanese overweight/ obese – FAO Country Rep P13

Granger awaits advice of AG, Cabinet before dissolving Parliament P11

…as coalition still to decide on Granger’s running mate

CoI begins into deadly EBD P9 accident — survivors listed as stable but serious

P15

83 cases listed to be heard at Berbice October P10 Assizes Taking our future into our own hands: These young students pose with their plants that are intended to aid food production and contribute to ending hunger. These plants were distributed at the Agriculture Ministry’s World Food Day event on Wednesday [Photo by: Shaconeil Burnette]

2 busted with over 42kg of marijuana Page 2

Page 7

Lone gunman attacks, shoots businesswoman at DHB Mall Page 2

Blairmont Estate factory workers down tools over unfair treatment

“Sharky” P13 committed to stand trial for murder of overseas-based Guyanese

2 news

thursday, october 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

2 busted with over 2 arrested with 42kg of marijuana unlicensed gun

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Shafeek Latif

Naresh Totoram

wo men of Tuschen, New Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) were on Tuesday arrested after they were caught with over 42 kilograms of ganja in a motorcar.

The bust was made by agents of the Custom AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) at Parika Public Road, EBE about 03:00h on the day in question. Based on information received, Shafeek Latif, 39, and Naresh Totaram, 35, were travelling in a Toyota

Spacio motorcar when it was intercepted by CANU ranks.

At the time, two bulky salt bags were found in the back seat of the car. Upon inspection, the large amount of ganja was unearthed.

The men were told of the offence and were taken into custody.

In July, two ex-Police detectives and one of their wives were nabbed

by CANU agents after they swooped down at their home at No 2 Village, East Canje, Berbice. During the opera-

T

The ganja that was confiscated

tion, 94.347 kilograms (208 lbs) of ganja were discovered.

It was reported that Khushyal Grant, 28, who served in the Guyana Police Force as a detective, was

found with the prohibited substance in his home.

It was based on information received and fuelled by an intelligence-led operation that Grant was busted with the cannabis.

wo persons residing on the West Coast of Berbice have been arrested in connection with the discovery of an unlicensed gun.

Police ranks in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) on Tuesday, acting on information received, intercepted a taxi in front of the Fort

Wellington Police Station and conducted a search.

During the search, an unlicensed Taurus revolver without ammunition was found concealed therein. The driver and another occupant have since been detained and are assisting with the investigation.

Lone gunman attacks, shoots businesswoman at DHB Mall

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businesswoman is now hospitalised after she was shot to her leg by a lone gunman during a robbery at the Harbour Bridge Mall, Bagotstown, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

Nelia Singh, 42, of Diamond Housing Scheme, EBD, operates a business at the Harbour Bridge Mall and on the morning in question, she turned up to open as per normal.

However, Police stated that at approximately 10:05h, she was confronted by the lone gunman who was standing in front of the mall.

He reportedly held onto the woman’s handbag but the

woman put up a fight. In retaliation, the man discharged a round, hitting the woman to her lower right leg and relieved her of the hand bag.

After committing the act, the bandit escaped leaving the woman on the ground as she bled from her leg.

She was picked up by public-spirited citizens who took her to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she was admitted.

Her condition is regarded as stable. The Police were called in and are presently reviewing CCTV footage with the hope of identifying the man.

news

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THURsday, october 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

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

Thursday, October 17 – 05:00h – 06:30h and Friday, October 18 – 05:00h – 06:30h.

CJ denies constitutional directive compelling President & Cabinet's resignation – cites previous CCJ ruling, doctrine of precedent – Nandlall to challenge ruling

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

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

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

Winds: North North-Easterly to SouthWesterly between 1.78 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 06:16h and 18:26h reaching maximum heights of 2.64 metres and 2.69 metres.

Low Tide: 12:03h reaching a minimum height of 0.63 metre.

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Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall

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cting Chief Justice Roxane George has refused to grant an order sought by former Attorney General Anil Nandlall compelling Cabinet and the President to resign or stop meeting, a decision which Nandlall says must be appealed.

In her ruling on Wednesday, Justice George noted that a first instance court such as the High Court cannot contradict the higher court’s ruling. She pointed out that the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) had said that notwithstanding the Cabinet’s resignation, it still continued in office as a caretaker government.

She said that both Nandlall and Attorney General Basil Williams referenced this passage in their submissions to the court, though she acknowledged that such references were made in different contexts.

“In my view… the CCJ did make a pronouncement on the resignation of the President and Cabinet.

Given the language of the CCJ… the effect of the (NoConfidence Motion) was the immediate resignation of the Cabinet, but the court clearly stated that notwithstanding this, the tenure in office of Cabinet (and) President… is on a different footing”.

“Given this pronouncement, there could not have been…any requirement for a mandatory order compelling the Cabinet, including the President, to give effect to the resignation of the Cabinet, including the President, which occurred by operation of law consequent on the NCM,” Justice George said in her ruling.

Besides striking out Nandlall’s application, Justice George also ordered the payment of $500,000 in costs to the respondent.

In his comments after the ruling, Nandlall expressed shock at the court’s unwillingness to grant the order. He noted that the Constitution of Guyana takes precedence over any doctrine on the hierarchy of the courts.

“This is indeed a shocking ruling. Every Guyanese, by now, must be aware of the clear language of Article 106 (6) of the Constitution… mandatory, clear, unambig-

uous language. And here it is, we have approached the court there is a cabinet refusing to resign and there is a constitutional court telling us that because the CCJ did not make that order, then forever we are in perpetual error”.

“In other words, the doctrine of precedent and the doctrine of stare decisis are now superior to the Constitution of the country.

The Constitution is the supreme law, not no ordinary principle of stare decisis.

Those are basic, low ranked principles. The Constitution is the supreme law and that, unfortunately, is not being upheld by the court.

So this decision must be appealed”.

According to Attorney General Williams, however, the decision was in keeping with the need to preserve legal precedent. He was of the view that the decision was the right one, since the CCJ referenced the matter in its ruling.

“The decision of the learned Chief Justice has restored the position with the rule of law in Guyana.

And it’s a very important principle for the hierarchal system of the courts that you follow precedent. And the principle of stare decisis is that you follow the precedent of the higher court”.

Nandlall’s approach to the court was based on Article 106 (6) of the Constitution. The Article states: “The Cabinet including the President shall resign if the Government is defeated by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence”.

Chief Justice (acting) Roxane George

Attorney General Basil Williams

Meanwhile, Article 106 (7) goes on to say: “Notwithstanding its defeat, the Government shall remain in office and shall hold an election within three months, or such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly determine, and shall resign after the President takes the oath of office following the election”.

A No-Confidence Motion was passed against the Government since December 21 of last year.

However, elections were not held and there was no

resignation. Instead, the Government went through several levels of court, unsuccessfully arguing that the No-Confidence Motion was not validly passed.

At the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), the final court had thrown out the Government’s case and had handed down judgement saying that when the No-Confidence Motion was passed on December 21, 2018, Article 106 of the Constitution had immediately been activated.

In addition, the Court had noted that the provisions of the article were clear, though it stopped short of issuing direct orders mandating the Cabinet and President to resign.

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guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, october 17, 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

Social cohesion – Govt’s disingenuous intention?

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pon taking office in May 2015, the APNU/AFC coalition government immediately established the Ministry of Social Cohesion (MoSC). It seemed a substantive entity and was initially headed by a long-serving, strong-armed member of the People’s National Congress (PNC), the largest Party in the coalition and, in reality, the Government.

Many welcomed it, and given its perceived role, was seen as vital to the building, or rebuilding, of unity among Guyanese. This was on the heels of an apparent divisive elections, in which the coalition acceded to power by less than five thousand votes; seemingly less than what was required for a seat in the National Assembly.

Despite some crossover voting to the two major political parties, both with solid ethnically-based support, the results of the May 2015 elections may have also revealed a voting pattern generally along an ethnic line.

That may have rendered the establishment of the MoSC more relevant, especially when the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), was not constituted since 2011. Expectations of the MoSC were, therefore, naturally high, as Guyanese in general, desire genuine efforts to help heal the divide. In addition, a sense of belief was created that the APNU/AFC Government was serious of genuinely working towards building national unity.

The fact that a Ministry was actually established and would receive a budgetary allocation, its intention would have been difficult to doubt. Therefore, the idea of a sustained national effort within the context envisaged, must be lauded. However, unfortunately, or unsurprising to some, the MoSC has seemingly failed to deliver what is believed to be its mandate.

For one, its importance seems to have been reduced following what appears as a downgrading from a standalone Ministry to that of a Department within the Ministry of the Presidency. That aside, gauging from many of its public events, it seems as if the now Department of Social Cohesion (DoSC) is more occupied with providing handouts in areas believed to be supportive of the coalition or those in which such actions can help to coerce voters in its favour.

With more than four years since its establishment, an argument could be made that nothing tangible within the realms of forging unity has been achieved despite the hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ dollars spent, assumedly, for that purpose. This seeming lack of expected results could be as a result of the actions of the APNU/AFC coalition itself.

Almost immediately upon taking office, it began what was seen as a witch-hunt against many public servants who were, by in large, of one particular ethnic group and who were suspected of being supportive of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration.

If that was not enough, numerous forensic audits were seemingly used as mechanisms to disparage and discard trained professionals.

They were replaced reportedly by Government supporters believed to be less skilled and overwhelmingly, from one particular ethnic group— a group seen as the support base of the PNC. Those actions were described as political vendetta and wholesale cleansing of one particular group of Guyanese. It didn’t end there, for a number of them were charged and placed before the courts.

Those charges were described as trumped-up with the sole intention to embarrass.

Over the past four years, records would show that the APNU/ AFC Government fired and thereby caused thousands of Guyanese to be deprived of their livelihoods. That includes some two thousand Indigenous citizens and thousands of sugar workers. In addition, as a result of its poor fiscal policies, some industries and businesses were forced to be closed causing many workers to be unemployed.

Those said fiscal policies also resulted in a plethora of new and burdensome taxes to be unleashed on ordinary Guyanese. Vendors’ licences and rental for farmlands were also vastly increased bringing further hardships to the citizenry.

With many embarrassed and with thousands humiliated by being fired and made incapable of providing for their families, the priority focus would be to survive. That, in itself, would more than likely evoke resentment of the Government.

With such unavoidable resentment resulting from APNU/AFC’s highhandedness, it therefore becomes virtually impossible for the said Government, under the guise of the DoSC, to even contemplate any semblance of success for social cohesion. In other words, the Government seemingly divides the nation while at the same time appearing to wanting to build unity.

It’s hypocritical and insults intelligence. This is compounded by the Department seemingly prioritising its focus in the coalition’s strongholds and reportedly engaging in coercion for support in others. While the DoSC might have done some work in relation to its intended mandate, its overall achievement within that said context remains far from desired.

APNU/AFC’s disregard for the Constitution since December 2018 has continued to widen the division and exacerbate resentment.

With that disrespect ongoing and with no indication of the DoSC instituting that necessary paradigm shift, its existence would remain questionable, seen as a medium for mass mobilisation for the coalition and disingenuous to the point of a failed promise; probably one never intended.

“Don’t touch meh tomatoes”: Female dancers from the Enigma Dance Troup preformed a scintillating dance piece at the Agriculture Ministry’s World Food Day event on Wednesday

Fire begets more fires: Rainforests slip into cycle of destruction

…research shows the very nature of rainforests is changing as a result of clearing

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s large tracts of Indonesia’s forest land go up in flames for the second time in five years, scientists are warning that the world’s rainforests risk becoming caught in a reinforcing cycle of destruction that could make them difficult to save.

“…parts of the Amazon system could hit a tipping point and ‘flip to non-forest ecosystems’” Research in recent years has shown that the very nature of rainforests – from Southeast Asia to the Amazon-- is changing as a result of extensive clearing for farms, pastureland and other use, making them much more vulnerable to further destruction.

“All the mechanisms essentially feed into a positive feedback loop,” said William Laurance, a research professor at James Cook University in Australia. “More fire begets more fires, more degradation begets more degradation.”

Deforested land dries out quickly in the sun and wind.

Fires, both naturally occurring and man-made, can spread more easily from this degraded landscape into adjoining forest.

How rainforests collapse

Deforestation in tropical forests decreases rainfall, making the area drier and more vulnerable to fires.

When parts of the rain-

forest are destroyed, this process is disrupted. There is less rainfall, longer dry periods and more fires.

There is another problem too. Clearing foliage reduces evapotranspiration, the process by which the forest releases water vapour into the atmosphere – which accounts for around a third of the rainfall in a rainforest like the Amazon, according to Dominick Spracklen, a professor at the University of Leeds who studies the link between rainforest and rainfall.

The reduction in water vapour decreases rainfall and extends dry seasons, making the forest more vulnerable to fire –and the fires more difficult to control. Last year, Thomas Lovejoy, a professor at George Mason University, and Carlos Nobre, a Brazilian scientist, wrote in an editorial in academic journal Science Advances that parts of the Amazon system could hit a tipping point and “flip to non-forest ecosystems” when deforestation reaches around 20 per cent to 25 per cent, given the added challenge of climate change.

Around 17 per cent of the Amazon rainforest has been lost over the past half-century, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Indonesia’s rainforests, which are smaller than the Amazon, are already greatly diminished. Industrial agriculture expanded aggressively over the past few decades, making the country the world’s largest producer of palm oil. There is evidence that rainforest destruction has already changed weather patterns extensively.

Researchers found that

In photo is a forest burning last week on Mount Patuha on the Indonesian island of Java (Bukbis Candra Ismeth Bey/Xinhua/Zuma Press)

by 2010, 70 per cent of forest area on the Indonesian island of Sumatra had been converted for plantations and other purposes. Temperatures in the island’s Jambi province were nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit higher in 2015 than 2000, a study found—an increase researchers linked to heavy deforestation there.

Forest fires were once rare in heavily forested parts of the island, such as Riau, near Singapore, but in recent years have occurred almost annually, say scientists.

On the nearby island of Borneo, mainly controlled by Indonesia and Malaysia, forestland declined by 30 per cent in less than four decades leading up to 2010, making parts of the island hotter and more susceptible to fires. A recent study found that rainfall there had decreased by around 20% since the 1950s, and that deforested areas in the lowlands were around 3 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than forested areas.

Scientists say climatic changes like these could have contributed to this year’s fires. A preliminary

analysis by David Gaveau, a scientist who is an associate at Indonesia’s Centre for International Forestry Research, found that many were started on degraded former forest land, now covered by fern and scrub, and spread from those dry areas into the rainforest.

“These fires today are legacy of past peat swamp forest destruction,” said Gaveau.

“In a sense, you could say that tipping point has been reached.”

Concerns about Southeast Asia’s forests have spurred global campaigns against palm oil, found in products from soap and candy to biofuels and mainly produced in Indonesia and neighbouring Malaysia. A European Union regulation published this year will phase out subsidies to palm-oil-derived fuels that aren’t certified as sustainable, beginning in 2024.

The governments of Indonesia and Malaysia have spoken out against the regulation, with Malaysia saying it will effectively ban palmoil biofuel in the EU. (Excerpt from Wall Street Journal)

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, october 17, 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

Debate between Ali and Granger should be interesting Dear Editor, While it is wise to not give credence to the absurd by replying; the Guyana Chronicle editorial of 15th October deserves a response to keep the rabid in check.

Headlined “Will the real Irfaan Ali please stand up”, the editorial seeks to revive a failed APNU/AFC narrative using State media.

This is not the first such editorial and since it irks me to see such waste of ink and paper at the taxpayers’ expense, I will seek to give clarity to the clouded minds in the Granger Administration and their minions at the Chronicle in a bid to end the abuse of the State’s resources for the APNU/ AFC campaign of misinformation.

The first contention is that Bharrat Jagdeo wants to be President of Guyana again and is seeking to install a proxy leader. It was Jagdeo, who as President, piloted and assented to Section 2 of the Constitution (Amendment) (No 4) Act of 2000 which was a constitutional amendment to Article 90 of the Constitution of Guyana, commonly referred to as the Term limit amendment.

Bharrat Jagdeo was engaged gainfully and chose to deviate from his new career path to dedicate his energies to the organisation and country that provided him with life’s opportunities— the People’s Progressive Party and the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. Jagdeo serves

as General Secretary of the PPP and holds the Constitutional office of Leader of the Opposition in continued service of the nation.

The second contention is that Irfaan Ali is an ‘invisible’ candidate. Irfaan Ali has visited over one hundred and fifty communities and villages since his election as PPP Presidential Candidate.

His opponent, David Granger has visited five and is now scrambling to play catch up by utilising hundreds of millions of dollars from the treasury per visit.

For all the money he spends, Granger cannot get people to converse freely; Granger’s visits to communities are characterised by heavy Police presence and bar-

ricades. Irfaan Ali, in contrast, engages the people of Guyana, supporters, well-wishers and the undecided with equal warmth, Irfaan is no elitist, he comes from the people and remains grounded.

Bharrat Jagdeo will continue to hold his weekly press conferences that deal with his constitutional responsibilities to the people of Guyana. Irfaan Ali has already made speeches on the campaign trail (before the cowardly delay via the CCJ) and will climb onto the hustings and give countless more in this longest of campaigns. Mr Granger can look, listen and learn since his attempt at connecting to a rent-a-crowd fell flat in Linden.

The last contention is

that Irfaan Ali is not capable of managing the country: Irfaan Ali is the most experienced and accomplished person ever to run for a first-term presidency, his accomplishments are well known by many who live in housing settlements developed and delivered during his tenure as Minister of Housing; by those who drink water from the numerous wells and treatment plants delivered by Irfaan; by those who tout the phrase “Guyana, South America Undiscovered” and who know it is policy developed by Irfaan Ali during his tenure that has led to Guyana being declared the number one destination in eco-tourism in the world.

Editor, Irfaan Ali is an experienced speaker,

who can hold his own in any forum. Should David Granger be so emboldened by the Editors of the Chronicle, debates would be most welcome between himself and Irfaan Ali. The subjects of education, healthcare, cash transfers, agriculture, infrastructure, constitutional reform, and foreign policy are all up for debate, I would advise candidate Granger to read the oil contacts before he makes the foray, however.

We will await the response to this direct challenge for debates with David Granger.

The Chronicle either gets Granger to put up or they should shut up!

Respectfully, Robin Singh

Police speeding down road is violation of public safety Dear Editor, I wish to bring to your attention a number of serious issues that are currently plaguing our Guyanese society.

There seems to be an increase in the number of road accidents and armed robberies on a daily basis in Guyana. Only yesterday morning (October 15, 2019), the residents of Friendship, East Bank Demerara were traumatised when they were called to render assistance to persons who were the victims of a fatal accident, which had occurred on the public road.

According to reports, the driver of the Police

vehicle is a Presidential Guard. The Ministry of the Presidency has since released a statement to the media refuting claims that the driver was a part of the President’s escort.

The question that looms large is: Which section of society are members of the Presidential Guard Service assigned to serve, is it the President and members of the Cabinet or the civilians?

President David Granger has since said that a Commission of Inquiry will be launched into the horrific accident.

The public is expecting the expeditious release of the findings of this Inquiry.

Who owns GuySuCo LBI complex?

Dear Editor, I have seen advertisements by the Ministry of Agriculture concerning its World Food Day activity. The activity, from what I saw, was being held on October 16 at the Ministry’s complex at LBI. Being interested in the activity, I began to enquire from friends and relatives about the Ministry’s LBI complex as I wasn’t aware that the Ministry had established such a facility. Several persons I asked, were like me, clueless about the Agriculture Ministry’s complex.

I have, however, come to learn that the complex is really the former LBI Estate complex which the GuySuCo Head Office is now located. I recall not too long ago, GuySuCo and NICIL were fighting, almost like cat and dog, regarding the ownership of the very property.

Each side, I had read, claimed ownership in one way or another. It is now a surprise to learn that all of a sudden that the Ministry of Agriculture, it seems, is now the owner of the property. I do not recall any publication about this in the media.

Did the Ministry purchase the complex from GuySuCo? If so what was the cost? Through what means did the Ministry acquire the property? Was there an open tender to determine the highest bid?

What was the Ministry’s purchase price, if there was a purchase? And did the purchase price bear any semblance to a credible valuation since the Government has a penchant, it seems, for selling State assets at the valuation price.

Yours sincerely, Liebert Alleyne

Public trust in this administration and the Guyana Police Force is already at an all-time low and to reclaim this confidence we wish to find out whether there are clear restrictive policies for highspeed Police escorts, and under what circumstances speeding by the Police is justifiable.

In this modern era, there must be a speed limit for members of the Police Force; in fact, they must be upholders of the traffic laws like any motorist using the country’s roadways. There will be times when Police officers have to drive beyond the prescribed speed limit

but they must do so within the range of safety, not only for themselves but for members of the Public who are using those very roads.

I demand that a mechanism be designed to ensure that speeding by Police Officers on the roads is justified. Measures must also be put in place to ensure that Police officers who are in breach of a restrictive policy for speeding are held accountable.

Speeding cops can cause serious injury, death and damage to property.

The Administration of the Guyana Police Force should consider outfitting all of its vehicles with

‘speed governors’ which will prevent the engines from exceeding a certain speed.

The use of GPS in Police cars to monitor and discipline officers for speeding and other traffic infractions should also be considered as a measure for implementation.

The Police, speeding down the road, is a blatant violation of public trust and public safety and I hope that the loss of those five lives would not be in vain but that we would come to realise that the earlier appropriate measures are implemented, the safer we all will be.

Finally, I wish to state

quite categorically that I have confidence in the men and women of the Guyana Police Force whom I know work way beyond their call of duty and whom like all Guyanese are the recipient of failed promises by the APNU/AFC coalition, which is now a caretaker government.

Yours sincerely, Africo Selman Member of Parliament Grade Six Teacher and Grade Six Supervisor, Success Elementary School

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When tempers flare

o you lose your temper and wonder why? Are there days when you feel like you

just wake up angry?

Some of it may be the changes your body’s going through: All those hormones you hear so much about can cause mood swings and confused emotions. Some of it may be stress: People who are under a lot of pressure tend to get angry more easily.

Part of it may be your personality: You may be someone who feels your emotions intensely or tends to act impulsively or lose control. And part of it may be your role models: Maybe you’ve seen other people in your family blow a fuse when they’re mad.

No matter what pushes your buttons, one thing is certain – you’re sure to get angry sometimes.

Foundation

Everyone does. Anger is a normal emotion, and there’s nothing wrong with feeling mad. What counts is how we handle it (and

ourselves) when we’re angry.

Tools to tame a temper: selfawareness & self-control

Because anger can be powerful, managing it is sometimes challenging. It takes plenty of self-awareness and self-control to manage angry feelings.

And these skills take time to develop.

Self-awareness is the ability to notice what you’re feeling and thinking, and why. Little kids aren’t very aware of what they feel, they just act it out in their behaviour.

That’s why you see them having tantrums when they’re mad. But teens have the mental ability to be self-aware. When you

get angry, take a moment to notice what you’re feeling and thinking.

Self-control is all about thinking before you act. It puts some precious seconds or minutes between feeling a strong emotion and taking an action you’ll regret.

Together, self-awareness and self-control allow you to have more choice about how to act when you’re feeling an intense emotion like anger.

Getting ready to make a change Deciding to get control of your anger – rather than letting it control you – means taking a good hard look at the ways you’ve been reacting when you get mad. Do you tend to yell and scream or say hurtful, mean, disrespectful things? Do you throw things, kick or punch walls, break stuff? Hit someone, hurt yourself, or push and shove others around?

For most people who have trouble harnessing a hot temper, reacting like

this is not what they want.

They feel ashamed by their behaviour and don’t think it reflects the real them,

I their best selves.

Everyone can change – but only when they want to. If you want to make a big change in how you’re handling your anger, think about what you’ll gain from that change.

More self-respect? More respect from other people?

Less time feeling annoyed and frustrated? A more relaxed approach to life?

Remembering why you want to make the change can help.

It can also help to remind yourself that making a change takes time, practice, and patience. It won’t happen all at once.

Managing anger is about developing new skills and new responses. As with any skill, like playing basketball or learning the piano, it helps to practice over

and over again. (Excerpt from kidshealth.org)

f something happens that makes you feel angry, this approach can help you manage your reaction. It’s called a problem-solving approach because you start with the problem you’re mad about. Then you weigh your choices and decide what you’ll do.

Each step involves asking yourself a couple of questions, then answering them based on your particular situation.

Let’s take this example: There’s a party you’re planning to go to, but your mom just told you to clean your room or stay home. The red-hot anger starts building.

Here’s what to do:

1) Identify the problem (self-awareness)

Start by noticing what you’re angry about and why.

Put into words what’s making you upset so you can act rather than react.

Ask yourself: What’s got me angry? What am I feeling and why? You can do this either in your mind or out loud, but it needs to be clear and specific. For example: “I’m really angry at Mom because she won’t let me go to the party until I clean my room. It’s not fair!” Your feeling is anger, and you’re feeling angry because you might not get to go to the party.

Notice that this is not the same as saying, “Mom’s so unfair to me.” That statement doesn’t identify the specific problem (that you can’t go to the party until you clean your room) and it doesn’t say how you’re feeling (angry).

2) Think of potential solutions before responding (self-control)

This is where you stop for a minute to give yourself time to manage your anger. It’s also where you start thinking of how you might react – but without reacting yet.

Ask yourself: What can I do? Think of at least three things. For example, in this situation you might think: (a) I could yell at Mom and throw a fit. (b) I could clean my room and then ask if I could go to the party. (c) I could sneak out to the party anyway.

3) Consider the consequences of each solution (think it through). This is where you think about what is likely to result from each of the different reactions you came up with.

Ask yourself: What will happen for each one of these options? For example: (a) Yelling at your mom may get you in worse trouble or even grounded. (b) Cleaning your room takes work and you may get to the party late (but maybe that adds to your mystique).

With this option, you get to go to the party and your room’s clean so you don’t have to worry about it for a while. (c) Sneaking out may seem like a real option in the heat of anger. But when you really think it through, it’s pretty unlikely you’d get away with being gone for hours with no one noticing. And when you do get caught – look out!

3) Make a decision (pick one of your options)

This is where you take action by choosing one of the three things you could do. Look at the list and pick the one that is likely to be most effective.

Ask yourself: What’s my best choice? By the time you’ve thought it through, you’re probably past yelling at your mom, which is a knee-jerk response. You may have also decided that sneaking out is too risky. Neither of these options is likely to get you to the party. So option (b) probably seems like the best choice.

Once you choose your solution, then it’s time to act.

4) Check your progress

After you’ve acted and the situation is over, spend some time thinking about how it went.

Ask yourself: How did I do? Did things work out as I expected? If not, why not? Am I satisfied with the choice I made? Taking some time to reflect on how things worked out after it’s all over is a very important step. It helps you learn about yourself and it allows you to test which problem-solving approaches work best in different situations.

Give yourself a pat on the back if the solution you chose worked out well. If it didn’t, go back through the five steps and see if you can figure out why.

These five steps are pretty simple when you’re calm, but are much tougher to work through when you’re angry or sad (kind of like in basketball practice when making baskets is much easier than in a real game when the pressure is on!). So it helps to practice over and over again.

(Excerpt from kidshealth.org) To be continued

7 Coalition seeks alliance with Shuman’s party to pull Amerindian votes news

THURsday, october 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

…as coalition still to decide on Granger’s running mate

T

he A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is currently in “exploratory” talks with Indigenous Leader Lenox Shuman’s party – the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) – which is being seen as a move to attract Amerindian voters.

Leader of the APNU, President David Granger, on Wednesday confirmed that he has been in preliminary exploratory talks with Shuman, a former Toshao of St Cuthbert's Mission and former Vice Chair of the National Toshaos Council.

“We’re looking for common ground, we’re looking for areas of convergence.

The policy of A Partnership for National Unity is that we are inclusionary and we welcome other parties who share our objectives to develop Guyana, Guyana’s children, Guyana’s environment. Mr Shuman has given me the assurance that, you know, there are areas of convergence between the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) and what he thinks the APNU stands for,” he told reporters.

According to Granger,

Founder of LJP Lenox Shuman

while Shuman is convinced that there is a wide area of convergence between the policies of the two parties, no actual agreement has been made by the two sides.

It was reported that Shuman says he will be doing a final analysis before making any decision on possibly coalescing with other parties. He has reportedly held talks with the other political parties.

He contends that his intention is not to get positions but to further devel-

opment for a better Guyana.

He also wants to ensure that the resources from the impending oil and gas be equally distributed among all Guyanese, especially the Indigenous people.

Despite this position, Shuman is looking to join forces with a party whose Junior Social Protection Minister Keith Scott back in 2017 said Amerindians were “avaricious” since they had too much land and threatened that they would not benefit from the new oil revenues –something which he still refuses to apologise for to date.

Nevertheless, the LJP and APNU are expected to meet again sometime this month.

The APNU is a five-party alliance led by the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and comprises of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Justice for All Party (JFAP), National Front Alliance (NFA) and the Guyana Action Party (GAP).

The PNC-led APNU has managed to pull in most small parties in Guyana, including the country’s largest

third force – the Alliance for Change (AFC) – which it coalesced with back in 2015 to get into office.

In fact, these talks between LJP and the APNU come even as the APNU is in the process of reviewing the Cummingsburg Accord, which was signed in 2015, with its minority coalition partner AFC. “We’re multi-tasking…

The APNU is looking after its relation with the Alliance for Change as well as the proposal relation with the Liberty and Justice Party,” Granger told reporters on Wednesday.

With regards to ongoing renegotiation process with the AFC, the APNU leader noted they have already completed the first step in a three-stage process, that is, agreeing to a set of joint core principles.

He previously revealed that the five partners within the APNU fraction compiled a list of core principles which included issues surrounding Indigenous affairs and cash grants from oil revenues, among others. These have been accepted by the AFC.

Going forward now, Granger said that the committee is currently at the stage of ironing the process to review the Accord.

Following this, they will establish a joint manifesto for next year’s March 2 General and Regional Elections.

However, an issue that has been stirring much controversy in recent times is the APNU leader’s running mate for the upcoming polls.

Granger will be returning as the APNU’s Presidential Candidate.

The Cummingsburg Accord stipulates that the APNU gets the Presidential Candidate and the AFC will provide the prime ministerial candidate. As such, the minority party has elected its leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, to run alongside Granger at next year’s elections.

But while Ramjattan and the AFC is confident that he will be running as the PM candidate, the APNU is yet to accept his candidacy. The majority coalition party said that this will have to be discussed by the two coalition partners.

According to Granger on

President David Granger

Wednesday, this topic is yet to come up for discussion.

“It is not something that has been discussed. I pointed out, previously, that we look at principles before personalities; it is important we get the principles, and we’ve hammered out the core principles. We’re now hammering out the revision of the Cummingsburg Accord and then we’ll come to personalities in due course. We’re not in a hurry,” he asserted.

Since coming into office after joining forces with the APNU, the minority AFC has been heavily criticised for the submissive role it has been playing, especially when it comes to key national issues.

Blairmont Estate factory workers down tools over unfair treatment

W

orkers attached to the Blairmont Sugar Estate took to the streets on Wednesday after a colleague was abruptly promoted while those who were in the system for a longer period are being bypassed.

As such, the workers are also calling for the Estate Manager to rescind the promotion, since scores of punts filled with cane to be grinded are now rotting.

Hansram Ramoutar, a

tion was not done in a fair manner.

“The man is so incompetent that he cannot even make a one-inch bend.

He had to buy one from a shop and ring it back and Management is so highhandedly praising this guy.

And they say that we at Blairmont are not competent. It is the same people that are not competent that have to show this guy what to do,” the factory representative said.

Workers in the protest line at Blairmont on Wednesday

General and Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) official stated that the promo-

The workers are dissatisfied, saying that the former Rose Hall Estate worker,

GAWU factory rep Hansram Ramoutar

who had received his severance and is now reemployed with the Blairmount factory, is not capable of functioning at the position he has now been placed.

Ramoutar related that the Estate’s management is

holding stern on the decision to promote the worker and as such, there will be no negotiation.

He added that management is holding out that they can employ someone and place them in whatever position they see fit.

Ramoutar also pointed out that many are seeking upward mobility at work but none of them can move forward. One reason, he gave, is that the factory manager has passed retirement age but still remains on the job.

Noting that the focus is to sustain the sugar industry, Ramoutar said what is being done is not in keeping with the policy of the company.

Seventy-two workers rep-

Cane rotting in the field as the factory workers remain on strike

resenting the entire factory workforce took strike action on Tuesday. On Monday, they held a protest hoping to get management to address their concerns.

On Wednesday, the workers intensified their strike by

also staging a protest.

Cane, which was burnt on Saturday and cut on Sunday, is still to get to the factory.

It has been losing its sugar content each day and soon might not be worth the while to grind.

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THURsday, october 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Labourer remanded for stealing car mirrors

E

ric Abrigo of Albouystown, Georgetown on Wednesday appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to a simple larceny charge.

The 30-year-old labourer appeared before Magistrate Faith McGusty and denied the charge when it was read to him.

Police stated that on October 13, 2019 at Ruimveldt Police Station, he stole two car mirrors valued at $60,000 belonging to Julius Smith.

The defendant, in his ad-

Eric Abrigo (right) escorted by a Police Officer

dress to the court, stated,”I was outside the compound fetching solar panels, when I saw a man snatch the mirrors and run up the road”.

The Prosecutor did not present any facts into the matter; however, he objected to bail being granted on the grounds that the defendant has no fixed place of abode.

The Magistrate, after listening to the Prosecutor’s grounds, remanded the defendant to prison. Abrigo is slated to make his next court appearance on November 8.

All the President’s men…

T

…deployed he horror of the head-on collision between a sirenscreaming Police car – which usually acts as the forerunner for the President’s convoy from Pearl on the EBD – and a civilian car, which took five lives with another hanging in the balance, is slowly sinking into a shocked Guyanese populace.

If the thrill of the Amazon Warriors’ victories and the agony of its ultimate defeat brought this nation together, so has this disaster. Your Eyewitness extends his sympathy to the bereaved families of the deceased and prayers for the recovery of the one spared in the carnage.

The President has ordered a CoI into the accident but we must admit this was an accident waiting to happen.

Which Guyanese hasn’t experienced – either as a driver on the roads or as a passenger – the frantic efforts of drivers trying to get out of the way of these sirenswith-flashing-lights convoys escorting one or the other big one on our roads? And asked querulously whether they were necessary?? Your Eyewitness isn’t talking about ambulances, since he expects those are using the sirens and flashing lights to save lives – even though he sometimes has his doubts!

Let’s talk about the phenomenon in general before turning to the particulars of this horrendous accident.

Let’s face it…these sirens and flashing lights with outriders in a convoy are really status symbol for those who want to literally and figuratively “announce” their arrival, aren’t they?? Even though it’s we the people who’ve put them into their offices to work on our behalf, they can’t wait to enjoy the perks (immediate salary raises?) plus this public display of their power , which was introduced by the British to clear the “natives” out of the way.

India, which has some of the most overcrowded roads in the world, banned the use of the sirens and flashing lights for officials since May 2017. And the functioning of their Government hasn’t collapsed yet, has it?? In fact, it was one of the points that made Modi garner a larger majority in his re-election bid!! The people appreciated not being driven like cattle from the roads!

Now to this particular accident. If the President didn’t want to sleep at the State House (because of that horrid colour he had it painted?!) why didn’t he use his home a stone’s throw away from the Ministry of the Presidency?? Why rebuild his deceased brother’s house all the way up the East Bank – with the most congested road in Guyana – just to sleep?? As a security expert, didn’t he appreciate the security and logistical nightmare that presented??

Well, he converted his house to the Burnham Foundation, to preserve his mentor’s legacy, that’s why!!

The PNC uber alles!! …includes another “small party”??

Your Eyewitness was a tad disappointed that the new LJP – the Amerindian Party, notwithstanding the protestations of its leader Shuman – was in “discussions” with APNU. Disappointed, but not surprised. After all, it didn’t take a genius to figure out that it’s the Amerindians who’ll be the difference between the PNC and PPP come the next elections. Whenever that might be!! It also didn’t take a genius to figure out that anyone who could credibly claim to have some Amerindian support would be holding some pretty strong cards in his hands.

Now Shuman, as a past outspoken head of the Toshaos Council, already had the visibility. But the question is: why would Shuman talk to the PNC BEFORE the elections?

The only reason would be to enter the “coalition”. And the more pertinent question now becomes, why in hell would he want that when he saw how the PNC chewed up the AFC and spit them out?

But it is human greed and its capacity to befuddle reason that made your Eyewitness not surprised!! …and culture Your Eyewitness is always leery when governments get involved with culture – especially when the primary focus is “monetising” it.

Inevitably, it ends up with artistes asked to prostitute themselves. Read Martin Carter’s account with Burnham circa 1970.

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

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thursday, october 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

CoI begins into deadly EBD accident – survivors listed as stable but serious

Ronnel Barker

Lovern Stoby

Leon Tucker

Herbert Josiah

Denise Josiah

Travis Fullington

Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the deadly road accident which claimed the lives of five persons has begun, according to Police Commissioner (acting) Nigel Hoppie.

The CoI was ordered by President David Granger on Tuesday, following the horrific crash which involved a civilian motorcar and an escort vehicle being driven by one of his Presidential Guards.

President Granger had ordered that the CoI be headed by a person no lower in rank than the Deputy Commissioner.

In an interview with Guyana Times on Wednesday, the Top Cop confirmed that the persons sitting on the CoI have already been selected; however, their names will be revealed at the “appropriate time”.

“The persons were selected … and the timeframe for completion (of the investigation) is very close,” Hoppie stated.

Asked if there will be any public hearings, the Commissioner of Police said

“The CoI head will be given his charge and he will determine how they will proceed”.

Moreover, Hoppie assured that the investigation will be above board.

“The Guyana Police Force, we have always been a professional unit and we have conducted investigations several times before where members of the Force were brought to justice and some cases even incarcerated”.

President Granger, though in caretaker mode, had ordered that the CoI determine how such an accident could have occurred and also to make recommendations to prevent a recurrence.

CCTV footage of the incident, which occurred on Tuesday around 05:30h along the Friendship Public Road, East Bank Demerara (EBD), shows the Police car travelling at a fast rate of speed, with its siren blaring.

It also shows the civilian motorcar, which was being driven by a Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Sergeant, coming to a halt right before the two vehicles collided.

Given that the accident

involved two members of the Joint Services, President Granger had underscored the need for more work to be done to ensure members of the security forces utilise the roadways in a safe manner.

briefed about the accident, will take every step to ensure that the roads are used safely by all members of the security forces,” the Head of State had noted.

The accident claimed the lives of Presidential Guard 23-year-old Ronnel Barker, who was driving the Police car; 34-year-old Leon Tucker, who was driving the civilian car; 61-yearold Lovern Stoby, a passenger in the taxi and Tucker’s aunt; 58-year-old Herbert Josiah and 57-year-old Denise King Josiah, who were husband and wife.

Two persons survived the deadly crash: 25-yearold Travis Fullington, a Presidential Guard, and 33-year-old Tricia London, who was a passenger in the

taxi.

EBD, is also said to be recovering.

Initial reports suggested that the escort car was part of a presidential convoy heading to President David Granger’s home at Pearl, EBD. However, the Ministry of the Presidency has denied that the President was a part of the convoy but up to press time, authorities had not disclosed why the Presidential Guards were in the area or what operation they were on to be using their sirens.

A source close to the investigation confirmed that the escort car was being used as a “sweep car”, to clear the roadways for the Head of State’s convoy to travel uninterrupted.

A

President David Granger

“The Government of Guyana, the administration of the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force, the Cabinet and the National Security Committee, which was also

Recovering

Fullington is said to be recovering at a city hospital; however, he still is in unbearable pain.

“He regained some amount of consciousness, he is feeling a lot better from yesterday but he still ain’t really eating much or saying much,” a relative told this publication.

“He crying out for a lot of pain in his chest and ribs and muscles in his legs, other than that, he’s coming around,” the relative explained.

Fullington, of Princes Street, Georgetown, is a father of a four-year-old son.

Meanwhile, London, of Friendship Squatting Area,

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thursday, october 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

CDC promises completion of oil spill plan by next month – to be followed by consultations to sensitise stakeholders

T

he National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP), which has been a work in progress since last year, is scheduled to be completed by next month. This is according to Civil Defence Commission (CDC) Director, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig.

Craig was at the time speaking at the opening ceremony of the final stakeholder workshop for the plan, which outlines Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for an oil spill, as well as the various roles each agency will play.

He explained that they were working to complete the plan in the first week of November, after which it would be submitted to Cabinet and consultations with the relevant stakeholders held to sensitise them on the policy.

“After we developed this draft, we circulated it to all of you for comments,” he told participants at the workshop. “But the plan was also circulated to RacRempeitc and the United States Coast Guard and they provided us with additional comments.

“And with the comments

The participants at the workshop pose for a photograph

coming out of this workshop today, we will be working to have this plan finalised by the first week of November, after which it will be submitted to Cabinet. When we complete the plan, we’ll be having several orientation seminars, so people can understand their roles and responsibilities.”

Craig further explained that simulation exercises would be used as a basis to help update the plan. This is indeed provided for in the NOSCP, which states that the plan will be reviewed and updated every three years or as needed based on

“drills, exercises, actual oil spill incidents and changes in operating and legal environment”.

“We’ll also have exercises: table-top exercises, fullscale exercises, … because this document is going to be a living document. It’s not going to be a document that we will take and put down and just wait for something to happen. At the end of every review, every exercise, the plan will be adjusted,” the CDC Head explained.

“We’re also talking with the US Coast Guard about developing training programmes, multi-year train-

ing and testing of the plan.

So the support we need from external partners, we already gathered that support,” Craig said.

He also spoke about the delineation of responsibilities within the plan, and the fact that its guidelines were modelled on other plans. The plan sets out a three-tier system of dealing with oil spills.

There is a tier one level that deals with the local and facility level response; the tier two level, which is a national response to the oil spill and the regional and international response to

an oil spill.

“A key feature of our oil spill response plan that is different from several other plans developed in the Caribbean is that our plan caters for both onshore and offshore oil spills. So you have sections dealing with roles and responsibilities for persons that will have responsibility for oil spills onshore and offshore.”

“The plan was also developed following a number of guidelines and templates, including the International Maritime Organisation Manual on Oil Pollution Contingency Planning. We also reviewed and used as a guide the Regional Caribbean Island Oil Pollution Response and Cooperation Plan 2012, for the Caribbean Region,” he said, noting that other plans were also reviewed.

Also present was Minister of State, Dawn Hastings-Williams, who lauded the work done so far in developing the plan. She also encouraged the participants to put their heads and expertise together during the workshop.

“I urge you not to underestimate the task at hand.

It is of the utmost national

CDC Director, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig

priority; your government is supremely aware of this and has consistently left no stone unturned in matters of this nature. As evidenced by today’s activity, we will continue to work assiduously to ensure we address this issue as much as possible,” Minister HastingsWilliams said.

Participants included representatives from Government Ministries such as the Finance Ministry and agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Defence Force and the Coast Guard.

83 cases listed to be heard at Berbice October Assizes

T

he October session of the Berbice Criminal Assizes opened on Tuesday with the ceremonial parade in front of the Berbice High Court building on Esplanade Road, New Amsterdam, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne).

The session will be presided by Justice Brassington Reynolds, who inspected

the Guard of Honour comprising one officer, one inspector and 23 ranks.

However, during the Assizes, a total of 83 cases are listed to be heard, including 20 for murder and seven for manslaughter.

Nevertheless, at the New Amsterdam Prison, 69 persons are awaiting trial for various offences ranging from murder to sexual of-

fence-related matters, with some 14 already indicating their interest to plead to the lesser count of manslaughter.

During the June Criminal Assizes, State Counsel Mandel Moore completed five matters before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow.

Of the five cases heard

by Justice Barlow, two were for the offence of murder and three for sexual moles-

cused pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter and was sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment.

With respect to the three sexual offences matters, one accused pleaded guilty and was given a 20year sentence. Another accused was acquitted by a jury after they returned a not guilty verdict.

The Virtual Complainant (VC) in the third case tes-

Justice Brassington Reynolds inspects the Guard of Honour

Members of the Guard of Honour at the Berbice Assizes on Tuesday

tation.

In one of the two murder cases, two accused were indicted together and both were acquitted by the jury.

In the other case, the ac-

tified in court that she did not wish to proceed with the matter and as such, the Judge directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty.

Meanwhile, three matters were completed before Justice SewnarineBeharry, one for a sexual offence and two for murder.

In the one sexual offence matter, the jury returned a majority verdict of eleven not guilty to one guilty in favour of the accused.

In one of the two murder cases, the accused, who was indicted on two counts, was found guilty by the jury for the lesser offence of manslaughter and sentenced to 6 years’ imprisonment. He pleaded guilty to the second

count of wounding with intent and was given a 2-year sentence.

The other accused was acquitted after the trial Judge upheld a no case submission.

Four matters were nolle prosequi during the June session— three sexual offences and one for the offence of attempt to commit murder— because the complainants submitted written statements in which they indicated they wished not to proceed with the matters.

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THURsday, october 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Coalition preparing ground to set aside, rig 2020 elections – PPP

T

he Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) believes that the APNU/AFC coalition is preparing to either set aside or rig next year’s March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

This comes in light of a revelation following Tuesday’s statutory meeting that the Governmentnominated Commissioners at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) are attempting to disenfranchise thousands of Guyanese. One way in which they are seeking to do this is by removing more than 20,000 persons from the voters’ list after they failed to uplift their National identification (ID) cards since 2008.

According to the PPP in a statement on Wednesday, the Government Commissioners are shamelessly attempting to reinstitute the use of an ID card as a qualification to vote – a measure that the current GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, had ruled was illegal

and unconstitutional back in 1998 in the Esther Pereira case.

Pereira, a PNC supporter, had petitioned the High Court to set aside the results of the 1997 elections. Justice Singh ruled that the requirement for voters to have a voter ID card in 1997 was ultra vires Articles 59 and 159 of the Constitution (despite a parliamentary agreement to use the cards).

Moreover, the Opposition went on to point out that the removal of names from the Official List of Electors (OLE) simply because these persons did not uplift their ID cards is illegal and contrary to the recent ruling of Chief Justice Roxane George.

Back in August, the Chief Justice ruled that persons cannot be removed from the voters’ list unless they are dead or otherwise disqualified to vote under Article 159 (2) (3) or (4).

“From the foregoing, it is clear that the APNU/AFC is preparing the ground either

Government-nominated GECOM Commissioners Trotman, Vincent Alexander and Charles Corbin

to set aside the entire elections as illegal and unconstitutional, when they lose, or by rigging the elections by disenfranchising tens of thousands of Guyanese electors,” the PPP contended in the missive.

The Opposition noted that the Governmentnominated Commissioners at GECOM continue to obstinately pursue an agenda to disenfranchise the Guyanese electorate and deny them their democratic and constitutional right

Desmond

to vote for a government of their choice at the 2020 polls.

This agenda, the party noted, is more so reflected in their other latest proposal to highlight on the OLE, the names of persons who did not participate in the now scrapped House-to-House Registration exercise but are on the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE).

Even more ridiculous, the PPP outlined is the fact that they want those persons who did not re-register

to now come forward and do a “verification” and if this is not done, it could result in their names being highlighted on the OLE. G o v e r n m e n t Commissioner Vincent Alexander had explained on Tuesday that this would be done to put staff at the polling stations on “high alert” on the March 2, 2020 elections day to ensure no multiple or substitute voting takes place.

But according to the PPP, “These ingenious measures are clearly intended to unlawfully empower GECOM staff on Elections Day to illegally disenfranchise tens of thousands of registered electors. These proposals are not only outrageous and unsound, but they are absolutely illegal as they are not provided for in any of the statutory processes, nor can they be the lawful basis to prevent a registered elector from voting”.

To date, the Opposition noted that GECOM has not even yet explained how the

data generated by the Houseto-House Registration exercise, that is some 370,000 registrants, will be merged into the PLE or how it would become the subject of the ongoing 42-day Claims and Objections process, which commenced on October 1.

“These are important statutory processes imposed by law to safeguard the integrity of the OLE and vital to the delivery of credible elections. Instead of working out the details of these important processes and making them public, the Government Commissioners continue to pursue mechanisms to contaminate, pervert and illegitimatise the electoral machinery,” the PPP asserted.

Nevertheless, the Opposition assures Guyanese that it will continue to expose these mischievous endeavours and struggle to correct them as the party continues the battle for democratic, free and fair elections in March 2020.

Granger awaits advice of AG, Cabinet before dissolving Parliament

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

H

aving already set March 2, 2020 as the date for the General and Regional Elections, President David Granger said he is awaiting advice from Attorney General Basil Williams and his Cabinet before dissolving Parliament.

“I have not prorogued the National Assembly, I have not dissolved Parliament and I am awaiting the advice of my Attorney General on a date for the dissolution of Parliament,” the Head of State told reporters on Wednesday.

Parliament came out of its annual recess on October 10 and according to Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, no sitting has been fixed.

However, President Granger noted that until he makes a decision on the dissolution of Parliament, it will remain in session in the event of any emergency.

“We naturally have to keep our options open in the event if there’s any emergency, the National Assembly will be convened to deal with that emergency – be it financial or emergency… If it is necessary, I can reconvene Parliament. It has not been dissolved and I will dissolve it only on the advice of my Cabinet,” the President contended.

Since announcing March 2, 2020 as Elections Day weeks ago, and subsequent issuance of the elections proclamations, calls have been mounting for President Granger to now dissolve the 11th Parliament.

But Attorney General Basil Williams earlier this month said the coalition is still hopeful that the parliamentary Opposition – People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) – will return to the National Assembly to extend its life; otherwise, he foresees a “crisis” situation in Guyana.

However, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had long thrown cold water on any expectation that his party will return to Parliament.

In fact, the Opposition had not attended any parliamentary sitting since January when House Speaker, Dr Barton Scotland, had refused to overturn the December 21, 2018 passage of the NoConfidence Motion as requested by Government and directed them to seek redress in the courts.

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) – Guyana’s

President David Granger

highest appellate court – has since validated the passage of the Opposition-tabled motion, which it said activated Article 106 of the Constitution. This provides for Cabinet, including the President, to resign

and call elections in three months, unless there is a twothirds majority vote of all sitting members of the National Assembly to extend that timeline.

Jagdeo, a former President, had pointed out that an extension of Government’s life is unnecessary a time point since it is not linked to any decisions

Attorney General Basil Williams

that should be taken to facilitate the polls.

Moreover, the CCJ would have bestowed the coalition administration with a caretaker status, indicating that its main function is to host elections. “[The President] sought to link the date with the return of the parliamentary Opposition to Parliament to extend the life of his Government…Therein are several fallacies. One, there is no link to the extension of his Government, which has been illegal since March 21. He never sought that extension before,” Jagdeo had pointed out.

The Opposition Leader further added, “Secondly, the extension is wholly unnecessary for him to discharge the caretaker responsibility that had been accorded to him by the CCJ. Because a caretaker Government is only vested with one responsibility, that is, holding elections and

having the authority to do all the things necessary with the holding of elections. By virtue of being caretaker, he can proclaim the date and he can dissolve the Parliament”.

According to Jagdeo, Government is looking at the extension as a legal footing for activities which are not authorised under a caretaker

administration.

“We believe the real reason for all of this [is] they want legal coverage for all the criminal acts of theft and transfers of resources that they have committed because they believe if we extend the life of the Government, there will be no prosecution. There can’t be prosecution,” he sig-

nalled.

In this regard, he reaffirmed that there is a zero per cent chance of them returning to the National Assembly.

“We have no intention of going to Parliament to extend the life of his Government.

Absolutely none. No intention whatsoever,” Jagdeo positioned.

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thursday, october 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Hiring of election staff

GECOM to commence recruitment process for key positions T

he Guyana Elections C o m m i s s i o n (GECOM) will be moving ahead with the process of recruiting personnel for key positions within the elections body in preparation for the March 2020 polling day.

This was revealed by Government-nominated

Officer, Research Officer and Logistics Officer.

“So very soon we will be convening those panels for the interviews so we can conclude employment of those four officers,” he indicated.

Last week, it was revealed that almost one year after the December passage

GECOM

GECOM Commissioner Vincent Alexander when he updated reporters on Tuesday’s more than threehour-long meeting.

According to Alexander, the Commission has agreed to commence interviews for the posts of: Assistant Chief Elections Officer (ACEO), Civic and Voters’ Education

of the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against the coalition government, GECOM is only now scrambling to fill these key posts with only five months remaining before next year’s elections.

In fact, Commissioner Alexander had told reporters that the Admin Committee was reactivated to fill these

vacancies.

“Obviously, those vacancies have been affecting the capacity of the Secretariat to do its work,” he had stated.

Since the December 2018 passage of the NCM, which triggered early elections within three months, GECOM has come under heavy criticism for its failure to be in a state of readiness to hold General and Regional Elections.

In fact, in its ruling on the consolidated NCM cases, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) said that all constitutional actors, including GECOM, must abide by the provisions of the Constitution.

“The Court must assume that these bodies and personages will exercise their responsibilities with integrity and in keeping with the unambiguous provisions of the Constitution bearing in mind that the No-Confidence Motion was validly passed as long ago as 21 December 2018,” the Trinidad-based regional court had stated.

According to Article 106, Cabinet including the President shall resign and call elections within three months of the successful passage of a no-confidence motion. This meant elections were due since March 21, 2019. But while the court

noted that the timeline was on pause owing to the legal proceedings, its June 18 ruling validating the passage had re-triggered the elections deadline.

But Alexander explained that the Elections Commission could not have done any work to fill these vacancies since it was without a Chairman for several weeks.

“These vacancies have been there since last year.

Work on the vacancies were held up when we did not have a Chairman,” Commissioner Alexander contended.

However, these vacan-

Government-nominated GECOM Commissioner Vincent Alexander

cies were there since last year and GECOM was only without a Chair for about one month in July.

The CCJ had also ruled in June that the 2017 appointment of then GECOM Chair Retired Justice James Patterson was unconstitutional. This resulted in Justice Patterson’s resignation late June. After several weeks of meetings between President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo and their representatives, current Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh was appointed on July 26.

CD vendor arraigned for wounding man

T

wenty-five-year-old Shawn Lee appeared before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and pleaded guilty to a wounding charge.

The charge alleged that on July 11, 2019, at George and Norton Streets, Werken-Rust, Georgetown with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or cause grievous bodily harm, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded Dellon Foster.

Facts presented by Police Prosecutor Ceon Blackman stated that on the day in question, the victim and the

Shawn Lee

defendant were involved in a heated argument during which the defendant pulled out a cutlass and dealt the victim several chops about his body.

The injured man was then taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), where he was treated for his injuries and sent away.

The matter was subsequently reported to the Police and the defendant was arrested. The Magistrate remanded the defendant to prison and he is expected to reappear in court on October 25.

News

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THURsday, october 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

World Food Day

Over 40% of adult Guyanese overweight/obese – FAO Country Rep

FAO Country Representative, Dr Gillian Smith

G

uyana and the rest of the Caribbean region have made immense progress in reducing absolute hunger; however, they are now being faced with another dangerous situation: overweightness and obesity, according to Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) Country Representative, Dr Gillian Smith.

She was at the time addressing a gathering to commemorate World Food Day at La Bonne Intention (LBI), East Coast Demerara.

Dr Smith lauded Guyana for its food security but underscored the fact that hunger is still a real issue for a number of people. She revealed that over 40 per cent of Guyanese are either overweight or obese and of that number, the majority are women.

“Data is suggesting that over 40 per cent of adults in Guyana are considered overweight or obese and this is a trend that is increasing and significantly more women are found to be obese than men.

Not only is this robbing us of our productive years, it is costing us significant amounts of our public health resources,” Dr Smith noted.

She further explained that a 2011 cost of illness assessment, done by the Public Health Ministry in collaboration with the PAHO/WHO, estimated that the direct and indirect cost of treating non-communicable disease in Guyana was over 10 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This, she notes, threatens to erode the human capital.

“Most of us have been lucky enough to live in a country,

One of the displays at the exhibition

Students displaying their foods

community, family where good food security is the case. I know from time to time many of us have struggled with some aspect of food security…despite all of that, we are the lucky ones. Every day, every single night, more than 820 million people suffer from hunger.

Mothers put their children to bed knowing that they have not fed them what they need, and not having a single idea of how they are going to feed them tomorrow morning,” she said.

World Food Day is observed annually on October 16. The day marks the anniversary of

the formation of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation.

World Food Day, which is dubbed as a day of action dedicated to tackling global hunger, sees people from around the world coming together to declare their commitment to eradicate worldwide hunger from our lifetime. This year, World Food Day is being observed under the theme:”Our actions are our future—healthy diets for a #zerohunger world”.

The theme calls on all stakeholders to make a change.

To answer this call, the

“Sharky” committed to stand trial for murder of overseas-based Guyanese

W

ayne Anthony Chester, called “Sharky”, of 236 Section C, Block Y, Diamond Housing Scheme, was on Wednesday committed to stand trial at the Demerara High Court for the 2017 murder of Purcell Moore at Craig Village, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

Chester, 24, was on trial before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus at the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts.

When the matter was called, the Magistrate ruled that sufficient evidence has

Wayne "Sharky" Chester

been presented before the court to establish a prima facie case against Chester.

The charge alleged that

on December 20, 2017, at Craig, EBD, Chester murdered Purcell Moore, a resident of the village, during the course of a robbery.

According to reports, Moore was returning home from a shop when he was confronted by armed men.

It was reported that an argument erupted between Moore and the suspects, which resulted with a scuffle, during which several rounds were discharged at Moore and the men fled the scene.

The injured man was rushed to the Diamond

Dead: Purcell Moore

Diagnostic Centre, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Chester is the third person to be charged with the murder of Moore. Kevin Persaud, 21, of 14th Avenue Diamond, EBD and Selwyn Dawson, 21, of Kaneville, EBD were already charged for the heinous crime.

In May, Chester was sentenced to five years imprisonment by Magistrate Rondel Weaver for a number of crime-related charges.

The charges alleged that on January 6, 2019, at Conciliation Drive, Tucville, Georgetown, while being in the company of another and being armed with an unlicensed gun, Chester robbed Bowen Cromwell of $512,600 in cash and jewellery.

On the same date and at the same place, he also allegedly damaged two car parts valued at a total of $85,000, which belonged to Cromwell.

Chester was also charged with discharging a loaded firearm with intent to wound Cromwell, having a pistol in his possession without being the holder of a firearm licence, and being in possession of unlicensed ammunition.

Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the local chapter of the Food and Agriculture Organisation hosted a massive food exhibition at the GuySuCo Headquarters, La Bonne Intention, East Coast Demerara.

At the opening ceremony, Agriculture Minster Noel Holder told the gathering that the event is Government’s way of reinforcing its commitment to safe food and healthy diets.

He added that while Guyana is a food secure nation, more needs to be done to cement its status.

“There are pockets of food insecurity and hunger that we need to address. Additionally, given the significant amount spent annually on health problems related to malnutrition.

Strategies to ensure the availability and affordability of healthy diets are essential for the food and nutrition security of our citizens,” the Minister indicated.

Holder also used the opportunity to announce that GuySuCo’s LBI compound has been transformed into an agricultural complex, which no sees a number of agricultural agen-

cies being housed there as an effort to provide more efficient services.

“During this month, the former GuySuCo Soil and Bio Safety Laboratory will transition into our National Soil Testing and Bio Safety Laboratory serving the entire agriculture sector in Guyana.

As we transition to a green economy, quality infrastructure, such as laboratories that will test for disease, water quality and the general quality of safe and wholesome products intended for export are essential. Additionally, for increased productivity, laboratories are needed for soil testing, biotechnology, tissue culture, plant breeding and are also the backbone of the inspection and certification activates to meet these international standards,” Holder informed.

The event saw the participation of the various bodies under the Agriculture Ministry, as well as a number of schools. The schools were given the task to prepare a balanced meal that cost no less than $2000 and what some of them prepared are presented in the photos.

Man gets life sentence for killing ex-motherin-law, stepdaughter

F

orty eight-year-old Joshua Franklin was on Wednesday sentenced to life imprisonment for hacking his former stepdaughter and mother-in-law to death almost five years ago.

Franklin, a former cane cutter, was initially charged with the December 18, 2014 murders of nine-year-old Ashley Boodhoo and 55-yearold Bibi Zalima Khan at Khan’s Tuschen Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo home.

However, earlier this month, he pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter in both cases before High Court Judge Justice Sandil Kissoon. A probation report was ordered and presented to the Court on Wednesday, when the Judge handed down the sentence.

Franklin was given the life imprisonment sentence on each charge, which will run concurrently. He will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years.

According to reports, Franklin’s then reputed wife, Geeta Boodhoo, had left their abusive relationship and moved in with her mother, Bibi Zalima Khan, in Tuschen Housing Scheme.

On the morning of December 18, 2014, Franklin broke into Khan’s home where his former reputed wife was staying along with her children, and found her in a com-

Joshua Franklin

promising position with another male, Floyd Drakes.

He took up two cutlasses and chopped the woman, who managed to escape. He then turned on the man, hacking him to death before pursuing Khan and little Ashley.

The other children, after seeing what was taking place, retreated to a clump of bushes where they hid.

After inflicting his mayhem, Franklin went into hiding but was caught days later in the interior.

He was also charged with the murder of Drakes and that matter is expected to come up soon.

Boodhoo’s wrist was chopped off during the incident. Over the years, the mother of five had received assistance from several charitable organisations and individuals.

14 news

THURsday, october 17, 2019| guyanatimesgy.com

GAWU accuses President of snubbing sugar workers T he Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) is accusing President David Granger of ignoring the plight of sugar workers and snubbing them when it comes to improved wages and salaries in addition to improved standards of living.

“The apparent snub by the President as he ignores the cries, plight and circumstances of our nation’s sugar workers represents another slap in the face of the hard-working and dedicated employees of the industry. It is simply saddening and upsetting when one considers the treatment of the workers during the life of the current Administration.

It is a far cry from the embrace they would have received prior to the incumbent Administration taking office,” the GAWU said in a statement.

GAWU’s statement came following a petition it sent to President Granger calling for an improvement in the pay package offered to the nation’s sugar workers. The petition, which was supported by some 3500 workers, has called on the President to recognise the plight of the workers who have been severely hard-pressed by the contemporary realities of life. GAWU said that the petition was probably one of the most subscribed petitions ever received by the President or any President for that matter.

“It, undoubtedly, in our view, should have attracted profound contemplation and serious consideration of the expressions. This, however, it appears was not the case and rather a robotic, stereotype response was provided,” GAWU noted.

President Granger, via a letter dated October 4,

responded to GAWU’s petition. The President’s response, which reached the GAWU on October 10 – almost a week after his correspondence is dated, informed that the petition has been forwarded to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

While the President did not share the rationale for his actions, he said he awaited advice from the Corporation on the way forward.

Police corruption blatant in Region 2 – PCA hears

P

olice Complaints Authority (PCA) Chairman, Retired Justice William Ramlall and a team of investigators on Tuesday met with the Mayor and Councillors of the Anna Regina Town Council, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) where they were briefed on the many corrupt practices within the Guyana Police Force in that Division.

Justice Ramlall told the officials that most of the reports received from residents in the Region were against the Traffic Department, the Police patrol and the middle management of the Force.

On this note, he related that Region Two was topping the list for corrupt practices in the Guyana Police Force.

As such, he promised to investigate all matters that were reported to the Authority. He encouraged all stakeholders to get on board, including the

PCA Chairman Retired Justice William Ramlall

Regional Administration, the Town Council and the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) to speak out against Police corruption.

Some of the main concerns raised were that traffic officers are harassing drivers by demanding bribes, and ranks were in-

volved in drug trafficking, money laundering, and other illegal activities.

Another concern that was raised related to the issuance of fitness certificates for vehicles. Drivers have complained that the issuance officer was deliberately failing vehicles in the inspection so that drivers are forced to bribe him to get the document.

“The officer checking the engine oil, transmission fluid, radiator water, battery, jack, etc, just to fail you, then you have to pay up just to get three months even if you have a brand new vehicle, you have to go through the same harassment,” one driver told the PCA. Residents welcomed the PCA presence in the Region and were hopeful that it would be able to stamp out the lawlessness within the Police Division, ultimately bringing back trustworthiness to the Police Force.

“The response of the President is hardly what the

workers wanted to hear especially taking account of the situation they and their family face. Certainly, the sugar workers were hopeful that the President would have displayed decisive leadership and, through his influence, ensure that their pay was improved for the first time in the life of his Administration.

“This appears not to be the case and there is little hope that the Corporation would provide a positive indicator to the Administration

on the matter unless there is a clear mandate from the powers-that-be. Of course, the Administration has already signalled publicly that workers of the State would be benefitting from pay rises and the continued exclusion of the sugar workers could only be seen as discriminatory,” the statement explained.

The GAWU has pointed out, on several occasions, how far the earnings of sugar workers have fallen in recent times.

30 businesses join UN push to scale up Private Sector investment for sustainable development

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he United Nations on Wednesday announced that 30 influential leaders from the corporate world would work together over the next two years in a bid to free up trillions of dollars from the Private Sector to finance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Convened by Secretary General António Guterres, the Global Investors for Sustainable Development (GISD) Alliance is cochaired by Oliver Bäte, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Allianz, and Leila Fourie, CEO of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, and includes the Heads of Bank of America; Citigroup; Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC); Infosys; Investec; Santander; UBS and other prominent international corporations.

“We face widening inequality, increased devastation from conflicts and disasters, and a rapidly warming Earth. These leaders have seized our sense of urgency, recognising that our pace must be at a run, not a crawl,” Guterres said. “They are committing to cooperate across borders, across financial sectors and even

UN Secretary General António Guterres

with their competitors, because it is both ethical and good business sense to invest in sustainable development for all people on a healthy planet.”

The High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development held during the recent UN General Assembly brought to attention the urgent need for increasing Government spending on crucial sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, and climate change. Most developed countries have not met their commitments to Official Development Assistance (ODA) while factors like poverty, cor-

ruption, and tax evasion limit domestic resources in developing countries.

The development finance needs are estimated at trillions of dollars per year, and even if funding from all public sources is maximised, there will still be a significant shortfall, making financing from the Private Sector imperative.

“As responsible companies, we can create longterm value by embedding sustainability into our core business,” said Bäte.

“Investing in the stable development of societies across the globe is not only the right thing to do, it also includes economic opportunities. We are convinced that investments in emerging markets can foster sustainable growth without losing sight of our customers’ interests.”

The UN’s research suggests that there is no shortage of money from the Private Sector which could be invested in sustainable development. However, a combination of factors, including the policy environment, incentive structures, and institutional conditions, tend to discourage the kind of long-term commitment that is needed. continued on page 15

15 “Operation Walk” team spearheads joint replacement surgeries at GPHC news

thursday, october 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

By Kristen Macklingam

D

ozens of patients who for many years have been suffering from orthopaedic ailments have

Walk” visited Guyana last year and 47 patients benefited from the much-needed surgeries performed. This year, the medical personnel were able to provide more

ly osteoarthritis and complications of osteoarthritis.

And they did total joint replacement for those surgeries. After surgery last year, we were able to convince them, because of the need in Guyana to return this year to continue their mission and to do another set of surgeries.”

More surgeries done this year than in 2018

One of the doctors from “Operation Walk” attending to a Guyanese patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation

benefited from specialised surgeries at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) spearheaded by US medical team “Operation Walk” from Maryland.

Head of the Orthopaedic Department at the Georgetown Public Hospital, Dr David Samaroo explained that a team from “Operation

services in this field, he added.

There were 50 replacement surgeries conducted over a three-and-a-half-day period as part of this collaborative initiative this year.

“The purpose of their visit is essentially to operate on Guyanese patients with hip and joint pathologies main-

He explained that the large group encompassed skilled medical professionals with various skills, and local doctors benefited from first-hand experience with the US team in conducting the successful surgeries.

“Last Thursday, 42 persons including surgeons, nurses, anaesthesiologists, physiotherapists and a number of volunteers also came in and we began doing surgeries last Friday afternoon. On Friday, we were able to complete four surgeries; on Saturday, we did 14 surgeries and on Sunday and Monday, we did 16 surgeries respectively. In total this year, we did 50 patients’ surgeries. This is in comparison to last year where we had 47 patients had total joint replacement surgeries.”

Dr Samaroo stated that the presence of the US medical team here last year and once again in 2019 has tre-

Representatives from the “Operation Walk” medical team along with doctors and staff at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation

mendously assisted the Georgetown Public Hospital with reducing the number of patients who are in dire need of surgery.

“In addition to conducting 50 patient surgeries last year, we did six; patients had bilateral knee replacement surgeries so that took the number of joints replaced to 53. While this year, eight patients had bilateral surgeries, bilateral limb surgeries done, so that took that number to 58 surgeries.

So this year we were able to accomplish or achieve much

4-day workshop to improve standard of living in Caribbean kicks off

Some of the participants from Caribbean countries at the opening ceremony of the workshop on slum improvements and their prevention

L

ocal, regional and international groups and entities are presently participating in a fourday workshop in Guyana to address the burning issue of slum improvements and their prevention in Caribbean countries.

The training that is being held at the Princess Ramada Hotel, Providence, East Bank Demerara is focused on financial mobilisation by authorities to target the prevalence of informal settlements such as slums, which are negatively affecting the progress of countries within the Caribbean.

Minister within the Communities Ministry with responsibility for housing, Annette Ferguson explained on Tuesday at

the opening ceremony the seriousness of the situation, stating that financing for the upgrading of informal settlements remain a major challenge globally.

“This is a challenge that must be frontally addressed if our people are to be afforded the basic right of dignified living. Each person is entitled to this right regardless of their social or economic strata; they define themselves … in the absence of proper planning, this can contribute to our cities and towns being less resilient to external shocks,” Ferguson said.

Meanwhile, Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) Chief Executive Officer Lelon Saul, in his address, not-

ed the importance of such training.

“The three objectives of training are to give a broad overview of the issues related to upgrading of slums and informal settlements such as data collected, etc, to discuss the financial requirements for the slum upgrade in the Caribbean and lastly to present international case studies and explain their approach of upgrading informal settlements … participants will be afforded to visit an informal settlement here in Georgetown and learn from our experience what we are doing to improve lives.

Participants take lessons learnt to their respective institutions, share with colleagues, etc…,” he said.

He further explained that universally, a “slum household” is defined as a group of individuals living under the same roof lacking access to improved water, access to improved sanitation, sufficient living area, and durability of housing.

Saul reminded that most importantly, the goal by 2030 is to ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing, basic services, and slums upgrade.

“This initiative would provide guidance as to how a country can address the issue of slum improvements and their prevention at the local and national level … the information learnt and shared over the 4 -day period will aid countries with realistic, innovative finance mobilisation information that can assist with city-wide upgrading strategies.”

He noted that this much-needed training workshop would provide guidance on how to address slum improvements and prevention at both the local and national level as it would function as a toolkit that aided countries with realistic, innovative finance mobilisation with citywide upgrading strategies.

more surgeries done in the same period of time that we did last year,” he added.

Director of Joint Reconstruction Surgery at the John Hopkins University at Maryland and Medical Director for “Operation Walk Maryland”, Dr Paul Khanuja, told Guyana Times that his organisation was funded by individuals who sincerely wish to make a difference in the medical field.

“And we have been very fortunate to complete 50 surgeries the past few days,” Dr Khanuja related. The patients are doing well; we haven’t had any complications.

We are following up from our patients from last year; joint replacement surgery is a very rewarding surgery for those with significant arthritic pain and it has made a difference here. So, we are glad to help contribute and take care of the people of Georgetown and Guyana.”

Successes

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, several patients who had surgeries done by “Operation

Walk” in partnership with the Hospital last year had check-ups so that the doctors could check on their progress and recovery rates.

Marie Stoby, 76, suffered from osteoarthritis in both of her knees and on October 21, 2018, she benefited from a much-needed surgery, which has helped to make her life easier.

Another female, 75, who had been experiencing pain in one of her knees, told this publication that last October, she was one of the lucky persons who had a knee replacement.

As for 57-year-old Nigel Lewis, he is presently awaiting another surgery, but is more than thankful for the surgery that he benefited from in 2018, compliments of the Georgetown Public Hospital and the “Operation Walk” team.

Additionally, other patients who had surgeries done over the weekend and were in their respective wards at the Hospital expressed their gratitude towards the medical staff that attended to them.

30 businesses join...

"The establishment of the GISD Alliance acknowledges the scale of the challenges we face collectively and the role that the finance sector has to play in meeting these challenges,” said Fourie. “Exchanges are a vital part of the financing ecosystem – promoting relevant disclosure, enabling effective price discovery, and ultimately mobilising funds to productive ends. We all have much work to do, and the time to start is now.”

The Alliance aims to use their expertise, influence and business acumen in devising ways to stimulate long-term investment in development and speed up progress towards achieving the SDGs. Over the next two years, the group will: deliver solutions to unlock long-term

from page 14

finance and investment in sustainable development both at company and system-wide levels; mobilise additional resources for countries and sectors most in need; find ways to increase the positive impact of business activities; and align business practices with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The move comes amid a growing recognition in the corporate community that the continued success of companies is inextricably linked to a sustainable future for the world.

The UN Secretary General has established a timeline for actionable results over the life of the Alliance. Its work will be coordinated by the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

16

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, october 17, 2019

Regional

Peru Govt taps armed forces Trinidad rehab church: to unblock copper protests “Abuse and licks for demons”

T

he Peruvian Government on Wednesday authorised the intervention of the armed forces and Police to unblock access to one of the country’s largest copper mines, after owner Chinese miner MMG Ltd said it may have to cease production at the site.

The decree, published in official newspaper El Peruano, declared a state of emergency for 30 days in an Andean area where residents have been blocking a road used by the mining company to transport concentrates for almost four weeks.

The measure involves suspending the right to free transit and to hold public meet-

ings in various locations in the Andean province of Chumbivilcas in the region of Cusco, a key mining area in the Peru, the world’s no 2 copper producer.

The MMG-owned Las Bambas mine is close to having to halt production, a senior local executive told Reuters last week, adding the firm was evaluating declaring “force majeure” on sales because stocks were running out.

“The roads will be reopened because it is a mandate of the @PoliciaPeru. We are committed to dialogue, but that cannot be confused with weakness. We will fulfil our function,” Interior Minister

Carlos Moran said in a post on Twitter on Wednesday.

Las Bambas, which accounts for 16% of Peru’s entire copper output, had targeted between 385,000 tonnes and 405,000 tonnes of copper production this year, versus 385,000 tonnes in 2018.

The unrest has affected shipments from four mines that produce about half of Peru’s copper – Freeport— McMoRan Inc’s Cerro Verde, Las Bambas, Glencore PLC’s Antapaccay and Hudbay Mineral’s Constancia.

Copper accounts for 60% of Peru’s total exports, and is the main driver of the South American nation’s economy.

(Reuters)

Asylum seekers cling to hope, safety in camp at US-Mexico border

E

ven after he was kidnapped and robbed outside the makeshift migrant camp where he had slept for two weeks, Luis Osorto decided his only chance for eventual asylum in the United States was to stay put along the border just inside Mexico.

But the 37-year-old Honduran made a pact with himself: not to leave the enclave of tents at the end of a bridge between Matamoros and Brownsville, Texas – not even to buy a bottle of water or to collect money transfers from his family back home.

The cramped camp, in a partly fenced-in plaza abutting administrative buildings just feet from the Rio Grande, is home to approximately 1000 migrants, many of them sent back to Mexico to await US immigration hearings under a policy called the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) begun this year.

After what is commonly known as an “express kidnapping” last month by men waiting in a van for him outside a convenience store where he was collecting a

Central American migrants are seen in an encampment in Matamoros, Mexico, at the end of the Gateway International Bridge, where migrants sent back under the “Remain in Mexico” programme

$100 transfer from relatives, Osorto promised himself he would only leave the camp to cross the bridge to Texas for his December court date with US immigration authorities.

“I just wait here and trust someone else ... to get me 70 pesos ($3.50) or so when I need it,” he said.

MPP, sometimes called Remain in Mexico, is among various overlapping US policies aimed at severely reducing asylum claims.

President Donald Trump, whose hard-line stance on immigration was a mainstay of his 2016 campaign,

has said lax US asylum laws encourage people to show up at the border with their children.

Before MPP, it was common practice to release arriving families into the United States to wait out their US court hearings – something Trump and others said allowed many migrants to disappear into the country to live illegally. Studies by legal aid groups, such as the Urban Justice Center, have shown that most asylum seekers show up for their hearings, however. (Excerpt from Reuters)

UN human rights group urges Bahamas to reconsider deporting Haitians

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he Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has called on the Bahamas to refrain from deporting Haitian nationals after Nassau earlier this month deported more than 100 Haitians less than two weeks after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis warned illegal migrants they should either leave the country voluntarily or be “forced to leave”.

In a statement, the OHCHR said it was calling on the Government “to refrain from deporting individuals who lack documentation, without the individual assessments and due process guarantees to which they are entitled under international law”.

The human rights

group noted that many of the Haitians lived in informal settlements that were destroyed by the hurricane, losing their documents, jobs and belongings.

Earlier this month, a statement issued by the Department of Immigration said that a Bahamasair flight had departed the Lynden Pindling International Airport for Port-au-Prince, Haiti with a total of 112 Haitian nationals escorted by a team of law enforcement officers.

The statement said that 21 females were among those deported and that it “will continue its commitment to carrying out the mandates of our agency to combat illegal migration by establishing effective

border control management in compliance with the Statute Laws of our country”.

Hurricane Dorian slammed in the Bahamas on September 1, killing at least 60 people and causing widespread destruction in Grand Bahamas and Abacos islands, where many Haitians had lived before the storm.

The OHCHR noted that Bahamian authorities had initially said immigration enforcement activities would be suspended in the affected islands, but that this position was publicly reversed at the end of September, when they announced that all migrants without valid documents would be apprehended and deported. (Excerpt from CMC)

S

enior Police investigators tasked with investigating the activities at the Transformed Life Ministry Rehabilitation Centre say they will now be looking into fresh allegations of abuse at the facility.

This after one of four persons previously housed there, who was not part of the group rescued last week, claimed that during his two-year stay, he was abused by several people.

Investigators say this and other allegations made by several other people once housed there will be “thoroughly investigated”.

It was also an assurance given by ACP for Crime Jayson Forde, who told the media on Tuesday that the investigation was a wide-reaching one and Police were still interviewing several of the people who were rescued from the facility. Forde said investigators were working “assiduously to charge those that are culpable.”

One of the victims, whose name was changed to Anil by Guardian Media to hide his identity, on

Monday levelled serious allegations of abuse while at the Arouca facility.

Anil, who is in his early thirties, said the harrowing ordeals occurred regularly during a two-year stay in the facility, describing it as “hell” as he recounted being forced to do things against his will with several people, including workers.

Anil was admitted to the facility sometime in early 2017 for treatment for bipolar disorder.

“Soon after I got there, they made me take off my clothes for almost a year in a cage,” Anil revealed.

Anil alleged that he was abused countless times and beaten at times to submit to different types of abusive acts.

“I was really stressed out. I was being forced to do these things against my will. I spoke about Jesus and I told these people I just want to be calm and have no issues but they kept coming at me,” Anil claimed.

Trying to maintain his composure during the interview, Anil said the experience shattered his

One of the rescued people from the Transformed Life Ministries in Arouca, Trinidad, during a Police operation last week [Photo by Abraham Diaz]

emotional state.

“I felt violated. I don’t want the wrong idea to come across that people could do those things to me. It still hurts and this is my life and self-respect”.

Gripped with fear and terror while he was at the facility, he said he was only now willing to give Police a full report about his abuse after seeing the raid on the organisation last week. (Excerpt from T&T Guardian)

Sale of US$29B in Brazil Govt assets hinges on BNDES spat – sources

T

he sale of some 120 billion reais ($29 billion) worth of shares owned

by Brazilian development bank BNDES has snagged on a dispute among the bank’s executives, three people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

On Friday, BNDES Director Andre Laloni requested a temporary leave after clashing with staff over a share offering of state-controlled bank Banco do Brasil SA (BBAS3.SA) set for

Thursday, the sources said on condition of anonymity.

BNDES did not respond to a request for comment.

Laloni declined to comment.

The dispute within BNDES adds to doubts about how quickly Brazil can follow through on the bold privatisation plans of Economy Minister Paulo Guedes as he tries to reverse more than a decade of Government investments in “national champions”.

Laloni got the BNDES

job in July after managing the sale of around $3 billion in assets owned by Brazilian state lender Caixa Economica Federal.

At BNDES, the former UBS Group AG (UBSG.S) banker was tasked with managing sale of stakes owned by the bank in firms such as meatpacker JBS SA (JBSS3.SA), oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) (PETR4.SA) and miner Vale SA (VALE3.SA).

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Grenada to ban e-cigarettes

T

he Grenada Government says it will ban smoking in public spaces as well as restrict the use and sale of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) on the island.

Legal Affairs Minister Kindra Maturine-Stewart, speaking at the end of the weekly Cabinet meeting, told reporters that the Keith Mitchell administration had taken the decision to table legislation banning the use and sale of vaping and e-cigarettes in Grenada.

“I am certain that we are all aware of the data and statistics that is coming from within the world and data from within Caribbean shows a very worrying trend in respect to the prevalence and use of e-cigarettes and vaping”.

“As it is now, e-cigarettes are available in Grenada and there is no legislation that prohibits,

Grenada Government plans to ban e-cigarettes

restrict the importation or the sale and use of e-cigarettes in Grenada,” she said, while confirming that legislation will be presented at the next sitting of the House of Parliament.

“While we have not received any reports of adverse health effects of vaping from our nationals we have seen some worrying trends and we cannot as a government wait until we

have an issue on our hand,” she said.

Grenada has already in place, a policy banning smoking in government buildings as well as schools and hospitals and Maturine-Stewart said that public space will now be defined as areas where the public congregates including beaches and recreational areas, like parks and playgrounds. (CMC)

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, october 17, 2019

17

Around the World

Canada’s Trudeau slams rivals for dirty campaign, gets Obama endorsement C anadian Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, facing a tough election next week, accused his rivals on Wednesday of fighting a dirty campaign and picked up an endorsement from former US President Barack Obama.

Opinion polls show that Trudeau’s party, in power since 2015, is locked in a tie with the opposition Conservatives and will lose its majority in the House of Commons.

Obama called Trudeau a hard-working, effective leader who tackled big issues like climate change.

“The world needs his progressive leadership now, and I hope our neighbors to the north support him for another term,” he said in a tweet.

The two men formed a close friendship when Obama, a Democrat, was still in office. Trudeau was the first Canadian Prime Minister the United States honored with a state dinner

Liberal leader and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waves after an interview at TVA studio as he campaigns for the upcoming election, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

in almost two decades when Obama invited him and his wife to Washington in March 2016 after Trudeau won power the previous October.

Obama’s endorsement came just hours after Trudeau, speaking to reporters in Montreal, accused the Conservatives of running “one of the dirtiest, nastiest campaigns based on disinformation that we’ve ever seen in this country”.

A Nanos Research overnight poll for CTV and the

Globe and Mail newspaper put the Conservatives at 32.5%, the Liberals at 31.9% and the left-leaning New Democrats (NDP) at 18.8%.

Canadians vote on Monday.

On Wednesday, Trudeau, Conservative leader Andrew Scheer and NDP chief Jagmeet Singh were all stumping for votes in Quebec, a predominantly French-speaking province that is a key political battleground, home to 78 of the 338 seats up for grabs.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Dark web child porn bust leads Trump leaves Turkey and Syria “to to 338 arrests worldwide argue it out”, defends US pullout

L

aw enforcement officials said on Wednesday they had arrested hundreds of people worldwide after knocking out a South Korea-based dark web child pornography site that sold gruesome videos for digital cash.

Officials from the United States, Britain and South Korea described the network as one of the largest child pornography operations they had encountered to date.

Called Welcome To Video, the website relied on the bitcoin cryptocurrency to sell access to 250,000 videos depicting child sexual abuse, authorities said, including footage of extremely young children being raped.

Its upload page specifically stated, “Do not upload adult porn”.

“Darknet sites that profit from the sexual exploitation of children are among the most vile and reprehensible forms of criminal behavior,” US Assistant Attorney General Brian A Benczkowski said.

Officials have rescued

U

The seized Welcome to Video website in an image courtesy of the US Department of Justice

at least 23 underage victims in the United States, Britain and Spain who were being actively abused by users of the site, the Justice Department said. Many children in the videos have not yet been identified.

The site’s vast library – nearly half of it consisting of images never seen before by law enforcement – is an illustration of what authorities say is an explosion of sexual abuse content online.

In a statement, Britain’s

National Crime Agency said officials were seeing “increases in severity, scale and complexity”.

Welcome To Video’s operator, a South Korean named Jong Woo Son, and 337 users in 12 different countries, have been charged so far, authorities said.

Son, currently serving an 18-month sentence in South Korea, was also indicted on federal charges in Washington. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Moroccan King pardons Journalist in abortion case

M

orocco’s King Mohammed VI has pardoned Hajar Raissouni, a journalist sentenced to a year in prison last month for extramarital sex and abortion, along with her fiance, a doctor and two of his colleagues, the Justice Ministry said.

The Ministry described King Mohammed’s intervention as “an act of compassion and mercy” on Wednesday, adding that Raissouni and her fiance had wanted to establish a family legally.

Raissouni’s case drew widespread criticism from both Moroccan and foreign rights activists, who painted it as an attack on the free press and on civil rights.

Extramarital sex and abortion are illegal in Morocco.

However, the Moroccan Association for Abortion Rights, an activist group, said 600 to 800 abortions take place illegally each day. In 2018, 41 cases were brought over illegal abortions, according to a report released by the prosecutor’s office.

Raissouni, 28, works for Akhbar al-Youm, an independent newspaper that has been critical of the Moroccan state, and is the niece of a Muslim theologian who is a former leader of a politically influential Islamist group.

Raissouni said police had taken her for medical checks against her will and had asked her about her work at the newspaper and about her uncles.

Her lawyers and rights activists said the checks

Moroccan Raissouni

Journalist

Hajar

without her consent amounted to torture.

In court, the prosecutor dismissed any suggestion of procedural irregularities and said that the circumstances of Raissouni’s arrest had been legal and the case had nothing to do with her work as a journalist.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

S President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he had no problem if Russia helped Syria in a conflict with Turkey and rejected criticism of his withdrawal of US troops from Syria that exposed Kurdish allies, calling it “strategically brilliant”.

Trump’s decision to pull out American forces ahead of a Turkish offensive into northern Syria has shattered the relative calm there and he has been criticised for abandoning Kurdish militia who helped the United States defeat Islamic State militants in the region.

Washington’s hasty exit has created a land rush between Turkey and Russia – now the undisputed foreign powers in the area – to partition the formerly USprotected Kurdish area.

Syrian troops accompanied by Russian forces entered the city of Kobani, a strategically important border city and a potential flashpoint for a wider con-

Smoke rises over the Syrian town of Ras al Ain, as seen from the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar, in Sanliurfa province, Turkey

flict, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the Syrian war, reported.

Speaking to reporters as he met with Italian President Sergio Mattarella in the Oval Office and then later during a joint news conference, Trump said the Kurds were “not angels” and he said it might be necessary for Russian-backed Syria and Turkey to “fight it out”.

In the Oval Office with Mattarella, Trump said: “Our soldiers are not in harm’s way – as they shouldn’t be, as two countries fight over land that has nothing to do with us”.

He also defended his move to get US troops out as part of his wider effort to bring Americans home from “endless wars” despite being excoriated by members of his own Republican party.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Dutch farm mystery: Man suspected of holding family against will

A

man arrested after a family were found hidden at a remote Dutch farmhouse is suspected of holding them against their will, prosecutors say.

The 58-year-old suspect, named locally as Josef B, will appear in court on Thursday.

He was held on Tuesday for failing to co-operate during a Police search at the farm in the province of Drenthe.

Officers found the family after the eldest son ordered beer at a bar in a nearby village.

The son, identified locally as Jan, was not at the farm near the village of Ruinerwold at the time of the search. Police found his five grown-up siblings and a man they told officers was their father.

Police have not yet confirmed that man’s age or iden-

The farmhouse, part-hidden by trees, is accessible via a bridge over a canal

tity and have told the BBC it is a question they are trying to solve.

Another man, reportedly Austrian national Josef B, was also at the farm and arrested. Although he rents the property, Police do not know his connection to the family.

Dutch prosecutors said the suspect was believed to have been involved in “illegal deprivation of liberty and harming the health of oth-

ers”.

He was due to appear before an examining magistrate and prosecutors said they were seeking an extension of his custody.

Two properties linked to the inquiry were being searched by police on Wednesday in the village of Zwartsluis, 16km (10 miles) to the south-west of the farm at Ruinerwold. (Excerpt from BBC News)

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guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, OCTOber 17, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES

Be passionate about whatever job you are given.

If you do your best, you will be rewarded. An opening that becomes available will provide you with a chance to try something new.

TAURUS

Don’t make a fuss. Get whatever has to be done out of the way and move on to what you’d rather be doing.

A discussion will help bring you closer to someone special.

(March 21April 19)

(April 20May 20)

dilbert

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

A change will turn out better than anticipated. Get together with someone who brings out the best in you.

Love and romance will improve your personal life.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Don’t feel that you must make a move just because someone else does. You are best off putting your energy into projects that interest you and will lead to personal benefits.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Keep your emotions well hidden from anyone who tends to take advantage of you. Focus on personal changes that will improve your body, mind and soul.

Romance is on the rise.

Peanuts

Calvin and Hobbes

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SCORPIO

SUDOKU

Get involved in matters that involve children or creative projects that allow you to use your skills in unusual ways. Keep busy and live within your means. Verify the information that someone offers.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

solution for last published puzzle AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Dig in and find out all you can before getting involved in a joint venture. Money matters should be handled carefully. Don’t leave someone else in charge of your affairs.

Review your personal documents and make updates to them. A change should be welcomed, as long as it is geared toward adding stability to your life. An unusual form of entertainment will inspire you.

Don’t forget to look at the fine print. Having a broad view can be useful, but if you neglect small details, you will hit roadblocks at an inopportune time.

Nothing happens overnight, but with a definite goal you’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish.

A discussion you have with someone close to you will lead to a change of attitude.

Set up a budget for your next project. Rearrange your living quarters to better suit your current situation. Offer your space for a gathering or special-interest group.

Don’t be fooled by someone trying to take advantage of you. Stick to facts and to the people you know and trust. It’s a good time to look at certain contracts.

thursday, october 17, 2019

Lendl Simmons claims he has a lot more to offer L

Gus Logie to lead West Indies Women

C

ricket West Indies (CWI) has announced the appointment of Gus Logie as the Interim Head Coach of the West Indies Women’s Team, as well as the appointment of a new Team Manager.

Logie will take over from Henderson Springer, who will continue to provide assistance to CWI’s Coaching Education programmes.

Logie will guide the preparations of the West Indies Women for their month-long series against the visiting Indian Women’s team, which starts on November 1 in Antigua. Gus has been the Assistant Coach of the West Indies Women’s Team since 2017.

On the appointment of Gus, CWI’s Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams said, “Gus has a long history with West Indies cricket, both as a player and as a coach. He has been a part of the women’s team for the last two years and knows the players’ techniques and skillsets. I have no doubt he will continue his hard work in preparing the

team for India Women and then the T20 World Cup next year.”

Adams added, “We are extremely grateful to Hendy for his contribution to the women’s programme over the last t w o years and we will continue to exploit his prior experience within Coaching Education.”

The recruitment process for a new long-term Head Coach will begin immediately.

The West Indies Women’s team will also be appointed a new Team Manager, after the interim manager, Anne Browne-John was appointed as the Lead Selector for Women and Girls cricket.

Evril Betty Lewis will take charge of the team immediately for the international home series against India Women.

The West Indies Women will host India Women for three Colonial Medical

West Indies Women’s Interim Head Coach Gus Logie

Insurance One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and five T20 Internationals (T20Is) from November 1- 20, with matches to be played in Antigua, St Lucia and Guyana.

Fernandes pleased with team’s performance A

Rising Stars Captain Elroy Fernandes

fter copping the runner-up spot in the Cyril Bonar Memorial T20 Cricket Tournament, the Rising Stars cricket captain, Elroy Fernandes is pleased with his team’s performance as it was their first outing in the tournament. They were able to defeat top teams such as the UG Trojans and Satro CC. In an interview with Guyana Times Sport, when asked how he felt about the result of the game, Fernandes said, “For us it’s a great opportunity; we played against players that played for Guyana and even those that are currently selected to play franchise cricket. For a team on the West Demerara whereby the selector or chairman has never called to a franchise and to see the amount of talent that we have; we feel we have been victimised. Nevertheless, it was a tremendous feeling competing in the finals and to see what we can accomplish as a team. I am positive that the mistakes that we made this year we will not be making next year, as we will be coming for the trophy. I

19

know that for a team that isn’t recognised in Guyana, we have lots of talent and I’m am confident that we will soon produce players that are worthy to represent Guyana at all levels of cricket.”

Fernandes also went on to state that he was ecstatic that the team was able to produce the two best bowlers in the tournament – Marvin Cheong, Shane Persaud and Shaquille Brisport, who was the Most Valuable Player (MVP). He noted that one of the things that the team would have to work on is the amount of dot balls used and rotation in strike, as that was the key factor they lacked in the finals. He also relayed that come 2020 the competition will feature six Guyanese teams as the stakes will be raised to $500,000.

In closing, Fernandes said, “I’d like to thank Sachin Singh for helping us out with the wicket, Marvin Cheong for making the trip possible, Ravi Bharrat, and the entire team for making our journey the success it has been.”

endl Simmons was named in the West Indies T20 squad to face Afghanistan after a two- year hiatus from representing the regional side.

Simmons justified his selection by performing commendably when he represented the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the recently-concluded Caribbean Premier League (CPL) scoring 430 runs in 11 innings, including five half-centuries, at an average of 39.1.

T h e 3 4 - y e a r - o l d right-handed batsman said, “I`m a lot fitter than previous years making me more willing and able to play.”

He added, “Believing that West Indies cricket is in a better position and the necessary changes were made for the better of cricket, I have decided to make myself available to play for the “Maroon” once again. I still believe that I have plenty more to offer at the highest level and I look forward to completing my boyhood dream.”

The two-time T20 World Cup winner last played for the West Indies two years ago with his T20 International record standing at 907 runs from 44 innings with a top score of an unbeaten 82 runs in the semi-final of the 2016 World Cup T20 against hosts India.

In commenting on playing under the guidance of the newly-reinstated West Indies Coach Phil Simmons, the player said: “I worked with him for World Cup and it was easy going, because he is a good coach. He is strict on fielding, very specific in what he wants and he always gives you a role. Once a coach explains your role for you, it makes it a lot easier. It is really good to have him back.” (T&T Newsday)

Lendl Simmons

Andre Russell says T10 League could help cricket gain entry in Olympics W

est Indies’ big-hitting all-rounder Andre Russell on Wednesday reckoned that the advent of T10 format could help cricket become part of the Olympics.

Russell, who has enjoyed plenty of success in T20 cricket in recent years, will be part of Northern Warriors in the upcoming Abu Dhabi T10, the third season of which will take place in the UAE capital between November 14 and November 24. Asked if the T10 format is the way forward to take the sport to the Olympics, the West Indian responded in the affirmative.

“It would be brilliant for cricket to become an Olympic sport and I know all players would love the opportunity of representing their country at an Olympic event,” said Russell.

The 31-year-old said every cricketer must raise his game in T10.

“The T10 format is obviously shorter than T20 and batsmen have very less time to get themselves in. You have to really attack and go after the bowling from ball one.

“As a bowler and a fielding team, you have to really be on your game and plan well, as you know the batsmen are looking to take you down every delivery,” said the Jamaican.

One of the challenges of the format is that it gives little time to players to settle down, and Russell acknowledged it. “The T10 format has put pressure on the batsman to start striking and to be aggressive from ball one.”

“You have to think about where you are looking to

attack each bowler and also what field they are setting to work out where they are trying to bowl to you,” he said. Talking about the Abu Dhabi T10, Russell said he was confident it was going to be bigger and better than last year.

“I am sure it will be a box office event.

Abu Dhabi is a brilliant place to host T10 League. It is a great place to tour as a player with a lot to do away from cricket culturally and the Zayed Sports City Stadium is an excellent stadium with brilliant facilities.

“Abu Dhabi seems to be attracting a lot of high-profile cricket events, and I am looking forward to getting over there,” he said. (First Post)

Andre Russell

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

thursday, october 17, 2019

Harper eager to lead new era of West Indies team selections B

randon King, Hayden Walsh Jr and Romario Shepherd got their debut West Indies call-ups in the first squads selected by the new senior selection panel of Roger Harper, Miles Bascombe and Coach Phil Simmons for the upcoming series versus Afghanistan in India from November 4 to December 1.

There were also recalls for talented young fast bowler Alzarri Joseph, alongside veterans Denesh Ramdin and Lendl Simmons.

Joseph missed the recent India home series and World Cup owing to the injury he suffered on IPL duty with the Mumbai Indians.

Ramdin last represented the West Indies in T20 Internationals on last November’s tour to India, while for Simmons it was the 2017 home rubber against Afghanistan. In a lively and transparent press conference Monday at the Queen’s Park Oval, the new selectors answered many questions regarding the players they had chosen.

Here are some of the highlights:

On Hayden Walsh Jr: “During CPL he excited everyone with his performances and given the direction white ball cricket has gone, we realise the need for bowlers capable of taking wickets. Walsh has proven he is a wicket-taker and I think he will have a great impact on the team, especially in middle overs so that we won’t be drifting through, but can keep control of games” – Roger Harper, CWI Lead Selector “Hayden Walsh Jr qualifies to play for the West Indies, there were no issues at all, we checked with the ICC (International Cricket Council) early and they confirmed” – Jimmy Adams, CWI Director of Cricket On Brandon King: “He had an outstanding season, made

runs in our domestic four-day competition, and followed it up with an outstanding CPL; that demanded a place in the team.

We were impressed not just by his stroke play, but his maturity and wish him all the best.”

On Darren Bravo: “Firstly, I don’t want to term it as dropping a player like Darren Bravo. We all know the quality of a player like Darren Bravo, with the sort of Test and One-Day record he has representing West Indies. We recognised Darren has not been at his best as we have seen over the years. Therefore, we wanted to give him the opportunity to go away, maybe play club cricket, but definitely our regional cricket, get his game right and come back to being the best he can be, so that he can make a real positive impact for our West Indies team and be the force we know he can be in world cricket.”

On Chris Gayle: “Gayle told us he is unavailable for Afghanistan Series, but we all know Chris, he is a world-class player with a tremendous record and of course it’s difficult to replace Chris Gayle.

But I think going forward it is in a way an opportunity for young players to showcase their skills and make a name for themselves as we look ahead to the next two T20 World Cups in 2020 and 2021 and the future.”

On Denesh Ramdin: “One of the things we tried to carefully do in all three squads is have a wicketkeeper as cover. Denesh brings with him a lot of experience and as a batsman can contribute in the middle if required and I think he will add a good blend to the team as well.”

On Lendl Simmons: “Similar to Brandon King, his weight of runs in the CPL prior to the squad selection made us had to consider him. When we looked at balance of team, we needed a player like

Enmore CCCC launches Banks Beer 100-ball cricket

ECCCC Competitions Committee Chairman Anil Persaud was present at the presentation of the sponsorship cheque

T

he Enmore Community Centre Cricket Club (ECCCC) launched its second Banks Beer-sponsored 100-ball cricket tournament on Sunday last at the Enmore Community Centre.

Twenty teams on the East Coast of Demerara will compete for cash prizes and trophies in a 100-ball per side affair instead of the usual T20 encounter.

After successfully organising the inaugural tournament last year, ECCCC has once more collaborated with the East Coast Cricket Committee for this year’s edition of the competition.

A Banks Beer representative indicated that the Banks brand is pleased once more to sponsor this ECCCC-organised tournament, since the club has a track record of delivering quality cricketing events.

ECCCC Chairman Bheemraj Ramkelawan informed those present that with Banks DIH Ltd being a company of high standards, it is expected that

all teams participating in the tournament adhere to the established rules and to respect the rights of the sponsors. He also thanked Banks DIH Ltd for this year’s sponsorship of the competition that will be played across six venues in four groups in a round-robin format.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the ECCCC competitions committee, Anil Persaud thanked the teams for their continued faith in the Committee in delivering quality competitions among teams on the East Coast. In outlining this year’s activities, he stated that in excess of 100 limited overs matches have been completed with two competitions presently at the semi-finals stage and the Banks Beer tournament set to be completed in mid-November.

Two new youth tournaments will also be launched this weekend. First-round action is set to commence at 09:30h this Sunday at various venues.

Jimmy Adams, Miles Bascombe, Roger Harper, and Kishore Shallow

him because he is a versatile batsman.”

On Shannon Gabriel and Sunil Narine: “With Gabriel there are some medical concerns, which we will learn more about it in the future, but because of that he was unavailable. Due to the injury Narine suffered in CPL, he wasn’t considered for selection. But I think a fully-fit Sunil Narine will come into serious contention for any team he is available for.”

Commenting on his appointment, the 56-year-old Guyanese, who served West Indies with distinction as a player

and coach, explained how he hoped this new selection system dispensation could bring about onfield success to the senior team.

“I want to thank Cricket West Indies for placing faith in me for this role. Having been coach for much of my post-playing career, I’m under no illusions how picking the senior West Indies team is a key component of our cricket,” said Harper. He continued: “If the West Indies team is to move forward, it’s an area we have to get right.

I look forward to working with Coach Simmons, fellow selector

Bascombe, taking the advice of Captain Holder and Pollard so that we make this process as transparent as possible, so that every player who is performing and meeting the criteria will feel they have a fair chance at being selected.

Once we do that, I believe players will give their best and we will see a positive effect of that on the field.”

Bascombe, whose role as a selector, will see him assist in picking the junior panels alongside the senior team as outlined previously, echoed Harper’s sentiments. “I have been selecting West Indies teams for years now as a fan, but, of course, only now doing it officially. The teams I will contribute to selecting now will be the ones that will go out on the actual field of play. It’s a role I take very seriously,” said Bascombe.

“Like Roger, I believe we have a great opportunity to return confidence to the selection process, if we are able to demonstrate the teams we select are based performance then we would have accomplished what we would have been called to do.”

Vice President, D Shallow noted his pleasure with how the process went and pointed out a landmark moment in West Indies cricket, whereby former player Ann John-Browne became the first appointed female selector.

“We have come a long way compared to where we were a few months ago with no selection policy. Now after going through this comprehensive recruitment process and to arrive at these candidates, I’m very confident West Indies cricket is in a very good place moving forward.

“On behalf of President Skerritt and I, we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all appointees and wish them all the best. Special praise also to Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams; CEO Johnny Grave and CWI staff who worked tirelessly in recent months.

“This is the first time to my knowledge that we have had a female selector for West Indies.

I’m really happy for Ann, who has been a stalwart of Caribbean Women’s cricket and I couldn’t think of a person more fitting for this role.” (CWI)

RHTY&SC launches Say No to Suicide posters with Aurora Gold Mine sponsorship

T

he 10 cricket teams of Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation, the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, MS, are forging ahead with their campaign to get youths to embrace the beauty of life.

The teams, with sponsorship from Aurora Gold Mine, have published hundreds of Say Yes to Life, No to Suicide posters as part of its Berbice-wide Say No/Say Yes campaign. Under the campaign, the cricket teams seek to advise youths to Say No to Drugs, Suicide, Alcohol, Tobacco, Crime, Pre-Marital Sex and Yes to Education, Sports, Life, Religion and Culture.

Club Secretary/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Hilbert Foster, MS, stated that the 11inch by 18-inch posters would be placed in every school in Berbice. The RHTY&SC, he stated, is very concerned over the high rate of suicide among youths in Berbice and the loss of Guyana’s most valuable asset – its youths.

Noting that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary crisis or problem, the veteran youth leader, who is also the President of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB), stated that youths have to understand that suicide was not an option.

The poster features the photos of five outstanding youth leaders from the Ancient County, who the club are promoting as positive role models. They are education advocate Mahendra Phagwah, Ms Exquisitely Conscious 2019 Denica Henry, Youth ambassador and columnist Marissa Foster, Ms World Guyana 2019 Joylyn Conway and

Members of the teams pose with copies of the poster

medical student Shazam Somwar.

The poster advises youths to have hope, to place their faith in the God they believe in, to seek advice from trusted friends and not to keep problems to themselves. Assistant RHTY&SC Secretary/CEO Simon Naidu disclosed that distribution of the posters would commence shortly as the objective is to have one in every classroom across Berbice. The publication of the posters is the second part of a three-way programme sponsorship from Aurora Gold Mine.

Under the sponsorship, the 10 cricket teams assisted 10 less fortunate students with bicycles in an effort to get them to attend school regularly. The final aspect of the joint programme would be the hosting of

a one-day youth inspiration forum involving 200 schoolchildren from Region Six. The RHTY&SC, Naidu stated, has recommitted itself to expanding its Say No to Suicide programme after its Secretary/CEO observed first-hand the effect that suicide has had on the family of victims during recent visits to the Port Mourant Hospital. He expressed gratitude to the management and staff of Aurora Gold Mines, especially Miranda La Rose and Mr Brathwaite, for their support.

The 10 cricket teams of the RHTY&SC are Poonai Pharmacy Under-12 and 13, Farfan and Mendes Under-15, Bakewell Under-17 and Second Division, Pepsi Under-19 and Intermediate, Metro females, Thunderbolt Flour Under-21 and First Division.

Harpy Eagle Martial Arts Club Championship deemed a success

M

embers of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) karate team joined in efforts with the Harpy Eagle Martial Arts Club championship as they battled for supremacy at the New Diamond Primary School over the weekend.

The competition saw the teams walking away with a total of seven gold medals and six silver medals. According to Sensei Troy Bobb, an instructor at both the GPF and Harpy Eagle, he is extremely happy with the results, which have always been good, as every year there is an increase in the number of participants. Bobb declared he was very proud of the GPF, who continues to improve in their every outing.

The results were as follow: Name Amy Gobin Silver in Team Kata Jamaul George Silver in Team Kata Adrian Vossay Gold in Kata Paul Ignatius R/C Joshua Silver in sparring Anthony Das Cyril Jimmy (one name only)

Results Gold in Kata

Gold in Weapons Kata Silver in Team Kata Gold in Kata Gold in Kata 2 Gold medals in Kata and sparring 2 Silver medals in Kata and Weapons Kata

Successful members of the competition originating from both the GPF and Harpy Eagle

Sensei Bobb has continued to have a successful 2019 as his team of students have continued to register impressive wins for the year.

In the recently-concluded fourth Annual Guyana South America Undiscovered martial arts championships, a total of 30 competitors comprising members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Harpy Eagle Martial Arts Club attended. The GPF was part of the Guyanese contingent that walked away with a total of 66 gold, 72 silver and 33 bronze medals. This means the GPF and the Harpy Eagle Martial Arts Academy have bagged more than 50 medals in the past few months.

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thursday, october 17, 2019

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21

s T20 cricket is rampant around the world, a road has been paved for a faster version of the game, namely the T10 format. All attention will now be focused on the upcoming Abu Dhabi T10, which will be played in the United Arab Emirates from November 15-24.

Highlighting the Hero Caribbean Premier League 2019 edition, the selection of key players from the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) line-up was seen as the Caribbean contingent made their presence felt with stellar knocks. Despite the Warriors losing to the Barbados Tridents in the finale, there were notable performances from key players that earned them the right to be Ben selected in the Laughlin T10 league. Captain of the Warriors, Shoaib

Malik was selected in the Icon category by the Delhi Bulls for a price tag of US$60,000.

The other Warriors players to be selected in the league were Quais Ahmad and Chris Green, they were selected in Category B for a fee cap of US$30,000.

Ahmad will represent the Bangla Tigers, while Green will play alongside the Northern Warriors.

Closing off Category B was the experienced Ben Laughlin, who was snapped up by Team Abu Dhabi.

In Category C, which has a price tag of US$20,000, Sherfane Rutherford was selected by the Delhi Bulls and Nicholas Pooran by the Northern Warriors. In the sixth round, stylish opener Chandrapaul Hemraj was

picked in the Emerging Players Category for a fee of US$10,000 and will be representing the Deccan Gladiators.

Abu Dhabi T10 will be the third season of Nicholas the T10 League. The Pooran matches will have a 10-over-a-side format with a duration of 90 minutes.

The tournament will be played as a round robin followed by semi-finals and the final. It will be played at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium.

Registration deadline for PM Cup 3 set for tomorrow

T

he third edition of the annual Prime Minister’s Twenty/20 Softball Cup is drawing closer and teams are asked to finalise their participation for the November 1 to 3, 2019 showpiece on or before Friday, October 18.

There is no registration fee for teams in any of the three categories: Legends Over-50 years old, Masters Over 45 years old and All-Stars, but teams must confirm their

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and Social Cohesion Minister with responsibility for culture, youth and sport, Dr George Norton, along with organisers and sponsors of this tournament

squads and pay a security deposit of $60,000 to indicate their participation. The draw to place teams in zones within their respective categories will be done on Sunday, October 20 at GNIC Sports Club at 14:00h.

Teams are asked to contact the organisers – Georgetown Softball Cricket League Inc for more information, and will collect the playing conditions and other critical information

upon paying the security deposit.

Teams are expected from Canada, USA and Guyana to compete for more than $2,000,000 in cash and other prizes over the weekend of exciting cricket. Preliminary and semi-final matches will be played at various venues in Georgetown while the finals of all three categories will be played at Everest Cricket Club on Sunday, November 3, 2019.

Ganesh Parts-Bridgestone sponsors Guyana Open for 3rd consecutive year

F

or the third consecutive year, Ganesh Parts & General Store will be the main sponsor of the Bridgestone Guyana Open.

The stage was set at the Guyana Marriott with 9-time defending champion Avinash Persaud; former Guyana Open Women’s Champion, Dr Joaan Deo; Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) President Aleem Hussain; Treasurer Aasrodeen Shaw; PRO Bishop Guy Griffith and Sandra Bernal, Director of Sales of the Guyana Marriott, as the LGC unveiled the plans for the 2019 Guyana Open set for October 26-27.

Acting Captain Dr Deo explained that more than 50 per cent of the field would come from international players and the competition is expected to be fierce “with players from Trinidad, Barbados, Suriname, Colombia, Venezuela, USA and Canada all expected to descend on the LGC in the next few days”.

Speaking confidently, the defending men’s champion strongly stated that the title would stay in Guyana as he planned on continuing his quest to become the best Caribbean golfer by winning again to add to his Suriname Gross Title. “I intend to take the Trinidad and Barbados titles in the coming months to consolidate my claim to the best golfer in the region with my sights set on the PGA if possible”. It was the most that the usually soft-spoken champion has said in the past nine years and there was a different determination in his eyes as he spoke.

The recent partnership agreements developed by the LGC President were emphasised by Club Treasurer Shaw and he explained that the cost of operating the facility at the highest level was not an easy task but the leadership of the current executive with major partnerships allowed for the development of the facilities to accommodate the incoming surge of players, ex-pats and tourists.

This is the third year in a row that the launch of the Bridgestone Guyana Open, sponsored by Ganesh Parts & General Store, had taken place at the Marriott, but the first year with the Marriott as a partner.

Director of Sales Bernal was enthusiastic about the step that Guyana’s leading hotel has taken. “In every country, Marriott is associated with sports and golf in particular and we wanted to ensure that Guyana was no different from the other markets we operate in around the world. We entered into this partnership based on the relationship we had developed with Aleem over the years and knew that our brand would receive the standards we

Nine-time defending champion Avinash Persaud; former Guyana Open women’s champion, Dr Joaan Deo; LGC President Aleem Hussain; Treasurer Aasrodeen Shaw; PRO Bishop Guy Griffith and Sandra Bernal, Director of Sales of the Guyana Marriott

expect. That is why we placed our name on the first golf carts at the LGC and will host our customer appreciation week golf tournament there on November 3, and we hope to make this an annual event”.

PRO Griffith was vocal in his description of the advances made by the Club under the leadership of President Hussain and confirmed that the LGC had exceeded its goal for events in 2019. “With the number of tournaments and activities such as the recent Soca & Wine Festival, the LGC has achieved a level of recognition previously not met,” said Griffith and “It’s the strength and vision of our President that has taken us to this level”.

“The Guyana Open is the most prestigious tournament in the region and we look forward to a fantastic week of activity as players are already starting to arrive in country to practice. The course is in magnificent condition and we will see top-level competition this year” said the LGC President. “I especially want to thank our sponsors, both old and new, big and small who have joined together to make this a truly “Guyanese Open” and I want to say thank you to Roop and Keshan Persaud who took a chance with me three years ago and sponsored the first major tournament I ran at the LGC, for without their support, we could not be here today.

“This has been a year of major partnerships agreements and the latest is that of Copa Airlines who

committed to not just the Guyana Open but a year-long venture that will continue for many years to come. With all of our partners, golf will continue to grow and we can again focus on programmes for women and children.”

Registration for the Guyana Open closes next Wednesday and the fee for members is just $150 and nonmembers $200 which includes welcome cocktail, gift bag, practice round, tournament fees, meals and on-course beverages, along with awards dinner and lots of trophies!

To sign up for the tournament, get free tickets to the event, or simply visit the course for free lessons and use the Macorp sponsored lighted driving range, simply call 220-5660 for tee-time and directions.

The Guyana Open 2019 is sponsored in part by: Macorp, Guyana Marriott, Toolsie Persaud, Copa Airlines, Panko Steel Fabrication, Bulkan Timbers, Odyssey Transport Services, Comfort Sleep, BM Soat, A. Ahmad Hydraulics, New India Insurance, Progressive Auto Rentals, IMON Wireless, Steve’s Jewellery, Trophy Stall, ANSA McAL, Sissons Paint, Chetson’s, Oasis Café, ACH Inc, Banks DIH, CIDI (Blue Waters), Nayelli Salon, AR Printery, Giftland Mall, Guyana Beverages, New Trend Auto, West Indian Sports Complex, Pulse Entertainment, Southland, Massy Group of Companies, ModFin Spa, Gafoors, Ganesh Parts & General Store- Bridgestone, El Dorado (DDL) and NexGen Global Marketing Services.

22

thursday, october 17, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

SBF Petroleum CGI Jaguars 50-over franchise…

Moore and his Lower Corentyne troops seeking 3rd win in Georgetown clash

Team Georgetown are searching for their first win in third round (Brandon Corlette photos)

By Brandon Corlette

W

ith players seeking to make the cut for the Regional Super 50 tournament scheduled for November 6, the third round of the SBF Petroleum Cricket Guyana Inc (CGI) Jaguars 50 Overs franchise will continue today, Thursday, October 17 with four matches set to play across various venues in the country.

It will be a contrasting clash when undefeated Lower Corentyne face a winless Georgetown at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) Bourda.

The Veerasammy Permaul-led Lower Corentyne team defeated

East Bank and returned with a victory over East Coast.

The Leon Johnson-led Georgetown team suffered defeats to Essequibo and West Demerara. With some big names in the city side, it will only be a matter of time for them to put off their first win in this tournament. After Lower Corentyne’s win against East Coast at Enmore, Coach Julian Moore caught up with this daily publication and he reflected on the team’s performance in the first two rounds.

“I think we did well in the two games, we got the result that we wanted but we still have a huge way to go in terms of the batting to get some

improvement, the bowling has been the strength for us thus far and I am happy we manage to pull off the wins,” Moore explained.

Lower Corentyne bowling lies in the strength of Albion left-arm spinners Permaul, Trevon Stanislaus and Kelvin Umroa, who took 5-25 in the second-round clash against East Coast. Reflecting on his spell at Enmore, the former Guyana Under-19 player stated that it was one of his better spells.

“The pitch was suitable with a bit of moisture so it assisted me to turn the ball,” Umroa disclosed. With fellow left-arm spinner Permaul in the team, Umroa stated that Permaul has been his role model and he will continue to learn as much as possible from the veteran spinner.

Lower Corentyne batting will be led by Jonathan Foo, Kevlon Anderson and Seon Hetmyer who have been among the runs in either of the two matches they played thus far.

Right-arm quick Nial Smith, Leon Swamy and Anderson are the pacers in the team.

It has been surprising that Georgetown have not found

GTT National Indoors

their first win with such a strong team on paper. The batting line-up for the city side includes Captain Johnson, Robin Bacchus, Raymond Perez, Christopher Barnwell, Winston Forrestor, Joshua Persaud and Steven Jacobs.

In Georgetown’s two outings, they have had scores of 99 all out and 118 all out.

The batting has not been up to task thus far, but with a wealth of experience in the dressing room, the big names will be aiming to shine. With the ball, Paul Wintz had good returns while spinners Jacobs and Ashmead Nedd have been economical with wickets under their belts.

Meanwhile, the other mouthwatering clash will feature undefeated Essequibo and West Berbice at Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice. Essequibo look a formidable unit with a

Lower Corentyne’s Seon Hetmyer looked rock solid in round 2

strong bowling attack, which includes the three Adams siblings and a fearsome Ronsford Beaton.

West Berbice will be led

by Shimron Hetmyer and his comrade Kevin Sinclair, who had been brilliant with successive player-of-the-match performances along with Javid Karim, Seon Glasgow and the

impressive Gudakesh Motie. It will also be a fast-bowling challenge when Keon Joseph turns out in his West Coast Berbice colours.

East Bank will meet West Demerara at Tuschen while East Coast and Upper Corentyne will battle it out at Enmore. All four of these matches that will bowl off today, Thursday, October 17 from 09:30h local time.

GT Beer/Keep Your Five Alive

Defending champs Sparta Boss to battle Charlotte Street tonight

S Pepsi Hikers shine on Night 2 T

he second night of the GTT National Indoor Hockey Championships was steamy and entertaining as members of the audience witnessed the intense clashes between the participating clubs.

Defending champions of the Ladies First Division, Woodpecker Hikers battled against YMCA Old Fort which ended with a 2-1 victory for Hikers. GBTI GCC Spice overcame Saints women 2-0. In the First-Division male category, the defending champions Pepsi Hikers easily saw off Saints with a 7-3 victory. In the SecondDivision category, YMCA Old Fort Top Form defeated Bounty GCC the Sequel 3- 0, while Saints Sensations fought off Hikers Cadets 3-1 and in the veterans’ category Bounty GCC Vintage secured a thrilling 5-4 victory over YMCA Old Fort Hot Shotz.

In the ladies’ First Division, the experienced Maria Munroe opened the scoring for Hikers in the third minute with a penalty corner which whistled past Shanice Peters in the goal for Old Fort. Maria Munroe again doubled the lead for the defending champions with another impressive penalty corner strike. Hikers seemed to have the game under control. However, the skilled Minsodia Culpepper refused to give up and in the 35th minute, scored the lone goal from a penalty corner for Old Fort. GBTI GCC Spice secured a hard-fought victory over Saints with two goals to none coming from experienced defender Tiffany Solomon with a carefully placed penalty corner and Sandy Roopnarine’s field goal in the 18th and 38th minute of the match respectively.

The men’s sole First-Division clash for the night saw goals raining down from Hikers against a youthful Saints team. Aroydy Branford netted a helmet trick of goals (four goals) out of his team’s seven-goal tally with support goals coming from Robert France, Randy Hope, and Devin Munroe.

Undeterred by the goal difference, the young and enthusiastic Saints gained some momentum in the second half of the match with Hilton Chester, their Captain, scoring two goals in the 32nd and 37th minutes of the game.

GCC Vintage’s Kevin Spencer led the team’s blistering performance from

the beginning of the match, scoring a field goal after a skilful display of stick work in the first minute and went out to secure a hat-trick against YMCA Old Fort Hot Shotz with goals in the eighth and 28th minutes. With Devin Hooper penalty corner taken swiftly in the fifth minute, GCC Vintage were up 3-0. It was not long after, however, that Old Fort found the back of the net with two goals from Jason DeSantos and one from Aderemi Simon in the 14th, 15th and 19th minutes, levelling the game 3-3 in an exciting comeback. Despite the pressure, Dwayne Scott took GCC forward once in the 21st minute to 4-3. Kevin Spencer’s goal would see his team’s tally extend to 5-3 in the 28th minute. Old Fort was relentless in their fight and Dwight Sullivan found the back of the net in the final minute of the game. GCC Vintage were able to fight off the final seconds of Old Fort’s attack and came out victorious.

In the SecondDivision matches, Saints Sensations secured a victory over Hikers Cadets with three goals from Baraka Garnett, Captain Tivesarid Garnett and Hilmar Chester.

Hikers Cadets’ lone goal came from Brian Asregado.

YMCA Old Fort Top Form easily defeated Bounty GCC the Sequel with their t h r e e unanswered f i e l d goals from Omar Hopkinson, W a r r e n Williams and Ronaldo Simmons.

Matches continue all week at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall with the finals set for Sunday evening.

parta Boss, the defending champions of the annual ‘GT Beer/Keep Your Five Alive’ Futsal Tournament, will open their quest for another title against Charlotte Street, when the competition kicks off this evening at the National Gymnasium.

With over $1 million up for grabs in prize money this year, the tournament which is in its 7th edition, will open with a ‘bang’, since apart from the mouthwatering clash being Sparta and Charlotte Street, Upsetters and Bad-A-Yard will get things going from 19:00h, followed by North East v Back Circle, Leopold v Avacado Ballers, Show Stoppers v LA Ballers, BS v Stabroek Ballers and Tiger Bay v Bagotstown.

Bent Street and Broad Street will collide in the seventh game of the night, followed by the penultimate game of the evening which will feature Alexander Village taking on Old School Ballers.

Promoter Kevin Adonis, speaking recently, disclosed that this year’s competition has been tailored to provide riveting action throughout the seven days, while unlike previous years where the top two teams were the only ones compensated, this year will see the top four teams winning cash in excess of $1 million.

Adonis said he has

Day 1 Fixtures:

Gregory “Jackie Chan” Richardson (with the ball) has been Mr Dependable for Sparta Boss in the futsal format of the game, and is expected to once again be a key part of the side as they hunt another GT Beer/Keep Your Five Alive title

acquiesced to a request made by the teams and will now reward the top four teams with cash prizes and other incentives.

Another change that Adonis has made is that the total teams invited to the tournament has moved from 32 to 24 and they will be divided into six groups of four with the top two from each advancing automatically to the knockout phase along with the best four third placed finishers following the completion of the round robin stage.

The teams invited are: Gold is Money, Sparta Boss, Leopold Street, Tiger Bay, Albouystown,

1- Upsetters vs Bad-A-Yard 2- North East vs Back Circle 3- Leopold Street vs Avacado Ballers 4- Show Stoppers vs LA Ballers 5- BV vs Stabroek Ballers 6- Tiger Bay vs Bagotstown 7- Bent Street vs Broad Street 8- Alexander Village vs Old School Ballers 9- Sparta vs Charlotte Street

BV, Melanie, Vryheid’s Lust, Avacado Ballers, Future Stars, Back Circle, North East La Penitence, Showstoppers, Broad Street, Alexander Village, GWI, Upsetters, LA Ballers, Bagotstown, Sophia, Spot 7, Charlotte Street, OL Skool Ballers and Bent Street.

Among the corporate entities that have signalled their intention to support the tournament are: GT Beer, Hits and Jams 94.1 Boom FM, Star Party Rentals, Royal Castle, Prime Security, Fireside Grill and Chill, Keep It Clean Car Wash Flashback 2020 and BK International.

Day 2 Fixtures

1- Alexander Village vs Charlotte Street 2- Upsetters vs North East 3- LA Ballers vs Broad Street 4- Sophia A vs Spot 7 5- Future Stars vs BV 6- Albouystown vs Stabroek Ballers 7- Bent Street vs Show Stoppers 8- Gold is Money vs Sophia B 9- Sparta vs Old School Ballers

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, october 17, 2019

23

King, Walsh thrilled with Windies call-up

N

ewcomers Hayden Walsh Jr and Brandon King both expressed great delight to be named in the West Indies Twenty20 and One-Day International squads for the upcoming series against Afghanistan in India.

The tour will run from November 1 to December 2 and the West Indies will face the home side in: three T20s, three ODIs and one Test match.

Walsh, who grew up in Antigua and honed his skills on the island, was the leading wicket-taker in the recent Caribbean Premier League. The legspinner took 22 wickets – six more than the next best bowler – for champions Barbados Trident. King, who graduated through the ranks in Jamaica, was the leading batsman with 496 runs for Guyana Amazon Warriors, who lost the final to Barbados after playing unbeaten in the preliminary rounds.

“Obviously it’s a huge honor to be selected to represent the West Indies at this level. These moments are what you work towards as a player. Was always a dream to represent the West Indies. I’m really excited to get started on the upcoming tour,” King said.

The tall, elegant right-hander patterns himself on Ramnaresh Sarwan, the former Guyana and West Indies captain. The 24-year-old played is a graduate of the Campion College in Jamaica and a member of the prestigious Kingston Cricket Club.

5-man team to represent Guyana at 2019 Caribbean Cycling Championships

T

he newly-elected Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) executive has identified and selected a five-member team for the 2019 Caribbean Cycling Road Race Championships, which is slated to be held in Havana, Cuba, from October 31 to November 3.

The Cuba-bound team will consist of Jamual John, Michael Anthony, Paul DeNobrega, Curtis Dey and Christopher Griffith.

They will be accompanied by GCF Secretary, Marc Sonaram, who will serve as the Manager while GCF Fundraising Committee Chairman Enzo Matthews will be the Coach.

The team were selected by the Racing Committee based on recent performances throughout the past three months. This team are expected to perform well and there is a chance that the cyclists can medal. The event will be Class 1. 2 of the International Cycling Union (UCI) and riders will participate in the Elite and U-23 (Male and Female) categories. The 2019 edition of the Caribbean Cycling Championships is being organised

by COPACI and the Cuban Cycling Federation.

Official Team for the 2019

Caribbean Cycling Championships in Cuba: Cyclists Jamaul John Michael Anthony Paul De Nobrega Curtis Dey Christopher Griffith

“I was in the West Indies ‘A’ team against India ‘A’ – they had a very good team – and I was in a groove going into the CPL tournament. I carried on and those performances were mainly responsible for me being selected. I was fully focused from the start. As athletes we pride ourselves on facing the challenges and conquering them so I’m hoping to continue to make strides,” King added.

Walsh has a strong family background in sports.

His father, the late Hayden Walsh Snr, played in the Leeward Islands team in the 1980s and 1990s, while his uncle Vaughan Walsh also played for the Leewards as a feared fast bowler. Two other uncles, Wade and Audwin also represented Antigua and Barbuda in the sub-regional Leeward Islands tournament.

“It’s one of those boyhood dreams that me and my younger brother Tahir had – he went to be a star in track and field – and I stuck to the cricket. When I got the callup my mind flashed back to when we played in the yard with my father, and we were imagining what roles we would play in the West Indies team. Today, my dream is reality, and I’m really proud to be named in the West Indies team. This is just the beginning. I’m just looking forward to getting onto the field and making a name for myself and helping West Indies win – that the main goal,” Walsh said.

“It’s going to be a step-up. I’m going to have to zone in and bring my ‘A’ game. I’m confident I can do whatever the team requires of me. Also, we have a few payers I have played with in the team and I’m familiar with everyone in the West Indies systems, so I know I will fit in with the team unit.”

Walsh attended the Antigua Grammar School and is a member of Liberta Cricket Club in Antigua where he

is team-mate of Rahkeem Cornwall, who was named in the Test squad for the upcoming series against Afghanistan.

F U L L SQUADS TEST – Jason Holder (captain), Shai Hope, John Campbell, Kraigg Brathwaite, Shimron Hetmyer, Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Sunil Ambris, Jomel Warrican, Rahkeem Cornwall, Kemar Roach, Keemo Paul, Alzarri Joseph.

ODI – Kieron Pollard (captain), Shai Hope, Evin Lewis, Shimron Hetmyer, Sunil Ambris, Nicholas Pooran, Brandon King, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Hayden Walsh Jr, Khary Pierre, Sheldon Cottrell, Keemo Paul, Romario Shepherd, Alzarri Joseph.

T20I – Kieron Pollard (captain), Nicholas Pooran, Evin Lewis, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, Brandon King, Fabian Allen, Hayden Walsh Jr, Jason Holder, Lendl Simmons, Khary Pierre, Sheldon Cottrell, Denesh Ramdin, Kesrick Williams, Alzarri Joseph. (CWI)

‘Project World Cup 2026’ is a go!

– GFF, DFA officially ink MoU

By Jemima Holmes

A

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Guyana Football Federation and the Denmark Football Association is expected to not only create a relationship between the two but assist in Guyana’s quest to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The MoU between the two football associations was first revealed back in June, when the Guyana Football Federation President Wayne Forde made the disclosure while highlighting some areas

and programmes.

The objectives of our collaboration are in the areas of coaching education, infrastructure development, competition management and professional football league development, women’s and grassroots football, youth football development, referees development, governance and administration,” Forde disclosed.

Furthermore, the GFF President went on to break down the particulars of the projects that will be undertaken.

“Coaching education

GFF and DFA Presidents Wayne Forde and Jesper Moller sign the Memorandum of Understanding

Officials Manager - Marc Sonaram Coach - Enzo Matthews

At the head table were CONCACAF’s Senior Project Officer Howard Mc Intosh, GFF President Wayne Forde, DFA President Jesper Moller and UEFA’s Head of International Affairs Ava Pasquier

that the Memorandum would cover.

Fast forward to Wednesday afternoon at the Pegasus Hotel, the ink was finally applied to paper, marking the beginning of Guyana’s quest towards the FIFA 2026 World Cup. However, the MoU will take under its wing many branches of Guyana’s football, ensuring that the sport is adequately developed over the coming years.

“Today we’re able to establish the terms of our collaborative efforts in the coming years for the implementation of some of the key strategic objectives

will certainly develop the quality of players that we develop over the next couple of years.

Infrastructure development, there’s several infrastructural projects that we want to work on. Women’s football, we’re nowhere close to where we need to be so we will collaborate to implement some strategies.

Youth development, referee development we’ve found very challenging in recent times so we’ll try to establish an elite referees programme and the overall governance and administration of the game can do with some further improvements,” Forde explained.

On the other side of the MoU was Danish Football President Jesper Moller, who was happy about finally being able to make the partnership official.

When probed about the timeline in which Guyanese can begin to see the fruits of the agreement and what Denmark can take away from the partnership, Moller had this to say: “If I sign an agreement like this, in one or two years the Danish media will ask me what happened? Did you execute?

Or was it some speeches and then a signing. So I have to deliver, that’s very important for me,” he stated.

“Football is developing and that’s why we are trying

to go far away to learn. As I told you, we are trying to learn the academy structure because we don’t have that in Denmark. And besides grassroots and women’s football, we would like to prepare for our participation for the World Cup in ‘26 in this climate, the heat. So we have a lot of things to learn and that why we’re doing this with the help of UEFA assist,” Moller went on to disclose.

Meanwhile, the MoU also received the blessing of CONCACAF, through Senior Project Officer Howard Mc Intosh who revealed that the body is happy with the progress that Guyana’s football is making.

“The GFF has demonstrated a level of leadership. We at CONCACAF are very comfortable and very happy with what we see happening with football in Guyana. The leadership, the necessary governance, the level of administration that is taking place and of course you see it on the field kike what happened with the Gold Cup. And we’re here to pledge our continued support,” Mc Intosh expressed.

thursday, october 17, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Page 23

Page 23

King, Walsh thrilled with Windies call-up

5-man team to represent Guyana at 2019 Caribbean Cycling Championships

Project ‘World Cup 2026’ is a go!

– GFF, DFA officially ink MoU

Page 23

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