Guyana Times Saturday 21 September 2019.

Sophia housing project on schedule for November P15 completion

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4053

THE BEACON OF TRUTH saturday, september 21, 2019

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PPP will continue to protect Constitution, democracy – Ali

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

P14 Bar Association condemns Govt’s failure to hold elections ꟷ AmCham, ICD want elections now

Page 3

ꟷ remains firm in protesting “illegal Government”

PNCR accuses GMSA of plotting protest against President …AFC disagrees Page 11

Democratic right to protest denied in Reg 1 See story on page 13

Police to grill Roger Khan upon return to Guyana

P13

Parika man P8 stabbed during row with uncle

...as Police bar citizens from Granger's "Cabinet" campaigning

GNBA takes legal action against errant broadcasters Page 7

Illegal "Cabinet" to meet next Tuesday on elections timeline – AFC's Ramjattan Page 9

Region 4 P15 records highest number of TIP cases Attempted murder accused P8 granted $500,000 bail

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saturDAY, september 21, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

news

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saturDAY, september 21, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

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

Saturday, September 21 – 10:00h – 11:30h and Sunday, September 22 – 11:00h – 12:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Saturday, September 21 – 08:40h – 10:10h and Sunday, September 22 – 10:10h – 11:40h.

PPP will continue to protect Constitution, democracy – Ali

– remains firm in protesting “illegal Government”

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunny conditions are expected during morning hours; however, there will be a period of thundery showers during the early afternoon.

There will be cloudy skies for the rest of the afternoon and throughout the night.

Temperatures should range between 23 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North- Easterly to Easterly between 2.23 metres and 3.57 metres.

High Tide: 08:57h and 21:16h reaching maximum heights of 2.30 metres and 2.33 metres.

Low Tide: 02:24h and 14:46h reaching minimum heights of 0.78 metre and 0.98 metre.

wednesday, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

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PPP/C Parliamentarian Juan Edghill

T

he Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) says it will continue protest actions against the “illegal” coalition government in efforts to protect and preserve democracy as well as the Constitution of Guyana.

This is according to PPP Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali, who, in a statement on Friday, commended the scores of supporters who joined the protest on Thursday outside the Pegasus Hotel, where President David Granger was attending an event.

Ali said their presence shows that they are willing to support the defence of Guyana’s Constitution and democracy.

“Your peaceful protest and voices were loud and clear. You made it clear that you will stand up against an illegal President and dictator occupying the seat of Government,” he posited.

He also lauded the international community as well as other stakeholder bod-

ies that have spoken out against the unconstitutional rule that exists. “Indeed, these statements speak volumes to your principled positions in ensuring democracy and constitutional rule in Guyana,” Ali noted.

To this end, he assured Guyanese that his party “…will continue to provide leadership as we peacefully confront… illegitimate occupiers of office. This is our oath. We will continue to fight, to honour, protect and preserve the Constitution of our country”.

Ali had led Thursday’s protest outside the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown, where the caretaker President delivered an address to the business com-

PPP Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali

Government was defeated by a No-Confidence Motion in December 2018.

Although the protest was peaceful, scores of Police of-

also in attendance.

The Opposition further took the protest inside the event, pulling out placards in the midst of the Head of State’s address, voicing concerns over his illegal Government.

As such in a statement on Friday, the Ministry of the Presidency (MotP) called the action “hooliganism and thuggery”, adding that such lawlessness will not be tolerated.

“The President assures all Guyanese that every lawful measure will be taken to guarantee the safety of Ministers of Government and to prevent a breakdown of law and order in the country. The Opposition’s undemocratic behaviour and its continuous threats to

Protesters at the Pegasus Hotel, Georgetown on Thursday picketing and protesting against President David Granger

munity.

The protest came after the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairperson, retired Justice Claudette Singh, advised the Head of State that the Commission will be ready for elections by the end of February 2020 – more than a year after the

ficers and members of the Tactical Service Unit (TSU), commonly called the “Riot Squad”, were deployed to the scene with protective shields, placing barricades at strategic points to block off and guard the entrance of the hotel, where several high profile officials and Government ministers were

peace and stability has no place in this society and will not be tolerated,” the MotP missive stated.

However, the PPP has slammed the caretaker coalition government for issuing threats and causing unnecessary alarms over its protest.

Turn to page 7

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guyanatimesgy.com

saturday, september 21, 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

Oil and uncertainty I

t is a real tragedy, that inspite of Guyana being on the eve of oil production, the country has been plunged into a constitutional crisis where the President and his ministers continue to carry on as if it’s business as usual. As we stated recently, On September 18, the President and his ministers lost their constitutional standing and they should no longer operate as a government as there was no two-thirds parliamentary approval granted to extend the life of the government.

Following the court rulings and in weeks leading up to September 18, the President could have acted in good faith by complying with the Constitution by first, naming a date for elections as he was obligated to do. By insisting that he was awaiting the advice from Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) puts the electoral body above the Constitution. This is not a regular electoral cycle; the constitution is clear on what happens after a no-confidence vote; and as clearly stated by the CCJ, GECOM and all other stakeholders are expected to abide by the Constitution.

The country is presently in a state of paralysis; and the APNU/ AFC Coalition seems unbothered. The reality is Guyana is in unchartered territory and there is no clear indication as to when this crisis would end. The Chairperson of GECOM has advised the President of a timeline in which the electoral body would be able to run-off elections. However, in spite of receiving this advice, the President has still not named a date for the elections.

In fact, at the time of writing this article, the President and some of his ministers have all been flown in to Port Kaituma (Region 1) for another ‘government outreach’, which we all know is geared towards winning votes. Of course taxpayers would have to share the burden of financing these ‘outreaches’.

We cannot think of any modern democracy where there is this barefaced, wanton disregard for the constitution by a government. The pressure is mounting on the President to call elections and cease operating as a government. Immediately after the advice was given by the GECOM Chair, the ABE countries in a joint statement said that by surpassing September 18, the government is in breach of the Constitution following its failure to adhere to the decisions of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on 18 June and its subsequent orders.

The actions of the President will hurt everyone as having failed to act within the confines of the CCJ’s ruling, he has not only brought the country into an unnecessary constitutional crisis, but has placed it and all Guyanese at risk of the consequences of possible international sanctions as critical developmental support could be withheld.

The ABE countries were correct in pointing out that this situation which Guyana finds itself in comes at great cost to the people of Guyana. “The prevailing political uncertainty undermines Guyanese institutions, compromises economic opportunities and delays development across all areas including infrastructure, education, health, and social services. It also hinders our ability to support Guyana’s development needs,” the foreign powers stated.

This is very unfortunate for our nation as this is the time that all stakeholders should have been actively engaged in putting mechanisms in place to ensure that citizens get the maximum benefits from the impending oil and gas sector. The development potential of this country as a result of this new sector is exciting. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), having concluded its Article IV consultations in Guyana, projected that oil will dominate Guyana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by as much as 40 per cent by 2024.

Never before in the history of this country there was so much optimism and excitement as it relates to our development potential. However, this engineered political crisis by the APNU/ AFC is sending the wrong signals to foreign governments and investors. Investors coming here want to be certain of political and economic stability where their investments are safeguarded.

They want to operate in an environment where the government and other actors abide by the constitution and rule of law. The political uncertainty we are faced with has the potential to cause our development to be delayed and stifled once more.

With First Oil on the horizon, Guyana has another opportunity to become a wonderful country with unlimited opportunities; a place where young people would be happy to stay and help in its development; history will judge President Granger harshly if he continues along the path he is taking. Naming a date for elections, cooperating to hold credible elections and accepting the results once the elections are over will restore the level of confidence needed at this time.

The 10 Indigenous beauties vying for this year’s Miss Indigenous Heritage title. The pageant will take place on September 28 at the National Cultural Centre at 19:00h. In photo, the delegates showcased their traditional wear

Venezuelans in Argentina: From one economic crisis to another M ore than 100,000 Venezuelans now live in Argentina.

They have left one country in crisis only to find themselves in another mire. And yet, some of them have managed to earn a living by slotting into a “gig economy” – an employment niche that is fuelled by the hi-tech industry, but that is low-skilled and risky.

Venezuelan immigrants like Edgar Lopez were forced onto this path by economic circumstance. Back in January 2016, Venezuela was wracked by food shortages, leaving Lopez little choice but to emigrate to Argentina.

“I had a fast-food shop in Venezuela; I did super spectacular,” Lopez told Al Jazeera.

“I took the days around Christmas off. When I wanted to reopen, I found no ketchup, no supplies. I didn’t think twice. I took everything, spoke to some friends in Argentina and came”.

That year, Lopez and 12,858 of his compatriots moved to Argentina, according to official figures. In 2017, the number of legal new residents from Venezuela climbed to 31,167. Last year, 70,531 people fled Venezuela for Argentina.

It is relatively easy for Venezuelans to enter Argentina and obtain legal residency and work permits, compared to other countries in the region. Nevertheless, life in Argentina is not easy for the vast majority of these immigrants.

A persistent recession with high inflation, growing Argentine unemployment – and a 25 per cent currency collapse in a single day last August – make finding a job incredibly difficult for most people who live in the South American country. As of the first quarter of this year, one out of every 10 Argentines who wanted to find a job could not.

“The economic crisis worsened the destruction of legal employment,” said Elva Lopez Mourelo, an officer in inclusive labour market institutions at the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Buenos Aires.

Despite having their papers in order— and in some cases despite having advanced higher education –increasing numbers of Venezuelans cannot access Argentina’s shrinking labour market.

Still, the scale of the Argentine economic downturn is mild compared to Venezuela’s catastrophic crisis.

The International Monetary Fund estimates that Argentina’s economy will shrink by 1.2 per cent in 2019.

Venezuela – hit by sanctions, wracked by a political crisis, and having fallen into economic ruin years ago – is forecast to lose some 25 per cent of its already anaemic output this year.

Digital economy and risk

Like gig workers all around the world, those in Argentina don’t garner the social benefits that full-time workers enjoy, such as severance pay, unemployment insurance, paid vacations and high-quality medical services. Gig workers operate in a grey area as independent suppliers.

With few opportunities and often-invalid education credentials in most sectors, Venezuelans have flocked en masse to this emerging sector.

Some 71 percent of app-based delivery drivers in Argentina come from Venezuela, according to a recent study by ILO. Most people who order a pizza or anything through an app in Buenos Aires are likely to have it delivered by someone with a strong Venezuelan accent – which is clearly distinct from the Italian cadence that characterises Argentine

Protesters gather outside the Congress of the Argentine Nation in Buenos Aires to demand that legislators take steps to stem the growing food crisis in Argentina [Photo by: Agustin Marcarian/ Reuters]

Spanish.

The ILO study focused on well-advertised apps, whose riders cruise streets and avenues by bicycle and motorcycle in brightly coloured uniforms.

This work can be tough.

Some 17 per cent of gig delivery drivers have suffered some kind of workplace accident and more than 20 per cent have been robbed while on the job, according to the study.

The business owners who use these gig workers have no legal obligation to provide support services to those who are injured or sick.

“They work many hours taking very high risks,” Lopez Mourelo said.

After working in construction and in a shop, Edgar Lopez decided to pick up gig work as a delivery driver.

He now criss-crosses Buenos Aires on his motorbike, primarily ferrying food. His shifts don’t extend beyond 10 hours, and he is able to plan his downtime some days in advance.

“They call me ‘the old guy’,” he said, explaining how he stays safe by riding slowly on his motorbike. “Many [delivery drivers] have no conscience. They score many more deliveries, but ‘fly’ around town.”

Lopez makes about $850 a month, far more than he would earn in comparable

low-skilled jobs in Argentina.

He combines multiple flexible work shifts with a second job as a part-time janitor.

“I send everything to my mother [and family] in Venezuela,” Lopez said.

“Without my help, they would starve.”

Should he fall ill or suffer an accident, he has no social or labour protection, and his income would stop until he is fit to ride again.

But Lopez is still earning a steady income, which is becoming more difficult in Argentina.

“Wages in real terms have been falling nationally for eight months,” said Martin Montane, a labour market researcher at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella in Buenos Aires.

Montane has detected a 12-percent fall in real wages during the 12 months leading up to August, and he estimates a further growth of the unemployment rate to more than 11 percent in 2019.

For Lopez, options are limited, but he finds this more palatable than working under the full protection of labour laws.

“For those who work under a formal contract, they have to work longer hours than me,” Lopez said. “They make $320 a month. There may be benefits, but I don’t want them.”(Al

Jazeera)

guyanatimesgy.com

SAturday, september 21, 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

Disobeying the rule of law Respect Guyana’s Constitution Dear Editor, One of the happiest days of my life (before the day that my daughter was born) was when Forbes Burnham died. To me, that man was the worst and most evil person who had ever lived. He took it upon himself to take our freedom and to decide what the citizens of this beloved country should own to some extent or even worse of all, what we should eat.

Nobody does that to me, nobody. I hated everything about him, except when I got the message that he had died. I can’t (and really don’t care) to even remember the year or date that he died, I was a lad then and I was just glad that he had died.

However, every era has its share of experiences and if a person is smart and fair-minded, you can put things in better perspective as you get older and be able to compare and learn from events of the past. Even realise that you made some mistakes in judgement of people or places that you were affected by. That being said, in retrospect, I probably owe Mr Burnham an apology, he had some steadfast core values and not everything was bad about him. I’ll explain in a bit.

Fast forward to present day, in fact, let’s back up a bit to December 2018. As we all know, a No-Confidence Motion was carried against the Government by the Opposition, mainly because of severe neglect of the citizens, the ill and tyrannic use of power and unbeliev-

ably blatant corruption by them in such a short time. It became too much to bear by anyone of sound mind and integrity. Something had to be done to stop them before it was too late for the country to recover. Thankfully, the No-Confidence Motion was validly passed in the National Assembly on December 21, 2018, and the Government was toppled.

Here is where an incredible chapter in history begins.

President “credible elections” Granger boldly announced soon thereafter, that he and his Government would respect the result of the No-Confidence Motion.

As per normal in any democratic society, the Cabinet has to resign, Parliament dissolved and elections held within 90 days. The Government then adopts a caretaker mode until another (or incumbent) President is sworn in.

Nothing difficult to understand there...well for the average person I should say. No-Confidence Motions are nothing new, unusual or shameful, it has happened many times in the past and will happen many times more in the future in many parts of the world. So, as the law prescribed, elections were to be held in Guyana on March 31, 2019.

Today is September 21, 2019, over eight months after the motion was passed and nothing near to honouring the Constitution or the simple rule of law is even attempted or in the making by this Government! Forget the corruption, forget the

stealing of taxpayers’ money, forget the excessive waste of Government funds, blatant abuse of power and total neglect of the citizens - which was the very instrument that triggered The No-Confidence Motion in the first place! Forget all of that for a bit, let us just deal with the solid facts here.

Soon after publicly announcing that the Government would respect and abide by the decision in the National Assembly, they took action to appeal!

The honourable Speaker of the House upheld his decision. They then moved to the High Court. That court upheld the decision.

They then moved further to the Court of Appeal (someone there probably got nicely paid off) and that ruling was in favour of the Government. Here now the Opposition was forced to counter with several lawsuits in order to protect the Constitution of Guyana and approached the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) for a final decision. There the case was held expeditiously, I should say, and the CCJ upheld the rules of the Guyana Constitution and they handed down the judgement. The clock started ticking again on June 18, 2019.

Plus, the (CCJ) ruled in favour of the Opposition that the Chairman of GECOM was illegally appointed by “credible elections” Granger! Due to shame, the illegal Chairman almost immediately resigned.

After immense pressure by

the Opposition, we finally got another Chairperson of GECOM whom Mr Granger is taking credit now for “working expeditiously” with the Opposition in appointing! This Government is shameless and low and it is always possible for them go even lower and be worse than the outer limits of worst.

Here is where I will make reference again to Mr Burnham. He was a tyrant and a dictator, he (along with his right-hand Granger) rigged elections in the past. However, Mr Burnham was honourable and wise enough to always remain within the laws and the Constitution of Guyana.

Mr Burnham was never ruling in any illegal capacity for even one minute. He had integrity and obeyed the law.

Thanks to this retroactively illegal (now absolutely illegal) Government, we definitely have our place marked by this dirty bunch.

It is really unfortunate for us that throughout history only infamous people and events are synonymous with Guyana.

Nobody knew Guyana years ago unless you mentioned Jim Jones. Now on this 21 day of September 2019 we will be famously remembered once again as the first country to boldly disobey the rule of law and the Constitution, which is the heart of any democratic country.

Sincerely, Shane Lindie

Does the Opposition have a role to play in fixing elections date after September 18, 2019?

Dear Editor, It is refreshing to finally read the joint statement issued by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, which unequivocally denounced Guyana’s illegal Government for being “in breach of the Constitution following its failure to adhere to the decisions of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on June 18 and its subsequent orders.”

Kindly permit two comments. First, the de facto President, arguably, admitted to having “breached” the Constitution.

On one hand, he rejected the tripartite joint statement and stated: “My only response is that the Government is abiding by the Constitution in the sense it has allowed the Election Commission, an autonomous agency, to do its work.”

But he also said: “I would be in more grievous breach of the Constitution if I try to intrude or interfere in the work” of GECOM. There is a clear use of the word “more” in his statement.

This coverage may be found online in numerous places, for example, at the website for Capitol News, for news aired for Thursday, September 19.

The second comment pertains to the role, if any, of the Opposition in fixing an election date now that the three months’ timeframe has passed. Persons are calling for Mr David Granger to set an elections date. Can he do so without the help of the Opposition and National Assembly?

The electorate should abide by the Constitution and Article 106 and ask their political leaders to do the same, and not simply accept any proposed GECOM February date without reasoning.

It may well be that now, more than ever given the presence of a rogue Administration at the helm of the State, the Opposition has a role to play in calling elections post-NCM, and indeed, a duty to inquire what has changed within a matter of days to cause the GECOM Chairperson to shift from seeking to deliver elections before year-

end (December) to now late February 2020?

This is a legitimate enquiry.

In calling for an elections date that is “in full compliance with Guyana’s Constitution,” the US, UK, and the European Union seem to be saying this:

that Mr Granger has to refer to Article 106 and meet with the Opposition as a way to get to a date and also possibly cure for GECOM’s late February state of readiness.

Sincerely, Rakesh Rampertab

Dear Editor, In light of the decision and consequential orders of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) handed down in June this year, elections, as triggered by the December 21, 2018, successfully passed NoConfidence Motion (NCM), should have been held by September 18, 2018, unless there was a vote by two-thirds majority of Parliament to extend that timeframe.

There was no such vote and the caretaker Government, which was in place over the past three months, is now unconstitutional. Its breach of the Constitution has been noted and pronounced upon by Guyanese and leading members of the international community.

The Indian Action Committee (IAC) is, therefore, gravely concerned over President David Granger’s continual insistence that he is not in defiance of the Constitution. His pronouncement, as recent as September 19, and just after members of the international community issued its statement, that he and his Administration are abiding by the Constitution, can only be interpreted as another attempt to grossly mislead.

Having failed to act within the confines of the CCJ’s ruling, the APNU/AFC coalition has not only brought the country into an unnecessary constitutional crisis, but has placed it and all Guyanese at risk of the consequences of possible international sanctions as critical developmental support could be withheld.

This could not be good for our nation and its people.

The IAC shares the common view that the current political impasse can only be resolved through the holding of national and regional elections. On September 19, the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) officially informed Mr Granger of the long-awaited timeframe for when the elections can be held.

Mr Granger, having insisted that he will announce a date only after being informed by the election body, is now deprived of excuses to not do so.

The IAC joins the clarion call for him to announce the date without any further delay and urges, that in the interest of democracy, the APNU/AFC coalition immediately cease its disregard for constitutional provisions.

The IAC also urges that all democratic and constitutional rights, including the right to protest for the restoration of the rule of law, must not be impinged upon or threatened in any form.

Mindful of how the effects of the prevailing uncertainty will impact Guyana and Guyanese, the IAC remains hopeful that our hard-won democracy will be safeguarded and the Constitution adhered to.

The IAC also calls on all stakeholder bodies and Guyanese citizens to raise their voices in calling for the Constitution of Guyana to be respected in the context of peace, harmony, justice, and national unity.

Yours sincerely, Saira Alli IAC Secretary

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Saturday, september 21, 2019

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Foundation

…8 reasons why I’m worried, and hopeful, about the next generation Part 3 We must make it ok to talk about mental health Why I’m worried:

If we believed everything we read about teenagers today, and the images portrayed in television and film, we could be forgiven for thinking they are a wild, antisocial bunch. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. The evidence actually shows that teens today smoke less, drink less, get into less trouble and generally take fewer risks than previous generations. You might even call them Generation Sensible.

Yet there is one area of risk for adolescents showing an extremely worrisome trend in the wrong direction – one that reminds us of the invisible vulnerability that young people still carry inside of them. Mental health disorders among under 18s have been rising steadily over the past 30 years and depression is now among the leading causes of disability in the young. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 62,000 adolescents died in 2016 be-

cause of self-harm, which is now the third leading cause of death for adolescents aged 15 –19.

This is not just a rich country problem – WHO estimates that more than 90

per cent of adolescent suicides in 2016 were in low or middle-income countries.

And while young people with severe mental disorders in lower-income countries often miss out on treatment and support, there is no country in the world that can claim to have conquered this challenge. To quote the WHO’s mental health expert Shekhar Saxena, “when it comes to mental health, all countries are developing countries.” With most low-income and middle-income countries spending less than 1 per cent of their total health budget on mental health, and high-income countries just 4–5 per cent, it is clear that it needs greater priority around the world.

UNICEF works with children who have suffered unthinkable traumas, gender discrimination, extreme poverty, sexual violence, disability and chronic illness, living through conflict and other experiences that place them at high risk of mental distress. The cost is not only personal, it is societal – the World Economic Forum

consistently ranks mental health as having one of the greatest economic burdens of any non-communicable health issue. Despite this overwhelming evidence of a looming crisis and the

Henrietta H Fore alarming trends in rising self-harm and suicide rates, adolescent mental health and well-being have often been overlooked in global health programming.

Why there is hope:

With half of lifetime mental health disorders starting before age 14, age-appropriate mental health promotion, prevention and therapeutic treatment and rehabilitation must be prioritized. Early detection and treatment are key to preventing episodes of mental distress reaching a crisis point and precious young lives being damaged and lost. But all too often, what stands in the way of young people seeking help at an early stage is the ongoing stigma and taboo that prevents communities talking openly about mental health problems.

Fortunately, this taboo is beginning to fall, and young people, once again, are leading the way – founding non-governmental organisations, developing apps, raising awareness, and being vocal about their own struggles with mental illness and their efforts to address their condition, in hope that others feel empowered to do the same.

“Early detection and

treatment is key to preventing episodes of mental distress reaching a crisis point and precious young lives being damaged and lost.”

UNICEF uses campaigns in schools to promote open discussion about mental health. For example, in Kazakhstan, which has one of the highest suicide rates among adolescents worldwide, UNICEF stepped up efforts to improve the mental well-being of adolescents through a large-scale pilot programme in over 450 schools. The programme raised awareness, trained staff to identify high-risk cases, and ensured referral of vulnerable adolescents to health specialists. Nearly 50,000 young people participated in the pilot with many significant improvements in well-being. The programme

has since been scaled up to over 3,000 schools.

The prioritisation of adolescent mental health promotion and suicide prevention has resulted in a 51 per cent decrease of self-injury mortality in the 15 –17 years age group at the national level and the number of suicide cases decreased from 212 in 2013 to 104 in 2018 for this age group. And perhaps most importantly, mental health is now being integrated into mainstream

primary health care services, helping to overcome the stigma which often puts young people off from seeking help.

Over 30 million of you have migrated from your place of birth Why I’m worried:

Migration has been part of the human experience throughout history. For thousands of years, children and families have left their place of birth to settle in new communities in search of educational or employment opportunities. Today is no different. We live in a mobile world in which at least 30 million children have moved across borders.

For many, migration is propelled by a drive for a better life. But for too many children, migration is not a positive choice but an ur-

gent necessity – they simply do not have the opportunity to build a safe, healthy and prosperous life in the place they are born. When migration is driven by desperation, it can lead to children migrating without the legal permissions they need, becoming so-called ‘irregular migrants’. They often take perilous journeys across deserts, oceans and armed borders, encountering violence, abuse and exploitation on the way.

And one of the greatest migrations the world has ever seen is happening not across borders, but within borders, with millions migrating internally from rural to urban areas. In 1989, when the Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted, the majority of the world’s children lived in rural areas. Today the majority live in cities, and the urbanisation rate is set to grow.

Though urban residents on average enjoy better access to services and opportunities, inequalities can be so large that many of the most disadvantaged children in urban areas fare worse than children in rural areas. For example, the poorest urban children in 1 in 4 countries are more likely to die before their fifth birthday than the poorest children in rural areas. And the poorest urban children in 1 in 6 countries are less likely to complete primary school than rural children.

Why there is hope:

No child should feel forced to migrate from their home, yet until the root causes are addressed, the situation is unlikely to change. That means tackling community and gang violence, strengthening protection systems so children can be safe in their communities, improving access to quality education and job opportunities, and making sure young people have the chance to gain the skills they need to build better – and safer – futures for themselves and their home countries.

UNICEF estimates that tens of thousands of children do migrate without legal permission, some with family and some alone, making them extremely vulnerable. It is essential that child

migrants – legal or otherwise – have their rights upheld. Wherever they are, and whatever their story, migrant children are children first and foremost. Governments can protect child migrants by prioritizing the best interests of children in the application of immigration laws, and wherever possible, they must keep families together and use proven alternatives to detention, such as foster families or group homes – many governments are testing such approaches successfully.

“It is essential that child migrants – legal or otherwise – have their rights upheld.”

The so-called urban advantage breaks down when we look beyond averages and control for wealth, so social policies and programmes designed to support child survival and development must pay greater attention to the poorest and most marginalized urban children. Modern cities generally offer better access to clean water, health and social services, and educational opportunities. Thus, if city governments can work to create inclusive access and equality of opportunity for the children in their cities, urban life could indeed provide a boost for child survival and development.

Henrietta H Fore UNICEF Executive Director (Excerpt from UNICEF)

To be continued

7 GNBA takes legal action against errant broadcasters A news

saturDAY, september 21, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

fter months of issuing threats, the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) has finally taken legal action against three broadcasters who failed to honour their financial obligations.

Among the three broadcasters who were served plaints for legal proceedings, the GNBA said one has since decided to pay all outstanding licence fees.

As a consequence of this act of compliance, the GNBA withdrew its lawsuit against this broadcaster.

However, the two remaining broadcasters— Atlantic Cable Network Inc and Bartica Communications Network Inc— are ordered to appear before the court to answer proceedings on September 30, 2019.

In a press statement issued on Friday, the GNBA reminded that it has been urging broadcasters to pay their broadcast licence fees for months.

“The GNBA takes

this opportunity to urge non-compliant broadcasters to bring themselves in conformity with the law and to honour their obligations,” the Broadcasting Authority stated.

In May 2019, the GNBA had issued a warning to broadcasters who still refused to honour their financial obligations to the Authority.

In its statement, the GNBA had said: “Those broadcasters who never had a broadcasting licence and are broadcasting; whose licences have expired and have not renewed their licences but are still broadcasting, and those who owe the Authority millions of dollars and are refusing or failing to pay, are the ones that will be brought before the court”.

Subsequently, in June 2019, the Authority released a list of all broadcasters who were in full compliance – yet another step to coerce errant broadcasting entities to pay up.

According to the GNBA, the legal cable broadcasters are: Premium Communications Inc, E-Networks Inc, Infinity Telecommunications Inc, Go-Tech Inc, Movie Star Inc, and Northwest Television Inc. The authorised radio broadcasters are: Freedom Radio Inc, Little Rock Radio Inc, Pinnacle Com IncRadio, Radio Guyana Inc, Hits & Jams Entertainment Inc, NTN-Radio Inc, I Radio

Inc, CNS Radio Inc, MultiCultural Communications Inc, News-Talk Guyana Inc, JREM, Keystone Solutions Inc, and National Communications Network (NCN).

Meanwhile, CNS Inc, Countryside Broadcasting Inc Ch 19, Community Broadcasting Network, Dave’s Television Ch 8 Inc, Little Rock Television IncTV, Pinnacle Com IncTelevision, STVS Ch 4/21 Inc, Television Guyana

PPP will continue to protect...

On Friday, members of the PPP/C adamantly maintained that the MotP’s aim of scaring its supporters and deterring them from exercising their democratic and human rights to peacefully picket and protest an “illegal President and illegal government” would not succeed.

PPP/C Member of Parliament Joseph Hamilton told reporters that the “security alarm” raised in the MotP’s media release was unnecessary, as he confirmed that the protesting will continue countrywide until President Granger announces an elections date.

“The statement suggests that there was some attempt to harm Mr Granger and secondly the Police, they have been instructed to beef up security for Mr Granger and the other people in his cabal…our intention is to highlight the undemocratic nature of Mr Granger, the unconstitutional and usurper role of Mr Granger and his cabal and the illegitimacy of Mr Granger and his cabal. We, like the people of Guyana, will not allow a dictatorship to take hold in this country and that is the fundamental issue and it is not just for the PPP to fight but it is for all Guyana to fight,” the Opposition

MP said.

He added that as of September 18, 2019, the powers that President Granger and his government enjoyed upon entering office in 2015 no longer exist and that the role, which President Granger has now taken, is that of a dictator.

“Mr Granger will expect more picketing wherever he goes…and every place he goes and everyplace these guys who purport to be Ministers they go. They will be picketed because presently, they have no mandate to govern. They are holding onto office illegally and therefore the way you deal with dic-

Inc, Washington Channel 2 Inc, MTV Inc, NTN IncTelevision, and National Communications Network (NCN) have been listed as legal television broadcasters.

Apart from ensuring broadcasters are up to date when it comes to their financial obligations, the GNBA has been clamping down on broadcasters who broadcast unacceptable content.

To this end, the GNBA has talked about institutionalising the concept of “Citizen Monitoring” and this goes in tandem with the development of a research department that will be tasked with surveying listenership as well as the quality of programmes and conducting content analysis.

Currently, there is the Monitoring and Compliance Department which monitors the airwaves and when certain infractions are identified, those infractions are forwarded to the Special Investigative Committee for further examination.

According to the Authority, if it is decided that a fundamental breach was committed against the Broadcasting Act, then that broadcaster is summoned for a preliminary interview, where an opportunity is given for the broadcaster to refute or acknowledge the charge brought against his/ her station.

Following that preliminary interview with the Special Investigative Committee, recommendations are made as to whether the broadcaster should be brought before the Hearing Committee or the Board.

Earlier this year, Reporters Without Borders for Freedom of Information (RSF) said that journalists in Guyana still face hurdles in executing their duties and some of the present laws that the country has implemented can land a journalist in jail despite the Constitution guaranteeing free speech and the right to information.

From page 3

tatorship and budding dictatorships is to delegitimise dictators…all the subtle threats coming out of the Office of the President do not scare us because we know that our activity, our struggle is a righteous struggle, it is a good struggle, it is to right a wrong,” Hamilton declared.

Meanwhile, PPP/C Parliamentarian Juan Edghill reminded that according to Guyana’s Constitution under Article 147(1) that deals with fundamental rights that except with his/her own consent, no persons shall be hindered in the enjoyment of his/her freedom of assembly, association and free-

dom to demonstrate peacefully.

He also commended the ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) that turned up to monitor the PPP/ C’s protest on Thursday, for the way they engaged the protesters.

“There were few who were overzealous or probably taking instructions from outside of the regular.

But, by and large, from all intents and purposes and observations, the Commanders and the Officers were acting professionally. And we in the PPP/C would like to publicly state that we applaud the professionalism that the GPF displayed yesterday (Thursday)”.

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saturDAY, september 21, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Parika man stabbed during row with uncle

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wenty-four-year-old Orlando Persaud of Parika Backdam, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), was on Monday evening last stabbed to his chest by his uncle during an argument at a relative’s birthday party.

Based on reports gathered, Persaud and his uncle have been at odds for a number of years but they were both invited to a relative’s birthday party. While there, they were seen imbibing alcohol but after some time, Persaud left the celebration.

However, Persaud re-

turned to the party and an argument broke out between him and the suspect.

Although family members intervened and attempted to stop the argument, the

men continued, which ultimately led to a scuffle.

They were eventually separated by family members and Persaud was left lying on the ground.

It was only until it was observed that the man was bleeding from his left side chest did the family members realise that he had been injured.

The suspect reportedly left the scene on a bicycle while Persaud was picked up and rushed to the Leonora Cottage Hospital but was later transferred to the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) where he is presently being treated.

The matter has since been reported to the police and an investigation was launched.

Attempted murder accused granted $500,000 bail

A

Lindener, who is embroiled in a chopping incident, was on Tuesday granted bail in the sum of $500,000 when he appeared before Magistrate Wanda Fortune at the Linden Magistrate’s Court.

Twenty-nine-year-old Jason Lespoir of 119 Wisroc

Housing Scheme was attempting to murder Marvin Somersoll on Thursday September 12 at Canvas City, Wismar, Linden.

The accused, who was represented by Attorney Yondessa WelcomeMercurius, was not required to plead to the indictable

charge.

In her application for bail, the attorney stated that her client was imprisoned for three months for simple larceny while he was also fined for a threatening language charge.

She said following these incidents, her client did not have any further brushes with the law. The attorney further claimed that her client was not guilty of the charge, rather it was the Virtual Complainant who attacked him.

Prosecutor Vernetté Pindar told the court that the VC is still hospitalised and under Police guard

since he was sentenced to two weeks’ imprisonment for another matter. She noted that while his condition is listed as stable, the wounds he sustained require regular dressing.

While the Prosecutor did not object to bail being granted, she requested that the accused report to the Wismar Police Station’s Criminal Investigations Department every Friday at 09:00h until the completion of the matter.

The accused is scheduled to return to court on October 7, 2019, for report and file completion.

Man gets bail for threatening language

A

Linden man who was on Tuesday charged with two counts of making use of threatening language was granted bail by Magistrate Wanda Fortune when he appeared at the Linden Magistrates’ Court.

The accused, 39-yearold Orlando Forde of Lot 19 Industrial Area, Mackenzie, Linden was granted bail in the sum of $20,000 after he

pleaded not guilty to the two charges.

It is alleged that he made use of threatening language towards Lex Lewis and Stacy Lewis on August 26, 2019.

While Prosecutor Vernetté Pindar did not object to bail, she urged that the accused be placed on a bond to keep the peace. He is scheduled to return to court on October 10.

The PNC playbook…

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…on power n case anyone had any doubts about the veracity of David Granger’s claim to the PNC-faithful in Atlanta that he’d been “always PNC”, they should’ve been dissipated by now like morning mist in this equinox sun we’re sweltering under! Behind that vacuous, simpering expression he cultivates, the man does not deviate from the PNC playbook, compiled by Forbes Burnham – and passed on directly to him when he was just a junior officer in the GDF. Imagine Burnham entrusting a junior officer with his indoctrination programme for the armed forces (Wilfred Mc David was responsible for the Public service) at a time when army coups were as common as the common cold.

Burnham knew young Granger had bought his Machiavellian line on power, hook, line and sinker. Granger was, and has remained, a “true believer” of Burnhamism and it shouldn’t have surprised anyone he’s turned over his home to the “Burnham Foundation”.

Burnham’s central Machiavellian idea was “… in the actions of men, and especially of princes, the end justifies the means”. The “end”, of course, being holding on to power. And it’s because of this maxim that Granger can utter all the barefaced lies he does with such fervour, faith and aplomb. How else could he justify this whopper: “My government has complied with the orders of the courts at all times. It has acted correctly, in good faith, and in accordance with the guidelines laid down by constitutional conventions”.

This from a man who still hasn’t “proclaimed” an election date nine months after an NCM which constitutionally demands he does so within THREE months?!! Machiavelli also proposed, “...experience shows that nowadays those princes who have accomplished great things have had little respect for keeping their word and have known how to confuse men’s minds with cunning”. Moses Nagamootoo is still waiting to Chair Cabinet meetings – as promised by Granger in the Cummingsburg Accord!! And once again, the AFC is negotiating with Granger and expects him to keep his word!! That fella who was disappointed that Granger hasn’t kept his word as an “officer” and a “gentleman” shouldn’t hold his breath.

After calling the peaceful protest of his appearance as an illegal President at the GMSA lunch “hooliganism”, Granger also told the press, “There is no political unrest in Guyana”.

This, of course, is reminiscent of Burnham boasting after he was eased into office, he’d brought “Peace, not conflict”!!

The man could even say, “The Elections Commission is responsible explicitly and exclusively for the CONDUCT of elections”. And pretend that means GECOM sets the DATE for elections!!

Or take 6 ministers with him to Mabaruma and say it’s not campaigning!! …on Amerindians Last week, the Amerindian Peoples’ Association (APA), which no one can say is aligned with the Opposition, issued a Report: “Ina Nono, Ina Uko’manto’ Eina Pata, Eina Komantok or Our Land, Our Life”. It followed 16 months of investigations in 20 Indigenous villages in Region 7. Land titling was a major problem with 5 villages untouched completely and the others having less than full titles.

But inter alia, they found: “Police officers and army soldiers have entered the village supposedly to do patrols and provide security for the airstrip. However, villagers report that these Police and army soldiers have assaulted women and stolen from the village…the village has complained over the years that women in the community have been sexually assaulted and that army soldiers have had relationships with married women, causing strife”.

The Police Commander replied, baldly: “The villagers have never reported these things to us. They have not.

I have not, we have never gotten a report from them or anyone about such allegations”.

After the Police Inquiry absolved Alves, this is surprising?? …and Caricom After the US, Britain and the EU came out and outrightly condemned the PNC Government for its “constitutional breach” on elections, some are expecting Caricom to sally forth with something similar.

Don’t hold your breath, dear readers.

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

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saturDAY, september 21, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Illegal “Cabinet” to meet next Tuesday on elections timeline – AFC’s Ramjattan A

s the country anxiously awaits the announcement of a date for General and Regional Elections, the coalition Cabinet has not met to discuss the February 2020 timeline given by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for the hosting of polls.

On Thursday GECOM Chair (ret’d) Justice Claudette Singh wrote President David Granger, informing him that the Elections Commission will be ready to host “credible elections” by the end of February 2020.

The Head of State subsequently told the media that he would first discuss the letter with his Cabinet before commenting on it.

However, Khemraj Ramjattan, the leader of the Alliance for Change (AFC) – the minority party in the governing coalition – said that no such meeting has been held as yet.

“There was no Cabinet meeting [on Thursday] as far as I’m aware. The President did meet a couple Ministers and we’re gonna meet as a Cabinet, I understand, on Tuesday,” he told reporters at a press conference on Friday.

According to Ramjattan, he does not know when the Head of State will be announcing a date for the hosting of polls while adding that is an exclusive preserve of the President.

In her letter to the President, the GECOM Chair states: “Given all

AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan

the objective factors, in addition to the deliberations of the Commission and my most recent consultations with our Secretariat, I have concluded, and take this opportunity to officially inform you that the Guyana Elections Commission will be able to deliver credible elections by the end of February 2020.”

However, this timeline comes on the heels of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Opposition pushing to have elections before the end of 2019.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday said he is “surprised” and “disappointed” with the timeline especially since only last week Justice Singh gave assurances to both Opposition and Government delegations that they are working towards an elections timeline before the end of the year.

“We’re extremely disappointed with the date

but happy that the excuse has been taken away from the caretaker President.

So he no longer can blame GECOM for his unconstitutional acts of staying in office illegally,” Jagdeo said at his weekly press conference.

Nevertheless, the Opposition Leader contended that while the party does not agree with her timeline, it still has faith in the fairness and impartiality of the GECOM Chair and her ability to deliver credible elections.

At the same time, however, he expressed reservations about other actors within the elections body, whom he said have been working to sabotage the hosting of early elections.

“There are individuals in that [Elections] Secretariat that we don’t trust. We’ve already spoken to the international community because having seen their performance in the last several months about how their timelines have all been extended and how they match APNU (A Partnership for National Unity – the majority party in the coalition) and how they disappear, we don’t believe they will fully support the Chairperson or give her proper advice. In fact, that is a big concern of ours,” he posited.

Nonetheless, Jagdeo noted that while they are disappointed in the advice given by the GECOM Chair, the PPP is going to work hard to ensure that elections are held by the end of

February 2020 not anytime later.

On this note, he outlined that one good thing coming out of this extended timeline is the additional time that observers, both overseas and local, will have to scrutinise the preparation process for the hosting of elections.

Furthermore, Jagdeo noted that while the coalition will have another two months more to squat and enjoy the perks of the office, the PPP will use this time to ensure Guyanese on the ground across the country are educated about their transgressions and their lack of respect for the Constitution.

“So we’re a bit disappointed [about the timeline] but we’re patient too,” the Opposition Leader asserted.

The February 2020 timeline submitted by GECOM will take elections to more than one year after the December 2018 passage of the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against the APNU/ AFC coalition Government.

It will also be one month shy of one year when early elections were constitution-

ally due, that is, March 21, 2019.

According to Article 106 (6) and (7) of the Constitution of Guyana, upon the passage of a motion of no-confidence, the Cabinet including the President shall resign and call elections within three months. However, with the legal challenges which ensued, that timeline was on pause but was subsequent-

ly reinstated after the July 18, 2019 Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruling, which validated the passage of the motion.

Noting that Article 106 is clear, the Trinidad-based regional court also stated that both the Government and GECOM have the responsibility to abide by the constitutional provisions regarding the hosting of early elections.

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saturDAY, september 21, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Journalist assaulted by Leopold Street residents during protest – GPA condemns attack

Wendell Jeffrey, the journalist who was assaulted

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endell Jeffrey, a journalist attached to Safetv2 Headline News, Channel 2, was on Wednesday attacked and beaten by protesters in Leopold Street, Georgetown, who were at the time protesting the killing of a resident.

Thirty-five-year old Odinga Williams of Leopold Street was shot and killed by Police in the wee hours of Wednesday morning at Norton Street, Wortmanville, as he was a suspected criminal.

As such, relatives of the father of one along with residents of Leopold Street launched massive protest action in the area by burning tyres and other objects as they called for justice since they believe that Williams was unlawfully killed.

At the time of the protest, however, the residents and relatives had indicated that they did not wish to engage the police in any discussions.

Jeffrey a journalist of over 10 years, reported to the scene of the protest to provide coverage of the incident.

Smoke emanating from the tyres that were set alight during Wednesday’s protest on Leopold Street Guyana Press Association President Nazima Raghubir

The journalist, who was wearing his media pass which states in part “Police Media Pass”, attempted to speak to a number of irate protestors but he was mistaken for a member of the Guyana Police Force. As such, he was immediately attacked by a gang of men and badly beaten.

Speaking to Guyana Times at the Davis Memorial Hospital, Georgetown, Jeffrey detailed what took place on the day in question while noting that he was left traumatised.

“Just before I cross the police line, the police were shooting maybe blanks or so at them [protesters] because they were lighting

more objects so I guess that they were very agitated at the time I went in. So I hear somebody say bai the police!

So, they came and I tried to say no I’m with the press but it was too late”, Jeffrey stated.

He recalled that he was beaten to his head with a bottle, cuffed to his face, spat upon, his cellphone was thrown to the ground and damaged while a few of them attempted to relieve him of his camera.

As a result of the beating, one of Jeffrey’s tooth was shattered. “Somebody cuff me, broke my tooth, I have to get it extracted”.

Jeffrey revealed that he was saved by a relative of the now dead man who intervened.

“In fact one of the ladies who came to shield me is the aunt of the guy who died, two of them came, she was the closest one to me and she hugged me and told the guys don’t hit him and stuff and as we walked back to the police line, she was telling me that she is the aunt and so on” Jeffrey revealed.

The journalist, who is also a pastor, said that he is grateful that he is alive since the incident could have been much worse.

The Guyana Press Association (GPA) in a statement condemned the attack and is calling for the incident to be thoroughly investigated.

According to the Association’s Head, Nazima Raghubir, she “personal-

ly feel that if the account that the police were present while this incident took place is true, we need to ensure the police address this”.

The GPA President used the opportunity to caution all media practitioners to be cognisant of their surroundings when covering situations highly fuelled by emotions.

Media operatives are being advised to that “If the situation has the potential of moving towards violence and life-threatening, remove yourselves, cover these events in groups only and try to ensure that our mere actions or questions do not incite further harsh reactions”.

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saturDAY, september 21, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

PNCR accuses GMSA of plotting protest against President …AFC disagrees

Persons protesting against the caretaker President

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he People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) has accused the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) of orchestrating the protest against President David Granger during his feature address on Thursday.

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) staged a massive protest in front of the Pegasus Hotel during the GMSA business lun-

cheon at which President David Granger was scheduled to address the gathering.

As he was about to deliver his speech, several members of the PPP/C held placards and reiterated calls for elections to be held soon.

During a press conference on Friday, Executive Member Gary Best accused the private sector body of playing an integral role in

a ploy to ‘embarrass’ the President.

“The party’s position is that the President was invited to the GMSA’s event and the outcomes suggest to us in the clearest of terms that this was something orchestrated by the GMSA to embarrass the President.

The proof is in the evidence of what occurred. If the GMSA is holding an event where the President will be attending, one would think that the GMSA would also contact the security services and security forces…

In our opinion, the GMSA foisted this event upon the President so that he can be embarrassed,” Best claimed.

On the other hand, the Alliance for Change (AFC) differed in their reasoning of the GMSA’s involvement. During its press conference, Executive Member and Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson said he was present at the event.

As such, he asserted, “I don’t think the GMSA was involved…It wasn’t unexpected but it is a democracy. I indicated to the GMSA early that these guys are going to do that”.

Protest

During the protest– led by Presidential candidate Irfaan Ali – citizens flocked outside the

PNCR Executive Gary Best

Kingston hotel.

The protest came after the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairperson, (retired) Justice Claudette Singh, advised the Head of State that the Commission will

be ready for elections by the end of February 2020 – more than a year after the Government was defeated by a No-Confidence Motion.

Although the protest was peaceful, scores of Police officers and members of the Tactical Service Unit (TSU) were deployed to the scene with protective shields, placing barricades at strategic points to block off and guard the entrance of the hotel, where several high-profile officials and Government ministers were in attendance.

This, however, did not deter the protesters, who used microphones to highlight the fact that the Government is illegal and in breach of the Constitution of Guyana.

Nevertheless, the protesters were adamant that they will continue these protest actions to highlight

the transgressions of the coalition administration.

Also braving the weather to stand strong with his party, General Secretary of the PPP/C Bharrat Jagdeo informed that his party and supporters intend to protest President Granger at every public forum he attends until he complies with the Constitution as is mandated.

Inside the event, invitees greeted the President with protest actions and the situation was later brought under control when senior ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) escorted the group of persons from the room.

Moments after the incident, GMSA Executive Ramesh Dookhoo told media operatives that they were unaware that such an incident would occur.

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saturDAY, september 21, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

GTT accuses E-Networks of threatening countrywide services with subsea cable project …Telecommunications Minister says no permission granted by Ministry … E-Networks threatens legal actions against GTT

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n light of recent work by local cable television company, E-networks to lay its subsea cable, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) is now claiming that this has posed serious threats to its customers countrywide.

The telephone company has accused E-Networks of not receiving the necessary approvals and more so, license to conduct such an exercise.

In a statement to the media, GTT’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Justin Nedd, strongly asserted that the company is not aware of such a license being granted

for the purpose of laying a subsea cable by E-Networks, and as such relied on the Telecommunications Ministry’s decision back in 2018.

“GTT is very concerned that E-Networks is laying subsea fibre with complete disregard for necessary approvals and international protocols.

In 2018, the Ministry of Public Telecommunications stated definitively that E-Networks did not have permission to land or lay a subsea cable. To date, as far as it is publicly known, such a license has not been issued by the Ministry of

E-Networks owner Vishok Persaud

Public Telecommunications,

and by extension, the Government of Guyana. The EPA has also stated that E-Networks is conducting its activities, landing the cable, using an expired environmental and construction permit” He stated.

The activity which the CEO described as “reckless”, threatens the security and integrity of the company’s Suriname-Guyana Submarine Cable System (SGSCS) according to Nedd, and by far will hinder the country’s internet connectivity if the cable receives any damages.

“We have attempted to reach out to E-Networks to facilitate the construction in accordance with international protocols, as this reckless activity and disregard for established protocol threatens the security and integrity of our SGSCS subsea cable. As the only reliable method of international connectivity into Guyana, any damage to the SGSCS by [E-Networks] threatens the internet connectivity of the entire country” Nedd pointed out.

Meanwhile, in light of these concerns, Minister of Public Telecommunications Cathy Hughes on Friday stated that the Ministry stands by its previous decision, that is, it has not given any permission for the subsea cable project to E-networks.

Nevertheless, the

GTT CEO Justin Nedd

Minister further highlighted that such permission can also be granted by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA).

“We have not granted a license for a telecommunication’s cable or for telecommunications services and that’s still the case…from what I understand there’s several agencies, you have MARAD, the broadcasting authority, you have the EPA so you need to go to those agencies and find out if they gave permission and what it was for… We haven’t granted a license for a subsea cable to come to Guyana for telecommunications services” Hughes said.

This publication was unable to garner any further information regarding which agency granted permission to the local company when the aforementioned agencies were contacted.

But while this remains unknown, E-Networks in a statement to the media has since refuted claims made

by GTT’s Chief in relation to its disregard for approvals and international protocols.

“We wish to strongly refute the contents of this statement, which include false and libellous allegations against our company…

Mr Nedd has been disingenuous in his claim that we are not in receipt of required approvals, particularly in his specific reference to our operation with an expired environmental and construction permit from the Environmental Protection Agency. As a point of fact, E-Networks has never been without a valid EPA permit in relation to our project from May 1, 2018, to present. We are also in possession of all necessary approvals in relation to this project for its intended purpose” the company stated.

E-Networks added that it finds GTT’s statement to be intentionally erroneous and deliberately misleading. As such, the company has threatened legal actions against the telephone company in order to protect its reputation and name.

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saturDAY, september 21, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Democratic right to protest denied in Reg 1 ...as Police bar citizens from Granger’s “Cabinet” campaigning

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cores of People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) supporters of Port Kaituma, Region One (Barima-Waini) were on Friday morning prevented from protesting as the caretaker President and his unconstitutional Cabinet visited the region.

Based on information gathered, Police in Matarkai reportedly prevented a truck load of persons from Matthews Ridge and Arakaka, North West District (NWD) from passing the toll gate at Four Miles while another truck with APNU supporters was allowed access.

Further, Police in Port Kaituma prevented protesters at the Port Kaituma airstrip from carrying placards and threatened to arrest them if they refused to follow orders.

However, the resilient protesters lined the road leading to the airstrip, where they peacefully protested. Another group of protesters also led protest action in Central Kaituma. The supporters have all called for the President to dissolve Parliament and announce an elections date.

In light of this, executive members of the PPP/C stated that “protesting” is a democratic right, while adding that their human rights were violated.

“The Police are following political orders and this is not supposed to be… our members have a right to protest anytime, anywhere… it is their prerogative

and democratic right to do so,” the executive stated.

This protest came in light of a decision by the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), retired Justice Claudette Singh, who indicated that the body will be ready for elections in February 2020— more than a year after the Government was defeated by a No-Confidence Motion.

On Thursday, hundreds of protesters led by Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali flocked outside the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown, where the President was delivering an address to the business community.

Although the protest was peaceful, scores of Police officers and members of the Tactical Service Unit (TSU), commonly called the “Riot Squad”, were deployed to the scene with protective shields, placing barricades at strategic points to block off and guard the entrance of the hotel, where several high profile officials and Government ministers were in attendance.

This, however, did not deter the protesters, who used microphones to highlight the fact that the Government is illegal and in breach of the Constitution of Guyana.

“We want

Police to grill Roger Khan upon return to Guyana

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haheed “Roger” Khan was expected to return to Guyana on Friday evening, having been deported from the United States, where he served time for arms and drug trafficking.

Khan was schedule to be escorted to Guyana under guards by agents of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on an American Airlines Flight.

The Guyana Times understands that upon arrival at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Khan will be handed over to ranks of the Guyana Police Force.

Khan was sentenced in 2009 after he pleaded guilty to arms trafficking, drug trafficking, conspiracy and witness tampering. He was nabbed in neighbouring Suriname back in June 2006 after fleeing Guyana.

After serving his sentence, Khan was released from prison on July 8, 2019, placed in the custody of ICE, and was being held at the Krome Detention Facility in Miami before his deportation.

Guyana Times understands that local law enforcement is looking to question Khan upon his arrival on a number of things, including his public declaration that he offered assistance to the Police Force in

Shaheed “Roger” Khan

fighting crime.

Khan’s lawyer in Guyana, Attorney Glenn Hanoman, had told this newspaper that he is uncertain about the intention of

the Police.

“I’ve written to the Police, officially asking [the nature of their questioning] and they have not given me courtesy of a reply. But there is so much rumour mongering and gossiping going on, so we are expected some questioning,” Hanoman had said.

A senior Police rank attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had previously told Guyana Times that upon arrival in Guyana, Khan would be taken to the CID headquarters, where he would be processed for reintegration into society.

Furthermore, the rank had noted at the time that there was no clear indication to suggest that Khan would be arrested and grilled on crimes he allegedly committed while in Guyana.

elections now! Who must go, Granger! Who sell out Guyana, Granger! Granger is a waste!” were among the slogans being chanted.

Inside of the Pegasus Hotel, as Granger was delivering remarks at the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) luncheon, protesters rose from their seats waving placards and chanting for democracy to prevail in Guyana, which stumbled into an illegality following the expiration of the constitutionally-mandated period for elections to be held.

After being greeted by a firm opposition, Granger was forced to

discontinue his speech until the situation was tamed. This continued for several minutes as persons strongly rejected the non-adherence to constitutional deadlines as directed by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), which ruled that the Constitution of Guyana must be upheld.

The Police were called in and asked to escort the group of protesters from the room. However, another group of individuals was waiting in the lobby area of the hotel, voicing similar calls.

Cognisant that protest actions were in progress outside the hotel as well, the President commented, “Apparently, the hooliganism has migrated from outside to inside”.

Article 106 of the Constitution states that following the passage of the No-Confidence Motion, the Cabinet including the President must resign and elections held within three months. That deadline elapsed since March 21, 2019, with Government having spent much of this time in court seeking to overturn the motion, rather than ensuring elections were held.

GECOM had also began the holding of House-to-House Registration, also in a bid to delay the holding of Regional and General Elections.

However, this was halted by GECOM’s newly-elected Chair, retired Justice Singh.

14 news

saturDAY, september 21, 2019| guyanatimesgy.com

Bar Association condemns Govt’s failure to hold elections – AmCham, ICD want elections now

T

he Bar Council of the Bar Association of Guyana has condemned the coalition Government for its failure to hold General and Regional Elections within the period mandated by the Constitution, which it reminded is supreme law.

Article 106 (7) states that upon the passage of a No-Confidence Motion, elections ought to be held within three months unless there is an extension by two-thirds of all the sitting members of the National Assembly.

The coalition fell to the Opposition-tabled NCM on

Bar Association President Teni Housty

December 21, 2018, which meant elections were constitutionally due since March 21, 2019. But given the legal challenges which ensued, that timeline was on pause but was subsequently reinstated following the July 18, 2019 ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). The Trinidad-based regional court validated the passage of the motion, which it said triggered early elections as outlined in Article 106.

As such, the Bar Association in a statement on Friday said, “By failing to abide by the clear and unambiguous terms

of the Constitution, the Government of Guyana has abdicated its responsibility, violated the Constitution,

is operating outside of the rule of law and in breach of internationally recognised standards of democracy”.

The GBA, which was also a party in the consolidated no-confidence cases, noted that the CCJ said the meaning of the constitutional provisions requiring elections is clear and it placed the responsibility of honouring those provisions on the “constitutional actors” in Guyana.

The Bar Council further posited that while the Court did not order elections, it expressed the expectation that constitutional responsibilities would have been exercised with integrity in keeping with the “unambiguous” provisions of the Constitution, bearing in mind that the NoConfidence Motion was validly passed as long ago as December 21, 2018.

“The constitutional duty and responsibility of the President was to fix a date for elections within the three-month period set out in the Constitution in the absence of a parliamentary extension of that period, which extension the Bar Council notes was not sought and/ or obtained before the period expired,” the GBA said in its missive.

It further went on to remind of the constitutional duty and responsibility of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), which the Bar Council said was “to be ready to administer and supervise elections within the time encompassed by the three-month period so as to comply with the Constitution.”

The coalition Government has come under heavy criticism over its failure to call elections within that timeline. In fact, the ABE countries on Thursday said that by surpassing the September 18 deadline, the coalition is currently in breach of the Constitution – a situation which they said comes at a great cost to Guyana.

“The prevailing political uncertainty undermines Guyanese institutions, compromises economic opportunities and delays development across all areas including infrastructure, education, health, and social services. It also hinders our ability to support Guyana’s development needs,” the joint statement from the United States, United Kingdom and European Union outlined.

This position was also shared by the American Chamber of Commerce of Guyana (AmCham Guyana), which threw its support behind the missive. AmCham is also calling for the President to immediately set an elections date in full compliance with Guyana’s Constitution.

“The Chamber notes that prolonged periods of uncertainty can have dire consequences on business and investor confidence in Guyana, especially foreign investment. Guyana’s reputable standing within the international community will be tested if democratic principles give way to partisan politics. The Chamber, therefore, calls upon the President to abide by the Constitution of Guyana and the ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice to set an elections date immediately,” AmCham said.

Also joining the calls for elections date to be announced now is the International Center for Democracy (ICD), which wants polls to be held as early as possible.

“Since Mr Granger, in the last several months, insisted the responsibility for the election date belongs to GECOM and GECOM has now provided a date, it is inexcusable for Mr Granger to hold the country hostage any longer. Having allowed the constitutional deadline of March 21st and the CCJ deadline of September 18th to expire, it is incumbent on Mr Granger to set a date that is the soonest possible date,” the ICD said.

The New York-based group contended that further delays in the conduct of elections will contribute to the continuation of undue hardships on the Guyanese people, intensify political uncertainty and defer economic and social development.

“Already, the constitutional crisis has sent alarms globally to foreign and local investors and, as the ABE countries asserted, affect their abilities to provide development support for the Guyanese people… The ICD strongly maintains that Mr Granger has an obligation to announce a date for elections immediately, recognising that every day of delay adds to the tension and uncertainty prevailing in Guyana today,” the ICD said while pledging to ensure that democracy is restored in Guyana.

news

Region 4 records highest number of TIP cases

...influx of foreign nationals contributed to large effect – Public Security Minister

S

exual exploitation is the leading cause of Trafficking In Persons (TIP) incidents in Guyana and during the first six months of this year, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) recorded a total of 132 alleged TIP cases and the arrest of 18 suspects.

This is according to Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, who made the disclosure at a workshop on TIP on Friday.

He stated that the 132 alleged victims are females and of this figure, 115 were below the age of 30.

“The location, again, Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) accounted for 84 per cent of all these alleged occurrences, the nationality is largely Venezuelans…A lot of us felt that this thing is not happening here in Guyana, it is happening and it is largely from some very smart people, busi-

nessmen who are doing this thing. The evidence, however, to catch them sometimes we cannot get because they have their networks of other underlings ensuring that it happens to their profits and then you only catch the small fishes but we are trying our best as possible to ensure that we can catch the big fishes.”

The Minister explained that for last year, the GPF’s TIP Unit investigated 32 cases of suspected TIP, which

included 245 victims. Eleven of them were below the age of 18 and from those 32 cases, 57 suspects guilty of TIP were also investigated.

“The age of the 2018 statistic is 55 per cent of alleged victims were below 26 years old while 45 per cent were over that. The location again with the most is Region Four, all the alleged occurrences…we have tried as best as possible to arrange the education, public awareness, in these re-

gions and at schools and all of that to ensure that we do not have this continuous increase. However, I must say that the influx of foreign nationals from Latin American countries especially Venezuela was found to have a large effect regarding this statistic.”

Minister Ramjattan also divulged that in the year 2017, the GPF’s TIP Unit managed to investigate 14 cases of suspected TIP and this involved 50 alleged victims, 21 of whom were under the age of 18.

He also pointed out that from the period 2014 to 2016, there was a consistent increase in cases of alleged TIP with Region Four accounting for half of the alleged occurrences during this period.

However, the interior regions also saw a number of TIP cases mostly Regions One, Seven and Eight.

City Hall’s rates not consistent with services – Councillor

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s the Mayor and City Council suffers from a deficit budget every year, some members have shared their opinion that the municipality is not charging adequate rates for the services offered.

During a recent engagement at City Hall, Councillor Ivelaw Henry told a Trinidadian-based team that there are many established buildings which are paying pintsized rates.

“The rates and taxes are not consistent with services given. There are many buildings within the area that are paying next to nothing. I’m saying that you have five story buildings paying cottage rates,” Henry shared.

This is coupled with their deficit budget— a shortfall by millions of dollars. As a result, liabilities amount to billions of dollars.

“We’ve been working with a deficit budget from the time we started. It’s just below

$3B, but every year you have like $200M to $300M in deficit. What happened previous to the budget is you have a liability situation which carries onto now. They have billions of dollars in liabilities within the municipality”.

During the Commission of Inquiry last year to dive into the operations at City Hall, it was heard that Giftland Mall had not paid any taxes to the Council for four years. The company stated that it was

awaiting an agreement to carry out the demanded payments amounting to over $25 million.

However, earlier this week, City Treasurer John Douglas insisted that the Council is involved in activities which bear no financial benefits to the Council.

On the other hand, they are heavily dependent on rates and taxes to subsidise their operational costs. For this, the municipality should need

to implement other revenue streams.

“We need to be more diverse in our revenue streams.

We’re too dependent on rates and tax, which have shown over the years that rates and tax cannot carry this organisation for that is required.

You look at solid waste. We pick up the waste, it costs us hundreds of millions per year. We don’t get no revenue stream from solid waste,” he shared.

Other highlighted areas where the Council does not benefit include waterfront activities and increased security presence.

“The population in the city is growing. Street vending is growing. Hence, the need for more security…We don’t get no earning from those vehicles traversing the city. You have boats, ships using our waterfront. We don’t generate any revenue from any such activities”.

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saturDAY, september 21, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Sophia housing project on schedule for November completion

The site in C Field Sophia where a community centre is being constructed

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he core homes being constructed in Sophia, Greater Georgetown, by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) under its Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme is progressing well and is on stream to be completed by November according to Junior Communities Minister, Annette Ferguson.

The Minister in an exclusive interview with Guyana Times stated that “It’s going well…The contractors every day are doing what they are expected to get done and we have six areas. All six areas are being done by different contractors and the time of completion for the project is basically in the month of November. I had the opportunity to visit the various project sites and they have all assured me that they are within the completion timeline”.

Some US$7.5 million in upgrade works are ongoing in the community. Under the project, about 12 kilometres of roads will be upgraded to asphaltic concrete. In addition, drains will be constructed, two playfields will be upgraded, and 2000 residents will benefit from home improvement subsidies and 100 core houses will be built.

Fifty of the core houses are expected to be completed while 300 home improvement subsidies will be distributed.

The remaining houses and home improvement subsidies will be done in 2020.

Home improvement subsidies and core houses will be granted to low-income households – those persons who earn $75,000 or less per month and own a plot of land within the project boundary that is also low income, meaning it cost $300,000 or less.

Subsidies will be approved if the homes that are occupied are considered inhabitable.

However, if the houses are not strong enough to accommodate repairs, the owners may qualify for a core home.

Once qualified, the applicant would be required to pay $100,000 as a contribution towards the core home. The core houses are 400 squarefoot flat concrete buildings that cost $4 million.

For home improvement subsidies, $500,000 worth of materials will be granted and recipients will have to provide for labour. The first Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme, which provides an opportunity for Guyanese citizens to improve their standard of living, was launched back in January 2019 at C Field Sophia.

The project became a reality as a result of the collaboration between the CH&PA and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which is funding the project.

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Saturday, september 21, 2019

Regional

Amid crippling sanctions, Cuba deploys oxen, US, El Salvador sign joint immigration deal wood-fired ovens to overcome fuel crisis

C

uba is deploying oxen to replace tractors, using wood instead of gas at many state bakeries and advising citizens to save electricity by making the most of daylight as it grapples with an acute fuel shortage amid US sanctions.

The Government says it is prioritising what little fuel it has this month to sustain critical services such as hospitals and sectors such as tourism, which generate much-needed hard currency. In other areas, it is seeking alternatives or scaling down.

Some cement factories have decreased production, the Construction Minister

Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez speaks during a news conference in Havana, Cuba [Photo by REUTERS/Stringer]

told a state broadcaster this week. A large steel factory in Havana has stopped operating altogether, a worker there told Reuters.

Supervisors at two large

hotel construction sites in Havana said building brigades from outside the city had been ordered to stay home because of a lack of fuel for transport and for operat-

ing machinery at full capacity. The sites were operating with one shift instead of two or three.

Other branches of the dominant state sector also told workers to stay home until further notice because of drastic cuts in public transport.

“If they don’t need me right now, then I’d far rather not have to fight to catch a ride from a bus stop overflowing with people, especially given this heat,” said Rosario, 32, who said her employer had sent her home with her full salary.

She declined to give her full name for fear of retribution. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Brazil dam disaster firms to face criminal charges

B

razilian federal Police have proposed criminal charges against mining giant Vale and German safety firm Tüv Süd and 13 of their employees over January’s deadly dam collapse, reports say.

Police reportedly say both firms used falsified documents that said the Feijão dam was stable.

At least 248 people were killed as a sea of mud en-

gulfed a staff canteen, offices and nearby farms.

The collapse was Brazil’s worst industrial accident.

Twenty-two people are still missing.

Seven people from Vale and six from Tüv Süd are being indicted, O Globo reported.

Vale says it has been made aware of the federal police report. Tüv Süd declined to comment.

In July a Brazilian judge ordered Vale to pay compensation for all damages caused by the collapse of the dam, saying that that the company was responsible for fixing all the damages including the economic effects.

The same month, emails emerged that showed Tüv Süd’s own analysis of the dam initially failed to meet official requirements.

Tüv Süd inspected the

dam in the months before the collapse. It was a “tailings” dam - an embankment filled with waste product - and decades of waste from the nearby mine had been piled up and grassed over.

Tailings dams are vulnerable to “liquefaction”, when, for various reasons, the solid material begins to act and move like a liquid, putting them at risk of becoming vulnerable to collapse. (Excerpt from

T

he US and El Salvador have reached a joint deal on immigration, the US Embassy in El Salvador said on Friday, without giving many additional details beyond those related to asylum claims.

Acting US Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan is scheduled to discuss the immigration agreement on Friday at a news briefing in Washington, DC. It is the latest move by McAleenan to push for bilateral immigration deals with the Northern Triangle countries of Central America – Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador – where most immigrants arriving at the US southern border hail from.

US President Donald Trump has made immigration enforcement a centrepiece of his administration and is pushing to staunch the flow of migrants – many of them families – crossing into

the United States. Border crossings reached record highs earlier this year, frustrating Trump, whose central presidential campaign promise was to cut down on illegal immigration.

Guatemala signed a “safe third country”—type deal that requires asylum seekers to ask for refuge in Guatemala instead of in the United States if they travelled through the former on the way to the US –Mexico border. The Guatemalan Congress, however has not ratified the deal.

The United States has a “safe third country” agreement with Canada.

Immigration advocates have said that Central American countries, where many people are fleeing from violence, poverty and endemic corruption, do not have the capacity to process more asylum claims and cannot provide a safe environment for vulnerable migrants. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Tobago man sentenced for killing Toddlers joining Brazil march of step-son, 5

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n Brazil’s largest city, São Paulo, a large number of young kids are expected to attend the climate march starting at 20:00h – and some of them are toddlers.

The recent fires in the Amazon have raised environmental awareness in the country, and some parents are concerned about how to explain their concerns to small children without worrying them.

“They are very young, so we didn’t tell them everything [about the recent climate debates]. But we are taking them to the march,” said Mariana Bombonato about her daughter Manuela, two, and the other children at the parental nursery her daughter attends. They will all be at the march lat-

Toddlers will be attending the climate change march in Brazil

er on Friday.

“We told the children

that everyone would wear special T-shirts today to

BBC News)

show their concern for the planet, and I bought Manuela a book about planet Earth. We’ve been talking about ways to protect the environment, and when we shower she says, ‘we can’t stay long because the water belongs to the planet.’”

Flora Monteiro, another mother from the group, says her son Bento, who turns three in two months’ time, hasn’t fully understood the events planned for this Friday, “but he knows it’s a move to take care of the nature and the trees”.

“More than the environmental cause itself, I’m happy to show him that he can mobilise for whatever he believes in and have an active voice,” says Monteiro. (BBC News)

A

Tobago man who was convicted of manslaughter at a judge-alone trial has been sentenced to 12 years’ hard labour.

Sheldon Williams, who was found guilty of the unlawful killing of his fiveyear-old step-son Jahmal Omari Grant, on August 1, 2008, by Justice Lisa Ramsumair-Hinds in the Tobago High Court, was also ordered to compensate the child’s mother.

Ramsumair-Hinds, who held the judge-alone trial in July, sentenced Williams earlier this month. She ordered him to pay to Grant’s mother, Yurima Francois, compensation in the sum of $50,000 and enrol in anger management courses and any other courses accessible to him through the prison service so that he

makes the best use of his time in custody.

He also received a twomonth discount for the time he spent in remand awaiting his trial.

In her ruling, Ramsumair-Hinds said she was sure, based on the evidence, that when he was confronted by the police, he admitted to his actions by telling the policeman, “Ah hit him, it happen already and ah sorry, ah didn’t mean to hurt and damage anybody.”

She said he need not have intended the tragic consequences which followed, but it was obvious that if a grown man inflicts a blow, worse yet more than one, to the frame of a five-year-old child, any sober and reasonable person would inevitably realise that there was the risk of some harm. (Excerpt from T&T

Brexit no problem for Jamaica, says UK High Mexico, Guatemala must Commissioner

B

ritish High Commissioner to Jamaica Asif Anwar Ahmad is seeking to allay fears that the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union on October 31, a move dubbed Brexit, could hurt Jamaica.

Ahmad yesterday told journalists that the UK is committed to Jamaica and the region and has recently completed, and adopted, a strategy for the Caribbean,

including Bermuda, which the entire British Government will use to inform its interactions with governments in the region up to 2025.

Against that background, Ahmad pointed to measures already agreed which are designed to ensure a smooth transition for the region whether it is a deal or no-deal, Brexit.

“With the whole Brexit situation we have successfully negotiated, with

CARIFORUM, a deal which takes the economic partnership agreement which the EU currently has with CARIFORUM, and on the day we leave it will be activated seamlessly,” declared Ahmad.

He noted that recently there was mention in the local media of an annual general meeting of a firm which said it might have to find new markets because of Brexit.

“I was able to talk to members of the board of that company and say to them that it is a seam-

less transition from day one and thereafter it can only be improved upon because it will be discussions between the UK and the Caribbean, not 27 other countries,” added Ahmad.

The high commissioner argued that with the trade agreement already signed the UK has given itself an insurance policy which will ensure that there is no change, in terms of commercial transactions with the region after Brexit, while any agreement in place with the EU will continue. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Newsday)

work together on migration — Lopez Obrador

M

exican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that he would discuss how Mexico and Guatemala could work together to address the challenge posed by migration, when he met Guatemalan President-elect Alejandro Giammattei later on Friday.

“Obviously the most important thing just now is to agree to work together to tackle the migration phenomenon,” Lopez Obrador told a news conference in the Mexican city of Merida, where he is due to meet Giammattei, who takes office in January.

(Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

Saturday, september 21, 2019

17

Around the World

‘No Planet B’: Millions join global climate strike Multiple casualties after bomb goes off on M bus outside Karbala illions of students and other activists abandoned school and work on Friday to join mass protests calling for action against climate change ahead of a UN summit.

From New York to Guatemala City, Sydney to Kabul, and Cape Town to London, protesters in hundreds of cities around the world took the streets, demanding their Governments take urgent steps to tackle the climate crisis and prevent an environmental catastrophe.

“The preliminary numbers say there are at least 3 million people in today’s #ClimateStrike And that is before counting North and South America,”

An estimated 10,000 people turned out in the Australian capital, Canberra, as a global day of climate protests got underway in the Asia Pacific region

tweeted Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teen, who was in New York to lead the climate strike ahead of the UN Climate Action Summit, which is slated to bring together world leaders to discuss climate change miti-

gation strategies, including the move from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.

The demonstrations started in the Pacific Islands before quickly getting started across Australia, Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle

East and North and South America.

In India’s New Delhi, one of the world’s most polluted cities, dozens of students and environmental activists chanted “We want climate action” and “I want to breathe clean” at a rally outside the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

They carried banners with some displaying messages like “There is no Planet B”.

No protests were authorised in China, the world’s biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, but Zheng Xiaowen of the China Youth Climate Action Network said Chinese youth would take action one way or another. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Algerians defiant in first protest since election call

T

ens of thousands of demonstrators marched in the centre of Algiers on Friday in the first significant test of the months-old protest movement since the Government called an election for December, a Reuters journalist said.

They were marching despite several high-profile arrests of Opposition activists over the past week and an order by powerful army chief Lieutenant General

Ahmed Gaed Salah on Wednesday for Police to seize vehicles bringing protesters to the capital.

“No vote with the gang!” protesters chanted, angered by interim President Abdelkader Bensalah’s announcement on Sunday that an election would be held on December 12.

Since protesters forced veteran President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to quit in April, the standoff between them and the authorities has focused on new elections.

Gaed Salah has been pushing for a vote for months as the only way out of the constitutional limbo created by Bouteflika’s departure and the postponement of an election that had been due in July.

The loose-knit Opposition movement has rejected any vote, however, saying it could not be seen as free or fair while so many of the old guard remain in power.

The authorities have used a dual approach to containing the pro-

test movement in recent months, combining increasing pressure on the demonstrators with arrests of senior people in the ruling elite on corruption charges.

With the election now called, there seems little change in that strategy, with three prominent activists detained over the past week and the chief of the former ruling FLN party arrested on Thursday. ( Excerpt from Reuters)

A

t least 12 people have been killed and several others wounded in a blast from a bomb planted on a bus near the Iraqi city of Karbala, south of Baghdad, two local police officers said.

Two police spokesmen at the blast site told Reuters News Agency that an explosive device planted on the bus detonated at a northern entrance to the city, setting fire to the vehicle.

Quoting local officials, the Associated Press said five passengers were wounded in the explosion, which occurred as the bus was passing through an Iraqi army checkpoint between Karbala and the town of al-Hilla.

One official told The Associated Press that before the blast, a passenger exited the minibus but left a bag containing explosives under

one of the seats.

The device was then detonated remotely at the checkpoint.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

The officials said all of the dead were civilians killed in the explosion and subsequent fire in the bus The bombing took place during a holy period marked

by Shias between two important religious events, Ashoura and Arbaeen.

Arbaee is the annual commemoration marking the end of the mourning period for the martyrdom of Hussein, the Prophet Mohammed’s grandson.

Iraqis and Shia pilgrims from around the world visit Karbala, some 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Baghdad, during this time of year. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

India delivers surprise corporate tax cuts to boost economy

Hong Kong Police ‘pushed to the limit’

H

ong Kong’s Police Force is at the limits of its capacity as it struggles to contain the fallout from a political crisis now more than three months old.

This frank analysis was given by a very senior police officer in an off the record briefing to international journalists, including the BBC’s Stephen McDonell.

Initially, there were peaceful marches opposing a plan to allow for extradition to mainland Chinese courts.

Then came running street battles between riot police and black-clad protesters demanding universal suffrage and an independent inquiry into allegations of Police collusion with organised crime,

Hong Kong Police said last month that they had the protests under control

something the police have consistently opposed.

Asked about an Amnesty International report accusing Police of torture, arbitrary arrests and other abuses, the senior officer said the

claims were totally unfounded, that the report was based on anonymous sources and Amnesty should have come to them with any complaints they had received, However, during the dis-

cussion on Friday he did acknowledge that “in any prolonged situation I’d be dishonest if I said that nobody has overstepped the line”.

This officer said that most police were “baffled by the degree of animosity” against them and that “...any spare capacity we do have we are already looking ahead to after this crisis and how we mend relations with the community. These things are already in the pipeline… Have confidence in us. We are a really good police force.”

He said the Force, one of Asia’s oldest, has benefited from 175 years of learning, including from their mistakes. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Yemen’s Houthis say will stop all attacks on Saudi Arabia An official with the Houthi rebel movement in Yemen has said it will stop aiming missile and drone attacks at Saudi Arabia, warning that a continuation of the war could lead to “dangerous developments”.

The announcement was made on Friday night by Mahdi al-Mashat, Head of the Houthi’s supreme political council, which controls the rebel-held areas

in Yemen.

“We declare ceasing to target the Saudi Arabian territory with military drones, ballistic missiles and all other forms of weapons, and we wait for a reciprocal move from them,” Mashat said on the Houthi-run Al Masirah TV. “We reserve the right to respond if they fail to reciprocate positively to this initiative,” he said,

adding that the continuation of the Yemen war “will not benefit any side”.

The announcement by the Houthis came nearly a week after they claimed a major attack on Saudi oil facilities.

Despite the Houthis insisting they are responsible for the September 14 assault on Aramco sites that initially halved the kingdom’s production, the United States and Saudi Arabia

have blamed Iran.

Iran denies being involved, warning that any retaliatory strike on it by the US or Saudi Arabia will result in “an all-out war”.

The Saudi-led military coalition did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Houthi announcement.

The Yemen conflict is largely seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das arrive to attend the RBI’s Central Board meeting in New Delhi, India July 8, 2019 REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

I

ndia has cut its corporate tax rates in an effort to spur investment and boost growth in the country’s faltering economy.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the base corporate tax rate would be lowered to 22 per cent from 30 per cent.

The surprise move triggered a stock market rally, with the Sensex index jumping 4.5 per cent.

The tax cuts are the latest measures to boost spending and shore up investment in India.

Under the slate of reforms announced on Friday, India will lower its corporate tax rate to 22 per cent from 30 per cent for companies that don’t seek exemptions.

Firms that do receive incentives or exemptions will see their tax rate cut to 25 per cent from 35 per cent.

In addition, some new

manufacturing firms will see their corporate tax rate lowered to 15 per cent from 25 per cent.

A Prasanna, Head of research at ICICI in Mumbai, said the move would boost investment and employment.

“This is a long overdue and hugely positive move by the Finance Minister.

The new rates simplify the tax architecture and it will give a fillip to investments and jobs,” he told Reuters.

India’s economic growth is sitting at a six-year low and the Government has taken a series of steps to boost the economy.

So far this year, India’s central bank has cut rates four times and the benchmark rate currently sits at a near-decade low.

The country has relied on domestic consumption to fuel growth but spending has slowed sharply.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

Saturday, september 21, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES

(March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

dilbert

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Take a back seat and be observant. Figure out which way someone you love is leaning. Make suggestions that lead to a joint effort, romance and a step toward a new beginning.

You may feel a change is overdue, but unless everything is in place, you are best off waiting. Go to whomever is in charge and find out precisely what you need to proceed.

Follow your heart and prepare to take physical action to get what you want.

Socializing with the right people will lead to new beginnings.

Do whatever needs to be done and move on to projects that bring you joy. A unique approach to an old endeavour will bring it up to date and make it worth your while.

Get together with people who have something to offer or can help you see your full potential. An opportunity will develop with someone from your past.

Partnership problems will surface due to a lack of information, trust issues or a change of heart. Keep an open dialogue going to avoid a misunderstanding. Choose peace over discord.

Don’t offer personal information to someone showing interest in you. What you share will put you in a vulnerable position as the day progresses. Ask questions instead of answering them.

Your involvement in group endeavours or a rally for a cause you believe in will bring you in contact with someone who sparks your interest.

Set the record straight SAGITTARIUS concerning your likes and (Nov. 23dislikes. Don’t let anger Dec. 21) take charge; say what’s on your mind and head in whatever direction suits you best. Romance is encouraged.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

Protect your mental and emotional well-being. Don’t feel the need to take on responsibilities that don’t belong to you. Make personal changes that add to your comfort and ease stress.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Keep an open mind and listen to what’s being said, but don’t feel that you must make a change. Focus on personal gains, emotional stability and romance.

solution for LAST PUBLISHED puzzle

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Someone will play with your heart, causing you much confusion. Walk away from indulgent situations and people who are users.

saturday, september 21, 2019

19

Archer earns Test and white-ball ECB contracts for 2019-20 A

fter his seamless introduction to international cricket, Jofra Archer has been awarded Test and white-ball contracts by the ECB for the 2019-20 season.

Rory Burns and Joe Denly have also received deals, while there is no Test contract for Moeen Ali. After making his England debut in May, Archer had a stellar summer. He took the new ball during the World Cup, and bowled the crucial Super Over in the final at Lord's, following it up with 22 wickets at an average of 20 during the Ashes campaign.

He has already cemented his place in England's best team across all formats, and has been rewarded by Ashley Giles, England's Director of Cricket, with one of the 22 central contracts.

Surrey's Burns has been awarded a Test deal after his solid performance at the top of the order during the Ashes.

Denly, who missed out on World Cup selection at the last moment, but showed clear improvement during the Ashes, has been awarded a white-ball deal in recognition of his general improvement, and as a nod to a potential role in T20 cricket ahead of next year's World Cup. Jack Leach, who has cemented his

place as the number one Test spinner this summer, has been awarded an incremental contract for next season, alongside Surrey ‘quick’ Tom Curran, who was an unused member of the World Cup squad.

The immediate Test futures of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid look uncertain, after both were given just white-ball deals for next year, when they had had all-format contracts last time around; while Nottinghamshire's Alex Hales, dropped from the World Cup squad after failing a drugs test, Surrey's Liam Plunkett and Yorkshire's David Willey miss out altogether.

Contracts run for 12 months from October 1st. Test specialists and those playing in all forms of the game will have their salaries paid in full by the ECB. From 1 February 2020, the start of the ECB 2020 Financial Year, those on white-ball contracts will Jofra Archer

move from receiving a supplement on top of their county salary to having their salaries paid in full by the ECB as per Test-contracted players. Under the structure, players in both formats receive a 'ranking' based on their performances on the pitch, as well as a number of other factors, including offfield contribution, fielding and fitness. Those rankings then correlate with the level of remuneration.

Test Contracts: James Anderson (Lancashire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Rory Burns (Surrey), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Sam Curran (Surrey), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).

ODI/T20 Contracts: Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Joe Denly (Kent), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Ben Stokes (Durham), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham),* Incremental*Tom Curran (Surrey), Jack Leach (Somerset). (Cricbuzz)

Gabriel Barbosa earns Brazil recall, Gabriel Jesus returns

TKR set to battle jaded Zouks G T

he Trinbago Knight Riders have suffered only one defeat in their Hero CPL 2019 campaign ꟷ in their last match against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, wherein despite scoring 216 runs, the match had to be decided by a super over, and Carlos Brathwaite proved to be their nemesis with both bat and ball.

Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons and Kieron Pollard, who came out to bat for TKR in that super over, could manage only five runs, as opposed to the Patriots' 18.

That notwithstanding, the Trinbago Knight Riders are sitting comfortably in second place on

on the other hand, have just one win from four matches, which is why they have only two points and a net run rate of -0.691.

Rahkeem Cornwall and Obed McCoy are respectively their leading batsman and bowler.

Probable playing XI of both teams:

the CPL 2019 points table, with four wins and one loss from five matches. They have eight points and a net run rate of +0.97.

Lendl Simmons has been

the most successful TKR batsman with 261 runs from five matches, at an average of over 50. Kieron Pollard and Colin Munro have also been good. Allrounder James Neesham

has picked up the most wickets for the team, and will remain a vital cog in that wheel despite going for more than 60 runs in the last match.

The Saint Lucia Zouks,

St Lucia Zouks: Andre Fletcher, Rahkeem Cornwall, Kavem Hodge, Colin de Grandhomme, Daren Sammy, Roland Cato, Thisara Perera, Kesrick Williams, Hardus Viljoen, Obed McCoy, Fawad Ahmed Trinbago Knight Riders: Lendl Simmons, Darren Bravo, Colin Munro, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Mark Deyal, James Neesham, Seekkuge Prasanna, Khary Pierre, Anderson Phillip, Ali Khan.

abriel Barbosa has earned a recall to the Brazil squad for the friendlies against Senegal and Nigeria, following a rich vein of form at Flamengo.

Since arriving at Flamengo on loan from Inter in January, the 23-year-old striker Gabigol has scored 30 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions.

He has been rewarded by head coach Tite with a first call-up since the Copa America Centenario in 2016, and is joined by club team-mate Rodrigo Caio.

The news will come as a blow for Flamengo boss Jorge Jesus, though.

His side sit top of the Campeonato Brasileiro at the halfway point, but the league does not stop for the international calendar.

Athletico Paranaense goalkeeper Santos won the Copa do Brasil on Wednesday, and has been selected for international duty for the first time in his career, a fate shared by Gremio midfielder Matheus Henrique and Atletico Madrid left-back Renan Lodi.

Gabriel Jesus returns to the fold after sitting out the 2-2 draw against Colombia and the 1-0 loss to Peru in

September due to suspension.

Neymar, Richarlison, Everton and Roberto Firmino have also been named in a Selecao squad boasting a wealth of attacking options.

Brazil's 17-match unbeaten run came to an end when they went down to Peru, and they will hope to get back to winning ways against Senegal in Singapore on October 10.

(Sportsmax)

Brazil squad in full:

Ederson (Manchester City), Santos (Athletico Paranaense), Weverton (Palmeiras); Alex Sandro (Juventus), Dani Alves (Sao Paulo), Danilo (Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Renan Lodi (Atletico Madrid), Rodrigo Caio (Flamengo), Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain); Arthur (Barcelona), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Fabinho (Liverpool), Lucas Paqueta (AC Milan), Matheus Henrique (Gremio), Philippe Coutinho (Bayern Munich); Everton (Gremio), Gabriel Barbosa (Flamengo), Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City), Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain), Richarlison (Everton), R o b e r t o F i r m i n o (Liverpool).

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

saturday, september 21, 2019

Hero CPL 2019…

Allen stars as Tallawahs fall on Patriots’ sword again A

n unbroken 94-run partnership for the seventh wicket between Fabian Allen and Keron Cottoy set St Kitts & Nevis Patriots on their way to a 20-run victory over Jamaica Tallawahs, despite Glenn Phillips smashing 87 from 49 in reply.

The Patriots looked sure to finish below par when skipper Carlos Brathwaite was sixth out with just 82 on the board in the 13th over, but Allen launched a controlled and clinical assault on the Tallawahs bowling, and found a willing ally in Cottoy, who later picked up the allimportant wicket of Phillips.

Incredibly, Allen and Cottoy were able to add 81 in the last five overs of the Patriots innings, as the Tallawahs bowlers lost their way after an exemplary first 15 overs.

Openers Devon Thomas and Evin Lewis were both dismissed inside the first three overs, and a promising recovery partnership between Mohammad Hafeez and Laurie Evans ended in a mixup, with the latter being superbly run out by Ramaal Lewis.

Hafeez, Brooks and Brathwaite all then fell in the space of 12 balls, to leave the Patriots with their backs up against the proverbial wall.

Allen then took an over or two to play himself in, before launching a savage assault on the Tallawahs bowling. He had just six runs from seven balls going into the last five overs, but added another 56 runs from just 20 deliveries.

In Allen’s counter-attack, he blasted Zahir Khan for four boundaries in the 16th over, then drove former England bowler Jade Dernbach high and handsome over long-off for a Hero Maximum in the next over. Shamar Springer was swivel-pulled over long-leg for six more runs, before Allen milked 10 runs from two deliveries in the 19th over, which Dernbach bowled as his control deserted him.

Cottoy had been the quiet partner through much of this stand, but had some fun of his own in the final over with a lop over long-leg for six before he ended unbeaten on 27 from 23.

It was Allen, though, who had the final word as he clipped the last ball of the innings past short fine-leg for his seventh four, to

go with three sixes.

That the Tallawahs even got close was almost entirely down to the efforts of Phillips. He produced what was almost a lone hand, no other Tallawahs batsman even scored a boundary until the 11th over -- by which point Phillips had struck 12 of them, but was just left with too much to do.

Every time a wicket fell - and three fell before the score reached 50 - Phillips had a response. When Gayle succumbed to the early pressure applied by Mohammad Hafeez and Sheldon Cottrell, Phillips took 18 runs from the four balls left in the over.

Three times Cottrell was put away through the offside for four, while a straighter delivery disappeared over square-leg.

When Chadwick Walton chipped a return catch to Alzarri Joseph, Phillips took a six and a four off Allen in the next. And when Dwayne Smith miscued Joseph to be caught at mid-off, Phillips found the boundary twice before that over was out.

By the time Phillips took Brathwaite for back-to-back Hero Maximums in the ninth over, the scorecard had a bizarrely lopsided look to it, with the Tallawahs 79/3 and Phillips having scored 68 of them.

He finally got some help from a slightly unexpected source: Imran Khan, promoted up the order to number five and contributing 20 to a fourth-wicket partnership of 69, before offering a return catch to the deserving Hafeez. That wicket came from his final ball, after he had conceded just 13 in his four overs.

That wicket brought Andre Russell to the crease, but on this occasion his stay was a brief one. Going for the big shot first ball, he succeeded only in skying Rayad Emrit to Cottrell at midwicket, to return the initiative back to the Patriots.

Phillips finally fell in the next, looking for his sixth Hero Maximum of the night, but being unable to clear Brooks at longon.

Javelle Glen then steered Emrit straight to short third-man to leave the lower order to try and finish the chase. Despite a couple of big hits from Shamar Springer, it proved beyond them.

(Excerpted from CPL)

3

SCOREBOARD

Patriots Innings DC Thomas † c †Phillips b Smith 3 E Lewis c Walton b Dernbach 7 LJ Evans run out (Lewis/†Phillips) 21 Mohammad Hafeez c Gayle b Springer 37 SSJ Brooks lbw b Zahir Khan CR Brathwaite (c) c Glen b Russell 3 FA Allen not out 62 KJ Cottoy not out 27 Extras 10 (b 4, lb 1, nb 2, w 3) TOTAL 176/6 (20 Overs, RR: 8.8) Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Devon Thomas, 1.4 ov), 2-19 (Evin Lewis, 2.6 ov), 3-65 (Laurie Evans, 8.5 ov), 4-76 (Mohammad Hafeez, 10.2 ov), 5-80 (Shamarh Brooks, 11.4 ov), 6-82 (Carlos Brathwaite, 12.1 ov) BOWLING O M R W AD Russell 3 0 17 1 DR Smith 4 0 18 1 JW Dernbach 4 0 46 1 SK Springer 4 0 50 1 Zahir Khan 4 0 31 1 I Khan1090 * Jamaica Tallawahs Innings (target: 177 runs from 20 overs) CH Gayle c Cottoy b Cottrell 1 GD Phillips † c Brooks b Cottoy

87

CAK Walton (c) c & b Joseph 1 DR Smith c Brathwaite b Joseph 4 I Khan c & b Mohammad Hafeez 20 AD Russell c Cottrell b Emrit 0 SK Springer c Brathwaite b Cottrell 30 J Glen c Joseph b Emrit 0 RA Lewis c Emrit b Brathwaite 4 JW Dernbach run out (†Thomas/ Cottrell) 0 Zahir Khan not out 0 Extras 9 (b 4, nb 2, w 3) TOTAL 156 all out (19.5 Overs, RR: 7.86) Fall of wickets: 1-3 (Chris Gayle, 2.2 ov), 2-28 (Chadwick Walton, 4.2 ov), 3-46 (Dwayne Smith, 6.3 ov), 4-115 (Imran Khan, 13.6 ov), 5-116 (Andre Russell, 14.2 ov), 6-123 (Glenn Phillips, 15.4 ov), 7-131 (Javelle Glen, 16.3 ov), 8-156 (Shamar Springer, 19.2 ov), 9-156 (Jade Dernbach, 19.3 ov), 10-156 (Ramaal Lewis, 19.5 ov) BOWLING O M R W SS Cottrell 3.3 0 33 2 Mohammad Hafeez 4 0 13 1 FA Allen 2 0 21 0 AS Joseph 4 0 37 2 KJ Cottoy 2 0 10 1 CR Brathwaite 1.2 0 17 1 RR Emrit 3 0 21 2

BCB-New York Business Group Under-19 Tournament...

Four teams advance to semis T

he 2019 Berbice Cricket Board/New York Business Group Under-19 Cricket Tournament, recently restarted after the long rainy season, has seen four teams advance to the semifinals after defeating their rivals in the quarterfinals played last week.

National player Junior Sinclair stroked his third century of the tournament during the quarterfinals, while outstanding performances were also recorded by Kevlon Anderson, Gevon Schultz, Garfield Benjamin, Chanderpaul Govindan, Gouraz Ramesh, Kevin Umroa, Satnarine Singh and Andy Tejraj At Cumberland Ground in Canje, Rose Hall Town Pepsi ‘A’, playing against the Young Warriors of Cumberland, Canje, won the toss and elected to bat. They scored 303 for 4 from 45 overs. Junior Sinclair scored 170 not out with eight boundaries and two sixes. He received support from Chanderpaul Govindan with 45, Kevlon Anderson with 35 and Vikash Subramanie with 18. Alex Algoo claimed 2 wickets for 34 runs and Ricardo Ramdehol 1 for 37 for a tired looking Young Warriors Cricket Club.

Young Warriors Cricket Club, in response, were bowled out for 109 in 26.4 overs to lose the match by 194 runs. Carl Gilgeous with 37 and Alex Algoo with 32 top scored.

The RHT Pepsi ‘A’ bowling attack was spearheaded by Jonathan Rampersaud with 3 for 12, Dorasammy Mahadeo

Garfield Benjamin

with 2 for 33, and Jeremy Sandia with 2 for 2.

At the Canje Ground, Tucber Park ‘A’ crushed RHT Pepsi ‘B’ by 202 runs.

Batting first, Tucber Park Cricket Club recovered from 14 for 3 to reach 228 for 9 in 46 overs. National players Garfield Benjamin with 81, Gevon Schultz with 34, Leon Swammy with 54 and Abdul Ramsammy with 22 were the principal scorers, as Naicholas Lawson took 3 for 37 from 9 overs. Rayad Rahaman, who took 2 for 19, bowled well, and Christopher Deroop and Matthew Pottaya each took a wicket. Rose Hall Town Pepsi ‘B’ comprising of mainly under-15 and under-13

players were dismissed for 26 from 20 overs as national junior players Gevon Schultz with 4 for 5 and Leon Swammy with 3 for 6 were in destructive mood.

At the historic Albion Community Centre Ground, Albion Community Centre defeated Blairmont Community Centre by 93 runs. Albion Community Centre amassed 178 all out in 43.4 overs, with Inzam Shazam’s 36, Antonio February’s 34, Sarwan Chaitnarine’s 33 and Reyad Karim’s 29 being the top scores, while Andy Tejraj took 5 for 31 as Blairmont’s best bowler.

Blairmont Community

Junior Sinclair

Centre, in response, disappointed with the bat, and were bowled out for 85 in 30 overs. Marvin Prashad’s 47, Nigel Deodat’s 19 and Seon Glasgow’s 14 were the best returns, as left-arm spinners Gourav Ramesh with 6 for 9 from 8.5 overs and Kevin Umroa with 3 for 12 spun webs around those batsmen.

At the Cotton Tree Ground, Rose Hall Canje upset Zone ‘A’

Paradise by 95 r u n s .

Rose Hall Canje made 160 all out, with Aviskhar Persaud’s 30 and Demitri Griffith’s 24 being the top scores.

Travis Charles with 3 for 30 was the leading bowler for Paradise.

Paradise were bowled out for 65, with only Travis Charles reaching double figures with 15. Satnarine Singh with 4 for 24, Isaiah Thorne with 2 for 15 and Travis Sinclair with 2 for 1 bowled well for Canje.

Scores in matches leading up to the Quarterfinals: At the Area ‘H’ Ground, RHT Pepsi ‘A’ defeated No. 73 Cricket Club by seven wickets. No. 72 Cricket Club made 123 all out in 32.1 overs. Karran Persaud made 36, and Rudy Jamaladin 35. Tyrese Sealey took 3 for 15, Lucas Arthur took 3 for 21, and Kevlon Anderson took 2 for 12.

RHT Pepsi ‘A’ scored 133 for 3 in 14.1 overs. Kevlon Anderson contributed 64, and Jonathan Rampersaud 33 not out.

At Port Mourant Ground, RHT Pepsi ‘A’ defeated Port Mourant Cricket Club by 247 runs. RHT Pepsi ‘A’ scored 307 for 7 from 45 overs, with Junior Sinclair contributing 114, Vikash Subramanie 37,

and Kevlon Anderson 81.

Rampertab Ramnauth took 5 for 33, and Mark Ramalho took 2 for 36. Port Mourant Cricket Club scored 60 all out in 19.5 overs. T. Sukhraj made 18, and Doorsammy Mahadeo took 4 for 28 from 8 overs.

Tyrese Sealey took 2 for 12.

At the Area ‘H’ Ground, Albion Community Centre ’A’ defeated RHT Pepsi ‘A’ by 7 wickets. RHT Pepsi ‘A’ scored 60 all out in 21.2 overs, with Jason Sinclair contributing 16, and Kevlon Anderson 28. Surendra Ramcharitar took 6 for 19, and Beesham Surujnarine 2 for 9. Albion Community Centre ‘A’ scored 61 for 3 in 15 overs. Jeetendra Outar scored 17, and Kevlon Anderson took 2 for 20.

At Rose Hall Canje Ground, Tucber Park ‘A’ defeated Rose Hall Canje by 7 wickets. Rose Hall Canje Cricket Club scored 80 all out in 29 overs, with Avishkar Persaud making 12, and Isaiah Thorne 20. Abdul Ramsammy took 5 for 12, and Melvin Singh took 3 for 24. Tucber Park Cricket Club scored 87 for 3 off 10 overs, with Anthony Williams making 14, Leon Swammy 25, and Zeynul Ramsammy 15 not out.

Isaiah Thorne took 1 for 39 from 4 overs, and Sanjay Algoo took 2 for 18 from 3 overs.

This tournament which has been sponsored by several New York-based businessmen via the Albion Community Centre Cricket Club, is scheduled to be completed on Saturday October 19, 2019, with the finals being played at the No. 69 Ground in the Upper Corentyne area.

21 Teams urged to make deposit as GSCL Inc PM T20 Cup draws near guyanatimesgy.com

saturday, september 21, 2019

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T

he Georgetown Softball Cricket League (GSCL) Inc will be hosting their third edition of the Prime Minister’s T20 Cup from November 1-3 in Georgetown.

Several top local teams will be battling for supremacy against their counterparts from New York, Canada and Florida.

Participation in this tournament, which was launched recently at the GNIC Sports Club, does not require an entrance fee, but participating teams must make a deposit of $60,000 as collateral, which will be refunded after the preliminary round matches on the second day of the competition.

According to President of the GSCL Inc, Ian John, the fee is a guarantee that the teams registered will be participating fully. John disclosed that issues had arisen in the past when teams that were listed on the fixtures pulled out at the last moment, causing some hiccups, since it is difficult to replace teams at the last moment.

The teams listed to participate are asked to deposit their collateral on or before September 27 to the organisers of this tournament at GSCL Inc at 69 Seaforth Street, Campbellville.

The drawing of the tournament, which is being held in collaboration with the National Sports Commission and The Ministry of the Presidency’s Department of Social Cohesion, Culture, Youth and Sport, will be held on October 13.

The competition will consist of three categories, namely the Over-45, Over-50 and Open, and matches will be played at venues in Georgetown. For the Over-50 category, three players at the age of 49 will be accepted, while two players at the age of 43 will be accommodated in the playing XI in the Over-45 category. Matches will be played at the following grounds: Police SC, YMCA, ECC, GYO, GNICSC, MSC and DCC. The GSCL Inc has indicated that both off-break and round arm bowling would be allowed, but chucking will not be accepted, and the umpires will be very strict on this rule, as well as reports on match fixing and teams turning up late for matches.

Flashback! Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and Minister George Norton among other representatives at the Prime Minister’s Cup opening

Off-field entertainment, which includes cheerleaders, will be provided. Regal Masters and Speedboat are the respective defending champions in the Over-45 and Open categories.

Following the semifinals on November 2, the finals will be held on November 3 at Everest CC, commencing with the Over-50 category from 10:00hrs. This will be followed by the Over-45 final from 13:30hrs, while the Open final will be played under lights from 18:00hrs.

There will be lots of giveaways for the fans.

The winning team in the Open category will take home a trophy and $500,000, while the runners- up will receive a trophy and $100,000. The man-of-the-match in the final will receive a trophy and $10,000, and the MVP will be given one Hero Honda motorcycle.

The champions in the Over-45 category will pocket a trophy and $500,000, and the runners-up will pocket a

trophy and $100,000. The man-of-the-match in the final will take home a trophy and $10,000 and the MVP will take home one 55” smart TV. The Over-50 category is dubbed the Legends category. The winner therein would be given a trophy and $300,000, and the runner-up would be given a trophy and $50,000. The man-of-the-match will collect a trophy and $10,000, and the MVP would collect one gold bracelet.

Among the sponsors of this tourney are Banks DIH, Regal Stationery and Computer Centre, and Regal Sports, Crown Mining, Rajiv Gandhi University, Green Heart University, Star Party Rentals, Supreme Ventures, Elegance Jewellery, Cyber Sports Pakistan, Ink Plus the computer store, Dyna’s Embroidery, KFC, USA Cricket Zone, Krsna and Balram Printery and Hero MotorcyleRose Ramdehol.

Bel Air Rubis Dr Puran Singh donates supports Wakenaam computer, printer as office T20 tourney

BCB’s 80th anniversary celebrations…

upgrading continues

ꟷ Republic Bank on board as sponsorships continue to pour in

T

he Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) is continuing the celebration of its 80th Anniversary with the upgrading of its offices at Cheddi Jagan Street in New Amsterdam.

BCB President Hilbert Foster, who is spearheading the celebrations, has said that upgrading the outdated office is a main priority of the BCB, with other main priorities being educational competitions, honouring of heroes and assisting youths to make positive differences in their lives.

Barbados-based Berbician Dr. Puran Singh, an official sponsor of the BCB, last week donated a desktop computer and printer as part of the office upgrading effort. Attorney-at-Law Arun Gossai handed over the donation on behalf of Dr. Puran Singh.

Foster has said that having its own computer and printer would enable the BCB to conduct all of its business internally and at the same time reduce its operating cost.

As part of the upgrading, the BCB Office now has a television set, DVD player, fax machine, telephone set, electric fans, kitchen utensils, water dispenser, water pitcher, and office equipment among other amenities. The BCB would shortly receive a three-piece

chair suite from A.H.& L Kissoon, while sponsorships have been obtained to purchase folding chairs and plastic chairs for the hosting of meetings, and the roof would be covered with PVC ceiling and the floor would be tiled.

Foster has said that his administration has, over the last nineteen months, been concentrating on restoring Berbice Cricket to its dominance on the field, assisting clubs and players, hosting developmental programmes, and uniting all factions of Berbice Cricket.

With Berbice Cricket again on strong footing, the BCB is now seeking to upgrade its services to the general public. Since inheriting a meagre $43,000 from the former administration, the Foster-led BCB has raised over $18 million in cash and kind, and has launched over 50 cricket tournaments at several levels, including under-13, under-15, under-17, under-19, under-21, female, second division, internal zone, double wickets, intermediate, primary schools, secondary schools and First Division.

The New Amsterdam Branch of Republic Bank (Guy) Ltd has also donated to the BCB $75,000 towards purchasing trophies and medals, while other

donations have been received from Spready’s Snackette, Sentinel Security, J’s Printery, Guyana National Newspapers Limited, University of Guyana, Poonai’s Pharmacy, Balram Shane General Store, Canadian Surplus, Devandra Bishoo, Anthony Bramble, Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh, Gudakesh Motie, Massy Berbice, Attorney-at-Law Rodwell Jugmohan, Sukhpaul Gas Station, RHTY&SC,MS, Delmur Shipping, and Caribbean Nation Group, among others.

Bakewell, further, has donated 100 souvenir 80th Anniversary Cups, Metro Office Supplies donated all of the certificates and foam boards for the ‘Honouring of Heroes’, while the National Communication Network has donated a onehour television programme during prime time for the Quiz Competition.

Foster has said that the BCB, like the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS, was easily able to get sponsorship for its programmes because of its outstanding record of service to Berbice. He has expressed gratitude to all donors for the 80th Anniversary, and has pledged that the BCB would continue to uphold the high standards it has set itself in the past two years.

ꟷ tourney starts tomorrow

M

any entities are throwing their support behind the Wakenaam Cricket Committee’s T20 tournament, among them is the Rubis Gas Station of Bel Air Public Road, Greater Georgetown, which has joined Trophy Stall at Bourda Market in this support initiative.

The Wakenaam Cricket Committee is staging a T20 competition on that Essequibo river island. The competition has attracted seven teams: Good Success, Sans Souci, Sans Souci Jaguars, G Square Cavaliers, Noitgedacht SC, Zeelandia and Maria’s Pleasure. These teams will be divided into two groups and will play each other once, following which the top two teams will go through to the semifinals.

Speaking at a simple presentation ceremony at Bourda Market, Bel Air Rubis representative Melvern Subrina Singh thanked the Wakenaam Cricket Committee for giving Rubis opportunity to be associated with this initiative, adding that the company is delighted to extend support.

“In these areas such as Wakenaam, there is an abundance of talented youths. However, they need the necessary exposure to excel. Staging a competition can be somewhat taxing on the organisers, especially when it comes to sponsorship; so we have decided to contribute towards the development of the game there,” she said.

Added that Rubis is passionate about the game and its personnel are looking forward to a successful and exciting competition, she wished the teams well.

In an invited comment, Secretary of the Wakenaam Cricket Committee, Nazeer Mohamed, expressed gratitude to the sponsors, Lalta Gainda CEO of Bel Air Rubis and Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall, for making the competition possible.

Mohamed informed that the tournament is set to commence on Sunday at the Wakenaam Community Centre ground, but adverse weather conditions have left sections of the outfield waterlogged, putting the matches in doubt. He added that excess sunshine is needed to get the ground match ready.

Mohamed pointed out that sponsorship is essential for staging any competition, adding that this is one of the WCC’s main challenges. He informed that Good Success, Sans Souci Jaguars, Sans Souci and Zeelandia are in Group A, while Noitgedacht SC, Maria’s Pleasure and G Square Cavaliers SC are in Group B. SS Jaguars are set to play Zeelandia at 09:30hrs, while Maria’s Pleasure are schedule to play G Square Cavaliers at 13:30hrs in the opening fixtures on Sunday.

22

saturday, september 21, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

Heritage Games 2019…

Laluni, Swan highlight day of play

By Timothy Jaikarran

T

he Everest Cricket Club ground at the confluence of Camp Road and Carifesta Avenue in Georgetown was the venue to be when the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs’ Heritage Sports Month celebrations commenced.

Male cricket Region One vs Sand Hills was the first match of the day.

Region One took to the crease first, and posted 74-4 in their allotted overs. Their top-scorers were Keyon La Rose with 24, Orison Sealy with 18, and Dexell Booker, who remained unbeaten

on 32, but it wasn’t enough to save his side, as Michael Sutton, Shane La Rose, Keyon La Rose and Tariq Mohamed each bagged a wicket to hand their side victory.

Campbell Town v Region 3 Unlike the opening game, this matchup was rather simple, as Region 5, who opted to bat first, could only afford a total of 48-8, with Garfield John being the top scorer with 12.

The Region 5 innings was wrecked by the bowling of Romario Nascimento, Dorian Grenion and Junior

A section of the crowd observing an ongoing game of cricket

This powerful shot muscled the ball out of the ground

Part of the action in the female cricket

Events began with hundreds of spectators and athletes gathering to witness the highly anticipated cricket matches, in which all teams were designated 10 overs per side. The males battled it out using tape ball, while the females played softball.

McIntosh, who each bagged a wicket; and Sherwin Clements and Keron Shaw, who each picked up two valuable wickets.

Campbell Town wasted no time in chasing down the total, ending on 49-2 in 6.2 overs, and winning by 8 wickets as Ron Williams led the way with a quick-fire 21. No bowler of the

on 17.

Bowling for Sand Hills were Daniel Leacock with 3-6 and Joshua Leacock with 1-9.

Needing 75 to win, Sand Hills were prepped for victory, but things didn’t quite go the way they had planned, and they were restricted to 59-5. Joshua Leacock remained unbeaten

GAICO Grand Prix Chess Tournament shifted to National Aquatic Centre

T

he inaugural GAICO Grand Prix Chess Tournament gets underway today at the National Aquatic Centre at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown from 13:00hrs.

Players are asked to take note that this event will not be held at National Resource Centre.

Registration starts at noon, and the fee is $500 for seniors; juniors participate without charge. All chess players are invited.

The Grand Prix Tournament is the first in a series organised by the new executive of the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) to canvass top Guyanese chess players to represent Guyana at the Chess Olympiad in Russia next year.

In this tournament, each player will be allotted 90 minutes per round, plus 30-second increments after each move. Interested players can contact Rashad on 681-6000 or Davion on 656-4032 for more information.

This tournament consists of eight rounds, the first three of which will be run off this weekend. Round four is set for Wednesday, September 25 from 17:00h, and the remaining four rounds will be concluded on the following weekend.

The GCF hopes that through these tournaments the game of chess can be revolutionised, and thus create the first Guyanese GM by the year 2022.

Newly-elected GCF President, Frankie Farley, is upbeat about this new initiative. “I see the series of tournaments being the catalyst that will catapult the development of

opposing team could pose any threat to this team.

Laluni v Region 2 Defending champions Laluni lost the opening toss, thus Region 2 posted a commanding total of 89-5 in their allotted 10 overs, wherein balls flew to every part of the Everest Cricket

Ground.

Shaquille Rigby, Sylvan Williams and Patel Persaud were the chief scorers with figures of 20, 25 and 19 runs respectively, while Avinash Mohabir and Troy Domingo each bagged two wickets.

Needing 90 for victory, the defending champions got off to a miserable start, and lost wickets at key intervals, forcing them on the back foot. The heroics of Maxie Vieira, however, propelled his team to victory as he single-handedly pulled off the impossible in 7.3 overs. Vieira top-scored with 52, launching balls out of the park many times.

Although Sylvian Williams, Shaquille Rigby and Patel Persaud bagged wickets, they were unable to stop the Vieira onslaught as Laluni ended on 91-

Female cricket Swan battled Region 2 in a thriller, wherein Region 2 posted 80 all-out. However, Swan made light work of the total, ending on 81-7, and winning the game by 3 wickets.

Region 10 then defeated Region 5 with consummate ease. Batting first, Region 5 posted 76-4 in their allotted 10 overs. Region 10 came to the crease and surpassed that amount with a brilliant 77-8, despite losing wickets at key moments.

Region 6 then lost to Region 3, but the encounter was a thriller from the first ball bowled. Region 6 posted 55-6, while Region 3 ended on 56-2 to take the spoils.

Hero CPL Hurricane Dorian Relief Fund…

US$60,000+ raised thus far

T

he Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) have been working with their very supportive sponsors and commercial partners to raise funds to support relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.

At the end of the match between Jamaica Tallawahs and Guyana Amazon Warriors, on Wednesday 18th September, the total raised had surpassed US$40,000.

The sponsors who have supported this effort so far are: Angostura Lemon & Lime Bitters, Sunshine Snacks, El Dorado, and the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots franchise.

As the tournament progresses, more Hero CPL sponsors will be getting involved in this programme.

In addition, the Republic Bank “6 for 6” Initiative has thus far raised more than US$22,000 for these relief efforts, with US$60 to be given by Republic Bank for each six hit during this year’s Hero CPL. Damien O’Donohoe, CEO of the Hero CPL, has said: “We were devastated to see the destruction caused by Dorian in the Bahamas, and we want to do all we can to raise funds to generate much-needed support for those who have been affected by these terrible events.

We would like to extend our thanks to Republic Bank, Angostura Lemon & Lime Bitters, Sunshine Snacks, and El Dorado for their support of this cause, and we look forward to more of our sponsors working with us to raise funds.” (CPL)

GCF President Frankie Farley

chess in Guyana when combined with other initiatives. The tournaments have the potential to stimulate interest in play, knowing wins translate to the opportunity to make the Guyana 2020 Olympiad Chess Team,” Farley declared.

The GCF intends to implement chess-playing in schools; formulate initiatives to foster the formation of clubs; increase women’s participation in the playing of chess; start grassroots programmes in regard to the playing of chess; develop an interest in this game in hinterland regions; and facilitate diaspora participation in the promotion of chess locally.

4.

CPL and LLB representatives stand with Hurricane Relief cheque

guyanatimesgy.com

saturday, september 21, 2019

23

Flawless Amazon Warriors aiming to extend dominance against Tridents

Brandon King

By Brandon Corlette

H

aving achieved the rare feat of winning five matches in a row, the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) will be seeking to extend this unbeaten streak when they clash with the Barbados Tridents tomorrow (Sunday September 22) at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados from 18:00 hours local time.

The GAW have been led

by the courageous captain Shoaib Malik, who has 146 runs in three matches, while Shimron Hetmyer, who had a breakthrough year in the 2018 Hero Caribbean Premier League, has 148 runs -the most for the GAW. The GAW and the Tridents have battled in 12 contests in the history of CPL, with the GAW winning eight of those matches to the Tridents’ four –which importantly includes a win over Guyana in the final of the 2014 CPL. This season, the GAW have looked hungrier for the title, and have displayed dominance. Tridents have felt the wrath of the Warriors earlier in the season, when GAW inflicted a 47-run defeat on the Tridents at Providence.

A huge positive for the GAW this season has been their young local players stepping to the forefront to register meaningful perfor-

mances.

Chandrapaul Hemraj, who has 132 runs, and Romario Shepherd has led from the front in the first few matches. The trio: Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul and Sherfane Rutherford, have simply continued from where the left off in CPL 2018. The trio enjoyed success at the Indian Premier League, and have played integral roles in the GAW’s five wins thus far.

Shepherd has seven wickets in four matches. He displayed the art of death bowling with the use of accurate Yorkers.

Paul has been coming into his own, picking up wickets with ease; he has sev-

wickets in five matches thus far. Rutherford, who is usually tasked with the job of finishing off the innings with the bat for GAW, has been perfecting his role when given his opportunity. In his three innings, he has a stellar strike rate o f

211, with a high score of 32 not out.

Meanwhile, the overseas and regional boys have been contributing significantly to the GAW cause. Malik has led the way as captain, while Brandon King and Nicholas Pooran have shown their worth with the bat. King has 143 runs, while Pooran is one run shy of a century in his four innings.

Spin trio Imran Tahir, Qais Ahmed and Chris Green are simply the best spinners in the tournament, turning matches in GAW’s favour.

en

Opposing team Tridents looked a formidable unit on paper, but have failed to make a big impact in their few matches. Starting their home leg, the Tridents will be looking to turn things around when they meet the GAW at Kensington Oval.

GAW enjoy a 3-1 win in CPL matches played at this venue. The Jason Holder-led team includes top guns in Alex Hales, JP Duminy, and world class young leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, among other local stars.

In their three matches thus far, Duminy has scored 94 runs, while the rookie Leniko Boucher has 93 runs.

Holder has led with the ball, with his five wickets in as many matches. Hales will be aiming to make a significant score at the Oval, where he scored an

ODI century for England against the West Indies.

Alex Hales

Keemo Pau

Rapid ticket sales continue as play-off sales commence T

he largest crowd seen in a while gathered yesterday at 238 Camp and Quamina streets in Georgetown as the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) ticket sales continued in Guyana, with patrons turning out in overwhelming numbers to purchase tickets for the remaining matches at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence.

Sale of tickets for the play-off matches which will bowl off on Sunday October 6 commenced yesterday, Friday September 20. It was reliably confirmed on Thursday last by

John Ramsingh, Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) Media Officer, that tickets for the GAW vs Trinbago Knight Riders match have been completely sold out. That match between the CPL giants will commence on Friday October 4, 2019.

Meanwhile, tickets for all stands for the match between Jamaica Tallawahs and the GAW are available, with the play-off tickets moving at a rapid pace.

This reporter visited the ticket office and readily observed that patrons had equipped

themselves with umbrellas to combat the sweltering heat. Hundreds of cricket supporters were seen along Camp Street in a line stretching for a great distance. Tickets for all matches are available at the CPL main office on Camp and Quamina Streets, Georgetown.

The remaining matches that will be played at the Guyana National Stadium are

as follows: > Thursday October 3: Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Jamaica Tallawahs from 18:00h > Friday October 4: Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Trinbago Knight Riders from 20:00h > Sunday October 6: Qualifier 1, which commences at 11:00h followed by the Eliminator at 15:30h

Some of the purchasers at the cashier of the Ticket Office

saturday, september 21, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Page 23

Flawless Amazon Warriors aiming to extend dominance against Tridents

Rapid ticket sales continue as play-off sales commence

Page 23 Beating the heat! Patrons gathered to purchase tickets form a line that began from outside the building and stretched into the distance on Camp Street (Brandon Corlette photos)

Ticket sales for the play-off matches attracted a large number of supporters

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