Guyana Times September 26, 2018

$77M education complex commissioned in Region 3

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

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Issue No. 3698

PRICE

IDB to Govt: Do more competitive bidding, less single sourcing

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE: Rusal workers' future

Govt awaiting report from ‘non-existent’ task force P7

Page 3

Linden man in leaked rape video commits suicide Page 11

$30B GuySuCo bond

Berbice man stabs wife to death

SPU Hhead admits Republic Bank P10 complained about misuse of funds

Page 13

Contraband in prison

4 prison officers in P14 hot water for smuggling rum, cigarettes

Wages/benefits saga

GTU accuses Labour Dept of bullish behaviour P12

Ramnarine’s role to be determined after annual leave ends – Commissioner The National Trust of Guyana partnered in a joint venture with local businesses to make the much-needed restoration of the iconic St George’s Cathedral possible.

In this photo by Guyana Times photographer Adam Baksh, work is seen ongoing on the western side of the building

Tougher penalties against electoral fraud needed – Jagdeo Page 2

Banks DIH employee dies in NA crash Page 13

…former acting Top Cop reportedly seeking legal advice on non-confirmation

P9

Policeman caught stealing cellphone P9 charged

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wednesdAY, september 26, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Tougher penalties against electoral fraud needed – Jagdeo …says fraud detected in over half of Local Authority Areas

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eople’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo is arguing for tougher penalties for political parties found to be engaging in electoral fraud, even as discrepancies with candidate lists have already started appearing.

Jagdeo made this statement at his press conference on Monday. At the time, he revealed that there were already several instances of electoral fraud for the 2018 Local Government Elections (LGE). According to Jagdeo, as many as 42 out of 80 Local Authority Areas have cases of forged signatures or persons being tricked into signing backers’ lists.

“They were told that they were signing for something else, that this is for GECOM. They were told they’re signing for trenches or better roads or to get a Justice of Peace application approved.

“But remember the number – 42 of 80 areas, we have seen this kind of illegality. And this is why we will be pressing ahead to urge GECOM [Guyana Elections Commission] now for the national elections to look at areas where we will strengthen penalties for transgressions of the law. Not just for ROs (Returning Officers) and election officials, but also

numbers of them.”

Fraud

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

for parties contesting elections when they act fraudulently.”

According to Jagdeo, his party’s advocacy will in-

into the RO office in order to complain about their inclusion on candidate lists.

“This is a large scale, it’s a massive set of fraudu-

This comes in the wake of reports from Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) of signatures representing a dead person, overseas-based Guyanese and even the illiterate appearing on an Alliance For Change (AFC) list.

There have also been reports that there was electoral fraud on a PPP list from Wakenaam. However, Jagdeo has since promised that his party would withdraw from contention in that constituency if it is proven that his party can-

this was only one area, whereas claims of electoral fraud by other parties occurred in several areas.

Meanwhile, AFC General Secretary Marlon Williams was contacted on Tuesday and claimed not to have any evidence of electoral fraud involving AFC lists. According to Williams, however, he would be “eager” for such cases to be brought to his attention.

Signatures representing one dead person, six who live overseas, and 18 who claim they did not sign the forms, including a man who cannot read or write, have all appeared on forms submitted to the RO when the

Dhanraj Deonat said he could neither read nor write. His ID card has a thumb print representing his signature

clude greater definition of what the offences are and stiffer penalties. He noted that a number of PPP supporters have been going

lent action… 42 of 80 Local Authority Areas they have submitted fraudulent information. And we’re getting the people now, large

The AFC list has a signature for Dhanraj Deonat despite his inability to sign

didates engaged in fraud.

The General Secretary pointed out, however, that

AFC list was presented to GECOM on Friday.

Relatives of Radha

AFC General Secretary Marlon Williams

Jugroo said she died in the USA on June 26, 2018, but her name and a signature purporting to be hers have appeared on the AFC list.

The daughter of Dhanraj Deonat — Babita Davie — has also told this publication it was impossible for her father to have signed the AFC list, because he can neither read nor write.

She explained that Deonat uses his thumbprint whenever he is required to sign something.

The woman also presented her father’s National Identification Card to show that the number corresponds with the number affixed next to Deonat’s name on the AFC list submitted to GECOM. On the identification card there is a thumb print in place of a signature.

news

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wednesdAY, september 26, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Wednesday, September 26 – 05:00h-06:30h and Thursday, September 27 – 05:00h-06:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Wednesday, September 26 – 05:00h-06:30h and Thursday, September 27 – 05:35h-07:05h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunny conditions as well as light rain showers are expected during the morning, with thundery showers expected in the afternoon and early evening hours giving way to light cloudy skies. Temperatures are expected to range between 22 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East to East North-easterly and North-easterly between 2.34 metres and 3.57 metres.

High Tide: 05:08h and 17:22h reaching maximum heights of 2.76 metres and 2.77 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 10:59h and 23:16h reaching minimum heights of 0.48 metre and 0.41 metre respectively.

SATURDAY, september 22, 2018

LOTTERY NUMBERS

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10 12 14

17 21 26

FREE TICKET

02 Bonus Ball

TuesDAY, september 25, 2018 DAILY MILLIONS

05 08 18 20 21 LUCKY 3

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Afternoon Draw

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Evening Draw

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PAY DAY

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16 19 20 SUPER PAY DAY

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

IDB to Govt: Do more competitive bidding, less single sourcing A

key Inter-American Development report (IDB) has recommended that countries in the region, including Guyana, implement a number of measures aimed at improving public procurement.

The report, titled ‘Better spending for better lives: How Latin America and the Caribbean can do more with less’, has identified poor procurement practices as a contributor to wasted public funds.

Among its recommendations for countries in the region are for governments to avoid single sourced contracts and concentrate on competitive bidding. In fact, it was advised that open tendering be the default method of procurement.

“Use competitive and efficient tendering and limit the use of exceptions and single source procurement,” the report states. “Use open tendering as the default method and modern tools (such as) framework agreements, electronic catalogues and reverse auctions for standardised products.”

In addition, the report advises that governments in the region publish annual procurement plans, as part of a comprehensive framework that would set out the Government’s goals and priority areas.

“Publishing annual procurement plans increases accountability of contracting authorities, as they need to justify diverging from the plan,” the report points out, attributing this piece of advice to the European Commission.

The report also advises that all stages of public procurement, including all Government personnel involved in the process, be brought under a centralised procurement agency. And while Guyana does have a National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), the report also advises that this agency oversee and promote training of personnel.

Single sourcing

Over the past few years, Guyana has been plagued with instances of single sourced contracts. One instance in particular is a contract for which Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson sought permission from Cabinet to single source. That transaction is now engaging the attention of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).

The contract in question was awarded to Dutch company, LievenseCSO, for a feasibility study into

The feasibility study for the new Demerara River bridge was a sole sourced contract

the new Demerara Rver bridge. The parliamentary Opposition had requested that the Public Procurement Commission investigate the award of the $148 million sole sourced contract.

In its report on the matter, the Commission flagged Minister Patterson for requesting from Cabinet that the contract be sole sourced… instead of being processed through the Procurement Board, as stipulated by law.

Then there is the sole sourced Sussex Street bond.

Earlier this year, questions on notice from the parliamentary Opposition in the National Assembly revealed that the State has paid out over $264 million in rental fees for the Sussex Street drug bond. In the response tabled by Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence, it was stated that this sum was paid from July 2016

to March 2018 to Linden Holdings Incorporated.

When it comes to action being taken to end the arrangement, Lawrence revealed that a Notice of Quit dated October 31, 2016, was sent by the then Permanent Secretary of the Public Health Ministry, Trevor Thomas.

Further, current Permanent Secretary Colette Adams had sent a reminder dated October 3, 2017.

The transaction first came to light in 2016 during consideration of Financial

Papers, when it was discovered that Government had in fact entered a contract to pay a VAT-excluded $12.5 million monthly rental to Linden Holdings Inc for the storage of drugs and medical supplies.

It was also discovered that $25 million was already spent as a security deposit, in addition to $12.5 million, representing monthly rentals from August to December 2016.

Government has since announced that the rental arrangement has ended.

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wednesdAY, september 26, 2018

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

City Hall’s CoI T

he decision by the Local Government Commission (LGC) to establish a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the affairs of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council since its election to office back in 2016 and even before is a most welcomed development.

For years, citizens have been complaining about the mismanagement of the capital city and the fact that those who sit at the helm of power in Georgetown appear to be pursuing their own personal interests at the expense of taxpayers.

While some have been venting their frustration in the mass media via letters and news articles, others have boldly taken the struggle for transparency and accountability at City Hall to social media and the streets in the form of picketing exercises and protest action.

The bottom line is that residents of this once prestigious Garden City are tired of the continued corruption, highhandedness and indifference displayed by their elected representatives. They feel betrayed after being encouraged to vote in 2016’s historic elections, which no doubt saw the return of local democracy after a 20-year hiatus.

And while many may not admit it, it is those very same parties – the Alliance For Change (AFC) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) that engineered this return of local democracy within Local Authority Areas that are guilty of some of the most egregious infractions and wrongdoing. This is not to say that others like the Good Green Guyana party headed by former Mayor Hamilton Green and the People’s Progressive Party are not without blame for their infamous roles in ushering in the demise of Georgetown over the years.

But this year, the situation reached the boiling point with workers, union leaders and citizens having to remind those in power that various aspects of the work programme, projects and initiatives being pursued by the current batch of Councillors and administrators were not part of the bargaining chip or the glowing manifestos presented two years ago.

Residents wanted cleaner streets, better roads, newlyrefurbished or constructed bridges, street lights, efficient garbage collection and disposal services, enhanced social and human services, and a reduction in taxes. While addressing the need for better building codes, better parking facilities and added areas of revenue for the city was important; they were not at the top of the list. And somehow the Council missed this and misread the mood of the people.

Maybe the Patricia Chase Green-headed body believed that the AFC and APNU could do no wrong in the city because that is where its largest constituency resided and there would always be apathy on the part of residents. Surely, it knows now that any sympathy that residents had for the Council’s decision-making policies is gone with the wind.

Hopefully, the CoI headed by Justice Cecil Kennard will reveal just how frustrated residents and workers of the Council are with the Council. It must invite businesses and all other stakeholders to appear and share their experiences with the Commission.

Also, it is important that the CoI also give the embattled Town Clerk Royston King and his subordinate officers, the opportunity to reply to all allegations and presentations made by the residents and stakeholders. This is the only way natural justice could be guaranteed.

The process must be fair, free, and open. It must not be seen as political or politically driven; therefore, the PPP must avoid getting too intimately involved. It must not escape that opposition party that there are sections of the citizenry in Georgetown who believe that the move to establish a CoI is an election ploy being directed by the Central Government and the coalition parties so that it appears that they are in tune with the concerns of the populace ahead of the Local Government Elections (LGE) polls which could deliver a blow to APNU and the AFC. Finally, Justice Kennard must seek to acquaint himself with the reports that were produced by previous CoIs under the PPP that recommended the dismissal of several officials who were shamefully stealing blatantly from the city’s treasury and poorly administrating the affairs of Georgetown.

The LGC cannot allow the findings of this CoI to be wasted or thrown by the way-side. It has a mandate to act decisively and must not take direction, political or otherwise, from Central Government on what to implement and who to dismiss.

Let the chips fall where they may.

A passenger plane is seen with the full moon behind as it begins its final landing approach to Heathrow Airport in London (Reuters/Toby Melville)

AFC has lost all credibility Dear Editor, The lies and deception of the Alliance For Change (AFC) continues to wreak havoc in the lives of Guyanese. Every day is markedly accentuated by the nefarious activities of its leaders, executive members and some cardholders.

Ever since the AFC was thrown into the deep by the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) to justify its 40 per cent share in governance and to resurrect its ‘dead meat’ status, one AFC leader and his cohorts have launched a weekly campaign on a Berbice TV station, peddling a bundle of lies and deceptive statements.

It was claimed by Khemraj Ramjattan on the Alliance on the Move programme that People’s Progressive Party (PPP) supporters are intimidating people from putting their

names on the AFC’s candidate list. He further said the Guyana Police Force will be called in to deal with these PPP supporters. This is so far from the truth since numerous evidences have surfaced on Nomination Day that the AFC has fraudulently signed the ‘backers form’ in order to validate the nomination of its candidates.

Most strikingly this fraud was perpetrated in the Public Security Minister’s village by one of his cohorts who is also the CPG Liaison Officer in the area. I have seen the evidence and have spoken to the person whose name, his wife’s name and daughter’s name appeared on the AFC’s ‘backers form’. He has vehemently denied that they signed the form and has since signed an affidavit to that effect. I have also seen this revealed by an article in Guyana

Times where a ‘dead person’ backed the AFC’s nominee in the same area. I am wondering if dead persons will also vote for the now dead AFC. Is it a case of the dead backing the dead?

Shouldn’t the Public Security Minister not now call in the GPF to investigate this electoral fraud?

The AFC has lost all credibility since it coalesced with APNU and this just seems to suggest that the AFC and the People’s National Congress (PNC) are cut from the same cloth. Since 2011, I have been writing about the corruption and cronyism within the AFC which seems to have gotten progressively worse. It must be recalled that dead persons voted solidly for the PNC during its 28 years of dictatorship. Now certain persons have omnipresence qualities since they are

overseas and signed the AFC’s backers form at Number 51 Village at the same time! Or is it that they have invented travelling at the speed of light?

In addition, the AFC’s promises continue to pour in like there is no tomorrow. The promises of repairs and construction of streets, the erection of street lights, the granting of lands, employment, gun licences and almost anything under the sun will immediately catapult Aladdin and his wonderful Lamp into the second spot!

But with all these promises, the AFC has to resort to fraud and deceit to be able to barely scrape nominations in just four Neighbourhood Democratic Council areas out of 18 in Region Six. Dead meat it is!

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

Fresh, new management needed at City Hall Dear Editor, The ability of a person to atone has always been the most remarkable of human features.

The apology issued by the Deputy Mayor of Georgetown, Akeem Peter last Friday for the failure of the outgoing Georgetown City Council to satisfy many of the demands of the citizenry, is very commendable as he realises that there is nothing quite like an apology to mend a broken relationship and pave the way to a brighter future. However, what will be important for the citizenry to determine is whether his sincerity can be trusted, as many people say “I’m sorry” thoughtlessly and heedlessly because they want to move on or have their own way.

But what was most disappointing is that even though the Mayor could be seen cavorting and being narcissistic on Nomination Day, there was

no attempt by her to cleanse her soul, or show the slightest of repentance. This is worrying in light of the fact that she has been at City Hall for approximately a quarter of a century in several leadership positions, with nothing positive to show for it.

But then again, what would she apologise for? For attempting to hang the parking meter albatross around the necks of the citizens of Georgetown? Something she still hopes can be meted out against the motorists of our capital? Would she apologise for flying around the world and back first-class with her Town Clerk and many other hangers on in tow at the expense of the citizenry without a single return to the capital? Would she apologise for having a retinue of chauffeurs, bodyguards, personal assistants traipsing behind her where ever she goes, while other municipal work-

ers cannot receive their pay because the Council is always broke? Would she apologise for City Hall’s books not being audited for as long as she has been there? Would she apologise for the flooding of the city once there are a few minutes of rainfall? I think not.

One must not forget that she and a number of others are hoping to hang on around the horseshoe table just a little bit longer by becoming candidates yet again at the next Local Government Elections.

Unbelievable as that is.

Are the citizens of Georgetown not entitled to being represented at the Council by young intelligent, energetic, proactive visionary persons, persons who can bring new ideas, new solutions and new approaches to the management of the municipality, or will they have to be saddled with the same, weary, mentally bankrupt, immoral, and de-

praved old party hacks for another three years.

Must the City of Georgetown always be run by a gerontocracy?

The young people of Guyana deserve a capital city that houses great sights and landmarks, with beautiful architecture, distinctive restaurants, a rich array of cultural offerings, and intriguing malls and shops. But if they elect the old timers who cannot point to a single worthwhile achievement in 24 years, what can they expect? Same pot holed roads, a mosquito plagued city, rat infested markets with collapsing wharves, a ruinous City Hall building, a dilapidated unhealthy abattoir, a ruinous City Police Training Centre, clogged drains, non-existent street lighting, and a disgraceful cemetery to name a few.

Regards, Kwasi Sanderson

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wednesdAY, september 26, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Govt’s request to strike out PPP court challenge "outrageous" – MP

Attorney Anil Nandlall

T

he recent decision taken by the Attorney General’s (AG) Chambers on behalf of Government seeking to strike out the court challenge mounted by People’s Progressive Party (PPP) in relation to the Local Government Areas (LGAs) has been described as outrageous by Opposition MP Anil Nandlall.

AG Basil Williams said the application to strike out the action filed by Bibi Shaddick was made on the grounds that her contentions amount to allegations of irregularities and illegalities challenging the validity of the LGEs, which have been gazetted to be held on November 12, 2018.

Williams contends that the court has no jurisdiction to entertain the application

by Shaddick, saying that once allegations of irregularities and illegalities are raised after the elections process has begun (Order made on July 18, 2018), the law requires that any such challenge must come after the elections are held and by way of an elections petition.

But Nandlall contends that the legal challenge mounted by the PPP is to correct issues that needs to be corrected before the hosting of the elections and not to block it from happening.

“I want to make it clear that the intention of our pro-

PPP GECOM Commissioner Bibi Shaddick

ceedings is not to stop the elections from taking place, it is to correct some illegalities committed by Minister (Ronald) Bulkan and to correct some unlawful omissions made in the preparatory steps going to the elections,” he said.

The Attorney who is representing Shaddick in this matter said the law of no ci-

vilised society will allow a wrong to take place and wait until the elections occur, and then permit a challenge to the illegality. He said to the layman it sounds outrageous.

“Well it is outrageous!”

“I cannot conceive a Judge being shown an illegal act or an omission taking place and the Judge turning a blind eye and saying I am powerless. I must allow the laws to be breached, must allow the laws to be violated and when the elections are completed then I will deal with violation.”

Nevertheless, Nandlall said he will respond to the application filed by the AG on Friday when the matter is expected to be heard again. However, he said that it would appear that Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan and the AG are the ones who wish to delay the hosting of elections.

He said, “We are correcting or getting certain things corrected before elections day and they are saying no you

WBD father of 2 drowns at V/Hoop koker

A

father of two drowned on Tuesday afternoon at Vreed-en-Hoop, West Bank Demerara (WBD) after he reportedly fell from

a koker.

The dead man’s name has not been released but Guyana Times was told the deceased is from Coglan

Police destroy ganja farm, discover abandoned bikes

Dam, Pouderoyen, WBD. He was said to be a father of two children and was reportedly separated from his wife. This newspaper was told that he was an alcoholic, who suffered from paroxysm.

According to reports, the man reportedly fell on Tuesday morning but his body was discovered at the

Taxi driver to face Judge, jury for murder

A One of the motorcycles found on the trail

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olice in F Division (Interior Locations) have destroy a marijuana farm they found at Eight Miles, Ituni Road, Upper Demerara River.

According to reports, acting on intelligence gath-

nabis estimated about 50 kilograms was also found.

In addition, there were two makeshift camps with four hammocks, kitchen utensil, clothing, groceries and farming tools.

The plants, dried canna-

The ganja farm with the makeshift camp in the background

ered, ranks went to the location at about 15:30h on Tuesday, where they found a five-acre plot of marijuana cultivation with about 5000 cannabis plants, measuring from three inches to five feet in height, with an estimated weight about 400 kilograms.

A quantity of dried can-

bis and camps were photographed and destroyed by fire and the grid location was marked for further investigation.

Meanwhile, the ranks also discovered two motorcycles on the trail leading to the ganja farm.

No one was arrested at the farm.

koker near the defunct torn down Match Factory at Plantain Walk, Vreed-enHoop.

Police were alerted and the body was retrieved and taken to a funeral parlour where the man’s body awaits a post-mortem examination.

Investigations into his death are ongoing.

taxi driver was on Tuesday committed to stand trial in the High Court for the murder of a Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) ambulance dispatcher.

Alan Sim, called “Cayenne”, of Lot 860 Paradise Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara (ECD), appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts following the end of the Preliminary Inquiry.

The 57-year-old man will have to face a Judge and jury to know his fate.

It was alleged that on November 23, 2015, at Georgetown, he murdered Mellisa Skeete, called “Lisa”, with whom he shared a child.

According to the prosecution, Sim picked up Skeete from work at about 15:00h on the day in question in his motorcar PRR 6801 and about 30 minutes later, the woman was found near Carmichael Street, Georgetown, bleeding profusely from several stab wounds about her body.

Skeete, a 31-year-old mother of four, died at the GPHC while receiving treatment.

An investigation was launched, and the accused was arrested. Under caution, he reportedly admitted to the offence and his car was subsequently discovered with the passenger seat replaced, supposedly to conceal the evidence of the crime.

Attorney General Basil Williams

can’t do that. If these things are not corrected before elections, in our view, the entire elections would be exposed to be declared illegal by a court of law. Is it that the law prefers that to happen or the law will allow will correct the mistake before Election Day?” With a hefty $1.2 billion already budgeted for the hosting of Local Government Elections, Nandlall said the idea is not to waste that sum, rather to correct the issues.

This way the PPP will not have reasons to challenge the matter after the elections, which may lead to a fresh one.

Further, Nandlall also pointed to a previous case similar to this one, explaining that precedence has already been set for such matters. He was referring to aspects of the electoral process which were challenged outside of the elections itself and not by way of a petition.

Reference was made to the court matter which saw People’s National Congress (PNC) member Aubrey Norton seeking to challenge the swearing in of former President Janet Jagan.

The matter was heard before Chief Justice Desiree Bernard. That was part of the electoral process.

“The agreement I think is misconceived and we have filed an action under the Judicial Review Act. Challenging the actions of a public officer… I am not too bother by the contentions,” he added.

Shaddick is seeking several orders which seek to bring the Communities Minister’s alterations into the conformity with Local Democratic Organs Act, Chapter 28:09.

In so doing, the Applicant is petitioning the court to have Bulkan’s orders declared null and void.

She is also seeking the State to pay her court costs in addition to seeking other orders, directions or writs as the court sees fit. Her grounds are that Bulkan failed to issue an order to identify the said boundaries under the Local Democratic Organs Act, making his actions null and void.

She meanwhile said that Lowenfield went beyond his exercise of discretion re-demarcating the existing constituency boundaries as outlined in the orders sought before the court.

The writ also outlines that the purported establishment of seven Neighbourhood Democratic Councils without complying with the provisions of the Local Democratic Organs Act is unlawful, ultra vires, null, void and of no effect. She said too that Lowenfield acted with authorisation in this regard, while adding that Minister Bulkan unilaterally made changes to the number of seats in 14 Local Authority Areas.

The PPP has expressed its concern over the recent decision to declare Mahdia in Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni) – a new town. In fact, the party believes that the changes might be a ploy by the coalition Government to have a stronger showing at Local Government Elections.

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wednesdAY, september 26, 2018

Page

Foundation The key to raising resilient children

…learning to engage strengths to unlock potential

By Ilene Berns-Zare, PsyD

I

t’s often said that raising kids is the most important job in the world. Today’s children and teens are the next generation who will lead the world far beyond our own lifetimes. How do we interact with the young people in our lives? Whether we are parents, grandparents, teachers, professionals, neighbours, or friends, we can have a positive impact on future generations.

Positive psychologist Lea Waters, author of The Strength Switch (2017), suggests a radical shift in perspective. A researcher on the science of strengths-based parenting, Dr Waters recommends focusing on what is right with youth, by emphasising their strengths.

This doesn’t mean ignoring their weaknesses, but rather, focusing on their strengths and learning to use them in positive ways.

Identifying our strengths involves recognising our capabilities and having a common language to describe them. A strengths-based perspective offers a window of positivity to better understand ourselves and others, including the youth in our lives. Strengths are the basic building blocks for thinking, feeling, and behaving. Dr Waters recommends naming a strength when you see it.

For example, your teenaged daughter drops her gym clothes and backpack in a pile by the door when she comes home from school. Afterward, she starts cooking dinner for the family and begins researching a class project.

With a strengths-based approach, you might thank the teen for her strength of kindness in beginning dinner

prep, comment on her good judgment at digging into homework right after school, and then later suggest: “how about if you help us organise by putting your things on the counter when you get home from school?”

Strengths and virtues How can you identify these strengths? Researchers have developed several systems to classify them. Perhaps the most influential and well researched is the VIA Classification of Strengths and Virtues (Peterson &

Seligman, 2004), which identifies 24 character strengths common to humankind.

These strengths include curiosity, creativity, judgement, kindness, perspective, leadership, perseverance, bravery, zest, honesty, social intelligence, fairness, forgiveness, teamwork, love, gratitude, love of learning, self-regulation, spirituality, humility, appreciation of beauty, prudence, hope, and humour (Neimiec, 2018).

According to psychologist Martin Seligman, your top five strengths are your “signature

strengths.” Research has shown that using them on a regular basis can make you healthier, happier, and more successful (Seligman, Steen, Park & Peterson, 2005).

To learn more about your signature strengths you can take the brief, empirically valid VIA Classification of Strengths at https://www.viacharacter. org/www/. There is a VIA Survey for adults and also a VIA Youth Survey for kids between 10- and 17-years old (Park &

Peterson, 2006).

All of us have many strengths and talents.

By focusing on those strengths, you can nurture and unlock potential in yourself, youth, and future generations.

Signature strengths can be engaged across age groups, from childhood through older adulthood. Studies show connections between using signature strengths and improvement of wellbeing factors, such as positive emotions, relationship satisfaction, and goal setting (Niemiec, 2018; Quinlan, Swain & Vella-Broderick, 2011). Here are a few ideas.

Strategies to engage strengths in youth and future generations • Write a positive note to a child or teen you know.

You might include the strengths you see in him or her and how he or she positively impacts you or others. Be as specific as possible. If feasible, plan a visit with the child, read the note in a personal conversation, and give the child the letter. Pay attention to his or her reactions and discuss your feelings together afterward.

• When children or teens in your life are struggling with a challenge, how can you support their strength development?

A few questions you might ask are: “Which of your strengths can you use here?” You might offer a strength you have noticed in the youngster in another situation. Then ask, “When you used this strength before, how did you use it and how did it feel? How can you use this strength in this new situation?”

Strategies to engage your own strengths •

•

If you have taken the VIA Strengths survey mentioned above, challenge yourself to use one of your top five strengths in a new and different way every day for one week (Seligman et al, 2005). Then see the difference this practice makes in your life.

For example, if one of your signature strengths is love of learning, here are a few ways you might apply it – do an Internet

•

search on an interesting topic; try a new recipe; start a conversation with someone about their job or culture; look up the definition of a new word; view an informational programme; read a section in a book or magazine; listen to a podcast; learn a new phrase in another language.

Another way to identify one or more of your top strengths is to think about a “defining moment” in

your life (Neimiec, 2018).

This might be a moment of achievement, challenge, or suffering. Recall the details. Consider what you did, how you felt, and the impact or outcome.

What strengths did you use in that situation?

How did this moment contribute to the person you are today? Then ask yourself how you can engage the strengths from that moment in a current situation or challenge.

(Excerpt from psychologytoday.com)

Awesome insights about learning from brain-savvy teens

Effective feedback as a brain booster Pt 2

By Judy Willis, MD, MEd

Ivy Mwangi had prior experience working with a professor, Dr Yael Arbel, about feedback learning and its potential relationship with the dopamine-reward response that sustains attentive engagement and motivation.

Although it is too early to draw conclusions, Ivy proposes there are some methods of feedback that may be of greater value in keeping children motivated and engaged, than others.

“One such consideration is suggestive that the initial positive feedback has greater impact than subsequent feedback for a sustained task. A possible explanation might be that the dopaminereward response is driven by awareness of a challenge being achieved. This implies that without progressive challenge, the drive may not sustain effort. Based on early implications from brain monitoring, it appears that appropriately increasing the complexity of the challenges and assignments given can enhance the learner’s sustained engagement and motivation.”

She proposed that utilising the dopamine-motivated response could be a valuable tool in teaching and learning.

She described the progressive achievement graph system used by one of her teachers.

“My AP Chemistry teacher privately assigned everyone a colour at the beginning of the year that would be used for a graph of all of their exam scores. The graph was completely anonymous because only you knew which

line applied to you, based on the colour you were assigned.

The graph simply presented the trend of each student’s performance. This acted as a way to keep us motivated because the feedback not only represented what we did on the most recent exam, but also how that exam influenced to our progress to our final grade goal. Thus, even if you got a 100 on one exam (positive feedback), the progressive graph kept you motivated to achieve another 100 so that your final grade was high.”

Jessica Zong also investigated the research linked to the dopamine-reward response to progress feedback.

She described how children’s confidence and perseverance might be boosted through open-ended questions with repeated opportunities to make predictions with ongoing feedback as part of the instruction. One of her takeaways was to design lessons where all children could make lowrisk predictions (eg clickers or holding up responses on whiteboards seen only by the teachers).

They could then continue to revise their predictions as the lesson progressed and they acquired more understanding.

With the lesson designed to build understanding, the planned outcome would allow children learning to read to remain engaged and motivated. Ultimately, she felt that with practice and success, the young readers could be guided to develop higher levels of comprehension and responses to the open-ended questions about what they read. (Excerpted from psychologytoday.com)

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wednesdAY, september 26, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Rusal workers’ future

Govt awaiting report from ‘non-existent’ task force B

arring the recent announcement that Russian aluminium giant Rusal has received a temporary reprieve from the United States in the form of an extension of the deadline for ending third-party transactions, there is deep worry about how the local bauxite workforce will be affected.

Nevertheless, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon told the media on Monday that while a special task force was set up by Cabinet to deal with the future of workers attached to subsidiaries of Rusal in light of US-imposed sanctions, no report has been submitted to date.

“The work of the committee is within the time frame that has been allotted to them and we expect before the deadline expires we will have a memorandum coming to Cabinet … that is with clear recommendations of what needs to be done,” he explained.

The Government’s chief spokesman went on to explain that when a document arrives at Cabinet, it is studied by the subject Minister and a memorandum with recommendations, the impact and all other issues accompanies the report of any committee that is established.

He said, “So, it’s not just a committee finishing the report and it comes to Cabinet.

The responsible minister has to review the document and

GBGWU President Lincoln Lewis

has to make clear recommendations. Once that happens, we will have a clear vision of what we can do in that situation.”

A few months ago, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman and a team visited Rusal’s operations where they listened to concerns by workers over the impending sanctions. The Government subsequently announced the setting up of the task force.

The seven-member task force was given specific instructions by Cabinet “to hold discussions with the workers of Rusal on the impact of the sanctions on the work force”.

It was headed by Minister within the Natural Resources Ministry, Simona Broomes and included Minister within the Finance Ministry, Jaipaul Sharma; President

of the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GBGWU), Lincoln Lewis; Member of Parliament, Audwin Rutherford; Ministry of Social Protection’s Chief Labour Officer, Charles Ogle; Member of Parliament, Jermaine Figueira and Secretary Alicia James.

But Broomes later stepped down after there was some confusion over an interim report that was submitted that totally ignored the US sanctions, but looked more specifically at labour relations issues between the company and the Union. Since then nothing has been done on the matter and no one has since officially replaced Broomes, although a name has been touted.

No task force

GBGWU’s Lewis told Guyana Times Tuesday that he was unaware that the task force was active, while raising concerns that the team should have been actively engaged in intense discussions with bauxite workers, particularly those who are likely to be affected by the US sanctions.

“I don’t know how Government is handling this issue. There is no task force that currently exists. Minister Broomes has resigned and no one has said anything to us for at least six weeks now,” he stated, explaining that these workers’ concerns should be

Judicial Service Commission

Govt signals impending instalment of Commission …as one-year anniversary of end of last JSC approaches

A

lmost a year after the life of the last Commission came to an end, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon is of the belief that the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) will soon be reconstituted.

The Minister spoke about the Commission during a post-Cabinet press briefing on Monday. According to Harmon, it is something that Government is actively looking to have reconstituted.

“That is something that is receiving active consideration,” Harmon revealed, when asked about the JSC. “As you know we only recently appointed some persons who will serve on the Commission.”

“The Public Service Commission, the Chairman of that Commission actually serves on the Judicial Service Commission as well. And I believe very shortly we’ll get that done,” he said.

This is a reference to Patrick Yarde, who was sworn in last year as the acting Public Service Commission Chairman. Other ex-officio members of the JSC had included acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, as well as Justices Prem Persaud and Lennox Perry.

One of the most important functions of the JSC is making recommendations

to fill vacancies within the Judiciary. In February 2016, the then JSC had recommended that High Court Judges, Justices Rishi Persaud and Dawn Gregory be appointed to the Court of Appeal. It also recommended that Attorneys Sandil Kissoon and Damone Younge be appointed Puisne Judges.

In July, Rishi Persaud was elevated to serve in the Court of Appeal. Attorneys Simone Morris-Ramlall, Younge, Kissoon and Gino Persaud were appointed Puisne Judges.

Article 128 (1) of the Constitution provides that Judges, other than the Chancellor and Chief Justice, are appointed by the President “who shall act in accordance with the advice of the Judicial Service Commission.”

Article 128 (2) also provides that “the President shall act in accordance with the advice of the Judicial Service Commission and appoint a person to act in the office of Justice of Appeal or Puisne Judge, as the case may be.”

There is leeway for the President, however, in Article 111 (1), which states: “In the exercise of his functions under this Constitution or any other law, the President shall act in accordance with his own deliberate judgement except in cases where, by this Constitution or by any other

law, he is required to act in accordance with the advice or on the recommendation of any person or authority.”

Subsection two states, “Whereby this Constitution the President is directed to exercise any function on the advice or recommendation of any person or authority, he may, in accordance with his own deliberate judgement, once refer any such advice or recommendation back for reconsideration by the person or authority concerned.”

It goes on to state that “if that person or authority, having reconsidered the original advice or recommendation, substitutes therefor a different advice or recommendation, as the case may be, the President shall act in accordance therewith; but save as aforesaid he shall act in accordance with the original advice or recommendation.”

The last JSC expired on September 30, 2017 and former Attorney General Anil Nandlall has been critical of the impasse. In a post on social media, he had stated: “Once again, the burden is mine to remind them that there is currently no properly constituted Judicial Service Commission. This position has obtained for several months now. So, as result of this constitutional vacuum, no judges or magistrate can be appointed.”

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman and Minister within the Natural Resources Ministry, Simona Broomes

of paramount importance.

The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) levied sanctions upon Rusal on April 6, citing its alleged interference in the Governments of several countries, including allegedly meddling in the 2016 US

presidential election.

Rusal was among several organisations named under the sanctions. However, the impact upon Rusal and the wider aluminium trade has been significant. As one of the world’s most prolific providers of alumina, sanctions on Rusal have threatened vi-

tal supplies of the substance to a market that was already reeling from the partial shutdown of an alumina refinery in Brazil.

The threat of sanctions has also sent many of Rusal’s customers scrambling for different, potentially more reliable sources of aluminium and alumina. Even if sanctions are lifted later this year, many experts warn that Rusal will continue to suffer the effects.

Rusal employs over 500 persons at its local operations.

The company owns 90 per cent of the Aroaima, Berbicebased Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc (BCGI). The company’s operations are located on the Berbice River between Kwakwani and Linden, with residents from those areas making up the majority of its workforce.

8 news

wednesdAY, september 26, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Miner remanded for illegal firearm, ammo

A

West Coast Berbice man was on Tuesday remanded to prison for the illegal possession of firearm and ammunition when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The allegations made out against Colwin McKenzie, a miner, stated that on September 17, 2018, at Quartz-stone Backdam, Cuyuni River,

Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), he stole one black semi-automatic firearm along with eighteen 9mm live rounds of ammunition. Other charges alleged that on September 19, 2018, at the said location, he had in his possession one black semi-automatic firearm without being the licensed firearm holder of same, along with the eighteen 9mm live rounds of ammunition without being the licensed

firearm holder of same.

McKenzie, who was unrepresented, denied the charges. In a bail application on his own behalf, McKenzie told the court that he was nowhere around when the weapon and ammunition went missing.

“On that night I was nowhere around, it was a party and he (the Virtual Complainant) was drinking… they never found the items in bag on me,” he told

the court.

According to the facts presented, on the day in question, the miner took the Lance Corporal to the location where he had hidden the weapon.

The prosecutor made objected to bail citing the seriousness of the charge.

Magistrate MacLennan remanded McKenzie to prison. The matter was adjourned to October 11 and will be called at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court.

2018 at Cummings Street, Georgetown she incurred the debt of $1,264,000 by obtaining credit for airline tickets to Barbados from the Summer Time Travel Agency and did not have the means to pay.

According to the facts presented in the court, on the day in question, the ac-

cused went to the Virtual Complainant, Tameshwar Jiapersaud, and obtained 10 airline tickets to travel to Barbados, which she promised to pay for when she returns. The VC booked the flights and gave the woman the tickets and was told the payment for same would be on July 26, 2018. However,

when Persaud returned, she failed to pay her debt which resulted in the matter being reported and charged being laid.

Jiapersaud, who is an agent at the Summer Time Travel Agency, told the court that he only received $150,000 from the accused for the tickets.

Persaud, in an attempt to defend herself, also told the court that she never committed fraud but rather has some difficulty obtaining the money to be paid to the Agency, which was not intentional.

As a result, Magistrate Latchman granted Persaud bail in the sum of $200,000.

The case was adjourned to October 1.

Life coach slapped with fraud charges

A

life coach found herself before Principle Magistrate Judy Latchman on Monday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts slapped with a fraud charge.

Nazia Persaud of Lot 44 Grove, East Bank Demerara, denied the charge which stated that on July 9,

Sex worker granted bail for armed robbery

N

ineteen-year-old Godfrey Cox, who was further remanded to prison on his last court appearance, was on Tuesday granted bail

by Magistrate Dylon Bess when he reappeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Cox was charge with the offence of armed robbery back in June of this year. The sex worker denied the charge when he

made his first appearance.

The charge stated that on June 20, 2018, at King and Charlotte Streets, Georgetown, while being armed with a dangerous weapon – that is a knife – he robbed David Harvey of $65,000.

The court heard that on the day in question, Harvey was heading to a gas station on Regent Street, Georgetown, to pay workers when the defendant

attacked him, held him at knifepoint and relieved him of the cash that was in his pants pocket.

Police Prosecutor Gittings on Tuesday made objections to bail, however Magistrate Bess granted bail to the accused, citing that the Virtual Compliant failed to appear in court each time the matter was called. Cox was released on $50,000. The case will continue on September 28.

Man faces court for abusive language towards wife

A

38-year-old man, who allegedly verbally abused his reputed wife, was on Monday released on bail by Principle Magistrate Judy Latchman when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Dexter Heshaun of Lot 6 Norton Street, Georgetown, denied the allegation made out against him. The charge alleged that on September 17, 2018, at East Street, South Cummingsburg, Georgetown, he used abusive language towards Odessa Grant.

The facts presented in the court stated that on the day in question, the Virtual Complainant went to her daughter’s school to drop off water and juice, when the construction worker approached her and started asking her several questions.

An argument ensued, and he allegedly became abusive towards her.

The matter was reported and Heshaun was later arrested and charged.

Magistrate Latchman released him on $10,000 bail.

The case will continue today.

Trust…

F

…versus thrust in politics

or sure, EB John, that old HR specialist out of Bookers isn’t anti-Government. So one would hope they’d give a hearing to the homilies he delivers ever so often in the letters pages. His latest one was on the importance of “trust” between individuals and institutions for effective performance. It was very timely since he took pains to mention the lack of trust between citizens and Government.

Against a background of heightened concerns from a fuming populace of repeating Burnham’s saddling the country with unsustainable debt, the Granger Administration just signed an MoU with China and committed themselves to participate in the latter’s Belt and Road Initiative (B&RI). The latter, of course, is a source of funding for infrastructural projects in poor countries at very generous terms. So why the concerns?

Well, as Burnham found out: ‘Wha’ does sweeten mout’ does hu’t backside”!! Unfortunately it was the collective backside of the Guyanese peoples that ended up in a sling! The point, of course, is that even generous loans have to be repaid …and no matter how small the interest, when it is compounded over the years, the payback can be more than a bitch! And that’s why the secrecy over the terms of the MoU with the Chinese is very unsettling and certainly not improving the trust deficit this Administration suffers from.

Today, we found out almost accidentally that the funding for the Lethem-Linden Highway is on the MoU!!

Now this is a mega deal that’s been on the cards since the 1970s – by that same debt accumulator Burnham.

Last year, a 321km highway to be built and funded by the Chinese in Zambia – connecting their mining areas to their southern region abutting Congo – came in at US$1.2 billion!! The distance between Linden to Lethem is at least 100km more.

So why wasn’t the highway not built since the 1970s??

For the simple reason that prospective funders – from Brazil to the World Bank to the IDB – didn’t see where the moneys would be coming from to service the loan! Tolls like in Zambia?? Even there, citizens are protesting. At one time, there was talk of shipping goods from landlocked Manaus to the Atlantic via the road. But that ship has looong sailed!!

And we return to the issue of trust. This PNC-led Government is counting on the coming oil revenues – such as it is! – to pay off all the debt it’s racking up. With this ploy, they expect to bypass the scrutiny that might be placed on the Sovereign Wealth Fund, into which the oil funds were to be placed.

Another knife thrust into “trust” between Government and citizens! Deadly!

…in sugar Board?

This PNC Government sure knows how to do thing half-a55ed backwards. Take their long-awaited appointment of a new BOARD for GuySuCo. Looking at the names, the only question that arises in the mind of any halfway knowledgeable individual about the industry is: WHY DIDN’T THEY DO THIS FROM THE BEGINNING???

But your Eyewitness will tell you why. Since these gentlemen all have some experience with sugar, and several were on the CoI into the industry, THEY WOULDN’T HAVE SHUT IT DOWN!! Instead, as they recommended in their CoI report, they’d have done the rational thing and injected much less that the $30 billion the SPU borrowed; fixed up all the estates and brought the entire Corporation to a point of sale!

But that couldn’t be allowed, could it? That move wouldn’t have allowed 7000 sugar workers – most loyal to the PPP – to be fired! So what’s this Board supposed to do?? Fetch water with the basket that was handed to them??

The first thing they should do is demand control over the $30 billion bond!

…and doctors

After reading Frank Anthony’s letter revealing the abysmal conditions under which doctors work at GPHC – and for wages (NOT salaries!!) that would make the cleaners balk – your Eyewitness finally understands why Government official go ABROAD for medical treatment!!

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

News

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wednesdAY, september 26, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Ramnarine’s role to be determined after leave ends – Commissioner

…former acting Top Cop reportedly seeking legal advice on non-confirmation

By Michael Younge

P

olice Commissioner Leslie James on Tuesday maintained that Assistant Police Commissioner David Ramnarine has proceeded on annual leave as he debunked reports that the senior law enforcement officer has signalled his intention to resign from the Guyana Police Force following his non-appointment as a Deputy Police Commissioner and non-confirmation in the Top Cop post.

Ramnarine had been acting as the country’s Top Cop following the retirement of Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud. Before that, he filled in as acting Top Cop whenever Persaud proceeded on leave or was on official duties overseas.

He even acted ahead of Persaud’s retirement when the Top Cop was sent on accumulated leave following the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry into allegations which surfaced in the media in relation to an alleged plot to assassinate the sitting President of Guyana David Granger.

Asked how long Ramnarine was expected to be away from work, James said while he cannot disclose the exact time-frame, he knows that the Assistant Police Commissioner was likely to be away for close to three months.

“I can confirm that he had close to three months annual leave and I am aware that he has proceeded on that leave,” James said during a brief exchange with Guyana Times on Tuesday.

Pressed further as to what role Ramnarine was expected to play in the new leadership structure of the Police Force, given that he was not included in the recently released reshuffled command structure/chart, James said his role will be determined upon his resumption of duty.

“It is normal for that structure to be updated,” the Commissioner explained, while stating that arrangements for someone to fill in various posts ahead of another person proceeding on annualised leave has always been the norm even before the person officially

Police Commissioner Leslie James

Former (ag) Top Cop David Ramnarine

proceeds off-duty. He insisted that the public and media would be kept abreast of any new development with respect to the Force’s hierarchy.

When Ramnarine was recently contacted by this newspaper, he asked that his privacy be respected, and he be allowed to enjoy the “sanctity of his leave” as he expressed the view that he had given a lot of years of service to the Force and wished to be allowed to be in peace.

and time seen as competent enough to take charge of the Force upon Mr Seelall’s departure,” the source said.

The source went on to explain that the current Government also demonstrated “confidence” in him as he was appointed by President Granger to act in the post for several months continuously.

“I cannot confirm that he will embark on that course of actions (suing) but I would not be surprised if he did,” the source remarked before declining to offer any more insight into the matter.

Additionally, speculation was rife on Tuesday afternoon when Ramnarine was spotted by roving reporters and media personnel entering the office of a prominent Attorney in Georgetown.

That Attorney declined to offer any comments on the matter when asked for a comment on record by this newspaper but pointed Guyana Times in Ramnarine’s direction for any clarity it wished to obtain on matters relat-

Legal action

But sources close to Ramnarine, who also spoke with Guyana Times, confirmed that he was deeply troubled by the manner in which he was overlooked for appointment as a Deputy Police Commissioner or the substantive Police Commissioner.

“While I cannot speak for Mr Ramnarine, he could have a legal case because he had a legitimate expectation and was, at some point

President David Granger

ed to the lawman’s personal and professional life as well as decisions.

Ramnarine went on leave after media reports pointed to the fact that he (Ramnarine) had not been shortlisted for the Top Cop

position, even though he was next in line to take the charge.

Ever since then, Ramnarine has been staying clear of the media and has avoided answering any questions in relation to the decision taken to side-track him for the Top Cop post.

President Granger had insisted that he followed the Constitution and the advice of the Police Service Commission when he appointed Leslie James to the post of Police Commissioner.

He said he relied heavily on the advice of the Chairman, Paul Slowe, before any decision was taken and he insisted that James was the best choice. Before making his pick and ahead of meeting Opposition Leader Bharrat

Jagdeo, Granger had outlined that the candidate he would select must be someone who is “unbribable”.

Slowe, last week, was quoted in another section of the media as saying that Ramnarine was not chosen because of the details contained in his personal and service file, which had some worrying trends about his performance within the Guyana Police Force.

He insisted that he had recused himself from the process somewhat at the level of the PSC because he was head of a Commission of Inquiry which had criticised Ramnarine and others for their handling of an alleged plot to assassinate President David Granger.

Policeman caught stealing cellphone charged …future in GPF in Top Cop’s hands

A

23-year-old Police Officer and his colleague have found themselves in hot water after they were caught on Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras stealing a cellphone from a business in Charity on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Supenaam-Pomeroon).

Reports are on September 18, the two Constables, both of whom were fully dressed in their Guyana Police Force (GPF) uniform, went to the Double D Mall situated at Charity Public Road, where they entered a food shop.

While there, Constable John Small of Goed Fortuin, West Bank Demerara, picked up a Samsung S7 Edge smartphone valued $119,000.00, which was left on a table and they promptly exited.

The matter was reported and a review of the CCTV footage in the building revealed the dishonest cop in the act.

Based on legal advice obtained, charges were recommended against Constable Small alone. He was slapped with a simple larceny charge and appeared before

Magistrate Ester Sam at the Charity Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

However, the case was dismissed after the Virtual Complainant Angelena Byrne of Anna Regina, offered no evidence against the Constable, who is still on probation.

According to Public Relations Officer of the Police Force, Jairam Ramlakhan, both Constables have since been transferred pending a decision by Police Commissioner Leslie James with respect to their retention in the Force.

10 news

wednesdAY, september 26, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

$30B GuySuCo bond

SPU Head admits Republic Bank complained about misuse of funds

W

ith the recent revelation that Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited has made known several of its concerns with how the $30 billion bond that was loaned to the Special Purpose Unit (SPU) of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) is being spent, SPU Head Colvin Heath-London has confirmed this to be true.

Heath-London told Guyana Times on Tuesday that while he cannot comment extensively on the issue, he did say the Bank had registered an official complaint and asked that some of the matters be corrected with some level of urgency. “They registered a complaint. I cannot comment further, because those things are presently being dealt with,” he added.

The SPU head was at first reluctant to state whether indeed the issue raised by the Bank as reported in sections of the media were true.

However, Heath-London later admitted that everything alluded to in the news report was accurate and captures most of what was raised, but clarified that “Republic Bank has not suspended any funding to NICIL.” The $30 billion bond arrangement with the Bank is aimed at helping to finance capital works for three Guyana Sugar Corporation

(GuySuCo) estates. These include: Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt.

But it has been reported that Managing Director of Republic Bank, Richard Sammy wrote to General Manager of the Hand-in-Hand Trust Corporation, Maurice John, over GuySuCo reportedly using part of the bond proceeds to repay interest on another debt at a bank. The Bank also called for a full explanation as to the apparent breach of the terms of the Trust Deed.

Hand-in-Hand had written to Republic Bank requesting that the purpose of the Trust Deed be changed regarding how the proceeds of the bond shall be applied.

While Republic Bank has stated it’s no objection to the proposed changes to the Trust Deed, it said it remained disappointed that proceeds from the bond were utilised for a purpose other than what was approved.

The SPU has not taken lightly criticisms, which seek to suggest that the bond would be wasted and that it was acquired at an unreasonable rate. In fact, the SPU had said it should be noted that, as standard for any debt financing, security is required to secure payments to bondholders.

The terms of the bond are five years, since it is expected

SPU Head Colvin Heath-London

that the proceeds of the land sale for GuySuCo would be used to repay the facility, and NICIL wanted to secure the lowest possible interest rate.

The NICIL bond was later issued at 4.75 per cent interest.

In August, it was reported that almost $2 billion has been disbursed to GuySuCo for operational expenses of its three estates. Previous to that, GuySuCo’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Harold Davis, Jr, had told sections of the media that GuySuCo was slated to receive proceeds from the initial $17 billion the SPU has secured from the $30 billion bond facility.

Davis claimed that GuySuCo had requested a substantial amount to advance its strategic plans, but monies received so far have

catered only for wages and fuel expenses; and no other monies have been received.

The SPU later said the monies from the bond facility will be used to purchase equipment for production of plantation white sugar, including the purchase of nine tractors, and to address the co-generation plants’ operational expenses.

“The monies obtained from the bond facility were not obtained to facilitate the payment of debt, as was ventilated time and again by the Minister of Finance and stakeholders,” the SPU has said.

Since announcement of the bond, concerns have been raised about Government’s vision for the industry and the genuineness of its actions thus far, since that very $30 billion could have gone towards restructuring the industry while keeping all of the estates open and GuySuCo’s workforce employed and engaged.

Some 5700 workers from Skeldon, East Demerara (Enmore) and Rose Hall Estates were dismissed after GuySuCo had terminated their employment in 2017.

Before then, over 1000 Wales Estate workers were similarly dismissed when the entity officially ceased operation in December 2016. These moves were in keeping with what Government has said were “cost-cutting measures”.

Mouth pried open

S

atiricus was grinning from ear to ear as he ambled towards the Back Street Bar. For sure, time was longer than twine! Look how long this Clown Clerk had been throwing his weight around. If he’d been a tag-team wrestler, he could’ve held the world championship by now! Anyhow, justice was being done and no one would be able to pick on him today.

“So what do you fellas think about the Clown Clerk and the CoI?” asked Satiricus as soon as he sat down and reached for a beer. “When Cow deh a pasture he nah remember dat dog and butcher deh, till he see am. “Eh! Eh! Sato, like yuh bin a ta’k to yuh Nanie, or wha’?” said Cappo, with a smile.

“But de only t’ing, Sato,” interrupted Bungi, before Satiricus could answer. “Dis cow bin know ‘bout de daag an’ butcha wha’ wait fuh am!”

“But this is justice being done at long last!” protested Satiricus. “Look how we found out he leased that wharf that didn’t even belong to the city!!”

“But didn’t he lease so many other lands before that he also had no authority to do?” asked Hari. “How come a CoI only now.”

“Yes!” said Cappo. “Pick sense fram nansense!”

“What’re you fellas talking about?” asked Satiricus in a desperate voice. “Aren’t you happy the Clown Clerk might be going to jail?”

“Me bet yuh ‘e na get none jail time,” said Bungi. “Sato dis a wan set up!”

“What do you mean?” asked Satiricus in a worried voice.

“Sato, it’s only because the municipal elections are due,” said Hari. “The Pee an’ See need a scapegoat to show the people they’re changing the thiefin’ old guard!”

“Yuh na see de Ma’re a run again fun May-ya?” asked Bungi. “But na she an’ de Crown Clerk bin do ev’ryt’ing like batty and poe?”

“As soon as de election ova, de Crown clerk guh get wan nice posi-shan some place,” said Cappo firmly.

“So that’s why my KFC didn’t oppose the Ma’re?” said Satiricus, slowly. “Let’s take a drink.”

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wednesdAY, september 26, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Linden man in leaked rape video commits suicide

T

he body of one of the two men, who were seen in a leaked video on Monday, allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl in Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) was recovered from the ocean at the Kitty seawall in the vicinity of Selena Resort, on Tuesday morning. Dead is 41-year-old Sherwin Apple, also known

as “Yellow”.

The clothes vendor, formerly of William Street, Kitty; and Silver Town, Wismar, Linden, was found at about 09:20h lying face down in the mud. There were no marks of violence on his body but there was blood oozing from his nostrils. It is believed that he might have committed suicide by ingest-

Dog food vendor shot, robbed

P

olice in A Division (Georgetown-East Bank Demerara) are on the hunt for a male suspect who shot a dog food vendor and robbed two females of their cellular phones on Monday night.

The incident occurred about 20:40h at the corner of Aubrey Barker Road and Stevedore, North Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

Injured is 26-year-old Shane Cooper of Jackson Ville, North Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

One of the two female victims was also a dog food vendor.

Guyana Times understands Cooper is presently warded at the Georgetown Public Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery for gunshot wounds to his abdomen and left leg. He is said to be in stable but serious condition.

After committing the acts, the suspect fled the scene in a waiting motor car.

Investigations are in progress.

ing carbon tablets after the video of him went viral on Facebook.

His body was taken to the Lyken Funeral Home where it awaits a post-mortem examination. The now dead man moved back to Guyana from Antigua a few years ago.

Based on preliminary investigations, Apple reportedly went missing at about 19:00h on Monday after telling relatives that his ex-girlfriend, who happened to be a relative of the young woman in the video, leaked said video.

He reportedly further told them that the sex was consensual, and the content seen in the video was merely “role playing”.

Apple was thrown into

them to stop.

He was again seen demanding oral sex from the minor, while saying demeaning things to her as the second perpetrator recorded the ordeal.

Denial

Dead: Sherwin Apple, also called “Yellow”

the spotlight and had been the receiver of harsh criticism after the video showed him and the other man taking turns having sex with the young woman as she begged

A source close to the investigations however, told Guyana Times that the young woman and her mother turned up at a Police Station in Linden and denied that she was the person in the video.

Nevertheless, the Childcare and Protection Agency (CC&PA) and the Guyana Police Force have since launched investigations into the incident.

This publication understands that there are approx-

imately five videos circulating of the teen and the men.

Apple, along with another man, also from Linden, was wanted by Police for questioning in relation to the incident, E Division (LindenKwakwani) Commander Anthony Vanderhyden confirmed on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the other alleged perpetrator reportedly has a similar matter pending in court over a rape allegation.

Guyana Times visited family members of the deceased on Tuesday, however they offered no comment, citing they were too distraught to speak.

Family members had travelled to Georgetown on Tuesday where they positively identified Apple's body.

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Wages/benefits saga

GTU accuses Labour Department of bullish behaviour

…UG Professor proposed as arbitrator

A

nother meeting between the Education Ministry and the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) was on Tuesday held at the Social Protection Ministry’s Brickdam Office but the stalemate continued as the Union accused the Labour Department of bullying its members into accept University Professor, Leyland Lucas as the Chairman of the arbitration panel. After the meeting, it was disclosed that the Labour Department proposed Professor Lucas as Chairman of the body which will be tasked with settling the impasse over teachers’ salary increases. The Teachers’ Union and its executives were however not in agreement with the selection as they opted to carry out background checks, having requested Lucas's

Minister with responsibility for Labour, Keith Scott, with proposed arbitrator, Professor Leyland Lucas (Dexter Ceres photo)

Curriculum Vitae (CV).

“What we recognised is that the Minister with responsibility for Labour is trying to bully this process into saying to the GTU: ‘this is our prerogative to appoint and this is your chairperson and we have done so’ and we are saying to them, we

have to do our groundwork.

According to documents we have, it says ‘nominate’ so if we are going to nominate, we have to check the meaning of the word,” GTU General Secretary Coretta McDonald told reporters.

The GTU executive added that the Union has to

see what Professor Lucas is bringing to the table. Junior Social Protection Minister Keith Scott meanwhile said that the proposed arbitrator – Professor Lucas – is highly qualified. It was said that he served as Dean at the University of Guyana’s School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation (SEBI). Following talks on Tuesday, Scott also denied the GTU’s position of being bullied by the Labour Department into accepting the professor. He added that persons would often use words with which they are comfortable when engaged in a heated discussion.

“If they feel and interpret our obeying the law as bullying, how can I tell them how they must react? It is not for me to comment on the reaction of the union; it is for to ensure that we can present something to the press and people of Guyana that we are doing the right thing,” Scott disclosed.

After GTU’s executives departed, Minister Scott held a private meeting with the proposed arbitrator.

Concerns over the appearance of an absence of neutrality were raised with Chief Labour Officer (CLO) Charles Ogle but he told

members of the media that everything done was above board as he denied Lucas's private engagement with Minister Scott was a ‘secret meeting’.

“It was not secret; we introduced the Chairman to the parties. The agreement says if the two parties disagree, then the Ministry of

Protection Ministry. There is another meeting set to continue today at 13:00h where both parties are expected to finalise and sign the Terms of Reference for arbitration. Lucas’s CV will also be assessed during the engagement.

Scott said the GTU has to come with their nomi-

GTU President Mark Lyte and General Secretary Coretta McDonald accuse the Labour Minister of bullying the process

Labour (Social Protection) will nominate the chairperson,” Ogle said.

When asked about the process of selecting Professor Lucas, the CLO offered media operatives a response of “no further comments”.

The teachers’ strike was first called on August 27 but was called off some two weeks later after both sides agreed on arbitration. Both Ogle and Minister Scott say the panel’s Chairman must come from the Social

nee while the Labour and Education Ministries said through a statement that the Education Ministry submitted its nominee but the Union was not willing to submit same.

“Dr Leyland Lucas was introduced by the Ministry of Labour as the Chairman of the arbitration panel.

However, the Union requested time to consider the nomination of the chairmanship,” the statement observed.

(Shemuel Fanfair)

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NGO to pay full CSEC fees for 74 Berbice students T

he MMP Foundation For Excellence has committed itself to pay for 74 students in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) to write their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams in June 2019.

The students who were selected through their respective schools received commitment certificates at the Foundation’s second annual prize-giving ceremony at its headquarters, Clifton Settlement, Corentyne, Berbice on Monday.

Founder of the NonGovernmental Organisation (NGO), Mohabir Mookoorchand Persaud told Guyana Times that the children were selected by the schools from a list of persons living under difficult circumstances. Many of these students, he noted, have touching stories.

“Many of them came from single parents. We have stories where some persons are surviving off of a pension… living with a grandparent.”

An emotional Persaud said because of the extremities of the various cases he has put together a team which was tasked with going through the applications before the 74 students were selected.

Initially, all of the secondary schools in Region Six

Students of Canje Secondary School posed with teachers and the founder of MMP Foundation For Excellence, Mohabir Mookoorchand Persaud on Monday

were contacted to provide possible candidates for the gift certificates.

He said in excess of $2 million would be made available to pay the examination fees regardless of the number of subjects each student intended to write.

The MMP Foundation For Excellence was established two years ago with the main aim of assisting those who were willing to do well at their studies, but could not do so owing to financial constraints.

The Foundation has been instrumental in shaping the lives of children from day one of its existence. In the first

year, the Foundation paid for 15 children to write CSEC. The Foundation’s first beneficiary, Mahendra Phagwah, secured 13 subjects and is now employed at Metro Office and Computer Supplies and is also a young entrepreneur.

Addressing the children, teachers, and some of their parents, Persaud said 2017 could have been considered a success. This year, 40 children were assisted with full tuition from MMP Foundation For Excellence.

“We are pleased to announce that some of the Region’s top performers came through the MMP

Berbice man stabs wife to death

A

Berbice woman is now dead after her husband reportedly stabbed her to death at their Bath Squatting Area, West Coast Berbice home.

Dead is 44-year-old Geeta (only name given).

Guyana Times understands that the woman’s body was discovered by her son about 18:00h on Tuesday evening.

This publication was told that the woman’s husband,

who is called “Shahrukh Khan” put his son, daughter and son-in-law out of the house last week following an argument.

A neighbour told this newspaper that the man was very abusive towards his wife and regularly consumes alcohol. According to the neighbour, on Tuesday the son returned to the house to check on his mother and made the gruesome

discovery. Having made the discovery, the son raised an alarm and the Police were called.

Guyana Times was told that from the state of the body, the woman may have been killed on Monday.

However, the Police were unable to locate the husband, who has since gone into hiding. An investigation has been launched.

Banks DIH employee dies in NA crash

A

Firemen cutting the car to retrieve the man’s body

Banks DIH employee is now dead after he reportedly slammed into a utility pole at New Amsterdam, Berbice on Tuesday evening.

Dead is 23-year-old Andy Gajadhar of New Amsterdam, Berbice. When this publication visited the scene on Tuesday evening, members of the Guyana Fire Service were cutting the car to retrieve the man’s body.

More details in the Thursday, September 27, 2018 edition of Guyana Times.

Dead: Andy Gajadhar

Foundation. After that excellent performance, I have decided to award a full tertiary scholarship to the top student of Region Six, Darshanie Jagubir. She will receive four-year tuition along with a $60,000 voucher annually. She is presently pursuing a degree in biology at the University of Guyana, Tain Campus,” Persaud noted.

MMP Foundation was established to ensure that children with the zest and determination are given the necessary support and push to do their best. Meanwhile, apart from paying for students to write their exams, the Foundation continues to distribute stationery supplies to children.

“This year, it has distributed 30 hampers consisting of bags and school materials worth over $800,000. In addition, the Internet and travelling expenses will be paid to another 20 children for the next year.”

Speaking at the ceremony, former Regional Education Officer (REO) Shafian Bhajan said it was a historic event.

She explained that in the past in Region Six many students have not been able to realise their true potential owing to difficult circumstances. “Education is a ticket out of poverty,” Bhajan said.

She noted that in Guyana much of the money from Government does not reach those who need it most to

have a positive impact.

“What the MMP Foundation has been doing is to do it on a personal level so that it goes directly to those who need it the most.”

Bhajan also noted that statistics have shown that many students still experience difficulty attending school and as such, she challenged others to join the effort to help children shape their future.

Meanwhile, awards were also given to the MMP graduating class of 2017-2018. The students were also rewarded with $4000 for each Grade One they obtained. The Region’s top student, Jagubir, gained 16 subjects, including 15 Grade Ones. The schools that benefitted from the initiative are Canje Secondary, the Berbice High School, New Amsterdam Multilateral Secondary, JC Chandisingh Secondary, Port Mourant Secondary, Corentyne Comprehensive, Winifred Gaskin Secondary, Berbice Educational Institute, Skeldon High School, Line Path Secondary and Tagore Memorial High.

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wednesdAY, september 26, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Contraband in prisons

4 prison officers in hot water for smuggling rum, cigarettes

Prisons Director Gladwin Samuels

T

he arrest of four prison officers, after they smuggled contraband into the Lusignan Prison last weekend, has put a dent in an apparent network which authorities have desperately been trying to crack.

The officers smuggled a bottle of rum and a pack of cigarettes into the East

Coast Demerara penitentiary on Sunday last, acting Director of Prisons Galdwin Samuels disclosed.

According to Samuels, the officers were arrested following reports received and subsequently investigations conducted, which revealed that they worked together to carry out the illegal act.

The Prisons Director stated that the officers have been charged and were interdicted from duty on Tuesday. They are expected to face trial on Thursday.

Contraband smuggling has long been a perennial problem within the prison system and was compounded by the fact that both prison and Police Officers are facilitating the illegal trade, which is said to be “big business”.

Already, five prison officers were relieved of their duties back in July after they were fingered in an incident whereby a parcel con-

taining cannabis had been thrown into the Lusignan Prison Holding Bay area.

Nevertheless, last weekend’s incident involving another four officers was followed by a joint search carried out by prison and Police authorities at the Lusignan Prison on Monday, which led to the discovery of 14 cellphones, 15 SIM cards, one tattoo machine, five pairs of scissors, 48 improvised weapons, 85 grams of cannabis, $3040 in cash, a quantity of chargers, one knife, one chopper, and a quantity of razor blades.

This find comes exactly seven days after a similar exercise conducted at the same penitentiary also unearthed a quantity of prohibited items including 45 improvised weapons, six lighters, one metal foil, 36 razor blades, three cellphone chargers, one white cellphone, a quantity of empty ziplock bags, one tattoo machine, a quantity of

Contraband found during Monday’s raid at the Lusignan Prison

nails, two headphones, three broken pieces of metal and a pieces of pallet wood.

The Prisons Director posited that these contraband find themselves within the prisons because these officers are colluding to smuggle items into the prison system, hence it has been a challenge to curb the illegal practice.

“The Standard Operating

Procedures would see Prison Officers conducting searches to verify that persons are without banned items when entering the prisons. This system will only be effective when there is no collusion,” he posited.

To this end, Samuels asserted that a firm stand must be taken against the smuggling of banned items into prisons.

In a recent interview with Guyana Times, the Prisons Director had lamented on the struggles authorities face in detecting and weeding out corrupt officers from within the system. He had pointed out that despite efforts to rid the prison facilities of contraband, exercises such as raids create the demand for more illicit items, which some officers take advantage of and capitalise on.

Moreover, Samuels noted that while several methods are there to gather intelligence in the prison environment, these efforts are hindered by the practice of officers who witness or are aware of such acts by their colleagues but choose to remain mum instead of reporting to higher authorities.

This, the Prisons Director said, has made it difficult for authorities to identify the rogue officers.

“Many persons have not been forthcoming with information they are privy to and so these [corrupt] persons are not known… The fact that you cannot link it to so specific time, it is difficult to sanction persons who are on duty because sometimes when you discover these items, it could be days that they’re in the prison already and so to just go and bring charges against the persons who were on duty during that entire period might not be in the best interest of the service,” Samuels had asserted.

Nevertheless, in an effort to further beef up security and prevent the smuggling of contraband into prison facilities, steps are being taken to acquire scanners for the various penitentiary facilities across the country.

In fact, Samuels told this newspaper that the first scanner is expected to be here sometime in December, while three others have been included in the 2019 Budget.

3 nabbed with illegal gun

The illegal weapon found on the suspects

A

Police Officer has come in for high praise for his bravery after he arrested three suspicious men, one of whom was found with an illegal firearm.

Reports reaching Guyana Times revealed that the officer, who was in plainclothes at the time, observed four persons on bicycles in Queenstown, Georgetown, about 23:00h on Monday acting in a suspicious manner. He intercepted them,

however, one person was able to escape.

A search was then conducted on the three apprehended suspects during which an unlicensed Magnum pistol with seven live rounds was found in the possession of one of them.

The three suspects, all of whom reside in Sophia, Greater Georgetown, were subsequently taken into custody. They are currently being questioned in relation to several armed robberies.

news

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wednesdAY, september 26, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Ramsammy’s Ruminations $77M education complex

commissioned in Region 3

The MoU with T&T is a sellout T

T

he Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) came to Guyana last week. He was welcomed with open arms by President David Granger. They signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) guaranteeing T&T a role in the developing oil and gas industry in Guyana.

Even as they were signing the agreement, T&T was promising to remove nontariff barriers for Guyana's honey to enter T&T. This is not the first time T&T is promising Guyana they would remove unfair nontariff barriers that will allow Guyana's honey to be exported to T&T. They did so many times before and, each time before, they Dr Leslie Ramsammy procrastinated, obfuscated and reneged on their promises, explaining that T&T had to safeguard their local honey industry. Yet one can visit the supermarkets on a daily basis in T&T and purchase honey from the USA at prices not different from the prices for locally produced honey.

Honey was not the only agricultural product from Guyana that T&T did not permit entry for or made it difficult for entry by imposing unreasonable conditions.

There is a long list of products from Guyana that T&T has maintained a tough list of non-tariff barriers which prevent our farmers from exporting to T&T. Take the time, they demanded that bran from Guyana be sprayed with methyl bromide before the ship was allowed to land. The ship was already in T&T, ready to dock. The cargo was fumigated with phosphine before the ship left Guyana. Methyl bromide is no longer used in Guyana for this purpose since Guyana is a signatory of the Montreal Protocol that demanded the phasing out of methyl bromide by 2015.

By 2014, Guyana had already phased out importation of methyl bromide. T&T, also a signatory to the Montreal Protocol, also had phased out methyl bromide. Clearly, this was a clumsy, fabricated regulation that T&T imposed on Guyana to prevent bran from Guyana entering T&T. T&T felt they had nothing to fear from Guyana, but they would not mess with America.

While an MoU with T&T to explore collaboration in oil and gas is a good thing, the MoU should have demanded that T&T treat Guyanese farmers with greater respect. If T&T continues to utilise unreasonable non-tariff barriers to prevent our products such as pepper, pumpkin, sweet potato, cassava, citrus, coconuts, rice, sugar, beef, mutton, etc, from being exported to T&T, we should be equally unwilling to partner with T&T in our oil and gas industry. I am disappointed, therefore, that President Granger and the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) signed an MoU with T&T without any discussions and any mention of these restrictions that stymie Guyana's rich agriculture potential. It shows that the APNU/AFC lack vision and is clueless.

In early 2015 when the People’s Progressive Party declared that Guyana is about to be a major global player in the oil and gas industry, the then Leader of the Opposition in Guyana, David Granger, and APNU, together with the AFC, ridiculed the then PPP Government. They argued that our vision of oil and gas as a major player in the economic architecture of Guyana is an election gimmick. As the world now fully accepts the PPP's claim in 2015 that Guyana is a major player in oil and gas, there are many countries and large global companies that want to partner with Guyana. T&T is no exception, particularly as its own oil and gas industry is waning in importance. I believe that we should welcome T&T as a partner within our oil and gas industry. That welcome should be with open arms, but not with stupidity and not with gullibility.

If our agriculture products are not good enough for you, then our oil and gas industry is also off-limits.

T&T has not played fair with Guyana for decades.

As we welcome T&T to be a partner in our oil and gas industry, we ask that they play fair with us. T&T must not think they can benefit from our oil and gas industry and that Guyana will turn a blind eye on its unfair trade barriers that limit access to their market for Guyanese products. We must call a spade a spade – T&T has for decades limited entry of Guyana's agricultural products into T&T based on spurious non-tariff barriers. Whether it is our rice, sugar, tomato, pepper, pineapples, sweet potato, other vegetables, fish and meat, T&T has imposed unreasonable conditions intended to prevent export into T&T from Guyana. To ignore this reality when we signed the MoU with T&T means we sold out our farmers and our country.

he Region Three Regional Democratic Council (RDC) on Tuesday commissioned a $77 million education complex at Vreed-en-Hoop, West Bank Demerara.

The cost takes into consideration the $43 million building; a $17 million cold storage; a $12 million generator room (with generator installed and configured) and the driveway and open bond for $5 million The new complex replaces the old education building which was gutted by fire in 2009. As a result of the blaze, many documents were destroyed, and offices displaced.

Speaking at Tuesday’s commissioning ceremo-

The newly-constructed education complex, Vreed-en-Hoop, Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara)

ny, Senior Project Officer, Communities Ministry, Karen Roopchand spoke on behalf of Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan.

Roopchand said the coalition Administration recognising the urgency and im-

portance of such a facility to the region and by extension, the country, prioritised the reconstruction of the education department building.

She underscored some of the benefits. “To our parents, you can rest assured

that issues regarding the region’s children will be dealt with in a more comfortable, spacious and private environment. To you the teachers, the resource centre will be returned to its original use where you can develop general and annual schemes, produce teaching aids and engage with each other. To the community, you now have your full library,” Roopchand is quoted by the Department of Public Information as saying.

Regional Education Officer Annesta Douglas noted that the project is a significant achievement for the education department.

She expressed gratitude to all those who contributed to the existence of the facility.

Travelspan partners with American Airlines for NYC-Guyana flights

T

ravelspan Vacations has announced a new sales agreement with United States carrier, American Airlines (AA), for the new North America to Guyana routes.

The travel agency said on Tuesday this agreement will bridge the gap by supplying more seats and another option for travel in the market. American Airlines is set to commence operations in Guyana from November 15.

The Airlines’ new nonstop service between Miami and Georgetown will offer easy connections from many American cities such as New York, Atlanta, Washington, North Carolina, Houston and Canada.

Travelspan brings 25 years of extensive experience and sales knowledge serving the Guyana markets, with multiple offices in Brooklyn and Queens, NY, USA; as well as in Georgetown, Berbice, and West Coast Demerara in Guyana; and Trinidad.

“This is a much-needed service for Guyana, the ease for passengers to connect from most US cities, Canada and Europe will be a major boast to Guyana’s economy,” stated Travelspan CEO Nohar Singh.

Travelspan has set itself in a prime position with its sales and distribution offices, and commitment to providing its customers with the best options possible for quality air service into Guyana.

Last month, Government announced that approval was given to American Airlines to commence flights between the Miami International Airport (MIA) and the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) in November, with four flights per week.

The carrier, which is scheduling to have daily flights from June 2019, has indicated that it will first ply the Georgetown-Miami route before possibly extending to other destina-

tions. The Airline will use an Airbus 319 with capacity for 120 passengers to fly to Guyana from Miami four times per week departing from Miami at 18:00h and arriving in Georgetown at 22:40h.

American Airlines offers

an average of nearly 6700 flights per day to approximately 350 destinations in more than 50 countries.

This airline is coming to this country at a time when, for the first time in its aviation history, Guyana will be hosting the

International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO’s) Air Transport Meeting, which will attract delegates from many of the ICAO’s 192-member states.

AA had earlier this year expressed interest in operating flights in Guyana. Then the Fort Worth Texas-based carrier later announced that it would begin offering seats on the route from December 20, 2018, with tickets going on sale from April 2.

However, that was before any permission was actually sought from the GCAA for the operations.

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guyanatimesgy.com

Around the World

Iran's Rouhani slams US "economic US imposes sanctions on Venezuela's First terrorism" in clash with Trump Lady Cilia Flores

U

S President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani clashed sharply at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, with the former urging the international community to isolate Tehran from global trade, and the latter calling US sanctions "economic terrorism".

Weeks of speculation about a possible breakthrough meeting devolved into a war of words over Trump's decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal and to reimpose economic sanctions on Iran.

Trump promised Iran would face more economic difficulties when the second round of sanctions targeting the energy sector snap back on November 5.

Rouhani later hit back at Trump saying his decision to

Trump said Iran's neighbours have paid a heavy toll for Tehran's 'agenda of aggression and expansion'

impose more sanctions is a form of "economic terrorism", accusing the US administration of trying to topple his government.

"It is ironic that the US Government does not even conceal its plan for overthrowing the same government it invites to talks," Rouhani said. "The Government of the US – at least the current administration – seems

determined to render all international institutions ineffectual," he said.

In May, the Trump Administration pulled out of the historic 2015 deal designed to prevent Iran from building a nuclear bomb. In August, the first round of US sanctions were reimposed on Iran.

There was speculation whether the two leaders

would meet in New York City, after Trump said he would be willing to meet without preconditions.

But Rouhani said in interviews Iran would not be willing to hold talks with the United States, until it decides to return to the 2015 nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The five remaining parties to JCPOA – France, Britain, Germany, China and Russia – agreed during a meeting in New York late on Monday to set up a payment system to preserve business ties with Iran despite US sanctions.

The Iranian leader said he was pleased the international community did not follow the Trump administration's "unilateral and illegal withdrawal from the JCPOA". (Excerpt from

Al Jazeera)

Bill Cosby sentenced to state prison for sexual assault

A

Judge in Pennsylvania has jailed comedian Bill Cosby for three to 10 years for sexual assault.

Cosby, 81, was also categorised as a sexually violent predator, meaning he must undergo counselling for life and be listed on the sex offender registry.

The actor declined to make a statement when offered the opportunity. At a retrial in April, Cosby was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault for drugging and molesting Andrea Constand in 2004.

Cosby's request for bail pending appeal was de-

Some 60 other women have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct but charges have not been brought because of the statute of limitations.

However, Cosby does face defamation lawsuits for branding his accusers liars

nied. The comedian became a household name in 1980s America when he starred in the Cosby Show TV sitcom, playing the father in a wellto-do African-American family living in Brooklyn, New York.

Such was his popularity that he was dubbed "America's Dad". The three counts on which Cosby was convicted were merged into one after an agreement between the defence and prosecutors, AFP News agency reports.

Psychologist Kristen Dudley testified that Cosby showed signs of a mental dis-

order and was likely to reoffend. Ahead of the sentence, the Judge designated him a sexually violent predator, despite the defence's argument that Cosby's age and blindness meant he was not a threat.

Tuesday's classification means he will need to register with state police and notify any community he lives in of his sex offender status, as well as undergo mandatory counselling for life.

Neighbours, childcare centres and schools will have to be notified of his whereabouts. Cosby's wife, Camille, did not attend the sentencing.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

European Union gives Anguilla millions for education reform in wake of hurricane damage

T

he European Union (EU) has disbursed the second grant assistance tranche of EC$14.3 million (US$5.3 million) to Anguilla for education reform and training under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) Programme. The assistance is inclusive of an emergency top-up payment of EC$8.8 million (US$3.3 million) additional support to help with recovery, following damage from hurricane Irma in September 2017.

EU Head of Delegation, Ambassador Daniela Tramacere, commended the Anguillan authorities on progress in the implementation of its Education Policy and reassured the Government that the EU recognizes the challenges resulting from the damage inflicted by hurricane Irma and the significant implications for implementation of the Policy.

For this reason, the EU decided to mobilise additional funds for Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) in the Caribbean that were affected by hurricanes last year.

“The additional EC$8.8 million to Anguilla had a clear objective to support recovery efforts in Anguilla’s education sector, primarily in the reconstruction/ rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure, as well as increasing resilience to cope with natural disasters in the future,” Ambassador Tramacere said.

She also expressed satisfaction in the Government as it continues to show positive progress and commitment towards prudent Public Financial Management (PFM) and good Budgetary Transparency reforms.

Cilia Flores is the latest Venezuelan official to have sanctions imposed on her

T

he US Treasury Department has imposed financial sanctions on Venezuela's First Lady, Cilia Flores. The move comes just over a year after President Nicolás Maduro had his assets frozen by the US Government.

US Treasury chief Steve Mnuchin said the Venezuelan "regime systematically plunders what remains of Venezuela's wealth".

Maduro later thanked the US in a televised address "for surrounding him with dignity".

In a speech at the United Nations in New York on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said Venezuela was one of the "truly bad places" in the world. He also said Maduro could be toppled "very quickly" if his own military decided to turn on him.

"It's a regime that frankly could be toppled very quickly by the military if the military decides to do that," Trump said as he met on the sidelines of the UN General

The overall expected outcome of the education reform is for all children to be able to complete seven years of quality primary education

and five years of an appropriate, quality secondary education, regardless of any physical or intellectual disabilities. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

fficers investigating Monday’s daring heist at Republic Bank ATM in St Helena, Piarco, Trinidad, have confirmed that over TT$1 million in cash was stolen.

Police are, however, still searching for at least four suspects and is asking anyone with information that can help them get a “quicker” breakthrough to contact them immediately.

WHO extremely concerned about Ebola "perfect storm" in Congo

T

he World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday an Ebola outbreak in Northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo could worsen rapidly because of attacks by armed groups, community resistance and the geographic spread of the disease.

At least 100 people have died in the outbreak, out of 150 cases in North Kivu and Ituri provinces.

“We are now extremely concerned that several factors may be coming together over the next weeks and months to create a potential perfect storm,” the WHO’s head of emergency response, Peter Salama, told a news conference in Geneva.

The response is at a critical juncture and, although the weekly number of new cases has fallen from about 40 to about 10 in the past few weeks and more than

11,700 people have been vaccinated, major obstacles remain ahead, Salama said.

Attacks by armed opposition groups have increased in severity and frequency, especially those attributed to the Alliance of Democratic Forces, most dramatically an attack that killed 21 in the city of Beni, where WHO’s operation is based.

The city has declared a “ville morte”, a period

(Excerpt from BBC News)

T&T Police confirm over TT$1M taken in ATM heist

O

The money is going to support recovery efforts in Anguilla’s education sector, primarily in the reconstruction/rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure

Assembly with Colombian President Ivan Duque.

Maduro said Trump's comments were an apology for America's history of colonialism in the region.

Surrounded by sanctioned officials who joined him during an event broadcast on state television, he said: "Thank you, Donald Trump, for surrounding me with dignity."

But he also said: "Don't mess with Cilia! Don't mess with family! Don't be cowards."

Over the past two years, the Trump Administration has imposed sanctions on dozens of Venezuelans, accusing them of corruption, drug trafficking and human rights abuses.

The Treasury Department also placed Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez and her brother, Information Minister Jorge Rodríguez, on its Specially Designated Nationals list.

of mourning until at least Friday, obliging WHO to suspend its operations.

Overnight on Monday, unidentified assailants entered the town of Oïcha, about 20 km (12 miles) north of Beni, burned houses, killed one man and kidnapped 14 children and one woman, according to two local officials. Oicha has two confirmed cases of the virus and one probable case. (Excerpt

from Reuters)

According to a Police report, at about noon the armoured vehicle backed up towards the machine at St Helena Junction when three masked gunmen ambushed its four guards.

Police said the men announced a holdup and seized the weapons belonging to the guards, before stealing the money bags and making their escape in a silver Nissan X-trail.

The getaway vehicle, which bore no licence number plates, was recovered shortly after abandoned in a bushy area in Las Lomas.

CCTV footage of the robbery was retrieved by investigating officers.

Police said eyewitnesses told them the G4S security officers were at that time replenishing the cash dispensing bins when the gunmen ambushed them.

Preliminary investigations initially pointed to the involvement of a G4S employee. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

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wednesdAY, september 26, 2018

ARCHIE

Don’t get bogged down with trivial matters. If some(March 21- one is being a stickler, you April 19) are best off going it alone.

Working toward something you feel passionate about will pay off.

ARIES

If you change how you TAURUS present yourself or do things, (April 20- it will affect how others reMay 20) spond to you. Attend conferences and networking functions and progress will be made.

dilbert

You’re on a roll, and much GEMINI (May 21- can be accomplished. Use June 20) your intelligence to outsmart anyone who challenges you.

Your keen sense of justice and fair play will drum up support.

Mingle, expand your interests and approach people (June 21- eager to share information July 22) with you. What you find out will lead to a potential professional or personal partnership.

CANCER

Peanuts

Look at the plus sides of LEO situations, but recognize the (July 23- down sides. Cut your costs Aug. 22) and lower your debt. Treat others fairly, but know when to walk away from a bad situation.

Stop thinking about what VIRGO you want to do and start do(Aug. 23ing it. It’s up to you to make Sept. 22) things happen and to be ready to take advantage of any opportunity that comes your way.

Calvin and Hobbes

Take care of domestic isLIBRA (Sept. 23- sues swiftly, before they beOct. 23) come too burdensome. Have a plan in mind that will involve people who bring out the best in you.

WORD GAME TODAY’S WORD — GLAMOROUS (GLAMOROUS: GLAM-er-us: Excitingly attractive or alluring.)

SUDOKU

You have plenty to ofSAGITTARIUS fer. Don’t let someone dam(Nov. 23- age your ego or make you feel Dec. 21) worthless. Streamline your energy and make better use of your skills.

Average mark 30 words Time limit 50 minutes Can you find 53 or more words in GLAMOROUS? The list will be published Monday.

YESTERDAY’S WORD — ZEPPELINS zein else enisle ensile peel peen peep pensile pepsin pine pile pipe plies

lees lenis lens lien line lisp isle nipple seen seep seine seize senile

sine size sleep slip snip snipe spile spin spine spinel spleen spline

RULES OF THE GAME: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” is not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed. To contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe, write to Word Game, Kathleen Saxe, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

Scout out the online job SCORPIO market to see what’s avail(Oct. 24able.

Exploring your options Nov. 22) will motivate you to formulate a long-term plan. Discuss your intentions with someone you love.

solution for last published puzzle

You’ll be torn between the CAPRICORN (Dec. 22- changes you want to make Jan. 19) and the ones available to you.

Consider how you can diversify your skills and utilize your knowledge and attributes differently.

Find a practical way to use AQUARIUS your money, time and talents.

(Jan. 20- Don’t let anyone convince you Feb. 19) to take on too much or overspend on something that isn’t profitable.

Use your imagination to PISCES (Feb. 20- come up with unique ways to March 20) take care of matters concerning institutions, government agencies or pending settlements. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

wednesdAY, september 26, 2018

19

Man Utd knocked out Carabao Cup on penalties A

fter José Mourinho told Paul Pogba he will never be captain again came a night to test the manager as a Phil Jones’s miss from Manchester United’s eighth kick in the penalty shootout sent Derby County through and knocked United out of the Carabao Cup. Jack Marriott’s late header had been answered by Marouane Fellaini’s in injury time after United had allowed the tie to drift following Juan Mata’s early goal. Then came eight minutes in which Harry Wilson equalised and Sergio Romero became the third United player in five matches to receive a red card – for handling the ball – before Fellaini’s intervention saved home blushes.

Mourinho had made nine changes, retaining only Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard from Saturday’s draw here with Wolves. One of those missing was Pogba though he was among a number of players the manager stated had been rested. Frank Lampard’s XI was the same one that beat Brentford 3-1 last time out and while he was particularly respectful of Mourinho when he played under him at Chelsea, the 40-year-old will have wanted to put one over on him.

This hope was dented after three minutes after the kind

Derby players celebrate with the goalkeeper Scott Carson after their win over Manchester United

of flowing move Mourinho’s United can be accused of lacking.

Anthony Martial showed his class with a neat first touch and away he raced down the left. A cross was flicked on by Lukaku, Lingard dummied and Mata swept in a convincing finish to Scott Carson’s right.

The perfect start for United came close to being matched by Derby moments later. As United dawdled Mason Bennett stole in from the right and his effort required a fine save from Romero.

This had Lampard shaking his head in disbelief and the modest

crowd applauding both the move and the Argentinian’s ability.

Next came a moment of United quality. Ashley Young, wearing the armband, pinged in a sweet 40-yard pass that bypassed the visiting defence and landed on Mata’s toes. The No 8 killed the ball but could not beat Carson and a corner from the left ensued.

Young took this and saw his delivery ricochet off Carson’s right post in a fortunate escape for Derby. The sense of an open contest in which United might streak ahead was confirmed

when Richard Keogh made a serious error in front of Carson.

He ceded the ball to Lukaku, yet after racing in on goal his attempt went wide. Derby’s response came via a Keogh advance from the back but the central defender’s 20-yard shot missed to Romero’s right.

Martial was unlucky to be dropped for the Wolves game following an eye-catching display against Young Boys and he was in effervescent mood again here. After skipping to near the left byline his ball he crossed and Lukaku might have doubled

the lead but the centre-forward mistimed his jump and over went the header.

Keogh continued to make errors. Just before the half-hour the captain dawdled and looked to have given possession away again in the danger zone but he managed to recover. Unlike Lampard, who stood throughout the opening period, Mourinho waited 31 minutes before leaving his seat and when he did this was to remonstrate at some lax play from the team. The Portuguese was also surely frustrated that United had not been more ruthless – a regular refrain of his – as at the break their lead remained just the single goal.

As this juncture neared Martial advanced and looked to thread the ball to Lukaku who lurked near the penalty spot but he lacked precision just as the side had thus far lacked a killer edge.

The second half began with Lukaku having to head clear a Derby free-kick and Romero hitting a regulation clearance against an opposing player and the visitors winning a corner, moments later.

This United performance was beginning to be reminiscent of Saturday’s lax display and of so many under Mourinho. Derby were becoming the ascendant

side and Romero was again required to protect the lead as more slipshod marking allowed Harry Wilson in though the wide man could not beat the Argentinian.

United were unable to get hold of the ball and dictate the contest and when Bradley Johnson flew into Martial with a tackle near halfway this summed up how much more urgent Derby were.

This all pointed to what came on the hour. Then Wilson, a Liverpool loanee, stepped up to take a 30-yard free-kick that he curled from right to left, sending Romero going the wrong way for the equaliser.

Mourinho reacted instantly.

He took off Lingard and Ander Herrera for Fred and Fellaini yet the travelling support’s own response was to inform the 55-year-old he was “getting sacked in the morning.”

Now came disaster for United as Romero was sent off by the referee, Stuart Atwell, for handling outside the area as Wilson raced on to the ball.

This meant Lee Grant – who played for Derby for 11 years in two spells, with more than 170 appearances – entering for his United debut at the age of 35 to set up a frantic finish, which included one fine save. (The Guardian)

Shahzad, bowlers star in Afghanistan's thrilling tie

T

wists and turns. Drama and action. The Super Four game between India and Afghanistan had it all as Ravindra Jadeja (25) fell off the penultimate ball of the match for the game to end in a pulsating tie. The game culminated in a fairy-tale finish, with Rashid Khan, Afghanistan’s star spinner, giving away just six runs in the final over and picking up the scalp of Jadeja to ensure parity.

While chasing a target of 253, India seemed to be on course for a rather comfortable win. With the score reading 166 for 4, Dinesh Karthik and Kedar Jadhav joined forces in the middle to share an alliance of 38 for the fifth wicket.

Just when the game seemed to be slipping away from Afghanistan’s grasp, they got the timely wicket of Jadhav in the form of a run out.

Jadhav would count himself unlucky as Karthik drove one back at Mujeeb Ur Rahman, the bowler, who deflected it onto the stumps, with the nonstriker finding himself short.

While trying to get back to the crease, Jadhav’s bat got stuck in the turf which didn’t help his cause.

There was more drama in the middle as in the very next over the on-field umpire answered Nabi’s loud appeal for LBW against Karthik in the affirmative. Replays projected

Afghanistan celebrate the moment after sealing a tie

that the ball would have missed the leg-stump. However, by then, India had used up the review.

At 205 for 6, the game was in back in balance. Deepak Chahar and Jadeja harried between the wickets and survived a few close shouts to take India within 27 runs of posting a victory before the former was castled by Aftab Alam.

Despite losing Chahar, Jadeja continued to play with a sense of composure. But Afghanistan were given another lifeline when Kuldeep Yadav was run out at the non-striker’s end in the 49th over. It was a wide throw from Gulbadin Naib but Alam, the bowler, showed good reflexes to collect the ball and throw it onto the stumps.

In the same over, Siddarth Kaul also had to walk back to the pavilion after he was run out on the back of a direct hit

from Hashmatullah Shahidi. At that juncture, it seemed like anybody’s game and eventually, it turned out to be a game for the ages, finishing in a nervewracking tie.

Earlier, a 110-run opening between Rayudu and Rahul had laid the platform for India’s victory. Initially, Rayudu was the aggressive of the two openers as he charged down the track to club Alam over covers for a six.

Rayudu had a close shave in the sixth over when Afghanistan didn’t take the review for LBW. Replays suggested three reds and the decision would have been overturned.

Rayudu made the opposition pay by tonking a couple more fours off Alam in the seventh over. His batting partner, Rahul, soon stamped his authority by carving Mujeeb over extra cover for a six.

Rayudu was the first one to

reach the fifty-run mark with single off Mohammad Nabi.

However, the right-handed batsman couldn’t covert his fifty into a hundred as he lofted one to the fielder stationed at long on and was dismissed in the 18th over.

Rahul, who completed his second ODI half-century, followed Rayudu back to the hut as he was adjudged LBW. Rahul took the review but to no avail.

Incidentally, it was his wicket that opened the floodgates for Afghanistan. Rahul wasting the review also cost India dearly as both MS Dhoni and Karthik couldn’t avail it later on.

For Afghanistan, Shahzad cracked a superlative hundred to lift them to a competitive total. He accumulated 68.8% of the first 180 runs scored by Afghanistan. The significance of the right-hander’s knock can be capsulised by the point that until the 26th over of the innings no other batsman had scored a boundary.

During the course of the innings, Shahzad on occasions, was beaten, but each time it felt as if he had erased his memory of the previous delivery that had whistled past his bat. He took a heavy toll of especially Jadeja and Chahar and crunched seven sixes in total.

The only chance he provided was in the ninth over when he was dropped off Siddarth Kaul’s bowling. (Cricbuzz)

SCOREBOARD

Afghanistan Innings (50 overs maximum) Mohammad Shahzad † c Karthik b Jadhav 124 Javed Ahmadi st †Dhoni b Jadeja 5 Rahmat Shah b Jadeja 3 Hashmatullah Shahidi st †Dhoni b Kuldeep Yadav 0 Asghar Afghan (c) b Kuldeep Yadav 0 Gulbadin Naib c Jadhav b Chahar 15 Mohammad Nabi c Kuldeep Yadav b Ahmed 64 Najibullah Zadran lbw b Jadeja 20 Rashid Khan not out 12 Aftab Alam not out 2 Extras: (lb 1, nb 1, w 5) 7 Total: (8 wickets, 50 Overs, RR: 5.04) 252 Did not bat: Mujeeb Ur Rahman Fall of wickets: 1-65 (Javed Ahmadi, 12.4 ov), 2-81 (Rahmat Shah, 14.4 ov), 3-82 (Hashmatullah Shahidi, 15.2 ov), 4-82 (Asghar Afghan, 15.3 ov), 5-132 (Gulbadin Naib, 28.4 ov), 6-180 (Mohammad Shahzad, 37.5 ov), 7-226 (Najibullah Zadran, 44.1 ov), 8-244 (Mohammad Nabi, 47.3 ov) Bowling: KK Ahmed (10-1-451), DL Chahar (4-0-37-1), S Kaul (9-0-58-0), RA Jadeja (10-146-3), Kuldeep Yadav (10-038-2), KM Jadhav (7-0-27-1) India Innings (target: 253 runs from 50 overs) KL Rahul lbw b Rashid Khan

60

AT Rayudu c Najibullah Zadran b Mohammad Nabi 57 KD Karthik lbw b Mohammad Nabi 44 MS Dhoni (c) † lbw b Javed Ahmadi 8 MK Pandey c †Mohammad Shahzad b Aftab Alam 8 KM Jadhav run out (Mujeeb Ur Rahman) 19 RA Jadeja c Najibullah Zadran b Rashid Khan 25 DL Chahar b Aftab Alam 12 Kuldeep Yadav run out (Gulbadin Naib/Aftab Alam) 9 S Kaul run out (Hashmatullah Shahidi) 0 KK Ahmed not out 1 Extras (lb 5, nb 1, w 3) 9 Total: (all out, 49.5 Overs, RR: 5.05) 252 Fall of wickets: 1-110 (AT Rayudu, 17.1 ov), 2-127 (KL Rahul, 20.3 ov), 3-142 (MS Dhoni, 25.5 ov), 4-166 (MK Pandey, 30.3 ov), 5-204 (KM Jadhav, 38.5 ov), 6-205 (KD Karthik, 39.4 ov), 7-226 (DL Chahar, 44.5 ov), 8-242 (Kuldeep Yadav, 48.1 ov), 9-245 (S Kaul, 48.5 ov), 10252 (RA Jadeja, 49.5 ov) Bowling: Aftab Alam (10-053-2), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (10-1-43-0), Gulbadin Naib (40-41-0), Mohammad Nabi (100-40-2), Rashid Khan (9.5-0-412), Javed Ahmadi (4-0-19-1), Rahmat Shah (2-0-10-0)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

wednesdAY, september 26, 2018

More opportunities needed for hinterland athletes, says Hastings

T

here is no doubt that the recently-concluded Heritage Games showcased a wealth of talent that is often hidden away within our hinterland communities. However, it has been highlighted that the annual Heritage Games hosted by the Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Ministry is one of the few platforms that athletes have to showcase their skill.

At the conclusion of the Heritage Games, Minister of Public Affairs, Dawn Hastings highlighted that there needed to be discussions on how sport within hinterland communities

Minister of Public Affairs, Dawn Hastings

could be developed.

“From what I have seen

this evening, I think as a government we have to do a

lot more for our hinterland students, in that affording them opportunities not only to play during Heritage,” Hastings said.

The Minister went on to state that although the hinterland scholarship programme existed and students were exposed to sport at their respective dormitories, more work needed to be put into making their transition to the coastland easier in relation to school and sport.

“I think we have to have some programmes that involve a smooth transition, from their communities to adapt to the coastline area,” the Minister said, revealing that she too had to adapt to

the coastland after moving there in order to attend secondary school.

Additionally, the Minister went on to make the recommendation that more opportunities on the coast needed to be available or at the least, more events similar to the Heritage Games needed to be hosted.

“We’re thinking about having this sort of activity at least twice a year, because it takes too long and that momentum is forgotten when you only bring them out for once a year,” she said.

While noting that plans are being put in place to change this fact, Minister Hastings disclosed that steps are already being

made in the right direction.

“We were discussing with the Guyanese Federation (football) and they said that the coach has already identified some from these games that they’re going to include to go and play in the Under-20 games sometime in Florida,” The Guyana Football Federation is gearing up for the CONCACAF Men’s Under-20 Championship in Florida, USA, which will run from November 1 to 22, 2018. Guyana will play Guatemala, Cayman Islands, Curaçao and El Salvador in their preliminary matches and the team will be headed by Wayne Dover.

LA Lakers move for basketball, not movies, says NBA star L

eBron James says his move to Los Angeles Lakers was for basketball reasons - and nothing to do with his Hollywood career.

The four-time NBA Most Valuable Player joined the Lakers in July on a fouryear deal worth $154m (£116m).

James, 33, is involved in various television and film projects and at a media day on Monday he was asked if that h a d influenced h i s decision.

"My decision was based solely on my family and the Lakers," James said.

"I'm a basketball player. I play ball.

That's what I do. As far as my business is concerned, that stuff has been taking care of itself long before I came out here."

His SpringHill Entertainment production company is involved with several projects, while James has also won a starring role in the forthcoming Space Jam movie.

'I'm humbled & excited'

The Lakers have been starved of success in recent seasons - despite boasting the talents of 18-time All Star Kobe Bryant - and he is just one of the former greats James said made him "excited" to join the franchise.

Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal are just some of those to have worn the yellow shirt of the Lakers.

"I think we all know this has been a historical franchise in this league for years," James said. "You talk about the championships, the players that have come through this franchise, that have worn this uniform, that's an excitement in its own right.

"It's always humbling for me to be a part of something special." (BBC Sport)

LeBron James says his outside interests will not be a distraction to his basketball

sports

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he High Performance Programme, Player Lifestyle Development Programme (PLDP) and Coaching Education were among the major topics discussed at the recently concluded Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) Board of Directors meeting.

The two-day meeting, held this past weekend further had updated the comprehensive assessment of its Franchise Fitness programme to look at individual and team reports.

For its Coaching Education, CWI has completed the revision of its Level 2 coaching certification, done through a collaboration with the University of the West Indies.

Between March to September this year, 164 persons have been certified for Foundation & Level 1 Cricket Coaching Courses.

Over the next six months, 17 cohorts are on schedule to be certified for the Level 1 category.

Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams, says the revision of the Coaching Education programme is in keeping with the CWI’s plan to ultimately take full ownership of its Coach

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Programmes, Super50 among items discussed at CWI Directors meeting

done at the end of the season and the tests will continue after the Super50, in March 2018.

Player Lifestyle Development Programme

Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams

Education pathway from Foundation right through to Level 3.

Fitness Programmes

WINDIES men and women teams along with franchise teams and their players have had additional focus on their fitness programmes. A third round of testing with the franchises is now in progress. The first was done in September 2017, before the start of the Professional Cricket Leagues (PCL) season; the second set of testing was

Efforts are currently underway with Heart Trust (Jamaica) to standardize the PLDP to include course content on coachability, attitude/mindset, goal-setting, motivation, readiness and teamwork. The talks with the Heart Trust will continue this month with a final course curriculum to be ready by year end.

Child Protection (which already has its own outline) also forms part of the overall PLDP. The Women and agegroup category teams were some of the participants during the courses held this past summer. The programme is part of an overall plan for all WINDIES Teams.

The meeting is also discussing the upcoming Super50 scheduled to start early October and the teams’ preparation for home and away international tours, with a special focus on the Cricket World Cup 2019.

Kemar Roach to miss warm-up game

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est Indies pacer Kemar Roach, bereaved by the passing away of his grandmother, will fly back to Barbados for her funeral and is expected to miss his side’s warmup game in India.

The 30-yearold, part of the Windies side that is set to tour the subcontinent, will re-join the squad in time for the first Test at Rajkot, starting October 4.

Roach is the senior-most in a five-pronged pace attack that also has Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Keemo Paul and Sherman Lewis. The 20-year-old Paul played a solitary Test in July this year, while Lews, who replaced the injured Alzarri Joseph, is yet to make his debut.

The Holderled team will play two Tests, five ODIs and three T20Is from October 4 to November 11.

No replacement has been named for Roach.

Roach’s return comes a day after head coach Stuart Law announced that he would be stepping down from his role in January 2019 and will take over as the coach of Middlesex.

“I have had to make the difficult decision to leave my role of Head Coach with CWI. It has

been very enjoyable, and I believe we have made tremendous strides forward as a team during the past two years,” Law had said.

Part of the 2011 side that toured India (Sachin Tendulkar’s last Test series), Roach played just one game and picked up two wickets. Having debuted in 2009, he has, till date, played 48 games and picked up 163 wickets in Test matches.

His last Test came against Bangladesh in July this year at home, after which he played a couple of games for the Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League 2018. He was rested for the second Test against Bangladesh after picking up a hamstring strain.

The entire West Indies squad: Jason Holder (captain), Sunil Ambris, Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, S h a n n o n Gabriel, Jahmar H a m i l t o n , S h i m r o n Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Shemar Lewis, Keemo Paul, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican.

(Sportskeeda)

Kemar Roach

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

wednesdAY, september 26, 2018

Caribbean Airlines throws support behind KFC Goodwill leave on December 24. As such Co-Director of Petra, Troy Mendonca, highlighted the importance of Caribbean Airlines’ contribution.

“You would understand how difficult it is to get seats around that time and I think with the support of Caribbean Airlines, they would make it happen for us. And whatever other contribution they make to this tournament, we’re very happy to be associated with Caribbean Airlines for the hosting of this tournament,” Mendonca said.

On Caribbean Airlines’ behalf, Sales Executive re-

Caribbean Airlines’ Dion Innis hands over the sponsorship cheque to Jackie Boodie in the presence of Petra member Mark Alleyne (left) and Co-Director Troy Mendonca

T

ravelling in the Christmas season is always a hassle and in order to participate in the first-ever KFC Goodwill tournament, that’s exactly what the Shiva Boys’ Hindu College will have to do.

Despite being months away, the KFC Goodwill

tournament has received a much-needed boost in operations, thanks to Caribbean Airlines.

Playing into their stronghold, Caribbean Airlines will be easing the Petra Organisation’s headache of getting the Shiva Boys’ Hindu College team in and

out of Guyana during the busy Christmas season.

Detailing the turn of events, the Trinidad and Tobago school team are scheduled to arrive in Guyana on December 15, to stay one week to participate in the highly- anticipated competition and then

sponsible for Suriname and Guyana, Dion Innis disclosed that the sponsorship decision was an easy one, given Petra’s stellar track record in sport and social issues.

“I think this decision was quite an easy one for us.

We’ve obviously observed the work that the organisation has been doing in the promotion of sports at the junior level. The organisation has, over the years, not only been promoting sport but highlight in a very good way, a number of issues that have been plaguing our society. And that in particular is

one of the reasons we decided to come on board in this tournament,” Innis stated.

The KFC Goodwill tournament is a collaborative effort with the Petra Organisation and will include four teams, one of which will be an overseas team in the form of the Shiva Boys’ Hindu College.

The local teams will comprise Annai Secondary and the top two finishers in the upcoming Guyoil/Tradewind Tankers tournament. The competition will run from December 16 to December 23.

Russian billionaire deemed potential 'security threat' by Swiss Police T

he Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich was denied Swiss residency because police warned that he could be a threat to Switzerland, reports say.

Switzerland's federal police advised officials to reject his application over suspicions he might be involved in money laundering or have contact with criminal organisations.

Abramovich denies any wrongdoing.

The owner of Chelsea football club has never been indicted in Switzerland or elsewhere.

The allegations are based on unverified police suspicions which emerged after the Zurich-based publisher Tamedia obtained a letter written by police.

Abramovich's lawyer has said that the billionaire has

Roman Abramovich had wished to settle in the Swiss resort of Verbier

never had, or been alleged to have, connections with criminal organisations.

He fought a legal battle to try to prevent the story being published.

The Tamedia group has won that battle after several months and now its news outlets, including 24

heures, have reported that the Federal Office of Police viewed Mr Abramovich's potential presence in the country as a danger to public security and to Switzerland's reputation.

The police did not set out the basis for their claims, the reports say. (BBC Sport)

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesdAY, september 26, 2018

23

2018 GCB/CGI Jaguars 50-Over League R6

Romario Shepherd

Georgetown, Essequibo battle for points with 1 round remaining R

ed-hot defending champs Georgetown will face a tough challenge when they face off against winning Essequibo side in today’s Round 6 main event of the Jaguars League.

Fresh off match-winning fifties, Georgetown Captain Leon Johnson and all-rounder Chris Barnwell will want to continue their form.

Johnson has hit three consecutive fifties, two of which are unbeaten while Barnwell struck his second 80-plus score of the tourney. Both senior players will want to finish the League with a century given the form they have been in.

Georgetown will also want opener Robin Bacchus to fire after his stars in the last game while Raymon Perez could also play a role in the middle. Bowlingwise, National U-19 pacer Qumar Torrington, fresh off his Most Valuable Player (MVP) performance with four wickets, will play a big role along with Barnwell and spinner Ramaal Lewis, who continues to take wickets.

Essequibo, meanwhile, will feel confident given their form in both departments, Anthony Adams continues to shine with bat and ball while Kemol Savory with a ton to his name along with the likes of Ricardo Adams, Kevon Boodie, Chaitram Persaud and Parmesh Parsotam have been in good form.

Leon Johnson

Jonathan Foo

Sherfane Rutherford

Windies pacer Ronsford Beaton has been effective with the bat while his skill as a pacer is known and coupled with Ricardo, Akinie and Anthony Adams in the spin department, the champs could be in for a fight at Bourda.

In other Round 6 matches, East Coast with Bhaskar Yadram, Rajendra Chandrika, Chandrapaul Hemraj and others will square off against West Berbice at the Bush Lot Ground. East Coast will want to rebound from their Round 5 loss while West Berbice will want to continue their winning streak.

In-form spinner Gudakesh

Motie, half-centurion in the last game with 58; national youth players Javid Karim and Kevin Sinclair along with Leon Andrews starred in the last win and will play more crucial roles.

Jonathan Foo, with two MVP awards under his belt, will be hoping his Lower Corentyne franchise could overpower East Bank in their match at the Everest Ground. The core of the team – Junior Sinclair, Foo and Jason Sinclair – will lead the batting and are in good form while a variety of bowling options will pose a threat to a subtle East Bank order.

Dynamic all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford missed a ton in the last game while opener Trevon Griffith could be eying another ton with Vishaul Singh lending support in the stability department.

Ronaldo Alimohamed, Rutherford and Griffith’s part-time but useful spin will suffice for the majority of the bowling.

Port Mourant Ground will see West Demerara with Romario Shepherd and company facing Upper Corentyne who are seeking to rebound after being another victim of the Essequibians. Matches are expected to bowl off at 09:00h.

Sueria/Magic Moments 20/20 Tournament…

RHT clinch historic title R

esidents of Fyrish and surrounding villages came out in their numbers last Sunday as the village hosted its first-ever Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) final.

The entire ground was packed to capacity despite the fact that the visiting Rose Hall Town (RHT) Bakewell team easily defeated the home team Fyrish Cricket Club by 95 runs.

That final was the third zone finals to be organised by the Board, following Upper Corentyne and New Amsterdam/Canje.

Fyrish Cricket Club won the toss and to the surprise of RHT, elected to field first. RHT opening pair Kevin and Junior Sinclair started aggressively as they tore into the Fyrish bowling attack.

The pair added 50 runs in just 4.3 overs while the 100 mark was reached in the ninth over. Kevin, a National Under-19 player, was first to be dismissed, bowled by Yogindra Chinapen for 60 off 27 balls at 104 in the 10th over.

His opening partner and fellow national player was then runout for 40 after he and Surendra Kissoonlall found themselves in the same crease.

Promising National Junior Player Kevlon Anderson and Kissoonlall then batted well to add 100 in eight overs. Anderson struck a polished 57 with eight boundaries and three huge sixes. The elegant Kissoonlall struck

Man of the Final Kevlon Anderson receives his award from Magic Moments’ Ganga Persaud

five sweetly-timed boundaries and two huge sixes to support Anderson, after he struggled to

get the ball off the square early in his innings.

Keith Simpson (05) and

Jonathan Rampersaud (02) were not out at the crease when the overs expired as RHT ended on 218 for four.

Avenash Rengasmi with 3-41 and Chinapen were the successful bowlers for Fyrish.

Needing to score 219 from 20 overs to clinch the Lower Corentyne title in front of their adoring home fans, Fyrish raced to 34 without loss in three overs before medium pacer Anderson bowled Chinapen (14) and then had Younghan Gurdayal (08) caught by Mahendra Gopilall to leave Fyrish at 40 for 2.

Former national youth player Javed Mohamed then tore into off-spinner Kevin, as he took 21 runs from the 8th and together with Aushramanie Shrikissoon added 40 for the third wicket in just 3.2 overs before they both fell to leave Fyrish in trouble.

Mohamed was caught at deep cover by Gopilall, trying to hit Sinclair for another six while Shrikissoon was caught off Junior Sinclair for 28.

No other Fyrish batsman reached double figures as Anderson ended with 2-30, Sylus Tyndall had 2-31, Junior Sinclair 3-10 and Keith Simpson claimed 2-8 as Fyrish crumbled to 123 in the 17th over.

The tournament was sponsored by Sueria Manufacturing Inc under its popular Magic Moments brand.

BCB President Hilbert Foster hailed the Fyrish Village and the Cricket Club for being wonderful hosts and committed the Board to organising matches of such calibre at non-traditional venues across Berbice in an effort to promote cricket.

He urged the defeated finalist to be proud of themselves and to use the experience of being in a final as inspiration to become greater. Foster also hailed the support of Frank Sanichara, CEO of Sueria Manufacturing Inc. The Magic Moments 20/20 tournament includes zone finals in Upper Corentyne, West Berbice, New Amsterdam/Canje and Lower Corentyne. To date, No 48 Challengers have won the Upper Corentyne title, Young Warriors Cricket Club defeated Rose Hall Canje to clinch the New Amsterdam/Canje league while the final of the West Berbice Zone will be played shortly.

The winning team, runners-up and Man of the Final, Anderson, received prizes and trophies from the Board.

Up next for the Board is the final of the 2018 Elizabeth Styles Under-21 Tournament which is scheduled for Saturday, September 29 at the Port Mourant Cricket Ground. The match will see arch-rivals Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets and Blairmont Community Centre battle.

wednesdAY, september 26, 2018

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

guyanatimesgy.com

2018 GCB/CGI Jaguars 50-Over League R6

Leon Johnson

Georgetown, Essequibo battle for points with 1 round remaining

Sherfane Rutherford

Page 23

Caribbean Airlines throws support behind KFC Goodwill

Page 22

Caribbean Airlines’ Dion Innis hands over the sponsorship cheque to Jackie Boodie

More opportunities needed for hinterland athletes, says Hastings Page 20

Minister of Public Affairs, Dawn Hastings

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