Guyana Times Thursday December 19, 2019

Guyana Times Journalist wins GCB Journalism award Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

5 dead in horrific Mahaicony smash-up guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4142

thursday, december 19, 2019

Page 3

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

APNU/AFC P14 flags placed dangerously alongside GPL’s transformers

Essequibo Coast cop named 2019 P12 Best Cop Seechan Chandilall

Ewart Reynolds

Alana Vaughn

Keon Sealey

Maxwell Disreali Montgomery Thom

…Guyanese desire a Police Force they can trust – Granger

Berbice man sentenced to death for killing US-based Guyanese P8

US President Donald Trump impeached

P16

GECOM data shows most discrepancies found in Georgetown, ECD & Berbice

Page 7

Integrity P14 Commission to pursue prosecutions next year – Chairman

...Guyana Times offers free publication of defaulters

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thursday, DECEMBER 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

news

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thursday, DECEMBER 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

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

5 dead in horrific Mahaicony smash-up

Thursday, December 19 – 11:30h – 13:00h and Friday, December 20 – 12:30h – 14:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Thursday, December 19 – 10:35h – 12:05h and Friday, December 20 – 11:45h – 13:15h.

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

WEATHER TODAY There will be cloudy skies and light midday showers. Expect partly cloudy skies at night.

Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to Easterly between 2.23 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 10:25h and 22:56h reaching a maximum height of 2.33 metres and 2.33 metres.

Low Tide: 03:49h and 16:24h reaching minimum heights of 0.83 metre and 0.91 metre.

wednesday, DECember 18, 2019

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

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The truck involved in the accident

ive persons are now dead and four others seriously injured following a collision between a minibus and a lorry on the Fairfield Public Road, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara (ECD) on Wednesday morning.

Dead are minibus driver Seechan Chandilall, 48, of Lot 102 Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice; Keon Sealey, 33, of Farm, Mahaicony; Alana Vaughn, 31, of Farm, Mahaicony, Ewart Reynlods, 64, of Calcutta Mahaicony, and Maxwell Disreali Thom, 76.

Meanwhile, several passengers who were also in the minibus, BRR 5478, were taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and are in serious conditions. They are Cecil Gordon, 46, of Farm, Mahaicony; David Jacobs, 60, and Angela Jacobs, 15, both of Moraikobai, Mahaicony, and lorry driver Sherlon Wills, 46, of Helena, Mahaica.

They were all initially taken to the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital where they were treated and then transferred to GPHC. Police in a statement said that shortly after 11:00h on Wednesday, the two vehicles – minibus BRR 5478 driven by Chandilall and motor lorry GPP 9433 driven by Wills – were involved in the accident at the Fairfield Public Road.

According to the statement, the minibus was proceeding west along the southern side of the road when it experienced a ‘blowout’ of the left side rear wheel. This caused the driver to lose control and collided with the left front portion of the lorry that was proceeding east along the northern side of the road.

Speaking with this publication, one eyewitness, Reihieram Bhandu, said the two vehicles were heading in opposite directions and the minibus experienced a ‘blowout’ to the rear wheel.

“That was the first impact ‘boom’. After I hear that, I see the bus coming up and hustling to come in my yard and the same time the truck hit the bus and after impact, he pushed the bus back over into the bus lane and everybody pitch out on the road. The minibus driver and another passenger leave pin down in the bus,” the man recalled.

He said that following the impact, about five persons were left lying motionless on the road while others were seemingly panting for breath.

Meanwhile, the injured and dead were taken

to the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital in a canter as the ambulance service was reportedly not available at the time.

Residents of the community said that the driver and a porter were the only persons in the lorry. The porter received minor injuries.

Chandilall had been operating the bus for the past month.

According to his sister, Nadira, they were informed about the accident via telephone.

Meanwhile, Vaughn— a second-year medical student at the University of Guyana – was expecting to deliver her third child soon.

She had left home to make her final check-up at the health centre.

According to her husband Thaugius Khnai, he and Vaughn were both working on their dreams when tragedy struck.

“She was going on the final check for her pregnancy because she had reached the ninth months' threshold. She told me she was going to go to the hospital and then she would be heading to the health centre,” the grieving husband said.

Meanwhile, Assistant Anaesthesiologist Keon Sealey, who was attached to the Mahaicony Hospital and father of one, had been working in the medical field for the past five years and leaves to mourn his parents

and five siblings.

His mother, Wallie, said she was in the same minibus moments before the accident. According to the grieving mother, it was when she stepped off of the bus that her son started his final Journey.

“I came off at a junction there and he joined the bus where he's living down the road. I received a phone call and I was told my son is in an accident. And then somebody past and told me that

Barlima, she saw scenes of the accident on social media but was unaware that her husband was one of the victims.

“I was waiting on a call from him. He said he was going to call when he was finished working, so that myself and son can go and meet him at Plaisance to get the stuff up here. I was waiting, it was after 12:00 and he did not call and shortly after that I hear about an accident. My son had a friend

The wrecked minibus involved in the accident

he died”.

She explained that it was another passenger who was aboard the bus but departed before the accident who provided the information. She and Ewart Reynolds were former classmates.

Reynolds, a debt collector for Courts Guyana, was on duty and had boarded the bus taking cash and several documents from his workplace with him.

Reynolds was expected to start working at the Mahaica outlet of the company in January. On Wednesday, he had arranged to remove his belongings from his home at Plaisance, East Coast Demerara, to take to his family’s home at Calcutta.

According to his wife,

just by the fence and he brought the phone and show me and I recognise that it look like Ewart,” she said.

Over the past months, there have been numerous fatal accidents. Only on Tuesday, Commissioner of Police, Leslie James said that he believes that motorists and other road users need to change their attitude for there to be a reduction in minor, serious and fatal accidents. Guyana’s road carnage has increased in recent time, with as many as 12 persons losing their lives within seven days.

While the Police Force has a major role to play in keeping the roadways safe, the Top Cop said the attitude of motorists is a major factor.

(Andrew Carmichael)

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guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, DECEMBER 19, 2019

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

Advance notice

R

eports suggest that APNU and the AFC have agreed on who gets what with regard to the upcoming March 2020 elections. Having been back and forth over the past few months, it appears that a sense of relief and satisfaction has come to overwhelm the AFC, more especially, one of its founders, Khemraj Ramjattan, who, reportedly, has been endorsed as the Prime Ministerial candidate for the coalition.

Prior to the 2015 elections, both APNU and the AFC entered into an agreement: the Cummingsburg Accord. The main components decided and signed to was that the AFC would be given the position of the Prime Ministerial candidate and 40% of the Parliamentary seats won, as a prerequisite for a pre-election coalition.

It seemed those components were adhered to after the coalition won the 2015 election. Over time, there were calls, reportedly from the AFC, for the accord to be renegotiated. In addition, the AFC was believably forced by APNU to contest the November 2018 Local Government Elections (LGE). It took a mauling at the polls and the strength it boasted of was exposed as a fallacy.

Many felt that the move by APNU to have the AFC contest the LGE separately was deliberate to gauge influence which was crucial for any review of the Cummingsburg Accord. With 40% of Parliamentary seats and the slot for the Prime Ministerial candidate decided in 2015, reportedly, some senior APNU officials were unhappy that the AFC got that much in the first place and were adamant it should not be given such a big share come 2020, especially following its abysmal failure at the 2018 LGE. Sometime after 2015, the AFC’s Congress decided that the current Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, will not be nominated as the candidate for that position for the March 2020 elections. Reports indicated that the party’s internal elections were hotly contested and very divisive.

In the end, Ramjattan emerged as the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate and allegedly, there was opposition to his candidacy from some within APNU. From reading between the lines of the President’s subsequent utterances, he may have given some credence to that perceived opposition.

The group that publicly spoke for the AFC held firm that Ramjattan must be the candidate and even threatened to contest the 2020 elections alone if their demands are not met. That prompted Mr David Granger to respond saying that only the President has the authority under the Constitution to elect a Prime Minister.

An arm of the State media reported him as saying, “The most important principle is that, any agreement should be in accordance with the Constitution of Guyana. So that is not subject to deadlines or threats”.

In the end, and based upon reports, Ramjattan has seemingly been accepted as the candidate and the AFC, reportedly left with no option, was apparently forced to accept 30% of parliamentary seats expected to be won. That’s 10% less than what was agreed to in 2015. Also, Ramjattan’s candidacy seems dependent on another agreement; one that would deter him from ascending to the Presidency if the coalition were to win and Mr Granger is unable to continue as President.

Aside from the seeming official confirmation that the AFC has lost political ground, two things become clear. One, Mr Granger’s convenient use of when the Constitution must be followed. He was firm that any revision of the Cummingsburg Accord must be in accordance with it.

That is a most duplicitous and disingenuous statement following how he and the coalition government flagrantly disregarded the Constitution in the wake of December 21, 2018, No-Confidence Motion (NCM) and the subsequent rulings and consequential orders of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

That defiance of the Constitution was seen as a deliberate attempt by APNU/AFC to thwart the NCM and the snap election it precipitates.

From his actions, which eventually led to the CCJ declaring the APNU/AFC government as a caretaker one and deemed illegal after September 18, 2019, it appears that Mr Granger is prepared to disregard constitutional procedures even if it means contravening the rule of law.

Secondly, if he were to enter another agreement whereby the Prime Minister would not ascend to the Presidency if the President is unable to continue, he would once again be in contravention of the Constitution and his own statement on the need for it to be followed with regard to the Cummingsburg Accord.

The Constitution is clear; the Prime Minister ascends to the Presidency in the event of the President being unable to continue.

This was done on two previous occasions.

In the current circumstances, it seems that Mr Granger is once again prepared to disregard the Constitution for the benefit of himself and his Government. This time around, he seems to be giving advance notice of his intent.

The “I LOVE GUYANA” sign was commissioned by the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) on the lawns of the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) on Wednesday

Malnutrition curses the children of Venezuela

L

ast August, Francys Rivero, an unemployed single mother of four, feared for her baby’s life. Two months after his birth, even though she was breastfeeding him regularly, Kenai de Jesus wasn’t gaining weight.

“I feel like my heart is breaking,” Rivero, 32, told Reuters in an interview in the capital of the western Venezuelan state of Lara.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with my son.”

She tried repeatedly to see nutritionists, but failed.

One didn’t show up, another required a month-long wait.

Desperate, Rivero attended a charity event offering check-ups and information for families of children with nutritional problems.

At the event, organised

by Caritas, the Catholic aid organisation, doctors performed a check-up. With donations from the charity, and financial assistance from siblings now living abroad, Rivero began supplementing her breast milk with baby formula.

Within weeks, Kenai rebounded. By December, he reached an acceptable weight for his age. But Rivero, like many enduring a recession now in its sixth year, fears she could once again find herself short of the money needed to keep him healthy.

“How am I going to afford such expensive food?” she asks.

Venezuela’s economic crisis is taking a crippling toll on the country’s children, who face a growing risk of malnutrition as basic food is increasingly out of reach for many families. The public health system, notoriously short of medicine and other standard supplies, is unable to provide much succour,

Gregoria Hernandez, 23, sits next to her seven-month-old daughter Sonia, who according to her has diarrhoea and is underweight, while resting on a bed in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, August 16, 2019. “I feel like the worst of mothers, because I don’t have a way to help them, to give them what they need, the food they need,” said Hernandez

and aid groups struggle to bridge the gap.

President Nicolás Maduro, increasingly a global pariah for undermining democracy and overseeing the country’s economic collapse, blames the crisis and food shortages on US sanctions meant to force him from power.

The leader, also accused of overseeing widespread human-rights abuses and turning a blind eye to suffering across the once-prosperous country, often says foreign media and global aid organisations exaggerate Venezuela’s problems.

A lack of proper nutrition is stunting growth, diminishing cognitive development and causing physical and emotional trauma among hundreds of thousands of young Venezuelans.

As a result, doctors and other health experts argue, Venezuela faces a generation of young people who will never meet their full physical or mental potential.

Between 2013 and 2018, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund, or UNICEF, 13 per cent of the country’s children suffered

from malnutrition. Caritas, in a recent study conducted in five Venezuelan states and the capital, Caracas, found that 16 per cent of children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition and that nearly twice as many suffer from low growth rates for their age.

Although the United Nations and other agencies import some food and nutritional aid, it isn’t enough for Venezuela’s needs and the assistance doesn’t always get where it is most required. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has raised just a third of the US$222.7 million it sought for Venezuela for the second half of 2019, according to official UN data.

“A population suffering from malnutrition implies we are going to have adults with less physical and intellectual potential,” said Raquel Mendoza, a nutritionist at Mapani, an aid group in Barquisimeto that helps poor families diagnose and treat malnourished children. “We’re going to see a regression in the develop-

ment of the country, because human resources are diminished.”

Venezuela’s Information Ministry, responsible for Government communications including those of the Health Ministry, didn’t respond to requests for comment.

The Ministry’s 2016 annual report, the last one it published, celebrated advances in nutrition since the 1980s and said child malnutrition “has stopped being a public health problem”.

For those without enough to eat, the problem is very real.

Rosa Rojas, a 32-yearold widow and mother of six, relies on rice and other carbohydrates to keep her kids fed. Rare is the day they get three full meals. “We just eat twice,” she said.

Gregoria Hernandez, a 23-year-old homemaker, recently hospitalised two young sons, Pastor and Josue Suarez, because they were malnourished. Shortly after their release, Sonia, her seven-month-old daughter, needed similar medical help.

“I feel like the worst of mothers,” Hernandez told Reuters. “I don’t have a way to help them, to give them what they need.”

Sometimes, families are torn between competing needs.

Deina Alvarez, a sixyear-old student and aspiring gymnast, is underweight and receiving nutritional supplements from a local charity. Although her parents both work, they don’t earn enough to fill a grocery cart and buy the medicines they both need as epileptics.

“Either we pay for medicine or we pay for food,” said Diana Rodriguez, Deina’s mother.(Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, DECEMBER 19, 2019

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

It is time for a serious A culture of begging conversation Dear Editor, In his New Year’s Day message of 1974, Prime Minister Forbes Burnham announced the imposition of a special tax levy (called the sugar levy) to extract a portion of the huge profits that accrued to Bookers McConnell (Bookers) and the others in the plantocracy as a result of the high price for raw sugar on the world market. In 1975, this levy yielded over US$85 million for the Burnham regime.

But Burnham wanted more than cash; he wanted control.

Two years after, in May 1976, on the nation’s tenth anniversary of independence, Burnham made his move and Bookers was “nationalised and placed under the management of several State corporations run

by Guyanese personnel” as highlighted by Professor Ralph R Premdas. The evidence reveals that much of the sugar levy from 1974 and 1975 was used to pay the sale price for the Bookers assets (US$40 million). However, once that issue was settled, the fund served as budget support to the entire nation. I have been working on an indepth analysis on this levy and I have found empirical evidence to prove that between 1974 and 2013 when former President Bharrat Jagdeo finally repealed the sugar level by way of Act No 11 of 2003, the sugar industry transferred some US$1.5 billion to the national coffers. (See table below):

What was quite revealing was that the sugar industry transferred, annually, an average of US$57 million to the national budget for some 29 years. This sugar levy served to benefit people in all 10 regions of Guyana, whether they lived in Bartica, Linden, Mahdia, Georgetown, or beyond. So the evidence is there to prove that the sugar belt has paid its dues to this nation. All that was asked of this nation since the sugar industry became cash depletive was for some temporary cash support.

In 2015, before the elections, I prepared a 5-year turnaround plan that would have reduced the cash loss to US$9 million by 2020 (if it was implemented in 2015). On top of that turnaround plan would have been a 5-year stabilisation plan that would have achieved cash neutrality by 2025.

In total, the turnaround and stabilisation plans over these 10 years would have taken from the Treasury about US$238 million. Here was a company that provided this nation with over US$1655 million in cash support and in return was just asking for 14% of that sum to be ploughed back into the industry as a means to protect and preserve 15,000 jobs. This is what Team Granger could not do. But there is more since directly the industry supports some 60,000 people including some 28,000 children and indirectly over 110,000 people mainly across rural Berbice and Demerara.

As we are all seeing today, Team Granger

Big TATA model buses needed Dear Editor, Allow me to express my heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones in Wednesday’s gruesome accident. These persons are ordinary people who use buses to go to work or home. They have no other option than to use these buses. They would have held their breath every day in those minibuses until, at last, those same buses took their breath away.

We know how unruly the bus drivers and conductors behave when passengers ask them to lower the music or reduce speed. I want to appeal to the authorities to introduce 45seat buses so that this road carnage will come to end. That is the only solu-

tion to put an end to these killing machine minibuses.

Besides, let these big buses commute with a scheduled time and stop only in bus stations. An immediate introduction of big buses with time and bus station is needed to resolve road fatalities. Let us put an end to the minibuses which have killed enough people thus far. If the Government cannot afford these buses, at least allow the private companies to import these big buses so that our people can be safe and alive. I have written letters to the Editor on this subject before but no action. I beg, let this letter not go in vain.

Sincerely, Kevin Ram

has been nothing but short-sighted and thankless to the sugar industry, which carried this nation for centuries. Now that the sugar belt has an ailment, these ingrates in the Granger cabal are prepared to confine it to the “destitute ward” without even considering that there is enough science to repair it. The fact remains when other industries were failing in the 1980s, it was sugar that bailed them out.

Although the Parvattan Commission provided some level of information that could have served as a foundation for a proper due diligence exercise, Team Granger dumped their key recommendations.

As a nation, we are no better off at understanding the business model, focusing on cutting non-value added cost, increasing value-added sales like packaged sugar products and rebuilding confidence across the workforce.

Rather, this nation is being financially burdened by a US$150 million loan that is costing us money but has not been effectively put to work.

This is shameful!

It is time for a serious conversation on how to rebuild an industry that should be focused on value-added sugar-related products as this country embarks on a path that is on the brink of great wealth.

Regards, Sasenarine Singh

Dear Editors, Mosa Telford’s article, “A culture of begging” on December 14, 2019, caught my eye.

The author, endowed with compassion and self-awareness, while judging Guyanese to be possessed of a culture of begging which fuels a condition of living above our means, tried to reconcile those attitudes with the desperate need to survive. So, which is it? Are Guyanese beggars? Wanton materialists and spendthrifts? Or could we just be poor people who cannot afford the cost of living, hence the need for a supplement since remuneration is inadequate?

I agree with the author that the old woman begging on the street is not much different from the rest of us who must seek assistance from friends and relatives. Guyanese are coping with poverty in various ways. Some will justify stealing, some will justify prostitution, some will justify corruption and bribery, some will beg on the streets while some will find the help from the dual citizens overseas to be a great ease.

The combination of poverty, inadequate education and poor mental health is a lethal one. Poor mental health and inadequate education usually go handin-hand, rendering the weakest the most vulnerable. It has been my experience in Guyana that the Government of Guyana, under any administration, fails to offer any real support to the most vulnerable. We have a tradition of successive Governments

misusing the resources of State to enrich themselves and further the interests of their political parties.

With the focus of national leadership being self-interest, there is no systematic effort directed at improving the living conditions of the poor and vulnerable.

Where is the Government official who had a solution for the homeless man who found himself sleeping on the street with his netting?

That Government official does not exist and, herein, lies the giant-sized policy gap that dual-citizens and extended family are filling with their remittances and other forms of support respectively. Some, like Octogenarian Fitzherbert Grimes, pay dearly for our acts of generosity.

Where is the politician who would pass an old woman begging and go back and inquire of her circumstances? We are a small country of less than a million. Only a small fraction of our small population is destitute. Support from the Government that can make a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable is only a matter of political will. Politicians will not change their approach to governance.

Guyanese must, therefore, demand that our politicians put their focus on the wellbeing of our citizens. We deserve to thrive in our homeland, not just barely survive. We need to hear concrete strategies that are to be implemented fairly and transparently for helping the poor and vulnerable because this is

the heart of most of our interconnected social problems. The Government of Guyana is still operating as a colonial administration – it is very good at persecuting offenders but we need significant improvements when it comes to preventing offences, supporting families and the needy and breaking the cycle of poverty.

Of a certainty, though, is that the culture of ‘remittances and barrels’ reflect the love that Guyanese have for each other and the strength of the Guyanese family units. A barrel usually consists of 100% love.

All the Guyanese dual citizens, year after year, who are supporting Guyanese at home, are closer to a true reflection of who we are as people. All of us locally, those of us who stop and lend a hand, offer a dollar to family and friends and beggars, pay our zakat, and offer food and a little shelter to the homeless – we are the true heroes of this land. It will be a great day in this land when the politicians can come into alignment with the true generous Spirit of our nation.

When we look upon the shopping that’s going on at this Christmas time, perhaps we can also see the extra bit of love that family overseas send via MoneyGram and Western Union, the Christmas gift, to put a smile on the faces of their loved ones. What else matters in life?

Sincerely, Sandra Khan

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thursday, DECEMBER 19, 2019

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Foundation

Simple things you can do today to spread happiness

H

ow often do you consciously try to be selfless and focus on someone else’s hap-

piness? It’s difficult to remember that the entire world does not revolve around us and that we need to give and put into the world just as much as we expect to receive.

Happiness is the universal currency and you can choose how you spend it.

You don’t have to go out and perform exactly the same tasks as the examples above, but there are several smaller ways to make someone else’s day just a bit better and they won’t cost you a thing.

Greet everyone (with a smile!)

If you don’t feel like you have the courage to talk to a stranger, simply smile and greet them with a wave or a simple hello.

Do you have any idea how many people pass by others without receiving a single hello each and every

day?

I ’ m willi n g to bet t h a t not a sing l e pers o n even gave them eye contact either less they paid to.)

a o f ily

(unw e r e

Receiving simple sign acknowledgement from a stranger can easbrighten their day

because most of the time, people feel unnoticed.

Listen more than you talk

Even though you should be practising this anyways, it is sometimes hard to remember that others want to be heard.

Active listening is powerful. There are a lot of people out there who are used to just sitting there waiting to speak, but the other individual is just dominating the conversation while leaving no room for a reply.

When you talk to others, listen at least 60 per cent of the time (the more the better.)

The people in your life

will appreciate it and you can brighten their day, every day.

Genuinely compliment someone

Just notice something about someone and genuinely compliment it.

Perhaps they’re wearing something interesting such as bright green pants and you happen to like it.

Let them know! People love compliments about things they put the effort into doing. Sure, it’s great to compliment their big, blue eyes, but they didn’t make the decision to have those eyes today!

If you notice someone doing something amazing or you admire the way in which they go about a task, let them know you think that they are doing an amazing job. Compliments go a long way and it can only spread some happiness to those sharing the Earth with you.

Paper Plate Santa W

ith just a few days to go until the big day, I think we’ve achieved an easy, fun and utterly adorable paper plate Santa – what to do you think?

Here’s how you can make it at home!

Materials:

Paper plate Red, black, white and orange paint Glue Cotton wool White pom-pom

DIRECTIONS:

Ask someone if they need help

For some reason, society has bred people to be afraid of reaching out for support.

Everyone is supposed to be some sort of self-reliant superhero who can carry the weight on his or her shoulders.

If you have even the slightest suspicion that someone may be feeling down or is struggling, just ask for help. They’ll most likely tell you everything is fine, but they will feel better just because you showed you care. It’s powerful and you can’t ignore it. (www.selfstairway.com)

Paint half of the paper plate a skin tone (by mixing white with a small amount of orange or pink) and the other half a vibrant red, with a curve around the edge of the paper plate to create a ‘hat’ shape.

Add a big red nose.

Between the border of the skin coloured paint and red, add plenty of glue.

Separate and thin out the cotton wool and spread along the

trail of glue, leaving some space to create the appearance of a hanging Santa hat.

Add some glue to the bottom of the paper plate.

Add more cotton wool and this time fluff it up a little to create a nice fluffy beard.

Finish off by adding a pair of eyes using black paint and a white pom-pom at the tip of the hat.

And ta-da, you should now have a super cute, super adorable paper plate Santa! (artycraftykids.com)

NEWS

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thursday, DECEMBER 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

GECOM data shows most discrepancies found in Georgetown, ECD & Berbice

D

ata released by the Guyana Elections C o m m i s s i o n (GECOM) shows that of the over 20,000 persons the Commission will have to verify in field exercis-

Demerara (ECD).

This was revealed during a press conference on Wednesday at GECOM’s headquarters on Main Street, Georgetown.

According to Chief

The list indicating a breakdown of the areas where field verification has to be done

es starting today, as many as 2321 of those persons are from the East Coast of

Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, GECOM will first focus on areas with

concentrated numbers of discrepancies.

Besides the East Coast, there were 2106 registrants who were red-flagged in South Georgetown and 1528 in North Georgetown.

There were also 1428 on the East Bank-Soesdyke areas, 1241 registrants from Parika and a combined 1751 persons from Whim, Corriverton and New Amsterdam.

“So basically, we get to the locations with the scrutineers, they do their enquiring and we head back out. For the coast, my plan is if one team has to do 25 visitations per day, then I’ve arithmetically worked out the amount of teams I would need to ensure the amount of visitation for the large areas is done”.

“So I’ll be asking of the Chief Scrutineers to provide those amounts of scrutineers for us. We will have to ask those who worked with us previously for house-to-house (to come on board) … because, no doubt, we don’t have the amount of staff. Our HR division is working to ensure that they indicate an interest in working so tomorrow (today) we can all assemble and cover all the ground in all the areas”.

Lowenfield admitted that since GECOM does not have enough staff on its own to carry out the exercise, it needed to bring in persons who worked as enumerators previously on the recent house-to-house (H2H) exercise. While he could not say how many field workers GECOM will be sending out into communities, he gave some insight into the methodology that will be used.

“I don’t have the numbers, but I can say arithmetically that if we have 16,000 (names to verify) and the intent is to have one team per day make 20 visits, I can provide the sum. But I have asked my

GECOM Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield officers to provide that information, understanding the geography in these areas”.

He expressed hope that by tomorrow, their permanent and temporary staff could be assembled to conduct the exercise. For now, however, Lowenfield explained that he would be meeting with the chief scrutineers of the political parties to coordinate the exercise.

Transparency

At Tuesday’s statutory meeting, there was a split vote on whether to proceed with the exercise or not. GECOM Chair Retired Justice Claudette

Singh used her casting vote to break the deadlock. At Wednesday’s press conference, she explained her decision.

“I ruled in the interest of transparency and because I would like a credible list. I would like for all to have a levelled playing field, so in the end, no one can complain that GECOM did something which was just foisted on them without having the new registrants fully verified. So, that is my decision in the interest of transparency,” Justice Singh explained.

Some 370,000 registrations obtained during the scrapped H2H exercise were sent overseas to be crossmatched with the National Register of Registrants Database (NRRD) in order to filter out the duplicates.

However, it was recently reported that international digital security company, Gemalto, indicated that some 37,300 were new registrants who are eligible for voting, that is, they are above the age of 18. But an internal check conducted by GECOM showed that approximately 17,000 of those “new registrants” were already on the voters’ list and some even voted in the past.

The remaining 20,000 “new names” were up for further verification. Earlier

GECOM Chair Retired Justice Claudette Singh

this week, it was reported that the Governmentnominated Commissioners were pushing to have a sample survey done from a sample size of 10 per cent from the 20,000 to verify these new names before they go on the voters’ list – a process which the PPP Opposition had objected to.

The PPP has always contended that the H2H exercise, which ran from July 20 to August 31, was largely unsupervised and would produce flawed results.

Indeed, the Party subsequently found that many of the persons listed as new registrants are either dead or were previously registered.

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IN THE COURTS Berbice man sentenced to death for killing US-based Guyanese

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29-year-old East Canje, Berbice was on Wednesday sentenced to death for the murder of 45-year-old Samantha Benjamin, a US-based Guyanese.

Justice Sandil Kissoon handed down the sentence after Imran Ramsaywack, also called “Coolie Boy” and “Kevin Jones”, was found guilty by a 12-member jury.

Ramsaywack denied the murder charge which stated that between March 25 and March 26, 2015, he murdered Benjamin at Buxton, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Sentenced to death: Imran Ramsaywack

The prosecution’s case contended that the now-convicted man murdered Benjamin at her Middle Walk, Buxton home and dismembered her body. The dead woman’s body was discovered in the Atlantic Ocean along the Annandale foreshore, ECD, where it was found that her head, arms and legs were missing.

Benjamin’s body parts were later pulled from the water after a search conducted by the Police.

The State was represented by Prosecutors Abigail Gibbs and Mandel Moore, while Ramsaywack was rep-

W Murdered: Samantha Benjamin

resented by Attorney-atLaw Ravindra Mohabir.

Security guard remanded Herstelling man for ganja trafficking

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62-year-old security guard was on Wednesday slapped with a narcotics trafficking charge and was remanded to prison.

Marlon Norton, of Seaforth Street, Campbellville, Georgetown, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. He denied that on December 16, 2019 at Willam Street, Kitty, Georgetown, he had

102 grams of marijuana in his possession for the purpose of trafficking.

The prosecution is con-

tending that on December 16, ranks on patrol duty saw Norton throwing a plastic bag into some bushes as they were approaching him. The bag was retrieved and the prohibited substance was found.

The Prosecutor objected to bail and the Magistrate upheld the submission. The case will continue on January 8, 2020.

Plugging the hole…

remanded for raping 12-year-old

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33-year-old taxi driver was on Wednesday slapped with a rape charge and remanded to prison.

Shadeo Pooran of Herstelling, East Bank Demerara, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. The charge alleged that on September 27, 2019, at Herstelling, East Bank Demerara, he engaged in sexual penetration with a 12-year-old.

The matter was heard in-camera. According to reports, the child was standing at Mocha, East Bank Demerara when Pooran, who was driving a car, stopped and offered her a drop home. However, the man allegedly took a detour and drove to his residence where he reportedly carried out the act. The 12-year-old told her parents what had transpired and the Police were notified. Following an investigation, Pooran was arrested. The case will continue on December 30.

…in the oil tank hile they’re pleading “inexperience”, it’s not as if Granger, the PNC and his environmentalist running the Energy Department weren’t aware of the need for transparency when it comes to getting value for money with our oil resources. Jeez!! How many times are they going to pull Trotman on us, the people of Guyana, who are the owners of the said resources? Fool me once...

Yet, here they are taking on those same experts to negotiate a spot price for our crude through a procedure that just reeks of incestuous hanky-panky!! Just as it was with Trotman’s infamous “bonus”, Bynoe and company were outed about inviting some sole-sourced oil majors – most of them with skin in the game since they’re drilling and lifting our crude! – when an overseas news outlet published the info!!

But it’s not just that if folks know what’s going on in their name the PNC boys might keep on the straight and narrow, they’re required by LAW to inform certain agencies to ensure the aforementioned hanky-panky and playing footsies don’t get out of hand. The Auditor-General snorted so hard his coffee gushed through his nose when he read that Bynoe claimed the spot sales weren’t REALLY sales and, therefore, don’t have to be sanctioned to the procurement body! Aren’t the crude traders SELLING a service which Bynoe’s BUYING??

But the Government had announced early on that it was burnishing its transparency credentials in the nascent oil industry by signing on to the Extractive Industry Transparency Institute (EITI)? And facilitated a local affiliate? Did Bynoe even read what the EITI says about what the latter calls “first trade” process?? More specifically, “EITI Guidance note 26: Reporting on first trades in oil”?

Let’s remind him: on the “selection of buyers and allocation” they warn about “governance and reputational risks”. The first one being “bribery of officials to secure contracts and discretion in the negotiation of terms”!!

And how should this concern be addressed? Through “transparency measures” that include “open, competitive and rule-based allocation processes to ensure a levelled playing field of sales contracts”!! More specifically, its Rule 4.2(b) declares: “Implementing countries” must disclose “the technical and financial criteria used to make the selection” of buyers!!

The Auditor-General bluntly declared that Bynoe’s “explanation” for his handpicked bidders for our first oil “makes no sense”!! He’s promised to look into it. But we know that the AG’s critique of this Government’s lawlessness in its practices is like throwing water on duck’s back: it simply rolls off and leaves the duck smirking and looking sleeker!!

So what’s EITI gonna do ‘bout it?? They, at least, are an international body with teeth. …in GAWU’s response arsenal Your Eyewitness was chuffed when he saw the letter: “GAWU in solidarity with French workers”. They elaborated, “The GAWU has been following closely the ongoing and widely-supported protests by the workers of France as they seek to rightfully defend any erosion of their gains at this time. Our Union is aware that for many weeks now, thousands of workers and other segments of the population in that country have staged picketing, marches, demonstrations and other activities across that country to express their strong disagreement and vehement opposition to reforms in France’s pension arrangements which would really render the workers worse off”.

Your Eyewitness had also been following the French strikes and had compared their militancy – clashing with the Police in Paris, bringing the country’s transport to a halt; threatening to do same with Christmas etc – to GAWU’s reaction when ONE-THIRD of their sugar industry members hadn’t just been threatened but UNILATERALLY FIRED!!

At least Macron had negotiated with the unions for TWO YEARS!!

Is GAWU signalling a French-inspired action here??

Bravo!! …on Police excesses Exactly a decade after the 2009 torture of a West Bank youth, its repetition by two Policemen – sons of a senior GPF officer – reveals a sick, pervasive mindset.

No cover-ups like with that hit-and-run incident!

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

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GECOM to get help from Indian, Ghanaian election experts

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n a bid to boost its technical and oversight capacity to hold elections, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will be taking on two advisors with experience in running elections in India and Ghana, courtesy of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

This is according to Chairperson of GECOM, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, during a press briefing.

She explained that the two men will serve as Senior Electoral Advisors to herself and the Secretariat.

The advisors are Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan and Dr Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi. Dr Afari-Gyan is a Ghanaian academic, political scientist and experienced election administrator who holds a PhD in Political Science. It is

Ghanaian election advisor, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan

understood that he was Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Ghana from 1993 to 2015.

According to his Ghanaian Alma matter, he also graduated from the University of Ghana in

1967 with a BA Degree in Philosophy. He went on to attain a Master of Arts (MA) degree in African Politics in 1969 from the same university. He also studied in the United States where he was awarded a PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1974.

Meanwhile, he will be joined by Dr Zaidi, who previously served as 20th Chief Election Commissioner of India. He is also a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Harvard.

He has also served as the Director-General of Civil Aviation and as a Permanent Representative of India on the council of International Civil

Indian election advisor, Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi

Dr

Aviation Organization (ICAO). This was before his stint as India’s Election Commissioner and Chief Election Commissioner.

“These two gentlemen will be here from early January. They will be advisors to me and to the Commission as a whole.

They will also oversee the elections,” Justice Singh explained to the media.

Asked to clarify the

Chair’s statement that the men would be overseeing the elections, Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield explained their terms of reference. He made it clear that the men are only there in an advisory capacity and that GECOM would continue to discharge its responsibilities.

“In no way is the Commission giving up our identity, our legal rights.

These advisors are here based on the vast experience they have garnered over the years. They will provide to madam Chair, and at other times to the Secretariat, their experiences in best practices that they would have provided for their own countries in the past”.

“And, no doubt, we’ll be better for the advice that will be provided by these two gentlemen. So there’s no way we’re giving up or allowing our authority to be usurped,” Lowenfield further explained.

GECOM had previously announced it would be get-

ting assistance from JeanPierre Kingsley, a Canadian elections expert. According to Justice Singh, GECOM is also expecting Kingsley’s arrival in January.

Kingsley, whose appointment was announced back in October, is being funded by the Canadian Government. The former Canadian Chief Electoral Officer served from 1990 to 2007 during which he participated in many significant international development missions aimed at promoting democratic electoral processes through cooperation, capacity building, and mutually beneficial relationships.

He also provided electoral assistance to several Caribbean countries, including Trinidad and Tobago.

According to his profile on the Canadian elections body website, Kingsley was proactive during his term in office, recommending and promoting key initiatives to make the electoral process more accessible.

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Essequibo Coast cop named 2019 Best Cop

…Guyanese desire a Police Force they can trust – Granger

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ith just six years of service under his belt, Sergeant Gladwin Hanover was named the Guyana Police Force’s 2019 Best Cop at its annual Christmas Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, where ranks received commendation and/or monetary rewards for their stellar performance during the past year.

Sergeant Hanover is an instructor at the Richard Faikal College on the Essequibo Coast but recently stepped up to take over the training of recruits following the reshuffling of the senior ranks. He also heads the Zara Computer School at the Training College, where they have trained over 2700 civilians in foundation and advanced computer skills, as well as PC repairs and maintenance since 2013.

The 32-year-old sergeant was described as someone who has demonstrated “exceptional performance” and applied himself to general policing duties.

Hanover told reporters after the awards ceremony that he felt privileged to be given the award in recognition of his hard work.

Sergeant Hanover also works with a lot of young people in the region. In fact, in four months, he has formed seven youth groups across Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) with some two hundred young persons.

Sergeant Hanover, who was also named Best Cop of

GPF 2019 Best Cop, Sergeant Gladwin Hanover receiving his awards from Top Cop Leslie James at Wednesday’s ceremony his Division, received a tro- recognised for his work in phy and $250,000. He was the past year.

These officers were further rewarded with a trip for two to Kaieteur Falls, a among some 2600 ranks weekend at the Arrowpoint who received a total of $21.3 Nature Resort and dinner million at Wednesday’s for two at Duke Lodge – all award ceremony for their compliments of the Roraima performance over the past year.

Group of Companies.

Additionally, for the first Meanwhile, the runner-up 2019 Best Cop was time since giving out these Assistant Superintendent E awards, two ranks from Baird, who is the Divisional the Guyana Defence Force Crime Chief in Region Six (GDF) received special rec(East Berbice-Corentyne). ognition for cooperation He was also named the Best with Police.

Awards were givCop in that Division.

The other Divisional en to the Force’s Best Best Cops were: Sergeant Male and Female Sports Clive Clarke (A Division), Personalities as well as Constable David (C the Best Sportswoman and Meanwhile, Division), Lance Corporal Sportsman.

Douglas (D Divisional), members from Community Lance Corporal Franklin Police Groups and Rural (E Division), and Constable Constables from across the Gentle (F Division). In ad- country were also rewarded dition, Inspector Devon for their work done over the Lowe from the Criminal past year.

Investigations Department Deserving awardees (CID) Headquarters was

Police Commissioner Leslie James commended the “deserving” awardees for their commitment to carrying out the mandate of the Force, noting that these efforts should not go unrecognised.

“The performances of ranks over the past year, in a general way, were in keeping with the Force’s mandate. [We are] giving due recognition to those ranks, who understood that sense of duty and performance creditability over the past year,” he stated.

As the Force nears the completion of its three-year Strategic Plan, the Top Cop indicated that they were able to achieve the installation of Police Reform Board, which has oversight of the implementation of the Plan, in keeping with its objectives.

He went on to point out that the alignment of the Force’s Regional Divisions has also taken shape during this past year.

“It is expected to see changes in the overall management of our resources, human and otherwise, for a strategic implementation to tackle crime and traffic lawlessness. The Force will continue with its forward thrust and we will continue to engage in social crime prevention approaches,” Commissioner James posited.

He

Trust

gave a similar commitment earlier on Wednesday before

A member of the Community Policing Group Rosehall branch in Berbice receiving an award

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President David Granger, and other senior ranks of the Police Force at the Annual Commissioner of Police breakfast.

During an address, the Head of State pointed out that Guyanese desire a Force which they can trust and it is, therefore, incumbent on the country’s premier law enforcement agency to ensure that they understand their roles and responsibilities and make every effort to fulfil these.

“This profession is based on public trust and without that trust, policing cannot succeed. I understand the importance of policing to this country and the people of this country. The people want a Police Force they can trust. The people want to cooperate with the Police. People want to look out their windows and see

the Police patrolling. People want to approach the Police and get help. People want to live in a safe society. They want their girl children to go to school and come home late from lessons in safety.

These are the things that all Guyanese want and I want you to be the type of Force that the Guyanese want you to be,” he said.

President Granger stated that it is for this reason that his Government has embarked, over the last four and a half years, on an ambitious programme to improve the security in this country. He noted that while some people had been hesitant with this plan, he is confident that the changes that have been taking place will make Guyana safer for citizens and investors alike, especially in light of the developing economic environment.

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thursday, DECEMBER 19, 2019| guyanatimesgy.com

APNU/AFC flags placed dangerously alongside GPL’s transformers

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gnoring warnings from the Guyana Power and Light to desist from placing flags on their lantern posts, members of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Alliance for Change (AFC) have created a hazard for members of the public by placing their flags near the company’s

high-voltage transformers.

The flags were placed at several locations around the city.

In its warning, GPL informed the public to desist from affixing any poster or signage on its utility poles since it is illegal and dangerous, as well as a safety and health hazard for both the

The flags positioned closely to electrical wires and transformers

company’s technicians and private citizens Section 5.4 of the company’s Standard Terms and Conditions (STC) for Electric Services clearly states that

“Customers shall not place any structure that would interfere with the proper and safe operation of or access to the company’s facilities…”

Meanwhile, both pri-

vate contractors and/or Government agencies executing infrastructural works within close proximity (approximately 20 feet) of GPL’s network, were also

urged to notify the company within 72 hours prior to commencing work, so that the actions deemed necessary to facilitate the safe execution of work can be determined and undertaken.

“GPL will not be liable for any injury and/or loss that may result from the improper use of its poles or injury and/or loss that may result from unauthorised work within close proximity of its network,” the company had warned.

In October, protesters on the West Coast of Demerara, in preparation for a planned protest had placed flags to signify the “death of democracy” under the David Granger-led coalition regime. However, those flags were removed by the Police.

Integrity Commission to pursue prosecutions next year – Chairman …Guyana Times offers free publication of defaulters

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he Integrity Commission is committed to pursuing prosecution against officials in public offices – a significant portion of whom are still delinquent in declaring their assets to the Commission.

This is according to Chairman of the Commission, Kumar Duraisami, who told <<< Guyana Times >>> on Wednesday that the Commission is “definitely going ahead” with the prosecution of defaulters but noted that they first want to send reminders before doing so.

He could not say how many defaulters there currently are, explaining that this number keeps changing every day whenever these officials make submissions.

However, Duraisami noted that when the Commission meets in January 2020 for its first statutory meeting, a

Integrity Commission Chairman Kumar Duraisami along with Commissioner Rosemary Benjamin-Noble (left) and Commission Secretary Amanda Jaisingh

final list of delinquents will be determined before moving ahead.

A few months ago, Duraisami had disclosed that despite a two-month extension to the June 30 deadline, less than half of the declaration forms that were sent out were filled out and re-

turned. He noted that some 1137 forms were distributed but only 396 were received after the August 31 extended deadline.

Among the defaulters are a majority of the Members of Parliament from both the Government and Opposition. Back in May, the Commission had flagged some 716 public officials for failing to make their declarations including President David Granger and some members of his Cabinet.

Over the past months, the Commission has complained that inadequate financial resources have hampered its ability to carry out its mandate effectively, especially with regards to publishing

the names of defaulters.

Guyana Times reached out to the Commission a while ago and offered to publish the list of delinquent officials free of cost. This newspaper was told officially write the Commission on the offer.

However, the Chairman told this publication that the Commission will have to meet to discuss this matter and as such, he cannot make any commitments.

According to the Integrity Commission Act, all public officers in high office are required to file declarations of their assets as well as those held by their spouses and children. The law states that any public officer who fails to comply with the Commission is liable upon summary conviction, to a fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for a period of no less than six months or more than one year.

For 2019, the Commission since published five lists of the various categories of public officials defaulted in making their declarations. Chief among the defaulters was President David Granger himself. Others on the lists were sitting Government ministers, Members of Parliament and a number of high-ranking Government officials.

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Over 200,000 persons visited Guyana for 2019

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or the year so far, over 200,000 persons have visited Guyana, with the majority coming from the Caribbean.

The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) has announced that for January to October 2019, there were 255,779 visitors when compared to October 2018, which had 234,350.

According to the data provided by the GTA, the majority of the people visiting Guyana came from the Caribbean.

In fact, 125,107 persons from the Caribbean

visited Guyana so far this year. This is followed by the United States, where 79,370 persons visited.

Over 17,000 persons visited from Canada, over 11,000 from Europe, and over 14,000 from South and

Central America.

From the Caribbean, the majority of the visitors came from Cuba. In fact, 6137 visited from Cuba, followed by 2880 from Haiti, 2146 from Trinidad and Tobago, and 1149 from Suriname.

20 new dental assistants graduate

The new dental assistants

T

wenty new dental assistants have graduated from the Division of Health Science Education’s one-year Dental Assistant Programme.

Speaking at the simple graduation ceremony, Programme Coordinator Debra Patterson-Skeete pointed out that the training allows for graduates to have practical experience in dentistry.

She said that the assistants have been introduced to dental X-rays and so “they are well capable of doing correct infection control methods”.

The graduates hail from Region One (Barima-Waini),

Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Region Four (DemeraraMahaica), Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni), Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

The best graduating student from the programme was Nafeeza Benn of Berbice. In addressing her peers, she spoke of the many challenges and sacrifices she had to make to successfully complete the programme.

“I had to leave my family and my comfortable home and sometimes late at

nights I had to study…sometimes I wanted to go out and then you had exams so I had to study for my exam and today to be the top student is a dream come true,” Benn said.

Copping the most improved student was Dwayne Barry. Barry said he always wanted a career in the dentistry field and with the help of his family he was able to pursue.

Some of the areas covered in the course included training in sterilisation, patient care, ethics & communication, anatomy, oral health promotion and care of equipment among other areas.

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Trump is impeached, becoming 3rd US President in history to face Senate trial

D

onald Trump has become the third US President in history to be impeached by the House of Representatives, setting up a trial in the Senate that will decide whether he remains in office.

The House voted that the President abused his power – the first of two impeachment charges against him.

The vote fell roughly along party lines with 229 Democrats voting for the charge and 195 Republicans against.

Trump now faces a vote on a second charge – obstruction of Congress.

As the voting took place, President Trump was ad-

dressing a campaign rally in Battle Creek, Michigan, along with Vice President Mike Pence.

The proceedings on Wednesday began with members of Trump's Republican Party calling for votes on procedural issues in an effort to frustrate the process.

That was followed by a vote on the rules to be set out for the impeachment, which kicked off six hours of partisan debate on the merits of the two impeachment charges against President Trump.

About 20:30 local time (01:30 GMT), the House called for votes on the two

President Donald Trump is accused of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress

charges: first, abuse of power, stemming from Trump's

alleged attempt to pressure Ukraine to announce inves-

tigations into his Democratic political rival, Joe Biden; and second, obstruction of Congress, because the President allegedly refused to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry, withholding documentary evidence and barring his key aides from giving evidence.

The vote on the first article meant Trump had been impeached, placing him alongside only two other presidents in the nation's history – Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton – and setting up a trial in the Senate for his presidency.

During the House debates, Trump tweeted several times, calling the

Democratic arguments "ATROCIOUS LIES BY THE RADICAL LEFT" and an "ASSAULT ON THE REPUBLICAN PARTY!!!!".

The Republican Party has a majority in the Senate, making it highly unlikely the President will be removed from office when Senators cast their votes. Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell last week said that Republican Senators would act in "total coordination" with the President's team during the trial, outraging Democrats who pointed out that Senators are obliged to act as impartial jurors. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Govt’s takeover of Berbice Bridge operations lawful – CJ

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ovember last year was a lawful act.

This is according to acting Chief Justice Roxane George, who in a ruling on Wednesday dismissed the case filed by the Berbice Bridge Company Inc (BBCI).

BBCI had moved to the court over the unilateral takeover.

In November 2018, BBCI disclosed that the company was facing bankruptcy and as such proposed to increase its tolls to keep the Berbice Bridge afloat.

However, this was opposed by the Government, who eventually, on November 5, 2018, took over operations of the facility.

“In accordance with the powers conferred upon the Minister by Sections 4 (1) and 11 of the Berbice River Bridge Act, in the interests of public safety, the Minister issued an Order declaring that the functions of the Concessionaire to maintain and operate the Bridge shall be exercised by the Government of Guyana as of 5th November 2018 until the

The Berbice River Bridge

date the Minister specifies by notice on the cessation of the threat to public safety,” Minister Patterson had declared.

However, some three weeks after, the Bridge Company has asked the High Court to grant several orders to reverse the takeover and bar the Minister from carrying out his functions of maintaining and operating the Bridge.

The court document, released by the BBCI, says it is seeking “an order of cer-

tiorari quashing paragraph 2 of the Berbice River Bridge (Public Safety) Toll Order 2018 dated the 1st November 2018, No 42 of 2018, made by the first-named defendant (Minister Patterson) under the Berbice River Bridge Act Cap 51:06 ordering that the functions of the concessionaire, namely the claimant (BBCI), to maintain and operate the Bridge shall be exercised by the Government, the first-named defendant having determined that the exercise of those functions by

the Government is necessary and expedient in the interests of the public during the period 5th November 2018, to the date the Minister specifies by notice on the cessation of the threat to public safety”.

The Bridge Company also wanted the court to grant an order of prohibition to stop Government from exercising the functions of maintaining and operating the Berbice Bridge as well as a conservatory order prohibiting the defendants and/or agents from

THAG commissions $5M “I LOVE GUYANA” sign

T

he Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) through a partnership with Impressions and the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) on Wednesday commissioned

than just the perfect location for tourists to celebrate their visit to Guyana but more so a sign of patriotism within the country. This was expressed by THAG President Mitra Ramkumar as he shared a brief over-

The unveiled plaque to mark the occasion

the country’s very own iconic 3D “I love Guyana” sign/tourist park which is set to be enjoyed by both Guyanese and tourists.

The $5 million tourism initiative is viewed as more

view of the sign’s purpose.

“This sign is intended to serve as a gathering point for visitors who wish to celebrate their visit here through the sharing of photos and videos.

and 30 feet in width, and is coated with the colours of the country’s flag.

Business Minister Haimraj Rajkumar during his remarks urged Guyanese to act their part when showing love for the country.

Among those present to celebrate the launch were Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Gerry Gouveia and GBTI executives.

al, null and void and of no effect in that it is tantamount to the compulsory taking of possession or compulsorily acquiring an interest in or right over the Berbice River Bridge, which is owned by BBCI, without prompt and adequate compensation in violation of Article 142(1) of the Constitution of Guyana.

While Government is adamant in not allowing the increases, outspoken political activist and former Presidential Advisor, Ramon Gaskin, has suggested a total buyout of the Bridge Company by Government so as to resolve the issue.

Guyana Times understands that the BBCI, in which the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) has majority voting rights on the Board of Directors, was forced to push for the increase in tolls in order to protect its investment.

To this end, Gaskin suggested that an alternative can be for Government and the NIS to solely own the bridge, thus, buying the shares from all the other shareholders.

Teen on bail for illegal ammo charge

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The newly-commissioned 3D sign

Visitors will promote and create a positive of destination Guyana….while this ‘I love Guyana’ sign enhances our tourism product, THAG sees this sign as a lot more.

It’s a symbol of national pride, unity, peace and love among Guyanese,” he stated.

The sign located on the lawns of the GBTI Corperate Office at Kingston, Georgetown; measures 12 feet in height

assuming the functions of the Bridge under the Berbice River Bridge (Public Safety) Toll Order.

Furthermore, the BBCI sought an order of certiorari to quash paragraph 3 of the Minister’s Order, which states that the tolls levied and collected and any exemptions shall be the same and not increased.

The BBCI asked the court to declare that Minister Patterson “has no power under the Berbice River Bridge Act, or otherwise, to approve or reject an increase in tolls by the claimant… [and also grant] a conservatory order prohibiting the defendants by themselves, their servants and/or agents from ordering or continuing to maintain the order that the tolls levied and collected and any exemptions from the payment of tolls shall be the same….”

As such, the company asked the court to grant a declaration that the order by the Public Infrastructure Minister is unconstitution-

teen labourer was charged and released on bail on Wednesday when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, after being slapped with possession of illegal ammunition charge.

Nineteen-year-old Shemroy Williams, of Lot 74 Section B Sophia, Greater Georgetown, appeared before Magistrate Faith McGusty and denied the charge which stated that on December 16, 2019, at Mandela Avenue, Georgetown, he had in his possession one live round of 9mm ammunition when he was not the holder of a fire-

arm licence.

He was represented by Attorney-at-Law Adrian Thompson who told the court in a bail application that the wristband which contained a bullet was given for protection and not criminal purposes.

Police Prosecutor Seon Blackman stated on December 16, ranks on patrol duty saw Williams acting in a suspicious manner and conducted a search.

The court heard the ammunition was found in his pants’ pocket.

Williams was released on $50,000 bail.

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Around the World

Bolivian Prosecutors issue arrest Chinese leader Xi visits Macau warrant for exiled President Morales

B

olivian Prosecutors on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant against former President Evo Morales for alleged sedition and terrorism related to accusations from the interim Government that he has been stirring unrest since resigning.

Luis Fernando Guarachi, the head of the Bolivian Police’s Public Corruption Division, confirmed to Journalists in La Paz the warrant had been issued.

Interior Minister Arturo

Former Bolivian President Evo Morales looks on during a news conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, December 17, 2019

Murillo tweeted a picture of what appeared to be the arrest warrant, adding: “FYI Senor (Morales)”.

Murillo is a member of the interim Government of President Jeanine Anez, a former senator and opponent of Morales, who stepped into the presidency in November after Morales resigned under pressure from security forces and anti-Government protesters, amid reports of irregularities in an October 20 election. (Reuters)

C

hinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Macau on Wednesday to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its handover to China, and is expected to announce economic perks as a reward for its stability and loyalty as protests rock nearby Hong Kong.

Security was tight in the gambling hub, especially for people arriving from Hong Kong. Among the policies Xi is expected to announce are steps to diversifying the former Portuguese colony’s economic base beyond its casinos.

“We will join hands to draw the blueprint for

Chinese President Xi Jinping

Macao’s future development,” Xi said after arriving at Macau’s airport, according to China’s official Xinhua news agency.

Among the measures Xi is expected to unveil are

plans to develop it into a financial centre, including a new yuan-denominated stock exchange.

Xi’s visit, his longest official trip to Macau, will include meetings with Government officials and business representatives, as well as the swearing-in of Macau’s newly-chosen Beijing-backed leader, Ho Iat-seng, on Friday.

Macau returned to Chinese rule on December 20, 1999, with the same “one country, two systems” formula aimed at preserving autonomy under which Hong Kong is governed.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Every McDonald's in Peru shuts to mourn dead workers Australia heatwave: Forecasters

E

very McDonald's in Peru has been closed for two days of mourning, after two young employees were electrocuted at a branch in the capital, Lima.

Alexandra Porras Inga, 19, and Gabriel Campos Zapata, 18, reportedly died on a night shift while cleaning the kitchen.

The New York Times reports they were killed by a loose cable on Sunday.

Police said Porras Inga suffered an electric shock from a drinks machine, and Campos Zapata was electrocuted when he tried to help her.

Emergency services found both teenagers dead at the McDonald's branch in the Pueblo Libre area of Lima. Peru's public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation.

In a statement on Monday, McDonald's operating company in Peru, Arcos Dorados, said it shared "the sorrow and extreme pain of the affected families", and would cooperate with authorities to establish what happened.

Protesters gathered in Lima the next day to demand improvements to workplace safety. On social media, many young people

shared stories of their perilous working conditions, casting light on a nationwide problem.

McDonald's could be fined 189,000 soles (US$56,288) if Peru's workplace safety agency, Sunafil, finds the branch was responsible for the deaths.

The Guardian quoted Peru's Labour Minister, Silvia Cáceres as saying: "If the rights of these young people have been violated, we will proceed with the sanctions – although the money is not important because a life has no price."

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Panama jail violence: 13 killed in AK-47 gang shoot-out

A

t least 13 inmates were killed and 15 injured in a shoot-out in a prison in Panama on Tuesday.

Officials said they found three AK-47 assault rifles and five pistols.

President Laurentino Cortizo said an investigation would be launched into how the guns got into La Joyita jail east of the capital, Panama City.

"These firearms didn't fall out of the sky; there was obviously some type of cooperation there for firearms to be brought in," he said.

President Cortizo said he would meet his security council today to discuss how to put a stop to guns being smuggled into jails.

"It's something we have to put a stop to. A few weeks ago, a search was carried out [in the prison] and arms

warn of even hotter temperatures

A

ustralia's heatwave is expected to worsen after the country experienced its hottest day on record.

The national average temperature reached a high of 40.9 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, beating the previous record of 40.3C set in 2013.

But this record could be eclipsed, as forecasters have predicted even more intense heat later in the week.

It comes amid a drought and bushfire crisis that has spurred criticism of

Government climate policies.

Temperatures are expected to exceed 40C in parts of Australia until the end of the week.

Parts of the state of New South Wales (NSW), of which Sydney is the capital, are forecast to hit temperatures in the mid-40s on Thursday.

Adelaide, in South Australia, is forecast to reach temperatures of about 46C on Saturday.

Heatwaves are Australia's deadliest natural disaster and have killed

thousands more people than bushfires or floods.

The country heated up this week as a mass of hot air swept east across the continent.

The dominant climate driver behind the heat has been a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) – an event where sea surface temperatures are warmer in the western half of the ocean, cooler in the east.

The difference between the two temperatures is currently the strongest in 60 years. (Excerpt from BBC News)

South African court grants damages over boy's latrine death

S

Fifteen inmates were injured in the shoot-out

were found, and now again, so someone is letting these guns in," he said.

The shooting started at 14:00 local time (19:00 GMT) in cell block 14. Prison officials said that inmates were housed in blocks according to their gang affiliation.

The Assistant Director of Panama's National Police, Alexis Muñoz, said that the

shoot-out was between members of the same gang who had "an internal disagreement".

While La Joyita is notorious for overcrowding, this is among the deadliest recorded prison fights in the Central American country.

No prisoners escaped during the fight, officials said. (BBC News)

outh Africa's appeals court has granted damages to the family of a five-year-old boy who fell into a pit latrine at school and drowned in 2014.

Judges ordered the Department of Basic Education to pay Michael Komape's family just over 1 million rand (US$70,000) for emotional shock.

The department had denied responsibility for Michael's death.

The tragedy caused outrage in South Africa, and drew attention to the lack of proper toilets in many schools.

Wednesday's ruling overturned the decision of a lower court, which dismissed the family's case last year.

The appeals' court, however, rejected the family's

South Africans were angered by Michael Komape's death

demand for three million rand (US$208,000), ruling instead that Michael's parents should receive 350,000 rand (US$24,000) each and his three siblings 100,000 rand (US$7000) each.

Michael was a pupil at the Mahlodumela Primary School in the north-

ern Limpopo province. He drowned after going to the toilet on January 20, 2014.

Human rights group Section27, which fought the campaign to achieve justice for Michael's family, said in a statement that it welcomed the ruling. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Jamaican Govt to appoint national Cancer treatment trial: Chemotherapy commission on violence prevention “could become more effective”

P

rime Minister Andrew Holness is to appoint a national commission on violence prevention.

Information Minister Karl Samuda announced a short while ago at a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House that Cabinet has approved the

setting-up of the commission.

It will be tasked with conducting a comprehensive review of existing public and private violence prevention programmes, studies, and strategies of the Government.

Samuda said the body

would make a 10-year action plan for violence prevention, identify gaps in the prevention and intervention services, and make recommendations with respect to violence prevention and intervention programmes.

(Jamaica Observer)

In a world first, doctors in the United Kingdom are trialling an innovative new way of delivering targeted chemotherapy to cancer tumours, which could improve treatment and lead to fewer side effects for patients.

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and the

Institute of Cancer Research are testing acoustic cluster therapy which uses ultrasound waves and microscopic clusters to pump more chemotherapy drugs into tumours, without attacking nearby healthy cells.

Karen Childs is the first patient on the clinical trial

and is receiving treatment for a tumour in her liver.

It will be some time before the success of the trial can be assessed, and many more trials would be needed before it could be used more widely. (Excerpt from BBC News)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSday, december 19, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS

dilbert

(April 20May 20)

Peanuts

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t put pressure on yourself to keep up with someone who has more disposable income than you. Be smart about how much you spend. Offer kindness and affection, not lavish gifts.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Find solutions on your own. If you put the burden on someone else, you will end up doing the work anyway and regretting the complaints you have to endure in the process.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

Take pride in what you know, how you contribute and the difference you can make. An unexpected opportunity will give you something to look forward to and will ease stress.

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

Refuse to let setbacks cause emotional mayhem.

The opportunities will far exceed any challenges you face as you move toward your goal. Stand tall and give your all.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Honesty will pay off when dealing with matters that can damage your reputation. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let a change someone makes set you off.

Live within your means and do your own thing.

Keep moving forward.

You have plenty to do to reach a self-imposed deadline. A change at home will surprise the people who live with you.

One step at a time.

Choose your words carefully so as not to give away any secrets. Romance is on the rise.

Get your place in order.

Whether or not you are entertaining for the holidays, the changes you make will leave you feeling good. A comfortable environment will help ease stress.

Go about your business.

SAGITTARIUS Listen to your heart, not to (Nov. 23what someone tries to lead Dec. 21) you to believe. Concentrate on your responsibilities and what you have to finish to avoid criticism.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

Do what you do best and take the helm. Refuse to get pulled into situations that will slow you down. If someone overreacts, take charge and get the job done.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Take a deep breath, organize your day and prepare to get things done. If someone tries to interfere, give him or her a task and keep moving forward.

PISCES

A change of plans can be to your advantage. Being in the right place at the right time will enable you to capitalize on a situation as it unfolds.

SOLUTION FOr LAST PUBLISHED puzzle

(Feb. 20March 20)

thursday, DECember 19, 2019

19

round-up: Pacers

halt Lakers' win streaks D

omantas Sabonis had 26 points and 10 rebounds to lift the Indiana Pacers to a 105-102 win against the Lakers on Tuesday night in Indianapolis, snapping Los Angeles’ seven-game overall winning streak and 14- road-game winning streak.

Myles Turner had 16 points, Malcolm Brogdon scored 14 and TJ Warren finished with 12 for the Pacers, who stretched their victory streak to four games.

LeBron James had 20 points, nine rebounds and nine assists; Dwight Howard made all 10 of his fieldgoal attempts and scored a season-high 20 points and Avery Bradley added 13 points for the Lakers, who came in with the best record in the NBA at 24-3.

Los Angeles star Anthony Davis sat out after spraining his right ankle on Sunday at Atlanta.

Utah Jazz 109-Orlando Magic 102 Donovan Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic scored 30 points apiece to lead Utah past Orlando in Salt Lake City. The Jazz posted their third straight win and fourth in the past five games.

Joe Ingles added 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Rudy Gobert recorded 12 points and 19 boards as Utah beat Orlando for the 14th time in their past 18 meetings. Royce O’Neale added 11 points for the Jazz.

DJ Augustin scored 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting and Evan Fournier added 19 points for the Magic, who have lost four of their past

five games. Markelle Fultz tallied 14 points, and Nikola Vucevic had 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Charlotte Hornets 110-Sacramento Kings 102 Malik Monk scored 23 points off the bench, 14 in the fourth quarter, and hosts Charlotte rode a strong fourth quarter to a victory over Sacramento.

The outcome spoiled a productive return for Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, who posted a team-high 19 points as a reserve. Fox, who played for the first time since November 8, had been out with an ankle injury.

Cody Zeller’s 17 points, Marvin Williams’ 16 points and Devonte’ Graham’s 15 points were key for the Hornets, who have won four of their past five games.

Brooklyn Nets 108-New Orleans Pelicans 101 (OT) Spencer Dinwiddie scored six of his game-high 31 points in overtime, and Brooklyn handed hosts New Orleans their franchise-worst 13th straight loss.

Dinwiddie scored at least 20 points for the fifth straight game and his eighth in Brooklyn’s last nine. Joe Harris added 24 points, Jarrett Allen had 12 points and 14 rebounds, and David Nwaba scored 12.

Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Jrue Holiday scored

21 points.

New York Knicks 143-Atlanta Hawks 120 Rookie RJ Barrett scored a season-high 27 points while Marcus Morris Sr and Mitchell Robinson added 22 apiece for New York, who routed visiting Atlanta.

Julius Randle added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks, who shot 55.8 per cent from the floor, the first time they reached 50 per cent this season. Kevin Knox II scored a seasonhigh 17 points, Bobby Portis added 11 points, and Robinson pulled down 13 rebounds to go along with his career-high point total.

Atlanta star Trae Young led all scorers with 42 points, his third 40-point game this season.

Young’s big game was hardly enough as the Hawks dropped their fifth straight contest, fell to 2-16 in their past 18 games and allowed at least 140 points for the third time.

Los Angeles Clippers 120-Phoenix Suns 99 Paul George scored 24 points and Kawhi Leonard added 20, guiding Los Angeles to a victory over visiting Phoenix.

Lou Williams, who returned from a two-game absence caused by a sore calf, had 20 points

Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis (11) warms up before a game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden

and eight assists for the Clippers, who are 14-1 at home and winners of five of their last seven contests. Williams converted 5 of 7 3-point attempts and made 7 of 13 shots from the floor.

Kelly Oubre Jr had 19 points for the Suns, who lost their fourth consecutive contest.

Deandre Ayton, who returned from his 25-game suspension for testing positive for a diuretic, finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, seven of those on the offensive end. (Reuters)

RHTY&SC Christmas programme receives massive support P

lans by the 10 cricket teams of arguably Guyana’s number one youth and sports organisation, the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS, is set to host its 30th Annual Christmas Outreach Programme, which has continued to attract support from donors.

Over the period December 16-24, 2019, the Club will be sharing hundreds of food hampers to low-income families; thousands of toys to children; donations to numerous Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and clubs, assist students with educational materials and also host the fifth Edition of its Annual Christmas Village.

The cricketers under the guidance of Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster, Assistant Secretary/CEO Simon Naidu and Cricket Managers Ravindranauth Kissoonlall and Tyrone Pottaya, started preparation for the packed programme in early October.

The multimillion-dollar programme has benefited from sizeable donations from Mahadeo Panchu of KSM Investment; Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman; Bakewell; Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh of Texas, USA; Dr Aaron Fraser of Power Producers and Distributors; Namilco, ANSA McAL and Club Patron, President David Granger. West Indies player Shimron Hetmyer also contributed to a hamper project for Umpires and Retired Players, which is a joint venture with the

Berbice Cricket Board (BCB).

Other donors to date include Chandradat Chintmani, Canadian Surplus, Donna Todd, First Lady Sandra Granger, Farfan & Mendes, V-NET Communication, Hardware Dept, Bissan Trading, WR Enterprise, Toucan Industries, Busta, DDL, Bounty Farm, Harris Paints, CIDI, HA Smacks, F & H Printery, De Sinco Trading, John Lewis Styles, The Gift Centre, Chief Brand, Len’s Craft, AM Khan, 4R Bearings, Karen Nero, Moonish Singh, Anamayah Hospital and AM Khan General Store.

Foster stated that for 2019, the RHTY&SC Cricket Teams have donated toys to large groups of schools and organisations including the Guyana Prison Service, Belvedere Day Care Centre and Lesbeholden Primary School. This, he stated, allows the teams to ensure that children across Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) benefited and not those from Lower Corentyne alone.

Donations of food items will also be made to orphanages, children’s homes and senior citizens’ homes; less-fortunate students will also benefit from donations of pens, pencils, exercise books, rulers and other items as part of the “Say Yes to Education Campaign”. The teams had earlier in the month treated over 200 Old Age Pensioners to breakfast while hundreds would receive

a box of hot meals for the holiday.

The highlight of the programme would be the hosting of the Christmas Village in the compound of the Rose Hall Town Primary School from the December 21-December 24, 2019. The teams have transformed the school compound into a dreamland for children and their parents with thousands of fairy lights, a 20-foot Christmas Tree, the Nativity Scene, Christmas Star, Santa and his sleigh, inflatable and plyboard cutout Christmas Characters, bouncy castles, trampolines, and children games.

The teams have also received donations of two plastic toy outdoor houses from Pastor Ravi Singh and Lindon Lewis of the USA. Construction of another toy house and a family photo bridge has also started with support from Tony’s Sawmill of East Bank Berbice. The main objectives of the Christmas Village are to promote the true tradition of Christmas, to promote social cohesion, the value of family time, to promote a safe entertainment place for kids, and to promote the Say No/Say Yes Message.

Director of the Village Simon Naidu expressed gratitude to all of the donors and expressed confidence that the Village and the charity programmes would be a huge success. The 10 teams of the RHTY&SC are Poonai Pharmacy Under-12 and Under-13, Farfan & Mendes Ltd Under-15, Bakewell

Under-17 and Second Division, Metro Female, Pepsi Under-19 and Intermediate, Namilco Thunderbolt Flour Under-21 and First Division.

Minister Raphael Trotman hands over the donation to Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

thursday, DECember 19, 2019

Taylor lone Windies player selected in ICC Women’s ODI team of 2019 W

est Indies’ Women Captain Stafanie Taylor has been listed in the International Cricket Council (ICC) 2019 Women’s ODI Team of Year.

In a year that saw some less-than-expected results from West Indies Women, Taylor’s performance stood out head and shoulders.

With the responsibility of Captain on her shoulders coupled with the absence of triple threat Deandra Dottin, Taylor tapped into her unwavering work ethic to earn her place among the best ODI players of 2019.

Australia’s Meg Lanning has also been named the Captain of the 2019 ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Year, amassing 472 runs across 11 innings, Taylor is also listed second place in the

ICC Women’s ODI players ranking for both batting and all-rounders.

Back in October 2019, Taylor came agonisingly close to a sixth ODI century in the first ODI match in Antigua against the visiting Indian Women when she was spectacularly caught on 94 by Harmanpreet Kaur. This was followed by an unbeaten 79 in the third match of the series in a fighting effort to anchor the innings for her team.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams remarked on Taylor’s achievement: “On behalf of Cricket West Indies and the wider Caribbean public in general, I wish to recognise and congratulate Stafanie for being selected into the ICC International One-Day Team

of the Year. Stafanie continues, after so many years, to be the standard bearer not just for women’s cricket in the West Indies but for our cricket in general. She has accomplished this through consistent performances underpinned by her dedication and a lot of hard work.

Congratulations from us all, Stafanie! We are very proud of this accolade which you have earned and wish you many more in the years ahead.”

The leading run-scorer in West Indies Women’s cricket history, second of the alltime run-scorers in Women’s T20 International cricket and fifth all-time in Women’s ODI cricket, Taylor continues to play with the vigour and commitment that have put her on a blazing trail to become a

Amerith Rai (Rocky) Memorial T20 Tournament…

legend of the women’s game.

Next up for Captain Taylor is the ICC Women’s

T20 World Cup in Australia, a country that she’s familiar with as she has played in the

Women’s Big Bash League for the last five seasons. (CWI)

Year in review of Berbice cricket Part 1…

BCB-Banks Beer 2-Day highlighted cricket year in B’ce

T

he return of two-day First-Division cricket in Berbice was among the host of successes achieved by the vibrant Hilbert Foster and his Berbice Cricket Board (BCB).

Despite the fact that many may not appreciate the work done by Foster and his team in the world of cricket, the year 2019 is certainly one to remember for cricketers and citizens in Berbice.

With players, both male and female, getting the opportunity for higher representation whether on the Guyana and West Indies teams, more than 60 cricket tournaments were conducted between 2018 and 2019, a host of donations and contributions were made off the field, and inter-county cricket returned to Berbice.

These were among the major accomplishments.

Multiple

cricket clubs received balls, coolers, and clothing among other resources in 2019.

After a hiatus of more than 15 years, two rounds of the BCB-Banks Beer TwoDay cricket were played and the tournament was deemed a success thus far. With international and national players returning to the fold in the local arena, this tourney, sponsored for in excess of $2 million, produced some of the highest quality of cricket played.

The likes of Devendra Bishoo, who last played for West Indies in March 2019; Jonathan Foo, who made a comeback to the Guyana Jaguars team; Veerasammy Permaul and Jaguars newbie, Nial Smith were all involved in the high-profile Two-Day tournament. Additionally, after more than five years, inter-

county cricket returned to Berbice with the Hand-in-Hand Under-19 One-Day Match at Albion between Berbice and Essequibo.

Meanwhile, numerous Berbice cricketers tasted success in 2019, the likes of Kevin Sinclair who won the Regional Super50 Cup with the West Indies Emerging Players; Foo, who returned to the national team; Romario Shepherd, who made his international debut and tasted success with Guyana Jaguars and Amazon Warriors; Kevlon Anderson, who played for West Indies Under-19s and gained selection to the Under-19 World Cup; and the West Indies Under-15 duo Rampertab Ramnauth and Isai Thorne among others, including female players Shemaine Campbelle, Shabika Gajnabi, and Sheneta Grimmond.

Meten-Meer-Zorg Future Youths deny Zeeburg title A MYO-Trophy Stall Inter-Jamaat Softball Cricket Competition suspended until January 12

ction in the Amerith Rai (Rocky) Memorial T20 Tournament culminated at the Meten-MeerZorg Cricket Ground with Zeeburg Sports Club losing to Meten-Meer-Zorg Future Youths in the grand finale played on December 15.

The popular prediction was that the team batting second would definitely go on to win the tournament, as the pitch was damp from the torrential downpour the night before and would make batting difficult.

However, Zeeburg won the toss and elected to bat first, going up against the odds. The Zeeburg side intended to get off to a flyer

ꟷ owing to rainy season

Jermain Maxwell receiving the winning trophy from Annett Jairam

Renee (22) and Ushardeva Balgobin (20). The chief destroyer for Future Youths was former West Indies U-19 player Tevin Imlach,

Windsor Forest Cricket Club Skipper Avinash Ganesh handing the runners-up trophy to Andre Seepersaud

as MMZ reached across the line to defeat the defending champions, ending on 1009. Top-scoring was Imlach

A moment of silence for the late Amerith Rai (Rocky)

but failed miserably; they were unable to get through the power play without the loss of wickets. The wet pitch made the game practically unreadable, as the title they won in May 2019 slowly slipped out of their hands. In the end, Zeeburg were bowled out for 99 in 19.1 overs. Top-scoring was Malcom Hubbard (26) with support from Ronaldo

who picked up 4 for 13.

Needing 100 runs to win, MMZ got off to a flyer, but in the blink of an eye, wickets started falling.

They were pegged back as Zeeburg slowly edged their way back into the game. The match eventually came down to one wicket with one run required to win off two balls, but the task at hand was simple

(32), who guided MMZ home; he was supported

by Sheldon Alexander (21).

Bowling for Zeeburg were Malcolm Hubbard (2 for 18); Yutesh Dhanpaul (2 for 18) and Damion Alleyne (2 for 22).

Amerith Rai lost his life tragically in a hit-and-run accident on December 17, 2017.

T

he highly-anticipated Muslim Youth Organisation (MYO)-Trophy Stall Inter-Jamaat Softball Cricket Competition has seen some of the top softball teams among the many masjids in Guyana battle for supremacy at the MYO Ground, Woolford Avenue, Thomas Lands, Georgetown.

However, the current rainy season has forced the suspension of the tournament, which will reopen on January 12, 2020.

Speaking with Guyana Times Sport, Sports Committee Chairman and Senior Vice President Imran Ally said, “For the year 2019, the tournament was great; it was better than anticipated, showcasing a great level of competition. MYO were the runners up in May 2019, but we are looking to take the trophy home this time around. To do this, we must have the batsmen in good form and good team spirit to take us all the way. We’ll continue to show your support so that we can make it better next year; we also have sponsors earmarked for next year.

We have MYO-A Ally and Sons to run off a competition in Berbice; also, we have MYO/ Raf’s Variety for Georgetown and we are currently looking for one in Essequibo. We also have plans to bring the top two teams from each county to compete to see who will be the best; also, have plans for a football competition, so that youths can get more involved and keep them away from the evil vices out there.”

Ten teams have registered – two more than the last time the tournament was held.

The teams in the competition are LBI A Masjid, LBI B Masjid, New Mosque, New Amsterdam Masjid, MYO, Cornelia Ida Masjid, Leonora Masjid, Tuschen Train

Committee Chairman and Senior Vice President Imran Ally

Station Masjid, Hague Masjid, and Diamond New Scheme Masjid. Teams have come from new masjids, such as four from the West Coast and one all the way from Berbice.

This event is sponsored by Trophy Stall.

The current points standings are as follows: Name Games Points MYO 4 8 Diamond 5 2 LBI A 5 2 LBI B 6 4 NM 4 0 Tuschen 5 6 Cornelia Ida 6 8 N/A 7 12 Hague 5 6 Leonora 5 4

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21

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thursday, DECember 19, 2019

Dragon Stout Community Cup

8 teams secure quarter-final spots S

parta Boss oppose Future Stars, Leopold Street battle Gold is Money, Rio All-Stars tackle Avocado Ballers and Bent Street engage Festival City tonight in quarterfinal action of the inaugural Dragon Stout Streetball Community Cup at the National Gymnasium.

The respective teams advanced to the final eight section following opening night victories on Tuesday at the same venue in front of a sizable crowd.

According to a brief comment from the Dragon Stout Brand Manager Jamal Baird, “Despite the intermittent showers, an exciting and incident-free night of action occurred which boasted several upsets, a sign of the competitive nature of the event. I want to thank all the fans and players that were present and I am expecting a scintillating quarterfinal section, which will precede the always captivating final night of play. This is the start of a wonderful project and I am very excited about the future.”

Bent Street overcame Broad Street 3-2. William Europe bagged a double in the fourth and ninth minutes while Daniel Wilson netted in the 16th minute.

On target for the losing side were Ryan Dowding and Akeem Sam in the seventh and 18th minute respective-

Ansa scorer

Quarter-final fixtures

Festival City v Bent St – 20:00h Rio All-Stars v Avocado Ballers – 20:30hrs Leopold St v Gold is Money – 21:00h Sparta Boss v Future Stars – 21:30h

Similarly, Leopold Street edged Ansa McAl 2-1. Darren Benjamin and Omallo Williams scored in the 15th and 17th minute respectively.

For Ansa McAl, Mavlvis Alcala netted in the 14th minute.

Likewise, Future Stars squeaked past Albouystown 3-2. Jamal Cozier, Selwyn Williams, and Dellon Kelly scored in the eighth, 13th and 16th minute respectively.

For Albouystown, Moses Grittens and Andre Webber netted in the 14th and 18th minute respectively.

Meanwhile, Gold is Money defeated Mocha 3-1.

Jamal Pedro, Michael Pedro, and Stephon McLean scored in the seventh, ninth and 15th minute respectively.

For the losers, Amos Ramsay found the back of the net in the 18th minute. Also, Rio All-Stars battled past Alexander Village 2-0. New recruit Trayon Bobb recorded a double in the eighth and 18th minute.

In other results, Avocado Ballers dismantled North East La Penitence 5-1 while Festival City crushed Sophia 4-1. Meanwhile, Sparta Boss received a bye to the quarter-finals.

The winners of the tournament will pocket $300,000 and the championship trophy. The runners-up will collect $150,000 while the thirdand fourth-place finishers will receive $75,000 and $50,000 respectively with the corresponding accolade.

Below is a list of the complete fixtures and results for the previous matches.

Avocado scorers

Travis Henry – 8th and 16th Sherwin Caesar – 5th Dexter Marshall – 14th

North East scorer

Shaquille Browne –15th

Game 2

Festival City 5-Sophia 1

Festival scorers

Jermaine Tinch – 1st, 9th, 17th and 18th Mickel Brandt – 14th

Gold is Money scorers

Jamal Pedro – 7th Michael Pedro – 9th Stephon McLean – 15th

Game 5

Future 3-Albouystown 2

Stars

Future scorers

Jamal Cozier – 8th Selwyn Williams – 13th Dellon Kelly – 16th

Albouystown scorers

Moses Grittens – 14th Andre Webber – 18th

Game 6

Rio All-Stars 2-Alexander Village 0 Trayon Bobb – 8th and 18th

Game 7

Sophia scorer

Bent St 3-Broad St 2

Tskedi Sealey – 2nd

Bent scorers

Game 3

Leopold St 2-Ansa McAl 1

Leopold scorers

Gold is Money 3-Mocha 1

Amos Ramsay – 18th

North East La Penitence 1-Avocado Ballers 4 ly.

Game 4

Mocha scorer

Complete Results Game 1

The battle between Avocado Ballers and North East La Penitence

Mavlvis Alcala – 14th

Darren Benjamin – 15th Omallo Williams – 17th

William Europe – 4th and 9th Daniel Wilson – 16th

Broad scorers

Ryan Dowding – 7th Akeem Sam – 18th

Guyana Floodlights Under-15 depart local shores 223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

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….after meeting US Embassy reps Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy, Mark Cullinane and Public Affairs Officer Violeta Talandis, along with executives of the GFSCA and players

R

epresentatives from the US Embassy, Mark Cullinane, Deputy Chief of Mission, and Violeta Talandis, Public Affairs Officer, on Monday met cricketers of the Guyana Floodlights Under-15 team before they departed.

The players were given tokens. Also present were executives of Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA).

The Under-15 team for the first time will participate at the annual Cricket Council United States of America Open

Youth Tournament to be held from December 20 to December 23, 2019 at the International Cricket Council (ICC) approved Central Broward Regional Park, Lauderhill, Florida. Since its inception, this tournament has grown from strength to strength, and now is in its 11th year for senior teams and its third year for youths.

The GFSCA Under-15 youths will be led by Transport Sports Club and promising national youth player Alvin Mohabir. The team also consists of West Indies Under-15 batting star Mavendra

Dindial; national youth all-rounder Zachary Jodha (vice captain); Jonathan VanLange and Demerara Under-15 opener Romeo Deonarain. The management of the team is boosted by former West Indies Captain Ramnaresh Sarwan as Manager and former national player, youth coach and senior selector Hubern Evans acting as the coach.

The full team reads: Alvin Mohabir, Nicholas Shiopersad, Gabriel Rookhum, Arun Gainda, Zachary Jodha, Romeo Deonarain, Nityanand Mathura, John Persaud, Mavendra Dindial, Jonathan

VanLange, Dave Mohabir, Ravindra Singh, Stephon Sankar and Premkumar Permaul. Ricky Deonarain is the Assistant Manager; Davanand Mohabir, physio and Lalta Gainda, Technical Analyst.

Official sponsors of the Guyana Floodlights youth team are Survival Group of Companies, Ramchand Auto Spares, Rubis Guyana, Tropical Spring Waters, Ariel Enterprise, Trophy Stall, 4R, Nauth Motor Spares, Mike’s Pharmacy, Motor Trend, Rohan Auto Spares, Steve’s Jewellery, WJ Enterprise and Clear Waters.

22

thursday, DECember 19, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

KFC Goodwill Tournament

Shiva Boys, Waramadong cruise into semi-finals

The Shiva Boys goalscorers from right: Adica Ash, Jamal Lewis, Flex Lewis and Nigel Carraby

T

he Shiva Boys Hindu College are well on their way to another KFC Goodwill final as they secured another resounding win during their final preliminary game.

Similarly, Desrey CaesarFox Secondary (Waramadong) have proved to be an equally domineering opponent.

The final two preliminary games went down at the Guyana Football Federation

(GFF) Training Facility at Providence, where the two aforementioned schools whipped their opponents 6-2 and 4-0 respectively.

In the first encounter, old rivals Annandale Secondary and Shiva Boys battled and similarly to what happened during their first meeting back in 2018, Annandale let the game get away from them in the second half.

Jemar Harrigon netted the first goal of the game in the 13th minute to give Annandale the lead, but their relief was shortlived as Adica Ash got going. The Shiva Boys Captain, Ash, found the back of the net in the 24th minute and his teammate, Nigel Carraby made it two in the 26th.

The half finished 2-1.

When they returned to the middle, Shiva Boys went on full carnage, hunting the goal more fiercely than before. Ash (49th, 83rd) added two more to his tally to record his second hattrick in two games. Flex Lewis (55th) and Jamal Lewis (60th) contributed one apiece for Shiva Boys’ 6.

On the other hand, Omari Glasgow took a beautiful pass from Harrigon to slot in Annandale’s second goal in the 73rd minute.

Based on the result of the encounter, Annandale Secondary have now exited the competition as it gets down to the more intense semi-final stage.

The last preliminary

match saw DC Fox Secondary (Waramadong) holding Marian Academy off completely in what looked a one-sided affair. The collective team performance constituted a 15th minute goal from Carlito Joseph, but although the boys from Region Seven came close on many occasions, their supporters had to wait until the second segment to witness another goal.

Yasir Abraham rocked the nets in the 51st and Melee George did the same in the 57th.

Marian Academy, who have visibly improved from years gone by, fought bravely, but could not get past the defence much less the Waramadong goalkeeper.

Ovid Andrews put the icing on the cake with a final goal in the 85th minute to ensure that his team would have no trouble cruising into the semi-final round.

In the semi-finals that are expected to be contested at the Ministry of Education Ground, Carifesta Avenue on Friday, December 20; defending

Waramadong Secondary schooled Marian Academy

champions Shiva Boys Hindu College will take on GuyoilTradewind Tankers champions Lodge Secondary at 17:00h while Waramadong go head to head with Annai Secondary at

19:00h.

The tournament’s sponsors include Guyana Coema Construction Services Ltd, Mike’s Pharmacy, Trophy Stall and Tiger Rentals. (Jemima Holmes)

West Indies U-19s conclude Tri-Series with 7-run win

W

est Indies U-19s defeated Sri Lanka U-19s by seven runs on match-day eight of the West Indies Rising Stars U-19 Tri-Series, at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.

After losing the toss and being asked to bat first, West Indies U-19 Captain Kimani Melius started his team’s innings with intent and purpose, the focus on a winning result.

He smashed the opening Sri Lanka bowlers for a mammoth six then a boundary to get the scoring started. Racing to 11 off just five deliveries he was caught, putting a speed bump in the West Indies innings. His opening partner Mbeki Joseph did not last much longer, as he was caught behind for 5 off a delivery that rose off the surface and enticed him to slash at it.

After the quick fall of these two wickets, Leonardo Julien looked set to rebuild not only the team’s innings, but to add runs to his personal tally, which in the last two matches have been difficult for him. Kirk McKenzie perished for a 12-ball 8 with the score on 41-3 in 6.4 overs. Julien looked set to get himself in the runs, as he struck two fours, but Ashian Daniel trapped him LBW for 19, leaving the West Indies U-19s tottering on 47-4 after 8 overs.

Kevlon Anderson, who has been the rock of the middle order, carried on his patient and timely batting. An innings-rebuilding partnership with Matthew Patrick provided scoring stability before Anderson fell for 17, with the score on 84 in the 22nd over. Then came the partnership that ensured the young men in maroon reach the 200-run marker before the close of their innings. Patrick was joined by second-time ICC U-19 World Cup-bound Nyeem Young, and the pair showed their mental toughness with the team in a precarious position.

Quick running between the wickets for singles and twos, combined with four fours from Patrick and a pair of sixes and boundaries from Young, saw both youngsters reach their first half-centuries for the Tri-Series. With the partnership on 85, Patrick was the first to go, stumped for 57.

Young then added 20 runs with Jayden Seales before he was bowled for 55. The West Indies U-19s finished their innings on 207-9 from their 50 overs. Patrick and Young topscored with 57 and 55 respectively. Amshi De Silva was the best bowler for Sri Lanka, finishing with 5-44 from his 10 overs; Kavindu Nadeeshan was next best with 2-40 from 10 overs.

In their run chase, Sri Lanka’s innings got a blow in the first over when Matthew Forde had Navod Paranavithana caught behind off the first ball. They then lost two more quick wickets when Ravindu Rasantha and Ahan Wickramasinghe fell for 2 and 1 respectively to leave Sri Lanka’s innings in peril on 8-3 after 4.1 overs.

In came the in-form Captain Nipun Dananjaya and to-

gether with wicket-keeper Kamil Mishara rebuilt their team’s innings and run-chase. The pair rotated the strike, taking the singles and twos when the West Indies were slow in the field, by doing this they took the score to 107 before Mishara fell for 50. Ashmead Nedd broke the 50-run partnership.

Sonal Dinusha then joined his captain and the pair looked set to take Sri Lanka to the 208-run target. However, Matthew Forde was reintroduced into the bowling attack and almost immediately accounted for Dananjaya’s wicket for 74. Nyeem Young then wrapped up the three quick wickets of Dinusha, Lakshan Damage and de Silva for 45, 8 and 0 respectively. Sri Lanka finished their innings on 200-8 from their 50 overs, with Sudeera Thilakaratne not out on 0. Matthew Forde was the pick of the West Indies U-19s bowlers, finishing with figures of 3-29, followed by Nyeem Young with 4-48.

Matthew Patrick

Speaking after the match, Head Coach Graeme West said, “It’s nice to finish the series on a positive note, also to turn around the result from Saturday after that heavy defeat against the same playing XI, it’s pleasing. We spoke a lot after the last game, so it’s good to see some of the things we discussed work out in the middle and good to see some of our players perform under pressure and perform well. And our bowling unit got it done today.” (CWI)

SCOREBOARD West Indies U-19 Innings KS Melius (c) c Rasantha b de Silva 11 MNA Joseph c †Mishara b de Silva 5 LJA Julien † lbw b Daniel 19 KSA McKenzie b de Silva 8 KA Anderson c Daniel b Nadeeshan 17 MJS Patrick st †Mishara b Nadeeshan 57 NRJ Young b de Silva 55 MW Forde c b Gamage 2 JNT Seales b de Silva 3 AR Nedd not out 10 A Mahabirsingh not out 4 Extras 16 (lb 6, w 10) TOTAL 207/9 (50 Overs, RR: 4.14) Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Kimani Melius, 0.6 ov), 2-20 (Mbeki Joseph, 2.6 ov), 3-41 (Kirk McKenzie, 6.4 ov), 4-47 (Leonardo Julien, 7.6 ov), 5-84 (Kevlon Anderson, 21.2 ov), 6-169 (Matthew Patrick, 41.1 ov), 7-172 (Matthew Forde, 42.5 ov), 8-192 (Nyeem Young, 46.5 ov), 9-195 (Jayden Seales, 48.1 ov) BOWLING O M R W A de Silva 10 0 44 5 A Daniel 10 0 35 1 DS Thilakaratne 10 1 44 0 KL Gamage 10 1 38 1 K Nadeeshan 10 1 40 2

Sri Lanka Innings ND Paranavithana c †Julien b Forde 0 K Mishara † c Melius b Ned d 50 R Rasantha lbw b Seales 2 A Wickramasinghe c Melius b Forde 1 ND Perera (c) c Anderson b Fo rde 74 KL Gamage c Melius b Young 8 GS Dinusha c Nedd b Young 45 K Nadeeshan not out 5 A de Silva c Mahabirsingh b Yo ung 0 DS Thilakaratne not out 0 Extras 15 (b 1, lb 5, w 9) TOTAL 200/8 (50 Overs, RR: 4.0) Did not bat: A Daniel Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Navod Paranavithana, 0.1 ov), 2-3 (Ravindu Rasantha, 1.6 ov), 3-8 (Ahan Wickramasinghe, 4.1 ov), 4-107 (Kamil Mishara, 32.4 ov), 5-125 (Lakshan Gamage, 37.1 ov), 6-188 (Nipun Dananjaya, 48.3 ov), 7-193 (Sonal Dinusha, 49.1 ov), 8-193 (Amshi de Silva, 49.2 ov) BOWLING O M R W MW Forde 9 1 29 3 JNT Seales 10 0 45 1 NRJ Young 10 0 48 3 KA Anderson 4 0 12 0 MJS Patrick 3 0 9 0 A Mahabirsingh 4 0 16 0 AR Nedd 10 0 35 1

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thursday, DECember 19, 2019

23

Rohit, Rahul, Kuldeep sparkle in India's series-levelling win ꟷ Pooran, Hope strike fluent half-centuries R

ohit Sharma (159) and KL Rahul (102) had passed 30 as an opening pair three times previously and went on to register a century stand on each occasion.

Wednesday in Vizag was different only in that they doubled their dosage meted, each scoring hundreds in a mammoth 227run partnership. That followed by a manic finishing act by Rishabh Pant (39 off 16) and Shreyas Iyer (53 off 31) allowed India to post a staggering 387-5, a total they defended with relative ease thanks in part to Kuldeep Yadav's second One-Day International (ODI) hat-trick.

At the surface, the series could seem deprived of a context, but if you were paying close attention, India had a few statistics gnawing at them heading into this must-win contest.

For one, West Indies haven't beaten India in an ODI series for 13 years. India themselves haven't dropped two ODI series at home in a calendar year since 1987. It was in that context that the hosts, trailing 0-1, were sent in to bat by Kieron Pollard, fully aware that target setting was the lesser of India's white-ball strengths.

The toss may have gone against them for a second match running, but unlike Chennai, the Vizag pitch was an ally to Rohit and Rahul with its true bounce and no lateral movement on offer. True to his 50-over batting doctrine, Rohit let Rahul to do the early running. The latter found his range almost immediately, driving on the up through the off-side.

Sheldon Cottrell, anticipating a big pay day at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction today, endured a strangely iffy start bowling too short or too wide at Rahul, allowing the opener to carve him through the off side. Cottrell even appeared to be bothered by a headache and had to be taken off the attack earlier.

He'd finish with figures of 2 for 83.

It didn't help West Indies' cause that the spinner – debutant Khary Pierre – replacing Cottrell didn't find any grip off the surface. He induced a topedged sweep from Rahul, but once that fell in no man's land, the opener breezed to a 46-ball half-century, setting himself up for the long haul.

While Rahul went hard, Rohit helped himself to singles and the occasional boundary that the pitch and the bowling accorded him. In contrast, Rohit scored his 50 off only his

67th delivery and was even reprieved – on 70 – shortly following a failed attempt at a slog sweep off Roston Chase.

B u t once Shimron Hetmyer and Jason Holder com-

at strike-rate of 70. That meant risk would be taken and consequently chances would be offered. Hope, in fact, could have been in the shed in the first over for 0, but Rahul juggled and then dropped a catch at second slip, allowing Hope and the

Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul both scored centuries and featured in a 227-run stand

Nicholas Pooran came to entertain with his breezy 75

bined to misjudge the offering, Rohit buckled down to drive his proverbial sword through the opposition.

His second fifty came off just 40 balls and the third took only 25. In all, he hit 17 fours and five sixes after racing past his opening partner to reach his hundred – his 28th in the format and seventh this year.

Rahul was mature in acknowledging the change in dynamics and eased himself to a hundred, but fell for 102 attempting to lead the final flourish. Virat Kohli walked in to a rousing ovation, but was taken out by a slower bouncer for a golden duck. But that didn't affect India's finishing one bit. That they got 127 from the final 10 overs was down to two other blinders from Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant. The latter plundered 24 off a Cottrell over while Iyer tore into Chase, hitting the spinner for 31 – a record for India in ODIs – in the following over to race to a half-century.

To chase this score down, West Indies would need an encore of their Chennai chase, but the target of 388 ensured Shai Hope couldn't ease himself to a century

fit-again Evin Lewis (in for Ambris) to add 61 for the opening wicket at a steady pace.

Unlike in Chennai, India were playing five frontline bowlers and it showed in the way Kohli could manoeuvre them. One such change saw Shardul Thakur (in for Shivam Dube) take out Lewis. Centurion from the last game, Hetmyer, was run-out by a terrific piece of athleticism from Iyer while Ravindra Jadeja cleaned up Chase.

However, their recent habit of fielding bumbles stretched uncomfortably for another game when Deepak Chahar put down a regulation catch at longoff to reprieve Nicholas Pooran. The southpaw, then batting on 22 off 21, suddenly exploded to life, plundering six sixes and as many fours to race to a 33ball 50. He and Hope put on 106 in a little more than 13 overs, allowing the visitors to dream of an unlikely chase.

But no sooner had thoughts of taking the game deep took shape than

Kuldeep Yadav took his second hat-trick

Shami returned to nip them in the bud. He bounced out Pooran for a 47-ball 75 and then proceeded to take out Pollard for a first-ball duck. Kuldeep then got into the act completing his second ODI hattrick by removing Hope (78 off 85); Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph. In a span of 23 balls, West Indies lost 5 for 18 and but for a late half-century stand between Pierre and Keemo Paul (46*), the victory margin would have been greater than the 107 it eventually was. (cricbuzz) Shai Hope continued to show consistency with a top-score of 78

SCOREBOARD India Innings RG Sharma c †Hope b Cottrell 159 KL Rahul c Chase b Joseph 102 V Kohli (c) c Chase b Pollard 0 SS Iyer c †Hope b Cottrell 53 RR Pant † c Pooran b Paul 39 KM Jadhav not out 16 RA Jadeja not out 0 Extras 18 (b 1, lb 3, nb 1, w 13) TOTAL 387/5 (50 Overs, RR: 7.74) Did not bat: DL Chahar, Mohammed Shami, SN Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav Fall of wickets: 1-227 (KL Rahul, 36.6 ov), 2-232 (Virat Kohli, 37.3 ov), 3-292 (Rohit Sharma, 43.3 ov), 4-365 (Rishabh Pant, 47.3 ov), 5-373 (Shreyas Iyer, 48.6 ov) BOWLING O M R W SS Cottrell 9 0 83 2 JO Holder 9 0 45 0 K Pierre 9 0 6 2 KMA Paul 7 0 57 1 AS Joseph 9 1 68 1 RL Chase 5 0 48 0 KA Pollard 2 0 20 1

West Indies Innings (target: 388 runs from 50 overs) E Lewis c Iyer b Thakur 30 SD Hope † c Kohli b Kuldeep Yadav 78

SO Hetmyer run out (Iyer/ Jadeja) 4 RL Chase b Jadeja 4 N Pooran c Kuldeep Yadav b Mohammed Shami 75 KA Pollard (c) c †Pant b Mohammed Shami 0 JO Holder st †Pant b Kuldeep Yadav 11 KMA Paul b Mohammed Shami 46 AS Joseph c Jadhav b Kuldeep Yadav 0 K Pierre c Kohli b Jadeja 21 SS Cottrell not out 0 Extras 11 (b 1, lb 2, w 8) TOTAL 280 all out (43.3 Overs, RR: 6.43) Fall of wickets: 1-61 (Evin Lewis, 10.6 ov), 2-73 (Shimron Hetmyer, 13.1 ov), 3-86 (Roston Chase, 15.6 ov), 4-192 (Nicholas Pooran, 29.2 ov), 5-192 (Kieron Pollard, 29.3 ov), 6-210 (Shai Hope, 32.4 ov), 7-210 (Jason Holder, 32.5 ov), 8-210 (Alzarri Joseph, 32.6 ov), 9-260 (Khary Pierre, 40.5 ov), 10-280 (Keemo Paul, 43.3 ov) BOWLING O M R W DL Chahar 7 1 44 0 SN Thakur 8 0 55 1 M Shami 7.3 0 39 3 RA Jadeja 10 0 74 2 K Yadav 10 0 52 3 SS Iyer 10 1 3 0

thursday, DECember 19, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

KFC Goodwill Tournament Page 22

Guyana Times Journalist wins GCB Journalism award Brandon Corlette ꟷ Guyana Cricket Board Journalist of 2019 ꟷ receives his award from GCB representative Selina Bacchus. Corlette was awarded for his outstanding service as a cricket journalist in the print media for the year

Shiva Boys, Waramadong cruise into semi-finals

Page 23

Rohit, Rahul, Kuldeep sparkle in India’s series-levelling win ꟷ Pooran, Hope strike fluent half-centuries For request and renewal of Guyana Times newspaper subscription, call 231-0544 | ext 26 or 55 GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, NEWS HOTLINE: 231-8063 EDITORIAL: 223-7230, 223-7231, 231-0544, 225-7761 SPORT: sport@guyanatimesgy.com SALES AND MARKETING: 231-8064 - marketing@guyanatimesgy.com - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC.