Guyana Times Thursday January 16, 2020

P12

Soesdyke youth 1st to test Guyana’s first oil Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4167

THE BEACON OF TRUTH THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

PRICE

Govt’s closure of sugar estates

WHAT'S INSIDE:

“Poverty is at our doorsteps” – fired workers plead for stable jobs See story on page 3

Parent attacks primary school teacher

Mother of 3 stabbed to death by reputed husband See story on page 9

Dead: Bibi Zameena Ali

Page 10

General and Regional Elections

International experts arrive in Guyana to assist GECOM ...to assist in preventing rigging

$80 VAT INCLUDED

See story on page 7

Order against removal of NRR names

Ruling on matter will violate Constitution – lawyer tells Appeal Court See story on page 9

…says "elections train" has already departed …but Govt hoping for more lifeline: AG tells court to go ahead with decision

No-Confidence Motion: A critical element of democracy ꟷ civil society

…says President’s statement on removal “very troubling”, “shocking” P11

Govt uses over $300M from Lotto funds on flags, cultural activities P9

Marcus Bisram PI

P2 Case returns to Berbice, new Magistrate assigned

Money changer ambushed by cutlass-wielding bandits P7 Brothers P8 charged for murder of newspaper vendor

2 NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Marcus Bisram PI

Case returns to Berbice, new Magistrate assigned

A

cting Chief Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus on Wednesday overruled submissions made by attorneys for murder accused Marcus Bisram to have the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) conducted at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

On Monday, attorneys Glen Hanoman, Sanjeev

Datadin and Dexter Todd requested that the case remained out of the Berbice jurisdiction since accusations were made that the Magistrate in that district was biased.

To support the request, the lawyers told acting Chief Magistrate Isaacs-Marcus that the bias and prejudiced behaviour from Magistrates

Faiyaz Narinedatt

in Berbice has promoted the submissions.

The defence counsels further submitted an application to have State Prosecutor Stacy Goodings removed from the case.

However, when the mat-

ter was called on Wednesday, it was reassigned to another court in Berbice. Bisram will now have to appear before Magistrate Renita Singh at the Whim Magistrate’s Court. The case will continue on January 20.

On December 16, 2019, during an appearance at the Springlands Magistrate’s Court, Magistrate Alex Moore recused himself from hearing the case. This was after instructions to this nature were given to him by Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Yonette CummingsEdwards. Bisram is accused of ordering the death of 26-year-old carpenter, Faiyaz Narinedatt, some three years ago. Following a long and unsuccessful legal battle to fight his extradition, Bisram arrived in

Murder accused: Marcus Bisram

Guyana in November last.

Bisram was initially charged in absentia, while five others— Orlando Dickie, Radesh Motie, Diodath Datt, Harri Paul Parsram, and

N i r a n Yacoob— have also been committed to stand trial for the murder of Faiyaz Narinedatt.

NEWS

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Thursday, January 16 – 09:30h – 11:00h and Friday, January 17 – 10:30h – 12:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Thursday, January 16 – 08:45h – 10:15h and Friday, January 17 – 09:50h – 11:20h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Partly cloudy skies with sunny intervals will prevail during the day. There will be partly cloudy skies at night.

Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North-Easterly to East North-Easterly between 1.34 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 08:51h and 21:17h reaching maximum heights of 2.49 metres and 2.47 metres.

Govt’s closure of sugar estates

“Poverty is at our doorsteps” – fired workers plead for stable jobs

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ven as Government seems to have moved on after closing four sugar estates, shattering the lives of over 7000 workers, these workers are still struggling to find stable jobs.

After garnering the support of workers on the sugar belt at the 2015 elections, the APNU/AFC coalition since taking office has downsized the sugar industry to just three estates – Uitvlugt, Blairmont and Albion— placing over 7000 workers on the breadline.

Although the incumbent Government had promised to find alternative job opportunities and give lands to these displaced workers

Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), the displaced workers called for alternative job solutions since, according to them, “poverty is at our doorsteps”.

Ahenodeen told reporters, “I am willing to work but where is the job? There is no job in Berbice. This is not Georgetown that you could run here at some hardware store or some big company…But they need to find some alternative for people working in Berbice, it’s not easy.”

Meanwhile, Samila Bacchus, wife of an ex-sugar worker, explained her fair share of difficulties

Low Tide: 02:21h and 14:47h reaching minimum heights of 0.66 metre and 0.75 metre.

Wife of retrenched sugar worker, Samila Bacchus

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2020

LOTTERY NUMBERS A

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to sustain themselves and their families, many of them are still struggling to make ends meet daily.

On Tuesday, a number of these still unemployed workers from the closed Wales, East Demerara (Enmore), Rose Hall and Skeldon Estates, pleaded with the public, government, and private sector once again for assistance.

“I used to be an operator at Skeldon, I come out do some nix-nocks job. One day, two day work how much you gonna get? I got two kids to send to school, where I am gonna find that money?”

These were the words Ahmad Ahenodeen, an ex-sugar worker, used to describe the hardship experienced, which is no different from those of many other retrenched sugar workers.

During an engagement with the media at a press conference organised by the

faced since her husband was sacked.

“If you have to get a work you have to come till in Georgetown and the passage, it don’t work out when the week come so we would, like if we could get something open at Wales…My husband ain’t working, I have children to send to school where will get $18,000 to pay water bill left out light,” she said.

Speaking on behalf of other workers present, Lalloo

Closed Rose Hall Sugar Estate

Tekchand, a sugar worker for 38 years, expressed deep disappointment on the fact that promises of land and training by the incumbent coalition government were never fulfilled. According to Tekchand, these were supposed to make life easier but this is not the case.

Moreover, the former sugar workers contend that the lack of jobs has paved the way for more illegal activities within these communities.

“Drugs is on the increase, because anywhere you turn you see small children coming out of school and smoking and doing things that they not supposed to do because their parents can’t afford to send them to school… everyday people thief at Wales, you hear people lost something,” one worker conveyed.

Insisting that the sugar industry was bleeding the treasury, the coalition government had noted that downsizing the sector will make it more economically viable. However, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) continues to per-

form below par, failing to meet its output targets.

Moreover, the sugar corporation has repeatedly cried out about the lack of financing for its operations.

This is despite Government securing a $30 billion bond back in 2018 to aid in GuySuCo’s operations.

While the future of the country’s sugar industry remains uncertain, GAWU last month contended that any turnaround plan must include the reopening of those four closed estates.

A promise which the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has made. PPP has criticised the coalition administration for going ahead and closing the four sugar estates without any fact-based approach which included a socio-economic impact study that was recommended by a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) set up by this Government.

According to the Opposition, the closure of these estates created an economic and social vacuum.

To this end, the party has promised to re-open the estates should it win the upcoming March 2 elections.

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guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

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

Taking responsibility

J

anuary 12 marked the 22nd anniversary of one of our nation’s dark days. In 1998, many Guyanese were beaten, robbed and molested. Subsequently, many victims related their horrific ordeals which were captured in an inquiry conducted by a private group. In retrospect, the atrocities committed on that day may have had its genesis the year before.

In 1997, the results of the general elections held were not accepted by the then People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Opposition. That refusal led to prolonged massive street protests and in the process, violence was unleashed on many citizens and some properties burnt. The ensuing instability heightened tensions and fear. Businesses and the national economy almost ground to a halt and the country’s progress was set back.

The PNCR, which was convinced that the elections were fraudulent despite the contrary, as expressed by observers, maintained that the then People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government would not be recognised. Its actions to make the country ungovernable was therefore not by coincidence but deliberate means to try and force the Government to demit office.

The situation worsened as time progressed and the post-election violence made international headlines tarnishing the country’s image.

The Government maintained that it was democratically elected and that the Opposition, with a known history, was attempting to take the seat of power by illegal means.

The Opposition PNCR refused to relent and allow for constitutional and democratic processes to work. Turning a blind eye to the negative consequences its actions were having on the country and people at the time, it seemed obsessed with its intention of being the Government.

As the stalemate continued and as fear and uncertainty swirled, the PNCR made demands for external intervention which resulted in Caricom establishing a commission to help resolve the impasse.

As months went by, the commission derived the Herdmanston Accord – which both sides signed in acceptance, willingly or unwillingly.

That Accord instructed an agreement from the Government to reduce its five-year constitutionally-mandated term in office to three years and that fresh elections be held two years before legally due.

The context of what transpired then is unambiguous. Simply put, the democratically elected PPP/C Government was made to reduce its term in office following orchestrated and sustained acts by the PNCR to render the country unstable and ungovernable; their wishes seemingly realised by Caricom’s intervention and presence.

It’s worthwhile to note that the elections in 2001, the timeline dictated by the Accord, was also not without violence. The PPP/C won and again, not wanting to accept the results, PNCR-led street protests were mounted with inevitable consequences.

On January 12, 1998, the court ruled in favour of the PPP/C regarding the outcome of the 1997 elections. What transpired immediately after the decision was announced, is etched in the dark category of our nation’s history.

What seems clear from those incidents, is the unmistakable trait of a political entity to destabilise when its desire is not fulfilled, even if that desire would have contradicted democratic norms and disregard for the rule of law.

During 2011-2015 under the Donald Ramotar administration, the PNC-led Opposition embarked on bringing a No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against the PPP/C Government. In doing so, it boasted of its clear understanding of the constitutional procedures of a successful NCM. Armed with its combined one-seat majority of 33 against 32, it knew the threatened NCM would be successful, that the Government would have fallen and fresh elections to be held within the constitutionally-mandated 90-day period. Importantly, it knew that a majority of one vote was all that was needed to topple the PPP/C Government; 33 out of 65.

While in Government, a duplicitous APNU/AFC found all excuses to claim that 33 is not a majority of 65 and as such, took actions to try and deem the December 21, 2018, NCM as invalid.

That’s evidence of a wholesale and convenient contradiction of what it boasted of previously. Even in the face of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruling, the APNU/AFC Government avoided implementation of the constitutional procedures that follow a successful NCM. From all appearances, it was consumed with efforts to remain in office in defiance of the Constitution. Its continued defiance is not only unimaginable but extremely worrisome in the context of its own history of being reluctant to accept electoral defeat and abide with the rule of law. That is aside from conveniently dumping its own position while in the Opposition a few years ago.

The related consequences are obvious and not totally dissimilar to previous times in the country’s history as reflected of what transpired on January 12, 1998. Some worrying reminders surfaced through recent attacks on PPP/C’s activists in Laing Avenue and in other areas.

All efforts from all stakeholders must, therefore, be made for holistic condemnation of such acts and to ensure a peaceful elections process. The PNC, now APNU/AFC, is a major stakeholder. That responsibility must be taken and must not escape them. Worryingly, their recent actions suggest otherwise.

Mashramani 2020: The construction of floats has started and in this Shaconeil Burnett photo, designers have started GTT’s pieces to be displayed on February 23 during the Republic Day parade

APNU/AFC coalition will be remembered for wasteful spending spree Dear Editor, Guyanese who lived through the period 20152019 will always remember the APNU/AFC coalition government for wasteful spending and lack of accountability in office.

Wasteful spending

In government, the APNU/AFC expended over one trillion dollars that was partially financed by additional taxes of G$264.8 billion, as well as external debt and domestic debt of $18.9 billion and $67.5 billion in domestic debt respectively. Unfortunately, the lavish spending by the APNU/ AFC Government did not produce jobs for Guyanese, induce more foreign and domestic investments, improve the production of our key sectors, or enhance the well-being of our people. Instead, we witnessed the reverse: an increase in unemployment (especially among youths who were told to make cook-up rice and plantain chips), a decline in output levels of the critical sectors, disinvestment and capital flight, more bankruptcy as reflected by increasing non-performing loans and the general decline in the critical socio-economic indicators.

Government spending, which is usually a catalyst for economic growth and development in every country, produced the foregoing results for various reasons.

Firstly, a significant portion of Government spending went into non-value added activities. Leading this category of expenditure is

spending on dietary and travel, which approximated over $4.7 billion for the period 2015-2019. This type of expenditure only benefitted a few officials who were afforded the privilege to ‘wine and dine’ in fine style while travelling in luxury vehicles (Lexus, Land Cruisers, Prados, etc) as well as planes, helicopters within and outside of Guyana. However, the poor man who struggle daily to put food on the table and find funds for transportation did not even enjoy

firmed this fact when he reported that “Guyana‘s estimated efficiency gap in public investment was 41 per cent, compared to 30 per cent for Latin America and the Caribbean.”

To a large extent, the sub-optimal returns from public investment may be attributed to poor planning, misprocurement (that is, failure of procuring entities to award contracts as per the Procurement Act), and poor contract management.

The Auditor General Reports

overpayments on 298 contracts amounting to $356.17 million. During the corresponding period, the APNU/ AFC also failed to collect items valued at $796.01 million. Thus, we are not only paying more by failing to award contracts to the lowest responsive bidder but, in many instances, not even collecting the items procured with tax dollars. According to the Auditor General, the Ministries that have failed to collect the items purchased included the

MoHSource: Auditor General Reports (various years)

the ‘crumbs’ from the billions spent on dietary and travel.

Secondly, the poor execution of the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) by the coalition government also denied Guyanese the benefits usually associated with government expenditure. In his 2019 Budget Speech, the Minister of Finance, con-

are littered with examples of contracts awarded in clear breach of the Procurement Act. Evidence of poor contract management, on the other hand, is reflected by overpayments on contracts as well as delays and non-delivery of items procured by procuring entities. The table below shows that for the period 2015-2018, there were

Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MoPI), Ministry of Public Security (MoPS), and Ministry of the Presidency (MotP). These are the agencies responsible for providing security, healthcare and public infrastructure (roads, bridges, etc).

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

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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

“Long time gone, short time leff” Dear Editor, The PNCR has to get rid of Mr David Granger from its leadership and fast if it wants to be part of any winning team in the future. The PNCR, even if it re-invented itself as APNU or SAPNU, will never win elections once it continues to embrace an ideologically bankrupt leader like Mr Granger, who has now earned the reputation as the “do-nothing President”. He has done more harm to national unity than any other President of Guyana. He has done more harm to our economy that can only be compared with Forbes Burnham. He has done more harm to our nation’s social wellbeing than any other President of Guyana. When all the indicators of human development are considered, Mr David Granger has the public record as being the most incompetent and lethargic President of Guyana.

Concerning his policy paralysis, one only has to look at the 2018 Auditor General Report and you shall find

many examples of his ability to sit on top of machinery that is absolutely dishonest, undedicated to Guyana,

indecent, and weak. Yet, Mr Granger was unable to reign in these plunderers and squanderers who have further indebted this nation to the point that as soon as a child is born, he or she is

given debt by Team Granger of approximately half of a million “bucks”. It begs the question: was he involved in

the plunder and squander?

The table below is a reflection of the cash deficit in the nation from 2015 to 2019, as sourced from the Auditor General Reports and the Bank of Guyana

Thought before action when it comes to our nascent industry Dear Editor, I write to urge caution amidst the heightened passions and hollow promises which so often characterise Guyanese elections. This election is perhaps the most monumental in the whole of Guyanese history, for it comes at the same time when our oil industry is taking off. The wealth at stake, and the power of good or evil it will provide those who wield it, will surely set the tone for Guyana’s future.

It is vitally important that the Government keeps those revenues flowing. It seems to be fashionable of late for politicians and other Guyanese to suggest that Guyana could benefit from attempting to reopen and renegotiate existing contracts.

Of course, Guyana left some money on the table when they were first negotiated – that much cannot be disputed. But to suggest that we are best suited by reopening them now seems to me, simply, a farce.

Why, you ask? Because to do so ignores the bigger picture. We may be producing oil now, but it is not in any meaningful quantity. That will come later, will the addition of more phases of devel-

opment in the Stabroek and more discoveries elsewhere.

What is the cost of disrupting that? We would also be fools not to consider what is taking place just next door in Suriname. If there is any indication that the reserves there might rival our own, what is to stop oil companies from fleeing Guyana if it seems that we do not respect the rule of law, or that they may get better terms there?

On this latter point, Guyanese should consider the example of Mozambique and Tanzania, the neighbouring African states. East Africa has seen a budding rivalry between the two, which have both discovered major offshore gas reserves.

Yet, it has been a lopsided contest. Mozambique has moved quickly and decisively, granting attractive terms and arranging for major international operators to get projects online within the shortest possible timeframe.

Their regulatory framework and petroleum laws have also been clear and thoughtful, reassuring investors.

Tanzania’s path has been one of errors and misjudgements. Its resources are still in the nascent phase after frequent construction de-

lays for the onshore LNG export facility. The country has also established industry laws which provide no clear roadmap on production, commercial processing, liquefaction, transportation, storage or distribution of its natural gas resources.

And amongst the most cited concerns for international investment is a new regulation that would allow the Government to apply laws retroactively, giving them the power to renegotiate already-signed contracts.

Much of the Tanzania context should be startling familiarity to Guyanese. We sit now in a privileged and unique position with the advent of oil production. We are the darling of the world’s oil industry. Let us not get carried away with our newfound celebrity and let us not be tempted to rash action when patience and deliberation would serve us better. Certainly, every effort must be made to wring out as much benefit from oil operations as is possible for Guyana. That does not mean a blunt approach is the best approach.

Yours respectfully, Gregory Lynch

APNU/AFC coalition will...

Lack of accountability

Editor, apart from the spending spree that failed to produce any dividends (eg, jobs, improved well-being, more investment, etc), the APNU/AFC will also be remembered for its failure to account for public funds properly. Over the period

2015-2018, a total of 1754 vouchers valued at $1964.75 million were not presented to the Auditor General for audit. Interestingly, 582 of these vouchers in 2018 were in respect of the Ministry of the Presidency, Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Ministry of Natural

FROM PAGE 4

Resources, Guyana Defence Force, and Ministry of Social Protection. This speaks loudly about accountability at the highest level, Ministry of the Presidency, and throughout the public sector.

Sincerely, Name withheld

Reports. It is further clarified by the graph, which shows the runaway expenditure under Mr Granger:

The trend is clear! Mr Granger led a team that has expanded the current and capital expenditure of this nation by G$75 billion since he arrived in May 2015 and we have very little to show for it. The aggregate of all his spending totals more than G$1.4 trillion.

But yet, when I looked around Guyana, I struggle to find the evidence of this spending. The big question is – what do we have to show for this spending?

So irrespective of what Mr Granger tells you, his

track record is all we have to judge him on and the evidence is clear – his presidential performance is the worse in all of Guyana’s history. But despite his gross incompetence, he continues to push his pieties into the void as if he has injected no harm into the lives of the Guyanese people. Every day, the DPI propagandists continue to spew misinformation on his debauched performance as chief executive of this nation. Their excuse is so infantile and it goes like this: he is a public policy failure because of “someone else’s fault”. How absurd!

Mr Granger clearly remained unschooled to the principle that the buck stops at the desk of the boss and he is the boss of the Government. So why are we paying him a package of more than G$25 million a year plus benefits?

To sleep before 7 PM every

night? I remember people like Dr Cheddi Jagan’s 16hour days as President. The people are not paying you to sleep. On this note, I am calling on all of Guyana to observe this lackadaisical and lethargic Granger performance and take the opportunity on March 2, 2020, to bury this attitude of mind that is grounded in gross public laziness once and for all.

In the final analysis, Mr David Granger used and abused Guyana. But a man of integrity that is dedicated to Guyana, that is decent, that is strong would have recognised his limitation and would have handed over the affairs of state to a more abled person who at least could have tried to do a better job of making the right turn. But as the elders say – “long time gone, short time leff”.

Regards, Sasenarine Singh

Response confirmed what was reported Dear Editor, The writer of the letter “Why I left the meeting” on January 13 only confirmed what was reported: the writer walked out of the meeting, thereby, bringing

it to an abrupt end.

The response mirrors those of responses on other issues where the writer in those cases similarly sought to defend the indefensible: is nuff fluff and

bluff! When cornered responses tend to target the messenger rather than the message.

Dear Editor, I have read with some hilarity, but mostly considerable repugnance, a recent report in the press of the formal suspension of the Georgetown Municipality’s Treasurer by the Local Government Commission (LGC) following the completion of an investigation of the discovery of a bag of money in a vehicle assigned to the Constabulary and then the deferral of the suspension of this officer by the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown to facilitate preparation of their budget.

Deferral of a suspension? Suspension is not vacation leave or special leave the employee is choosing to proceed on when it is convenient to him/her and the employer, but rather, it is disciplinary action being meted out to an employee when he or she has been found guilty of gross misconduct or other serious disciplinary matters.

It cannot be treated lightly, deferred or disregarded at the whims and fancies of anyone, as the LGC has ruled and, therefore, the Council, which is supervised by the LGC, is compelled to carry out their diktats faithfully without any divergence.

One is left to wonder if and when the Georgetown City Council will stop being a circus. The state of disorder for a number of years that has existed there due to the absence or non-recognition of authority or other controlling systems by the

Georgetown City Council is responsible for the present state of the capital city.

The question to be asked is whether the current City Treasurer who is relatively new to that position is the only person amongst their nearly one-thousand-member workforce at the Council that can provide stewardship for the preparation of a budget? And why only now, midway through the month of January in 2020, is the

Council preparing the City’s estimates of income and expenditure?

The renowned Frédéric Bastiat once said: “When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorises it and a moral code that glorifies it”.

Sincerely, Shamshun Mohamed

Deferral of a suspension?

Sincerely, Anu Bihari

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

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Foundation

How to handle abuse G

rown-ups are usually there to help and encourage kids, right?

They take care of kids, help them learn how to do things, show them the right way to behave, and encourage the good things that kids do. Most adults treat kids well. But some adults hurt kids rather than help them.

Another word for hurting someone is "abuse."

Do you need help

Child abuse (say: ah-BYOOS) can affect all kinds of kids, no matter where they live, how much money their families have, or who they live with. A kid can be abused by a parent, a stepparent, family member, a babysitter, teacher, coach, or a bigger kid.

Child abuse can happen anywhere – at home, school, childcare, or even in a church or other religious building.

Tell right away

A kid who is being seriously hurt or harmed should tell a trusted adult right away. This can be hard because the abuser (the person who is hurting or harming someone) might have frightened the boy or girl into staying quiet. No matter what the abuser says, abuse is always wrong – and a kid can

ask for and get help in a few different ways.

A kid who can't think of a trusted adult to tell, or is worried about upsetting a parent or making someone angry, can call a special telephone number called a helpline (227-0979 – Child Care and Protection Agency).

Your call is private and the people who answer the phone are trained to help.

If you know someone else who you think might be being abused, you can help by telling your parent or another adult.

How do you know something is abuse?

There are lots of forms of abuse – including hitting, constant screaming and yelling, or being touched sexually. A kid who is being abused can experience different types of abuse or one kind. It helps to understand the different types of abuse: physical, sexual, verbal or emotional, and neglect.

Physical abuse

Physical abuse is hitting hard with a hand or an object like a belt, especially hits that leave bruises or cuts. Shaking, pushing, choking, painful grabbing, and kicking also can be physical abuse.

Sexual abuse

Your body has private parts. These are the parts that are covered by your bathing suit or underwear.

If an adult or another kid touches a kid's private parts or tells a kid to touch his or hers, it is sexual abuse.

When this happens, the person might tell the kid that this touching is a secret and that not to tell anyone. But a kid does not have to keep this secret. Tell a trusted adult, or more than one, until someone helps you.

To explain sexual abuse, people talk about good touches and bad touches.

We all know what a good touch feels like. A good touch might be a hug from your mom or dad, a snuggle with your grandma for a story, or a cuddle with your pet. But some touches feel bad or confusing. Your body is yours and you should be able to tell people when you don't like them to touch you. Even if you don't mind doing it or are curious, or want to make that person feel happy, sexual touching between adults and kids is not OK.

Verbal or emotional abuse

This kind of abuse can happen without touching. It can be verbal abuse if someone yells all the time, calls the kid mean names, or threatens to leave the kid or have him or her adopted. All kids deserve to have adults in their lives who love and support them as they grow up. It's common for parents get angry with their kids once in a while, but if there's yelling, punishing, and threatening too much of the time, a kid can start feeling really bad about himself or herself. It's really important to tell a trusted adult this is happening.

Physical neglect

Neglect happens when kids live in a home where the adults don't give them basic stuff that all kids need — like food, clean clothes, and a bed to sleep in. When parents or caretakers neglect kids, the kids may not get baths, sleep under warm blankets, or get check-ups or medicine when they need them.

It can be hard for a kid to tell someone that he or she is not getting these important things. A parent or caregiver might have troubles such as losing a job, having family problems, or using alcohol or drugs. But no matter why it is happening, a kid needs to tell someone. Then, the kid can start getting the stuff he or she needs and the parent or caregiver can get help, too.

How to tell someone what is happening

You know it's important for kids to tell someone if they think they're being hurt, harmed, or abused. But how does a kid tell? Here are some ideas: Talk to a trusted adult in person.

Talk to a trusted adult on the phone.

Write a note, an email, or send a letter to the trusted adult.

Tell someone at school, like a school counsellor, school nurse, teacher, or coach.

Tell a friend's mom or dad, big brother, or big sister.

Tell someone who answers the phone at a hotline service, such as the Child Care and Protection Agency 227-0979.

The way a kid tells and whom a kid tells will be different depending on the situation. The most important thing is to tell someone – or

even several people – until someone takes action to stop the abuse from happening.

Kids who let adults know that someone is hurting them, even if it's someone they love, might be helping other kids as well as themselves. Let the person know you need to talk about something in private. If you're not sure if it's abuse, you can tell the person that something happened and you want to

check to see if it might be abuse.

It takes a lot of courage to talk about this kind of thing, and sometimes it takes a while to feel strong enough to talk about it. That's OK. Just know that, in the end, telling a safe person is the bravest thing a kid can do. It can feel really good when a kid takes steps to stay safe and happy and stop abuse from happening. (kidshealth.org)

UN moves to tackle ‘hidden abuse’ and violence against Europe’s children

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ach year, at least 55 million children in Europe suffer some form of physical, sexual, emotional or psychological violence, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday.

And despite the magnitude of this figure, “it is well established that incidents of interpersonal violence are widely underreported”, according to the WHO’s European Region office.

Accounting for underreporting, WHO estimates that of the 204 million children under the age of 18 across the region, 9.6 per cent experience sexual exploitation, 22.9 per cent physical abuse and 29.1 per cent emotional harm. Moreover, 700 are murdered every year.

“The cost of violence against children adds up”, WHO maintained, highlighting that an estimated US$581 billion is spent annually on treating victims.

“But the financial cost pales in comparison to the toll on individuals’ health”, said the agency.

Violence against children is chilling and distressing

Studies reveal that children who experience violence are at higher risk of mental illness, drug use, alcohol use and obesity, but also for chronic disease later in life.

“Violence against children is chilling and distressing”, said Bente Mikkelson, WHO Europe’s Director of the Division of Noncommunicable Diseases and Promoting Health.

“Child trauma has a terrible cost, not only to the children and the adults they become, whose lives it wrecks, but to every country’s well-being and economy”.

Governments are showing an increased appetite to tackle the scourge. Overall, the political will to combat violence against children has risen, with 66 per cent of regional countries having prohibited corporal punishment in all settings.

However, passing laws is only part of the solution.

While 83 per cent of countries in the region have developed a national action plan to stop child maltreatment,

fewer than half are being sufficiently funded.

WHO Europe’s INSPIRE package is an evidence-based resource that supports countries committed to preventing and addressing assaults against children by identifying seven successful strategies to reduce levels of violence.

The Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children designates “Pathfinder” nations that have made a formal and public commitment to comprehensive action to end all forms of violence against children.

Ending “abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence and torture against children” is also part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

INSPIRE strategies promote Implementation and enforcement of laws Norms and values Safe environments Parent and caregiver support Income and economic strengthening Response and support services Education and life skills In the European Region, WHO relies on Pathfinder countries for the leadership they bring to regional action for scaling up the prevention of, and response to, violence against children.

WHO Europe and partners are currently reviewing progress and sharing guidance on addressing this hidden social problem at an Estonian-hosted workshop in the capital Tallinn.

Along with technical experts, parliamentarians and policy-makers in health, social affairs, education and justice, the workshop is sharing good practices linked to the implementation of WHO’s INSPIRE technical package.

“With political will, we can all tackle this,” concluded Mikkelson. “Every sector and part of the community can make a difference in making society safer for children. But we need to speed up.” (UN News)

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General and Regional Elections

International experts arrive in Guyana to assist GECOM ...to assist in preventing rigging C

onsultants from the United States-based firm, International Republic Institute (IRI), that will be providing technical support to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), as well as a Ghanaian elections expert, have arrived in Guyana and been briefed by GECOM. This was announced

by GECOM Commissioner Vincent Alexander on Tuesday, at the conclusion of the statutory meeting.

According to Alexander, at least two of these individuals from Jamaica would have met with GECOM last week.

“I know of two individuals who have been engaged

by IRI and they’re supposed to be technical advisers to GECOM. IRI has made an offer to be engaged in civic and voter education… they met the Commission last

Indian elections expert Dr Syed Nasim Zaidi

week.

Two persons from Jamaica. One was the previous Chief Elections Officer and one is the current IT (Information Technology) person in the Jamaican Elections Commission,” Alexander further explained.

Meanwhile, fellow

Canadian elections Jean-Pierre Kingsley

expert

GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj explained that one of the individuals is Orette Fisher. Fisher is a former Director of Elections in Jamaica. He resigned from the role in 2018 amid a court case regarding his tenure in office. It was only last year that Fisher was part of the Commonwealth observer mission to Nigeria for its general elections.

GECOM Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward also announced that Commonwealth Senior technical advisor, Dr Afari Gyan, has arrived in Guyana. In fact, Gyan met with the Chair of the Commission, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, and members of the Commission.

Gyan is a Ghanaian academic and experienced election administrator who holds a PhD in Political Science. He served as Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Ghana from 1993 to 2015.

According to his Ghanaian alma mater, 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.

Ward also explained that a team from the Commonwealth Secretariat is in Guyana preparing for the full observer mission.

She said that Dr Syed Nasim Zaidi, an elections advisor from India who is also ex-

Former Director of Elections in Jamaica, Orette Fisher

pected to join the team, will arrive this month-end.

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

When it comes to external help, GECOM had pre-

Commonwealth Senior technical advisor Dr Afari Gyan (centre), during his meeting with the GECOM Chair

viously announced it would also be getting assistance from Jean-Pierre Kingsley, a Canadian elections expert.

It had been announced that Kingsley was expected to arrive sometime this month.

When contacted by this publication on Wednesday, Ward confirmed that Kingsley arrived since last week and has been meeting regularly with GECOM but will not be fully based in Guyana as he will be travel-

ling back to his home country and then returning.

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 co-

operation, 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.

Money changer ambushed by cutlass-wielding bandits three men sitting on …robbed of $3M were the culvert. He said that

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Corriverton, Berbice money changer was on Monday ambushed and robbed of close to $3 million in both local and foreign currency including Canadian, Surinamese and United States dollars.

Daneshwar Pananlall, also called “Peter”, of lot 114 Eliza Mary, Springlands, Corriverton was robbed in the vicinity of the area where the money changers operate in Corriverton.

According to the 40-year-old man, at about 07:30h on Monday, as he slowed his motorcycle to navigate a corner at the head of his street, there

two of the men had cutlasses and they pounced on him and took away the bag he was carrying before pushing his motorbike over causing him to fall to the ground.

Pananlall related that he sprang up quickly and chased after the bandits but they disappeared into the distance.

During that time, Pananlall explained that he was running behind the bandits and at the same time was shouting for help.

A phone call to the Police was promptly answered but the officers arrived about 45 minutes later.

“They start questing me

as if I am the bandit…By the time they finish with me, they can’t find them (the bandits) anymore,” the man related. He said that the Police wanted him to justify his reasons for having the cash.

“If you are working with a company and you are going to work, you will need your pen and whatever you have to go to work with, so, you wouldn’t leave home with those things? My business is changing money. So, I don’t have to go with my money to my workplace?”

Pananlall has been changing money in Corriverton for the past three years. The Police have since launched an investigation.

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Brothers charged for murder of newspaper vendor

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hree brothers are accused of killing Essequibo Coast, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) newspaper vendor Sham Munilall, also known as “Paperman”.

The men – Carlton and Carl Carter and Delhoya McKenzie – appeared on Wednesday before Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. It is alleged that the trio killed the 48-yearold man on January 10 at Queenstown, Essequibo Coast, during the course or furtherance of a robbery.

Reports are the inci-

Sham Munilall, also known as “Paperman”

dent occurred at about 20:00h at Munilall’s Lot 61 First Street, Queenstown, Essequibo Coast home.

This newspaper was told that Munilall was at the front of the yard with a neighbour doing bar-b-que when the two bandits, both wearing helmets, and one armed with a gun and the other with a cutlass, scaled the fence from the southern side. They attacked his wife, Rita, who was at the front door of the flat house.

Upon seeing his wife captured by the bandits, who were trying to gain entry into his home, Munilall attacked the perpetrators with a rake

he had retrieved from the front of the yard.

In retaliation, however, the gunman opened fire at the father of two, shooting him four times about his body before escaping by scaling the fence again.

The 48-year-old man was hit to his chest, shoulder and right side abdomen, causing him to collapse. He was rushed to the Suddie Public Hospital and was pronounced dead on arrival.

The trio was remanded to prison and the case will continue on January 29 at the Anna Regina Magistrate’s Court.

Man jailed for 18 months for stealing DJ’s laptop

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34-year-old man, who broke and entered the home of Darrell, popularly known as “DJ Magnum” and stole a laptop and laptop bag, was on Wednesday jailed when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Levi Williams, of Norton Street, Georgetown, appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Sherdel IsaacsMarcus and admitted to the two charges which stated that on December 7, 2019, at Cornhill Street, Georgetown, he stole $15,000 from the

person of Murdock Davis and on December 6, 2019, at Georgetown, he entered the dwelling home of Darrell Romeo and stole one laptop and a laptop bag.

In a plea of mitigation, Williams told the court that Romeo owed him $80,000

and he took the laptop as payment.

Williams was jailed for 18 months for the charge of larceny from entering the dwelling house and eight months for larceny from a person. The sentences will run concurrently.

Hate…

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…and Guyanese politics ack during the political troubles of the 1960s when we were still known as “BG”, the PNC had torched large sections of Georgetown in their campaign to throw the PPP out of office. The Mighty Sparrow belted out: “I don’t care if the whole a BG bu’n down/ I don’t care if all of Bookers bu’n down/ But they will be putting me out me way/ If they tackle Tiger Bay/ An bu’n dung de hotel/ where all me wahbine does stay”. “Wahbine” being “the good-time girls of the night”!

The point being that “Tiger Bay” has a long reputation as a part of the underbelly of Georgetown – a ghetto if you will – that has produced more than its fair share of poverty-driven crime in the city. Our Tiger Bay was named after the original Tiger Bay in Cardiff, Wales, which earned its deserved tough and dangerous reputation since the 19th century, when it housed many brothels to “service” the sailors of cargo-laden ships. Five years ago, one resident had described his reality: “Crime coming from the ghetto is something you’re gonna always see because of crisis, people ain’t getting work and the youths them need things, them might see fancy things that them need, put aside fancy things, them gotta eat and many days you deh and it hard, sometimes a meal hardly coming by, sometime you might wake up in the morning you ain’t know how you really eating a meal, sometime it might be till afternoon…crime from the ghetto have to happen, ain’t no way they can see themselves out, only by going and commit crime because there ain’t no job for them.”

Decrepit as it always was, it became a veritable urban jungle during the Burnhamite destruction of all Guyana, when even the “Johns” dared enter to check out any “girls”. When the PPP took office, the Janet Jagan regime arranged for them to obtain house lots in the new development schemes in Tuschen, Sophia and Mocha.

Many refused to leave a home they’d gotten used to and the area regressed even further into 100+ shacks.

There were great expectations when this Government took office because of the ethnic affinities of Guyanese politics. But they offered nothing, save the usual blather!

So imagine the chutzpah of the PNC to send some of their top guns – Volda Lawrence, James Bond, Mayor Ubraj Narine etc, on the 11th hour before elections into Tiger Bay. Not to boast about what they’d done, but to hurl the most vicious accusations against the PPP for the “killings” that occurred during the PPP regime.

As usual, the lumpenproletariat is to be used as cannon fodder!! …and corruption In opposition, the PNC and AFC regularly flagellated the PPP for not transferring revenues from the lotto (of which the Govt receives 24%) into the Consolidated Funds. They claimed the moneys formed literally a “slush fund” for the party to use! Well, once again, they’ve merely proven that all their accusations against the PPP were projections of their own twisted and warped compulsions to raid the State coffers.

After making a big to-do about transferring the first tranche of funds they found in the Lotto Account in early 2015, the PNC has consistently retained more than half of the yearly take – averaging over $500million annually!

For which, they’ve obdurately refused to provide an accounting: Winston Jordan merely announces which projects the money was supposedly used for, without any accounting.

The unaccounted half-a-billion used for the D’Urban Park white elephant, for instance, came from the Lotto Funds. This AG’s latest report confirms the siphoning goes on: $2 billion in five years!!

And yet, Granger, whose office has the lotto funds, claims to be “honest”!! …and oversight??

David Granger claims he so loves Forbes Burnham, that he gave over his house to Vincent Alexander to house the “Burnham Foundation”. Yet, they’ve allowed Central High School – Burnham’s first High School, to become a community high school.

Oh, the shame!!

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

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of 3 Govt uses over $300M from Lotto Mother stabbed to death by funds on flags, cultural activities reputed husband

Auditor General Deodat Sharma

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he Guyana Lotteries Commission had more than $300 million taken from its coffers by the David Grangerled Government in 2018 and that money was used on a number of cultural activities, including millions of dollars on flags.

This was revealed in the Audit Office of Guyana’s 2018 report, which was recently leaked to the press.

According to the report, the fund had an opening balance of $47.7 million and during the year, $715.3 million was received.

Of this amount, $326 million was transferred to the Consolidated Fund, while $355.8 million was spent on activities approved by the Cabinet. The fund ended the year with a closing balance of $81.2 million.

Under the Ministry of the Presidency, this includes $2.4 million to purchase national flags for the D’Urban Park and Stabroek Market Square. A further $39.8 million was spent to

purchase a relay screen for the hosting of the Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup and $34.7 million for Guyana’s independence anniversary celebrations.

The sum of $17 million was used for the celebration of Emancipation in 2018 while the AG documented $30.5 million for an ‘Emancipation festival’ that was scheduled to be held at the Union cultural complex.

Meanwhile, the Public Infrastructure Ministry received $170 million of the amount for the Indian Arrival Monument at Palmyra, Canje, Berbice.

The African Business Roundtable Incorporated got $18.3 million for the hosting of the Guyana Green Economy International Business Summit at Princess Hotel.

In laying out the proper functions of the lottery funds, the AG noted that the Government of Guyana and Canadian Bank Note Ltd (CBN) entered an agreement establishing a Government Lottery under the Government Lotteries Act, Chapter 80:07.

“Under this agreement, CBN is to pay licence fees equivalent to 24% of gross revenue,” the report states.

“The Guyana Lotteries Commission manages the licence fees receivable and ensure that amounts expended are within the national sector and in accordance with the guidelines for access to the lottery funding. The Lotteries Commission

A

Finance Minister Winston Jordan

President David Granger

continued to receive proceeds from the national lottery which were used to make payments approved by the Cabinet.

“The Commission is subject to separate financial reporting and auditing.

The last set of audited accounts was for the year 2013. According to the Receipts and Disbursements Statement of the Ministry of Finance, for 2018, the Ministry budgeted $300 million for Lottery Receipts under the category of Miscellaneous Revenue and an amount of $326 million was transferred from (the lotto fund) to the Consolidated Fund,” the AG report also states.

The Government has already been red -flagged for its use of the lotto fund.

In his 2015 report, Auditor General Deodat Sharma had said that Government used millions from the fund for the building of D’Urban Park, Georgetown, without parliamentary approval.

According to Sharma’s

findings, the Guyana Government was using the 24 per cent of the lottery proceeds it was earning to spend with Cabinet approval. Sharma, in his report, noted that at the beginning of 2015, that account held some $1.4 billion and it received an additional $421 million in 2015.

The Auditor General had said that following checks on the accounts, it was found that while Government transferred $1 billion of that money to the Consolidated Fund In 2015, it held onto just over half a billion dollars to remain under the control of the Ministry of the Presidency and it spent $305 million on various activities.

According to a breakdown of the expenditure provided by the Auditor General, $36.5 million went towards the rehabilitation of the controversial D’Urban Park; $63.7 million went towards Mashramani celebrations while another $51 million was utilised for ‘music’.

ccusations of infidelity ended in murder on Wednesday when a Crane, West Coast Demerara (WCD) man stabbed his reputed wife to death and then attempted to take his own life by ingesting a poisonous substance.

Dead is Bibi Zameena Ali of Lot 15 Old Road, Crane, WCD, who was accused by the suspect of being unfaithful to him.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, the dead woman’s mother, Rashpattie Persaud, recounted that she was awakened by her daughter’s scream on Wednesday.

The woman recounted that she rushed out of her bedroom and saw her son-inlaw stabbing her daughter.

Dead: Bibi Zameena Ali

start to cry and beg him to give me the knife and I hold his hand and take the knife

“I go on my knee and start to cry and beg him to give me the knife and I hold his hand and take the knife away from him” – mother of the dead woman The grieving mother said she too started screaming and pleaded with the man to stop but it was too late.

“I hear a screaming and somebody just holler ‘mommy, mommy’ and I jump up. My grandson was already awake and he go in the room and he tell me his father was about to stab is mother again, so I talk to him and I said gave me the knife, but he not giving it to me…so I go on my knee and

away from him. I told him go outside let me look after my daughter but I didn’t know my daughter was already dead,” Persaud explained.

Meanwhile, the woman’s sister, Amanda (only name given), in between tears shared that prior to Ali’s death, the suspect, on numerous occasions, would threaten to take her life but regardless, she did not make a Police report.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Parent attacks primary school teacher …Police, Education Ministry probing incident

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he Guyana Police Force and Education Ministry are investigating yet another incident where a parent launched a brutal attack on a teacher. This time the attack was carried out at the St Agnes Primary School, Georgetown.

The incident, which occurred on Wednesday, was captured on camera and has since gone viral on social media.

When Guyana Times visited the school, there was a meeting ongoing with parents inside the building, but officials were mum on the issue.

Parent kicking teacher during attack

Meanwhile, when contacted, Education Ministry Public Relations Officer

Brushell Blackman disclosed that the Ministry was aware of the incident

and the Police have since launched an investigation.

“At present, the Ministry of Education is aware of the matter. The matter has aspects where the Police have to investigate and are currently investigating,” Blackman told this publication. He further disclosed that the Ministry will release more details on the incident at a later date.

In November 2019, a teacher of the Winfer Gardens Primary School, Georgetown had to be taken to the hospital for medical treatment after she was attacked by a parent.

St Agnes Primary School

Reports are that the teacher was approached by a parent of one of her students shortly after she had arrived on the school’s

Porter lands in jail for attempted robbery

Teen charged for stealing TV from hospital O A 19-year-old accused of stealing a television from St Joseph Mercy Medical Hospital was charged and appeared in court on Wednesday.

Davin Bess, of Pattensen, Greater Georgetown, appeared before Magistrate Faith McGusty and denied the charge which stated that between January 6 and January 7, 2020, at Parade Street, Georgetown, he stole

one 32” flat-screen television from St Joseph’s Mercy

Medical Hospital.

Reports are the teen was

an employee of the hospital when the item went missing. A report was made to the Police and following an investigation, the teen was arrested and charged. Bess was released on $75,000 bail. As a condition for bail, the teen is required to report to the Brickdam Police Station once per week until the conclusion of the trial.

The case will continue on February 5, 2020.

premises. The parent reportedly accused her of hitting her child in school and launched a brutal assault on her.

dwin David, of Hadfield Street, Georgetown, was remanded to prison on Wednesday after he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts charged with attempted robbery.

The 29-year-old porter appeared before Magistrate Faith McGusty and denied that on January 11, 2020, at Camp Street, Georgetown, he attempted to commit a felony, that is to say, while being armed with a knife, he attempted to rob Stephon Hall.

According to the prosecution, the Virtual Complainant was approached by David, who asked him for a $100. The prosecution is contending that the VC refused and kept walking, but the defendant pushed him to the ground and proceeded to search his bag. However, no valuables were found and he escaped.

The matter was reported to the Police and following an investigation, David was arrested. The matter was adjourned for February 5, 2020.

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No-Confidence Motion: A critical element of democracy – civil society …says President’s statement on removal “very troubling”, “shocking”

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resident David Granger’s recent rhetoric on the campaign trail, which hinted at the possible removal of the NoConfidence Motion from the Constitution of Guyana, continues to raise opposition in many quarters.

In an invited comment, Private Sector Commission (PSC) Chairman retired Captain Gerry Gouveia informed this publication that he was shocked when he heard the President’s statement which hinted at intentions to remove the provision.

“The President had always struck me as a man who believed in democracy and who doesn’t change the rules of the game, in the middle of the game, just because it didn’t go in his favour. And so, it was quite surprising to me to hear the President say that.”

“This provision was used against the (former President Donald) Ramotar Government in 2014. And it is a lawful thing. If members of Parliament lose confidence in the Government, they must have a recourse to do it.”

Gouveia not only noted the importance of the No-Confidence Motion to Guyana’s democracy but also respect for the Constitution.

He also noted that such a major constitutional change should never be left to politi-

cians but rather, the people, through a referendum.

“The Constitution should be respected until it’s changed.

And things like that, you don’t change it easily. I don’t think we should allow any politician or political party to change our Constitution without consultations and a referendum.”

“I believe the NoConfidence Motion is there for a purpose and that we should respect it. I was quite surprised the President made that statement. I did not expect it from him, I’ll tell you that much.”

Very troubling

Meanwhile, noted political activist and lawyer, Christopher Ram, also weighed in on the matter when contacted by this publication. According to Ram, the President’s words heavily imply an intention to remove the No-Confidence Motion.

“That seems to be a logical interpretation and it is therefore very troubling. It would remove one layer of democracy, which would be a very backward step,” Ram said, adding that the President already has history when it comes to constitutional compliance.

Political analyst Ramon Gaskin also made it clear that in no uncertain terms, the no-confidence provision

Political analyst Ramon Gaskin

cannot be removed off the statutes. He noted its importance across the developed world.

“All over the world, in democratically-elected Parliaments, you have no-confidence motions. In England, Canada and in the Commonwealth, Germany, Spain and Israel. And generally speaking, it’s when Parliament does not have confidence in the Government, it cannot continue.”

“You can’t remove it. You have to keep it. It is a normal feature of democratic constitutions, this question of confidence. And if the Government does not enjoy the confidence of the Parliament, which is the elected representatives of the people, then you have to get a new coalition or go to the elections to get a new

PSC Chairman, Captain (retired) Gerry Gouveia

President David Granger

Political activist and lawyer, Christopher Ram

mandate.”

That being said, Gaskin was of the view that there is room for some reforms to the provision. He noted that in some cases, a No-Confidence Motion does not have to lead to an election if the government can come to an agreement with its coalition partners.

“If the No-Confidence Motion was removed, you’d have no way of testing if the government enjoys the confidence of the house. And from time to time, the government and a coalition do lose the confidence of the house, if one of the partners wants to leave. It happens in Israel all the time. If you don’t have that you wouldn’t be able to test it.”

“However, the problem in Guyana is when you lose

the no-confidence vote, the Constitution at 106 requires you to go to elections right away, in three months. In the other constitutions, you don’t have that. In some countries, the Constitution gives you a certain amount of time to see if you can put together a new coalition and get back the confidence of the house.”

Gaskin, a former Presidential advisor, explained that in some countries if there is a case whereby the government cannot secure a new coalition that will have the confidence of the parliament, snap elections are then held.

“If you can secure the confidence of the house with this new coalition without going to elections, then you can continue. But if you cannot put together a group to secure

the confidence of the house, you have to go to an election.

That’s normally the position around the world.”

At the launch of his campaign at D’Urban Park, President Granger informed supporters that “we are going to reform the Constitution so that that nonsense they tried for us in the last twelve months doesn’t happen again.” Since then, the statement has elicited condemnation from various quarters.

When it delivered its rulings on the No-Confidence Motion cases last year, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) had made it clear that former Alliance for Change (AFC) MP, Charrandass Persaud was entitled to vote his conscience and that the NCM was an important part of Guyana’s Parliament.

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Soesdyke youth 1st to test Guyana’s first oil

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or Shivnarine Outar, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. The offshore laboratory technician, employed by Nalco Champion, was the first person to test the first sample of Guyanese crude oil as it came through the Liza Destiny Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel.

“So many things can happen from that crude that is right there in front of me and I was fortunate enough to capture that moment,” said Shiv, as he is fondly referred. “Nobody can take that from me right now, never!”

The 28-year-old recalled eagerly waiting for hours on December 20, 2019, the day Guyana produced its first drop of oil. “We were making sure our apparatuses are correct, we made sure our instruments are calibrated, and our sample boards are all prepared and ready,” he related. “I had to be all suited up, as a safety precaution with a mask, gloves and boots everything, the whole nine yards just to get a sample of this Guyanese oil. The moment finally came at 9:34 pm, that’s when we got the first sample of Guyanese oil

Shivnarine Outar

on the FPSO.” And for the former Covent Garden Secondary School student, this was a moment of pride, yet unbelievable and caused “goosebumps”. “I’m actually reliving the moment right now,” he said looking down at his arms. “I was almost emotional, it meant so much to me, and it meant so much for my family and for the Guyanese population. I looked at the oil and said ‘what the….?’ I was so proud…I am so proud right now”.

Shiv has been employed

by Nalco Champion since

April 2019 and rotates onto the FPSO every 28 days. He and his “back-to-back” colleague Rajiv Indarjeet entered a friendly competition over which one of them would be the one to witness first oil. “Fortunately, I was there and I can assure you he shares that moment with me. He was up waiting with me that night just to get the news”.

The two were trained in the United States, Singapore and Brazil before taking up their roles on the FPSO. They are receiving further mentorship by experienced personnel whom

they will eventually replace.

From what they call the

“cortex” of the FPSO, Shiv and Rajiv test the quality of Guyana’s oil against certain benchmarks. “The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) has been doing a lot of work with the American Petroleum Institute (API) and so we are the guys on the FPSO making sure those specifications are met,” he explained.

The 28-year-old, who was once responsible for testing the quality of another of Guyana’s valuable commodities — El Dorado Rum, has a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Guyana and an MBA through Nations University.

He was raised in

Soesdyke on the East Bank of Demerara by a supportive family who instilled drive and dedication in him.

“When I go on the FPSO, they are the reason I want to work safely and come home.”

Meanwhile, Shiv sees oil production as an opportunity for himself, family and other Guyanese to thrive.

He seemed optimistic about its potential to transform the country and improve people’s lives.

“Be patient,” he advised others. “Oil is here to stay for a long time so be patient, keep looking for the opportunities and they will come.”

Mother of 3 stabbed...

“Every time he does threaten she, the last time they had some problem that was last month, he go till at she workplace and start chuck-up she and suh, and she had to getaway and hide from he but we never expect this,” the woman recalled.

The mother of three was described as a hardworking woman who cared for her children. She leaves to mourn her mother, siblings and three children.

“She don’t live bad with nobody. When she come home she gon hustle mek she thing dem cook she fancy food for she children dem, she was a very, very good

FROM PAGE 9

The victim’s mother, Rashpattie Persaud and her three children

mother and wife and she ain’t deserve it,” the sister said.

Meanwhile, the suspect

is hospitalised and under guard at the West Demerara Regional Hospital.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Oil economy, migration flow push need for strengthened child rights legislation

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s Guyana works to strengthen its legislative framework on children’s rights, focus is being placed on the changing economic conditions here as a result of the country’s petroleum sector.

This was highlighted at a stock-taking meeting organised by the Legal Affairs Ministry in partnership with the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) and the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Guyana. The meeting featured key representatives from the Government and civil society bodies who engaged in critical discussions on shaping the way forward to improve local legislative framework for children.

Guyana is the first country in the Americas to sign on to all four HCCH Children’s Conventions that deal with child maintenance, child adoption, child abduction and child protection.

According to Country Representative of UNICEF, Sylvie Fouet, this progress comes at a time when the country is experiencing a change in its economic environment.

“At a time speaking of an oil economy and of migration flows, these are two examples which may propel the use of these Conventions. There is a need for local action to ensure that the best interest of children comes first,” she posited.

This view was also shared by Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams, who emphasised that the interests of children must be paramount. He noted that the family law has changed significantly as a result of issues such as globalisation and migration, which Guyana is now compounded with in light of its ongoing oil explorations and

Participants interacting at Wednesday’s stock-taking meeting held at the Marriott Hotel

discoveries.

“The increasing oil exploration in Guyana has contributed to increased migration patterns and consequently the change in family dynamics. Therefore, recognising that the legal landscape has changed, Guyana has chosen to embrace the protection that the Hague Conventions on Family Law brings, especially to children. As our Constitution recognises, the best interest of the child must always be paramount and when confronted with this changing world, the Hague Conventions allow Guyana to ensure that the child’s interest remains paramount,” he posited.

To this end, Williams noted that the Ministry’s Drafting Division has commenced working on a bill to give the 1980 Child Abduction Convention the force of law in Guyana. The Abduction Convention applies where one parent of a child removes a child out of the jurisdiction without the consent of the other parent and provides for the expeditious return of the child.

“Therefore, the Convention provides recourse for the aggrieved parent to approach the

courts for relief. Where there is extensive cross-border movement, particularly in a country with porous borders, all the necessary steps should be taken to secure the protection of our children. As we are all aware, child abduction causes psychological damage to both the child and the parent. Moreover, when a child is abducted and taken to another country issues such as different legal systems come into play,” he noted.

Meanwhile, the Legal Affairs Minister noted that there has been a substantial increase in requests of international adoption applications both from family members and strangers in respect of children who are citizens of and residents in Guyana.

“Therefore, it is important to ensure that our laws reflect the international best practices to dealing with these issues,” he contended.

Williams further posited that the implementation of the Hague Adoption Convention into domestic legislation will necessitate a review, improvement and expansion of the existing Adoption Unit of the

Childcare and Protection Agency (CCPA) and the operations of the Adoption Board. He added that it will also enhance the procedural arrangements involved in the adoption process and provide more opportunities for capacity development in the department.

“The co-operation provisions of the Convention provide the basic framework for the exchange of information and for the necessary degree of collaboration between administrative authorities in the Contracting States. Already, we have an Adoption (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to give this Convention the force of law in Guyana and a working draft of Hague Adoption Regulations outlining the procedural aspects of the Convention,” the Legal Affairs Minister stated.

N e v e r t h e l e s s , Wednesday’s high-level stock-taking exercise was held at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown and saw participants engaging in defining a multi-year action

UNICEF Country Representative Sylvie Fouet

plan towards both the implementation of the HCCH Conventions and the applicable articles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

HCCH Representative Ignacio Goicoechea lauded Guyana’s move to engage partner countries, many of which are eager to share their experiences with Guyana on implementation of these conventions.

“No state that joins a new convention will have

all the matters resolved from day one… There is no unique model for every country in the world. These conventions need to match with the child protection system of each country.

And I think the task for us is to try to swiftly and efficiently accommodate the international conventions with the current system of child protection and the judiciary system,” the HCCH Representative stressed.

14 NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Order against removal of NRR names

Ruling on matter will violate Constitution – lawyer tells Appeal Court …says “elections train” has already departed …but Govt hoping for more lifeline: AG tells court to go ahead with decision

S

enior Counsel (SC) Ralph Ramkarran is contending that the electoral process was triggered last month when President David Granger issued the election proclamation and further argues that once the “elections train” has left the station, then any issue relating to this process should be dealt with via an election petition.

Ramkarran was at the time rebutting final submissions made by Attorney General Basil Williams in the appeal case filed by the State to challenge the August 2019 decision by acting Chief Justice Roxane George, who blocked the removal of persons from the National Register of Registrants (NRR) Database.

The High Court case was filed by chartered accountant Christopher Ram last year after the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) sought to conduct a Houseto-House Registration exercise with the aim of creating a new database.

The AG argued in court that this matter has no relations to the upcoming March 2 General and Regional Elections since the Notice of Appeal was filed in September 2019 and the election proclamation was issued by the President three months later in December.

“The matter is not an elections matter in any shape or form but it is strictly speaking to a constitutional issue as to and whether residency is a fun-

damental pre-requisite of voting in Guyana,” Williams submitted.

He went on to point out that the case has public interest as it deals with rights of electors to vote. “…This matter is a serious matter of national public interest. It rose in the past, it arises now and it will arise in the future. And so the court will be properly in order to accept the jurisdiction,” the AG contended.

However, Ramkarran reiterated submissions for the Appellate Court to decline jurisdiction. He argued that there is no way to escape the fact that this is not an elections matter and that all election-related issues have to be dealt with via an elections petition.

According to Ramkarran, that electoral process was ignited when the President issued the election proclamation.

“Whether it’s proclamation day or nomination day, we’re beyond those now…

Once the elections train leaves the station, every issue has to be determined by way of elections petition,” he posited.

The Senior Counsel went on to tell the court should it proceed to give a decision while on the “election train”, then it will be ruling on an elections matter that ought to have been properly litigated by way of an elections petition, after the conduct of those elections and within the stipulated days as outlined in the Constitution.

“If you do litigate it now, Your Honour is violating two

principles – one, it is not an elections petition; and two, it’s a matter that ought to be determined after the elections… The simple answer is to decline jurisdiction…

Your Honour has no option, in my respectful view, other than declining jurisdiction and giving the opportunity to the appellant to start the matter after elections by way of elections petition…,” Ramkarran insisted.

Alternatively, the SC suggested that the Appellate Court consider putting the matter down until the upcoming elections are over, and then go ahead and treat it as a petition and rule on it.

However, acting Chancellor, Justice Yonette

Cummings-Edwards, who is leading the presiding appellate panel which includes Justices Rishi Persaud and Dawn Gregory, indicated that they would require leave from the High Court to hear an elections petition.

“For a matter to commence as an elections petition, we have to have leave [from the court] below…

[We can’t give leave because] we’re not the court of original jurisdiction,” the Judge stated.

Flexibility exists

But Ramkarran, a former Speaker of the National Assembly, pointed out that the flexibility exists for courts to make things possible within the framework

of legality.

“Your Honour, these things are all possible.

They are possible within the rules I believe.”

Justice CummingsEdwards told the parties at Wednesday’s session for final submissions that the court will take their arguments into considering in determining how it proceeds. Parties will be informed of the date when the appellate panel is ready to hand down its decision.

In her August ruling, Chief Justice George ruled that while the H2H Registration is not unconstitutional, it is unconstitutional for qualified persons to be removed from the list – which is what the exer-

cised aim at doing by creating a new database of registrants.

Pointing out that the “right to vote and the right to be registered to vote are sacrosanct”, the High Court Judge said, “residence requirements from citizens is no longer a qualification for registration”.

As such, she noted that it is unconstitutional for qualified persons to be removed from the list if they are not in the jurisdiction or not at their residence during the registration exercise. She further stated that only deceased persons and those otherwise disqualified under Article 159 (2) (3) or (4) are to be removed.

15 Rice under threat in Region 6 if immediate measures not taken – Armogan R NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

ice is under threat in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) if immediate measures not taken to provide water to farmers who operate in the 52-74 area and on the front lands along the Corentyne coast.

Regional Chairman David Armogan is blaming the Regional Executive Officer, Kim Williams-Stephens, for refusing to assist farmers even after President David Granger reached out to them.

Since November last year, the Region Six administration has been experiencing difficulty in terms of having enough money to purchase fuel for the pumps at Manarabisi and Black Bush Polder.

Regional Chairman David Armogan explained that the REO and the Superintendent of Works had since last year stated that there is enough money and that they had enough fuel for those pumps to last until the end of the year.

The two had anticipated that in January, funds would be released to buy fuel so that they can continue to pump water for the farmers.

Lack of water

Fuel budget

Speaking with reporters at his New Amsterdam office on Tuesday, Armogan said because of his experience, he insisted that the funds nor the fuel were adequate once they were pumping at full capacity. The pumps in the Black Bush Polder will burn 1200 gallons in a 24-hour period and the pumps at Manarabisi, about 600 gallons over a 24-hour period.

“I decided after I spoke with both of them that we need some additional funds to purchase more fuel but they kept insisting that there is enough fuel in the system to last until the end of the year.”

The Chairman penned a letter to President David Granger pointing out that the fuel budget had been cut and as a result, the regional

Region Six Chairman David Armogan

administration had run out of money to purchase fuel for the irrigation pumps.

He said that he subsequently met with the Director of Budgets and at the end of that meeting, it was determined that the $30 million which he had requested was not going to be adequate.

The administration had also received $2 million from the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) to purchase fuel which was utilised in December.

“They believe that if you work two pumps at Manarabisi and one pump at Black Bush Polder, that will be sufficient to satisfy the needs of the farmers. They do not understand the intricacies of the system. I do not think they have a good idea of what is happening in the rice sector,” Armogan said.

“At Manarabisi, they have only been operating two pumps which are inadequate to supply the roadside farmers with water.”

On Monday, more than 50 rice farmers went to the Superintendent of Works explaining that their rice is dying because of a lack of adequate water.

“If one week passes without water, the entire crop will be lost,” Armogan explained.

“I don’t know if it is a deliberate attempt the frustrate those in the rice industry or it is that people do not understand what they are doing to ensure that the water keeps flowing into these different areas.”

About eighteen acres which are under rice cultivation on the Corentyne coast are currently under threat.

According to the Chairman, unless all of the pumps are put into operation almost immediately, many of the rice farmers will lose their crop.

Farmers cultivating in the 52-74 area and those operating on the front lands

have already indicated that they have started to lose their crop. Those who operate in the Black Bush Polder said their rice is also under threat.

Armogan explained that efforts were being made to take 500 gallons of fuel in the Black Bush Polder; however, it is not even enough for half of a day’s pumping.

Not a favour but an obligation

“It is the Government’s obligation to ensure that farmers have enough water to grow their paddy – it is not a favour but an obligation,” Armogan reiterated.

About 10,000 acres were not cultivated this crop because the administration started pumping water late.

He said the Government should sanction those who were negligent in the execution of their duties.

Forty-two thousand acres are under cultivation this crop, as against 52,000 last crop. (Andrew Carmichael)

Brazilian tribes and forest tappers unite against Bolsonaro

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razilian indigenous tribes and rubber tappers joined forces on Wednesday to oppose steps by Brazilian far-right President Jair Bolsonaro that they say are destroying the Amazon forest they depend on.

Some 450 members of 47 tribes met for a second day to discuss how to resist Bolsonaro’s moves to weaken public agencies that are meant to protect the environment and native land rights. Bolsonaro has said tribes have too much land and he wants to open up the reservations to commercial mining and agriculture to develop the Amazon and lift indigenous people from pov-

erty.

Kayapó chief Raoni Metuktire, who called the meeting in his village on the Xingu river, called on Brazil’s Congress to block the president’s policies.

“We are here to defend

our land and to tell him to stop talking badly about us,” said Raoni, who became a global reference for his environmental campaigning in the 1980s with musician Sting at his side. He said he would never accept mining

on his ancestral lands.

Among those attending the meeting was Angela Mendes, daughter of rubber tapper, trade union leader and environmentalist Chico Mendes who was killed by a rancher in 1988 for his efforts to protect the rainforest.

“United we can resist.

They have the power of the state, but we have the force of the waters, the flowers and ancestral land,” she said at a news conference.

The existence of non-indigenous extractivist communities that live off rubber tapping and selling the fruits of the forest is being endangered by deforestation, she warned.

German judicial scan applauds CCJ

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recent study conducted by the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the German corporation for international co-operation, found a high level of confidence in the integrity and independence of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

GIZ is a German federal organisation that supports the German government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development.

The Judicial Integrity Scan also commended the court for its institutional design, organisational capacities and the competencies of the staff.

GIZ said the study was based on the Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct which aim to establish standards of judicial integrity internationally.

Additionally, the scan utilised Article 11 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption as a benchmark of good governance and integrity.

The results of the study found that the CCJ had a high level of compliance with the Bangalore Principles in several respects. These included having a Code of Judicial Conduct; the monitoring of its Judges’ compliance with this Code and the high level of public access to the court’s hearings and judgments.

The results also noted that all hearings at the CCJ are live streamed. GIZ said it found that this ensured a high level of transparency in Court decision-making. The body said it was impressed with the manner in which Judges were recruited and noted that the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission (RJLSC), the institution

that appoints the judges of the CCJ, guarantees a free and independent selection of judges based on ability and integrity, with the best candidate being selected among applicants.

GIZ suggested, however, that to further ensure that the CCJ is compatible with other courts of a similar nature, measures could be established for unsuccessful applicants to be given the opportunity to file a competition complaint as part of the selection process to the court.

The report also considered that in order to strengthen public confidence in the CCJ, a gender balance among the judges should be sought in the future.

Overall, the GIZ applauded the CCJ for being an independent and accessible institution, creating a distinct benefit for the people of the Caribbean as it continuously exemplifies “great transparency and openness”. (Jamaica Observer)

Mendes struck an alliance with Sonia Guajajara, head on the APIB umbrella, Brazil’s largest organization of tribes.

“This is a very grave moment in our history. It looks like a war scenario,” Guajajara said, accusing Bolsonaro of serving the interests of Brazil’s powerful agribusiness and farming sectors that have advanced into the Amazon region.

The rise in violence against Brazil’s 850,000 indigenous people due to land conflicts with farmers and illegal mining and logging on

reservations threaten the tribes’ future, she said.

Bolsonaro has vowed to integrate indigenous people into the Brazilian economy and society, an assimilation that Guajajara said was tantamount to the death of their cultures and languages.

Brazil’s indigenous affairs agency, Funai, run by a police officer appointed by Bolsonaro, said the meeting in the Xingu was a “totally private event” that it could not support because it was not “in line” with government policy. (Reuters)

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guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

Regional

Peru's top court says dissolution Guatemalan President takes office amid asylum of Parliament was legal

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eru's top court has ruled that the dissolution of the country's Congress on September 30 was legal.

The constitutional court said President Martín Vizcarra had not exceeded his powers when he took the step amid a stand-off between the Government and Opposition-controlled Congress.

Opposition lawmakers had denounced it as a coup but the heads of armed forces and the Police backed the President.

Parliamentary elections are scheduled for January 26.

Four of the seven Judges ruled that the case brought

The ruling is a victory for President Vizcarra

by former Congress Speaker Pedro Olaechea, arguing that President Vizcarra had exceeded his powers, was unfounded.

The ruling is a victory

for President Vizcarra, who had argued that he had the right to dissolve Congress under article 134 in the constitution.

The President took the

drastic step after Congress, which is dominated by the right-wing Popular Force party led by Keiko Fujimori, blocked him from passing a raft of anti-corruption measures.

Vizcarra had made the fight against corruption his main priority when he took power in March 2018 after then-President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned over a vote-buying scandal.

His tough anti-corruption stance endeared him to Peruvians tired of the endless scandals that have tainted not only Kuczynski but also the three previous Peruvian presidents.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Coca eradication best way to fight violence in Colombia, Duque says

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he eradication of Colombia’s plantations of coca, the raw material for cocaine, is the best way to protect peace efforts and fight the drug trafficking that fuels violence in the South American nation, President Ivan Duque said on Wednesday.

Colombia, long a leading source of the world’s cocaine, announced last week it eradicated a record amount of coca last year after coming under pressure from the United States following a jump in crop figures.

“The great security challenge is derived from drug traf-

ficking,” Duque told Reuters ahead of a meeting of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission. “Drug trafficking is the fuel of criminality and the fuel of terrorism.”

Duque said narcotics smuggling in Colombia provided revenues not only to criminal groups like the

Clan del Golfo - the country’s largest crime gang - but also to the Marxist-led National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident members of the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), who have rejected a 2016 peace deal. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Venezuelan Opposition barred from Congress as armed group attacks lawmakers

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rmed civilians attacked a convoy of vehicles carrying Venezuelan Opposition politicians to Congress on Wednesday, backing recent efforts under President Nicolas Maduro to bar Opposition Leader Juan Guaido from presiding over Parliament.

A crowd of men hit the cars with traffic cones and crowbars, breaking one car’s back window, according to a video recorded by an opposition member from inside the vehicle. The convoy then sped away, tailed by several individuals on motorbikes.

Guaido’s spokesman said four opposition politicians were in the vehicles, including Carlos Berrizbeitia, Guaido’s second congressional vice president. No one

Venezuela’s National Assembly President and Opposition Leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognised as the country’s rightful interim ruler, and Carlos Berrizbeitia, second Vice President, attend a session of Venezuela’s National Assembly taking place in an amphitheatre in Caracas, Venezuela

was injured.

On Jan 5, troops blocked Guaido from entering congress and the Socialist

Party declared allied legislator Luis Parra as head of Parliament, allowing Maduro to seize control of

the one Venezuelan institution outside his grip.

Opposition legislators in a separate plenary that day re-elected Guaido to a second term as head of the National Assembly and he later returned to the legislative palace to hold session.

Guaido has branded Parra, who defected from the opposition after becoming embroiled in a corruption scandal in December, “a traitor.”

Guaido will instead hold Wednesday’s scheduled parliamentary session in the Caracas suburb of El Hatillo, the National Assembly said on Twitter.

“We are not going to risk the lives of our lawmakers,” Carlos Prosperi, one of the deputies in the vehicles, told reporters after the attack.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Haiti commemorates deadly 2010 quake in anger, bitterness

H

aitians on Sunday paid sombre tribute to the thousands who died in the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010, as grief mixed with bitterness over failed reconstruction efforts and continuing political instability.

Thousands of Haitians flowed into churches for masses celebrated in the memory of the dead.

President Jovenel Moïse, accompanied by members of

his Government and in the presence of foreign diplomats, placed a floral wreath at a memorial to quake victims at the site, just outside capital Port-au-Prince, where thousands were buried in mass graves.

After the quake struck, Moïse said, “we ate together, we slept together, we cried together, we prayed together” But now, he added, “hatred and discord have filled our hearts... Today we need

that solidarity, that unity”.

Moïse's appearance drew a small number of anti-government protesters, a reminder of the deep and widespread resentment over the failures of both the Government and international aid groups since the devastating quake struck 10 years ago.

Over 35 agonisingly long seconds on that fateful day, a magnitude-7 quake transformed much of Port-au-

Prince and the nearby cities of Gressier, Leogane and Jacmel into dusty ruins, killing more than 200,000 and injuring some 300,000 others.

More than a million and a half Haitians were left homeless, leaving island authorities and the international humanitarian community with a colossal challenge in a country lacking either a land registry or building codes.

(Excerpt from AFP)

deal controversy

Giammattei is sworn in during his inauguration ceremony at the National Theatre in Guatemala City [Johan Ordonez/AFP]

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uatemala's new president was sworn in on Tuesday amid protests against the outgoing leader and uncertainty over the future of an asylum deal with the United States.

Alejandro Giammattei, a doctor and former prison system director from the right-wing Vamos party, was sworn in for a four-year term on Tuesday night.

"This is the moment to rescue Guatemala from the absurd. It is the moment to combat corruption and malnutrition," Giammattei said in his first speech as president.

"We will govern with decency, with honourability, and with ethical values," he said.

Giammattei apologised for keeping guests waiting at the inauguration, which began five hours late largely due to complications and delays in the congressional transition earlier in the day.

He also reiterated several key campaign pledges.

His promised presidential anti-corruption commission would be established at the outset of his presidency and his administration would soon present several legislative proposals, including reforms to designate street gangs as "terrorist" groups.

Giammattei takes over from the tumultuous presidency of Jimmy Morales, who kicked out a popular UN-backed anti-corruption commission after he and his party were accused of illegal campaign financing. He has denied any wrongdoing.

The Morales administration also came under fire for signing an asylum cooperation agreement with the US last July. The deal allows the US to send asylum seekers from third countries to Guatemala, forcing them to request asylum there or return home. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Barbados boards marijuana train

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he newly-established Barbados Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Authority should be ready to begin issuing licences next month, Agriculture Minister Indar Weir has said.

But Weir has hinted at the possibility of Barbadians having to be prepared to make “heavy investments in order to get going” into the new industry under which the Government will allow the cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Weir told the online publication, Barbados TODAY, while he is “happy to report that the authority is established, and they are ready to work”, he is hoping that the first licence would be ready to be issued before February but no later than the end of that month.

“By February all of the necessary information should be in the public domain, so that the public will be aware of the process and what they have to do in order to be able to start to apply for licences,” he said, even as he declined to disclose the cost of the various categories of licences.

The agriculture minister

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley

said that while Barbadians will not be left out of the new industry, they must be prepared to make heavy investment in order to get going.

“Barbados' marijuana sector is not small business activity only, it calls for huge investment in research and development,” he said, noting that he was not prepared to comment on whether or not the “average” Barbadian could afford to obtain a licence.

“Frankly, I don't know what the average man means; the average man cannot invest in Coca-Cola,” he said, insisting that the focus now should be on what is needed to get the industry off the ground. (Excerpt from CMC)

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

17

Around the World Putin shake-up could keep him in power past 2024 as Cabinet steps aside R ussian President Vladimir Putin proposed constitutional changes on Wednesday that would give him scope to extend his grip on power after leaving the presidency, and picked a new Prime Minister after Dmitry Medvedev and his cabinet stepped down.

Most importantly, Putin suggested diminishing the powers of the presidency and beefing up those of the Prime Minister.

The dramatic moves were widely seen as preparing the ground for 2024, when Putin, now 67, is obliged to leave the presidency after occupying the Kremlin or

Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen on screen as he delivers his annual state of the nation address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow, Russia

the prime minister’s job continuously since 1999.

Putin nominated Mikhail

Mishustin, 53-year-old head of the tax service, as the next prime minister. Mishustin,

who will be quizzed by parliament on Thursday, has played ice hockey with Putin but has little public profile and had not been spoken of as a possible candidate.

He will inevitably be viewed as a possible successor to a shrunken presidency, as will members of his cabinet, many of whom are expected to be new to government.

Critics have long accused Putin, a former KGB officer, of plotting to stay on in some capacity after his term ends to wield power over the world’s largest nation – and one of its two biggest nuclear powers.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Oil down slightly after US-China trade deal,

US product build

O

il prices were down slightly on Wednesday, pressured early by data showing big increases in US refined products but recovered some of the losses later by the signing of a Phase 1 trade deal between Washington and Beijing.

Brent LCOc1 futures lost 49 cents, or 0.8%, to settle at $64 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 ended 42 cents, or 0.7%, lower at $57.81.

“The bullish impetus that we had expected off of today’s weekly EIA report failed to develop and as a

Iranians bury victims from downed Ukrainian plane

The head of the coroner's office in Tehran said 123 of the 176 victims had been identified, ILNA news agency reported [Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA]

I

ranians buried their dead on Wednesday from an airliner shot down by the military as authorities identified more of the 176 victims of last week's crash, which led to days of protests against Iran's rulers followed by a police crackdown.

Several victims were buried in the sprawling Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery south of Tehran, while others would be transferred abroad, Iranian media said.

Emotions have been running high as the victims of the January 8 crash are mourned.

An online video showed the national flag ripped from the coffin of one victim when relatives collected the body and the mother shouted: "Tear it off".

Protesters took to the streets of Iranian cities for

four days after the armed forces finally acknowledged on Saturday, after days of denials, that they brought down the plane.

In several places, demonstrators met a fierce police response.

Iranians on social media called for more protests on Wednesday but there was no sign of the kind of rallies of previous days. Instead, videos showed riot police massed outside universities, the focal point for demonstrations.

Iran is battling several fronts. A new international crisis has erupted over its nuclear programme, the economy is in tatters under US sanctions and a long-running standoff with the United States briefly spiralled into open conflict.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

File photo: The sun sets behind an oil pump outside Saint-Fiacre, near Paris, France September 17, 2019 [REUTERS/Christian Hartmann]

result, the complex appears headed for lower levels than we had anticipated despite the late session recovery,” Jim Ritterbusch, president of trading advisory firm Ritterbusch and Associates, said in a note.

Under the Phase 1 trade agreement, China will buy $18.5 billion more in US energy products in the first year and $33.9 billion in the second.

However, commodi-

ty traders and analysts remained cautious – struggling to map out how China will reach the eye-popping amounts it is committing to buy from the United States.

Trump said he would remove all US tariffs on Chinese imports as soon as the two countries completed Phase 2 of their trade agreement, adding he does not expect there to be a Phase 3 pact. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Trump impeachment: House sends historic case to Senate

Pelosi is “proud to present impeachment managers”

T

he US House of Representatives has passed a resolution to submit articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate for a trial.

The resolution passed largely along party lines by 228 votes to 193.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will sign a copy of the measure with the newly announced team of lawmakers who will prosecute the case against Trump.

The House, controlled by opposition Democrats, impeached the president last month.

The Senate, controlled by Trump's Republican Party, will decide whether to convict and remove him from office.

The President is accused of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. He denies trying to pressure Ukraine's leader during a phone call on 25 July last

year to open an investigation into his would-be Democratic White House challenger Joe Biden.

Trump has been touting unsubstantiated corruption claims about Biden and his son, Hunter, who accepted a lucrative board position with a Ukrainian energy firm while his father handled American-Ukraine relations as US vice-president. Biden is one of a dozen candidates campaigning for the Democratic Party's White House nomination.

The Senate trial will be only the third of a US president in history.

While Democrats control the House, Trump's fellow Republicans hold sway in the Senate 53-47 and are all but certain to acquit him.

It remains to be seen how the case could influence the president's campaign for re-election this November.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Japan minister's paternity leave challenges work pressure

Egyptian security forces raid Turkish news agency in Cairo

T

urkey has summoned a senior Egyptian diplomat to protest what it said was a raid by Egyptian security forces on the Cairo office of Turkey's state-run news agency, in which four people were arrested.

The Anadolu news agency on Wednesday said the four employees, including one Turkish national, were taken to an undisclosed location after the police swoop.

Egyptian security forces shut down the agency's security cameras and internet and searched the premises overnight, the agency reported. The workers' passports, mobile phones, and computers were confiscated, it said, adding no explanation was given to the agency's lawyer.

Turkey's foreign ministry strongly condemned the move, which it described as "an act of violence" against Anadolu. It also summoned the Egyptian charge d'affaires over the matter.

"This act of violence against Anadolu not only shows the Egyptian leadership's hostile stance towards the freedom of the press but also once again shows its grave conditions on democracy and transparency," the ministry said.

It also blamed Western nations for the raid, accusing them of "turning a blind eye" to rights violations in Egypt.

The ministry called on Egyptian authorities to immediately release the detained Anadolu personnel.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Shinjiro Koizumi is married to Christel Takigawa, a FrenchJapanese news presenter

J

apan's Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has said he plans to take paternity leave – a rare decision that is making headlines in the country.

Koizumi said he would take two weeks off in the first month of his child's life.

The baby is due later this month.

It will be the first time a Japanese cabinet minister has taken paternity leave.

In Japan, both men and women are entitled to take up to a year off work when their child is born.

But only 6% of fathers did so in 2018 because of pressure to continue working. The figure for women was 82%.

"I intend to take a total of two weeks of paternity leave in the three months after childbirth, during which the mother bears the heaviest burden, on the condition that I prioritise my official duties and thorough crisis management, as I have done," Koizumi, 38, told reporters on Wednesday.

He said he would be using more emails and video conferencing and could ask his deputies to represent him during at business meetings as needed.

But Koizumi added that he would not skip "important public activities", such as parliamentary sessions.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

DILBERT

PEANUTS

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

Take time to exercise and do something that will help you relax and ease stress.

Keep meddlers at a safe distance. Don’t share personal secrets, passwords or your possessions.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Overreacting will lead to regret. Pursue a creative interest that brings you joy.

Make plans with a loved one. Update your image, daily routine and long-term goals.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Keep moving forward.

Follow your heart and don’t give in to someone putting demands on you. Be direct about the way you feel and what you want to pursue. Put your needs first.

VIRGO

Distance yourself from people who are indulgent or who are trying to tempt you to get involved in something that isn’t good for you.

Discipline will be required.

An intimate relationship needs nurturing.

(Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SUDOKU

A relationship will cause concern. Whether it’s a professional or personal connection, listen carefully and don’t make promises without considering what’s entailed.

Pay attention to detail; leave nothing to chance.

If you go after your goals wholeheartedly, you will raise interest in what you are trying to accomplish.

A professional change will swing in your favor if you explain your objective.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Keep an open mind and be willing to compromise, but don’t take on the impossible.

Knowing what you are capable of doing will be key to your success today.

SCORPIO

Implement a change if it’s what you want. You have more options than you realize. Take the road less traveled if it’s more appealing.

Make interesting plans with a loved one.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Hold back if you think SAGITTARIUS someone is playing games (Nov. 23with you. It’s better to be safe Dec. 21) than sorry. If you put your effort into personal improvement and financial gains, you will make progress.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

SOLUTION FOR YESTERDAY’S PUZZLE AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Take care of your responsibilities. If you want to excel, show how valuable you are and how well you lead. A business trip or meeting will be beneficial.

Take action and learn as you go. Knowledge will determine your success. Dig up all the ammunition you need to take on a challenge.

Simplicity and moderation are in your best interest.

Take care of your physical well-being. Don’t take shortcuts when dealing with legal or financial matters. Personal growth, physical improvements and romance will enhance your life.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

19

NBA round-up: Giannis, Bucks

crush Knicks for 3rd time G

iannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points in just 21 minutes Tuesday night for the hosts Milwaukee Bucks, who concluded their season-long dominance of the New York Knicks by cruising to a 128102 victory.

The Bucks swept the three-game season series from the Knicks and never trailed in outscoring New York by total of 91 points (383-292). The Bucks have won four in a row overall and nine of 10 while the Knicks have lost six of seven.

Antetokounmpo, who also had nine rebounds and four assists, is just the second player this season to score at least 30 points while playing fewer than 22 minutes. Paul George had 37 points in 20 minutes for the Los Angeles Clippers against the Atlanta Hawks on November 16.

Khris Middleton scored 17 points while Ersan Ilyasova had 14 points off the bench for the Bucks. Julius Randle (25 points, 15 rebounds) had a double-double for the Knicks. RJ Barrett scored 22 points, and Bobby Portis had 20 points.

Los Angeles Clippers 128-Cleveland Cavaliers 103

Kawhi Leonard scored a season-high 43 points, and Los Angeles pounded visiting Cleveland.

Clippers forward Paul George missed his third consecutive game owing to a strained left hamstring, but Leonard more than made up for his absence. Leonard connected on 14 of 22 shots from the floor and 6 of 10 threepoint tries in 29 minutes.

Lou Williams had 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting, and Ivica Zubac added 12 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks for Los Angeles.

Collin Sexton led the Cavaliers with 25 points, and Cedi Osman scored 21.

Utah Jazz 118-Brooklyn Nets 107

Joe Ingles tied a career-high with 27 points as Utah pushed their winning streak to a season-high 10 games in a victory over Brooklyn in New York.

Ingles hit 10 of 14 shots and made 6 of 8 three-point attempts. He tied a career high for field goals and nearly matched a career best for three-pointers. Donovan Mitchell scored 14 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter after sitting out Sunday’s game in Washington owing to an illness. Mitchell shot 8-for-19 and scored 14 of Utah’s final 16 points.

Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 32 points on 12-of-19 shooting while handing out 11 assists, but the Nets were unable to win a third straight game despite shooting 50 per cent. Spencer Dinwiddie added 17 points for Brooklyn.

Memphis Grizzlies 121-Houston Rockets 110

Ja Morant paired 26 points with eight assists and took over down the stretch as hosts Memphis extended their winning streak to six games with a victory over Houston.

Dillon Brooks added 24 points on 6-for-10 shooting from three-point range, while Jonas Valanciunas and Jaren Jackson Jr scored 19 and 15 points, respectively.

James Harden scored a game-high 41 points, but shot just 13 of 37 overall and missed 14 of 19 their-point attempts. Houston played without guard Russell Westbrook (rest), with his replacement, Ben McLemore, producing 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting.

Dallas Mavericks 124-Golden State Warriors 97

Stanford product Dwight Powell celebrated his Bay Area homecoming with a gamehigh 21 points in San Francisco, leading Dallas to a third straight blowout of Golden State.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) passes the ball against New York Knicks centre Mitchell Robinson (23) in the second quarter at Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA [Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports]

Luka Doncic totalled 20 points in just 27 minutes for the Mavericks, who were able to spread out the minutes among 13 players on the first night of a back-to-back set.

Dallas, which have won two in a row, visited Sacramento on Wednesday night.

Rookies Jordan Poole and Eric Paschall had 17 and 16 points, respectively, to lead Golden State, which lost its fourth straight at home and ninth straight overall.

Atlanta Hawks 123-Phoenix Suns 110

Trae Young scored 36 points and Kevin

Huerter flirted with a triple-double as Atlanta ended its four-game losing streak with a double-digit victory over visiting Phoenix.

Young scored 23 in the second half and posted his 20th game with at least 30 points this season. Huerter was 8-for-14 from the floor and scored 23 points. He set career highs with 15 rebounds and eight assists.

Phoenix were led by Devin Booker, who scored 39 points – the eighth time in the last 10 games he’s scored 30-plus – and grabbed seven rebounds. But Booker was ejected with 1:35 remaining after a technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct. (Reuters)

Milan 3-0 SPAL: Piatek provides reminder of his class as Rossoneri cruise in Coppa Italia

K

rzysztof Piatek provided a reminder of his talent amid transfer rumours with a goal and an assist as Milan beat SPAL 3-0 to set up a Coppa Italia quarter-final against Torino.

Poland international Piatek has endured a difficult second season in San Siro, having scored just four times in Serie A, but on Wednesday the reported Tottenham target looked more like his old self.

Perhaps SPAL are not the most suitable team to use as a barometer of Piatek's abilities, as they never looked a threat, but the 24-yearold showed good composure to open the scoring, before then teeing up Samu Castillejo for his glorious effort to increase the lead.

Milan continued to dominate after the break and added a third goal just past the hour – Theo Hernandez drilling home in style, sealing a comfortable victory.

SPAL struggled to contend with Milan during the early exchanges, with Ismael Bennacer driving just wide before Castillejo spurned a pair of presentable opportunities.

But Piatek made no mistake in the 20th

minute, latching on to Bennacer's throughball and coolly slotting past the approaching Etrit Berisha.

The lively Castillejo deservedly made it 2-0 just before the break, curling a wonderful left-footed effort into the top-left corner after Piatek spotted him in space in the penalty area.

Hernandez got in on the act in the 66th minute, charging forward in typical fashion before hammering a left-footed drive into the bottom-right corner from 25 yards.

SPAL thought they would have the chance to pull one back from the penalty spot after substitute Lucas Paqueta was penalised for blocking the ball with his arm, but following a lengthy VAR review the decision was reversed, preserving Milan's clean sheet.

What does it mean? Milan sensing a chance for silverware Given how poorly Milan's Serie A campaign is going, the Coppa Italia looks their only realistic chance of silverware this term. Only Torino now stand between them and the semis, and by that

time they might have built up the form and confidence to challenge Juventus and Inter.

Castillejo takes his chance It is fair to say Castillejo has not lived up to expectations since his move from Villarreal in 2018, but in this contest he showed flashes of the youngster who became so highly rated in LaLiga. A lively presence out wide, he produced four key passes and a stunning goal.

Bonaventura offers little Milan were generally impressive, but Giacomo Bonaventura was one of few to have little impact, failing to create a single chance.

Milan are at home again this weekend, hosting Udinese in Serie A. SPAL go to in-form Atalanta as they aim to move off the foot of the table. (SportsMax)

20

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

Williams set to become 1st female third umpire in men’s international

J

acqueline Williams of the West Indies will become the first woman to officiate as the third umpire in a men’s international when she takes the field for the first of three Twenty20 Internationals (T20s) against the visiting Ireland team.

The 43-year-old from Jamaica, who will officiate in the position in all three matches of the series, continues the trend of women officials breaking barriers in the game, having already stood as an on-field umpire in men’s One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and T20Is. Last month, India’s GS Lakshmi oversaw the third series of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Cricket World Cup League Two in the United Arab Emirates, becoming the first woman match referee in men’s ODIs. Earlier in May, she became the first woman to be appointed onto the ICC International Panel of Match Referees.

In April last year, Australia’s Claire Polosak became the first female umpire to stand in a men’s ODI, in the ICC World Cricket League Division Two match between Namibia and Oman in Windhoek, Namibia.

Williams said: “This is a matter of huge honour for me and I am really excited at the prospect of my role as TV umpire in a men’s international match. I have officiated as a third umpire in men’s matches before, but this is for the first time in an international and that too featuring the West Indies.

“I am thankful to the International Cricket Council and Cricket West Indies for all the help and support over the years and wish that more women take up umpiring in the coming years. Umpiring is a challenging job but one from which I derive utmost satisfaction.”

ICC Senior Manager (Umpires and Referees) Adrian Griffith noted, “Jacqueline is another of our women officials who has come through the system with hard work and determination. I am confident she will do a good job, and I wish her all the best for the upcoming series.

“It is heartening to see that women match officials are ready to move up a notch and it only validates our effort to encourage them and assign them important matches.”

Williams had become the first woman to officiate as third

umpire in an ICC men’s tournament in 2016 when she was assigned the Oman versus Nigeria match at the ICC World Cricket League Division Five in Jersey.

Retired umpire Kathy Cross of New Zealand was the first woman official to stand in a men’s ICC tournament during the ICC World Cricket League Division Five and Three held in Malaysia in 2014.

CWI completes 1st medical conference in a decade

Kazuyoshi Miura: Japanese striker, 52, signs new Yokohama FC contract CWI Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams

C

Kazuyoshi Miura in action for Verdy Kawasaki in 1994

J

apanese striker Kazuyoshi Miura is the ultimate evergreen player. His professional career started in 1986. And he’s still going.

At 52 (he turns 53 in February), Miura has just signed on the dotted line to play in the J1 League, Japan’s top division, for the 2020 season.

“I was able to renew my contract with Yokohama FC in the 2020 season,” the player nicknamed “King Kazu” told the club’s website.

“I will do my best to contribute.”

Just for some perspective, Miura featured in the original FIFA 96 game.

There are rumours he’ll also feature in FIFA 21.

No such show of faith from the people at Football Manager, though. They removed him from the game at 40. Come on, where’s the optimism, guys?

Miura’s club, Yokohama FC, have just secured promotion to the top tier.

Admittedly, the veteran’s

involvement during the campaign was limited to three appearances (without a goal).

Yokohama FC’s first game in the division, on February 23, will be away to Vissel Kobe, for whom one Andres Iniesta – the Spain and Barcelona great – plays.

This will be the first time Miura has played in the top division since 2007, when he was 40. Think about that.

What were you doing in 2007? SATs? He retired from international football 20 years ago, after winning 89 caps for Japan.

Miura was also born in the same month as Italy legend Roberto Baggio, who retired in 2004. In 2017, he broke former Stoke, Blackpool and England player Sir Stanley Matthews’ record as the oldest professional to score a goal.

His 30-plus-year career has included stints in Brazil, Italy and Croatia.

Miura’s milestones

In 1982, aged just 15,

Miura left Japan to travel to Brazil to pursue his football dream. He was eventually signed by Santos, for whom he made his professional debut in 1986 at the age of 19.

Miura left Santos for Palmeiras later that same year. One of his teammates at Palmeiras was Mirandinha, who in 1987 became the first Brazilian to play in English football after joining Newcastle United for £575,000.

Miura was top scorer and Most Valuable Player in the inaugural Japanese JLeague season in 1993, seeing off star imports such as Gary Lineker and Zico to both accolades.

His JLeague exploits saw him become the first

Japanese recipient of the Asian Player of the Year award in 1993.

He made his Japan debut in 1990 and fired the country to their first World Cup finals appearance in 1998 by scoring 14 goals in qualifying. However, he was controversially omitted from the final squad for France and retired from international football two years later, having scored 55 goals in 89 appearances.

He has played in Europe for Genoa and Dinamo Zagreb, winning the Croatian league title with the latter in 1999.

Miura joined c u r rent club Yokohama FC as a 38-yearold in 2005. He has since made more than 250 league appearances for the club.

(BBC Sports)

ricket West Indies (CWI) in collaboration with UNICEF concluded the organisation’s first medical conference in 10 years in December 2019.

This is the second major development initiative brought back by the cricket department led by Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams under the Skerritt-Shallow administration, following last month’s appointment of Chris Brabazon as Coach Education Manager.

Persons in attendance included a range of professionals from physicians, physiotherapists, strength and conditioning coaches, sports psychologists, and sports nutritionists.

Specifically, under the leadership of Dr Oba Gulston, CWI Sports Medicine and Science Manager, this medical conference coincided with the adoption of the new CWI fitness policy, which has the mantra of putting players first.

“At CWI, we have been placing increased emphasis on player fitness and health and this medical conference was an important development as we continue to drive the philosophy of putting players and cricket first,’’ said Dr Gulston.

“Every sporting body and cricketing nation will have meetings like this annually or biennial, where updates on policies, new science and standardisation of practices are discussed because it is also crucial to receive feedback from practitioners.”

He continued: “With the adoption of the new fitness policy the Board of Directors also approved the central

contracting of full-time physios and sports science coaches for each franchise.

This is new for CWI and brings us in line with best practice around the world.

This conference brought together science and medicine professions who are currently involved in cricket and should form the base for these full-time positions, providing an opportunity to update them on CWI policies, updates in cricket science whilst introducing them to each other and CWI’s medical committee.”

The majority of this CWI medical conference was funded by UNICEF, and they were instrumental in the child protection workshops, although it was not intertwined with all coaching education, science and medicine education aspects.

This is crucial because anyone in the CWI system who will be exposed to minors or persons with disabilities should be exposed to these workshops.

Director of Cricket Adams added: “This event was critical for CWI to achieve its objective of aligning all our medical, physical, and mental support provided to our players across the Region. CWI has, for years, needed to have our regional practitioners involved in standardised processes and protocols regarding our players, and conferences like this will go a long way to ensuring this is achieved. CWI is extremely grateful for the support that UNICEF provided to make the event possible as we seek to foster even stronger ties with them going forward.”

21 National Table Tennis Championships rescheduled to January 24 GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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– senior edition to commence January 31

T

he National Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships have been rescheduled and are now set for January 24 to January 26, 2020 while the senior edition has been confirmed for January 31 to February 2, 2020.

The Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) has thus released a statement which said, “The GTTA would like to formally notify members of the table tennis fraternity and the general public that due to several is-

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

Natalie Cummings

at the above date at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

The GTTA wishes to apologise for any inconvenience caused due to the change in scheduling; we look for-

ward to your continued support for the rest of our 2020 calendar.”

The Junior and Cadet Championships will engage male and female players in the 18 and 15 age categories, with a novice’s component while the Senior Championships will engage senior men and women with an Under-21 men and women and B and C Class component. The national championships are the premier domestic tournament and are used for the crowning of national champions and serve as a key component for establishing ranking and selection among other benefits. With the continental qualification event for Games of XXXII

Raj Nannan was Man of the Match as he bagged 5-19

T

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Malteenoes All-Stars secure semi-final spot

All Youths decimate Uprising in T20 competition

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in your area?

uled for April 2-April 8 in Havana, Cuba as the qualification event for the 2021 World Table Tennis Championships in Houston, Texas, USA and the Continental Olympic qualification event being held early in 2020. This will provide greater impetus to the national championships.

2020 UWI-Unicom Twenty20 tournament…

Christopher Franklin

sues beyond our control, the GTTA National Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships and Senior Edition are now scheduled

Olympiad scheduled for April 15-April 19, 2020 and the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics scheduled for August 2020, many of the regional and international scheduled activities have been advanced. This will see the Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships scheduled for March 2020, the Caribbean Senior Championships sched-

The victorious All Youths

I

t all went down on Sunday last as the All Youths Cricket Club battled the Uprising cricket team in a run fest.

The encounter saw All Youths winning by two wickets in the T20 game played at La Grange Ground.

Uprising won the toss and batted first.

They were able to post a mammoth total of 228-9 in their allotted 20 overs. When Uprising took to the crease, they commenced their onslaught of runs from the first ball bowled, smacking more sixes than boundaries as they ran away with the ‘first innings’ of the game. No matter what delivery was bowled, the All Youths bowlers were always under pressure from the first ball bowled.

The likes of Quajim Yusuf, who blasted a quick-fire 80 which was inclusive of three boundaries and nine towering sixes, laid the

platform for his teammates. Adding to the tally of runs scored were Adrian Hinds, who scored 37 inclusive of three boundaries and three maximums, and Fabian (only name given), who chipped in with 34 (2x4, 3x6).

Bowling for All Youths were Abid Haniff and Arvin Persaud, who bagged four and two wickets respectively.

With a mammoth total set before them, most teams would have crumbled under the pressure, but the All Youths side dug deep and made the comeback of the century ending their innings on 229-9 as Arvin Persaud (42 – 1x4, 6x6); Sanjay Persaud (36 –1x4, 5x6); Zahir Azeez (30 – 1x4, 4x6) and Adid Haniff (29* – 2x4, 3x6) to take their side over the line. The All Youths team were able to win because of their unity as a team and their ability to hit maximums at will.

he Malteenoes AllStars have now qualified for the semi-finals of the 2020 UWI-Unicom Twenty20 tournament a f t e r they thumped the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force on Tuesday. The Guyanese side will now face off against the Queens Park Cricket Club on Friday in the first semi-final at 18:00h.

In Tuesday’s match, the Defence Force won the toss and elected to bat first under slight overcast skies. The players looked poised and ready for action as the Guyanese side knew they had a point to prove if they were to defeat their Trinidadian counterparts. The Defence Force were in a spot of bother early in the innings as they were forced on the back foot, losing major wickets in the power play overs. The disciplined bowling from the Guyanese side proved too much as no player could pass the 20run mark all thanks to the efforts of off-spinner Raj

Nannan, who was ably supported by Kellon Carmichael and Anthony Adams. In the end, the Defence Force folded for a meagre 123 all out in 19.1 overs, with Keishawn Dillon making 20*, Shaquille Johnson, 18, and Dion Wells 15, leading the bowling lineup was Nannan with 5-19; Carmichael had figures of 2-14 and Anthony Adams 2-36.

The AllStars took off in a blaze of glory as they looked to end the innings with some ease.

They made the most of their power play overs and capitalised on every delivery possible.

However, the rain came in over 9, thus giving the Guyanese side a revised total of 94, which was an easier target as it only took them 10 more balls to end the chase on 95-2. Topscoring were Robin Bacchus with 31 and Trevon Griffith with 27. Wells was the only T&T bowler to bag 2-24 from his allotted four overs.

22

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

West Indies Championship:

Old rivalry takes centre stage T

he Caribbean game’s oldest rivalry between Barbados (Pride) and Guyana (Jaguars) will be the headline act in the second round of the 2019-20 West Indies Championship, starting today.

Pride have been the bridesmaids in each of the five successive title seasons for the Jaguars in the Professional Cricket League (PCL) era of the Championship – and this contest at Kensington Oval could have big implications for both sides and other teams too, for the remainder of the tournament.

A feisty battle is expected at Sabina Park between Jamaica Scorpions and Windward Islands Volcanoes, two teams which came out of the first round of matches with their confidence soaring.

And, Trinidad & Tobago Red Force face Leeward Islands Hurricanes at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, with both teams looking to take a step forward after disappointing outcomes in the first round.

Scorpions v Volcanoes in Kingston, Jamaica

Resolute batting in the second innings, led by former Captain Paul Palmer Jr with his second First-Class hundred, allowed the Scorpions to escape from their first-round contest against Red Force with a draw.

Volcanoes turned back the challenge of Pride, a side that has dominated them in the Championship over the past five years, to win their opening round game by three wickets, and so they will enter this contest supremely confident.

All 10 previous matches between the two sides in the Championship have ended with a winner, so it is likely that one of the two teams will walk away with their confidence even higher.

Scorpions have won six of the past 10 matches and have defended their home turf extremely well, winning four out of five at Sabina Park.

There is a chance of a personal milestone for Volcanoes off-spinner Shane Shillingford. He needs six wickets for 100 against Scorpions.

Squads:

SCORPIONS: John Campbell (Captain); Jermaine Blackwood; Paul Palmer Jr; Assad Fudadin; Nicholson Gordon; Derval Green; Patrick Harty Jr; Jamie Merchant; Marquino Mindley; Denis Smith; Aldaine Thomas and Oraine Williams.

IN – Bonner, Merchant, O Williams; OUT – Dennis Bulli, Rovman Powell, Alwyn Williams VOLCANOES: Sunil Ambris (Captain); Kavem Hodge; Alick Athanaze; Keron Cottoy; Kirk Edwards; Ray Jordan; Shermon Lewis; Desron Maloney; Preston McSween; Devon Smith; Shane Shillingford; Emmanuel Stewart and Josh Thomas.

IN – Ambris; OUT – Bhaskar Yadram UMPIRES: Christopher Wright; Carl Tuckett (Nevis) MATCH REFEREE: Denovan Hayles RESERVE UMPIRE: Colin Bryan

Pride v Jaguars in Bridgetown, Barbados

Jaguars enter the match in a good place, after their 10-wicket win in the first round against the Hurricanes.

Pride once again made a shaky start to a Championship season when they were defeated by Volcanoes in a tense contest.

Jaguars currently hold the edge over Pride in the PCL era of the Championship, winning half of the 10 matches the two sides have played during the period.

It includes this corresponding fixture last season, which was memorable for Jaguars, having faced down a powerful Pride line-up that included no less than seven West Indies Test players.

Jaguars piled up a huge first innings total of 548, bowled Pride out for 360 in reply, forcing them to follow on before they completed a nervy six-wicket victory, after chasing a modest target of 45.

This time, Jaguars have to contend with

Jaguars: Five-time defending champions Guyana Jaguars

five Test players, with Kemar Roach being one of two changes to the Pride squad for the match.

At least, five players, if selected, could hit personal career landmarks during the contest: • Pride Captain and West Indies opener Kraigg Brathwaite has scored 3968 Championship runs and needs 32 more for 4000; • Jaguars and West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo has taken 241 Championship wickets and needs nine more for 250; • Pride all-rounder Justin Greaves has taken 46 Championship wickets and needs four more for 50; • His fellow Empire club and Pride all-rounder Kevin Stoute has taken 142 Championship wickets and needs eight more for 150; and • Pride and West Indies left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican has taken 191 Championship wickets and needs 9 more for 200.

Squads:

PRIDE: Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain); Shamarh Brooks; Jonathan Carter; Shane Dowrich; Justin Greaves; Keon Harding; Chemar Holder; Kyle Mayers; Shayne Moseley; Ashley Nurse; Kemar Roach; Kevin Stoute and Jomel Warrican IN – Roach, Stoute; OUT – Dominic Drakes, Tevyn Walcott JAGUARS: Leon Johnson (Captain); Christopher Barnwell; Devendra Bishoo; Anthony Bramble; Tagenarine Chanderpaul; Chandrapaul Hemraj; Tevin Imlach; Keon Joseph; Veerasammy Permaul; Raymon Reifer; Kevin Sinclair; Vishaul Singh and Nial Smith.

Unchanged UMPIRES: Christopher Taylor (Jamaica); Danesh Ramdhanie (Trinidad & Tobago) MATCH REFEREE: Stephen Proverbs RESERVE UMPIRE: Troy Rudor

Red Force v Hurricanes in Tarouba, Trinidad

Red Force let things slip against Scorpions and had to settle for a draw in the first round.

At the same time, Hurricanes were let down by both their batsmen and bowlers and slumped to a defeat by the Jaguars.

Against this backdrop, both teams will be looking to pick up the pieces and turn their fortunes around in this contest.

Red Force hold the edge 5-3 in the 10 matches between the two sides in the PCL era, but Hurricanes will fondly remember the corresponding fixture last season, which they won by 245 runs.

This match, however, will be a showdown between two of the West Indies’ most gifted batting talents of the last decade, who have found themselves out of the reckoning during the past year.

For left-handers Darren Bravo, the Red Force Captain, and Kieran Powell, the flam-

boyant Hurricanes opener, this season is about stamping their authority once again and regaining the confidence of the senior West Indies selection panel.

Bravo got a half-century in his side’s big first innings total against Scorpions in the first round, and Powell missed out on only his second Championship hundred by one run in the Hurricanes second innings against the Jaguars.

Both batsmen will want to build on these green shoots and inspire confidence in their sides during the remainder of the Championship.

There is also a possibility of a personal career landmark in this match: Jamaica-born Damion Jacobs, the Hurricanes leg-spinner, has taken 191 Championship wickets and needs nine more for 200.

Jacobs’ haul includes 163 scalps at 22.51 apiece in 39 matches for Scorpions before he was picked up by the Hurricanes in the PCL Draft last season.

Squads:

RED FORCE: Darren Bravo (Captain); Yannic Cariah; Bryan Charles; Joshua da Silva; Terrance Hinds; Akeal Hosein; Jason Mohammed; Uthman Muhammed; Yannick Ottley; Keagan Simmons; Jeremy Solozano and Odean Smith.

IN – J Mohammed, Magram; OUT – Kyle Hope, Isaiah Rajah HURRICANES: Jahmar Hamilton (Captain); Colin Archibald; Sheeno Berridge; Quinton Boatswain; Keacy Carty; Montcin Hodge; Damion Jacobs; Amir Jangoo; Jaison Peters; Kieran Powell; Jacques Taylor, and Devon Thomas.

IN – Joseph; OUT – Nino Henry UMPIRES: Zahid Bassarath; Verdayne Smith (Jamaica) MATCH REFEREE: Hayden Bruce RESERVE UMPIRE: Kellman Kowlessar

“Fitter and stronger”— Mahadeo ready to tackle Reebok Games

I

n July of this year, one of Guyana’s most prolific powerlifting athletes will head to Wisconsin, USA to participate in the Reebok Fitness Games. Dillon Mahadeo, or “The Beast” as he is sometimes called, is no longer a stranger to this international stage, after competing for the first time in 2019.

“In 2019, it was like a dream just became reality and everything just set in. Being on that competition floor puts you in a different state of mind and it just motivates you to work harder and get back there,” Mahadeo told Guyana Times Sport as he reflected on his first outing.

His debut aside, the cross-fit connoisseur is now focused on showing his true potential at the Reebok Games from July 29 to August 2.

“This year will be a far different year; all the butterflies and all the jitters of my rookie year is over and I think now is time to really set the mark and go for predetermined goals and achievements I want to hit,” he explained.

Looking six months into the future, Mahadeo shared some of his personal goals that he hoped to achieve at the competition.

“As I said, I want to qualify further into the competition. For sure, trying to get past the first qualifier rounds and get in to the later competition is the first goal and the ultimate goal is to hang around and place in the top tier of the leaderboard,” he shared.

In anticipation of this, the Guyanese crossfit athlete divulged that he has tweaked certain aspects of his training regimen.

“I’ve already changed a lot since the last games. I’ve changed my diet, the way I train, the quality of my training and other little things. I’ve

made those adjustments and they go towards the bigger picture at the end of the day.”

Working along with his Coach Jamie Mc Donald, Mahadeo detailed that the two analysed his performance last year and sought to improve on the smaller things that constitute a better showing.

“I think those little things that we’re going to improve on will make a huge difference and that will take my worldwide ranking up,” the athlete disclosed.

“I think I will be going into the 2020 games a lot fitter, stronger mentally and prepared,” Mahadeo went on to state.

Careful not to reveal too much about his training practices, the cross-fit athlete noted that his preparation has been going great thus far.

“The way my training has been going, it’s tremendous since the last games.

Having gained that wealth of experience and the knowledge. Having bounced ideas and seeing how these guys are, I think with a little bit of training more and exposure, I think I can hang with these guys.”

In addition to his participation in the Kares Caribbean Fitness competition on February 9, Mahadeo will have the opportunity to fly to the USA, where he will train for a month with coaches and athletes from the upcoming international games. The training stint is made possible by Lotus Hardware and Kares Engineering. To this end, Mahadeo noted that he was grateful for the support he continued to receive.

“I’m grateful for having a good support system, a lot of people backing me.”

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

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Stirling’s 95, Little’s 3-29 help Ireland clinch thriller defeats.

The final two T20 games will take place in St Kitts and Nevis on Saturday and Sunday.

The win is only Ireland's second over the West Indies in the 20-over format, their previous success coming in Kingston in 2014.

And it is only their third win in all limited overs cricket, having also won an ODI in 2015.

Ireland's flying start

Openers Stirling and O'Brien got Ireland off to a flying start, before O'Brien was dismissed for 48 midway through the 13th over, having hit two sixes and four fours off 32 balls.

Stirling raced to his half-century in just 20 balls and smashed eight sixes and six fours in his 95 off 47 balls, his highest-ever T20 score.

The Irish batsman played a sweep shot, but a top edge saw him caught Kevin O'Brien

I

reland edged out world champions West Indies by four runs in a dramatic first Twenty20 International (T20I) between the sides in Grenada.

Ireland made 208-7, with Paul Stirling (95) and Kevin O'Brien (48) putting on 154 for the opening wick-

Josh Little was instrumental in the last over to secure Ireland’s win

were unable to build on their flying start as they would have liked, although Paul Stirling top-scored with 95

ly thereafter and the hosts looked well-placed to meet their target until losing late wickets.

Evin Lewis top-scored with 53; Josh Little ended with figures of 3-29.

Ireland had suffered a 3-0 whitewash to WI in their recent One-Day

his first West Indies game since 2016, took two wickets apiece.

The Windies made steady progress in reply, but Little claimed the wick-

SCOREBOARD Ireland Innings (20 overs maximum) PR Stirling c Lewis b Wal sh 95 KJ O'Brien b Bravo 48 A Balbirnie (c) c Williams b Pi erre 7 GJ Delany b Bravo 19 HT Tector c Bravo b Pierre 2 GC Wilson † b Cottrell 17 GH Dockrell not out 5 Simi Singh c Lewis b Cottrell 0 Extras 15 (b 1, lb 2, nb 2, w 10) TOTAL 208/7 (20 Overs, RR: 10.4) Did not bat: BJ McCarthy, JB Little, CA Young Fall of wickets: 1-154 (Kevin O'Brien, 12.3 ov), 2-156 (Paul Stirling, 13.2 ov), 3-162 (Andy Balbirnie, 15.2 ov), 4-164 (Harry Tector, 15.4 ov), 5-199 (Gareth Delany, 18.3 ov), 6-208 (Gary Wilson, 19.5 ov), 7-208 (Simi Singh, 19.6 ov) Evin Lewis smashed a quick-fire 53

Sheldon Cottrell bowled an excellent last over picking up two wickets

et, the tourists' highest-ever partnership for any wicket in that form of cricket.

Wickets fell regular-

International (ODI) series, missing a glorious chance to take victory in the second match either side of heavy

ets of Sherfane Rutherford and Bravo in the final over and with five needed to win off the last ball, the home side were unable to add to their tally.(BBC Sport)

in the field by Lewis off the bowling of Hayden Walsh.

At that stage Ireland looked to be on target to better their record T20I score of 225-7 against Afghanistan in 2013, but

ending up with a creditable total.

Gareth Delany was their next highest scorer with 19, while Sheldon Cottrell, Khary Pierre and Dwayne Bravo, playing

BOWLING O SS Cottrell 4 K Pierre 3 KOK Williams 3 DJ Bravo 4 HR Walsh 4 KA Pollard 2

M R W 0 37 2 0 45 2 0 48 0 0 28 2 0 25 1 0 22 0

West Indies Innings (target: 209 runs from 20 overs) LMP Simmons c Dockrell b Little 22 E Lewis c Tector b Young 53 SO Hetmyer c Balbirnie b Dockrell 28 KA Pollard (c) c Dockrell b Simi Singh 31 N Pooran † c Delany b You ng 26 SE Rutherford c Dockrell b Little 26 DJ Bravo c Delany b Little 9 HR Walsh not out 0 K Pierre not out 0 Extras 9 (lb 2, w 7) TOTAL 204/7 (20 Overs, RR: 10.2) Yet to bat: KOK Williams, SS Cottrell Fall of wickets: 1-37 (Lendl Simmons, 3.3 ov), 2-93 (Evin Lewis, 8.6 ov), 3-114 (Shimron Hetmyer, 10.6 ov), 4-150 (Kieron Pollard, 14.2 ov), 5-194 (Nicholas Pooran, 18.2 ov), 6-196 (Sherfane Rutherford, 19.1 ov), 7-204 (Dwayne Bravo, 19.5 ov) BOWLING O Simi Singh 4 BJ McCarthy 4 JB Little 4 CA Young 4 GH Dockrell 4

M R W 0 36 1 0 55 0 0 29 3 0 31 2 0 51 1

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

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

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Page 20

Stirling’s 95, Little’s 3-29 help Ireland clinch thriller Page 23

Williams set to become 1st female third umpire in men’s International

Page 22

West Indies Championship:

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