Guyana Times Thursday June 6, 2019

Sacked GuySuCo workers

among new recruits P15 for oil and gas sector

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

Issue No. 3946

THE BEACON OF TRUTH thursday, june 6, 2019

GPL seeks Private Sector rescue for electricity shortfall

Page 7

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Driver in P2 Agricola fatal accident granted station bail

– blackouts continue as GPL fixes damaged submarine cable Salt fish P8 thief gets 6-month jail sentence P13 Lack of finances hinders work of EPA – Director

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall greets PPP/C Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali at a function held at Ali’s home in observance of Eid-ul-Fitr on Wednesday. Also in photo are Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, US Ambassador to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch (partially hidden) and other invitees

Trotman backs Nagamootoo on Duncan’s reinstatement See story on page 3

Health Minister Volda Lawrence and Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Karen Cummings toured the NEW GPC booth as Health Expo 2019 opened on Wednesday evening under the theme “Reaching for a better life with good health”, at the Sophia Exhibition Centre (Shaconeil Burnette photo)

P10 Prime suspect in Special Lance Corporal’s death still on the job

Muslims P14 reflect on Prophet Muhammad during Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations

2 news

thurSDAY, JUNE 6, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Driver in Agricola fatal accident Convicted man apprehended after granted station bail evading Police for almost a year

… continues to seek medical attention

– to serve 3 years in prison for armed robbery

The truck that was in the accident

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anion Welcome, the truck driver who was severely beaten after the truck he was driving ran over seven-year-old Ciara Benjamin killing her on the spot along the Agricola Public Road, Greater Georgetown on Saturday last, was granted station bail.

According to his attorney, James Bond, the driver was released on $100,000 station bail on Tuesday after which he was admitted to the Woodlands Hospital to treat the oedema from his scalp, which was as a result of infected injuries.

However, Police sources confirmed that although Police Commissioner Leslie James had encouraged persons who witnessed what transpired on the fateful day to come forward, to date, no one has shown up.

The Police are, nevertheless, reviewing all possible angles of the accident by way

of acquired Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footage to determine who was culpable for the life lost.

On Saturday, the young girl was attempting to cross the road with her aunt, Simone Barry, when she was struck by the truck, bearing registration plate GWW 962, driven by Welcome.

The truck remained stuck on the median with the child pinned underneath for quite some time. An electricity pole, which was unearthed by the impact, subsequently collapsed on the roadway.

Shortly after, the driver was beaten by residents, and reportedly suffered a fractured skull, along with contusions about his body.

His attorney had issued a statement later, stating that his client was neither reckless nor negligent during the tragic accident.

Bond stated that Welcome was proceeding at some 20 ki-

Dead: Ciara Benjamin

Driver of the truck, Danion Welcome

lometres per hour, but was forced on to the median by a taxi. He is of the belief that the child should not have been in the middle of the carriageway.

“My client was not negligent, not careless or reckless when Ciara met her demise.

He was proceeding 20kmh and was forced on to the median by a taxi. My client was completely unaware that [the child] was on the median,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, A Division (Georgetown-East Bank Demerara) Commander Marlon Chapman has relayed that those persons who thrashed the driver of the truck would face the full brunt of the law.

“Once they are identified, we will have them arrested.

Everyone who is identified for assaulting the man, we will have them arrested. Despite the circumstances, they cannot beat someone – that is

against the law,” Chapman told this publication.

However, Crime Chief Lyndon Alves also told this newspaper on Sunday, “I will not want to pronounce on that until that investigation by the Traffic Department is completed. That is the confusion; because we pronounce without getting the facts and when the facts are revealed, then persons would want to say that the Police are covering up.”

Saturday’s tragedy created chaos on the East Bank Demerara (EBD) roadway after the driver’s truck was torched by residents. After the scene was cleared, there was a sigh of relief, but another unexpected tragedy arose when the lorry was set alight.

Laden with fuel, it burned for hours, blocking the flow of traffic. At one time, there was a string of vehicles from Diamond on the EBD, to Mandela Avenue.

A

fter evading Police for almost one year, 28-year-old Dellon Mclean was arrested on Wednesday and was expected to spend the next three years behind bars for the offence of armed robbery.

The father of five was convicted last year and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment by Magistrate Faith McGusty, however, while on bail for the said offence, Mclean did not attend court and as such, the sentence was handed down in his absence.

An arrest warrant was subsequently issued for the convicted man, but only on Wednesday Police ranks managed to apprehend Mclean at a location in Georgetown after which he was escorted to the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and then to the Lusignan Prison.

Mclean was convicted for robbing Shonetta Ann Boyce of gold jewellery valued $160,000 on

Apprehended and jailed: Dellon Mclean

North Road, in Bourda, Georgetown on September 5, 2017.

The former East Ruimveldt Housing Scheme labourer was remanded on his first court appearance, but later secured bail.

Reports indicate the Virtual Complainant (VC) was at Bourda Market purchasing items when Mclean, armed with a gun, approached and pointed the weapon at her while snatching the gold chain from her neck, before making good his escape.

3 Trotman backs Nagamootoo on Duncan’s reinstatement news

thurSDAY, JUNE 6, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

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

Thursday, June 6 – 05:00h-06:30h and Friday, June 7 – 05:00h-06:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Thursday, June 6 – 05:55h-07:25h and Friday, June 7 – 06:45h-08:15h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunny intervals, along with lightly cloudy skies and light rain showers, are expected in the morning hours, with sunny intervals scheduled to return in the afternoon. Partly cloudy skies and light rain showers are expected in the evening, with temperatures ranging between 22 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to North-easterly between 2.23 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 06:21h and 18:57h reaching maximum heights of 2.73 metres and 2.54 metres.

Low Tide: 12:27h reaching a minimum height of 0.48 metre.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019

LOTTERY NUMBERS G

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WEDNESDAY, june 5, 2019

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O

Sherod Duncan

ne day after it was revealed that sacked General Manager of the Guyana Chronicle Newspaper, Sherod Duncan was reinstated by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Alliance For Change (AFC) Leader Raphael Trotman supported the move, saying that the dismissal was too harsh a penalty in the first instance.

Commenting on the issue, Trotman told Guyana Times on Wednesday that while it was for the Prime Minister to justify or clarify his decision to rescind Duncan’s dismissal, he did not believe that the Chronicle General Manager should have been fired in the first place over the breaches of financial regulations.

“I did personally feel that the process with Mr Duncan could’ve gone or should have gone another way, but it is for the Prime Minister to exactly say why he did what he did … I had seen the audit reports quite frankly and I thought that while there may have been some breaches, they were not breaches in terms of theft of monies. There might’ve been some circumvention of some systems and I thought Mr Duncan being off the job for several months, perhaps a reprimand or some form of discipline (could’ve been taken).

I found that dismissal was the harsher side of the penalties,” Trotman stated.

In a letter dated May 31, 2019, Prime Minister Nagamootoo, an AFC Executive Member, “instructed” the then Chair of the Guyana National

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo

Newspaper Limited (GNNL), Geeta Chandan-Edmond, to rescind the decision taken by the Board two months ago to dismiss Duncan, also an AFC party member.

Back in April, Chandan-Edmond had broken a deadlock and voted to have Duncan dismissed following recommendations from an audit, which found 20 transactions in which he breached several financial regulations.

In a statement at the time, the GNNL Board had disclosed that one Director recommended one-month suspension and an extension of probation for Duncan while two other Directors recommended an extension in the probation period while three other Directors held the view that Duncan’s services should be terminated

AFC Leader Raphael Trotman

with immediate effect for gross misconduct.

It was noted that a vote was then called on the matter and there was a tie which Chandan-Edmond broke.

However, in the correspondence to the GNNL Chair, the Prime Minister, who has responsibility over State media, pointed out that he was informed by Directors that there was in fact no vote put to the table.

Calling the decision to fire Duncan “arbitrary, capricious, unlawful and in excess of the jurisdiction of the Board”, the Prime Minister further stated in the missive that the Chair sought to mislead his office into thinking that the Board made the decision.

In response to the Prime Minister’s correspondence, ChandanEdmond submitted

her resignation, telling Nagamootoo his statements were not only “insulting” to her but the other Board Directors who voted to have Duncan dismissed back in April.

Furthermore, she sought to remind him that Duncan was accused of financial impropriety and mismanagement, which warranted the involvement of the Auditor General. Pointing out that Duncan was afforded all tenets of natural justice including a Board hearing during which he was allowed to be accompanied by his lawyer, ChandanEdmond contended that not only was the process that led to Duncan’s dismissal exceedingly thorough in terms of due process, but it came under the express jurisdiction of the Board of Directors. turn to page 10

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guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, June 6, 2019

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

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Safety on the roadways

his space would have dealt with the harsh lessons from last Saturday’s tragic accident at Agricola, which left seven-year-old Ciara Benjamin dead. The shock and pain for the parents will linger even though time may offer some respite. In the aftermath of that accident, serious questions about safety of the roadways, their usage, managing such situations to reduce traffic congestion, and the security of commuters abound.

Much has been said about the extremely lengthy delays commuters are forced to endure along the East Bank corridor whenever the flow of traffic comes to a halt for whatever reason.

Yes, there is a continual increase in the number of vehicles on the roadways; and yes, unavoidably, there will be traffic buildups.

However, an effective and swift response to situations such as that accident, to ensure timely flow of traffic, leaves much to be desired. With four lanes, there is an expectation for urgency and innovation to be employed by the Police for traffic to move at an acceptable, reduced pace within a reasonable timeframe.

The reality is that commuters -- inclusive of the elderly, children and the weary -- spend hours at a standstill. Risks are also exacerbated, especially along that particular section of the main road. There are allegations that some who were stuck in the inevitable traffic jam last Saturday were robbed. In the past, there have been many such robberies of unsuspecting commuters in that vicinity.

A few years ago, protestors blocked that roadway, forcing Police to take action. With thousands trapped on both sides, many were beaten and robbed, and forced to walk miles to get home as hour upon hour passed with no chance of vehicles moving. There are also reports of minibuses being robbed whilst stopping for passengers to disembark, with some victims having been shot. Recently, a young race car driver was such a victim, and lost a part of his ear in the process.

It makes for serious concern the fact that, between the Houston bypass and the northern side of Eccles, there is no alternative route to get either to the City or further up the East Bank. It means that people caught in traffic there are not only trapped, but are also exposed to being robbed while desperately hoping the Police would be able to vastly reduce the waiting time.

Cleary, the Police cannot be oblivious of those scenarios. It therefore begs the question as to why, in such circumstances, isn’t there effective protection provided along that stretch, or any other with potential risks in circumstances of lengthy delays? Many are flabbergasted that what appears to be a simple action to implement seems not part of the operating procedures.

In fairness to the Police, and as was evident last Saturday, armed ranks were present after some time. That’s not the issue; armed ranks also need to simultaneously take up strategic positions along the main roadway, to deter bandits and infuse some level of confidence in commuters. History and expected intelligence would so demand.

One may be tempted to ask if fear or other factors seemingly deter effective and sustained action.

That said, a basic understanding of general Police procedures in such circumstances suggests that the scene be thoroughly secured within reasonable time, and that vehicles involved be removed immediately after investigations, so that traffic can return to normal.

The latter is crucial given the dangers and lack of an alternative route along the area in question. The dark of night is no excuse.

It should be noted that the accident occurred during daylight hours, while the truck was torched in the dark. That in itself raises questions about securing the scene. That aside, there is no denying that pedestrians using the roadways are exposed to risks, given the volume of vehicles. The area where the accident occurred is no different. While a pedestrian crossing is about twenty feet away, not much else is in place to enhance safety.

The accident has therefore clearly exposed various known weaknesses in safety of the roads, traffic management, and security, among other factors. Inasmuch as the related laws must be enforced to curb traffic violations by motorists, the same must also be for errant pedestrians, many of whom blatantly disregard overhead passes designed with their safety in mind.

Of crucial importance is the need for law enforcement to mitigate the threat posed to commuters by rogue elements in Agricola. That village has law-abiding citizens who must be embarrassed at the stigma unfortunately earned by the set who are bent on creating mayhem. In addition, residents who are fearful for their safety may understandably be reluctant to provide information.

With sporadic raids becoming predictable, the Police would have to find innovative and practical means to curb that threat in the interest of the decent, law-abiding residents of the village and of all others who have to traverse through it. From all reports, the image of the village continues to be tarnished by a wayward few.

One can only hope that the Police would swiftly conclude their investigations, which can be aided by the videos captured; implement necessary security measures; and that the authorities would soon put in place much needed infrastructural safety mechanisms, not only there, but at other areas where such dangers lurk. Failure to so do cannot be an option.

People’s Progessive Party/Civic Presidential Candidate, Irfaan Ali, along with Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Lilian Chatterjee; US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch and Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Venkatachalam Mahalingam shared a light moment during Eid celebrations at Ali’s home on Wednesday

Venezuela defaults on gold swap with Deutsche Bank

V

enezuela has defaulted on a gold swap agreement valued at US$750 million with Deutsche Bank AG, prompting the lender to take control of the precious metal used as collateral and close out the contract, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

As part of a financing agreement signed in 2016, Venezuela received a cash loan from Deutsche Bank and put up 20 tons of gold as collateral. The agreement, which was set to expire in 2021, was settled early due to missed interest payments, said the people, who asked not to be named speaking about a private matter.

In the meantime, Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó’s parallel government has asked the bank to deposit US$120 million into an account outside President Nicolás Maduro’s reach, which represents the difference in price from when the gold was acquired to current levels. As part of efforts to unseat Maduro, the US and more than 50 countries have recognised Guaidó as the legitimate leader of Venezuela even though he still doesn’t control key institutions at home, including the central bank.

“We’re in touch with Deutsche Bank to negotiate the terms under which the difference owed to the central bank will be paid to the legitimate government of Venezuela,” said Jose Ignacio Hernandez, Guaidó’s US-based Attorney General. “Deutsche Bank can’t risk negotiating with the central bank’s illegitimate authorities,” particularly after it was sanctioned by the US Government, Hernandez said.

A spokesman for Deutsche Bank declined to comment. A press offi-

cial for Venezuela’s central bank didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

It’s the second time this year that the Maduro regime has failed to make good on financing agreements, which have resulted in losses at a time when reserves are at a record low. Dwindling gold holdings have become one of Maduro’s last-remaining sources to keep his regime afloat and his military forces loyal. The central bank missed a March deadline to buy back gold from Citigroup Inc for nearly US$1.1 billion. Before that, the Bank of England refused to give back US$1.2 billion worth of Venezuelan gold.

While Maduro’s regime is becoming increasingly cut off from the global financial network due to sanctions, it still managed to sell US$570 million in gold last month, prompting reserves to tumble to a 29-year low of US$7.9 billion. The Government blew through more than 40 per cent of Venezuela’s gold reserves last year, selling to firms in the United Arab Emirates and Turkey in a bid to fund government programmes and pay creditors.

Venezuela defaulted on its dollar-denominated bonds in late 2017. (Bloomberg)

Russia and China want situation in Venezuela to stabilise – Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday after talks in Moscow with Chinese leader Xi Jinping that Moscow and Beijing wanted the situation in Venezuela to stabilise.

Russia and China are close allies of Venezuela’s socialist President Maduro.

Xi is on a three-day visit that will see him attend Russia’s flagship economic forum in St Petersburg lat-

er this week.

His visit to Russia comes with Moscow’s ties with the West at post-Cold War lows and with Beijing’s relations

with the United States strained over a trade war.

Both powers are eager to show they are strengthening ties. (Reuters)

PPP/C Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali along with his wife Arya Ali and newborn baby Zayd at the Eid celebration on Wednesday at his residence

guyanatimesgy.com

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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

A tribute to Sister Andaiye Ask no questions?

Dear Editor, A bright star has been eclipsed. When a comrade falls in the struggle, whether it is as the result of natural causes or otherwise, it is an unwelcome moment, and one for deep reflection, particularly when that comrade has had a profound influence on shaping one’s individual politics and life.

Sister Andaiye is such a person. In many ways, she had contributed significantly to shaping my politics and life. I am indebted to her for deepening my understanding of the application of theory and practice relative to the struggle for political and social liberation.

Her emphasis on the need to pay special attention to gender and child rights created an indelible impression on me. My activism in ASCRIA in my youthful days had engendered in me “love” and appreciation for the historical African woman, and women in general. This activism had informed my world view on the important role women in Guyana, the Caribbean, Africa and the wider world played in humanising mankind.

However, it was in my many formal and informal discussions and debates with Sister Andaiye, in and out of the party’s organs, that I achieved new levels of consciousness on the marginalisation of women in the economic, social and political processes. On the issue of child rights, her advocacy broke new ground in Guyana, and contributed to the WPA’s political world view on this issue.

There have been many excellent tributes paid to Andaiye’s activism by her contemporaries; these have highlighted, and will continue to highlight, her multi-talented contributions to the

nation, the Caribbean and beyond. Her life, work and struggle have deservedly been well chronicled; therefore, I will restrict my reflections to matters that will not readily be found in the public records.

I recall that, about two years after the assassination of Walter Rodney, Andaiye forced a debate in the WPA executive on the issue of “whether the Party is stronger now than during the period of Walter’s activism”. For readers to appreciate the significance of this debate, I am forced to offer the context.

The high point of the WPA and Walter Rodney’s struggles against the then Burnham dictatorial regime was located in a threemonth period of intense daily protests, public meetings, and mass demonstrations mainly in Georgetown and the lower East Coast of Demerara, which almost toppled the regime. This period became known as the “Civil Rebellion”.

During this period, the WPA started the process of transition to a political party, which was completed after the assassination of Walter Rodney. In the post-Rodney phase, the party was better organised structurally, had developed many groups across the country, and had organised many protests and, notably, two nationwide days of rest that saw the economic and social life in Guyana come to a standstill.

It is against this background that discussions in the party on the way forward were taking place. It is in this context that Andaiye forced the debate in the executive on whether the party at that time was stronger than during Rodney’s activism.

She was the leading advocate that the party, in spite of its significant organisational

development, was not stronger; but was in fact weaker. I was strongly opposed to her position, and argued that the party was now stronger.

Years later, when events demonstrated the correctness of Andaiye’s position, in the spirit of WPA’s political culture, I conceded both privately and publicly to her superior understanding of the party situation in the debate.

Readers will, I hope, forgive this necessary digression.

The Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry occasioned the opening of the WPA archives. I pointed to the importance that the party leadership had, at the time, placed on relying on a public defence for its security, as against a military defence. I mentioned the important role played by Sister Andaiye and WPA women under the stewardship of Andaiye, who had responsibility for party propaganda, locally and internationally.

It is our considered judgement that the efficient and effective manner in which this most important task was executed was responsible for the party not suffering more casualties.

Sister Bonita Harris had, for many years, held at her residence an annual New Year social attended by her relatives, friends and WPA comrades. At one of those events, to my surprise, one of the guests was a daughter of President Burnham. I remember sometime later raising the issue with Andaiye, and what it meant in light of the accusations being made about who was responsible for the assassination of Walter Rodney. Andaiye pondered for a brief moment, and made a gesture that indicated neither agreement nor disapproval. I did not press

the issue, from my knowledge of how WPA women operated whether in or outside of the party, that the decision to invite the daughter of Burnham to Bonita’s social was not by accident. It was an indication that the women were reaching across party lines. My judgement is this had the blessings, or at least the non-objection, of Andaiye.

In the run-up to the Walter Rodney CoI, Andaiye and I began to discuss how to deal with the inquiry to ensure the outcome we all wanted. Later, Mr Chris Ram, after volunteering his service as counsel, joined the discussions. It was under Andaiye’s guidance that we worked out the strategy and tactics which led to a successful outcome at the inquiry.

In concluding this tribute to our beloved sister, comrade and “Mother” of the WPA, Co-Founder of Red Thread, Founder of the Guyana Cancer Society etc. etc. etc., we collectively and individually mourn the irreplaceable loss of an iconic figure who led by example.

To all of us in the WPA, Red Thread, and all the members of the other organisations whose lives she had touched and affected by her humanity, I want to say to you that Andaiye’s passing, difficult as it is to endure, is something which we must all accept as an inevitable moment; and we must use her examples as the cornerstone of our own efforts at improving the lives of people, particularly the most downtrodden in societies.

ANDAIYE LIVES as long as we continue the struggle!

Farewell, Comrade.

Tacuma Ogunseye

Dear Editor, This is the mantra of this Government and its subordinates: Ask no questions; whatever is handed down to you just simply accept; there should be no questions coming from the aggrieved party.

It is a highhanded, dictatorial attitude handed down to us by our local slave masters, the PNC/ AFC Coalition. From the “boss” himself, this has been the pattern of their behaviour: a top-down, draconian, dictatorial approach; it is our way or no way.

Granger foisted a geriatric’s appointment on us in the person of GECOM Chairman Mr Patterson, and expects no one to question his so-called authority. The other Patterson gentleman did the same thing in his ministry with those arbitrary cash transactions wherein millions of dollars in public funds have been placed in his private account. He, too, is belligerent about those nefarious transactions, and wants no one to even ask about his stewardship of public monies.

Recently, we have seen another misfit in Minister Sarabo-Halley, and her arbitrary dismissals just weeks into office. This minister is doing some slave master duties in getting rid of staff.

You name a ministry and the corruption is there. Oh, what a wonderful Government we serve!

Now, the latest in this line of corrupt trans-

actions is the call by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo for the reinstatement of the fired Sherod Duncan. Duncan, you may recall, was the individual who, within 3 months of his appointment, had squandered over $5 million in corrupt activities, including signing of dubious cheques while making overseas trips at lavish costs to taxpayers. This is the person whose termination Mr Nagamootoo finds was harsh and arbitrarily done, and said he should be afforded the opportunity to get back his job.

Now, my question is: What is harsh about terminating such a person? the answer is, “Nothing”.

In Duncan’s case, his termination was an internal affair. If this matter had been taken to court, this man would have served jail time, yet Nagamootoo is making out a plea for this man. Isn’t this preposterous? If this is not the height of lawlessness, then tell me what is.

No wonder there is public discontent and a no-confidence vote against this Government. The people are saying we have had it with this administration, and it is more than enough time for them to call elections and let us have an installation of a democratic institution called government.

Respectfully submitted, Neil Adams

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thursday, June 6, 2019

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Foundation

Am I in a healthy relationship? What friendship It feels like love — but is it?

It’s totally normal to look at the world through rose-colored glasses in the early stages of a relationship. But for some people, those rosecolored glasses turn into blinders that keep them from seeing that a relationship isn’t as healthy as it should be.

What makes a healthy relationship?

Hopefully, you and your significant other are treating each other well. Not sure if that’s the case? Take a step back from the dizzying sensation of being swept off your feet and think about whether your relationship has these qualities: Mutual respect.

Does he or she get how great you are and why?

Make sure your BF or GF is into you for who you are. Does your partner listen when you say you’re not comfortable doing something and then back off right away? Respect in a relationship means that each person values the other and understands — and would never challenge — the other person’s boundaries.

Trust. You’re talking with a guy from French class and your boyfriend walks by. Does he completely lose his cool or keep walking because he knows you’d never cheat on him? It’s OK to get a little jealous sometimes — jealousy is a natural emotion. But how a person reacts when feeling jealous is what matters.

There’s no way you can have a healthy relationship if you don’t trust each other.

Honesty. This one goes hand-in-hand with trust because it’s tough to trust someone when one of you isn’t being honest. Have you ever caught your girlfriend in a major lie? Like she told you that she had to work on Friday night but it turned out she was at the movies with her friends? The next time she says she has to work, you’ll have a lot more trouble believing her and the trust will be

on shaky ground.

Support. It’s not just in bad times that your partner should support you. Some people are great when your whole world is falling apart but not that interested in hearing about the good things in your life. In a healthy relationship, your significant other is there with a shoulder to cry on when you find out your parents are getting divorced and to celebrate with you when you get the lead in a play.

Fairness/equality. You need to have giveand-take in your relationship. Do you take turns choosing which new movie to see? As a couple, do you hang out with your partner’s friends as often as you hang out with yours? You’ll know if it isn’t a pretty fair balance. Things get bad really fast when a relationship turns into a power struggle, with one person fighting to get his or her way all the time.

Separate identities.

In a healthy relationship, everyone needs to make compromises. But that doesn’t mean you should feel like you’re losing out on being yourself. When you started going out, you both had your own lives (families, friends, interests, hobbies, etc.) and that shouldn’t change. Neither of you should have to pretend to like something you don’t, or give up seeing your friends, or drop out of activities you love. And you also should feel free to keep developing new talents or interests, making new friends, and moving forward.

Good communication. Can you talk to each other and share feelings that are important to you?

Don’t keep feelings bottled up because you’re afraid it’s not what your BF or GF wants to hear.

And if you need some time to think something through before you’re ready to talk about it, the right person will give you some space to do that.

(Excerpt from kidshealth.org)

means Acts of friendship

For Ashley, it was like this: She was sitting with a big group in the school lunchroom when she accidentally knocked her drink onto her lap. As word spread that it looked like Ashley had wet herself, the laughter began to mount. Then she noticed her best friend doing something strange.

“She poured water on herself,” Ashley said.

True friendship is hard to find, Ashley says. But she knows it when she sees it. And so do many of you. We asked our readers what it takes to be a good friend. More than 5000 of you shared your thoughts on friendship.

For some, the defining moments of friendship were profound, such as the soulmate who helps you through the grief of losing a family member or camps out in your hospital room when you’re sick. For others, it’s smaller gestures that loom large – the friend who talks for hours when you’re feeling alone, even if it means going over on his cell phone minutes; the one who helps you with your homework, even when she hasn’t done her own; or the friend who helps you search for your retainer, even when it means going through the garbage from the school lunch.

What friends do for you

Big or small, it’s actions that seem to count the most in friendship. In a time when we can chat effortlessly by text and IM, talk is getting cheaper. Many of you believe that the evidence of true friends is what they do to show their loyalty, honesty, trustworthiness, or willingness to make a sacrifice when you need help.

Kaitlin, 14, told us about a friend who took the blame for her when she got in a fight at school. Her friend was suspended for 10 days. And Marissa, 16, said she discovered the difference between a close friend and casual friend on a school trip to California.

“I got sick, and my friend ran to the bathroom after me to hold my hair back as I became the Exorcist,” Marissa said.

“She stood by me, while my other ‘friend’ yelled at me to get off the floor and clean it up.”

What you do for friends

It works both ways: Nearly three quarters of the people who wrote to us said they do as much for their friends as their friends do for them. Sometimes the most treasured acts of friendship are those for which you expect to get nothing in return, not even credit for a good deed.

“The nicest thing I ever did for a friend was when I let her date my ex — without ever telling her that I was against it,” Rae’Johne said.

Elaina, 15, remembers the day she went clothes shopping with her best friend, who is overweight. The saleslady was being rude to her friend because there was so little in her size and nothing fit quite right.

Elaina is proud of how she helped her friend that day. “I had like an armful of clothes for myself (and may I add these clothes were to DIE for!) and I put all my clothes back and said, ‘I don’t like what they have in here, why don’t we go somewhere with better clothes, not these cheap ones.’”

The one and only

Many of the people who wrote us thought it was important to have a best friend, one who stood out from the rest.

“In reality, you are truly blessed to have one true friend to the backbone,” Bizaflak, 14, said. “All the others are basically your acquaintances.” That’s what Rich, 17, meant when he described a person’s friends being “like a pyramid” with one at the peak and others in supporting roles.

Some of you described the communication between best friends as being a perfectly clear connection, almost as if it’s on a frequency only they can hear.

“A true friend understands you, even when you’re not talking,” Casey, 14, said.

“We practically finish each other’s sentences,” Kayla, 15, said.

The wisdom of friends

Often what you look for in your best friend is good judgment. Jackie, 14, said the nicest thing a friend did for her was to tell her mom a secret Jackie had told to her friend – that she was extremely depressed.

“My friend was scared and even though I told her not to tell anyone, she knew she had to,” Jackie said. “She ended up saving my life, and I am grateful.”

Not everyone thinks it’s important to have one best friend. Molly, 14, said that together her friends make up all the aspects of what one “true friend’ would be.

“I have friends who I would confide anything in and trust them to keep it all a secret,” Molly said. “I have smart friends, funny friends, goofy friends, ‘bodyguard’ friends (aka the friends who will stick up for you no matter what), and just friends who are there on the weekends who want to hang out. So really, no one person can fill every void in your life.”(Excerpt from kidshealth.org)

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thursDAY, JUNE 6, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

GPL seeks Private Sector rescue for electricity shortfall -discussions underway with Hope wind farm; interim agreement with Giftland cause it’s a case of the power company needing all the power it can get.

GPL’s Chief Executive Officer Albert Gordon

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he Guyana Power and Light (GPL) is looking to arrange power purchase agreements with a number of private firms that generate their own electricity.

This includes seeking an agreement for the purchase of power from the Hope Windfarm project.

“We have been in discussions with them. There have been some environment-related issues. That negotiation is being led from the Ministry, but we have been involved. We are looking forward to integrating them and other renewable sources into the grid,” he explained.

“There were some constraints regarding the environment, and some additional work (on the agreement) might be done.

But we are actively pursuing that,” the Jamaica-born CEO informed the media.

Months after taking office in 2015, Government had announced that it would facilitate a US$50 million, 25-megawatt

hydropower, wind energy generated by turbines is a form of renewable energy.

But the Hope Beach Wind Farm project, at 25 MW, is still no match for the proposed 165 MW Amaila Falls Hydro Project initiated under the previous Administration.

The Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Foreign Affairs had been informed during a sitting last year August that the Hope Windfarm developer was eyeing a project launch date by the end of 2019.

Other producers

Meanwhile, Operations Director Bharat Harjohn has said that GPL is engaging other self-producers, who may have excess power which they could share with the grid. It was pointed out that some producers,

Giftland is among the companies in discussion with GPL to sell the power company power

This is according to GPL’s Chief Executive Officer, Albert Gordon, at a press conference hosted yesterday.

Gordon admitted there are challenges in arranging the agreement with the Hope Windfarm project, and with a shortfall of approximately 10 megawatts of power in the interconnected system, GPL is forced to engage in periodic load shedding exercises be-

Amaila Falls

wind farm project at Hope Beach on the East Coast of Demerara.

The Alliance For Change (AFC) subsequently identified International Pharmaceutical Agency (IPA) proprietor Lloyd Singh, an investor in the wind farm, as responsible for the party’s acquisition of its multimillion-dollar headquarters in February of 2016.

While not as stable as

like Giftland Mall, have for some time indicated an interest in selling power to GPL. However, Gordon noted that buying power from an independent power-producer (IPP) is a complicated issue which includes negotiating pricing and legal matters. Gordon explained that these producers tend to pay more for the Heavy Fuel Oil they import than GPL would. As a con-

Model of the Hope wind farm project

sequence, he noted, they would naturally charge above GPL’s rates to sell back power.

“The Act actually speaks to an IPP being above 10 megawatts, and what you can buy from them and at what price. So there are some legal constraints that Government is helping us through. There is a price issue…

“The law requires us, and even without the law, we wouldn’t want to buy power that’s too expensive.

But buying power, even if it’s a little expensive, is better than having power cuts; but the law requires us to buy power below our marginal costs.”

However, he noted that GPL is continuing negotiations, and that at present there is an interim agree-

ment with Giftland that is close to being finalised. As for Banks DIH, another company GPL is in discussions with, there are some issues with exactly how much power the company could supply.

“Banks and Giftland, they use heavy fuel oil and they have a substantial amount of capacity.

For Banks, I think they have installed approximately 10 megawatts. But they normally use most of their power during the day.

Even in peak, they normally have an excess. So we asked them very early.

Up to recently, there are some technical issues (being worked out).

“But also, they run their generators during the period we want the power. So the amount we’d get from

them isn’t very significant.

Nevertheless, we want to interconnect; the system works better when we’re interconnected. There may be times we’ll sell to them and there’ll be times we will buy from them.”

Meanwhile, one project that would have assisted the Guyana Power and Light to get adequate electricity supply was the Amaila Falls hydro power project, which the Coalition Government continually blocked while controlling the National Assembly by a one-seat Opposition majority.

The Norway-funded project, when completed, would have provided 165 megawatts to the National Grid, thus providing cheaper and more reliable power to citizens and businesses.

8 News

thurSDAY, JUNE 6, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

“Short Boss” testifies in attempted murder PI against businessman

Romario “Short Boss” Baljeet (left) and Imran Khan

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s the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the attempted murder of Romario “Short Boss” Baljeet, who was reportedly mercilessly beaten by businessman Imran Khan continues, the victim was called to the stand.

Baljeet testified in the courtroom of Senior Magistrate Leron Daly.

As he took the witness box, he was unable to speak clearly, and his attorney, Latchmie Rahamat, told the court that he had suffered a seizure a few days ago.

Baljeet, in his testimony, spoke extensively about his injuries and his numerous trips to the Woodlands Hospital. Upon the conclu-

sion of his testimony, the Magistrate adjourned the matter until June 27, 2019.

Thirty-one-year-old Khan, of Austin Street, Campbellville, Georgetown, was charged for the attempted murder of Baljeet following an incident on October 28, 2018 at a popular nightclub on Main Street, Georgetown.

It was reported that Khan unlawfully and maliciously wounded Baljeet, with intent to murder him.

On the day in question, Baljeet and some friends were leaving the nightclub when they were confronted

by Khan, who was standing at the gateway.

As a result, Baljeet

walked between Khan and his friends. This seemingly annoyed Khan, who in turn dealt Baljeet several punches to his head and face, causing him to fall to the ground. It was while Baljeet was on the ground that Khan took a glass bottle and slashed him on the right side of his face.

Khan then continued to kick and punch the victim while he was lying on the ground.

Baljeet, who was unconscious, was then picked up and rushed to a private institution where he underwent surgery.

Baljeet previously testified in court and related that he heard what ap-

peared to be gunshots and upon making his way to the gate, he saw Khan and another man identified as Kevin, also called “Fatman” standing next to a silver grey BMW motor car.

He recalled walking between the two men as he made his way to his vehicle and feeling a blow to the back of his head. As he turned around, he saw the accused, Khan.

Khan, he told the court, dealt him two lashes to his head and face, causing him to fall to the ground.

On the ground, Khan continued to punch him to the body especially the face, despite him attempting to crawl away. Baljeet also related that he, along with bystanders, begged Khan to stop hitting him, but he refused to listen.

The Virtual Complainant (VC) finally managed to crawl and held onto a metal gate, but Khan further kicked him to his face causing his head to keep hitting the gate.

Standing in the witness box, with his face barely showing through the vents, he remembered that after a while, he started to “see dark”.

He later woke up at the Woodlands Hospital.

Baljeet, after being released from the Hospital, was rushed back to the facility in November 2019 for excessive bleeding and underwent emergency surgery.

Woman set free in $300,000 wigs theft after VC refused to offer evidence

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28-year-old boutique owner who was charged in April for allegedly stealing more than $300,000 worth of wigs walked free after she appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday.

Ashaka King was accused of stealing the Brazilian wigs and extensions from a business she shared with Alana Lewis.

However, when the matter was called on Wednesday, the Virtual Complainant (VC) told the court that she no longer wanted to offer evidence against King.

It is believed that the two women settled the issue between themselves prior to going to court.

Since her arrest in April, King has maintained her innocence. She even took to social media to profess her in-

nocence.

King was represented

by Attorney-at-Law James Bond, who told the court that the false accusation was made against his client after she threatened to give the VC notice to evict the property. King was also accused of threatening Lewis in March.

She was arrested, but was later released.

Ashaka King

Salt fish thief gets 6-month jail sentence

F

Shawn Roberts

orty-five-year-old Shawn Roberts was on Wednesday sentenced to six months’ imprisonment by principal Magistrate Faith McGusty for stealing a quantity of salted fish and other items.

The unrepresented man pleaded guilty with explanation to the charge when it was read to him at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. The Police stated that on June 2, 2019 at

Ferry Stelling at Stabroek, the defendant stole a quantity of salted fish, ground provisions, and carrots valued $59,009 from Janel Jupiter.

In his explanation to the court, the defendant stated, “I was involved in an accident and after leaving the hospital, I decided to steal the salt fish in order to sell it to buy my medication.”

Police Prosecutor Ceon

Blackman told the court the victim was the owner of a stall at the Ferry Stelling and sold ground provisions and other items.

On the day in question, the woman was attending to a customer when Roberts took the articles mentioned in the charge and made good his escape.

The matter was reported; an investigation was carried out, and Roberts was apprehended and charged.

Ambition… …and fall Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” is one of your Eyewitness’s favourite plays which he had to delve into when he was but a mere callow youth. It goes without saying, of course, that much of the Bard’s wisdom was lost on him then, but enough stuck, so that whenever he hears the name “Duncan” - the King murdered by the ambitious Macbeth - he’s reminded of how ambition can corrupt a man and make him lose his bearings.

So when your Eyewitness opened the morning newspapers as saw that, before jetting off to NY, Nagamootoo had dropped a bombshell by instructing the Chronicle’s Board to reinstate his man Duncan as the General Manager, what else could he think but that ambition was once again running amok in Guyana?

Macbeth’s ambition was spurred by his interpretation of some witches’ incantations that one day he’d be king.

Nagamootoo’s ambition – in his own words – was spurred by his interpretation of a response by Jagan at a Rupununi meeting to a question about who’d succeed him when he went to the hereafter.

Jagan had waved his hand towards the back of the stage where Nagamootoo and some others were sitting and replied airily, not to worry, the PPP had several persons who could be leader! This Nagamootoo took to be his anointment as Jagan’s successor!! But just as how Macbeth didn’t realise the witches’ incantations were actually a prediction of his demise, Nagamootoo, in his ambition, also heard what he wanted to hear!! He tried every which way in the PPP to fulfil his overweening ambition to become President, but ended up being thrown out on his ear!!

It was here that his old fellow Berbician Ramjattan, who’d also departed the PPP to help found the AFC, had stretched out a hand and offered him a lifeline to electoral politics – a spot on the AFC ticket in 2011. By 2015 he had become the PM nominee for the APNU/AFC coalition, and we all know how he was subsequently spayed and shafted. But his ambition for “titles” is such that, rather than stepping aside for Ramjattan in the next election, he’s willing to “murder” him - and everyone else in his path. Much like Macbeth!!

And we now can understand his reinstatement of Duncan at the Chronic, even though three directors have resigned at his unethical highhandedness. Duncan is in “his” camp. Ditto for his intervention to have his DPI flunkey and wife be delegates to the AFC Convention to select the PM candidate.

Leaving nothing to chance, Nagamootoo, in NY, tied bundle with rabid PNCiter Rickford Burke to influence the youth demographic.

But Nagamootoo should remember Macbeth’s ignominious end: his head was severed by his opponent Macduff!! …and the Peace Corps John F. Kennedy was a dyed-in-the wool liberal, but he had to prove his “toughness” to his domestic audience; hence an intervention in Vietnam, an attempted regime change in Cuba, and a more successful one here. But he also ambitiously launched the “Peace Corps”, a group of idealistic young Americans out of college who were to be dispatched to the less developed world to expose it to a “gentler, friendlier” America.

The first batch arrived in 1966 after we became independent, as the Burnham PNC, which had been the beneficiary of the American helping hand to sneak into office, cozied up to the US Administration. With his leftward shift after we became a Republic, when he concocted his “co-operative socialist” path, he refused to accept the volunteers after 1971. But in those five years, the Peace Corps had made quite an impression with many Guyanese youths, including your Eyewitness.

It wasn’t until 1995 that Jagan reinstated the Peace Corps programme, showing he had no hard feelings.

Another 30 Peace Corps volunteers have just arrived, and your Eyewitness welcomes them!! …and GECOM As he’s pointed out before, the PNC’s motto is: “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit.”

So, c’mon fellas, will HtH registration take nine months (GECOM PRO), or 4 months (PNC Commissioner)??

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

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thurSDAY, JUNE 6, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Blackouts continue as GPL fixes damaged

submarine cable

Divisional Director of Operations, Bharat Harjohn

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he Guyana Power and Light (GPL) anticipates a prolonged period of constant power outage and load-shedding as it works to fix the damaged submarine cable that is the main network between the Kingston and Vreed-enHoop operations.

Since GPL’s de-energising of the cable, consumers countrywide have experienced constant power outages and episodes of load-shedding that have lasted for several hours. On Wednesday, the company provided some clarity during a press conference by stating that the cable transmits power from the Vreed-enHoop station to the Kingston station for further utilisation within the DemeraraBerbice Interconnected System (DBIS). This supplies most of the country with power.

The Vreed-en-Hoop station produces 26 megawatts of power, 12 of which are used in Region Three. The

remainder is transmitted to Kingston to help service the rest of the country. Now that the cable is down, there is a shortfall of 14 megawatts of power from that station.

GPL’s Divisional Director of Operations, Bharat Harjohn, explained that while there is a demand of 100 megawatts to efficiently service all consumers, only 90 megawatts are being generated.

“Because of that cable failure, on the eastern half of the grid, we have a shortfall of 14 megawatts, because we import about 14 megawatts of power from the Vreeden-Hoop substation… As of now, on the eastern half, we have about 90 megawatts of power available to us, and we have to satisfy a demand of approximately 100 megawatts,” Harjohn ascertained.

Meanwhile, Divisional Director of Projects, Ryan Ross, explained that repair of this submarine cable can take up to two months to be completed.

Presently, a number of load shedding exercises have been effected to monitor the situation. This means that scheduled blackouts will continue until the situation is fixed.

“We have CMC [China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation] on the ground, and that’s who initially laid that cable and also repaired it before. This is expected to take two months…

We’ve been able to create some amount of inventory,

Divisional Director of Projects, Ryan Ross

so that we can address it in a much quicker time,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Harjohn has indicated that the submarine cable at Canje will be utilised to provide some extra megawatts of power until the main network is repaired. Two units at Anna Regina were also retrieved.

“What we are doing presently to help with the shortfall is we (retrieved) two units from Anna Regina.

We had sent up three units to help with the situation there. We are now bringing back two of those units. That will help with two megawatts of power,” he said.

Ross added, “We are also looking at the possibility of running a cable at our Vreed-en-Hoop substation over to the east, so from the West Demerara to the East (Demerara). This will be a submarine cable, but it’s at 13.8 kilovolts level. This will help with the distribution side. This cable we had in stock for other areas… Also,

at Canje River crossing, we have submarine cables too, so we’ll use this cable, which is about 5000 feet.”

There are, to be undertaken, other initiatives which are expected to improve the efficiency of GPL’s power supply to the general populace. Chief Executive Officer Albert Gordon announced that plans are also in progress to secure funding for a parallel line from the Kingston to Sophia transmission networks.

By next week, two generating sets at the Kingston Power Station, which has been unavailable due to maintenance operations, will recommence activities to assist with the power generation.

GPL will also be engaging the Maritime Administration (MARAD) to educate traversing seafarers on the position of the cable.

Many times, anchoring these vessels have damaged sections of the offshore network, it was explained.

On Monday, a number of locations were subjected to load shedding as the utility company attempted to monitor the situation. Persons can look out for these notices on the GPL Inc Facebook page. On Wednesday, the utility company expressed that these activities will continue.

Areas which were af-

fected included sections of Georgetown, the East Bank and East Coast of Demerara; and Berbice.

While GPL has promised to have the issue resolved as soon as possible, many persons have taken to social media to vent their frustration at the inconvenience occasioned by unbearable power outages over the past days.

10 news

thursDAY, JUNE 6, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Mother of 6 who died after losing eye allegedly abused by reputed husband

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elatives of 22-yearold Sunita Vandyke, the mother of six who died days after her right eye was removed by doctors at the Georgetown Public Hospital, are now contending that the woman suffered constant abuse from her reputed husband.

The autopsy proved that the woman died as a result of “brain damage” suffering trauma to the head which resulted in internal bleeding, and loss of her voice among other complications.

Relatives are alleging that her reputed husband is responsible for her eye having to be removed after the man, who constantly hit her to the head, “poked” her in the eye during an incident.

The relatives who asked to remain anonymous explained that the woman’s eldest son told his grandmother that his stepfather inflicted the injury to his mother’s eye after beating her.

“The girl was normal and healthy. We always heard that her husband does beat her and her mother encouraged her to leave him; however, she was wondering who is go-

ing to take care of her and kids, so she ignored the mother’s advice,” a relative related.

Further, the relative explained that when Vandyke returned to her mother’s residence, the mother enquired about the circumstances surrounding the removal of the eye and informed her of the allegation made by her son, but she did not answer.

“She eventually told us that a plate broke when she was washing wares and maybe the flint got in her eye. She kept making up excuses to cover the abuse she endured,” the relative added.

The relative said too

that before Vandyke’s death, she told relatives that she was locked up at home with an injured eye for days before she was taken to the hospital.

“All the allegations that they are making about the hospital responsible for her death is a lie to cover their tracks,” the woman claimed.

When Guyana Times contacted the Georgetown Public Hospital for information on an update on the cause of death of the mother of six, the reporter was redirected to the Police since the investigation was ongoing.

Prime suspect in Special Lance Corporal’s death still on the job – as Force awaits legal advice on file

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lmost four weeks after Special Lance Corporal Don CarlosAlleyne was allegedly beaten to death by his superior officer, it was disclosed that the Sergeant was still on the job and was performing duties as per normal.

This was according to Crime Chief Lyndon Alves when asked to provide an update on the progress of the investigation. Alves further stated that the case has not yet received any legal advice, since after initially being sent for advice the file was returned to A Division (Georgetown-East Bank Demerara) Police for clarification on some aspects.

“The Sergeant as a member of the Force is still on the job until such advice is given on the way forward … That matter is still under investigation; that file was subsequently sent for legal advice

and there are some points that have to be cleared up, so the file was sent back to A Division and we are awaiting those points to be cleared up,” Alves pointed out.

According to previous Police reports, 25-yearold Alleyne went to the Georgetown Public Hospital on May 4 about 14:52h after he reportedly complained of feeling unwell.

This was following an “incident” earlier in the day about 09:30h at the Special Constabulary Headquarters, Princes Street, the Police had said.

Guyana Times had reported that there had been an altercation between the now dead man and a Police Sergeant after the deceased reportedly complained to senior officers about the Sergeant’s inappropriate conduct on the work premises.

Deceased: Special Lance Corporal Don Carlos-Alleyne

A post-mortem examination performed on Alleyne’s body later revealed that he died from brain haemorrhage and blunt trauma to the brain.

Meanwhile, sections of the media have since reported that family members of the deceased Lance Corporal are not satisfied with the way in which the investigation was being carried out, but more specifically, with the fact that they were not being provided with any updates on the matter.

Trotman backs Nagamootoo...

Nagamootoo’s reversal of the Board’s decision has also resulted in at least two other Board members – Mervyn Williams and Hilbert Foster – resigning while Director Aaron Fraser has indicated that he too intended to follow suit.

The audit of the State newspaper’s operations from June 1, 2018 to September 10, 2018 found that tender rules were violated, services were procured without contracts and approvals were given for payments without the regular procedure of company stamp or sig-

nature.

There are over 20 transactions conducted under Duncan’s watch or by Duncan himself, which were in blatant violation of financial regulations.

Further, cash advances were given to Duncan to travel overseas, but he did not clear the amounts. It was also found that the company’s personnel policy and procedures manual were ignored during the recruitment, termination, and dismissal of employees.

Guyana Chronicle has a Management Tender Committee, which approves trans-

from PAGE 3

actions ranging from $100,000 to $300,000 before payments are made. But during the stipulated time examined, no approval was given for nine such transactions valued at $1.6 million.

Duncan also took an overseas trip with the marketing coordinator for the resuscitation of the publication’s New York edition. This trip cost in excess of $736,028, but there was no approval for such an event and to date, no relevant documents were brought forward to support these expenditures, the audit found.

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thursDAY, JUNE 6, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Local, foreign farmers granted Wales land

- over 1000 acres under rice cultivation - NICIL mum on terms of leases

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and from the Wales sugar estate, one of several estates that Government has moved to privatise, has been snapped up by local and overseas farmers, with over a thousand acres of that land now under rice cultivation.

This was revealed by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) on Monday.

According to NICIL Special Purpose Unit (SPU) head, Colvin Heath-London, his unit’s diversification team has been coordinating this process.

“In terms of the divestment at Wales, the diversification team at the SPU,

which is managed by Mr. Fitz McLean, has been able to enter into arrangements with several small, medium and large (scale) farmers, most of (whom) are (of) Guyanese origin. Several of the large farmers come from the region and internationally, and work is ongoing in this field,” Heath-London said.

He revealed that these foreign farmers hail from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and as far away as the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. These farmers, he noted, are mostly interested in cultivating rice.

To do this, however, sugar cane fields have to be converted into the swampy, semi

An example of the conditions under which rice has to grow

aquatic conditions needed for rice to grow.

“The predominant crop that these farmers want to put into production is rice.

Presently, we have over a 1000 acres under rice cultivation, and those farmers who have successfully been given leases are presently doing land conversion to plant their crops,” he revealed.

In December 2016, Wales became the first estate to be closed as part of Government’s drive to downsize the sugar industry.

Other Estates closed were Skeldon, Enmore and Rose Hall, all of which were reopened in order to be privatised.

With the closure of Wales, more than 300 workers were dismissed and were either paid their severance or given employment at the Uitvlugt estate. However, workers had to head to court in order to get a ruling ordering GuySuCo to pay their severance.

In March of last year, NICIL put on the market thousands of acres of land from Wales, as well as machinery from various estates.

In a notice from NICIL’s SPU, it was indicated that bids were being sought for the purchase of lots One to 12 and lots 14 straight to 31 of Plantation Wales, West Bank Demerara.

Wales Sugar Estate

The land in question is situated along the eastern and western sides of the West Bank Demerara public road, and bidders can vie for as many of the lots on sale as they want. Noting that they are not bound to accept the highest or any particular bid, the unit warned in their notice that tenders must be received by March 16, 2018.

GuySuCo, one of the larg-

est landowners in Guyana, has for some time been bogged down by billions of dollars in debt. The current Government has been engaged in divesting the Corporation’s assets, putting the SPU in charge of this process and procuring international consultant PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) to valuate GuySuCo’s assets.

In another notice, NICIL had also invited Expressions of Interest (EoI) from bidders desirous of purchasing scrap metal and equipment. The notice had made clear that bidders were only being sought to export the scrap metal and equipment from the Skeldon, Albion, Rose Hall, Blairmont, Enmore, Wales and Uitvlugt estates.

12 News UG unions maintain threat to break away from GTUC thurSDAY, JUNE 6, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

- want TUC’s English off Council; deny claims it’s not certified

UG Senior Staff Association President Jewel Thomas and UGWU President Bruce Haynes

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he University of Guyana Senior Staff Association (UGSSA), along with its fellow University union, is sticking to its position that it wants Ivor English, who has been accused of not representing its interests, off the University of Guyana Council as the Guyana Trade Union Congress (GTUC) representative – failing which it will leave the umbrella body.

In a brief interview with Guyana Times on Wednesday, UGSSA President, Dr Jewel Thomas made it clear that the union has not changed its mind.

She also responded to a letter written by GTUC General Secretary Lincoln Lewis, in which he, among other things, said the union did not have its certificate of recognition.

“He’s not right about the certificate of recognition. He is also incorrect about the list. There were no union leaders on the list of UG lecturers who had outstanding grades,” Dr Thomas explained to this publication.

“We have not changed

our stance. We had a meeting yesterday (Tuesday) with the GTUC at which Mr English was present.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a very fruitful meeting,” she said, adding that the union would have to have internal talks before commenting further.

In a letter on May 30, Dr Thomas on behalf of UGSSA and Bruce Haynes as President of the University of Guyana Workers Union (UGWU) had combined to call for the removal of English as the GTUC representative on the UG Council.

They noted that his positions on issues seemed to lean more towards UG Vice Chancellor Ivelaw Griffith than the UG workers he was supposed to represent.

In their letter, they had articulated that “during the Council meeting of Thursday, May 23, every position adopted by Mr English on critical issues under deliberation was in opposition to the unions’.

He expressed his support for the Vice Chancellor being paid in lieu of leave. He also stated his support for

GTUC General Secretary Lincoln Lewis

the Vice Chancellor gaining a new contract without any evaluation.”

“He advised that there should be a mechanism so that “minor irritants” of staff are dealt with and not come to the Council to “grind” Council down. He also expressed support for the vice-chancellor’s spending; stating that he (English) viewed it from a businessman’s perspective.”

According to the union leaders, English’s views show that he “does not grasp that these are fundamental governance principles for which the unions have been advocating, and moreover what they perceive as ‘minor irritants’ of staff go to the heart of workers’ rights”.

They also complained that English did not appear to understand that the University was experiencing financial difficulties.

According to the unions, these difficulties are affecting the University’s ability to even educate the students, and they went on to threaten to break away from the GTUC if English was not removed.

As Guyana celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr, which signals the end of Ramadan, scores of Muslims flocked their respective mosques to worship and take part in the normal feast. In photo are several worshippers, all decked out, at the Ogle Mosque on Wednesday

Canadian School of Arts hosts candlelight vigil for Ciara Benjamin

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cores of persons turned up at the Canadian School of Arts and Science on Wednesday evening to mourn the loss of one of the students, Ciara Benjamin, who died last weekend in a tragic accident.

Seven-year-old Benjamin was a Grade One student of the institution. In a solemn ceremony, teachers, parents and fellow students consoled her family members. Candles were lit as “a reflection” on her life at the school.

One of the teachers told Guyana Times that Ciara would be dearly missed. As such, they thought it necessary to show moral support to the family.

“We, along with the parent body, decided to host this event – a night of reflection.

This is to mourn the passing or the tragedy which occurred on June 1 with Ciara Benjamin. She’s a member of the school, a Grade One child. As a family, we cele-

Candles lit at the school in remembrance of Ciara Benjamin

brate together and in times of mourning, we must show moral support.”

Benjamin lost her life in a road accident at Agricola, Greater Georgetown as she was hit by a truck while crossing the road with her aunt.

Her mother, Tracy De Hart, explained that her daughter was brilliant and loving. When she received the call just minutes later, it was impossible for her to go to the scene. It was explained that Benjamin had resided with her father since

the age of two, but would periodically visit her mother.

On Sunday, Benjamin’s stepmother, Chrisan Thegg stated that she would usually take the child to plait her hair. She was also supposed to assist her with her school assignments.

“I told her yesterday (Saturday)…I said I am going to the mall and we are going to buy the stuff to do your assignment – she was going to make a traffic light, so I said we are going to go there and do that today (Sunday).

Guyana funds majority of repairs on ferry to Suriname – Govt

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lthough the costs for maintaining the ferry service linking Guyana and Suriname is supposed to be divided equally between both Governments, Guyana has been bearing most of the expenses.

This is according to the Foreign Affairs Ministry in a statement issued to the media on Wednesday.

The services of MV Canawaima, the vessel that plied the Suriname-Guyana route, has been suspended to facilitate emergency repairs to be undertaken by a joint company – Canawaima Management Company – which is responsible for the service.

That company was set up in accordance with a joint venture agreement between the two countries.

“According to the abovementioned agreement, the maintenance of the ferry is to be shared equally. This has not occurred. In a bid to reduce the hardships to passengers and businesses using the service and in or-

der to give the neighbouring State time to meet its obligations, the Government of Guyana has been funding most, if not all, of the maintenance works on the ferry over the years,” Guyana’s Foreign Affairs Ministry noted.

The MV Canawaima first experienced major damage in September 2017 when there was engine trouble.

The company was unable to secure funds intended to meet the routine repair costs and as such, the vessel had to be pulled by a tugboat to facilitate passengers travelling between the Moleson Creek Terminal in Guyana to the South Drain Terminal in Suriname.

However, recently, the vessel developed more problems, forcing the authorities to suspend the service. The MB Sandaka was rerouted to service the GuyanaSuriname route temporarily.

At a press conference recently, the Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon indicated that the Guyana

MV Canawaima

Government might consider purchasing its own ferry to service the route. He said: “I believe our Minister of Public Infrastructure [David Patterson] has already started to contemplate whether, in fact, we may have to put a vessel there ourselves.”

But the Foreign Affairs Ministry said Guyana did not have that responsibility to fund a replacement.

“Speculation about the Government of Guyana taking on the obligation of entirely funding a joint enterprise of this type is er-

roneous. It is not in keeping with the bilateral agreement signed between the two countries that governs the obligations of both States regarding the operations of the ferry service.

That agreement is still functional. There is no onus on Guyana to fund the replacement of the service, either temporarily or permanently,” the Ministry said.

It added that the joint company has to ensure that the monies collected by or on behalf of the business are properly directed to defray-

ing the expenses incurred.

The Guyana-Suriname Cooperation Council at its meeting in 2018 underscored the importance of the Canawaima Ferry Service to bilateral trade and cross-border tourism between Guyana and Suriname, and agreed that the efficient and optimal operation of the service was to the benefit of both countries. The matter was raised by President Granger over a year ago during his last meeting with his Surinamese counterpart.

At that time, President Desi

Bouterse undertook to look into the matter.

In light of this, the Foreign Ministry said Guyana would request an early meeting of the relevant mechanism so that the issues affecting the operation of the ferry vessel could be fully ventilated and resolved to the full satisfaction of the parties.

“It is hoped that the fact that the service has been of mutual benefit to both countries will inform the treatment of the matter,” the Ministry noted.

The ferry service between Guyana and Suriname was officially launched on November 6, 1998. It is a joint venture and the financial and other arrangements for defraying operational expenses are outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the Government of the Republic of Suriname on the Formation and Operation of the joint ferry service (1998).

news

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thursday, JUNE 6, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Police to acquire “fit for purpose” Samples taken from Chinese materials under reform programme restaurant amid complaints

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olice Commissioner Leslie James at a press briefing on Monday related that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) was looking to acquire “fit for the purpose” materials and vehicles under the reform programme.

These developments stemmed from a “strategic plan” the Force has implemented on infrastructure development.

The Commissioner said the strategic plan, which commenced this year, will end in 2022.

“With regard to infrastructure development, I can tell you that part of what is in that plan is being clamoured for and from all indications, we are likely to obtain what we referring to as “fit for the purpose” material, fit for the purpose “vehicles,” he said.

“After all, to do Police work you need to have “fit for the purpose” materials and vehicles.”

James further informed that a Police Reform Board has been set up. “There is a Police Reform Board, which generally consists of the Minister of Security, members of the Police Executive Leadership team and two other persons from civil society. That Board has a terms of reference … which that body will be guided by. The Minister is Chair and yours truly, deputy,” Commissioner James pointed out.

He added that in keep-

Police Commissioner Leslie James

ing with the Force’s strategic development plan, they were exploring the possibility of establishing a Traffic Advisory and Training Board.

Only in 2017, the crime-fighting capabilities of the GPF received a massive boost as the Chinese Government handed over a hefty donation of vehicles and equipment worth US$2.6 million.

Added to the existing Police fleet were 56 pickup trucks; 44 motorcycles; 35 All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) as well as five buses, carrying the signature blue and white finish and sirens.

Accompanying these was a total of 550 articles of protective gear, 70 computers (both desktops and laptops) along with other technical equipment, all aimed at

improving the efficiency of the country’s crime-fighting force.

Days later, one of the donated vehicles ended up in an accident.

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) recently commended the Police for confronting violent crime in Berbice, but said it believed that much more could and should be done to address this challenge.

“The Commission is convinced of the need for significantly greater human and financial resources being placed at the disposal of the Police Force … The Commission believes there is considerable room for enhancement in intelligence gathering and analysis than is currently in place,” the Commission said in a missive.

Furthermore, the PSC went on to highlight its deep concerns over the “insufficient progress” being made with regard to the implementation of security sector reforms.

At the Police Force’s Annual Officers’ Conference earlier this year, President David Granger had underscored the need to accelerate the implementation of security sector reforms, which he said would, among other things, restore public trust in the Force as well as correct any mismanagement of the country’s premier law enforcement agency.

At the same event in January, the Top Cop had revealed that they had engaged their counterparts in the United Kingdom and had already begun implementing three main pillars of the reforms – training, human resources management and infrastructure.

The US$4.7 million Security Sector Reform Programme was initially launched in 2007, but was scrapped two years later after major disagreements between the then Administration and the United Kingdom Government over some of the conditions of the plan.

However, during a meeting with then British Prime Minister David Cameron back in 2016, President Granger had requested that the multimillion-dollar security sector pact be revived.

Lack of finances hinders work of EPA – Director

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lthough air pollution is a “major concern” for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which falls under the Natural Resources Ministry, the Department is not equipped with the necessary tools to test air quality owing to the lack of finances.

In an interview with Guyana Times on Wednesday, EPA Executive Director, Dr Vincent Adams complained that the body was unable to function at its full potential, as funding for critical aspects such as capacity building was unavailable.

Speaking on the occasion of World Environment Day, which focuses on air pollution this year, Dr Adams stated: “We are looking at some statistics and the air pollution, I think, it says nine out of ten persons in the entire world is somehow exposed to air pollution. I think one out of every eight deaths occurs from air pollution directly or indirectly.”

But although this is the case, he admitted, the EPA cannot test air quality. “So it’s a major concern and the problem is we do not see what’s in the air; it’s there, but we are not aware of it and that’s why the EPA is so important, because we are supposed to be equipped, even though you can’t see it, it’s to understand what’s

ing budget, but this here is really important and as a matter of fact, we have been taking it very, very seriously,” the Director assured. turn to page 14

Executive Director of EPA, Dr Vincent Adams

out there and to mitigate against any health defects that come to the public,” Dr Adams explained.

He is hoping that the Government considers the

Agency in its next budget.

“In my budget that I am going to be proposing for 2020, we are going to be proposing all of that, all of the requirements in the upcom-

of insects in food

T

he Government Analyst-Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) has begun investigating claims of insects being present in food sold to customers of a Chinese restaurant located in Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

An investigative officer in the Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) district recently told Guyana Times that the Public Health Officers in that area were handling the matter.

He noted that already the restaurant has been inspected, and samples were taken and sent for analysis.

The restaurant was exposed by an angry customer who vented his frustration on social media following several discoveries of what appeared to be cockroach legs in his food.

The customer explained to Guyana Times in an exclusive interview that he purchased food once and took it home to his wife, who was sharing the meal among family members when they discovered the legs that resembled those of a cockroach.

Following this incident, he detailed that his friend made a purchase only recently at the said restaurant and he found something similar in his food.

The angry man also told this publication that he visited the restaurant several times previously and he observed that the chefs were operating in what appeared to be floodwaters, as the kitchen is lower than the rest of the building.

The man had called for a thorough investigation into the restaurant’s activities.

A few days ago, the GAFDD presented the findings from a survey conducted on food businesses which found that most of them were breaching sanitary regulations, ranging from employees not properly washing their hands to the improper storage and preparation of meals.

The survey was conducted from September 2018 to March 2019 among 55 randomly selected food service establishments in Regions Four and Six (East BerbiceCorentyne).

The inspection checklist assessed six areas: food storage, cold storage, food preparation, sanitation, garbage disposal, and employee hygiene.

In regard to food preparation, only 18 per cent of the businesses effectively protected food from contamination while a mere 11 per cent had safe meat thawing practices.

Food handlers in only 13 per cent of establishments used gloves. As it relates to sanitation, only four per cent of establishments’ workers were observed applying the correct principles of cleaning and sanitising.

Of the 99 food samples submitted, 37 per cent was unsatisfactory, and of the 102 hands of workers that were swabbed after washing, 47 per cent was unsatisfactory.

Furthermore, 46 per cent of the 48 food service containers (food boxes) sampled was unsatisfactory.

In light of the findings, the GA-FDD will be embarking on an initiative to ensure food establishments comply with sanitary regulations.

14 news

thursday, JUNE 6, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

EPA plants 23 trees in observance of World Environment Day

Muslims reflect on Prophet Muhammad during Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations

By Davina Ramdass

M

I

Members of staff of the EPA during the tree planting exercise in Sophia on Wednesday

n observance of its 23rd anniversary as well as World Environment Day, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday hosted a tree planting and beautification exercise in Sophia, Greater Georgetown.

The event saw a number of staffers participating in planting 23 trees around the building, while others cleaned the compound and painted bins and other materials to beautify the area.

EPA Executive Director, Dr Vincent Adams explained, “This here is a major milestone for us; of course, the 23 years of anniversary which is today, so it’s a nice kind of coincidence that we have both celebrations on the same day.”

In terms of environmental protection, he said, most people are concerned about oil and gas; however, mining still plays a crucial part when it comes to the environment. Against this backdrop, the Director said he was glad that Guyana has countries to look at as examples, and hopefully not make the same mistakes.

Nonetheless, Dr Adams gave a brief overview of what the Agency had planned to celebrate the occasions. “We

have taken up some initiatives which is going around to the community, the local community here and beautify it, sensitising the neighbourhood and we also are going to be handing out bins to all the Government agencies in Georgetown,” he disclosed.

This year’s focus for World Environment Day is air pollution.

The planting of trees, he said, plays an important role in ensuring proper air quality. “Trees absorb, through their leaves, toxins from the environment and they give

perature that helps mitigate against global warming or climate change,” the EPA Executive Director reminded.

Dr Adams urged Guyanese to not take the environment for granted and to keep it clean since “if you don’t pay now, you will pay later”.

World Environment Day is the United Nations (UN) day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action to protect the environment.

Since it began in 1974, the event has grown to become

EPA Executive Director, Dr Vincent Adams (centre) preparing the soil to plant his tree

off oxygen and oxygen is really important … it provides shade that cools the tem-

a global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated in over 100 countries.

Lack of finances hinders...

In addition, he stressed that the staffers of the EPA required training if they were to carry out their duties in a more effective manner, especially now that the natural resources sector is being broadened with oil production.

“We need lots of resourc-

uslims across Guyana on Tuesday ended the fasting period of Ramadan with the celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr, which saw sweetmeats and gifts being distributed on Wednesday in observance of that celebration.

While most Guyanese look forward to Eid-ul-Fitr, also called the “Festival of Breaking the Fast”, because of sweetmeats, the day is for Muslims very symbolic, as it reminds them of the doings of the Prophet Muhammad when he was on earth.

Guyana Times caught up with Imam of the Peter’s Hall Masjid on the East Bank of Demerara, who explained the significance of the celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr.

“Today (Tuesday) we celebrate the ending of the holy month of Ramadan, (in) which we had 29 days of fasting, and so it is now the end of the fast.

It’s the first day of the new month, and we have our celebration after one month of fasting,” he explained.

Fasting, for Muslims, is important, as it reminds them of the human beings Allah wants them to be. In fact, during this period, Muslims stay away from eating, drinking and ‘worldly pleasures’ among other things from dawn to sunset.

This, the Imam said, is intend-

ed to train persons in Islam to be Godly, as no lies, fighting, arguing or malice-bearing is permitted.

Ramadan usually lasts for about 29 or 30 days. This year it wrapped up within 29 days, after the moon was sighted on Tuesday evening.

During Ramadan, Muslims would visit the Mosque for daily prayers. It is their hope to continue these traits even after Ramadan has been concluded.

The sighting of the moon plays a vital part in this holiday. “In the Islamic calendar, the moon shows every month, and from one moon to the next moon is…one month. So…the starting of every moon marks the starting of the month; so for us to know when the month (starts), we have to see the new moon…(when it) disappears, then the month (has finished)”, the Imam explained.

He further stated that the celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr begins with prayers. The morning after Ramadan concludes, believers would gather at the Mosque, where they are reminded of what is expected of them as they seek to obey their creator.

Imam Intiaz Sahid said the worshippers at his mosque would usually participate in a feast following the sermon, wherein food and drinks are

es, we need personnel who are trained, but we are not there yet. As a matter of fact, to be very candid or honest with you, we’re not even close to being there, so we’re putting a plan in place and next year’s budget is probably going to be the budget that really identifies

from page 13

all of the gaps,” Dr Adams posited.

In the meantime, he said, the EPA has been conducting gap analysis to identify exactly what materials are needed. The Director referenced the fact that Guyana, with its diverse topography, required special vehicles to

A few Muslim brothers partaking in a prayer ceremony during Eidul-Fitr on Wednesday

visit places such as the interior regions where mining was often conducted.

He explained, “We have on the books currently over…

I think it’s like 1200 permits meaning that we’ve got 1200 operations out there that we have permitted to operate, so we are supposed to oversee these things and not only issue permits but to go out there and monitor and

make sure they are in compliance with these permits to protect the environment’s health and safety so we need equipment, we need lots of resources, we need personnel who are trained, but we are not there yet.”

The EPA was established by the Environmental Protection Act in 1996. It is tasked with undertaking the necessary measures to man-

Imam of the Peters Mosque, Intiaz Sahid

Hall

shared among believers. It is a time of laughter and celebration as they reflect on their time of devotion towards Allah and meditate on the way forward.

Following this, he explained, some Muslims would also share meals with family members while some would share sweetmeats to their neighbours, co-workers, friends, and even the less fortunate.

“This is the time when we distribute to the poor. This is the time when we have a ruling that for everybody who fasted they give one gallon of grain, or equivalent of one gallon of grain for every member of the home. So if you have five people in the home, you have to give five gallons of grain or equivalent in cash towards a poor or needy (person), so that they may be able to have an Eid, and this is supposed to be paid before you pray (to break the fast),” the Imam informed.

This is all done to mirror the life of the Prophet Muhammad. The Muslim leader explained, “Basically, Allah is our creator. He orders our command…our holy Prophet, who was a human being, was our teacher, and in his lifetime he did the same thing, and what we are doing is following what he did and what he taught us”. age, conserve, protect, and improve the local environment.

It specifically handles matters such as air quality and noise, freshwater, waste, biological resources, land resources, research and development, ecological and human health risk, education, communication and awareness.

15 No apologies: AFC’s Imran Khan on ensuring wife counted as delegate news

thursday, JUNE 6, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

– says she automatically deserves to be on delegate list as WFC Secretary

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lliance For Change (AFC) member Imran Khan has come out in staunch defence of wife and Women For Change (WFC) Secretary Tamara Khan, whose exclusion from the delegate list reportedly prompted threats to shut down the party’s upcoming conference.

According to Khan, in a statement on his social media page on Wednesday, his defence of his wife is not owing to personal reasons but comes from a principled position. He claimed that after her name was initially included, it was removed without due process.

“Mrs Khan was duly included on the WFC list of delegates for submission.

Shortly prior to the submission of the WFC delegates list, Mrs Khan’s name was removed and replaced with another name. It was brought to her attention that her name was removed. The removal was done arbitrarily and dubiously, without consultation with the WFC executive.”

Khan, also the Government’s Director of

Scene from a previous AFC meeting

Public Information, described his wife’s exclusion as “ludicrous”, since the WFC ought to have submitted a delegate list with its own secretary.

And according to Khan, the matter having been brought to the attention of the party’s Management Committee is likely to be resolved shortly.

“Any suggestion that I made representation that my wife be included on the WFC delegate list simply because she is my wife is false and ludicrous. My wife is the duly-appointed Secretary of the WFC and for her to be wilful-

ly excluded as a delegate is an absurdity,” he said.

“I have absolutely no apologies to make for representing the interests of my wife on the basis that she, in her own right – on the basis of the position she holds within the WFC – is entitled to be a delegate. I would do same for anyone who suffered similar attempts at removal if they held an executive position and were duly entitled.”

Meanwhile, Khan maintained that he himself was chosen as a delegate to the scheduled AFC National

Conference. According to him, he was nominated by the Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) Regional Management Committee.

This comes amid reports that Khan was in fact not nominated.

It was previously reported that Khan informed executives from his party of his intention to seek an injunction to halt the National Executive Conference (NEC) if his wife was not put on the delegate list.

AFC Executive Member Beverly Alert had said at the

time in a brief interview that the management committee was handling the situation.

What is unlikely, she noted, is the party giving in to threats.

“I can tell you the management committee, of which I’m a part, did receive messages from Mr Khan, along those lines. But the matter is being handled … I don’t see the management committee giving into any threats. But (we’re) examining processes, because we’re a democratic party and at the end of the day, the democratic process will be subscribed to,” she declared.

Much will be at stake for the AFC at this conference. For some time, there has been speculation from political analysts about divisions in the party, with some members supporting Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo to return as President David Granger’s running mate at the next General and Regional Elections.

However, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan had at a press conference in May announced that he

would be challenging his colleague for the post of Prime Minister at the upcoming national conference.

According to the Public Security Minister, if elected, he would be “up to the task”.

He had informed the media that leadership selection in the AFC is based on democratic principles, which are nothing new to political parties locally and internationally.

“I have already indicated my interest. There are others I am certain who will indicate their interests. And so it is going to be interesting, and it is good to have instead of political parties, the regular rivalry between leaders that you would have in the democracies…so yes, we will be looking forward for it and that will be decided there at the national conference,” Ramjattan had said.

Minister Ramjattan had noted that the electoral process at the upcoming conference will be the deciding factor as to who be running as the prime ministerial candidate at the next General And Regional Elections.

Sacked GuySuCo workers among new recruits for oil and gas sector

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fter losing their jobs when Government closed several sugar estates over the past years, some former Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) workers are now turning towards the budding oil and gas industry.

There are at least 11 former GuySuCo workers who have been recruited by TOTALTEC Oilfield Services, which has partnered with Guyana Shore Base Inc (GYSBI) to recruit and train over 120 Guyanese in basic safety and oilfield operations

to enable them to successfully join and participate in the emergent oil and gas sector.

With offshore operations moving apace, these 120 recruits are expected to fill safety and operational positions on the shore base located in Houston, Greater

1st cassava factory project successfully completed in Region 1

– construction cost at $26M

The Cassava Factory under construction

C

onstructed at a total cost of $26 million, the first-ever Cassava Processing Factory is now completed, and is expected to significantly benefit the residents of the Kwebanna community, located in Moruca, Region One (Barima-Waini).

The project, which commenced in December of 2018, was conceptualised with the main goal of providing a string of benefits, with employment opportunities being on top of the list. With the new processing facility now available, residents can now have jobs in either the processing or packaging departments, while farmers will solely take advantage of supplying cassava to the factory so an income can be earned.

The factory is expected

to produce its main product of cassava flour, since a recent study conducted by the Kwebanna Farmers’ Cooperative, determined that the production of cassava flour would provide a great source of income for farmers and vendors in the local markets.

In addition to the main product, the facility will also supply cassareep, starch, and other cassava

by-products.

A visit to the brand-new building was recently made

by Minister within the Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Ministry, Valerie GarridoLowe and a team from the Ministry.

Meanwhile, the Business Ministry as well as the Social Protection Ministry will shortly provide training for persons in the community who are most likely to be employed at the factory.

The Business Ministry is expected to facilitate training in the area of packaging of items while the Social Protection Ministry will facilitate training in the area of processing.

Funds allocated for the project covered the construction of the building, the clearing and preparing of 30 acres of land, and the supply of cassava sticks.

The completed Cassava Processing Factory

Georgetown. These recruits are expected to undergo a four-month training exercise conducted at the TOTALTEC International Petroleum and Maritime Academy (IPMA, known as The Academy) using their existing programmes.

At the launch of the training on Wednesday, TOTALTEC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lars Mangal noted that it was a major undertaking to recruit and train 120 new young men and women for the industry.

“This journey has been one very, very challenging journey to catalyse and create capacity-building efforts that’s foundational to the Guyana oil and gas industry, and that starts with getting people into the industry – Guyanese, especially young people into the industry – in a foundational way so they can then start to build meaningful careers for themselves, their families in the industry, in a safe and professional way,” Mangal stated.

Over the past year, TOTALTEC has recruited, trained and found gainful employment for over 150 Guyanese. The Academy usually recruits and trains persons who are then employed by oil companies.

Petroleum Geologist at the Department of Energy, Marissa Foster, encouraged Guyanese to take advantage of the opportunities being offered by TOTALTEC. “Through joint ventures like these, it is our vision that the Guyanese people will not only be trained to push buttons and turn knobs, but they will also have an understanding of the procedures behind the work they do … It is only through this that our people can gain experience in the sector and really contribute to the overall national development,” Foster asserted.

Meanwhile, Natural Resources Minister Raphael

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman along with Marissa Foster from the Energy Department and officials from TOTALTEC with the new recruits

Trotman, who has been a patron of the recruiting agency, lauded the company for its effort in allowing Guyanese to benefit from the oil and gas sector, especially the former sugar workers.

“Even as the industry is about to appear before us, it will still take years to get us fully in place. So hearing that we’re training 120 persons in four months is really what got me here today…

And it goes to show that in the midst of a crisis, there’s always an opportunity. So as the Wales Estate closed, we’re able to transfer not all but some persons here to receive training and I know that not only were they able to get work, but some were even taken abroad to New Orleans (in the United States) for further training,” the Minister noted. <<<Guyana Times>>> caught up with two of the former GuySuCo workers in the first batch of 120 recruits.

Twenty-five-year-old Desmond Anderson, a former electrical and instrument repair mechanic from the now closed Rose Hall Estate, and Santkumar Singh, also 25, a former field workshop mechanic from the La Bonne Intention (LBI) Estate, both related that after losing their jobs following the closures, they were forced to take up employment in other fields.

Now with this opportunity that has come up, though in a completely new sector for them, they are both ready for the challenge.

“This is all new to me, but I’m all eager about the training. I don’t know what it might entail, but I’m willing and all determined to learn something new,” Anderson posited.

Meanwhile, Singh added: “The oil and gas field is different compared to GuySuCo, so yes it is going to be a challenge yes, but it’s something that we’re willing to take on.”

Among this first batch of recruits also are two female candidates, one of whom was an aspiring aeronautical engineer who was now eager to take a dip in this new budding industry.

“I was not able to continue (at the Aeronautical Engineering School) because of finances… and as soon as I saw this opportunity, I grabbed it. I feel very grateful to be one of the women chosen and I do advise that other women come on board, because we can do the same thing men can do,” Nyima Jemott contended.

Successful recruits will attend IPMA to undergo an intensive, six-week handson safety and operational training programme and will then joining GYSBI, which currently employs over 200 Guyanese in its shore base operations in a wide range of activities.

Interested candidates are asked to visit https://www. totaltec-os.com/careers for instructions on how to apply for recruitment.

16

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, June 6, 2019

Regional

Barbados PM announces La Luz del Mundo church leader charged with child rape sale of LIAT shares

Prime Minister Mia Mottley speaking in Parliament

T

he Barbados Government Tuesday night formally announced plans to sell its shares in the cash-strapped regional airline, LIAT, but insisted that it was committed to regional transportation and would continue to hold minimum shares in the Antigua-based carrier.

Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines, are the main shareholders of the airline that employs over 600 people and operates 491 flights weekly across 15 des-

tinations.

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley in a statement to Parliament confirmed reports that Antigua and Barbuda would be seeking to replace her country as the largest shareholder government by seeking to acquire the shares Bridgetown would be putting up for sale.

She said that Attorney General Dale Marshall would lead the negotiations.

“There is only so much that Barbados can responsibly do at this time given our current circumstances and our current position on

the journey which I referred to just now,” she said, having earlier made reference to the island's multimillion-dollar agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to turn around the ailing economy.

“Therefore…notwithstanding our absolute commitment to regional air travel and notwithstanding the fact and given in fact that the studies have recommended a different module and restructuring for LIAT and given the inability of the Government of Barbados to do for LIAT in the next five to 10 years what the Government of Barbados did for LIAT in the last five to 10 years when we moved significantly to assume major shareholder responsibilities, we have taken the determination, a decision as a cabinet that it is time for us to step back while at the same time allowing other governments to continue with their proposals to restructure LIAT in the way which they have determined.” (Excerpt

from CMC)

AG moves to abolish Preliminary Inquiries in Trinidad

Trinidadian Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi

I

n the Police Service, serious fraud matters are expected to be “managed imminently,” Attorney General Faris AlRawi warned on Tuesday.

However, Opposition Senator Saddam Hosein, in an immediate response, said he was worried about the proposed

law the Attorney General was presenting on Tuesday – to abolish Preliminary Inquiries (PIs) – which might be used to manipulate systems following what he said was an abuse of police powers recently.

Hosein queried if the law targeted certain people.

Al-Rawi hinted about what was to come as he spoke in the Senate, piloting a bill to abolish PIs and expedite justice systems.

He said PIs were a filtering mechanism allowing a magistrate to decide what cases go to the High Court.

He noted there were 44,183 summary and indictable matters in the Magistrate’s Court up to July 2018, including 2883 sexual offences matters.

Alluding to the “serious fraud matters” Police were

expected to “manage imminently” Al-Rawi said generally, no one wanted a 20year wait for issues to get to High Court.

He noted efforts to expedite systems had been caught in “analysis paralysis” for 30 years and Government was ready to abolish PIs. However, Hosein questioned the timing of the bill as he noted certain clauses allowed a prosecutor to decide a matter can go to a Master of the High Court.

He said it was dangerous since it rendered the Magistrate in the case powerless.

“We don’t want the prosecution to manipulate how the prosecution goes, as the Constitution allows everyone a fair trial,” he said.

(Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Jamaica: House approves merging PetroCaribe Fund into Consolidated Fund

T

he Jamaica House of Representatives Tuesday approved a bill amending the Petroleum Act to integrate the functions of the PetroCaribe Development Fund (PDF) into Central Government.

Pursuant to a Cabinet decision, the PetroCaribe Development Fund was established as a body corporate by the Government in December 2006, by way

of an amendment to the Petroleum Act. The body corporate was set up to manage the proceeds which accrued to Jamaica under the Energy Co-operation Agreement PetroCaribe, between the Government of Jamaica and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

The new bill has now given effect to a recent Cabinet decision to repeal that amendment of 2006, so

as to reintegrate the Fund into Central Government.

Previously, the PDF received broad policy directions from the Finance Minister, but was largely an independent and self-financing entity, with local funds that not only serviced Jamaica's oil debt to Venezuela, but could be invested mainly through loans to development projects. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

T

he leader of an international religious organisation is being held in the US on charges of human trafficking, child rape and other felonies.

Naasón Joaquín García, who heads La Luz del Mundo (The Light of the World) church, was detained at Los Angeles airport, California Prosecutors said.

García, known as "the Apostle" among his followers, and his three female co-defendants are facing 26 charges.

La Luz del Mundo said it was confident García would be proven innocent.

The organisation, which

has headquarters in Mexico, says it has baptised more than five million people around the globe.

It claims to have at least 1.8 million followers in Mexico alone. However, only 188,326 people stated their religion as being Luz del Mundo, says Mexico's official census (in Spanish) carried out in 2010.

In recent years, the church's influence has spread to the US, particularly in parts of California with large Hispanic populations.

In a statement released on Tuesday, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said García, a

Mexican national, and the three women allegedly committed 26 felonies in southern California between 2015 and 2018.

These included human trafficking, production of child sex abuse images and forcible rape of a minor.

The defendants are accused of coercing underage girls into performing sex acts. The girls were reportedly told that if they went against the wishes of "the Apostle", they would be going against God. "Crimes like those alleged... have no place in our society. Period," Becerra said. (Excerpt from BBC News)

“This vote now implies the beginning of talks with the Government,” independent legislator Juan Sheput told local television, referring to an expected jump start of negotiations over Vizcarra’s anti-corruption programme.

The confidence vote passed with 77 in favour, 44 against and three abstentions. Debate on the confidence motion had started on Tuesday and lasted for more than nine hours before resuming on Wednesday.

A vote of no confidence would have triggered the disbanding of the Cabinet

and allowed Vizcarra to call special legislative elections.

The threat triggered cries of “coup” from political enemies who accused him of strong-arming lawmakers.

Vizcarra called for the confidence vote after the Opposition voted down or otherwise blocked his reform agenda.

A business-friendly former Vice President, Vizcarra took office a little over a year ago after his predecessor resigned in disgrace – one of several politicians entangled in a bribery probe involving Brazilian builder Odebrecht. (Reuters)

With confidence vote, Peru revives debate over anti-graft reforms

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eru’s Government won a confidence vote in the country’s Congress on Wednesday, reviving debate over President Martin Vizcarra’s flagging effort to pass anti-corruption measures.

The President had asked the Opposition-controlled Congress for a confidence vote as part of his effort to pressure the legislature into approving a reform package, including measures aimed at cleaning up campaign financing and curbing the immunity against prosecution enjoyed by lawmakers.

T&T: Venezuelans at IDC on hunger strike

Venezuelan nationals detained at the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC)

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he chants of “libertad” (freedom) could be heard echoing through the walls of the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) in Aripo, Trinidad on Monday night.

As thousands of Venezuelans are now being registered to be free to live and work in the country for up to a year, the Venezuelan detainees at the IDC simply want to be free.

In a WhatsApp video, a spokesman for the group spoke of their frustration as

he pleaded for answers as to why they were still behind bars. Dressed in an orange t-shirt with the label “IDC detainee”, the man, who did not disclose his name, was surrounded in the video by approximately two dozen other men.

Speaking in English, he said, that as of Monday the Venezuelan men and women at the facility would be embarking on a hunger strike.

“We ain’t accepting no diet because we ain’t receiving no concrete answers, we ha-

ven’t received no truth.”

The video camera then focused on a man with a large bandage on his stomach, who proceeded to peel it off to display what looked like an eight-inch vertical scar. The spokesman said the man underwent surgery one month ago and was still being held despite his medical condition.

He identified another detainee, whom he said was 60 years old and who had voluntarily turned himself into immigration, but despite having all his paperwork for refugee status from the Living Waters Community, which was displayed in the video, he too was not being released.

“People here already paid their fine, everything is in order to get released and they still haven’t gotten released…We sick and tired of being basically kidnapped here,” he said.

Five days ago, the Government commenced its Venezuelan registration policy. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Hope grows for deal to ward off Trump's tariffs on Mexican imports

M

exican officials met with their US counterparts for talks in Washington on Wednesday aimed at reaching a deal to stave off the imposition of US tariffs on Mexican goods next week, even as their Government prepared to retaliate if duties go ahead.

Frustrated by the lack of

progress on a signature issue from his 2016 election campaign, US President Donald Trump unexpectedly told Mexico last week to take a harder line on curbing illegal immigration or face five per cent tariffs on all its exports to the United States starting on Monday, rising to as much as 25 per

cent later in the year.

If the tariffs go ahead, the United States would be in a serious dispute with two of its three top trading partners. US relations with China have worsened in the past month as Washington and Beijing have imposed additional tariffs on each other’s imports. (Excerpt from Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, June 6, 2019

17

Around the World

Queen praises the “courage Sudan protesters “totally and sacrifice” of D-Day reject” call for talks; 101 killed

Queen Elizabeth, joined by 16 world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, pays tribute to the “heroism, courage and sacrifice” of those who died in the D-Day landings, on the 75th anniversary of history’s largest combined land, air, and naval operation

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he Queen has paid tribute to the “heroism, courage and sacrifice” of those who died in the D-Day landings.

She was joined by 16 world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, in Portsmouth to commemorate the 75th anniversary of history’s largest combined land, air, and naval operation.

Trump, who was on the last day of his UK State visit, said D-Day “may have been the greatest battle ever”.

Veterans of the landings in Normandy to liberate Western Europe also attended.

The Queen said the veterans of D-Day demonstrated “more than courage and endurance”, showing “unconquerable resolve”.

The quotes came from a broadcast by her father, King George VI, made at the time of the massive operation that signalled the end of Nazi power in Western Europe.

“The fate of the world depended on their success,”

she said. “Many of them would never return, and the heroism, courage and sacrifice of those who lost their lives will never be forgotten.”

She thanked them “with humility and pleasure, on behalf of the entire country, indeed the whole free world”.

Later in the afternoon, veterans Harry Read, 95, and John Hutton, 94, parachuted back into Normandy, 75 years after their first landing.

However this time, they jumped in tandem with members of the Army’s Parachute Regiment display team, the Red Devils.

They were greeted with cheers and applause as they landed in the French fields.

Hutton told the BBC before the jump: “My main objective is to pay my respects to people on the ground who never came back.”

Read added: “[On D-Day] there was an almighty fireworks display taking place just ahead of us – and we were going straight into it.

“It was an horrendous inferno to go in to.” (Excerpt from

D

Democrats to the Red-Green Alliance looked set to get 94 seats against 81 for the ruling Liberal Party and others on the right, according to a projection by the State broadcaster DR based on an exit poll and early counting.

The nationalist Danish People’s Party, which has supported incumbent Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen’s minority gov-

from the river on Tuesday, a day after security forces stormed the weeks-long sit-in outside the military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum.

“To this moment, the total number of deaths that have been accounted by doctors is 101,” it said.

No official casualty figures have been released.

The raid on Monday marked a pivotal moment in the weeks-long struggle between the powerful military council and Opposition groups over who should lead Sudan’s transition to democracy following the re-

ernment, appeared to have lost more than half of its voters since the 2015 election.

Social Democratic leader Mette Frederiksen’s promise to increase welfare spending after years of austerity along with her tougher stance on immigration had gone down well with voters in opinion polls ahead of the vote. (Excerpt from Reuters)

moval of President Omar al-Bashir in April.

Immediately after the crackdown, the military council cancelled all agreements it had reached with the Opposition, but on Wednesday it rowed back amid mounting international criticism of the violence.

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the military council, said the body was ready to resume negotiations and that there would be “no restrictions” in talks with the leaders behind the months-long street protests. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

US Senators seek to block Trump arms sales to Saudi Arabia

tial oversight role in the decision to sell weapons and we must ensure proper procedures are in place in any weapons transfer,” Senator Todd Young, a member of the Republican leadership team in the Senate, said in a joint statement issued by the Senators on Wednesday.

BBC News)

Danish centre-left Opposition to take power – projection after early count

enmark could become the third Nordic country in a year to elect a leftist government as voters in Wednesday’s parliamentary election appeared to rebel against austerity measures and deal a blow to right-wing nationalists.

A leftist bloc of Opposition parties ranging from the centre-left Social

S

udanese protest leaders have “totally” rejected the military’s offer for an unconditional resumption of talks as the death toll since a violent dispersal of a protest camp jumped to 101.

The toll rose on Wednesday after a doctors’ group aligned to the protest movement said 40 bodies were pulled from the Nile River and taken to an unknown location by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said the bodies were retrieved

Congress has repeatedly blocked sales of certain military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, pointing to the huge civilian death toll from the Saudi-UAE air campaign in Yemen [File:

A

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]

bipartisan group of seven influential United States Senators said on Wednesday they intend to force congressional votes on 22 resolutions that would block President Donald Trump’s recently-announced sales of US weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had informed

Congress on May 24 that the Trump Administration was declaring a national security emergency in order to waive congressional review of US$8.1 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Pompeo cited military tension with Iran for the emergency declaration, prompting Senators to dispute the validity of Pompeo’s claim.

“Congress has an essen-

“In light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen, we have an obligation to ensure the adequate guardrails are in place and that weapons transfers to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates do not exacerbate the conflict,” Young said, adding alleged threats from Iran “do not justify” the Trump Administration sidestepping Congress.

Congress has repeatedly blocked sales of certain military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, pointing to the huge civilian death toll from the Saudi Arabia-UAE air campaign in Yemen, as well as human rights abuses. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

China’s panda diplomacy puts a India’s 1st openly gay athlete faces family backlash smile on “best friend” Putin’s face

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping visit the Moscow Zoo, which received a pair of giant pandas from China, in Moscow, Russia, June 5, 2019

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hinese President Xi Jinping presented two pandas to Moscow’s zoo at a ceremony with President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, in a gesture the Russian leader described

as a sign of deepening trust and respect between the two powers.

Xi unveiled the pandas – Ru Yi and Ding Ding – after talks with Putin whom he called his “best friend” at

the start of a three-day visit that will see him attend Russia’s flagship economic forum in St Petersburg later this week.

The pandas, who could be seen chomping bamboo as Xi and Putin arrived, will living in a specially built enclosure. Beijing has loaned them to Moscow for 15 years as part of a joint research project.

Xi’s visit to Russia comes with Moscow’s ties with the West at post-Cold War lows and with Beijing’s relations with the United States strained over a trade war.

Both powers are eager to show they are strengthening ties. (Excerpt from Reuters)

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utee Chand, India’s first openly gay athlete, is facing a barrage of criticism from her family after announcing she was in a same-sex relationship.

The sprinter, 23, came out last month, revealing her “soulmate” was a 19-year-old woman from her village.

India’s historic decision to decriminalise gay sex in 2018 inspired her decision, she said.

But since publicly coming out, her family have reacted with hostility.

Her mother and father, Akhuji and Chakradhar Chand, have not accepted their daughter’s wish to “settle down” with her partner.

Chand has called their relationship “immoral and unethical”, telling the Times of India: “She has destroyed the reputation of our village.”

Speaking to the Indian

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10 until further notice”.

Koryo Tours, another North Korea specialist, also gave the same date.

Pyongyang has so far made no comments.

On Monday, Kim criticised the games for “their wrong spirit of creation”.

After attending the opening day of the colourful and well-choreographed event,

he also spoke of an “irresponsible work attitude”, State media reported.

Kim had already called earlier this year for a new approach to propaganda.

Correspondents say North Korea may be preparing for more economic and ideological isolation after talks with the US stalled.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

BBC News)

Outcry as Australian Police search public broadcaster

North Korea’s Mass Games “paused” after Kim criticism

orth Korea’s most important propaganda event, the Mass Games, has been put on hold after criticism from the country’s leader Kim Jongun, tour firms say.

Young Pioneer Tour, a company which organisers trips to the hermit state, tweeted that the games “will be stopped from June

Express last month, Mrs Chand said she would not allow her daughter to marry her partner of five years, who is from their village, Chaka Gopalpur, in Odisha’s Jajpur district.

“We belong to a traditional Odia weaver community which does not permit such things. How can we face our relatives and the society? I am with her as long as she is with sports not beyond that,” she said. (Excerpt from

Police Officers arrived at the Sydney headquarters of Australia’s public broadcaster on Wednesday morning

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police raid on A u s t r a l i a n Broadcasting Corp (ABC) has drawn fire from broadcasters and rights groups.

Officers arrived at the public broadcaster’s Sydney headquarters with search

warrants naming two reporters and the news director. The ABC has protested over the raid.

Police searched the home of a News Corp Journalist on Tuesday, sparking alarm.

The BBC said it was “deeply troubling” for a

broadcaster to be searched.

The leading journalists’ union in the country said the two raids represented a “disturbing pattern of assaults on Australian press freedom”. Other unions and human rights groups also condemned the actions.

In a statement, ABC Managing Director David Anderson said the Police raid “raises legitimate concerns over freedom of the press”.

“The ABC stands by its journalists, will protect its sources and continue to report without fear or favour on national security and intelligence issues when there is a clear public interest.”

(Excerpt from BBC News)

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thursday, June 6, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

dilbert

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

SUDOKU

Take it easy. Digest what’s happening and be reasonable and responsible in the way you respond.

Look for the positive in everything that develops to find a workable solution.

Speak up and forge ahead. Don’t let an opportunity pass you by. If you want something, go after it wholeheartedly. Your enthusiasm will encourage others to pitch in and help.

Volunteering can be rewarding, but don’t let anyone take advantage of you.

Wisely choose whom you help in order to avoid frustration. Look for opportunities that will benefit you as well as others.

Use your imagination to find a way to make a difference or offer a solution that will benefit you as well as others. Express your thoughts and bring about change.

Watch what others do and consider all your options before you decide to get involved in something that is time-consuming or unfamiliar to you. Take baby steps.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Show everyone what you can do. Step up and lead the way by making a bold move that will gain you attention. It’s your chance to shine.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Gather information, be observant and look at all your options. If you face controversy or demanding people, it’s best to be prepared. Facts will be your best defense.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

If you see what’s happening around you and discover what’s trending, you’ll be able to make interesting choices that will set you up for new and exciting opportunities.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

Don’t lose sight of who you are or what you want.

Someone will try to manipulate you. Say no to a joint venture, even in the face of pressure.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

Say the word and you’ll get the support you need to bring about positive change. Personal improvements will make you feel and look your best.

Romance is highlighted.

solution for LAST PUBLISHED puzzle AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Set guidelines to avoid overspending or getting involved in something that could cause problems with institutions or influential people. Focus on health, fitness and personal improvements.

Expand your interests and broaden your circle of friends. The more you interact with others, the better equipped you will be to make good choices that will improve your life.

thursday, june 6, 2019

19

Bumrah, Rohit, Chahal give India winning start W

hoooooooosh! That’s the sound of ball beating bat; and South Africa were not in control of nine of the first 12 balls that Jasprit Bumrah bowled.

Crrrraaaccckkkkkk! That’s the sound of ball hitting bat and breaking it. Kagiso Rabada made sure the entire world could hear it.

But outside of that match-up, South Africa really had nothing to offer India. They’d lost Dale Steyn, they don’t know when Lungi Ngidi would be fit again, and they can’t ask AB de Villiers to come back. Meanwhile, the other team had the world’s best batsman, one of the bowlers of this generation, and two highlyskilled wrist-spinners. Essentially, this game was like an Angry Bird fighting Thanos.

The impression hit home even further when Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav worked in tandem. From 78 for 2, it was quickly 89 for 5 as the revolutions those two put on the ball produced dip, drift and sheer magic.

Rassie van der Dussen tried to reverse sweep his way out of trouble and was bowled. JP Duminy tried to play off the back foot, hoping to read the turn off the pitch. Out lbw. Even their captain, Faf du Plessis, couldn’t keep a slider from crashing into his stumps.

South Africa were on a recovery missing from that point, on and though Chris Morris did rather well in the final overs, walloping 42 off 34 balls, the early damage was just too much.

That is why Bumrah was the biggest influence in this game, and watching him was a pleasure.

The fast bowlers’ glare tends to go down in history, but it’s even cooler when they smirk; it’s almost as if they’re telling the batsmen, “Heh, is it that easy to beat you?”

Bumrah’s upper lip curled several times in his first over on World Cup debut. He had Quinton de Kock - a legitimate contender for Man of the Series in this tournament - looking like

a cardboard cutout. Everything zipped past the edge, and each time the bowler just smirked.

Each time, all he did was smirk.

A wicket looked around the corner, except it was Hashim Amla who fell, caught at first slip off the first ball he faced from Bumrah. Du Plessis walked in with four catchers behind him.

The level of cricket at this World Cup is also a function of the pitches being rolled out (and maybe the 10.30am starts as well). Groundsmen all across England have been good enough to leave a little grass on the pitches - it was uneven in Southampton, resulting in several balls kicking up off a length - and that’s made the contest between bat and ball all the more compelling. So making runs here mattered; it signalled that you had the bottle to succeed.

And Rohit Sharma showed plenty. A few of his 122 runs came off mishits. He was even dropped on 1 when Rabada was in the middle of a scary good spell. But then, in the eighth

BCB/Let’s Bet tournament bowls off on Sunday

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he cricket season will resume this Sunday, June 9, 2019, with the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) Let’s Bet 100 balls’ tournament, and matches will be played at every ground across the ‘ancient county’.

Zone ‘B’ teams: Sunday 9th June, 2019 1. Rose Hall Canje vs Kendall Union Sports Star at Canje 2. Young Warriors ‘A’ Cricket Club vs Kendall Union Cricket Club at # 19 Village 3. Betsy Ground Cricket Club vs Mental Hospital at Mental Hospital 4. Young Warriors ‘B’ vs Tucber Park ‘B’ at Cumberland 5. Tucber Park ‘A’ vs East Bank Blazers at East Bank 6. Edinburgh Warriors vs Police at Edinburgh 7. Flying Stars vs Goed

3

SCOREBOARD

South Africa Innings (50 overs maximum) HM Amla c Sharma b Bumrah 6 Q de Kock † c Kohli b Bumrah 10 F du Plessis (c) b Chahal 38 HE van der Dussen b Chahal 22 DA Miller c & b Chahal 31 JP Duminy lbw b Kuldeep Yadav 3 AL Phehlukwayo st †Dhoni b Chahal 34 CH Morris c Kohli b Kumar 42 K Rabada not out 31 Imran Tahir c Jadhav b Kumar 0 Extras 10 (b 1, lb 3, w 6) TOTAL 227/9 (50 Overs, RR: 4.54) Did not bat: T Shamsi Fall of wickets: 1-11 (HM Amla, 3.2 ov), 2-24 (Q de Kock, 5.5 ov), 3-78 (HE van der Dussen, 19.1 ov), 4-80 (F du Plessis, 19.6 ov), 5-89 (JP Duminy, 22.6 ov), 6-135 (DA Miller, 35.3 ov), 7-158 (AL Phehlukwayo, 39.3 ov), 8-224 (CH Morris, 49.2 ov), 9-227 (Imran Tahir, 49.6 ov) BOWLING O M R W B Kumar 10 0 44 2

although the format allows for a slow start, the team is short on

JJ Bumrah 10 1 35 2 HH Pandya 6 0 31 0 Kuldeep Yadav 10 0 46 1 YS Chahal 10 0 51 4 KM Jadhav 4 0 16 0 India Innings (target: 228 runs from 50 overs) S Dhawan c †de Kock b Rabada 8 RG Sharma not out 122 V Kohli (c) c †de Kock b Phehlukwayo 18 KL Rahul c du Plessis b Rabada 26 MS Dhoni † c & b Morris 34 HH Pandya not out 15 Extras 7 (lb 3, w 4) TOTAL 230/4 (47.3 Overs, RR: 4.84) Yet to bat: KM Jadhav, B Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, YS Chahal, JJ Bumrah Fall of wickets: 1-13 (S Dhawan, 5.1 ov), 2-54 (V Kohli, 15.3 ov), 3-139 (KL Rahul, 31.3 ov), 4-213 (MS Dhoni, 46.1 ov) BOWLING O M R W Imran Tahir 10 0 58 0 K Rabada 10 1 39 2 CH Morris 10 3 36 1 AL Phehlukwayo8.3 0 40 1 T Shamsi 9 0 54 0

resources and practically bereft of confidence. (ESPN cricinfo)

Cheong’s hat-trick hands Rising Stars title

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This Let’s Bet tournament will be played across four zones, but players under the age of 18 are debarred from participation. The following fixtures have been released by the BCB. Zone ‘A’ teams: Sunday 9th June, 2019 1. Blairmont vs Bath Sports Club at Bath 2. D’Edward vs Blairmont Remnants Cricket Club at D’ Edward 3. Cotton Tree Die Hards vs #5 Monedderlust at Cotton Tree 4. Bush Lot United vs Achievers Cricket Club at Bush Lot 5. Hopetown Cricket Club vs Paradise Challengers at Paradise 6. Bush Lot Rising Stars bye

over, he hit a glorious pull shot and never looked back. Braving through very difficult spells of fast bowling is a part of his game that doesn’t get enough credit.

“Couldn’t play my natural game,” Rohit said at the presentation. “You have to play out and see what the ball was doing, and take your time to play those shots. Certain shots that I love to play, I had to cut it down and make sure I play close to the body, and make sure I leave as many balls as possible in the initial spell. Those are the basics that you had to do on a pitch like that, and that’s what I was trying to do.”

Sticking to that game plan meant he was there to help India recover from a poor start (They lost Shikhar Dhawan for 8). He was there when South Africa got rid of Virat Kohli, thanks to a perfectly executed plan (consistently bowl back of a length and along the line of fifth stump); and he was still there when the winning runs were hit (Hardik Pandya putting the final flourish with a violent cut shot).

You can’t ask more of an opener.

South Africa, meanwhile, have a lot to think about.

They’ve lost all three of their matches at this World Cup; and

Bananen Land at Flying Stars 8. Mt Sinai vs Guymine at Mt Sinai Zone ‘C’ teams: Sunday 9th June 2019 1. Chesney vs No 1 Road Cricket Club at Chesney 2. Courtland Cricket Club vs Topoo at Topoo 3. Albion Open Cricket Team vs Nigg Intruders 4. Belvedere United vs Kilcoy at Kilcoy 5. RHT Bakewell ‘A’ vs Whim at Area ‘H’ 6. Rose Hall Town Tigers vs Tain Block 4 at Tain 7. Albion Community Centre vs Big Star at Albion 8. Tamarind Root vs Fyrish Road Club at Hampshire 9. Fyrish Cricket Club vs Kildonan Cricket Club at Fyrish 10.Port Mourant vs Ramnarine Memorial at Port Mourant 11.Jai Hind bye Zone ‘D’ teams: Sunday

9th June, 2019 1. Crabwood Creek Sports Club vs #52 Survival Cricket Club at Crabwood Creek 2. Bomb Squad vs #43 Scorpions at #43 3. All Family CC vs #70 MYO CC at #70 MYO 4. Yakusari Horizon CC vs Yakusari Carib CC at Yakusari 5. Dukestown CC vs #68 Darkeners CC at #60 6. Radha Krishna Academy vs # 64 Fighting Marines CC at#64 7. Scottsburg United CC vs#69 Vikings CC at #69 8. #66 Giants CC vs #48 Challengers CC at #48 9. Skeldon Titans CC vs #70 Young Blood CC at Skeldon 10. #69 Red Rose vs #70 Spartan at Red Rose 11. #71 Sports Club vs #68 Turn team at #68 12. #73 Young Warriors vs #72 All Stars Cricket Club 13. #72 Cut and Load Cricket Team bye.

fter weeks of ‘fighting’ to book a spot in the finals of the Laluni T20 Cricket Tournament, Rising Stars and Laluni eventually emerged as the teams to face off against each other in the final match being played at the Laluni Ground.

The game was reduced to 12 overs per side because the ground had been ravaged by intermittent showers on the eve of the finale. Rising Stars won the toss and, expecting to dominate the opposition on a sticky wicket, decided to bat first.

With an unfortunate history of contesting final matches in 2019 only to lose and settle for runners-up, Rising Stars had jagged nerves coming up against Laluni, and their batting failed miserably as they were bundled out for 60 in their allotted 12 overs.

No batsman could reach a competitive total, except George Carrington who played a resistant 27 (2×6 1×4), and Darren France, who chipped in with 19 (2×6) at the back end of the innings.

The chief tormentor from Laluni was Troy (only name), who bagged impressive figures of 4-8 in his three overs.

Needing 61 for victory off 72 balls, at 5.08 runs per over, the Laluni side were considered as having the match in the bag.

They, however, were never

The victorious Rising Stars team

able to get going as the Rising Stars bowlers, maintaining a disciplined line and length, skittled out Laluni for a mere 49 runs, with no batsman making any significant contribution.

Bowling for Rising Stars, Marvin Cheong took 3-5 in 3 overs, including a hat trick; Shane Persaud took 3-13 in 3 overs, and Shaquille Brisport took 2-15. Rising Stars won the

match by 11 runs.

It is worth mentioning that the Rising Stars have previously had outstanding performances from players such as Marvin Cheong, who has proven to be an exceptional wicket-taker; Keon Roberts, Travis Cato, Shaquille Brisport and Shane Persaud, all of whom have proven their worth with bat and ball respectively.

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GUYANATIMESgy.COM

thursday, june 6, 2019

Taylor’s 50, Henry’s burst help New Zealand secure nervy win over Bangladesh

Ross Taylor celebrating his halfcentury

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e

Williamson is not a man who telegraphs his emotions too readily, but the look of self-recrimination and fury in the eyes of this New Zealand captain was unmistakable after the most fleeting moment of arrogance in a supremely humble career managed to turn a calm and collected victory cruise into an agonising scramble across the line.

His side had made it… just, by two wickets and with 17 balls to spare, as the bespectacled Mitchell Santner did his best Daniel Vettori impression to ride out a wave of Bangladeshi emotion on the pitch and in the stands, piercing the covers one last time to end the agonies of the more senior batsmen in the pavilion and seal New Zealand’s sta-

tus as the first team in this competition to win back-toback matches. But the drama that preceded that moment of Kiwi catharsis had to be lived to be believed.

The upshot may not have been the encore that the tiger-striped denizens of South London had been rooting for. Once again, they had turned The Oval into a home-away-from-home to rival the West Indian support here in the 1970s and 80s; but there was plenty in their team’s performance from which to take heart -not least the heart itself.

Broadly speaking, the rivalry between Bangladesh and New Zealand is characterised by mutual respect. They play one another more often than many sides, drawn together - as they are - by their relative lack of status compared to the big boys of their respective hemispheres. And for the best part of 80 overs of another slow-boiling epic at The Oval, New Zealand appeared to have successfully killed their opponents with kindness.

They had played a canny game in the field after winning the toss and bowling, going hard with the new ball as befits one of the most

potent attacks in the game, before easing back through the middle overs and allowing Bangladesh the leeway to make their own mistakes.

A steady drip of wickets stymied the Bangladesh initial hopes of another 300plus total, and left them grateful to reach 244.

And then, in reply, New Zealand produced a similarly quick-slow approach with the bat - a pair of tub-thumping cameos from Martin Guptill and Colin Munro gave way to a poised and dignified 105-stand between Williamson and Ross Taylor, the side’s elder statesmen, whose eye for a gap in the covers just about managed to offset their ropey running.

Williamson, on 7, ought to have been run out to leave New Zealand wobbling at 60 for 3, but Mushfiqur Rahim broke the stumps in his eagerness to gather a shy that was set to do the job for him.

It looked at the time like a critical error, and for the next 100 runs, Bangladesh could only rue what might have been.

At 160 for 2 after 31 overs, New Zealand needed 85 more in 19 overs, and the jeopardy of the contest appeared to have long since

Windjammer joins sponsorship team for Drag Racing round 2

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i n d j a m m e r International Cuisine and Comfort Inn, a comfy hotel and restaurant located at 27 Queen Street, Kitty, Georgetown, has joined the sponsorship team for the upcoming round (#2) of the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club’s (GMR&SC’s) National Drag Racing Championships, set for June 23rd at the South Dakota circuit.

In a ceremony to mark the handing over of its sponsorship on Wednesday, Windjammer’s Managing Director Carey Griffith told the media, “We are really happy to be back on board again with motorsport. We’ve sponsored circuit racing and endurance racing before, and while this isn’t our first drag racing venture, we believe that this event is going to be huge.”

Windjammer had, in the past, lodged foreign racers who had come to Guyana to participate in various events sponsored by the GMR&SC, including the last international drag meet.

“Why are we on board with this? We just love racing, especially motor-cycles; and like I said before, we feel that it is time we show a little bit more support to racing,”

Windjammer representative Shannon Stevenson (left) handing over the sponsorship cheque to Cheryl Gonsalves of the GMR&SC at the club’s Thomas Lands and Albert Street office in Georgetown

Griffith explained.

He spoke of the buildup to the international drag racing meet billed for later this year, and indicated that Windjammer is already putting together packages for those international competitors out of Suriname.

In a brief comment, GMR&SC Executive Committee member Motilall Deodass

welcomed Windjammer back into the fold, and said, “They are undoubtedly a huge part of racing locally. We have always enjoyed a great partnership with them, and this time it’s no different.”

Admission to the June 23rd event stands at $500 for kids and $1000 for adults, and the action begins at 10:00h.

dissipated. But then back into the attack came the flighted off-spin of Mehedy Hasan, and something in Williamson’s icy demeanour melted.

Perhaps he fleetingly allowed his thoughts to stray to that old chestnut, Net Run Rate. Given the tightness of the table so far, some unlucky team is bound to find themselves ruing it at some stage. Or perhaps he simply underestimated the whip of his own elastic wrists. But when Mehedy tossed one into his toes, Williamson succeeded only in a pinpoint flick to deep midwicket, and the ghost of a contest had been stirred.

By the end of the same over, New Zealand were 162 for 4, with Tom Latham gone as well for a duck, stunningly caught by the diving Mohammad Saifuddin at deep midwicket, as Latham got greedy on a long-hop but failed to pick his spot.

And suddenly Taylor, so fluent in reaching his 40-ball half-century, was patting back half-volleys and guarding his wicket with his life.

So long as he endured, New Zealand had the game more or less in their control.

But on 82, having ground 13 runs from 24 balls since the start of the jitters, Taylor tickled a leg-stump turner from Mosaddek Hossain into the hands of Mushfiqur behind the stumps, to deepen his team’s gloom; whereupon Saifuddin took his own cue to rattle the lower-middle order.

Colin de Grandhomme had no answer to a brilliant slower-ball bouncer from Saifuddin. He reflexively sought to ramp it, but toe-ended a vertical takeoff for the vertically challenged Mushfiqur; and after Mosaddek had lured Jimmy Neesham into a death-orglory slap to long-off without addition, Saifuddin stormed in once more, swinging a low full toss into Matt Henry’s middle stump with seven runs still needed for victory.

Saifuddin’s hurricane blew out soon afterwards, however.

Back-to-back wides, the latter a misdirected yorker, gave way to a slender edge through third man to bring the scores level, whereupon Santner, as cool as the atmosphere was fervent, rifled his drive to finish on a vital 17 not out from 12.

There was disappointment, but little in the way of despondency, from Bangladesh’s players at the

Kane Williamson in action

3

SCOREBOARD

Bangladesh Innings (50 overs maximum) T Iqbal c Boult b Ferguson 24 S Sarkar b Henry 25 S Al Hasan c †Latham b de Grandhomme 64 M Rahim † run out (Guptill/†Latham) 19 M Mithun c de Grandhomme b Henry 26 Mahmudullah c Williamson b Santner 20 M Hossain c Guptill b Boult 11 M Saifuddin b Henry 29 M Hasan Miraz c †Latham b Boult 7 M Mortaza (c) c Boult b Henry 1 M Rahman not out 0 Extras 18 (b 1, lb 8, w 9) TOTAL 244 all out (49.2 Overs, RR: 4.94) Fall of wickets: 1-45 (S Sarkar, 8.3 ov), 2-60 (T Iqbal, 13.2 ov), 3-110 (M Rahim, 23.5 ov), 4-151 (S Al Hasan, 30.2 ov), 5-179 (M Mithun, 37.1 ov), 6-197 (Mahmudullah, 42.3 ov), 7-224 (M Hossain, 46.2 ov), 8-235 (M Hasan Miraz, 48.2 ov), 9-244 (M Mortaza, 49.1 ov), 10-244 (M Saifuddin, 49.2 ov) BOWLING MJ Henry (9.2-0-47-4) TA Boult (10-0-4-2) LH Ferguson (10-0-40-1) C de Grandhomme (8-0-391) JDS Neesham (2-0-24-0) MJ Santner (10-1-41-1) end. In previous World Cup campaigns, they would have rued their ill-luck and chastised themselves for crucial missed moments, but they left the field knowing that they had hounded New Zealand every step of the way, and proven beyond any remaining doubt that they are no makeweights in this ten-team draw.

If there was any cause for regret in the post-mortem, it was that their batting had failed to ignite in the manner that it had done in their ODI-record total of 330 in the victory over South Africa. At 82 for 2 after 20 overs, they had laid an impressive platform and withstood the attentions of Trent Boult in particular, whose initial five-over spell was tight but wicketless.

But thereafter, they were stymied by the relentless dot-to-dot discipline of

New Zealand Innings (target: 245 runs from 50 overs) MJ Guptill c T Iqbal b S Al Hasan 25 C Munro c M Hasan Miraz b S Al Hasan 24 KS Williamson (c) c M Hossain b M Hasan Miraz 40 LRPL Taylor c †M Rahim b M Hossain 82 TWM Latham † c M Saifuddin b M Hasan Miraz 0 JDS Neesham c S Sarkar b Mk Hossain 25 C de Grandhomme c †M Rahim b M Saifuddin 15 MJ Santner not out 17 MJ Henry b Mohammad Saifuddin 6 LH Ferguson not out 4 Extras 10 (nb 1, w 9) TOTAL 248/8 (47.1 Overs, RR: 5.25) Yet to bat: TA Boult Fall of wickets: 1-35 (MJ Guptill, 5.1 ov), 2-55 (C Munro, 9.6 ov), 3-160 (KS Williamson, 31.1 ov), 4-162 (TWM Latham, 31.6 ov), 5-191 (LRPL Taylor, 38.3 ov), 6-218 (C de Grandhomme, 42.5 ov), 7-218 (JDS Neesham, 43.3 ov), 8-238 (MJ Henry, 46.3 ov) BOWLING M Mortaza (5-0-32-0) M Hasan Miraz(10-0-47-2) M Rahman (7.1-0-48-0) S Al Hasan (10-0-47-2) M Saifuddin (7-0-41-2) M Hossain (8-0-33-2) Santner’s left-arm spin, whose ten overs for 41 were dented by a last-ball slap for six, before being pegged back by Matt Henry’s aggressive four-wicket haul.

Shakib Al Hasan topscored with 64, before loosely chopping a long-hop to the keeper; but none of his top eight team-mates managed to emerge beyond the 20s - including Mushfiqur, whose run-out for 19 ended a 50-run stand for the third wicket that briefly had Bangladesh eyeing up 300.

But with a brilliant win and now a very near-miss against two of their apparent superiors, Bangladesh remain every bit as well placed for the semi-finals as any of the teams around them, including the one that has now broken out of the pack to record the first back-to-back wins of the tournament. (ICC)

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thursday, june 6, 2019

21

Guyana to play T10 tournament in Trinidad

CLASSIFIED – Bravo, Narine, Pollard, Paul to feature ADS familiar bunch of players will At stake in this tournament is a first North Tobago: Kieron Pollard, Dwayne ARACARI

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represent Guyana in the UDeCOTT T10 International Cricket Tournament to be played in Trinidad and Tobago from Friday June 7th to Sunday June 9th instant.

The Guyana squad will be led by the proven and dependable Leon Johnson, and will feature West Indies World Cup reserve player Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford and Raymon Reifer besides, according to the Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, the spin twins of Veerasammy Permaul and Devandra Bishoo.

Their opponent teams will feature some of the big names in West Indies Cricket, including Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine, Andre Fletcher and Kesrick Williams.

The ten-over tournament will be played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, and is expected to see Guyana facing off against North Tobago, South Central, and the Windwards Islands.

Windwards will rely on their top players Andre Fletcher, Kesrick Williams and young batsman Alick Athanaze. North Tobago will have the services of Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine, and Lendl Simmons; while South Central will be led by West Indies Test player Denesh Ramdin, and would include Imran Khan and Jason Mohammed.

prize of TT$75,000, and competition gets underway on Friday with Guyana taking on South Central from 18:00 hrs.

The tournament is sponsored by the (Trinidad) National Lotteries Control Board, InElectra Limited, First Citizens Bank; and Southern Sales and Service, which will be donating to a charity of the players’ choice TT$500 for every six hit up to a total of TT$30,000, and TT$1,000 to every fan who takes a one-handed catch in the stands.

Bravo, Sunil Narine, Rayad Emrit, Lendl Simmons, Tion Webster, Joshua DaSilva, Mario Belcon, Khary Pierre, Kevon Cooper, Terrance Hinds, Yannic Cariah, Akeal Hosein, Leonardo Julien and Joshua James.

South/Central: Denesh Ramdin, Imran Khan, Jason

Mohammed, K a m i l Pooran, Jayden Seales, Daniel

The squads read as follows: Guyana: Leon Johnson,

Sherfane Rutherford

Chandrapaul Hemraj, Trevon Griffith, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Christopher Barnwell, Anthony Bramble, Raymon Reifer, Romario Shepherd, Clinton Pestano, Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo, Ramaal Lewis and Akysha Persaud.

Sunil Narine

St. Clair, Jon Russ Jaggesar, Kavesh Kantasingh, Kjorn Ottley, Yannick Ottley, Ewart Nicholson, Mbeki Joseph, Adrian Cooper, Mark Deyal and Nicholas Sookdeosingh.

Windward Islands: Andre Fletcher, Kesrick Williams, Keron Cottoy, Alick

Athanaze, Dillon Douglas, Denis George, Junior Henry, Kavem Hodge, Jamal James, Ryan John, Desron Maloney, Preston McSween and Kimani Melius.

Fixtures (all matches to be played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy) Friday, June 7th: South/Central vs Guyana (6pm) North/Tobago vs Windward Islands (8pm)

Leon Johnson

Saturday, June 8th: Guyana vs North/Tobago (2pm) Windward Islands vs South/Central (4pm) North/Tobago vs South/Central (6pm) Guyana vs Windward Islands (8pm) Sunday, June 9th: Third-place Playoff (3pm) Grand Final (5.30pm)

GFF says its transfer window open

T

he Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF’s) two-month pre-season transfer window opened on June 1 and will close on July 31, 2019.

The intention is to accommodate player transfers, both locally and internationally, and players are asked to make maximum use of this opportunity in a timely manner.

In the case of international transfers, the process begins at the new club, which would request and initiate the process via the International Transfer Matching System (ITMS) following discussions with the former clubs.

The process for the ‘domestic transfer’ is as follows: 1. The new club confirms the player has an interest in the transfer; and, if so, the new club makes contact with the former club to negotiate the transfer agreement 2. If it’s agreed upon, the new club collects the transfer

document from the relevant RMA 3. Each entity involved fills and signs their allocated part of the form; namely, the player, the former club, and the new club.

4. The form is then submitted to the relevant RMA, which confirms the authenticity of the involvement of each party.

5. Everything being in order, the RMA approves the transfer and gives a copy to the new club.

6. If the player is being transferred across RMAs, the new club takes its copy of the form to the new RMA so that the player can be registered within that RMA and be cleared for participation as a player of that club.

In order to be considered procedurally correct, a ‘domestic transfer’ must involve the former club, the

player, the former regional member association (RMA), the new club, and the new RMA (in the case of a transfer out of the former association).

Unless and until all of these entities are informed and involved, and provided that none of these entities raises any legitimate concerns with the attempted transfer and refuses to concur or approve the transfer, the transfer would be completed.

The new club has the recourse of seeking the intervention of the relevant RMA, or subsequently the GFF, if it is of the view that the transfer is being unjustly hindered by the former club or the relevant RMA. It is important to note that the GFF is the RMA for Elite Clubs. The GFF is open from 09:00hrs to 17:00hrs from Monday to Friday.

YBG Linden Regional U-19

Schools’ Basketball bounces off tomorrow

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he Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) has organised the Linden Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) Under 19 Linden Regional Zone Conference for schools in Linden.

This is a tournament in which six Linden schools are participating for a chance to represent Linden in the Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) National Basketball Festival, which will be staged from June 28 in Georgetown, after the conclusion of this tournament.

The Linden tournament bounces off tomorrow (Friday) with two matches being played at the Mackenzie High School hard court. These opening matches are: game one, home team Mackenzie High meeting Linden

Foundation Secondary from 14.00hrs; and game two, Linden Technical Institute clashing with Wisburg Secondary from 16.00hrs.

The tournament continues on Saturday with a tripleheader starting at 13.00hrs, when Wisburg Secondary and Mackenzie High collide; to be followed by New Silvercity Secondary and Linden Technical Institute meeting at 14.30hrs, and Christianburg-Wismar Secondary (Multi) and Linden Foundation Secondary going head-to-head from 16.00hrs.

The tournament has trophies and medals for the top three teams, and will initially be played on a roundrobin format to determine the semifinalists and then the

finalists.

The tournament will continue next Monday with a double header, and it is anticipated that play would be very competition Participating players must be born on January 1, 2000 or after to be eligible for this tournament, and any team that plays an over-aged player will not get any points for that game and will automatically forfeit the game.

Teams are to receive two points for a win, and one point for their efforts in a loss.

Details of any protest must be written and lodged with the organisers, the LABA, within twenty-four hours of the completion of the game in dispute.

Crawford grateful for successful event – prepares for Caricom Day Horse Meet

By Timothy Jaikarran

T

he annual Crawford Memorial Horse Racing Meet, held last Sunday at the club’s turf at Alness village on the Corentyne Coast in East Berbice, has been considered a huge success despite being threatened by ominous rain clouds throughout the day.

After a month of delays, President of the Crawford Memorial Turf Club, Marcel Crawford Jnr, was ecstatic that the event had been so successful, and that notable wins had come from Cat Ruler and Red Jet in their respective races.

The meet had had participation from more than 40 horses competing in six different categories, with millions of dollars at stake.

In an exclusive interview with <<Guyana Times Sport>> Crawford declared that his expectations were

met at the culmination of the meet. He said, “I’m happy that I was able to run off an incident-free event, and I’m happy that there were no problems, as everyone remained law abiding.

“The races were exciting from the get-go, especially the feature event, even though my horse Orion got whipped. Nevertheless, I am happy for the support. I’m very grateful to the sponsors, and I’m looking forward to more sponsors coming on board, as we will be hosting our CARICOM Day Horse Meet, which will be a bigger and better card (being held) at the same venue.”

Crawford also indicated that he had expected a much better showing from Orion, who originates from the Crawford Stables. He said he had expected Orion to do much better, since he had passed the first fitness test with ease and had shown no sign of niggling injury.

He noted that while Orion was a bit rusty, as he was

returning to the track for the first time since his injury in 2018, he had hoped that the horse would have broken the trend and emerge victorious.

He, however, assured this publication that Orion would be back stronger than ever in the upcoming July event. He related that he would have Orion working on his finishing, as the horse had in last Sunday’s race been dominant until the last 100 metres, when he had somehow managed to get caught.

Crawford is confident that Orion is on track to again dominate races. Orion’s journey thus far will lay the platform for him to compete in the upcoming Guyana Cup, he said.

Crawford said, “I’d like to thank the fans for coming out, and the sponsors: Banks DIH Ltd, Jumbo Jet, Collin Elcock, NTN Television Station, Annirude Construction, Fazal Habbibula and Mr Hookumchand of GUYOIL.”

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thursday, june 6, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

Thorne, Ramnauth, Dindyal selected for West Indies Under-15s I

t has been officially confirmed that the Guyanese trio of Mavindra Dindyal, Rampertab Ramnauth and Isai Thorne will be part of the West Indies Under-15 Team to tour the United Kingdom for 15 days from August 4th.

These three players had represented the Golden Arrowhead with great dignity during the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional Under-15 tournament, and they have earned selection on the back of some stellar performances.

Dindyal, one of the brightest prospects in the Caribbean, will make a second appearance at this level; he was the lone Guyanese in the 2018

Mavindra Dindyal

squad.

Following up dream season with the bat for the Guyana U-15 team at the Regional level, the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) player finished the 2019 Under-15 tournament with the most runs. His standout performance came

against 2018 champions Barbados, when he scored 126 from 120 balls.

Ramnuath, the highly gifted player from Port Mourant, recorded 114 against Jamaica, and a brilliant 92 in the final against Trinidad and Tobago, to finish as the second leading run-scorer behind Dindyal.

Wearing the tag as the fastest Under 15 Caribbean bowler, Thorne had a “player of the match” performance in the CWI Under-15 tournament against Windward Islands in Antigua. The furious fast bowler snared three wickets in that match and scored 21 valuable runs.

Known for scaring players of his age group, Throne extracts great bounce with

the new ball, and is an experienced youngster who has had the luxury of playing in Guyana Under-15 teams in two successive years.

Isai Thorne

Speaking to this publication at the Rose Hall Canje Community Centre Ground during this week, Thorne expressed gratitude towards the selectors for recognising his talent and giving him this opportunity to play at a higher level.

“I am happy for the selection. When I get my opportunity, I just want to show that I can play good cricket,” he detailed.

This player, who represents the Rose Hall Canje Community Centre, is currently in preparation mode, and often carries out ‘drills’ at his home club.

Thorne received from the Cricket Board a call that confirmed his obvious selection. In the 2018 tour to the UK, the West Indies U-15 team played a 50-over tour-

Rampertab Ramnauth

nament that featured teams across England. (Brandon Corlette)

West Indies not "stuck on the Golden Jags to clash short ball" – Jason Holder

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hris Gayle and Andre Russell are "recovering quite nicely" (Gayle has a back problem, while Russell's fitness has been a concern for a while), and should be fit to go against Australia at Trent Bridge on Thursday; but a final decision on their participation would only be made on the morning of the match, West Indies captain Jason Holder has said.

The presence or absence of these two men at what is a small but high-scoring ground -- the theatre for England's record 481 for 6 against Australia last year -- would be a crucial determining factor. It was at Trent

Jason Holder took three wickets in the opening match

Bridge that West Indies shot Pakistan out for 105 earlier in the World Cup, but it's also where Pakistan and England totalled 682 runs on June 3.

Importantly, the Australia v West Indies g a m e will be played on the 481 pitch, so b i g hits might well be the order of the day.

"We just want to be as positive as we possibly can be. I think whether we bat first or if we chase, we've got to show intent," Holder said.

"Intent is something that we spoke about in the dressing room, and it's something that we want to go about our goal with when we go into our innings. I don't want to get too caught up with the conditions, but at the end of the day, I just want the guys to show intent and be fearless.

“We've played on a number of grounds with this short side, and this is something you've just got to cope with. I back the guys to go with their strengths first, no matter the dimensions of the ground. The ground will be one way for both teams; that's one thing guaranteed. The other aspect of the West Indian game that paid them rich dividends in the seven-wicket win over Pakistan was their impressive short-pitched bowling, especially from Oshane Thomas and Russell.

"I guess it all boils down to the conditions.

One thing I said in the last press conference is that we tend to formulate our plans to each batter. If it's a situation where we feel a batsman may be susceptible to the short ball, then we're going to use it," Holder said. "If it's a situation where that's not the case, then we'll find other alternatives.

“It's just not [that we are] stuck on the short ball. I think all the teams so far have used the short ball, and it's just something that's in the game. You've got two short balls per over; you might as well use them,” he said.

West Indies had to go through a qualifying tournament to get into the World Cup, a trophy they won in 1975 and 1979. But they have been talked up as one of the dark horses for the tournament, something the captain doesn't want to take too seriously at this stage.

"We're just taking it game by game.

Tomorrow is our country versus Australia.

We've got a hurdle to overcome. I think when we overcome that hurdle, then we'll move deeper into the tournament," Holder said.

"But I just don't want to single out teams particularly. I think all teams are evenly matched and well-balanced, so it's just a matter of playing good cricket on any given day. That's our rule.

We want to execute in all three departments.

“I think everybody is expecting a really good contest. We're up for the challenge; I think they're up for the challenge as well,” he declared. (Excerpted from cricinfo)

with Bermuda tonight

The Golden Jaguars squad during one of many training sessions

G

uyana and host nation Bermuda will clash tonight in an international friendly at that country’s National Sports Centre as both countries seek to peak at this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, where they will also be making their respective debuts.

At a press conference held at the Bermuda Football Federation Office on Tuesday afternoon, Guyana’s Head Coach Michael Johnson and Bermuda’s Coach Kyle Lightbourne both said that a result is not the ultimate aim of the encounter, but that they would be using the game to fine tune their sides for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. In their first and only session at the match venue today, Johnson told GFF Media that the session went into a bit more detail in terms of how they want to play tonight (Thursday). He pointed out that in the last couple of days’ training, the Technical Staff had just allowed the players to play, to allow bonding and team spirit to develop.

“Today was a little bit more structured, so we spoke about how we’re going to play, what the expectations are from our midfield and our wide players. So we’re trying to, as we go through the days and weeks, put a little bit more detail, not too much that it confuses anybody, and it’s not going any way away from what we’ve been doing. It’s just gentle reminders obviously, of what we’ve been do-

ing over the last few months.”

Given that there are a few new players in the final 23-man squad, Johnson pointed out that they have to make sure that everyone is absolutely clear about what they are expected to do in and out of possession.

“Some would get it quicker, but for some it might take a little bit longer; and that’s why it’s a really good opportunity for us to see who’s taken on board the messages and who might need a little bit more help because they are not quite sure,” he explained.

While being tightlipped about who his starters would be, Johnson has informed that the new players would have more information to take on board during the ensuing days, and he is expecting a progression in their performances.

“As we get closer, they would be fitter; mentally…stronger because they have been in this environment, and a lot more understanding would have gone into them based on the time that we’ve been given. So I would expect the next game to be a lot closer to where we want them to be in terms of going on to the USA game,” he declared.

Following the Bermuda match, the Guyana team will travel to Costa Rica, where they will continue their camp and will play their second and final friendly against Haiti next week. This encounter, Johnson noted, would be a lot different in terms of approach.

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thursday, june 6, 2019

23

Australia bank on tighter game to counter West Indies threat A

lot about the meeting between Australia and West Indies at Trent Bridge will be determined by a single question: Which West Indies side will turn up?

If it is the one that razed Pakistan in their tournament opener, also played at Trent Bridge, or the one that clouted New Zealand into submission in the warm-up match, then Australia may well be in for a very difficult time of it, having stuttered their way through an opening victory over Afghanistan in Bristol.

However, Aaron Finch’s men have already beaten West Indies once on this tour, and comfortably at that, in their own warm-up match on a postage stamp of a ground in Hampshire. And prior to that, the Caribbean side were near enough bullied into losing a triangular series finale to an increasingly confident and capable Bangladesh at picturesque Malahide in Ireland.

Australia’s coach, Justin Langer, certainly gave some indication as to the capriciousness of West Indies cricket, in contrast to the aweinspiring consistency, allied to flair, that he saw as a child in Perth when watching the teams of Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards.

“One thing we know about West Indies, particularly with Andre Russell and Chris Gayle: it’s going to be exciting cricket,” Langer said. “When I was growing up it was calypso cricket, and I think we’re seeing plenty of signs of calypso cricket: the way they’re running in, bowling fast, they’re not necessarily going to be bowling the same spot every ball, like Curtly Ambrose (used to do); but it’s going to be exciting to watch, and they all try to hit sixes most balls.

“Darren Bravo’s a little more orthodox, but [it’s] always exciting playing West Indies. When I was growing up they were my heroes, and they’re not my heroes today because I hope we beat them on Thursday,” Langer declared.

While Jason Holder’s team have sought to be aggressive in everything they do, Langer and Finch have resolved to play a tighter game. They will

David Warner is fresh from a half-century

be hoping to use the pressure of their bowling and fielding, in addition to the resourcefulness of a batting line-up being kept as deep as possible by the preference of Nathan CoulterNile over others, to corner West Indies into errors. Chief among their methods will be liberal use of the short ball, something the Caribbean side also used to good effect against Pakistan.

The likelihood of a dry surface at Trent Bridge, as seen in the game between England and Pakistan, will also encourage balls banged in with a cross-seam for another reason - extracting old-ball movement.

Form guide (last five completed matches) Australia: win all (WWWWW) West Indies: win two (WLLWL) It’s a little over six years since Mitchell Starc laid waste to West Indies on a memorable afternoon at the WACA Ground, finding extremes of swing and pace that remain in the mind’s eye of all who witnessed it. He produced a similarly destructive afternoon in 2015 at Eden Park, taking Australia within a wicket of a World Cup pool-game victory their batting scarcely deserved.

This time around, he comes to Trent Bridge having looked

to be revving into strong form against Afghanistan. While short balls will be a focus of the Australian attack, Starc’s most dangerous deliveries are undoubtedly full, fast and swinging down the line of the stumps.

Mixed-up footwork created by liberal use of the short ball can often allow for the full ball to be even more dangerous, as Gayle, Bravo and Holder will remember from that day in Perth.

If it was his batting that had turned so many heads in the IPL, Andre Russell proved against Pakistan that he is also more than capable of being a match-winner with the ball. Against Australia, Russell has provided plenty of evidence of his skills in the BBL, but he last played them in ODIs in 2013, meaning that firsthand experience among his opponents will be relatively slight.

In the warm-up game in Hampshire, Russell faced only four deliveries, bowled by Adam Zampa, and delivered three overs for 17. If West

of recalling Nathan Lyon as a second spinner in place of Nathan Coulter-Nile.

Kemar Roach is waiting in the wings should West Indies want to alter the balance of their pace-bowling attack after its undemanding outing against Pakistan.

Gayle and Russell were both at training on the eve of the game. “Chris was at practice for the last couple days, so Chris for me is all well and ready to go. Andre will be obviously assessed today, and we’re very, very hopeful that he’ll be fit tomorrow,” Holder said.

He added that the team will go by what the two men have to say about their fitness.

Trent Bridge, known for high-scoring, did not disappoint in Pakistan’s unexpected victory over England. It will be the 481 pitch, by the way, but the pitch and square can be expected to be dry, with the hunt for reverse swing - by legal means, of course - likely to be some sort of a factor.

Spin bowling was a strong suit for Australia in their warm-up against West Indies; as Zampa,

has been no inclination from Langer at least to add to the repertoire by calling in Lyon.

“That is because of their left-handers. That said, we probably won’t bowl two spinners here against West Indies. There’s always thoughts about Nathan Lyon. Every game there’s thoughts about playing Nathan Lyon, but Adam Zampa’s doing a really good job for us. There is thinking about him because of their left-handers, but Adam Zampa has a very good wrong’un, good top-spinner.

“Glenn Maxwell’s bowling well, so hopefully we’ll get some balance there. Some of the other grounds we might look to play two spinners, or the match-ups for the off spinner will be more appropriate, but probably not here,” he explained.

Either way, Holder’s men will need to find a way to deal more effectively with Zampa and Maxwell in particular, mixing strikerotation with judicious attack.

West Indies have made a clear decision to give the new

Indies are to win, they will need much more out of Russell, and both sides know it. Australia have flagged an unchanged line-up, resisting the possibility

Glenn Maxwell and Steven Smith bowled a combined 14 overs for returns of 3 for 67.

The ground dimensions that day were small, but there

ball to bowlers who will gain swing and seam, reserving the “bang it in” merchants until after some of the Kookaburra’s shine has worn off. They will be

Chris Gayle will be eying a seventh consecutive score of 50

the latest group of pacemen to try to exploit Finch’s welldocumented flaw when facing deliveries moving back into him from outside the off stump, as classically illustrated

by Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Pradeep during a warm-up game that otherwise went swimmingly for the Australians at Southampton.

Finch, having made an aggressive 66 against Afghanistan, appears to have found the freedom to launch in the fashion of his best days, while his partner Warner tries to find his best as an international opener after a year’s suspension.

The combination of an open, aggressive Finch and probing new ball work from the West Indies has great risk/reward potential for both sides.

Australia have won only three of eight ODI appearances at Trent Bridge, and their most recent match here was a 242run hiding by England last year. By contrast, West Indies have only lost once in eight games at the venue, and that was as far back as 1984. Of all Australia and West Indies bowlers to have competed against one another, only Len Pascoe’s 21 wickets at 13.52 from eight matches have come at a cheaper rate than Mitchell Starc’s 16 at 13.87 in six. (excerpted from cricinfo)

“Battle of the Underdogs”

Back Circle, Tiger Bay confident before Corona Final

By Jemima Holmes

T

wo unlikely teams are set to contest the final of the Corona Futsal Competition 2019 on Saturday evening, and the showdown is expected to be monumental.

On Wednesday afternoon, the captains of Tiger Bay and Back Circle, predicting the future, declared their respective teams Saturday’s winners.

“In the history of small goal or futsal, I don’t think Tiger Bay or Back Circle ever met before, and I think Saturday is going to be a real movie. These two teams that would have reached to the final are deservedly there based on their performance throughout the tournament. It’s going to be a match that culminates five weeks of exhilarating football.”

Those were the words of Co-Director of the Petra Organization, Troy Mendonca, who professed that Saturday’s final will be an event that every football fan would want to witness.

Although reaching the quarterfinal and semifinal stages on previous occasions, Back Circle and Tiger Bay have never met each other in a final.

In the 2019 edition, both sides have showcased underdog qualities, which will make for a thrilling final.

Tiger Bay Captain Deon Alfred was not one to boast, but instead spoke to the merit of both teams.

“Well, it depends on how the game plays, but I don’t think

Deon Alfred and Selwyn Williams hold tight to the champion’s trophy that one of them will eventually take home

it will finish in regular time. Remember (that) both teams have positive players, they take nothing from anybody. You can’t say you’re coming out and this team is a walkover, ‘cause on the night you got to play good football,” Alfred stated On the other hand, back Circle Captain Selwyn Williams

made a bold promise to their fans and supporters while touting one their players for the MVP prize.

“I can assure you out there -- the fans, our family and friends -- that we will bring home this final to you. We’re a young bunch, experienced in our own way, and we don’t have any big name players. We managed to get one player that no one was looking in his direction. That was Trayon Bobb, and he turned out to be Back Circle’s most lethal weapon. Moreso, he will ride away with that Hero bike on Saturday night,” Williams declared.

In addition, the likes of Deon Alfred, Solomon Austin and Quasan Mc Ally are all in stiff contention for the Hero bike MVP prize, which is being provided by Rose Ramdehol.

In a word from the primary sponsor, Top Brandz Distributors, Colin Start revealed that the company is very pleased with this year’s tournament.

“I’m proud to say that Top Brandz Distributors is pleased with the current progress of this year’s Corona Futsal Tournament.

We’ve seen some really great games, and we look forward to a magnificent final this Saturday at the National Gymnasium,” Stuart shared.

Back Circle and Tiger Bay are battling for a chance to cop the half-million-dollar grand prize. The loser in this encounter will have to settle for the $250,000 second place prize.

The third place showdown will feature Bent Street and Future Stars vying for $125,000, while the fourth place team will receive $75,000.

thursday, june 6, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Bumrah, Rohit, Chahal give India winning Australia bank on tighter start Page 23

game to counter West Indies threat

Page 19

“Battle of the Underdogs”

Page 23

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