Guyana Times Tuesday June 4, 2019

Teni Housty is new Bar Association President P

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

Issue No. 3944

THE BEACON OF TRUTH tuesday, june 4, 2019

Over $7B disbursed to GuySuCo from $30B bond since 2018 – but NICIL unable to show bondholders, trustees how money being spent Page 3

Top Cop claims 2.7% “decrease” in crimes ...disputes US State Department advisory

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WHAT'S INSIDE: Privatisation of sugar estates

NICIL claims July deal in the works for Rose Hall P9 Estate

– in talks with unnamed consortium of Guyanese, Indian, Ghanaian investors

See story on page 7

Breach at Lethem: Lethem-to-Aishalton main access road cut off Page 13

Tullow Oil commences drilling works in Orinduik P11 Block

Agricola accident

P2

Devastated mother calls for complete investigation

…Attorney defends driver The section of the access road from Lethem to Aishalton, Region Nine that broke away as a result of heavy rainfall over the weekend. The damage has made the road impassable to all vehicles travelling from Lethem to Aishalton, as well as the seven surrounding villages

GECOM’s house-to-house registration imminent – PRO Page 10

– even as country awaits rulings of Caribbean Court of Justice

Teenager stabbed to death by drinking buddy Page 2

Duo get 4 years, fined $25M each for cocaine in Page frozen fish 8

T&T’s ban on importation of poultry from Guyana “illP11 advised” – Agri Ministry

2 news

tuesday, JUNE 4, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Teenager stabbed to death Agricola accident by drinking buddy Devastated mother calls for complete investigation …Attorney defends driver

T Dead: Clive Osbourne

Dead: Mark Jacobus

teenager was on Sunday evening stabbed to death by his drinking buddy during an argument at a popular liquor restaurant in Supenaam, Essequibo, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam).

The dead teen has been identified as 18-year-old Clive Osbourne of Supenaam, Essequibo Coast.

He was reportedly stabbed several times to his head, chest and abdomen.

Based on reports received, the now dead teen and his 17-year-old friend were imbibing alcohol when a heated argument erupted and quickly escalated into an altercation. It was at this time that the suspect whipped out a knife and dealt Osbourne several blows to his body.

The injured man reportedly attempted to run out of the bar but collapsed on the roadway. He was picked up in an unconscious state and rushed to the Suddie Public Hospital by a cousin but by the time he arrived at the medical facility, he was already dead.

The 17-year-old suspect and his

15-year-old brother, who was also at the drinking spot, were arrested and are being interrogated about the murder. A post-mortem examination is expected to be performed on the teen’s body on Wednesday.

Over the past two weeks, at least two other persons were killed while imbibing alcohol in interior locations. On Friday last, 27-year-old Mark Jacobus also called “Dove,” of Aranaputa Valley, North Rupununi, was stabbed and chopped to death during a drinking spree at Kuribrong, Region Nine.

Also, on Friday, this time at Kamarang River, CuyuniMazaruni (Region Seven), 30-yearold Godrell Joseph was found dead and it is suspected that he was killed by a man with whom he had an old grievance. The suspect has since confessed to the murder and he is expected to be arraigned for the heinous crime later in the week.

It was reported that Joseph had allegedly cut the suspect across his face some time back, and as the two men were out on Friday, the suspect, who was under the influence, sought to exact vengeance.

A

he mother of seven-year-old Ciara Benjamin, who lost her life in a tragic accident at Agricola on Sunday, is still trying to cope with the situation days later.

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

The truck remained fixed on the median with the child pinned underneath. A light pole was unearthed as a result of the impact and subsequently collapsed, ending up on the roadway.

Tracy DeHart, the biological mother of the child, told Guyana Times that her daughter was brilliant and loving.

The woman stated that she was too devastated to go to the scene of the accident after she received the telephone call.

She explained that her daughter resided with her father, Orlando Benjamin, since she was two, but would visit periodically.

“Her aunty called me and said that my daughter just passed away in an accident and I was in a shock to know that just a couple months back, she was with me. I couldn’t reach to the scene because everybody keep telling me that the traffic is too heavy.”

DeHart stated that she did not have a chance to view the body until the next day. The woman said they are expecting a complete probe into the accident to determine what transpired.

“I want to know exactly what went on because a lot of things going around on Facebook and stuff like that. It needs to be clarified,” the dead child’s mother relayed. In tears, the woman added that she celebrated her birthday on Sunday and was expecting her now

Ciara Benjamin Driver: Danion Welcome

dead daughter to visit.

This publication understands that the driver of the truck, Danion Welcome, was severely beaten by residents from the area and later handed over to the Police. After the scene was cleared, another unexpected tragedy arose when the lorry was set alight at about 18:10h, creating a towering inferno in the middle of the roadway.

His attorney, James Bond, has defended that his client was neither reckless nor negligent during the tragic accident.

Bond posited that Welcome was proceeding at some 20 kilometres per hour but was forced onto 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 was on the median,” a statement read.

He contended that his client suf-

fered a fractured skull and contusions about his body.

On Sunday, stepmother of Ciara, 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).

Police have recovered CCTV footage from a nearby surveillance camera, which will be used in the investigations. At a press conference on Monday, Police Commissioner Leslie James told the media that they are reviewing the surveillance footage to determine who was at fault for the death of the seven-year-old child.

He also encouraged civilians with information on the accident to come forward while denouncing the vigilante beating of the driver. He reiterated that those who were involved in the beating, once apprehended, will face the full brunt of the law.

3 Over $7B disbursed to GuySuCo from $30B bond since 2018 news

tuesday, JUNE 4, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

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

Tuesday, June 4 – 05:00h-06:30h and Wednesday, June 5 – 05:00h-06:30h.

– but NICIL unable to show bondholders, trustees how money being spent

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

By Jarryl Bryan

Tuesday, June 4 – 17:00h-18:30h and Wednesday, June 5 – 05:10h-06:40h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Light to thundery rain showers will prevail throughout the day, with sunny intervals in the late afternoon. Thundery showers and partly cloudy skies are expected in the evening, with temperatures ranging between 22 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: South-easterly to North-easterly between 1.78 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 17:24h reaching a maximum height of 2.65 metres.

Low Tide: 10:56h and 23:10h reaching minimum heights of 0.40 metre and 0.60 metre respectively.

saturday, JUNE 1, 2019

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S

ince July 13, 2018, the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) has disbursed $7.420 billion to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) in nine payments – without receiving evidence of how this money is being used by the entity.

This is according to NICIL’s Special Purpose Unit (SPU) Head Colvin HeathLondon, who was at the time hosting a long-awaited press conference to update the media and the nation at large on the diversification of the sugar estates and the status of the $30 billion bond that was negotiated last year.

Four disbursements were made in 2018 and five this year. The last disbursement was also the largest, $1.442 billion on April 5, 2019. But according to London, GuySuCo has not been forthcoming with information on how the money is being used, something that is proving problematic for bondholders.

“When the bond was being negotiated with the bondholders, a plan was put forward and the bondholders agreed to a certain path forward on what the proceeds for the bond should be used for,” HeathLondon explained.

“We’ve had challenges where the bondholders and the trustees are not happy with the information coming from NICIL. Because as part of the arrangement, we’re supposed to provide to the bondholders evidence of what the proceeds are being used for.

We have not been able to do that to date. GuySuCo is still to provide that detailed information.”

According to HeathLondon, the disbursements were supposed to meet operational needs like the payment of salaries. But if GuySuCo is not accounting for how it is actually using the monies, why did NICIL continue to disburse billions? According to Heath-London, they continued paying the money out of good faith and the need to continue financing GuySuCo as a going concern.

Heath-London noted that this situation and the general friction between NICIL and GuySuCo are not good in the long term for Guyana. He pointed out that should they default on repaying the bond, the bondholders can decide to levy on NICIL’s assets.

The assets in question, Heath-London explained, would include entities like Guyana Oil Company (Guyoil) and the Marriott Hotel, which NICIL administers through the Atlantic Hotel Incorporated (AHI).

“This standoff affects Guyana’s financial credibility on the regional and international markets. Because as simple as we may think this transaction is, there are a lot of financial institutions that are plugged in to how Guyana is operating under this bond.

And whenever we go into the financial market for a bond, they may treat us the way

SPU Head Colvin Heath-London

they perceived how we operated with this bond. So it affects future funding for projects.

“As it is, if we continue this way, we are pushing NICIL and by extension the Government of Guyana in default, and we have been written and we have been chided by the bondholders and trustees for this,” Heath-London further explained. “So, we are working to bring this situation under control.”

Valuation

Nor is Heath-London the only one feeling the effects of lack of information.

At the press conference, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) Managing Director Wilfred Bhagaloo revealed that GuySuCo did not supply crucial information for the valuation process.

“The challenges anchor around information we need from GuySuCo – financial information for each of the estates. To date, I have not received that. I’ve received audited accounts for GuySuCo. That’s one thing. I need information on each of the estates,” Bhagaloo said.

“The valuators need in-

formation on major equipment: who are the suppliers, the last time the equipment was maintained. In relation to Skeldon, we need the agreement with the manufacturers.

Our colleague valuators in San Francisco need that kind of information to benchmark and make calculations as to the current value of the equipment. Nevertheless, we proceeded with our work.”

According to the agreement between NICIL and Hand-inHand Trust Corporation as the Trustee, the first tranche payment of $16.5 billion from the bond was to be used for long-term project and capital financing for GuySuCo. Specifically, the money was to be used to acquire two co-generation plants, upgrade the existing factories to produce plantation white sugar, build storage and packing facilities and to help pay for two years of general operational costs.

The bond was arranged last year by Republic Bank Limited, through its Investment Banking Division, with law firm London House Chambers headed by Devindra Kissoon acting as a transaction attorney.

It was arranged at a rate of 4.75 per cent interest. A source close to the Finance Ministry had told Guyana Times that while the interest rates secured would appear to be very favourable, the implications of failing to consistently repay the bond and related interest rates would be dire.

“This is a very serious undertaking and Guyanese must watch closely at the consequences for (Special Purpose Unit) SPU/NICIL, GuySuCo and the country if Guyana defaults on its payments to those local and regional commercial entities that granted the $30 billion bond,” the source had emphasised.

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tuesday, JUNE 4, 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

Lessons to be learnt

T

he tragic death of seven-year-old Ciara Benjamin on Saturday last is perhaps the most-talked-about issue in Guyana and the wider Diaspora these past few days. Many persons were in shock and disbelief as photos and videos of the tragedy began to emerge on Facebook and other forms of social media platforms. Mobile phones and high-speed internet made it possible for persons who were at the scene of the accident to broadcast ‘live’ as events unfolded.

Many of us were given close-up shots of all that took place, some of which we must say were very irresponsible and reckless.

However, this irresponsible behaviour, ie, of persons taking selfies and close-up shots of accident victims and then posting them on social media, could perhaps be dealt with at another time.

Certainly, over the next few days, more facts surrounding the cause of the accident that resulted in the untimely death of the child will emerge. As it stands, there is a lot of speculation as to how the accident happened, and who should be blamed. What is clear is that such tragedies could be avoided.

Little Ciara had practically just started living. Like many others her age, she would have imagined what she wanted to become when she grew older. Unfortunately, she did not get the opportunity to explore and achieve her dreams. Based on reports received, after visiting a relative in Agricola, on her way home, as the child was attempting to cross the road with her aunt, at about 16:45h in the vicinity of the Independence Arch at Agricola, she was crushed by a sand truck which reportedly swerved from hitting another vehicle.

The truck remained fixed on the median with the child pinned underneath for some time. About one hour later, a forklift and crane were used to lift the vehicle and remove the child’s remains.

Her body was completely severed in two.

While it is not our remit to comment on the cause of the accident in particular, as it is up to the Police to do their job, our hope is that the authorities would learn something from this most recent incident. In fact, in due course, it would be helpful if the authorities were to carry out a thorough review to determine what could be done to avoid or minimise such tragedies, and also how they could better respond to such emergency situations in future; for example, from crowd control to securing the accident/ crime scene, etc.

There are several questions which remain in relation to the Police Force’s handling of the events surrounding this tragedy.

Moments after the incident, we saw the vigilante-style beating of the driver and the subsequent burning of the truck. Videos on social media showed that the truck driver was dripping blood as a result of the beating and stoning he had received.

After the beating, he was handed over to the Police, who took him to the Georgetown Public Hospital to seek medical attention.

We are forced to ask where the Police were in all of this, and whether they couldn’t have prevented the mob from attacking the driver.

Despite the circumstances surrounding an accident, no one should assault any driver or road user. This is clearly against the law, and it is hoped that the authorities would send a strong message in this regard, as this seems to be the norm in some communities.

We also witnessed the subsequent burning of the truck. Here, again, why wasn’t the crime/accident scene cordoned off and protected, and the entire area manned by an increased number of ranks, considering the tension-filled environment? While we are pleased that the Police have made a commitment to charge persons who were involved in these acts, this was done only after the fact.

Also, it is necessary to underline the point that, in such emergency situations, the Police, Fire Service, medical and other emergency response teams must be on the alert, and be fully equipped to deal with certain situations that may arise.

Meanwhile, some persons have pointed to the need for an overhead pass for pedestrians in that particular area, as it is very difficult to cross the road there. Some have also called on the authorities to create more diversions for traffic going into Georgetown and East Coast communities. This, we believe, is needed, as the vehicles using our roadways have increased tenfold over the years, while the road network system has basically remained the same.

There are also calls for increased awareness and education on the proper use of our roads.

As expected, the young mother and father will have to face a long road to recovery in trying to cope with their only child’s untimely death. The authorities must waste no time in ensuring that the necessary support, such as counselling, etc, is provided to them.

The cadets currently undergoing training on the Standard Officer Course Number 51 successfully completed “Exercise Rattrap” in Watooka, Linden over the weekend. “Exercise Rattrap” is an internal security training exercise designed to prepare troops for any internal threat. The exercise culminated with a cordon-and-search drill.

3 Venezuelan families

By Silvana Trevale

V

enezuela, a country that once hoped for wealth and a bright future with its oil reserves and natural resources, is falling to pieces. It faces a humanitarian crisis where families struggle daily to find food, medicine and clean water as they live with collapsing public services. Many attend the ongoing protests, which are frequently violently repressed. Though I left my home in 2011 I have returned to Venezuela to document the ever-worsening crisis that has deeply affected families of every economic status.

As a young Venezuelan woman, my focus was to the youth of the country in relation to how the current crisis has harmed their past and present, and jeopardised their future. Three families with contrasting realities took part in the photo essay, allowing me into their homes so that I could gain an insight into their lives.

Firstly, I met an upper-class family (pictured bottm right), who asked to keep their identity anonymous for their own security.

The youngest girl, who is a past contestant in the Miss Venezuela beauty pageant, has left the country to pursue her career as a model.

Her brother and sister have been out of Venezuela for more than two years, working in their fields. The father said: “If they had told me, that at my age my children were going to leave because there were no opportunities, we would have left.”

He works as a hotel manager while he witnesses the economy fall apart, constantly trying to maintain a balance in his job alongside spiralling inflation. He said in January: “The difficulty in obtaining foreign currency is what has affected us the most. In October, the black market dollar equalled 90 bolivars and is now at 2500 bolivars.”

Inflation hit 10,000,000 per cent in 2019. The family’s mother expressed her distress regarding their safety, specifically with health insurance companies, as they

cannot secure coverage if this is paid with bolivars. They suggested finding a plan paid in dollars or to keep a large number of dollars in cash in case of an accident.

portation is not working most days Public transport is not available because of the lack of spare parts and their high prices.

The Melean family

Lastly, the Fermin family (pictured top right) lives in a small town called Mamporal, a 90-minute drive from Caracas. The mother has 11 children; however, many of them have left the country or are residing in other states of Venezuela. Five of her children live at home with her and her husband,

The Melean family (pictured top left) are working hard to achieve their dreams.

Estefferson, the oldest brother, is now living in Chicago and studying nursing. He is covering all of his expenses with a baseball scholarship.

He returned for the holidays

to visit his family and his hopes for the future are high. Estefferson said: “I can open the doors for my family, to move forward and get out of where we live, as I would like them to live in a better place in the future.” They live in El Valle in Caracas, at the bottom of a favela area that is not safe.

The youngest brother, Gerson, is following the same dream. He is training to be signed by the Major League Baseball (MLB) organisation, while he continues his high school studies at the weekends. Sarai, the youngest sister, was completing her studies at the Andre?s Bello Catholic University.

However, she had to stop as the cost became too high for the family to cover.

She said: “It’s tough to live with fear, knowing that for a pair of earrings, some shoes or a telephone they can kill you. The people are so desperate, they are so hungry.”

Yesenia, their mother, works full time as a secretary, although she sometimes does not make it to her job across the city. With the current electricity blackouts, trans-

The Fermin family

Felix. The oldest son living at home is Abraham, who is away during the week while he trains to join the military.

The 15-year-old son, also called Felix, said: “I want to be an artist to help my mom.”

He spends his time drawing Catholic figures with the hope of becoming an artist one day. Carmen, the youngest girl, said: “My desire is to leave Venezuela, become a doctor and help my family.”

Wanda, 17, was seven months pregnant with twins when I photographed her. She had been raped by a neighbour. Wanda has since given birth to two girls. The Fermin family struggle to feed themselves and the children are showing signs of malnutrition, as they often miss out on breakfast and dinner.

Carlos, 14, who has not

been able to learn how to read and write, said: “We have lacked food, for breakfast we have cassava or topocho [a variety of a plantain], only sometimes. We do not have lunch, when the Clap [Comité Local de Abastecimiento y Producción, or local committees for supply and production] bag arrives with pasta, maize flour and beans, we have dinner.”

Imelda, the mother, has cancer and no treatment is available in the country.

They have travelled several times to Caracas in search of medical attention, often without success. When Wanda was about to give birth, they were taken to Caracas in search of a hospital that could help them, after visiting four hospitals and being rejected because of a lack of space and facilities. Finally, as a relative knew a doctor in one of the hospitals, they managed to take Wanda in and look after her during her birth.

Venezuela’s current crisis seems to have no end in sight. The country’s citizens are doing what they can to continue, but it is becoming harder day by day. The younger generation, still proclaim some hope at least. I am reminded of the moment when Carlos, Wanda and Carmen were playing in the water. They danced as if they had a break from reality, as if the water washed away their troubles for a moment.

(Adapted from The Guardian)

Silvana Trevale left Venezuela in 2011 but has returned to document the ever worsening crisis that has deeply affected families of every economic status. She was selected as the 2018 recipient of the Joan Wakelin Bursary, administrated in partnership with the Royal Photographic Society

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tuesday, JUNE 4, 2019

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

The US State Department’s Travel

Advisory for Guyana was short but impressive Dear Editor, As at May 30, 2019, Guyana remains at Level 2, because, in the words of the United States Government, based on their intelligence, “violent crime, such as armed robbery and murder, is common”.

To compound the socioeconomic disaster happening in Guyana, the United States Government made it clear that the “local Police lack the resources to respond effectively to serious criminal incidents”.

To clarify how deficient the personal safety systems are in Guyana, the United States Government recommended that travellers in Guyana should “avoid travelling at nights”.

In light of such a resounding vote of no-confidence in the public security system of Guyana, up comes Mr. Joseph Harmon, the newly invented Director General (of what, I do not know), spouting some serious doses of public claptrap by declaring that “the country is safe”.

For whom, Mr. Harmon?

Crime is rampant in Guyana,

and Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan has failed with an “F” grade at his job, and should be fired forthwith for gross dereliction of duty and gross incompetence at serving and protecting the people.

Mr. Ramjattan has failed to make sense of the problems; and because of this, he has failed to invent the solutions. Thus he cannot relate to the future of public security for the people, and he must go.

What true leaders do is enable others to create new processes and new structures to solve the issues. All that has happened since Mr. David Granger came into office is that he has populated the top echelons of the Guyana Police Force with people. But that cannot be an exclusive crime-fighting strategy, because if you appoint misfits who cannot conceive a crime-fighting strategy, then the outcome will be worse than it was before they were appointed.

Mind you, I did not think at the time of his appointment that the Commissioner was a misfit, since I was one of the first persons to wel-

come Mr. Leslie James to the post, and called on my fellow Guyanese to give the man a chance to prove himself when he was appointed in August 2018.

My expectation was that he was going to review, within six months, all the processes and structures of the Force with an intent to evaluate whether they were functioning effectively and were in compliance with best practices.

Now, Rome was not built in a day, so I was not expecting magic from Mr. James; but, at a minimum, every divisional headquarters and their sub-divisional headquarters -- from Charity to Crabwood Creek, Georgetown to Linden -should have had one functioning vehicle (with a backup vehicle, just in case) manned by a well-trained five-man squad for 24 hours.

That would have entailed 46 vehicles and 920 personnel to man this system for 7 days a week. I was expecting the GDF being asked to provide short-term training for these 920 persons. That is not magic.

Plus, I was expecting an aggressive recruitment drive, using no-cash incen-

tives like free house lots, taxfree salaries for the first two years in the Force, and free scholarships for their children to attend UG for two years only (complete a diploma).

But, clearly, the Commissioner was asleep at the wheel, and has launched into more of the same old tactics. Well, guess what, we have a demotivated Force that is failing to recruit enough able-bodied persons, and the same old continues.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome. My point is made.

So to the United States Government, I say, ‘Thank you for supporting the long suffering, law-abiding people of Guyana, and for speaking the truth. This is not the time to pander to fake news coming out of the Ministry of the Presidency in Guyana; this is the time to call a spade a spade, because too many people have been traumatised in Guyana because of this crime wave; and, worse yet, lost their lives.

Yours faithfully, Sasenarine Singh

Senseless action by Minister Tabitha Sarabo-Halley Dear Editor, I was emotionally touched when I read an article that was published in your daily newspaper, dated Monday, June 3, 2019, under the headline “New Minister sends personnel department, accountant packing”.

Editor, in a country where unemployment is over 40 per cent and is rampant in all administrative regions, it is shocking to know that our honourable Minister took such a drastic step without thinking by removing the daily bread from the tables of those fired employees.

Some of them dedicated over 15 years of their lives serving the Government and people of Guyana in the different positions that they were occupying. As much as I admire the Minister for her good deeds and approachable lifestyle, such an action will cause the fall of her Government in the next

General Elections.

Editor, over 7000 sugar workers were fired and tossed to a life of poverty by this Government without any proper systems in place for future employment and another 2000 Amerindian community support officers were fired and now this Minister is sending her staff packing without any valid and proper reason for her actions.

And to crown it all, she had the employees escorted

by Police out of the building as if they were criminals. I could feel the emotion and sorrow from that fiasco. This is victimisation at its fullest and should never be tolerated in this country.

Editor, this Government should be highly focusing on providing employment and seeking ways on how the unemployed population of Guyana can be able to gain useful skills and knowledge in order to acquire employment but instead they are

contributing to the high level of unemployment that is sweeping the entire country like a wildfire.

Editor, the entire country is already feeling the hardships of life, increase in criminal activities, the high level of domestic violence and a decreasing economy, which are just a few elements that are bleeding our country to its death. Our honourable Minister needs to reconsider the impact of the actions that she has taken and make it right. She needs to reinstate the fired employees and apologise for the drastic and senseless action that she has taken. You cannot make a quick judgment as a solution for in-

formation that you have gathered from files. It takes steps and there is a process or procedure in getting things done.

I am hereby calling on our commander in chief of the armed forces of Guyana, our President of this beautiful country, to intervene and reinstate the workers, provide thorough guidance and counsel to your Ministers so they won’t be a part of stupid and senseless acts just because of their high positions that they are designated.

Yours respectfully, Robin Joseph Waramuri Village Councillor

A promise is a comfort to a fool

Dear Editor, There are so many instances of incompetence and outright corruption in this PNC-led Coalition that I do not know where to start. They are in such an advanced and entrenched form of being corrupt that corruption has enveloped their souls, and in that lost state, they are now bringing down the entire nation with them. To this end, they have become so appallingly brazen with that message exported in a hidden series of promises.

We are in the season of promises, promises galore; so here we go. Again, I do not know where to start, but let me be fair and cast lots, and the lot automatically falls on the Prime Minister, so I shall begin at Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo.

Now, the Prime Minister is on the campaign trail to regain his position, and to do this, he is going about it in a roundabout manner, playing the “good guy, charismatic figure role.” He is targeting the youths in our midst, one of the groups he thinks he can exploit with his subtleties.

He speaks of free education at our university for our youths, and of all sorts of niceties. At face value, these promises seem well meaning and good for the youths, who, according to the President, are the future of our nation. Nice and fitting words for a campaigner, sweet and darling ideas.

But wait, Mr Prime

Minister; let us pause a moment. These are not new and exciting promises; these are old, worn-out phrases used four years ago in the last election. The only addition is the free education clause; free education is just an addition to the youth phrase chant.

Since the last election, when the youths were his target group, nothing has been done to help their cause, and the Government did come up wanting.

Now that another election is looming, our youths have suddenly seen prominence in the eyes of this Government.

After four long years, the youths are again being targeted to shore up Nagamootoo’s, as well as this Government’s, image.

But I can tell them this: it is too little, too late; the youths are not fooled by your latest offer, they have seen your hypocrisy and double talk. They have seen you raise your salaries by 50 per cent, and having a good life while the jobs that were promised them became an elusive dream. These are struggling youths, some of whom have families to take care of and no jobs. This is the reality the youths face day after day.

So, Mr Nagamootoo, please take your promises and put them where I cannot here express my profoundest thoughts; only to say hide them where…, you know where.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

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tuesday, JUNE 4, 2019

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Foundation Can diabetes be prevented?

Part 1 Bullying is a big problem

Every day thousands of teens wake up afraid to go to school. Bullying is a problem that affects millions of students, and it has everyone worried, not just the kids on its receiving end. Yet because parents, teachers, and other adults don’t always see it, they may not understand how extreme bullying can get.

Bullying is when a person is picked on over and over again by an individual or group with more power, either in terms of physical strength or social standing.

Two of the main reasons people are bullied are because of appearance and social status. Bullies pick on the people they think don’t fit in, maybe because of how they look, how they act (for example, kids who are shy and withdrawn), their race or religion.

Some bullies attack their targets physically, which can mean anything from shoving or tripping to punching or hitting, or even sexual assault.

Others use psychological control or verbal insults to put themselves in charge.

For example, people in popular groups or cliques often bully people they categorise as different by excluding them or gossiping about them (psychological

bullying). They may also taunt or tease their targets (verbal bullying).

Verbal bullying can also involve cyberbullying — sending cruel texts, messages, or posting insults about a person on Facebook or other social sites.

How does bullying make people feel?

One of the most painful aspects of bullying is that it is relentless. Most people can take one episode of teasing or name calling or being shunned at the mall.

However, when it goes on a n d o n , bullying c a n put a person in a state of constant fear.

Guys and girls who are bullied may find their schoolwork and health suffering.

Amber began having stomach pains and diarrhoea and was diagnosed with a digestive condition called irritable bowel syndrome as a result of the stress that came from being bullied throughout ninth

grade. Mahfooz spent his afternoons hungry and unable to concentrate in class because he was too afraid to go to the school cafeteria at lunchtime.

Studies show that people who are abused by their peers are at risk for mental health problems, such as low self-esteem, stress, depression, or anxiety.

Bullies are at risk for problems, too. Bullying is violence, and it often leads to more violent behaviour as the bully grows up. It’s estimated that one out of four elementary-school bullies will have a criminal record by the t i m e t h e y are 30.

Some t e e n bullies end up being rejected by their peers and lose friendships as they grow older. Bullies may also fail in school and not have the career or relationship success that other people enjoy.

Who bullies?

Both guys and girls can be bullies. Bullies may be outgoing and aggressive.

Or a bully can appear reserved on the surface, but may try to manipulate people in subtle, deceptive ways, like anonymously starting a damaging rumour just to see what happens.

Many bullies share some common characteristics. They like to dominate others and are generally focused on themselves.

They often have poor social skills and poor social judgment. Sometimes they have no feelings of empathy or caring toward other people.

Although most bullies think they’re hot stuff and have the right to push people around, others are actually insecure. They put other people down to make themselves feel more interesting or powerful. And some bullies act the way they do because they’ve been hurt by bullies in the past – maybe even a bullying figure in their own family, like a parent or other adult.

Some bullies actually have personality disorders that don’t allow them to understand normal social emotions like guilt, empathy, compassion, or remorse. These people need help from a mental health professional like a counsellor, social worker, psychiatrist, or psychologist. (Excerpt from kidshealth.org)

D

iabetes (say: dyeuh-BEE-tees) is a health problem that affects kids of all ages, but you can’t catch it like a cold. In some cases, diabetes can be prevented. How? Let’s find out.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses glucose (say: GLOOkose), a sugar that is the body’s main source of fuel.

Your body needs glucose to keep running.

Here’s how it should work: 1. You eat.

2. Glucose from the food gets into your bloodstream.

3.

Your pancreas produces a hormone called insulin (say: IN-suh-lin).

4. Insulin helps the glucose get into the body’s cells.

5. Your body gets the energy it needs.

The pancreas is a long, flat gland in your belly that helps your body digest food. It also makes insulin. Insulin is kind of like a key that opens the doors to the cells of the body. It lets the glucose in. Then the glucose can move out of the blood and into the cells.

But if someone has diabetes, the body either can’t make insulin (this is called type 1 diabetes) or the insulin doesn’t work in the body like it should (this is called type 2 diabetes). The glucose can’t get into the cells normally, so the blood sugar level gets too high. Lots of sugar in the blood makes people sick if they don’t get treatment.

Can type 1 diabetes be prevented?

Type 1 diabetes can’t be prevented. Doctors can’t even tell who will get it and who won’t.

No one knows for sure why some kids get type 1 diabetes, but scientists think it has something to do with genes. Genes are like instructions for how the body should look and work that are passed on by parents to their kids.

But just getting the genes for diabetes isn’t usually enough. Most of the time, something else has to happen to the person — like getting an infection with a virus — for him or her to get type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes isn’t contagious, so you can’t catch it from another person or pass it along to your friends. And stuff like eating too much sug-

ar doesn’t cause type 1 diabetes.

Can type 2 diabetes be prevented?

Type 2 diabetes is different. Sometimes, it can be prevented. In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas can still make insulin, but the body doesn’t respond to it in the right way.

Most people who have type 2 diabetes are overweight. In the past, mainly overweight adults got type 2 diabetes. Today, more kids have type 2 diabetes, probably because more kids are overweight.

How can you help prevent type 2 diabetes?

Getting to a healthy weight is one way. That’s because a lot of extra weight makes it harder for the body to use insulin properly.

Making healthy food choices and getting enough exercise are other good steps to take to help prevent diabetes.

How can I protect myself from getting type 2 diabetes?

If you want to help prevent type 2 diabetes — or just be healthier in lots of other ways — take these steps: * Eat good-for-you foods. Try to eat foods that are low in fat, but high in other nutrients. Here are some good choices: wholegrain cereals and breads, fruits, vegetables, milk, yogurt, cheese, lean meats, and other sources of protein. * Limit fast food and sugary sodas. Eating too much fat and sugar can make you overweight.

And being overweight can make you more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Try to cut back on fatty fast foods and sugary drinks like sodas, juices, and iced teas. * Get up and get moving. Staying active is a better choice than watching TV or playing video or computer games when it comes to preventing diabetes and staying healthy. Moving around a lot helps prevent diabetes and helps keep your weight in a healthy range. Being active can be as simple as walking the dog, running around your yard, or playing soccer with friends. Try to do something that gets you moving every day! * If you have questions about your weight, ask. If you’re concerned about your weight, ask your mom or dad to take you to talk to your doctor. A doctor can help you find out if your weight is healthy and how to keep it (or get it) that way. (kidshealth.org)

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tuesday, JUNE 4, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Top Cop claims 2.7% "decrease" in crimes ...disputes US State Department advisory

Police Commissioner Leslie James

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lthough there have been more shootouts between the Police and bandits in recent days and seemingly more robberies occurring, Police Commissioner Leslie James on Monday assured that there was no increase in crime.

In fact, the Commissioner explained that a 2.7 per cent decrease in serious crime was recorded when compared to the corresponding period last year.

James reasoned that the seeming spike in crimes may be related to the “few sensational crimes” reported by the press; however, statistics compiled by the Force painted a different picture.

“There have been a few sensational crimes which were reported by you, the colleagues in the media fraternity, and as normal expectedly – so you may have person or persons concerned about the occurrence of those crimes, so do we as the premier law enforcement body in the state we are concerned whenever there is

and our residents abroad in the Diaspora that crime is not on the increase,” the Commissioner pointed out.

One week ago, the US State Department issued a stringent warning to all its citizens, urging them to exercise caution when visiting Guyana owing to the evident spike in the country’s crime rate.

In a statement on its website, the US State Department stated that there were frequent violent crimes, as armed robbery and murder were common.

It specifically highlighted that the Police network was hindered from effectively addressing these incidents

The three bandits who were killed in Berbice

The three bandits killed during a shootout with Police on Norton Street

any singular occurrence of any crime,” James said.

When questioned if he believes that civilians opt not to report crimes owing to their lack of confidence in the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the Commissioner responded in the negative.

He, however, went further to assure Guyanese and visitors that Guyana is actually a safe place. “We wish to assure the populace and by extension visitors to this state of Guyana

owing to a lack of resources.

“Violent crime, such as armed robbery and murder, is common. Local Police lack the resources to respond effectively to serious criminal incidents,” the notice stated.

It further advised all travellers from the United States to be extra vigilant when visiting banks or ATMs and avoid walking or driving in the nights.

Persons were also advised not to resist any robbery at-

tempts they might encounter and to desist from displaying signs of wealth, such as expensive watches or jewellery.

Meanwhile, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan has recently claimed that Guyana was not in a “really bad state” when it came to crime.

He posited that although crimes were occurring, there must be an appreciation of the fact that Guyanese live in a geopolitical space

(Latin America and the Caribbean) where interpersonal violence is the highest in the world.

However, this analysis of the escalating crime situation in Guyana did not go down well with Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Harry Gill; a member of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on the Security Sector, who, in no uncertain terms, called for the Minister to either be reassigned or fired as Public Security Minister.

He added that the ease with which criminals are going about their business, “brutalising families in their homes, stripping them of their valuables, their dignity and often, their very lives, is reminiscent of the infamous Burnham era of the notorious kick-down-the-door bandits. And Minister Khemraj Ramjattan seems clueless and in denial,” he added.

Crime in Guyana

Just last week, the Police were engaged in a one-hour gun battle that took the life of three bandits on Norton Street, Georgetown, who

were attempting to rob a man of his valuables at his home.

The bandits were later identified as Leslie Griffith, 24, of Lot 165 William Street, Kitty, Georgetown; Junior Nurse of Albouystown, and Shawn Browne Jr. Only days before, three other bandits were killed during a Police shoot-out in Black Bush Polder. Those three men were identified as wanted murder suspects: 32-year-old Kelvin Shivgobin, called “Kelly” of Belvedere, Corentyne, Berbice; Ramnarine Jagmohan of Belvedere Village, who was acquitted of murder; and Sewchand Sewdat, called “One Eye Pappy”, also of Belvedere.

Almost every day a crime is reported and pasted on the front page of every newspaper. In fact, only on Saturday, another bandit received a sound thrashing after being caught red-handed in the home of an East Bank Berbice resident.

The young man was tied up until the Police arrived.

(Davina Ramdass)

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tuesday, JUNE 4, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

IN THE COURTS

Duo get 4 years, fined $25M each for cocaine in frozen fish

Amir Ally

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wo men were on Monday sentenced to four years’ imprison-

ment and fined $25 million each by Magistrate Leron Daly for attempting to ship 20 pounds of cocaine in frozen fish at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) in 2018.

The men are 30-year-old businessman Amir Ally of Goed Fortuin, West Bank Demerara, and 32-year-old Baldeo Persaud, a truck driver of Kingston Street, C Field, Leonora, West Coast Demerara.

They were found guilty of trafficking 9.366 kilograms of cocaine at Laparkan Cargo Shed, CJIA, on February 6, 2018.

Ally was said to be the shipper while Persaud was

the driver who transported the boxes with cocaine stuffed in frozen fish to the

cargo bond at the CJIA airport.

During the search, the ranks found a quantity of cocaine stashed in frozen fish that was destined for the USA. Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) Prosecutor Kunyo Sandiford led evidence in the trial.

Ranks from the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) were able to arrest Baldeo Persaud after reviewing telephone records from the alleged mastermind, Amir Ally.

The cargo containing the fish was searched by CANU officers at the Laparkan Cargo Shed at CJIA where the discovery was made.

Brakes of several gold chains, rings and hand bands. The total value of the items was reported at over $1.4 million.

After being remanded to prison by Judge Latchman on the first occasion, he was subsequently granted bail in the sum of $150,000.

Several persons had testified during the trial.

Leonard Farley

Baldeo Persaud

Case against vendor in $1M gold heist dismissed

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e o r g e t o w n Magistrate Dylon Bess on Monday dismissed a robbery charge against Leonard Farley, a vendor implicated in a $1 million gold heist after the prosecutor failed to provide sufficient evidence in the case.

The 31-year-old man of Lot 3 Grove Public Road,

East Bank Demerara (EBD), had denied the charge when it was read to him by Magistrate Judy Latchman on his first court appearance. it was reported that on September 29, 2018, at Black and White Bridge, Tucville, East La Penitence, while being armed with a knife, he robbed Wayne

Businessman charged for assaulting peace officers

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businessman was on Monday slapped with several assault and disorderly behaviour charges when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Joseph McCallmon of Lot 33 Parsik, Beterverwagting East Coast Demerara, stood before Acting Chief

Magistrate Sherdel IsaacsMarcus where he pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to him.

Police stated that on May 31, 2019, at Lot 9 Lacytown, Georgetown, he resisted arrest from a Police Constable.

It was further alleged that he called Gavin Brown a name in order to annoy him.

McCallmon was also charged for unlawfully assaulting Police Constable Daniel Collin who was executing his duty.

The other charge stated that on the same day and location, he behaved in a disorderly manner and unlawfully assaulted Jason Price, a peace officer acting on du-

ties.

However, Prosecutor Adduni Innis did not object to bail.

McCallmon was placed on $20,000 bail for each assault charge. He was, however, released on his own recognisance on the other charges.

Nabbed fugitive slapped with narcotics possession charge

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he man who was on Thursday morning apprehended by Police in an abandoned house at Yakusari, Black Bush Polder was on Monday slapped with a narcotics possession charge when he appeared at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court.

The wanted fugitive, Vinod Gopaul pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to him. He was remanded to prison and would make his next court appearance at the Mibicuri Court on August 21.

Gopaul was wanted by the Police following the fatal shooting of three bandits on May 19, 2019, at Black Bush Polder.

He was charged for several counts of armed robbery. Most of the robberies were allegedly committed in the Black Bush Polder area and on the Corentyne Coast.

In June 2011, Gopaul had escaped from custody.

At the time, he was serving a sentence for the 2004 murder of his father whom he shot and killed.

He was also among 18 prisoners who escaped from

Nabbed fugitive Vinod Gopaul

the Camp Street Prison in 2007 and was recaptured shortly after and charged while some of the other prisoners were shot dead.

Further, he escaped again in June 2011 along with notorious high seas pirate Kevin “Long Hair” Narine, Rickford Le Fleur, and Vijay Seenarine of Skeldon.

Following several robberies on the Corentyne, Police ranks raided the backlands of Johanna, Black Bush Polder with the aim of capturing the wanted bandits.

Dissing…

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…Working Girls’ Day et you didn’t know that Sunday, June 2nd, was “International Whores Day”, or (more leftist!)

“International Sex Workers Day”. And that’s too bad. In an age when the British and Canadian Consulates can join our LBTQ community and march through the streets of Georgetown to push “Gay Pride”, we still have a whole community of folks who are stigmatised for EARNING a living!!

Now, sex work didn’t just pop up, did it? Selling one’s body (or various parts of it) for sex – dubbed “prostitution” - is accepted as the world’s oldest profession!! There isn’t a civilisation on earth without sex workers. In[RD1] fact, some of them - notably Chinese and Indian - were called “concubines”, and were highly trained before they could practise their profession. Music, poetry, and the arts were only a few of the subjects on their curriculum.

But, even before then, patriarchal norms had become entrenched, and women’s bodies had been claimed by males, and they decided what the females could do with their own bodies. Did you even think of that?

Every day of the week, good citizens are admired for going out and “selling their labour” for “wages”. But what’s this “labour” we sell? Can it be separated from our bodies?

It really can’t, can it?

It all comes down to the negative value judgement placed on “sex work” – it’s “sinful”. And that’s the nub of the problem, isn’t it?

Some folks insist that the morality coming out of some tribal customs two millennia ago should dictate what women can do with their bodies today. But even here, there are some anomalies in Guyanese law. While prostitution is prohibited explicitly for males – who can’t even engage in the sex act with each other, much less sell the services -- there is a more circuitous prohibition for women. For them, it’s forbidden for anyone to run “brothels” or “bawdy houses” (Criminal Offences Act s 357; Summary Jurisdiction (Offenses) Act, §165), and working girls can be rounded up and shamed.

Remember Simona “I is” Broomes raiding that hotel in Bartica and dragging those girls to Georgetown, claiming they were being trafficked”?? And, of course, as the recently departed social activist Andaiye pointed out, eventually the girls were actually charged for passport violations!!It was shaming the working girls and penalising the hotel owner for allegedly running a “bawdy house”!

Now, Guyana is supposed to have a Sex Workers Coalition, and your Eyewitness had hoped they would’ve been in the streets on Sunday demanding that sex work not be driven underground - where the workers can really be exploited.

Sex workers of the world, unite!! You have nothing to lose but your chains of shame!! …the savage infighting They say “Hell has no fury like a woman scorned”, but from bits and pieces seeping out of the closed doors of the AFC Headquarters -- the one donated by that pharma importer in Kitty - it looks like the fury of scorned women has nothing on that of a scorned lackey!! Nagamootoo and his erstwhile bestie, Ramjattan, we know are locked in a deadly struggle to be the PM candidate for the PNCled coalition. Kinda like a puppy-sized Guyana version of Godzilla vs Ghidorah!!

They assume, of course, that the PNC would again choose their Indian Guyanese token PM candidate from the AFC – rather a huge assumption, given their meltdown in support!! But rather than openly duking it out – if not with pistols at ten paces, then maybe in a debate – the two of them are using surrogates in the lead-up to their General Convention to control the delegates who’ll be voting for one or the other.

This weekend, seems that Nagamootoo’s water boy and attack hound wasn’t even elected to be a delegate!!

“Livid” isn’t even in the same universe!! …the Army brass We know Granger was once head of the army. But does he have to micro-manage our forces to the extent he decides when a private gets leave?

What does this do to the forces’ morale and initiative?

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

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tuesday, JUNE 4, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Privatisation of sugar estates

NICIL claims July deal in the works for Rose Hall Estate - in talks with unnamed consortium of Guyanese, Indian, Ghanaian investors

PWC Managing Director Wilfred Bhagaloo

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overnment’s privatisation of three sugar estates has progressed to the point where PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), which is spearheading the process, believes it can conclude a deal with yet unnamed investors for the Rose Hall estate by next month.

This was revealed by PWC Managing Director Wilfred Bhagaloo at a press conference called by NICIL on Monday. According to Bhagaloo, Rose Hall received

the most interest from investors.

He revealed that negotiations with a consortium of investors from Guyana, India and Ghana have reached an advanced stage. Bhagaloo spoke of a meeting he had with Cabinet, in which he was asked by various Ministers for updates on the privatisation process.

“I indicated then and my position remains the same, that we’re likely to have a conclusion on the privatisation of one of the estates by the end of July. And that by the end of November, we’ll have a better fix on when we’ll be able to privatise the other two estates.”

“At that meeting, I indicated that I’m hoping, and I can only hope because negotiation are delicate and many things can happen, that we’ll have the privatisation of Rose Hall. We have progressed quite nicely with the proposals, but nothing has happened as yet. We’re now sharing our draft proposals with their legal team and we’ll see what their legal team’s response is.”

Bhagaloo stressed that

The Rose Hall sugar estate

they are privatising these estates on the basis that the new private owners will remain in the sugarcane industry. He also said that due to confidentiality agreements and the delicate nature of negotiations, he would not be naming the investors.

Meanwhile, Bhagaloo complained of challenges being faced, including the question of the Private Sector competing with public. Other challenges, he noted, included a lack of information from the Guyana Sugar Corporation.

“The first challenge it created, are these the least profitable of the estates. The second question was, why are

you privatising these three estates and not the others.

The third challenge it creates is how do you ensure you have an environment where Private Sector can compete with public sector for scarce resources.”

“And those scarce resources could mean access to markets. Access to cane, access to people, access to logistics, transportation. So those are issues we have to resolve in the privatisation process.

My opinion, we are proceeding quite nicely despite those challenges.”

Meanwhile, NICIL’s Special Purpose Unit (SPU) Head, Colvin Heath-London

explained that with the current political climate, other investors thought it best to wait before making their pitch. However, he said that NICIL has since re-engaged these investors, in a bid to get them to submit their proposals.

At his post-Cabinet press briefing, Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency Joseph Harmon had said that because the valuation process was lengthy, they now have to re-engage persons and companies that had initially expressed interests in purchasing the factories.

“You had interests by several companies and because [the valuation] took a little while, some of those interests have waned and so we have now to re-establish contact with some of the parties who’d expressed an interest in the first place. So that is going on and that’s a very active issue right now,” the Director General at the MOTP said.

During that meeting last year, among the areas the bidders had concerns about was the state of the equipment and factories. But a year ago, Government had

secured a $30 billion bond through commercials banks both in Guyana and the region, as part of the diversification initiatives.

In May 2017, Government announced plans to close the Enmore and Rose Hall Sugar Estates, sell the Skeldon Sugar Factory, reduce the annual production of sugar, and take on the responsibility of managing the drainage and irrigation services offered

by GuySuCo. Subsequently, in November of that year, GuySuCo announced plans to retrench 2500 workers by the end of that year. That number increased substantially and ended up being over 7000.

Government then established the Special Purpose Unit (SPU) under the National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited (NICIL) to take over the divestment of GuySuCo’s assets that were earmarked for sale. The SPU recruited PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) to conduct a valuation of the assets to be privatised and divested. That process was completed and the Unit had met with some of the bidders last October.

GPF uncertain about negotiator’s presence at Norton Street shoot-out

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lthough it is usual for a trained police negotiator to accompany other ranks who engage in a shoot-out to be present at the scene, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is uncertain if one was present last Thursday when three bandits were killed at Norton Street, Georgetown, during an exchange of gunfire with Police.

During a press conference on Monday, Police Commissioner Leslie James was questioned on the rationale behind a negotiator showing up and explained, “We do have persons who are trained in negotiations and when you have such operations, that person goes along also with the team but al-

most all situations the negotiations are not necessary for them to engage”.

Further, the Commissioner could not say if a negotiator was present at the shootout.

“I will have to check… I don’t want to mislead anyone. I will have to check to confirm if a negotiator was there but I’m saying that usually when they have such reports we take action to have a negotiator on standby.”

Asked whether or not it would be a breach of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to not have a negotiator on site, the Commissioner responded in the negative.

He explained, “[It’s] not

Police Commissioner Leslie James

necessarily a breach. It is a call by the either the Deputy Commissioner of Operations,

the Commissioner of Police, or the Divisional Commander or joint”.

The Deputy Commissioner of Operations, Maxine Graham, who was at the event was unable to say whether a negotiator was on site that fateful night.

On the other hand, the Commissioner informed that the Force is seeking to have ambulances on site to alleviate bodies being dumped in Police vans to be taken to the Hospital. However, he said, “We don’t want to give the perception that we have expectation of persons to be injured”.

On Thursday, three bandits lost their lives during an hour-long exchange of gunfire with the police at Norton

Street, Georgetown. The men had set out to rob a construction worker, Neville Lesley, moments after he had put his five-year-old son to bed.

Reports are at about 20:00h, while the man was closing the doors to his Lot 46 Norton and Victor Streets home, he saw someone scaling the fence but by the time he reacted, he was held at gunpoint. The gunman demanded gold and cash as he took the man into the house.

By that time, the two other gunmen also made their way into the man’s home, with each of them carrying a handgun.

Hearing the commotion, the five-year-old child woke up and ran downstairs. “They tell me if I don’t keep me son

quiet, they’d shoot me and meh son,” the man related.

With the bandits distracted by the police presence, Lesley and his son managed to escape and hid in one of the bedrooms, where he removed the louvres in the window and lowered his son from the upper flat of the house.

The child was safely collected by a police officer, and Lesley jumped through the window to safety. It was at this point that the shoot-out between the armed bandits and law enforcement commenced.

According to information from residents in the area, two of the bandits were shot and appeared to be dead, while the third was also shot but surrendered to the police.

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tuesday, JUNE 4, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

GECOM’s house-to-house registration imminent – PRO – even as country awaits rulings of Caribbean Court of Justice

GECOM PRO Yolanda Ward

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he Guyana Elections C o m m i s s i o n (GECOM) is forging ahead with preparations to conduct house-to-house registration which is expected to commence by the end of June.

GECOM’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Yolanda Ward, in a telephone interview with Guyana Times, explained that the Commission is not reneging on executing this initiative that is seen as absolutely necessary.

“The exercise will commence sometime later this month. I do not have a definitive date as yet. The Commission is deliberating on a day to start the process.”

In relation to the process being “halted” a few

days ago, she explained that this delay did not necessarily mean that GECOM would have put aside the house-tohouse registration process.

“I think what had initially happened was that the anticipated timeline to commence the field exercise was scheduled for June 1 (2019).

That was what we were looking at tentatively. So, that did not happen but houseto-house registration is still on, just that it will start at a later time than anticipated,” Ward stated.

According to Ward, the process is expected to last for an average of three months.

However, the elections

The issue was first raised by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo at a recent press conference.

Last week, after the statutory meeting, Governmentnominated Commissioner Charles Corbin had disclosed that there were some procurement issues at the election Secretariat which by extension will delay the process.

Nevertheless, Ward had previously told Guyana Times that the training of staff required for the exercise has been completed and they are now in the process of tidying up placements.

Although GECOM is

The Guyana Elections Commission

body is standing firm by its belief that the exercise is mandatory before the next General and Regional Elections are held.

forging ahead with house-tohouse registration, the country awaits a ruling from the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on the December 2018

passage of the Opposition’s No-Confidence Motion.

The Trinidad-based regional court is currently deliberating on several appeals which are asking it to overturn the Guyana Court of Appeal’s March ruling which invalidated the passage of the motion of no-confidence against the coalition Government.

The CCJ is being asked to throw out the Appeal Court’s ruling and uphold the High Court’s January decision that the motion was validly passed and as such, Government should resign and call elections.

In May, the CCJ panel heard submissions from

the parties and is expected to hand down its decision sometime this month.

According to the Opposition Leader, there are concerns brewing over the length of time the CCJ is taking to deliver its decision, especially since it was critical of the sloth with which the matter was dealt with here in Guyana.

Nevertheless, he posited that while they await that ruling, the staff at the Elections Commission should be cautious.

Meanwhile, the house-tohouse registration exercise is being held amidst contention between the two sides of political Commissioners

at GECOM. The Opposition-nominated Commissioners had held out that there was no need for house-to-house registration when the old voters’ list could have been vetted and updated through a “Claims and Objections” period.

In fact, a similar view was recently shared by GECOM’s legal officer, Excellence Dazzell. She submitted a legal opinion, contending that house-to-house registration is not necessary and advised that another less time-consuming process be utilised in accordance with the law to update the list. But the lawyer’s advice was set aside by GECOM.

Teni Housty is new Bar Association President

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ttorney-at-Law Teni Housty has been elected the new President of the Bar Association of Guyana for the fiscal year 2019-2020.

This marks Housty’s third term as President of the Association, having previously served two consecutive terms from 2008-2010.

In addition to President, he has served in varying capacities in the Bar Council of the Association since 1999.

Housty was admitted to the Bar in 1996 and is a member of the Chambers of Fraser and Housty Outgoing President, Kamal Ramkarran, having just completed two consecutive terms (2017-2019) was ineligible for re-election by

Attorney-at-Law Teni Housty

the Rules of the Association.

He was elected unopposed to the post of Vice-President.

The Bar Association held its Annual General Meeting

on May 31, 2019, in Court One of the Victoria Law Courts, Georgetown.

Pauline Chase was unanimously elected as Secretary for the third consecutive term.

Keoma Griffith was elected as Assistant Secretary for the second consecutive term and Siand Dhurjon as Treasurer.

Rafiq Khan, SC, Rajendra Poonai, SC, Jamela Ali, Sanjeev Datadin, Arudranauth Gossai and Alanna Lall were all elected to serve as Council Members on the remaining six seats on the Bar Council, the executive of the Association.

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tuesday, JUNE 4, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Tullow Oil commences T&T’s ban on importation of poultry from Guyana “ill- drilling works in Orinduik Block advised” – Agri Ministry

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Agriculture Minister Noel Holder

Guyana’s Agriculture Ministry

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he move by the T r i n i d a d i a n Government to ban poultry, raw and cooked, from entering from Guyana on the premise of the recent news of a duck virus is “ill-advised” and “premature”.

This is according to a press statement on Monday issued by the Agriculture Ministry through the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA).

According to the Ministry, such an advisory by the twin-island Republic is ill-advised while noting that the consumption of poultry meat poses no health risks.

“The GLDA wishes to assure the general public that the issue with the duck disease, which has been suspected to be, but has not been confirmed as Duck Hepatitis Virus, has been contained and restricted to six duck farms on the coast of Guyana. Measures implemented, including the closure of our hatchery, the only one in Guyana that hatches duck eggs commercially, have assisted in containing the disease. The disease has not manifested itself in the other poultry sectors [of] chicken, turkey and Guinea bird, and has only been observed in ducklings between the ages of 3 to 15 days old.”

The Agriculture Ministry also noted that the public should be made aware that it is safe to consume all poultry products despite the actions of the Trinidadian Government.

“While a disease incidence report to the World

Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) may elicit a country response, we are disappointed at the premature and excessive response of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries of Trinidad and Tobago which has placed a ban on all poultry products, raw and cooked, coming from Guyana.”

In light of the ban, former Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy lashed out at the coalition Government for not informing the country about the virus.

A memo dated May 31, 2019, and signed by the twin-island Republic’s

Trinidad and Tobago until further notice. Upon arrival at ports of entry, such items are, therefore, to be seized for destruction,” the memo stated.

T&T’s Agriculture Minister, Clarence Rambharat confirmed the ban and revealed that Guyana advised them of the presence of Duck Viral Hepatitis in a part of the country.

“As a precaution, the Ministry’s Chief Veterinary Office has notified the Customs and Excise Division of an immediate ban on raw and cooked poultry originating from Guyana. While

Senior Veterinary Officer, informed its Customs and Excise Division of the ban.

“As instructed by the Chief Veterinary Officer Animal Health SubDivision of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries in accordance with the Animals [Diseases and Importation] Act Chap 67:02, please be informed that with immediate effect all and any raw and cooked poultry meat from Guyana is banned from entry into

Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago do not trade with each other in poultry, the ban is precautionary and targets passengers coming into Trinidad and Tobago with raw or cooked poultry in their possession. The ban is instituted because Guyana has advised of the existence of duck virus hepatitis in a part of Guyana,” a LoopTT report quoted the Minister as saying.

However, in a statement on Saturday last,

Dr Ramsammy took the Guyana Government to task over its handling of the matter. He pointed to the fact that not only did it fail to inform the populace of the DVH outbreak, but it was also unaware of the ban by its Caribbean neighbour.

When contacted on the ban on Friday last, Agriculture Minister Noel Holder told Guyana Times that he is currently out of the country and has not been appraised of the situation before he ended the call citing long distance charges being applied to his phone.

According to Ramsammy, the coalition was equally surprised and caught offguard with the ban.

“At the time of the announcement, Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture was, as usual, out of the jurisdiction – he was out of the country this time. He always seems to be somewhere else when agriculture faces a threat… There is no indication that anyone in the David Granger-led APNU/ AFC Cabinet knew anything about the ban. It appears they were as shocked as ordinary Guyanese citizens that Trinidad and Tobago announced the ban,” Dr Ramsammy noted.

The former Agriculture Minister explained that Trinidad’s action could not have been arbitrary. He noted that it is practice for Government officials from a country to inform relevant authorities in another country about its intention to take certain actions because of issues coming out of that country.

n keeping with its plans to explore Guyana’s rich offshore resources, a multinational oil and gas exploration company, Tullow Oil, has begun its search for oil in the Orinduik Block.

This operation will incorporate the use of the Offshore Support Vessel (OSV) Pacific Leader, which will display international signals for other nearby vessels to be alerted, the Maritime Administration Department said in a notice published in the daily newspapers.

This drilling exercise will run until December 31 of this year.

The oil company is expected to drill about 82 nautical miles from the coast of Guyana and cover an area of 848 square kilometres.

The Maritime Department has asked that all mariners exercise caution when in this zone and moreover, maintain a good distance from it.

In another notice, the Department explained that the company also commenced drilling in the Jethro-1 well site within the Orinduik Block. For this operation, the Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit Stena Forth will be used and will also be displaying international signals.

Its drill site is about 95 nautical miles from Guyana’s coast and will cover an area of one square kilometre, bounded by other coordinates.

The oil company first inked its interest into Guyana during the second quarter of 2013.

Tullow had in February announced that it was bringing forward its drilling programme from the previously scheduled end of the year to the second quarter. It had announced that the Jethro prospect would be drilled in June.

So far, plans have been announced to drill three wells here namely the Jethro-Lobe, Joe and Carapa.

Its Carapa prospect in Kanuku is expected to be drilled in the third quarter. It is understood that the net cost of the Jethro well is US$30 million, while the Carapa well will cost US$20 million.

Tullow’s partner in the Orinduik Block, Eco

Tullow’s Head of Communications, George Cazenove

Atlantic, had announced that drilling on the Joe prospect will begin in mid-July of this year.

They had announced that the Stena Forth drillship will move directly to the Joe after it finishes drilling the Jethro Lobe Well in the Orinduik Block.

It is understood that the Joe is located in approximately 650 metres of water and will cost Eco approximately US$3 million to drill.

A recently published report from international company Gustavson Associates has estimated that the well has a 43.2 per cent chance of success.

The Orinduik oil block is just a few kilometres from Exxon’s discoveries in the Liza and Payara fields. It is under the administration of Eco Guyana and Tullow, who signed a 10year Petroleum Prospecting licence and Production Sharing Agreement with Guyana in 2016. The French firm, Total E and P Activities Petrolieres entered the fray in 2017, partnering with Eco with the option to get a 25 per cent share in the Block.

With major plans afoot for possible oil discoveries, Tullow’s Head of Communications, George Cazenove, has promised that jobs will be provided for the Guyanese populace.

In a recent interview, Cazenove told Guyana Times, “Shared prosperity includes a firm commitment to local content… Tullow has made significant efforts in both East and West Africa to make sure that local companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, are involved in the supply chain in the oil and gas developments we are involved with”.

12 News

tuesday, JUNE 4, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Black Bush Polder flooding

RDC has jurisdiction for cleaning drains – NDIA …says sluice doors were operational, drains were clogged damage to the pump,” NDIA stated.

It has been announced that had the situation been monitored but a fully-functional pump station, the flooding would have been averted.

Sharmilla Davi Pooran, a cash crop farmer, had told this publication that she and her husband cultivate ochro and during the morning, her husband had to use a pump

to get most of the water out of the farm.

She noted that they also cultivate rice, which was hit by a paddy bug infestation during the last crop.

“We get nothing from rice and now it look like we nah gon get nothing from garden,” she said while adding that they cannot afford to continue pumping water out of the farm as the rains continue.

Sudeen Ramnauth called “Lil Boy” of Yakusari also

said his crop was under water.

“I got to pump water, since morning my skin soak and I pumping water.”

He said the canal which takes water to the sluice at Number 43 Village is clogged with vegetation. He added that the outfall channel needs desilting urgently.

Ramnauth also expressed concern that the pump at Number 43 Village was not being used to assist in getting the water out to the sea.

Caricom official urges Guyana to pursue “realistic” renewable energy source

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High floodwaters in Black Bush Polder last week caused persons to save their cattle and livestock

n light of threatening floodwaters at Black Bush Polder, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) which lasted for several days and affected numerous households, the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority has refuted claims that they were primarily responsible.

According to the NDIA, they commenced clearing Black Bush channels at Joppa, Adventure and Eversham about one week prior to the inundation. At the end of the operation, all sluices were operational.

Just over one week ago, the polders of Johanna and Yakusari were flooded after a few hours of heavy rainfall. Cash crop farmers and those in the residential areas were the worst affected by the floodwaters. Also af-

fected were some rice and poultry farmers.

However, the Authority stated that upon investigation, it was determined that the Yakusari main drain was completely blocked with vegetation; an area which is a responsibility of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC). The NDIA claimed that the local organ body refused to relinquish those duties to them earlier this year.

“Upon investigation, it was determined that the Yakusari main drain was completely blocked with vegetation. The Regional Democratic Council, Region [Six], which has responsibility for the cleaning and maintenance of the main drain, had earlier in the year refused to allow NDIA to take over these responsibilities.”

It was also indicated that

attempts were made by the local organ body to clear the vegetation prior but this proved unsuccessful. They were called to render assistance but the pump station remained inoperable for close to one day.

“The RDC sent in a contractor who unsuccessfully attempted to remove the vegetation from the Yakusari channel. To compound the problem, the contractor “cut and loose” the vegetation, which floated to the Joppa pump station, resulting in the station’s grillwork being damaged and pulled into the sump. The NDIA was called in to rectify the situation, which resulted in the pump station being inoperable for approximately 18 hours, since operating the pump without the grillwork may have caused long term

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lthough Guyana may not be in the hurricane belt, it certainly will have to deal with issues such as the rise in sea levels and flooding as the country builds its new energy future.

This is according to Caricom’s Energy Programme Manager, Dr Devon Gardner, who at a recent talk about Guyana’s Green State Development Strategy (GSDS) noted that while there are multiple potential renewable energy sources for the country, focus needs to be placed on those that can be “realistically developed.” “...In a way that gives us the kind of energy system that makes us sufficiently robust to the potential external impacts of commodity prices, not just oil, and as well as make us a lot more resilient to the impacts of climate change. There must be understanding that within that context too, the opportunities for rural development, social advancement and a lot of the economic potentials including those that can be gained from the exports. Not just of oil and gas potentially but also from renewable energy including renewable electricity from sources such as hydro… maybe other sources, perhaps including biomass produced fuels such as maybe biodiesel etc.”

According to Dr Gardner, Guyana has an electrical system that is “not the most

modern” and a system that includes generation that is largely dependent under the current state of fossil sources, most of which are oilbased sources.

“We have a configuration for delivering the energy from the generation points to the demand centres that is not optimised and that is something that results in a system that is not sufficiently reliable and secure”, he added.

Further, the official said that on the transport side, the Caribbean has similar issues in the sense that there is even more dependence on oil-based sources for fuel.

“We have a marketing and distributing system that is very conventional [and] depends on, of course, fuel coming in, being bunkered in the course, transported to the distribution stations, people then come fill up and then use motor vehicles with internal combustion engines and to date we have not been able to secure data on the average age of the vehicles despite much efforts to do so.”

Gardner posited that from a first glance of the roadways in Guyana, it is obvious that the transport sector is not one of the more efficient end users of energy within Guyana.

“So, understanding that configuration means that in any planning there has to be short term goals that seeks

Caricom Energy Programme Manager, Dr Devon Gardner

to rectify some of the maladies in the existing system.

Even as we try to build the optimisations that are necessary for the kind of flexible, adaptable, diversified systems. Systems that would make us have lower energy costs, maybe energy costs that are not necessarily lower, but are more resilient to external price shorts from the commodities markets and much greater reliability in our systems.”

The Caricom official reminded that renewable energy is “not an end in itself” but more of a means in Guyanese obtaining the kind of diversified economic and social systems with the relevant stewardships and necessary environment for a country that is pursuing a GSDS. (Kristen Macklingam)

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tuesday, JUNE 4, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Breach at Lethem: Lethem-to-Aishalton main access road cut off

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t is just the beginning of the four-month rainy season for the hinterland region, and already, the main access road connecting two major indigenous communities has been cut off.

Aishalton Toshao Michael Thomas told Guyana Times that a particular spot some 12 miles from his village is in a deplorable state and in dire need of emergency repairs.

The damage this year has made the road impassable to all vehicles travelling from Lethem to Aishalton, as well as the seven surrounding villages.

The alternative route requires an additional 60

miles of driving. As a result of the road’s deterioration, fuel supply to the communities has decreased, the Toshao said.

The situation is expected to worsen, as the month of June is the peak of the rainy season, which lasts until August in those areas.

The site in question has been washed away over the last two years during the rainy season, but this time around, the damage is greater. According to the Toshao, the hole in the road is two metres deep and is wider than previously.

Additionally, the culverts have broken in half.

Toshao Thomas explained that in 2017, the

village received assistance from the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) to fix the road, and last year, help was provided from the Brazilian Army which was in Guyana to drill wells in the Rupununi.

This time around, the Toshao believes assistance from Central Government may be required.

Minibus operators are even complaining of the deplorable state of the Linden-Lethem road, describing it a “death trap”.

The bus operators who reached out to this publication on Sunday described the trail as a “death trap” and bashed the Public Infrastructure Ministry

World’s largest conference on gender equality

...calls made to redefine power at every level

Women Deliver President/ CEO Katja Iversen

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eads of State of four nations sat side-by-side young leaders and grassroots advocates as delegates from more than 165 countries kicked off the Women Deliver 2019 Conference on Monday in Vancouver, Canada.

The Women Deliver 2019 Conference, the world’s largest conference on gender equality and the health, rights, and well-being of girls and women, kicked off with more than 8000 world leaders, influencers, advocates, academics, and activists.

The conference will focus on power, and how

it can drive – or hinder – progress and change; and how societies must redefine the concept of ‘power’ and use it as a force for good.

The conference will examine power operating at three levels: the individual’s power – girls’ and women’s individual power, self-esteem, and agency – and how to strengthen that power; structural power –systems, barriers, and opportunities for progress in power relations, including political, economic, and social structures. And finally, the conference will examine the power of movements and how we can shape critical consciousness and marshal collective action for change.

While the Women Deliver 2019 Conference and global dialogue will place a special emphasis on power, the conference will offer solutions to fill the gap on a vast array of issues crucial to gender equality: economic empowerment; women and the environment; nutrition; education; political participation; preventing gender-based violence;

health, including sexual and reproductive health and rights; human rights, and much more.

“The Women Deliver 2019 Conference is much more than a conference, it is one important step on the march towards gender equality,” Women Deliver President/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Katja Iversen said at the opening press conference. “We all have power to contribute to a more gender equal world. If we use our individual and collective power – boldly, smartly and collaboratively – progress will follow.”

for displaying zero interest in conducting long-term repairs to the road which provides the only access to those areas.

The trail has been in a deteriorated state for years and worsens during the rainy season after which minor substandard repairs are done on certain patches and the problem continues to recur.

A route 72 bus driver, Keith Daniels, on Sunday

told Guyana Times that he was forced to park his minibus owing to the condition of the road since the risks of making a trip are way more than its gains.

“To be honest, since Wednesday I ain’t make a trip. The last trip I make last week I had to come and take my bus to the mechanic and spend a set of money which I didn’t even make.

This trail just getting bad to worse. Destroying peo-

ple bus.

“The Government need to do better than what they are doing. The small man punishing in this place.

You struggling to get load to go up and when you do, you are faced with that trash for a road. We got families to feed and we gotta pay mortgage and even pay for the same bus that destroying in that mud.

This couldn’t be fair,” he argued.

14 news GPL’s Kingston-Vreed-en-Hoop cable de-energised tuesday, JUNE 4, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

… after fault detected; investigation launched

GPL Chairman Rawle Lucas

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housands of persons were without power on Sunday night as the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) grid encountered a fault, which is now under investigation.

The utility company posted on Monday that its submarine cable which links the Kingston and Vreed-en-Hoop Stations developed some technical issues.

This affected distribution to the DemeraraBerbice Interconnected System (DBIS), resulting in power outages in a number of locations.

“The normal transfer of power from our Vreed-enHoop to Kingston stations for further distribution into the rest of the Demerara-

Berbice Interconnected System is hindered because this is the only link between the two stations. This resulted in a genera-

tion d e f i cit on the eastern sections of Demerara and Berbice,”

GPL stated.

As a result of this, load shedding was experienced on Monday. The areas affected in Georgetown included Prashad Nagar, Kitty, Campbellville, Subryanville, Vlissengen Road, Bel Air Park, Queenstown and Alberttown. In addition, Buss Bee Dam to Providence and Garden of Eden to Craig were some of the areas that were affected on the East Bank of Demerara.

Disruptions continued from La Retraite to Vriesland on the West Bank of Demerara and Republic Road and Strand, New Amsterdam in Berbice.

Less than one week ago, new GPL Board Chairman Rawle Lucas shared his optimism that they could come up with strategies to relieve Guyanese of the burden of constant power outages.

In an interview with Guyana Times, Lucas acknowledged that blackouts were a problem. In fact, he described them as “a thorn in the flesh”, and noted that policies to reduce blackouts would be pursued by the Board.

“The issue of blackouts has become like a thorn in the flesh. And we cannot keep living with these thorns in our flesh. We have

27 women begin first aid training

Director General of the Guyana Red Cross Society (GRCS), Dorothy Fraser (second from right) and Lieutenant Colonel Yvonne Smith of the Office of the First Lady (first, right) among facilitators and participants at the opening of the first aid component of First Lady, Sandra Granger’s Care for the Elderly workshop

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wenty-seven women on Monday commenced a week-long training exercise in general first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the proper use of an automated external defibrillator at the Guyana Red Cross Society (GRCS), as part of the three-component Care for the Elderly workshop spearheaded by the Office of the First Lady.

Director General of the Guyana Red Cross Society (GRCS), Dorothy Fraser told the participants that the training will teach them life-

long skills that they can use to save a life.

“It’s not just learning a new skill and something to do, but you’re going to be learning a lot of other things that you will take through the rest of your life,” she said.

Referencing the seven tenets of the Red Cross, which are Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity and Universality, Fraser told the group that it is vital that they practice impartiality when dealing with emergencies.

“Be… impartial, and that means that we make no discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions.

Relieve the suffering of individuals guided solely by their needs and give priority to the most urgent cases of distress,” Fraser added.

The workshop is being hosted at the GRCS’s Barrack Street, Kingston location. On completion of this training, the participants will begin two weeks of training to care for the elderly at the Regency Suites, Hadfield Street, Georgetown.

to try and do something about it. And I want to assure you that it will be a main area of focus, certainly of this Board.”

One of the things he believes should be done is reviewing GPL’s infrastructure, which would include the interconnected system.

Supplying power to this system are engines run by the Power Producers and Distribution Incorporated (PPDI).

“I do believe that there are things that we can do with respect to improving the performance of the entity. You know, one can look at the asset management and the financial management and some of the technical issues which might be driving some of these unpleasant outcomes and blackouts,” he noted.

The new Board has been installed at a time when GPL’s service has been heav-

ily criticised by citizens. This is owing to regular power outages, maintenance work and announcements that there are issues with the interconnected system.

In fact, a statement was sent out last Tuesday, in which it was related that GPL had restored electricity supply to the counties of Demerara and Berbice following a temporary fault in its Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System.

Great Falls residents accuse Govt of neglect

– high rate of school dropouts due to lack of access to secondary education

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esidents of Great Falls, upper Demerara River (Region 10), are accusing the Government of neglecting the education system in their village.

The community has a population of about 300 but there are no facilities for children to complete their secondary education as the secondary schools in closest proximity to the area are in Linden.

Residents of Great Falls, Mabura Road and Number 58 Village said they had come together with the idea of building a school which would have served those communities but when they approached Government for assistance, their idea was shut down since the Government allegedly refused to provide teachers.

Residents said due to their interest for their children to access secondary education, they made yet another proposal to the Administration and submitted a list of names of potential teachers from those villages that could have been trained to teach but they are yet to receive a response.

A resident of Great Falls, who asked to remain anonymous, related that he and other residents have exhausted all avenues in seeking proper education for their children.

“We have tried everything. First, they had no school. Then we built a school, self-help with no assistance from Government.

Then we asked for the teachers, they then responded by saying that they don’t have accommodation for

the teachers. We didn’t give up there. We submitted a names of high school graduates that would have attended secondary school elsewhere and attained subjects at CSEC and returned to the village. We asked the Government to train these persons in even if its four or five basic subject areas just so that our children can have an education accessible but to date, they haven’t even responded,” he said.

The resident stated that the issue of lack of access to education is brought up by residents at every village meeting with officials from Government Ministries and other agencies to no avail.

He added that recently they sought the intervention of Indigenous Peoples Affairs Minister, Sydney Allicock but there were more empty promises that never materialised.

“This is distressing. They have no interest in the people here. It’s just promises on more promises and nothing is being done for us. Our children should have access to complete their education.

That’s a basic necessity,” he added.

He pointed out that as a result of this issue, there is a high rate of school dropouts in his village and surrounding villages as children were left with no other alternative than to leave school upon completion of their primary education.

“Right now, most of the children finish school after the primary because Linden is a far distance from here and residents have to relocate if their children are to attend schools there. It’s un-

reasonable and unfair,” he said.

The residents also noted that an Information and Communication Technology Hub which was built and powered by solar energy to serve the community in the area of computer training is still awaiting furnishings after five months.

The building is empty and every time inquiries are made by the residents they are told that they are waiting for the Government to supply the computers.

“This is a waste. The empty building sitting there.

It was a big thing when they announced the ICT Hub for this area but months have passed and we are still waiting. They have no computers. They have no interest in the people. They are saying one thing but their actions show something totally different,” the resident argued.

The frustrated residents are calling on the relevant authorities to intervene in the situation and to put mechanisms in place so that residents can access better facilities.

Efforts to obtain a comment from Region Ten Regional Education Officer Robindra Singh on the issue were unsuccessful.

Great Falls Village is a small Indigenous community located on the bank of the Demerara River with a population of about 300 persons. The community has two nursery and primary schools, a health centre and a village office. Its main economic activities are logging, traditional hunting and fishing.

15 Linden professionals renew calls to end stigma, discrimination against mental health victims news

tuesday, JUNE 4, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

– as Mental Health Awareness Month concludes

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e a l t h c a r e professionals attached to the Mental Health Department of the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) have renewed calls to end the stigma and discrimination against mental health sufferers, as Mental Health Awareness Month wrapped up on Friday last.

As part of the planned month of activities, officials attached to the Mental Health Clinic hosted a “Day of Pampering” for patients and their caregivers.

During the activity, they were awarded hampers and prizes were awarded to patients for “Best attendance”, “Most Improved” as well as the “Most Consistent Caretaker”.

Mental Health patients were also treated to a cultural programme which included tributes, songs, poems and several dance routines. This was followed by a session of manicures, pedicures, hairstyles, facials, makeup, dental and eye care services.

The objective of the event was to have patients and their caregivers feel loved and appreciated as they were also offered words of encouragement.

The LHC Mental Health Clinic presently has over 400 patients, and as such, staff members are in the process of converting a space at the former hospital into a more comfortable facility.

Upon completion, it will be equipped with beds and rooms for examination, as well as to facilitate one

on one discussions and a pharmacy.

Owing to the number of patients, the issue of mental illness is quite prevalent in the community, as the staff continues to work to put an end to the stigma attached to the illness.

In this regard, a Mental Health Awareness rally is planned for June 14 aimed at expanding ideas to the community in an effort to fight against discrimination as it relates to mental conditions, including suicide, as it was stressed that this issue not only affects the Linden community but the entire country.

“Some persons, unless they get a victim in their family, they don’t understand the importance of mental health, so we would like to sensitise them... first of all, [we will] try to eradicate the stigma at every level...in our homes, with our friends, in the hospital environment, all over. Most of the patients who don’t feel free to come here is because of the stigma...Secondly, it’s important to let the relatives know the importance, to encourage the patients to come to the clinic and to come on time”, Cuban Consultant/ Psychiatrist attached to the Clinic, Dr Sandra Gilart Ananguren stated.

Dr Ananguren also stressed that follow-up visits to the clinic are also important, noting that oftentimes relatives stop taking affected family members after a few visits. In such cases, she explained that patients can suffer a relapse and the consequences could be

From left: Professionals attached to the LHC Mental Health Department: Trained Mental Health Nurses Hanna Longhorne, Tricia McKenzie, Dexter Holder and Dr Ananguren

worse.

“It’s for the patients’ own benefit. Some disorders, illnesses can be treated, well since the beginning, with the proper treatment permanently for a certain period of time and some patients, once it’s not a chronic condition, it can be reversible. They can go back into the society, which is another one of our objectives in the clinic,” she explained.

Dr Ananguren also noted that it is very important to have community involvement and encouraged the public to report to the relevant authorities if they feel someone may need help.

Officials have noted that a lot of caregivers tend to go into a state of depression

due to the frustration of dealing with relatives who suffer from mental health issues. In this regard, they believe that the clinic is there to lend support.

The officials also conduct home visits and medical outreaches in addition to an ongoing anti-bullying school campaign.

Trained Mental Health Nurse, Tricia McKenzie told Guyana Times that through the assistance patients receive from the clinic, some patients have had a complete transformation.

She noted that some have even taken up jobs at the hospital and other places as security officers.

“We have some longstanding patients that

were able to hold down jobs because they were consistent with coming to clinic. Some were able to start a family, build a house...there is life after an attack of a mental breakdown. You just have to come to the clinic, get the medication on time, every time, and they can live a normal life”, she said.

McKenzie, who has been working in the mental health area for years, said a lot of work is needed in the region with regards to mental health. She said there is a need for people to be more educated on its issues, as she too alluded to the stigma.

Officials have noted that the most prevalent form of mental illness seen in

the community presently is substance-induced psychosis, a condition caused by substance abuse which leads to hallucinations and which causes the sufferer to go into a psychotic state.

They posited that this issue is more common among young people between teenage years to their early twenties.

According to McKenzie, discrimination is presently a very sore point for mental health as she stressed that sufferers need love, care and support.

“We need to embrace them and let them know that we love and care for them and that there is help. A lot of people suffer silently”, she noted.

McKenzie further indicated that the clinic is strategically located in a secluded area which makes it safer and private.

“We open our arms... we don’t shun any of our patients. We love them, we show them that we genuinely care and we want them to get better, to live a normal life. If there is anybody with a patient suffering from mental illness, bring them in”, she encouraged.

The Department also plans to conduct a televised panel discussion on general aspects of mental health. It also hosted a public consultation which kickstarted the month of activities last month. The programmes are a collaborative effort between the Mental Health Department, Public Health Ministry and Regional Health Officer Dr Pansy Armstrong. (Utamu Belle)

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guyanatimesgy.com

tuesday, JUNE 4, 2019

Regional

Lima Group, EU urge active global Argentina’s Ni Una Menos turns support of Venezuela’s Guaidó

The Lima Group and most Western nations recognise Venezuelan Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó as the interim president [Guadalupe Pardo/Reuters]

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he Lima Group regional bloc and European Union-led contact group on Venezuela have called on Latin America and the broader international community to play a more active role in restoring democracy to Venezuela.

The two groups made their call in a joint statement issued on Monday after Lima Group members Canada, Chile and Peru met EU representatives at the United Nations.

“While the solution needs to be a Venezuelan one, the regional impact of

the crisis requires the region and the international community to play a more active role in supporting a prompt return to democracy,” said Monday’s statement, which was read out at a news conference by Peruvian Foreign Minister Nestor Popolizio.

The statement did not give more details and Popolizio, accompanied by Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and Chilean Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero, did not elaborate.

The 12-nation Lima Group and most Western countries have recognised Venezuelan Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó as the nation’s legitimate interim President.

Guaidó invoked the country’s Constitution in January to declare himself

interim President, calling the re-election of President Nicolas Maduro illegitimate. Maduro, who has repeatedly said he will not step aside, accuses Guaidó and the United States of staging a coup. He maintains the support of Russia, China, Turkey and Cuba, as well as most of the country’s State institutions, including the military.

Hyperinflation, unemployment, and food and medicine shortages have driven more than three million Venezuelans abroad in recent years.

Meanwhile on Monday, US President Donald Trump said that Russia told the US it had removed most of its people from Venezuela.

Moscow supports Maduro, who has said Guaidó is a puppet of Washington. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

T&T: Jamaican deportee willing to surrender

T

he Jamaican man who was denied entry at the Piarco International Airport on Friday says he did not escape custody and claimed he paid US$500 to an Immigration officer to secure his freedom.

The 29-year-old man contacted with Guardian Media on Sunday and provided a photo of his Caribbean Airlines boarding pass

from the flight BW415 from Kingston, Jamaica to Trinidad as proof of his identity, his order of denial and a photo of the room he was being kept in to corroborate his account. The Airports Authority stated the suspect escaped from immigration and airline security officers and left the airport.

The man said he was stopped by Immigration officers from entering the

country on Friday night, but said there was no basis for their refusal. He admitted that he had been prevented from entering T&T on three previous occasions and deported to Jamaica as officers claimed he had pending criminal charges in Jamaica.

“I do not have any pending, previous or ongoing court matters in Jamaica.

I am simply trying to come

here to be with my children and my girlfriend who is pregnant.

“In Jamaica, when you get refused entry by another country, you have to go back through an Immigration interview and a police interview, if I had got caught trying to leave the country with pending matters, I would have been arrested already in Jamaica,” he said. (Excerpt from

focus to economic crisis, abortion

W

hen Cecilia Palmeiro began organising Ni Una Menos (not one less), a campaign against femicide in Argentina, in 2015, she wondered what power a women’s strike could have.

It wasn’t until the following year, after witnessing Polish women striking for abortion access, as well as hearing reports about the rape and murder of a 16-year-old Argentine girl, that the strike she thought about in 2015 became a reality.

On October 19, 2016, Palemiro and her colleagues at Ni Una Menos organised the first National Women’s strike. Since then, Ni Una Menos has played a key role in the Argentine feminist movement and continued to lead public protests like the international women’s strike.

On Monday, thousands of Argentine women took to the streets of Buenos Aires again with the similar aim of past actions: to draw attention to an economic crisis and call for women’s rights, in this case the right to economic security and abortion.

With presidential elections approaching in October, Argentina has been consumed by frustration with the current administration, led by President Mauricio Macri, and debate over which candidate will best alleviate rising inflation and a debilitating national debt. Argentina received a US$56 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in October 2018 and the Congress passed an austerity budget to comply with the terms of the loan for 2019. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Mexico draws red line on asylum before talks on Trump’s tariff threat

Trinidad Guardian)

Barbados: National Seaga to be laid to rest at

shutdown and

reactivation policy framework created

A

t long last a national shutdown policy, to be implemented in the event of a climatic event, has been created and is ready for circulation.

That’s the word from Home Affairs Minister Edmund Hinkson. He made the disclosure Sunday morning during the annual Hurricane Preparedness Month press conference held at the Department of Emergency Management.

According to Hinkson, Cabinet has approved the systematic national shutdown and reactivation policy framework and standard operating procedures, but he has not ruled out the possibility of giving it legislative effect if such is warranted. His comments came as he indicated that the Police will be requested to enforce the shutdown procedure and ensure the safety of persons.

“We would urge the Department [of Emergency Management] as well, to make this policy frame-

Home Affairs Minister Edmund Hinkson

work as well-known as possible. The approach to a national shutdown will be on a staggered basis and there is nothing new about that, this will ensure that key elements of national operations are allowed to maintain an effective level of operation for as long as possible, while at the same time facilitating the systematic closure of non-essential operations,” the Home Affairs Minister explained. (Excerpt from Barbados Advocate)

Heroes Circle on June 23

T

he official state funeral for Former Prime Minister Edward Seaga is to take place on June 23 at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Jamaica beginning at midday.

Seaga will to be laid to rest at Heroes Circle in Kingston.

Details surrounding his funeral arrangements were disclosed by Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange at a press conference on Monday.

Seaga’s remains, draped in the national flag, arrived on a Caribbean Airlines

flight at the Norman Manley International Airport Sunday, escorted by members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF).

Grange said Seaga’s remains will lie in state on Wednesday, June 5 at the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) headquarters, June 10 at the Tivoli Community Centre and June 11 in Denham Town.

June 19-22 will be the official mourning period, when flags will be flown at half-mast.

Seaga, Jamaica’s fifth Prime Minister, died in hospital in Miami on May 28. (Jamaica Observer)

Tobago woman, son in court for murder

A

self-employed mother and her son appeared before a Scarborough Magistrate on Monday charged with the murder of a 25-year-old man.

Shelly-Ann Douglas, 46, and Rondel Douglas, 20, of Signal Hill, Tobago, were before senior magistrate Indrani Cedeno. The woman told Cedeno she expects to have an attorney represent her and her son at the next hearing.

Ankel Thomas, a 25-year-old father of one from Lambeau, was left at the Scarborough hospital’s Accident and Emergency department by an unknown person, with stab wounds to the chest on August 22, 2018. He died while undergoing emergency surgery.

Douglas and her son were remanded into custody and the matter was adjourned to July 1. (Excerpt from Newsday)

Trucks cross the border into the US and into Mexico at the World Trade Bridge, as seen from Laredo, Texas, US, June 3, 2019

M

exico on Monday said it would reject a US idea to take in all Central American asylum seekers if it is raised at talks this week with the Trump Administration, which has threatened to impose tariffs if Mexico does not crack down on illegal immigration.

President Donald Trump last week said he would impose a blanket tariff on Mexican imports from June 10 to try to pressure Mexico to tackle large flows of mostly Central American migrants passing through en route to the United States.

The threat roiled global markets, which are already suffering from a trade war between the United States and China. The price of oil fell on Monday as US trade disputes with the two countries deepened concerns about weakening global crude demand.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said the country was committed to continuing to work to keep illegal immigrants from Central America from reaching the US border.

However, he said a more radical proposal favoured by some US officials to designate Mexico a “safe third country”, which would force Central Americans seeking asylum in the United States to instead apply for it in Mexico, is not an option.

“An agreement about a safe third country would not be acceptable for Mexico,” Ebrard told reporters in Washington. “They have not yet proposed it to me.

But it would not be acceptable and they know it.”

Ebrard will meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during the talks, which will also involve other senior officials. (Excerpt from Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesday, JUNE 4, 2019

Around the World

Donald Trump meets Queen at start of UK state visit

U

S President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have met the Queen on the first day of their state visit to the UK. The pair went to Buckingham Palace for a welcome ceremony and private lunch.

The Trumps laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown warrior in Westminster Abbey and are due to attend a state banquet this evening.

Tweeting ahead of the banquet, Trump said the “London part of the trip” was going “really well”.

Earlier in the day, Trump criticised the Mayor of London, with whom he has clashed in the past.

He tweeted that Sadiq Khan - who had earlier said the UK should “not roll out the red carpet” for Trump - was a “stone cold loser”, but the President added he was looking forward to his visit.

Protests are planned in

The Queen showed US items of the Royal Collection to the President and First Lady

several UK cities during the three-day visit, including in London, Manchester, Belfast, and Birmingham.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn - who is boycotting the state dinner - is due to attend and speak at the London demonstration, a party spokesman has confirmed.

Talks between Trump and outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May will begin today, with the pair expected to discuss climate

change and Chinese technology firm Huawei.

The President’s visit coincides with the commemorations for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, which the Queen, Trump and other heads of state will attend at Portsmouth on Wednesday.

The Queen hosted a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, also attended by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Boeing warns of potential wing faults in some 737 jets

B

oeing has warned airlines about potential flaws on the wings of some 737 aircraft, including on the new-generation 737 Max that was grounded after two crashes.

The company has identified possible faulty parts on more than 300 aircraft worldwide.

The parts, called wing slats, help reduce drag on take-off and landing.

Affected parts may be susceptible to premature failure or cracks, the US aviation regulator said.

The Federal Aviation Administration Authority

(FAA) added that the issue arose due to an “improper manufacturing process”.

The President and Chief Executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Kevin McAllister, said in a statement: “We are committed to supporting our customers in every way possible as they identify and replace these potentially non-conforming tracks.”

News of the potentially faulty wing parts prompted a 1.6 per cent fall in Boeing’s share price at the start of trading and comes as the plane-maker grapples with the consequences

of the 737 Max grounding.

The planes were grounded worldwide after a combined 346 people died in two crashes, the first in Indonesia in October followed by one in Ethiopia in March.

That also knocked the reputation of the FAA amid questions over its oversight during the flight certification process of the Max. Boeing is working on a software fix that will allow the Max to begin flying again, but differences have arisen between the US and Canada on how to train pilots on the software after the update. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Sudanese forces storm protest camp, more than 30 people killed – medics

Sudanese protesters use burning tyres to erect a barricade on a street, demanding that the country’s Transitional Military Council hand over power to civilians, in Khartoum, Sudan, June 3, 2019

S

ecurity forces stormed a protest camp in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Monday and opposition-linked medics said more than 30 people were killed in the worst violence since the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April.

Witnesses said a sit-in next to the Defence Ministry, the focal point of anti-Government protests that start-

17

ed in December, had been cleared. Protesters poured onto streets elsewhere in Khartoum and beyond in response, setting up barricades and roadblocks with rocks and burning tyres.

A group of doctors linked to the opposition said 30 people had been “martyred” in Monday’s violence, with the toll expected to rise because not all casualties had been accounted for. The group had

earlier said at least 116 people were wounded.

The main protest group accused the ruling military council of perpetrating “a massacre” as it broke up the camp.

The Transitional Military Council (TMC) denied that, with a spokesman, Lieutenant General Shams El Din Kabbashi, telling Reuters security forces were pursuing “unruly elements” who had fled to the protest site and caused chaos.

Monday’s violence is likely to deal a blow to hopes for a restart to stalled talks and a negotiated settlement over who should govern in a transitional period after Bashir’s overthrow.

Sudan’s public prosecutor on Monday ordered an investigation into the violence, state news agency SUNA said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Sri Lanka Muslim Ministers quit to protest “threat to community”

A

ll of Sri Lanka’s Muslim Ministers and their deputies have resigned from their portfolios after accusing the Government of failing to guarantee the security of the nation’s minority Muslim community amid fears of attacks following the Easter suicide bombings.

The decision comes after hardline Buddhist monks, including firebrand monk Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, set a deadline to the Government to fire Muslim provincial Governors and a Minister.

Gnanasara, who has long been accused of instigating hate crimes against Muslims, was released from jail on a presidential pardon last month.

The resignations of nine Ministers and two provincial Governors come after thousands of people led

by Buddhist monks began demonstrating this morning in the country’s central city of Kandy, 115km east of

Demonstrations outside the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy demand the sacking of Muslim politicians [AFP]

the capital Colombo.

Three weeks ago, mobs swept through Sri Lanka’s North Western Province, destroying hundreds of Muslims’ properties and killing one in apparent reprisal for the April suicide bombings in the island nation - a popular tourist destination.

At a press conference on Monday, Rauff Hakeem, the leader of Sri Lanka’s primary Muslim political party, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, said that the

Muslim community was paying a heavy price due to the crimes of a few individuals even after complying with security forces and the Government on various rules and regulations such as the closure of madrasas.

He said that the Muslim politicians would continue in their positions as Members of Parliament.

The former Ministers will sit at the back of Parliament and will cease to hold any ministerial positions. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

China warns students, academics of risks of studying in US

C

hina warned students and academics on Monday about risks involved in studying in the United States, pointing to limits on the duration of visas and visa refusals, amid a bitter trade war and other tension between the two countries.

Relations between China and the United States have nosedived because of their trade conflict, US sanctions on Chinese tech firm Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and tension over the disputed South China Sea and US support for Chineseclaimed Taiwan.

“The Education

Ministry reminds students and academics of the need to strengthen risk assessment before studying abroad, enhance prevention awareness, and make corresponding preparations.”

However, state television cited Ministry spokeswoman Xu Mei as saying despite the trade tensions, the “general situation” for Chinese students going to the United States remained stable, and US institutes of higher education welcomed Chinese students and cooperation with China.

At stake is about $14 billion of economic activity, most of it tuition and oth-

er fees generated annually from the 360,000 Chinese nationals who study in the United States.

Hu Xijin, editor of the widely read Chinese newspaper the Global Times, linked the warning to recent discrimination against students faced and the trade dispute.

“This warning is a response to recent series of discriminatory measures the US took against Chinese students and can also be seen as a response to the US-initiated trade war,” Hu wrote on his Twitter account in English. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Italian PM says will resign if coalition squabbles persist

I

talian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Monday said he was ready to resign unless the two parties in the governing populist coalition the League and the Five Star Movement - stopped squabbling.

“I am asking both these political forces to make a choice and tell me if they still want to honour the Government’s obligations,” he said. If not, “I will simply end my mandate.”

“I want a clear, unequivocal and speedy response,” he said.

Conte is seeking a clear mandate to continue a dialogue with the European Union over Italy’s public debt.

Italy’s far-right Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who is from the League, said last Tuesday that he expected Brussels

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is seeking a clear mandate to continue a dialogue with the European Union [Remo Casilli/Reuters]

to sanction his country for its deteriorating deficit and huge debt by imposing a fine of three billion euros ($3.3 billion).

“At a time when youth unemployment is reaching 50 per cent in some regions ... someone in Brussels is asking us, under past rules, for a fine of three billion euros,” he told RTL radio.

The populist far-right coalition in Italy had already been in conflict with Brussels

late last year over Rome’s big-spending 2019 budget, which the commission rejected in a historic first.

Both sides finally softened their positions to reach a compromise, but in the commission’s latest economic forecasts, published in early May, Italy was the worst economic performer in the eurozone, with zero growth well below other countries and debt at a record level. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesday, June 4, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

dilbert

Trust your instincts, not what someone else would like you to believe. Don’t share your feelings with people who meddle or ask too many personal questions. Look for opportunities and avoid excessive behaviour.

CANCER

Stay focused on what you need to achieve. Working alongside people who are as dedicated as you are will speed things up. An interesting offer will give you something to look forward to.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

SUDOKU

Keep moving forward with your plans. Don’t let anyone sidetrack you with emotional meddling. Assess situations quickly and do whatever it takes to get good results.

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

(June 21July 22)

Peanuts

Don’t rely on others when you are capable of doing things on your own. A chance to advance will depend on your ability to take on challenges and solve problems.

Stand by people who share your beliefs. Working in unison with others will bring the highest returns.

Compromise will help you build strong alliances and a secure future.

Participate in activities that will encourage you to network and rub shoulders with people who can help you bring about much-needed change. Learn from experience and push forward.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Check out your options before you make a move.

Consider what or who is holding you back and make a focused effort to ward off interference.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Take a leap forward. Much can be accomplished if you trust and believe in yourself and your ability to get things done. If you pay attention to someone you love, you’ll enhance your personal life.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

Keep your life simple.

Don’t let drama or extravagance disrupt your day. Use your skills to make your life better. Upgrade your qualifications to fit current economic trends.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

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

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Change begins within.

Consider what you want to improve, and share your thoughts with people whose approval you need. Love and physical improvements are highlighted.

Get together with people who have something to contribute. Mull over ideas and proposals carefully, and eliminate any ideas that aren’t realistic. Start small and build something concrete.

If you contact a former co-worker, you will be offered information that will help you make an instrumental change to the way you earn your living or handle your finances.

tuesday, june 4, 2019

19

Semenya able to run medication-free as Swiss court floors IAAF C

aster Semenya is once again free to run the 800m without having to take medication – at least for the time being – after the Swiss supreme federal court ordered the IAAF to suspend its testosterone regulations for her with immediate effect.

The surprise news – which completely blindsided athletics’ governing body – means that the Olympic champion can compete in distances ranging from 400m to a mile without medication until at least 25 June. However for now it only applies to the South African and not other athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD).

Semenya’s lawyer, Greg Nott, who hailed the decision as “morally uplifting and so good for Caster”, revealed that his team had asked for the suspension when they appealed the court of arbitration for sport’s ruling in Semenya’s case last week.

“The court has ordered the IAAF to suspend immediately the implementation of the regulation with regard to Caster and has given the IAAF until the 25 June to respond to the suspense of effect,” said Nott.

“It is absolutely positive news.”

In a short statement Semenya thanked the Swiss judges for their decision. “I hope that following my appeal I will once again be able to run free,” she added.

Her Swiss counsel, Dr Dorothee Schramm, also welcomed the decision.

“This is an important case that will have fundamental implications for the human rights of female athletes,” she added.

The ruling is the latest twist in the dispute between Semenya and the IAAF over a policy which requires DSD athletes to reduce their testosterone to below five nmol/L for at least six months if they want to compete inter- n a tionally all distances from 400m to a mile.

Last month the Cas accepted such a policy was “discriminatory” to DSD athletes, who are usually born with testes. However it ruled in favour of the IAAF after accepting its argument that high testosterone in female athletes confers significant advantages in size, strength

and power from puberty onwards.

In its decision Cas said the policy was “necessary, reasonable and proportionate” to ensure fair competition in women’s sport.

The impact of that decision was immediate. Last week in Stockholm a Diamond League women’s 800m race was won by a non-DSD athlete – the American Ajee Wilson – for the first time since 2015. Semenya and the Burundi athlete Francine Niyonsaba had won the last 22 races.

Now, however, the case could drag on for Caster months without a resoSemenya lution - and it could yet mean that the South African is able to defend her world 800m title in Doha in September.

When asked for a response to the suspension and the likelihood of what could happen next, the IAAF issued the following statement: “We have re-

ceived no information from the Swiss federal court so we cannot comment at this stage.”

However Monday’s ruling has encouraged Semenya’s team that the Swiss federal supreme court could set aside Cas’s decision in its entirety. They argue that the IAAF’s policy is unfair and unnecessary, and say unwanted hormonal drug interventions could have uncertain health consequences on athletes.

Semenya is supported by the World Medical Association, which has declared the IAAF regulations to be contrary to their basic ethical principles. When she launched her appeal last week, she again insisted that she would not take medication to reduce her testosterone “I am a woman and I am a world-class athlete,” she said. “The IAAF will not drug me or stop me from being who I am.”

The South African is expected to compete in a 2,000m race next week in Paris and then a 3,000m race at the Prefontaine Classic on 30 June. However she may now decide to have an immediate crack at another 800m – an event in which she is unbeaten since 2015. (The Guardian)

Halep and Djokovic storm Aussie match-up will show into French quarter-finals Windies’ true potential,

claims cricket legend Lloyd

Simona Halep

D

efending champion Simona Halep continued to tighten her grip on the French Open as she demolished Polish teenager Iga Swiatek to reach the quarter-finals on Monday.

The Romanian, who claimed her first Grand Slam title on the Parisian clay a year ago, has taken a while to hit her stride this time and was taken to three sets in the first two rounds.

Since then, however, the 27-year-old has looked in superb form, dropping four games in her last two matches.

“I can’t say I feel bad (for my opponent), because I played my best tennis,” Halep said after a 6-1 6-0 win that set up a quarter-final against American teenager Amanda Anisimova.

Of the top eight women’s seeds, only Halep, number seven Sloane Stephens and eighth seed Ashleigh Barty, who beat Sofia Kenin 6-3 3-6 6-0 on Monday, have reached the quarter-finals.

Australian Barty will face big-serving American Madison Keys who maintained her consistency in Grand Slams with a 6-2 6-4 defeat of Czech Katerina Siniakova.

With Anisimova beating Spain’s Aliona Bolsova, three American women have reached the last eight.

“I can’t describe how excited I am,” Anisimova said of her upcoming clash with Halep. “I couldn’t ask for a better match up. I’m just extremely happy and excited for the next round.”

The men’s draw has been far more

predictable.

Top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic continued his untroubled progress as he beat Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3 6-2 6-2 to reach a 10th successive quarter-final at Roland Garros — the first man to achieve that feat.

The Serbian, on course to hold all four Grand Slam titles simultaneously, has yet to drop a set this year and described the last two sets against Struff as “perfect”.

Things might be about to get tougher for Djokovic, though, with Germany’s Alexander Zverev up next after the fifth seed beat Fabio Fognini in four sets to equal his run in Paris last year.

Six of the top eight men’s seeds have reached the quarters. Eighth seed Juan Martin del Potro lost to 10th seed Karen Khachanov on Monday.

Japan’s Kei Nishikori edged out home favorite Benoit Paire in five sets, having resumed two sets to one ahead after the match was suspended by bad light the previous day.

Paire served for the match in the fifth set but Nishikori scrambled over the line to earn himself the dubious honor of a meeting with defending champion Rafael Nadal who has looked in commanding form so far as he bids for title number 12.

French hopes in the singles were extinguished as Gael Monfils was handed a claycourt lesson in a three-set defeat by last year’s runner-up Dominic Thiem of Austria. (Reuters)

Clive Lloyd

F

ormer legendary Windies captain Clive Lloyd has earmarked the Australia fixture as a crucial touchstone for the regional squad, following an impressive start to the ICC Cricket World Cup. The Caribbean team blew Pakistan out of the water in their opening fixture, using pace and bounce to unsettle the South-Asian squad, who were dismissed for 105, before casually cruising to the total. Facing the Australians, who boast an equal amount of firepower in both the pace bowling and batting departing, could be a very different prospect. The Aussie, who hammered Bangladesh in their opener, will face the Windies at Trent Bridge on Thursday.

“We just need to see what happens when the pressure is on the West Indies, but the game against Australia should do that as that will be a good

test of where we are at,” “Australia have got some firepower and some very good batsmen, so that should be an excellent game. That will give you an idea if West Indies can qualify or not,” he added.

“It’s going to be a good test and I also want to see the game against England, that too is going to be quite the contest. England have some real firepower and variety too.

“The next week or so is going to be very exciting for this competition. From what I’ve seen so far, though, I think the West Indies do possess enough to qualify for the last four.”

Russell confident ahead of Aussies clash Windies all-rounder Andre Russell is confident he will be fit and ready to face Australia, in the team’s second match of the ICC Cricket World Cup, on

Thursday.

The 31-year-old Russell had an impressive cameo in the opening match for the Windies, who registered a convincing 7-wicket win over Pakistan. The player, who was brought into the team mainly for his batting, was deadly with the ball in the opener as a barrage of short-pitched deliveries earned him figures of 2 for 4 in three overs.

The player who has, however, been plagued by knee injuries throughout his career, left hearts in mouths after seeming to develop a problem in the closing stages of the Pakistan innings. The player seemed to have sustained the damage while stooping for the ball in the deep and toppled over the boundary to receive treatment.

Russell though remains confident his medical team can handle the issues ahead of the early blockbuster match-up.

“I’ve been playing for years with these knee injuries,” Russell said after the match.

“And sometimes it feels worse than some days but, at the end of the day, I’m a professional. I know what to do to get back.

I think I have five days before the next game so that is more than enough time to get my knee back to normal and get it settled.

“Let’s just see what happens. I have a good physio team, massage team, here so they’re going to be working with me closely for the next couple of days.” (Sportsmax)

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GUYANATIMESgy.COM

tuesday, june 4, 2019

Warriors outlast Raptors to square NBA Finals at 1-1 T

he two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors used a massive third quarter to overcame a sluggish start and secure a 109-104 win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday that squared the NBA Finals at one game apiece.

The resilient Warriors, in an unfamiliar position after losing their first Game One in five consecutive trips to the NBA Finals three days ago, opened the third quarter with an 18-0 run to grab a lead they would not relinquish.

Toronto led by as many as 12 points during a first half in which they used a dominant defensive display to slow down the Warriors but the visitors, well established as a terrific third-quarter team, rediscovered their swagger after the break.

“It pretty much won us the game because we established our defensive presence, we got stops and everybody got involved in the offensive end,” said Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who left the game briefly in the first quarter with lightheadedness.

“And when you come to the timeout after a couple runs like that and everybody’s involved ... the vibe is just solid, and we know Kawhi Leonard (2) topscored for the game but Raptors were still defeated that we have taken control of the momendrained a three-pointer to pull the Raptors to within two tum and then it’s just about sustaining it points with 26 seconds to play but a wide-open Andrew down the stretch.”

Klay Thompson scored a team-high 25 points for Iguodala responded with a clutch three with seven secGolden State before leaving the game in the fourth quar- onds left to seal the win.

“We were up guarding hard, and we put two on Steph ter with a hamstring injury and Curry added 23 while Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard had a game-high 34 and he almost threw it right to Kawhi, right? It was pretty good defense, they were scrambling around, running points.

Curry was given a technical foul with 68 seconds left around like crazy,” said Raptors head coach Nick Nurse.

“And they found Iggy, right, and they found him and for launching the ball way up in the air after a whistle and Leonard made the ensuing three free throws to cut like I said, if he’s going to take that and give us a chance to get the ball back and win the game, we’re going to probthe deficit to 106-102 and set up a frantic finish.

With the crowd on their feet, Toronto’s Danny Green ably live with that.”

“Renewed life”

The Warriors, playing without injured twotime reigning NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant for a seventh consecutive game, again struggled defending in transition and looked to be in trouble after the slow start by Curry.

They had a tough time finding the basket early but Curry and Thompson got loose late in the second quarter to send Golden State into the break trailing by five points.

“We weren’t exactly making stops, but we cut the lead to five and could kind of breathe at halftime,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.

“Our guys felt renewed life at that point and came out and just had a great run to take control of the game, and we were able to finish it out from there.”

With former U.S. President Barack Obama and professional golfers Sergio Garcia and Rory McIlroy among those in the crowd, the Warriors shook off a slow start and now head home looking to inch closer to a fourth title in five years.

The best-of-seven series, which features the first NBA Finals games played outside of the United States, is now headed to Oakland for games on Wednesday and Friday before returning to Toronto for Game Five on June 10.

Wednesday’s game, which could feature the return of Durant, could go a long way in determining the eventual champion as teams that win Game Three in a 1-1 NBA Finals have a 31-7 series record.

Toronto, who in the series opener dominated the Warriors at both ends of the court, will certainly review film of their flat start to the third quarter where they went nearly six minutes without scoring a basket.

“That was pretty much the game right there,” said Leonard. “You can’t do that with a championship team on the other side.” (Reuters)

TTBA follows the lead of GBA

– Boxer warned of “lacklustre” attitude

T

he Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) has seemingly set the trend in the Caribbean Region in regard to disciplinary action being meted out to boxers who display a lacklustre attitude to training and discipline when their respective nation is expecting them to excel at their craft.

Acclaimed T&T amateur boxer Michael Alexander was last Friday given by the Trinidad & Tobago Boxing Association (TTBA) the same treatment that Guyanese and Caribbean Bantamweight Champion Keevin Allicock received from the GABA last week.

In a letter addressed to this outstanding boxer, President of the Trinidad and Tobago Boxing Association, Cecil Forde, highlighted the boxer’s lacklustre approach to training in light of an international engagement in less than two months’ time.

Hinting that the boxer’s fitness was not 100 per cent at the Pan Am Boxing qualifiers some two months ago, Forde citied that training, or lack thereof, was the reason for his low fitness.

It was disclosed that the boxer was supposed to be rigorously training ahead of the July 27–August 2 Pan American Games in Peru, but he had instead missed out numerous training sessions, leaving the coaching staff “at their wits’ end”.

Moreover, it is alleged that the boxer has had only 6 of 60 sessions at the National

Training Centre, Halsey Crawford Stadium, Trinidad and Tobago.

Similar to the action the GABA took against the esteemed Guyanese boxer Allicock, the TTBA has threatened to withhold Alexander’s stipend if the boxer does not proverbially pull up his socks.

Alexander, meanwhile, is being given opportunity to sit down and discuss with TTBA executives issues regarding his poor training ethics.

On Thursday last, it was disclosed that GBA President, Steve Ninvalle, in a letter, recommended that Keevin Allicock’s training trip to Cuba and his stipend from the Guyana Olympic Association be put on hold until he improves his attendance at training.

The Trinidadian Lightweight boxer Michael Alexander has been stellar in the international ring, having copped bronze at the Pan American Championships in 2013, the Commonwealth Games in 2014, and another bronze at the Central American and Caribbean Games in 2014.

Just last year, he uplifted the silver medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Colombia.

It was revealed that the TTBA saw the bold step that was taken by GABA, and decided it was the best way to get the attention of one of their best boxers, and hopefully turn around his attitude towards training.

Guyanese Keevin Allicock

In Ninvalle’s letter, a number of reasons had been advanced why Allicock’s Cuba training trip should be put on hold. The most significant of those was that Allicock has missed more than 50 per cent of his local training sessions with Cuban Coach Roland Francisco.

Additionally, it was disclosed that spanning the period of May 1 to May 23, Allicock had missed 18 of 30 training sessions scheduled with the Coach.

While stating that “less than 50 per cent attendance at training leading up to any competition is unacceptable, barring illness”, the GBA had come to the conclusion that the boxer was unmindful of his training, and that body feared that the same would happen when he travels to Cuba.

It is expected that these drastic actions would cause both the Guyanese and Trinidadian boxers to see the light and pull up their socks ahead of this year’s Pan American Games, which are just six weeks away.

Michael Alexander (right) in action

Tatishvili fined £41,000 for playing “below standard” at French Open

T

he former world No 50 Anna Tatishvili has been fined $51,250 (£41,000) for performing “below professional standards” in her first-round match at the French Open.

Tatishvili lost 6-0, 6-1 against Maria Sakkari in 55 minutes in her first match on the tour since October 2017. The fine equates to the her entire first-round earnings.

The Georgian-born American, who underwent a third bout of ankle surgery in early 2018, last played at a grand slam in Australia at the start of 2017.

She used her protected ranking, which expires on 24 June, to enter the French Open but under grand slam rules the match referee has the right to fine a player entering under such a ranking who is not deemed fit enough to play.

In recent years, rules have been changed to prevent players from entering the first round of a grand slam when injured or ill to collect the prize money. Under the new regulations, if a player pulls out beforehand, they share the first-round prize money with a lucky loser who takes their place rather than risk forfeiting their

Anna Tatishvili

earnings.

Should Tatishvili want to appeal, she would need to first pay the fine in full. She is yet to make any comment on the fine. (The Guardian)

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesday, june 4, 2019

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21

KMPA Junior Olympic Games scheduled for October 3-6 T

he third edition of the King Medas/ Pansy Adonis (KMPA) Classic -- the 2019 staging of these Junior Olympic Games -- will continue to feature athletes from the under-6 to the masters’ categories competing in track and field events in four days of excitement.

These Games will be run over the period October 3 to 6, and in excess of $4 million in prizes would up for grabs.

The track and field events would be contested at the Lusignan Community Centre ground, while the feature road race event would begin at Bachelor’s Adventure.

Both venues are on the East Coast of Demerara.

This information was furnished by organiser of the event, Andy Medas-King, during the official launch of the Games’ third annual edition at the Studio of Safetv Channel 2 in South Ruimveldt Gardens, Georgetown yesterday.

Medas-King has described the Games as “A nursery for athletics in Guyana”. He said, “Athletes will be competing from the tender age of three to the masters’ category,” and posited that he’s “trying to get youths involved from very young”, for them to grow with a competitive nature “which I hope they can trans-

fer into their academics; and we all know the benefits of being a balanced student.”

For the second year running, the 110m and 400m hurdles events have been included with intention of introducing the events locally, since Guyana usually lacks competitors in these events at regional competitions.

Also open to participation from the differently-able, the Games are anticipated to have keen action between schools, since all 10 regions have been targeted to compete.

In the 17-20 years’ category, athletes will receive a grant for whichever learning institution of their choice.

Lorraine Barker-King of the Ministry of Education’s (MoE’s) Unit of Allied Arts has given the KMPA Foundation approval to include athletes from the various secondary schools.

In a bid to maximise safety during the field events’ day, the rubberised turbo-javelin and 1kg shot-put would be used by the younger kids.

On the initial day, field events will be competed from 10:30hrs. These include the long and high jumps, shot put, javelin and discus events, which will see participation from all age groups.

Day one would also include the heats in all age

Keen competition is expected to be the order of the day at this event

groups of the 4x100m, 4x400m and 4x800m races.

The 1500m finals, 100m finals and 800m finals would be contested on day two; as would the 200m and 400m heats, and the 80m and 110m hurdles finals. The action would begin from 09:45hrs.

Day three action would begin from 09:45hrs with the usually subscribed sprint finals.

Meanwhile, the final day will have the big money 5k Road Race beginning at Bachelor’s Adventure.

Competing events would involve the following categories of athletes: senior male and female, male and female under-21, teachers’ male and female, and Government officials’ male and female.

Cash prizes will be awarded to contestants placing from 1st to 10th spaces.

The biggest race, the Senior Male 5K, will carry a winning purse of $50,000.

The second placed athlete would receive $40,000 and 3rd placed $30,000.

The Senior Female 5K will see the winner being awarded $40,000, while second placed athlete would receive $30,000, and 3rd $15,000.

In addition to cash prizes, 1st to 10th place finishers would each receive a trophy; while some lucky student athletes will receive sponsorships from the King Medas/ Pansy Adonis Memorial.

There also are two laptops and five desktop com-

puters to be won.

Among the sponsors of the event are Shelmacphotos USA, ANSA McAL, University of Guyana, Prodigal, Sybil’s Bakery in Queens, Banks DIH, Daddy’s Enterprise, Star Party Rentals, Payless Variety Store, NSC, Ministry of Education, Wake Up Guyana Show, Prince Shipping, Island Express, and the Adonis Family.

“While there are a lot of sponsors on board for the event, it costs US$12,000 to run the event, and other sponsors are encouraged to come on board; not really through cash, but through stuff like supplies and accommodation,” Medas-King concluded during the launch.

Peterson-Griffith to depart for WCPC on June 9

By Timothy Jaikarran

T

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

he World Classic Powerlifting Championships being held in Sweden have already commenced, and will conclude on June 15. And Guyana’s only representative there, strongman Carlos PetersonGriffith, will be departing these shores on June 9 to participate in his respective events in Sweden.

Peterson-Griffith was recently suspended for a period of twelve months by the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPLF) and the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF), for violating the GAPFL constitution by competing at a StrongFit competition in Barbados on May 4-5.

The GAPLF made the decision to not support Peterson-Griffith’s trip to the Worlds in Sweden because he had competed at the Barbados event without the express permission of the GAPFL. Peterson secured his spot at Sweden 2019 when he won gold in the Men’s Raw Open 93kg class, and followed up that performance in the Men’s Equipped

Open division by claiming his second gold and setting a new National Total Record of 800kg.

His Squat of 315kg was also a new national record, as was his Deadlift mark of 330kg.

In a sit-down with Guyana Times Sport, Peterson-Griffith revealed: “Despite the situation I’m facing at the current moment, I will be going to Sweden to compete and make my nation proud.

“I’m not a user of any illicit drug; I am 100% clean. Every time I stand on a platform to represent Guyana, I give my best. Even though the decision was made, I remain humble. It is what it is; I’m not banned and I’m only suspended. I haven’t received an official letter from the mother federation, which is the IPF. “Whatever stones have been thrown, I will take it and build a mansion with it, and not give up. I would like to thank all my sponsors, and (promise I) will not disappoint them at the Worlds. I will be leaving

Carlos Peterson-Griffith will be representing Guyana at the World Classic Powerlifting Championships in Sweden

Guyana on June 9.”

He also revealed that his opening lifts at the Worlds would see him Squat from 680lbs/285-290kg; Bench Press from 350lbs/150-160kg, and Deadlift from 730lbs/315-320kg.

Drayton prepares for 44th World Chess Olympiad NOT

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By Timothy Jaikarran

T

he 44th World Chess Olympiad will officially commence on August 1, 2020 and conclude on August 15, 2020 in the city of Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.

FIDE Master (FM) Anthony Drayton is currently making preparations to participate therein, and his intention is to move up the rankings.

Being the only Guyanese player to have a rank above 2000, Drayton’s FIDE ranking of 2007 is impressive among the many chess players in Guyana. He is considered as standing at the pinnacle, making a name for himself among many of the world’s top chess players.

By his FIDE ratings, Drayton is Guyana’s top player; and although only 24 years old, he has the highest ELO rating of 2030. He attained the title of Candidate Master at the Chess Olympiad 2014 Open, and FIDE Master at the 43rd World Chess Olympiad in 2018.

He disclosed that achieving such a feat was never easy, but he has attained the talent and great analytical abilities for the game by having learnt from masters such as Bobby Fisher, Garry Kasparov, M. Botvinick, and current number one

player Magnus Carlsen.

Speaking with Guyana Times Sport, Drayton disclosed, “I can’t say I’ve started, I’m just hoping I have some tournaments that I can play in, so I can raise my ratings faster, especially international. But most of these tournaments are being played in the United States of America and the United Kingdom. However, in case I’m not able to attend these games, I will put my best foot forward and do lots of tactics and try to take in as much new information as possible. At the end of it all, if you don’t get to practise what you learn, then the information would be worthless.”

Drayton also related that among his main focus is his desire to improve on his ratings. while he has an impressive 2007 rating, he is currently looking to take it to 2200, which would enable him to achieve the title of International Master (IM).

To achieve such a rating, Drayton must play chess in FIDE-sanctioned tournaments, and defeat opponents who are most likely to be chess masters. As the imminent date of the Olympiad draws closer, Drayton would be training with the hope of make his dream a reality.

Anthony Drayton

22

tuesday, june 4, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

RFA Champions League…

Paiwomak Warriors advance to 2nd leg

West Indies to tour India in December

Paiwomak Warriors goal-scorers

T

he preliminary rounds, knockout stages and semifinal playoffs of the Rupununi Football Association (RFA) Champions League tournament have been completed; and with semifinal 2 having now been completed, the observation is that notable wins had come from Paiwomak Warriors’ male and female squads.

These teams have both qualified for the second leg of the RFA Champions League after defeating formidable opponents in their respective semifinal matchup.

In the first matchup of the male quarterfinals, Paiwomak Warriors edged Titans United 5-3 in an encounter that saw both teams attempting to break each other’s defenses.

Paiwomak emerged victors in this match, played at the Annai ground, because of their manifest ability to keep their opponents at bay.

Scoring for Paiwomak, Von Harding registered a hat trick of goals in the 6th, 57th and 74th minutes respectively. Stephen Glasgow in the 71st and Garville Daniels in the 87th minutes added the icing to the proverbial cake.

Scoring for Titans United, Regis James in the 65th, Ben Realize in the 67th, and an own goal from Almer Daniels in the 87th minute comprised their goals.

In the female semifinals, Paiwomak Warriors thumped Strikers FC 4-1 in a one-sided affair.

The fixture commenced with Titans flexing their muscles early in the game, but the Strikers managed to get their act together before it was too late.

Scoring for Paiwomak, Julio Sipio in the 10th, Samantha Roberts in the 52nd and 73rd, and Dalia Jacobs in the 71st minutes respectively were responsible for the four goals scored, while the Strikers managed to score a consolation goal in the 58th minute through the efforts of Fiona Francis.

The female teams competing in this tournament are Sun Parakeets, Guyana Rush Saints, Strikers FC, Titans United, Kanuku Harpies, Flash FC, Paiwomak Warriors and Gladiators FC (Defending Champions); while the male teams competing are Sun Parakeets, Paiwomak Warriors, Titans United, Kanuku Harpies, Jaguars FC, Guyana Rush Saints, Strikers FC and Tabatinga FC (Defending Champions).

The Rupununi Football Association Champions League tournament kicked off in February last with 24 clubs battling for top honours. The teams will have their return leg on June 8 and 9, with the winners advancing to the final, which will be played on June 15.

GFF/KFC U-20 Football tournament…

Botafago win Linden crown on penalties

The Botafago team pose after winning the Linden leg of the tournament

T

he Linden leg of the Guyana Football Federation KFC Independence Under 20 Football Championships has ended with Botafago FC being crowned winners.

They outshot Amelia's Ward Panthers in the final by a 3-1 score from the penalty spot after both teams had been knotted in a 1-1 draw at the end of open play on Sunday night at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground.

Marlon Duke scored for Botafago, who

took the lead in the 15th minute, but the scores became tied when Kevin Charles scored for the Panthers with a header.

In the end the winners were decided from mandatory penalties, which ended with victory for the Botafago team.

In the supporting game, the West and East of Linden teams played to a 1-1 stalemate.

India Captain Virat Kohli congratulates Shimron Hetmyer following his third ODI century

F

ive Test matches, three against South Africa and two against Bangladesh, will be the highlight of a packed home season for the Indian team - the top-ranked Test team - one in which they will host five teams.

The season kicks off with South Africa's tour in September-October 2019, in which the teams will face off in three Tests - to be played in Visakhapatnam, Ranchi and Pune - and three T20Is. That will be followed by a visit from Bangladesh in November, with the teams playing three T20Is and two Tests, in Indore and Kolkata.

The five Tests will be a part of the ICC's new Test Championship.

West Indies visit next, for a series of three T20Is and three ODIs, all in December, and in January there will be three T20Is against Zimbabwe and three ODIs against Australia. South Africa complete their tour with a three-ODI series in March. (ESPN cricinfo)

West Indies tour of India

December 6: 1st T20I in Mumbai December 8: 2nd T20I in Thiruvananthapuram December 11: 3rd T20I in Hyderabad December 15: 1st ODI in Chennai December 18: 2nd ODI in Visakhapatnam December 22: 3rd ODI in Cuttack

RHTY&SC expresses gratitude to sponsors of 29th Awards Ceremony

T

he Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS recently hosted its 29th Annual Award Ceremony at the St. Francis Community Developers Training Centre. Guyana’s leading NGO honoured forty of its outstanding members for extraordinary performances in 2018. The Club also recognised the contribution of Teachers of the Year, Students of the Year, Retired Teachers, Law Enforcement Officers, Doctors and Medical Personnel. Over 2.5 M worth of trophies, medals, framed certificates, prizes and gifts were shared out to the Awardee along with donations to Cricket Clubs, fellow NGOs and individuals.

The planning committee for the event headed by Asst Secretary/CEO Simon Naidu would like to express gratitude to all of its friends, sponsors and donors for their support. Naidu state that at one stage, the Club was on the verge of cancelling the Award due to the destruction of $500 000.00 worth of trophies, medals and gifts by fire in the Club’s bond. The nineteen years old Naidu stated that with sheer purpose and hard work, the Management of the Club was able to pull off the event.

Special thanks are extended to Pepsi, Ansa Mcal, Gizmos & Gadgets, Farfan & Mendes Ltd, Bakewell, Metro Office Supplies, Poonai’s Pharmacy, H.A Snacks, Bounty Farm, Colin Elcock, Delmur Shipping, Ministry of the Presidency, Guyoil, Hand-in-Hand Insurance, Guyana National Newspapers Limited & Staff, Massy, Anil Beharry, Stven Jacobs, King’s Jewellery World, A.H & L Kissoon, Moonish Singh, Berbice Cricket Board, Peter Lewis, Vickram Seubarran, The Baby Store,

Anamayah Memorial Hospital, Navin Raghoo, Staff of Rose Hall Town Nursery School, Greenidge Refrigeration, L. Johnny Supermarket, Natasha Travel Service, Mr. Tulsi Mahadeo (Dentist), Satesh Ramnarine, Terry Pike, Vijay Ramoo, Shemaine Campbelle, Mr. Gopilall, Tyrone Pottaya, Sunil Madrimootoo, Bibi Travel Service, Kieth Hicks, Surendra Kissoonlall, Khemraj Mahadeo, Unicell, Ryan Tillack, Bobby’s Boutique, Nermala Hussain, Deonarine Shane, Sentinel Security, Roger Harper, Paul Persaud, Starr Computer, H.A Snacks Co. Ltd, Ricks & Sari Ltd. Dr. Aaron Fraser, Factory Price, PPDI, Ronald Williams, John Lewis Styles, Namilco, Rohanie Ramsarran, Office of the Prime Minister, Rajin Ganga, , V NET Communication, Arun Goasai, Valarie Hendrax, Regal Stationery, Apex Insurance, Canadian Surplus, Ravi Mangar, F & H Printery, Food for the Poor, St. Francis Community Developers, Dennis Deroop, Guyana Beverage Company, Parliament Office, Dr. Bartland Scotland, Carlos Rodrigues, G.G.M.C, Ansa Mcal, Bissan’s Trading, Chief Brand, National Sports Commission, Michael Trim, Republic Bank, Office Express.

The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club would also like to acknowledge the contribution of Kaieteur News, Guyana Chronicle, Stabroek News, Guyana Times, NCN Radio and TV, Newsroom, TVG, DTV8 and LRTVS CH10.

The Club would next host a series of Award Ceremonies on Friday 26th July, 2019 when it hosts the Gregory Gaskin Memorial Sports Award, Grade Six Top Ten and Ansa Mcal Award of Excellence.

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesday, june 4, 2019

23

Pakistan upend form book to beat England despite Root, Buttler tons A

hundred from Joe Root, the first in this World Cup. A hundred from Jos Buttler, at 75 balls the fifth fastest in the history of the World Cup. The disadvantage of losing the toss and being asked to set a target in these quixotic ODI times. The pressure of com-

the last ten overs needing 91 with five wickets in hand, Pakistan’s death bowling was good enough that the last dozen deliveries were barely even squeaky.

Success with the ball has never been more relative: Wahab Riaz’s 3 for 82 would barely have qualified as re-

could easily go the way of Pakistan’s unsuccessful attempts to defend 358 and 340 during the ODI series last month. But this was a World Cup encounter, in which the hosts carry the tag of favourites; however often they have pulled off such feats over recent years, there is no such

Eoin Morgan is bowled by Mohammad Hafeez

ing into this game on the back of a hammering at the same ground three days ago (not to mention 11 successive defeats in the format). Pakistan looked cornered, for sure, but they produced the old tiger routine at Trent Bridge to emerge bloodied but unbowed against the hosts and favourites. And, more crucially, with two World Cup points in their pocket.

Having opened so smoothly against South Africa, England were given a World Cup reality check - a reminder, in particular, that their vaunted batting line-up cannot make up for every sub-par performance with the ball. It had been almost four years since England last lost an ODI chase at home, but this was a record target in World Cups and despite going into

spectable a decade ago, but his changes of pace at the death ensured England would not wag their way to a last-gasp victory (as well as accounting for Jonny Bairstow at the top of the order). Mohammad Amir, meanwhile, removed Buttler the ball after he had recorded his hundred, to finally send the scales lurching in Pakistan’s direction.

In any other era, against any other side, Pakistan’s total of 348 for 8 would have looked impregnable. It was built around solid top-order contributions from Mohammad Hafeez, Babar Azam and Sarfaraz Ahmed, though perhaps crucially aided and abetted by some uncharacteristically sloppy fielding from England.

At the halfway stage, there was a sense that this

thing as an easy chase of 349.

So it was to prove, though for a while during the stand between Root and Buttler of 130 in 17.3 overs, England had the air of warm favourites (despite history and mathematics remaining firmly against them). That lifted England from the travails of 118 for 4, with both openers falling inside the Powerplay and Pakistan’s part-time spin pairing of Hafeez and Shoaib Malik accounting for the inform Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes.

It could have been worse for England, Root surviving a difficult diving chance to slip on 9 - Babar the wouldbe catcher, Amir the frustrated bowler - but he otherwise fulfilled his anchor role with aplomb, easing his way to a hundred from 97 balls.

Then, with 101 needed and more than 10 overs of the innings remaining, Root threw his hands at a delivery from Shadab Khan and sliced to short third man. The noise from the increasingly rambunctious English sections of the Trent Bridge crowd immediately dropped a level.

In fact, there had been equally voluble support for Pakistan, and England had seemed a touch rattled there were sarcastic claps to the crowd in the field, and then palpable frustration from Jason Roy when his lbw against Shadab in the third over was confirmed on review.

Bairstow responded forcefully before feathering behind off Wahab, and it was a sign of England’s uneven effort that his 32 end up being their third-highest score.

The DRS could not come to Pakistan’s aid later in the innings, when Buttler was rapped on the front pad by Shadab with just 33 to his name. It was understandable that Sarfaraz had gambled, with Buttler clearly England’s likeliest match-winner; even after Root’s dismissal, Pakistan nerves frayed further when a thin edge off Moeen Ali that could also have seen him stumped was missed by the captain. But Amir had Buttler carving to short third man, while Moeen never got going before being put out of his misery by Wahab.

It was an English error that seemed to be magnified in retrospect, as Hafeez took advantage of the life he received on 14 to top-score for Pakistan - and then scuttled one through Morgan’s defences for good measure, as he and Malik ensured that an XI light on frontline bowlers could hold off the modern game’s most enthusiastic chasers.

Despite the scorn heaped upon their batsmen after succumbing to 105 all out against West Indies on Friday,

Pakistan produced a remarkably resolute response. Imamul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman put on 82 for the first wicket and the middle order then cracked on fluently as only Moeen found much joy among the England attack. How different might things have been, however, had Roy held on to a steepling miscue from Hafeez when he gave Adil Rashid the charge in the legspinner’s second over.

Rashid was to end wicketless, hit out of the attack after conceding 43 from five overs as Babar and Hafeez took him on. Jofra Archer, too, endured his toughest outing in international cricket, dealt with

3

dismissively at the death on the way to figures of 0 for 79.

While Chris Woakes could not be faulted, claiming four catches and a share of the World Cup record for a fielder, to go with three wickets, his contributions were the exception as England totted up 13 misfields and 17 extra runs donated to the Pakistan cause - enough to have swung the match. Having failed to live up to their billing, Morgan’s side must deal with defeat by a team they had wiped aside 4-0 in bilaterals just a couple of weeks ago. That added pressure of World Cups? Well, it is only going to increase from here. (ESPN cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

Pakistan Innings (50 overs maximum) Imam-ul-Haq c Woakes b Ali 44 F Zaman st †Buttler b Ali 36 B Azam c Woakes b Ali 63 M Hafeez c Woakes b Wood 84 S Ahmed (c) † c & b Woakes 55 A Ali c Bairstow b Wood 14 S Malik c Morgan b Woakes 8 W Riaz c Root b Woakes 4 H Ali not out 10 S Khan not out 10 Extras (b 1, lb 8, w 11) 20 TOTAL (50 Overs, RR: 6.96) 348-8 Did not bat: Mohammad Amir Fall of wickets: 1-82 (Fakhar Zaman, 14.1 ov), 2-111 (Imam-ul-Haq, 20.1 ov), 3-199 (Babar Azam, 32.5 ov), 4-279 (Mohammad Hafeez, 42.4 ov), 5-311 (Asif Ali, 46.1 ov), 6-319 (Sarfaraz Ahmed, 47.2 ov), 7-325 (Wahab Riaz, 47.5 ov), 8-337 (Shoaib Malik, 49.1 ov) BOWLING CR Woakes (8-1-71-3) JC Archer (10-0-79-0) MM Ali (10-0-50-3) MA Wood (10-0-53-2) BA Stokes (7-0-43-0) AU Rashid (5-0-43-0)

England Innings (target: 349 runs from 50 overs) JJ Roy lbw b Khan 8 JM Bairstow c †Ahmed b Riaz 32 JE Root c Hafeez b Khan 107 EJG Morgan (c) b Hafeez 9 BA Stokes c † Ahmed b Malik 13 JC Buttler † c Riaz b Amir 103 MM Ali c Zaman b Riaz 19 CR Woakes c † Ahmed b Riaz

21 JC Archer c Riaz b Amir 1 AU Rashid not out 3 MA Wood not out 10 Extras (lb 3, w 5) 8 TOTAL (50 Overs, RR: 6.68) 334-9 Fall of wickets: 1-12 (JJ Roy, 2.1 ov), 2-60 (JM Bairstow, 8.6 ov), 3-86 (EJG Morgan, 14.5 ov), 4-118 (BA Stokes, 21.2 ov), 5-248 (JE Root, 38.5 ov), 6-288 (JC Buttler, 44.3 ov), 7-320 (MM Ali, 47.5 ov), 8-320 (CR Woakes, 47.6 ov), 9-322 (JC Archer, 48.4 ov) BOWLING S Khan (10-0-63-2) M Amir (10-0-67-2) W Riaz (10-0-82-3) H Ali (10-0-66-0) M Hafeez (7-0-43-1) S Malik (3-0-10-1)

Destabilised Sri Lanka seek resurgence against promising Afghanistan A

fter being comprehensively beaten on all three fronts in their opening game against New Zealand, Sri Lanka will hope for a much improved performance against dark horses Afghanistan on Tuesday, 4 June.

Sri Lanka did not have the ideal start to their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 campaign, as they lost by 10 wickets to New Zealand. None of the batsmen could support captain Dimuth Karunaratne, who carried his bat with an unbeaten 52, as Sri Lanka folded for 136. Their bowlers, despite having very little to play with, also proved ineffective, finishing wicketless as New Zealand sealed the chase in 16 overs.

Sri Lanka’s batting unit has now failed to last the full 50 overs on two separate occasions, including once in the warm-ups, and will have to pull itself up against a well-rounded Afghanistan attack. Likewise, Karunaratne will expect his fast bowlers to exploit the conditions, and the opposition’s weakness against the moving white ball early in the innings.

Afghanistan might’ve gone down to Australia in their opening game in Bristol, but will back themselves to bounce back against Sri Lanka. Their openers both bagged ducks against Australia, but have shown match-winning capabilities in the past. Afghanistan were shored up by lower order contributions against Australia, which was a great positive, but skipper

Gulbadin Naib would hope someone from the top order can hold the innings together.

On the bowling front, Hamid Hasan, who produced a disciplined opening spell against Australia, will relish the overcast conditions.

Currently ranked third in the MRF Tyres ICC ODI All-Rounder Rankings, Mohammad Nabi has been one of the the torch-bearers of Afghanistan cricket. Apart from his batting skills, the veteran can be expected to come in handy

with his off-breaks, against a batting line-up dominated by left-handers.

After having got out for a duck against New Zealand, Mathews will be expected to motivate his side with a significant contribution on Tuesday. With his supreme batting talent, the former captain, who showed signs of form with a half century in the warm-ups, has the ability to produce match-winning performances in any conditions.

It is expected to be a wet day, with outbreaks of rain, often of the heavy kind, throughout the morning and afternoon, which might well produce a shortened game at Cardiff. Seamers are expected to get ample assistance, with a 90% cloud cover for most part of the day.

Squads Afghanistan: Gulbadin Naib (c), Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb ur Rahman Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Avishka Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Jeevan Mendis, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera (wk), Thisara Perera, Nuwan Pradeep, Dhananjaya de Silva, Milinda Siriwardana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay (ICC)

tuesday, june 4, 2019

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