Guyana Times Tuesday October 15, 2019

Suspected piracy

PPP P10 Presidential Candidate gives support to fishermen’s families Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4077

THE BEACON OF TRUTH tuesday, OCTOber 15, 2019

Businessman killed by bandits during brazen robbery ...returned fire at bandits before dying

PRICE

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Stabroek P9 Market to be closed for vector spraying

See story on page 3

Dead businessman: Deon Stoll

…killed suspected bandit identified as GDF rank

Local Govt Commission requests City Hall’s assets register P11 …Town Clerk claims timeframe inadequate

GTT cannot P10 unilaterally change billing system – PUC In this snippet of CCTV footage, two gunmen are seen attacking the businessman and his driver at Da Silva Street, Kitty

Dead suspected bandit: Olijah Chesney

Linden electricity company workers strike over salary, safety issues See story on page 12

T&T company implicates Finance Ministry in alleged kickbacks scheme See story on page 7

…documents show 20% of contract price requested

Region 5 floods

Contractors now being P12 mobilised to execute flood relief works

Lone gunman attacks ECD furniture P13 store

2

tuesday, october 15, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

news

3

TUESday, october 15, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

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

Tuesday, October 15 – 05:00h-06:30h and Wednesday, October 16 –05:00h-06:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Tuesday, October 15 – 05:05h-06:35h and Wednesday, October 16 –05:40h-07:10h.

Businessman killed by bandits during brazen robbery … returned fire at bandits before dying …killed suspected bandit identified as GDF rank

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunny conditions are expected throughout the day, followed by clear skies in the evening.

Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East South-Easterly to North-Northerly Westerly between 1.78 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 17:20h reaching a maximum height of 2.75 metres.

Low Tide: 10:58h and 23:16h reaching minimum heights of 0.54 metre and 0.44 metre.

Dead businessman: Deon Stoll

By Kristen Macklingam

A

brazen daylight robbery on Monday morning has left a businessman and a suspected bandit dead.

Dead is businessman Deon Stoll, called “Mow”, 44, of Charity village, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) and also of Barima Avenue, Bel Air, Georgetown. Also dead is suspected bandit, 18-year-old Olijah Chesney, a rank of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). Two other persons, the businessman’s driver – 45-year-old Clayton Powley of Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown – and a security guard at El Dorado Trading were also shot.

saturday, october 12, 2019

LOTTERY NUMBERS N

08

19 21

23 24 25

FREE TICKET

04 Bonus Ball

MONday, october 14, 2019

Injured driver: Clayton Powley

DAILY MILLIONS

10 11

13 23 25

LUCKY 3

5

1

7

7

Afternoon Draw

7

5

Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

04

05

09

11

PAY DAY

04 05 07 13 17

12

13

17 SUPER PAY DAY

03 06 11 14 19

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

Reports are the businessman arrived at the El Dorado Trading establishment at approximately 10:20h in DaSilva Street, Newtown, Kitty, and as he was about to exit the car, two gunmen who arrived in a white car, opened fire on him and his driver.

A review of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footage showed that Stoll was sitting in the front passenger seat in a motor car (PPP 6727) driven by Powley, when the duo arrived at the front of the El Dorado Trading premises. A white Toyota motor car with tinted windows that had appeared to be trailing Stoll’s vehicle also stopped across the road from the business place seconds later. Stoll had earlier visited a business place on Sheriff Street, whence he collected an undisclosed sum of money.

Two gunmen donning handkerchiefs to conceal their faces jumped out of

Dead suspected bandit: Olijah Chesney

the car and rushed towards Stoll’s car. One gunman opened the door at the driver’s side and a scuffle began between him and Powley, who soon exited the vehicle to better defend himself.

Powley received a gunshot wound to his arm in the process while his assailant rushed back to the waiting white Toyota motor car.

The other gunman, suspected to be the now dead GDF rank, rushed to the front-seat passenger door, and opened it before attempted to snatch something from Stoll. The businessman also appeared to have been putting up a fight

from inside of the vehicle but was shot to his stomach. His shooter was unable to grab anything from the car. As he attempted to run away, the injured Stoll returned fire with his

handgun. The CCTV footage showed that the gunman was shot twice by Stoll.

Both times he stumbled as he escaped into the awaiting motor car which sped away. turn to page 7

4

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesday, october 15, 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

The Police priority

L

ate last week, Guyanese were again greeted with the dreadful news that two crewmen of a Corentyne fishing boat were killed and two are still missing following an attack by pirates. That is devastating news for the families, who are enduring unimaginable pain; and the incident evokes painful memories of the 2018 massacre on the Corentyne River, when some twelve Guyanese fishermen were killed by pirates.

Also, late last week, it was reported that a man was strangled to death during a suspected robbery along Church Street in Georgetown.

Daily, there are stories of robberies committed on unsuspecting citizens across the country. A few days ago, reports reminded of the ongoing spate of crime within Stabroek Market Square despite the presence of Police and a conspicuous GPF outpost.

From all indications, criminals roam free within that area. That naturally questions the usefulness of the Police, who are expected to protect citizens. Not too long ago, it was reported that a man who was handcuffed chopped off his metal restraints, broke through the counter, chased the ranks with a cutlass, and made good his escape from the outpost.

Obvious questions surface: how could a suspect in handcuffs get access to a cutlass within the confines of the Police outpost?

How was he able to carry out his actions and escape? What was the resource capacity of the Police which may have rendered them useless in that circumstance? From that particular incident, one can conclude that the Police were ineffective and probably unfocused.

This seeming ineffective approach in some ways appears characteristic of how the Police reportedly threat with reports of crime. There were numerous instances in the past when victims lamented either a very delayed, or complete lack of, response. Very often, the excuses given are grossly unacceptable: lack of ranks and vehicle.

That’s aside from the added frustration of calls to the stations and 911 going unanswered.

From a layman’s perspective, it would appear that the Police are ill-prepared, or are probably even unconcerned over the plight faced by the citizenry with regard to crime and necessary effective response. Despite untold sufferings and even fatalities of those at the mercy of bandits, crime continues unabated, despite Police presence, as evident at the Stabroek Square.

What seems well coordinated, well executed and well prepared for, in terms of resources, is the Police response to keeping protestors away from the vicinity of President David Granger’s presence. This latest show of an overwhelming presence of ranks was on Sunday last at Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara, when Mr. Granger attended the graduation ceremony of the Saraswati Vidya Niketan School.

Numerous metal barricades were erected deep into the parapets to keep away ordinary Guyanese who were desirous of exercising their constitutional right to peaceful protest. With valid reasons to mount such protest, residents turned up in their numbers to support the call for the Constitution to be respected and democracy not hijacked.

The Police executed their job well, and even extended the desired “safe zone” during the protest. In the end, they ensured Mr. Granger was insulated from the concerned citizens. In doing so, not only were the protestors kept far at bay, but traffic was disrupted and students and parents were forced to endure the indignity of being searched, allegedly at three different levels, for placards.

Earlier in the day, the Police were seen removing black flags from electricity poles within that area. The flags were reportedly mounted by residents to demonstrate their displeasure over the trampling of democracy by the APNU/AFC Government. If the general concern was flags on the poles, then why would the Police remove only the black ones and leave others?

Those tasks the Police reportedly did well, with maximum efficiency and efficacy. From that and again from a layman’s perspective, it appears that the Police priority is not the combating of crime, but to maximise the use of their human and technical resources to prevent the President from hearing the cries of the people. This now seems the new role of the Police.

Last Sunday’s incident was just another incident that followed the barricading of State House and Mr. Granger’s official office whenever he has engagements there and in other areas of Guyana he visited recently. While he is entitled to have security, many continue to raise concern of the Police being overly excessive in that process, as against fighting crime.

During the incident last Sunday, there was reportedly preferential treatment perpetrated by the large gathering of Police.

The small group of Mr. Granger’s supporters were allowed to run and cheer within the “safe zone”; the said area that facilitated his unfettered access. From that the layman could also conclude deliberate political bias by the Police in favour of Mr Granger. The pictures could speak volumes.

However, what seemed confirmed is the security guards at the official Office of the Leader of the Opposition being unarmed. The man strangled on Church Street was in that vicinity, and the guard on duty that night could not assist, been unarmed as reported.

Could that have been possible when Mr. Granger was in the Opposition? Just another layman’s question.

Ranks from the Guyana Defence Force paratroopers unit successfully completed the Airborne Operations (Paratrooping) and the Free Fall Course at Air Station London (Air Corps) (Guyana Defence Force photo)

Vast Police manpower behind President while ordinary citizens at mercy of criminals Dear Editor, A man was murdered on Saturday night sometime after 21:00h, on the bridge which leads to the Office of the Leader of the Opposition.

I saw media reports which indicated that the victim ran to the security hut at the office and one can only imagine his last thoughts as he saw the unarmed, female Guyana Police Force special constabulary rank – who was probably without a radio set, cell phone or baton – also fleeing for her life as the murderer closed in on them both.

Responsibility for the security of the constitutional office of the Leader of the Opposition rests with the State; it would appear that there is great laxity in the present arrangement.

In stark contrast, while this murder was in progress, caretaker President Granger was on his way to Georgetown from Number 73 Village with his personal contingent of 62 armed policemen. This is in addition to the ranks deployed at every intersection on the East Coast Demerara public road - hundreds of policemen and

women, fully armed and deployed in the service and protection of an individual who faces no known threat to his life.

Editor, the weekend of October 11-13 saw an upsurge in robberies, murders, and piracy throughout Guyana. There were 10 murders in a three-day span.

Region One was rocked by the brutal torture and gunning down of two brothers., Region Six saw four fishermen murdered by pirates.

Region Four saw a 67-yearold grandmother strangled with a mosquito net and the aforementioned murder on Church Street. The petty crimes are too numerous to mention.

As I type this letter, there are media reports of three persons being shot, with one being killed, during a robbery at one of the country’s top gold dealers.

On Sunday an NGO staged a protest against the President at the SVN School in Cornelia Ida. They were met with aggressive Police response. Protesters gathered peacefully behind barriers erected by the GPF but

were then subject to physical assault as the policemen and women were instructed to keep moving the barricades further away. Four protesters were dragged from behind barricades and detained; three of these were women who alleged that they were manhandled.

Some Police ranks were upset too. It was raining and by 4:30 pm the ones who had to stay outside the venue were drenched. Police roadblocks started from Leonora to Hague. There was also a handful of ranks on the road from Stewartville past Pouderoyen.

This week, a thirty-four member entourage of APNU/ AFC candidates will descend on Region One. They will no doubt, be accompanied by a formidable Police Force contingent.

Editor, I’ve outlined above how the vast resources of the State, particularly those tasked with “serving and protecting” our citizenry are being used selfishly to protect the ego of the caretaker President and his officials, albeit, from a non-existent threat. The GPF is also

being used to suppress the right of citizens to peacefully express dissent. This is being done while the ordinary citizens of this country are at the mercy of rampaging criminals who are acting with relative impunity.

The Guyana Police Force is already over-stretched and understaffed, therefore, this expanded mandate must be having serious effects on its crime-fighting ability.

That Church Street robbery victim could’ve been alive today if a jeep load of those 62 ranks accompanying Granger were on patrol duties in Queenstown instead, who knows.

Who knows how many other crimes could’ve been prevented if the large contingent of GPF ranks deployed at Cornelia Ida to shield Granger from embarrassment were instead on crime-fighting duties at various locations across the country.

It is we the ordinary citizens who are suffering, but I’m sure Granger remains “unbothered”.

Yours faithfully, Anson Paul

Recurring breaches in Guyana’s sea defences Dear Editor, It has been reported in the media that the high tides being experienced along Guyana’s coastland have again flooded and caused extensive damages to several villages and cultivated lands located at Fyrish, Mahaicony, Mahaica, Leguan and elsewhere.

These flood occurrences, particularly during the months of October and November, are being dealt with as emergency situations by the Sea Defence Board/Ministry of Public Infrastructure (SDB/MoPI) as they scramble to mobilise equipment and materials such as boulders to temporarily build earthen embankments with a rock armour to seal the breaches which have

occurred. These last-minute efforts will not help much as the damage has already been done and the ravages of the sea will require formidable defences to contain them and the infrastructure is just not there.

The SDB/MoPI was committed to implementing scientific approaches to the planning and execution of interventions of the country’s sea and river defences with emphasis placed on sustaining functional and structurally adequate dykes to protect life and property particularly in critical coastal areas from the onslaught of the sea.

Further, the Dutch had conducted a hydrographic study of Guyana’s coastland and concluded that erosion/accretion of its foreshore was occur-

ring with a cyclic mode and moving westwards. Presently, erosion with breaches is taking place at several coastal locations including Fyrish and Mahaicony.

The SDB/MoPI has no planned programme to raise and strengthen the copings of existing seawalls and earthen embankments to counteract the hydraulic forces being impacted on them. Therefore, weak areas are being seriously eroded and breached, causing flooding and extensive damages to properties.

Guyana has limited resources to spend on its infrastructures.

Unfortunately, much of it is wasted on questionable projects such as elevators on road overpasses and the planting of mangroves on the foreshore

to arrest erosion. Ms Annette Arjoone, one of the principal proponents of this idea should visit Mahaicony and get a firsthand look at what has happened to the mangroves there and its ineffectiveness in preventing the breach which has caused extensive flooding to large areas of valuable farmlands.

It is time that the Govt through its SDB/MoPI starts constructing adequately designed sea and river defences in critical areas to protect the lives and properties of the many poor people living along the coastland from rising sea levels which is generating larger destructive forces on the sea defences.

Yours truly, Charles Sohan

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesday, october 15, 2019

5

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

Urgent, extensive need for help Who is in control at GECOM?

Dear Editor, In an interview with NCN’s Access Health programme on September 29, The Caribbean Voice’s (TCV) Managing Director for Guyana, Bibi Ahamad, shared contact info for TCV, the Suicide Helpline, and a number of other NGOs, so those needing help for mental health issues can reach out.

Since the interview was aired, Bibi has been inundated with calls and messages from Guyanese seeking help - 300 plus so far, with requests still coming in. The range of issues for which help is sought includes abuse: sex, child and gender-based; suicide ideation; depression; stress; self-harm; dysfunctional relationships; alcoholism and drug use/abuse; and a number of direct mental health illnesses.

Since we at TCNV launched our suicide and abuse prevention campaign in 2014, we have dealt with more than 450 counselling cases from over 25 different nations, with the majority being Guyanese. Most of these cases have been handled by our team of highly-credentialled and experienced counsellors from

Guyana, the US, Canada and Jamaica.

Additionally, we have referred more than 100 cases in Guyana to overworked but willing counsellors from the Regional Administrations, Mental Health Unit, the Suicide Helpline and other NGOs. Cases involving children have also been referred to the Childcare and Protection Agency, which is doing an awesome job.

On a few occasions, we attempted to persuade clients to make contact with the Ministry of Social Protection, but they absolutely refused, claiming that the Ministry generally gives callers the run-around and/ or says it cannot help, even though the Ministry has often publicised the range of assistance available. TCV was once told the Ministry does not have personnel to process the assistance.

Also, we have found that, over the years, many have been, and continue to be, unwilling to call the Suicide Helpline. The reasons given include lack of trust and empathy, and an inability to emotively connect. TCV has written about this before, and we have suggested that Helpline be moved from the Police and housed either

with an appropriate ministry or a special unit set up to handle it. We have also suggested that responders be trained in emphatic communication, and that resource personnel include priests from the Hindu and Muslim communities.

Meanwhile, the response to the interview, contrary to a long- held myth, makes it clear that people are willing to reach out for help, but that often they are alienated and demonised. Besides, most of those who seek help prefer face-to-face connection after initial phone contact; but while some are willing to travel to meet counsellors, others request that counsellors travel to meet them.

This can be time-consuming as, often, it takes an entire day to deal with just one individual or family, and almost all of those who seek help are generally unable to pay for counselling.

In fact, there have been occasions when TCV even had to cover clients’ transportation costs. In effect, those without the financial means have very little access to assistance.

Meanwhile, we at TCV express our gratitude to all media, especially the Stabroek News, Guyana

Times, Kaieteur News and Guyana Chronicle, which have not only been placing significant focus on mental health in general, but more specifically abuse and suicide. The role of the media in addressing these issues cannot be overemphasised. Our appeal is for the media to continually publish coping information and evidence-based strategies, and to encourage others to seek help for those in need, since suicidal persons and abused victims are generally unable and/or unwilling to do so.

We also urge the media to focus on organisations that are engaged in activism, advocacy, and assistance on the mental health landscape, so that people will know that help may very well be available in their own backyards.

TCV can provide a list of such organizations. And we appeal to the media to use suicide-, abuse- and mental health-appropriate language at all times; to help debunk myths and misinformation; and to help expose quacks who pretend to be counsellors or mental health experts, since they can cause significant damage.

Sincerely, The Caribbean Voice

Preserving our majestic and poetic trees Dear Editor, A letter writer, in an article captioned “Mutilation of a magnificent silk-cotton tree”, published in the October 6th edition of a section of the media, spoke very beautifully and emotively about the magnificence of the silk-cotton tree.

This writer wishes to give support to Mr Darrell Carpenay where Mr Carpenay went on to mention that, even beyond the mere cutting of the tree, it affects the aesthetics as well. I am pained by the destruction of this beautiful tree, which I have always admired, and even preserved the energy of this tree whenever I passed it.

These ancient trees have a way of disseminating wisdom and inspiration to artists, philosophers, spiritualists, and those in meditation.

They have been standing in their magnificent posture -like giants gazing into the sun and moon -- for hundreds of years of Man’s civilisation. They probably were there even before commencement of the City of Georgetown.

Many more trees like this one have been destroyed throughout the country, and it is painful that we do not have a society controlled by a Government Ministry to watch over these trees that provide the aesthetics, inspiration, philosophy and wisdom to children and to life.

Strangely enough, my views on the cutting down of this tree coincide with the President being involved

in a tree-planting exercise along with the Ministry of Agriculture, and right now I am also planting various kinds of fruit trees. At this moment, I have many fruit trees growing from seeds that I have set to germinate: papaws, pomegranates, sapodillas, star-apples, mangoes etc.

My personal pledge is that, for the rest of my life, ever so often, I will be planting trees in open spaces so that the birds and insects can eat. And when the birds and insects, or God’s creations, eat, it is like God eats.

People eat, pick, share, and sell the fruits of trees so that they may be able to live.

It is a divine cause and vision that I have been getting in recent times: To create a legacy as I enter into my more mature years – I may have a few more years remaining in this world - and this is the kind of legacy that I wish to leave behind.

Let us preserve our trees.

Let us plant trees, every kind of tree; fruit trees are better because they provide us with food and, like all other trees, they produce oxygen and absorb our body waste in the form of carbon dioxide from our body.

I recall that around #74 Village Corentyne, there was a large ‘sweety’ tree.

Amazingly, this tree would bear a fruit-like sweet that we would consume as children and adults. The fruits would fall from the heavens in that magical manner like the Israelites were fed in the

wilderness when they moved with Moses. Some years ago, I was made to understand, the administration of the Town Council of Corriverton or the NDC decided to take this tree down. Hundreds of trees like this one, growing throughout the Coastal Belt, have been wiped out by people who do not understand that these trees have to hold the earth together.

They do not understand that these trees have the capacity to heal us -- if we go and touch them -- with the healing energies that they have absorbed from the sun.

These trees absorb positive thoughts from the universe, and by worshipping their Creator, they are becoming agents of the Creator to heal humanity.

Do not laugh, dear readers, if you see someone hug an old tree, or even a new tree, and kiss it or speak to it. This writer speaks to the grass. This writer speaks to the air. This writer speaks to the waters, and this writer speaks to the trees, and hugs them and asks them for energy, power and healing.

People of Guyana, do not misconstrue the power of the trees, the grass and

the plants. My recommendation to the Government of Guyana is to form a proper agency to protect and conserve these trees; and for us Guyanese not only to preserve our heritage through history, historical artifacts and buildings, but also to preserve the living legends that are still alive, which we refer to as the sweety tree, silk-cotton tree and the jumbie tree.

Even the jumbie tree needs to be preserved for the enchanting howling sounds it produces as the wind passes through its various channels. As the longest living species on earth, these trees give us a link between the past, present and future.

Who knows what stories these majestic creatures of yesteryear have to tell us!

We have to open up our horizons and be able to communicate with nature. A tree can become a trusted friend that inspires and energises you mentally, physically and spiritually. We must respect these living legends at all cost, and protect them for the future.

Sincerely, Roshan Khan Sr

Dear Editor, The million-dollar question on everyone’s mind is: Who is in control at GECOM? This illegal Government have done it again, they are in full control of the electoral body through their strategically- elected and most vocal commissioners.

The Governmentappointed commissioners seem to be the ones calling the shots at GECOM, and they are doing so with the usual PNC rigging precision.

GECOM Chairman Claudette Singh cannot play amnesiac to the fact that she is oblivious to the machinations of these commissioners, because she is well acquainted with Guyana’s electoral history and the notorious PNC. As an elder statesperson and judge, she would have witnessed the many instances where the PNC mortally wounded the democratic process with their rigging.

Having that detailed background knowledge of our despicable electoral past, it behooves the GECOM Chairman to assert herself and take leadership responsibility of the election body, and not be led.

The present situation leaves much to be desired, and that is our main concern.

It is clear that this chair is being led. She has allowed herself to be put into that position while the Government actors are relentless with their agenda to rig the elections, and this has to be stopped. The Chairman has to put a halt to that process by making her own statements as well as issuing definitive and straightforward directives bearing her signature, and not the other way

round. Guyana cannot afford to go down that road of rigged elections again, and the time to rectify the process is now.

A key area wherein the notorious three are hanging their hopes is “fixing” the computers in the Information Technology Department. For this very same reason, we have asked for international help to oversee this critical area. To our dismay, the response from GECOM CEO Lowenfield is that the Commission does not need any assistance.

Now, this is certainly out of the domain of the CEO, who is in no position to issue such a statement. This is a resolve of the Chairwoman herself; she is the one mandated to make such decisions as head of the Elections Commission, not Lowenfield.

Acting like a sheep in such circumstances of brazen usurpation of power is a cause for great concern.

GECOM Chairman Claudette Singh must be held accountable for this.

Why hasn’t she come out and made a clear directive on this matter? Why is she silent? At a time when our democracy is under siege by a group of Government appointees, this chairwoman is deafeningly silent. Why is she not coming out and making it clear where she stands on this matter?

The point is: We need all the help we can get from the international bodies, especially the UN, on the conduct of free and fair elections, and here we have a chair who is allowing the CEO to dictate on the matter.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

6

tuesday, OCTOber 15, 2019

Page

M

aybe you’ve always wanted a baby brother or sister and your parents just told you you’re going to have one. Hooray! Or maybe you have liked being an only kid and you’re not quite sure how you feel about having a new sister or brother.

Either way, when your mom’s going to have a baby, there are changes ahead. What should you expect when your mom is expecting?

Hurry up . . . and wait!

Having a baby takes a while.

Usually about nine months (sometimes less, if the baby comes early). Early on, your mom won’t look much different, but she may feel more tired or have an upset stomach. It’s common for pregnant women to feel sick and maybe even throw up. They call it morning sickness, but it can happen any time of the day. You might be worried about your mom, but she’s OK. Morning sickness is a sign that your mom’s body is changing to make the baby. In most women, morning sickness gets better after the first few months.

After about three or four months, your mother’s breasts and belly will start to get bigger. She’ll probably start eating more and will get a bit bigger every day. By the time she’s about six months pregnant, if you put your hand on her belly you may be able to feel the baby kicking and moving around inside!

You also might be able to see the video from the ultrasound or see photos from it. An ultrasound is kind of like an X-ray. It’s a way to see what’s going on inside — in this case, to

Foundation

take a peek at the growing baby. The doctor might be able to tell if it’s a boy or girl. Pretty cool!

By the time the baby’s ready to be born, your mother’s belly will be pretty big. She also might be tired more often and less able to run around with you.

You can help her by carrying things for her or helping her get up from the sofa or out of a chair. If she drops something on the floor, pick it up. She will have a hard time bending over!

All these changes for a little baby?

While your mom’s body is changing, you might notice some changes around your house. Your parents will be figuring out where the baby w i l l sleep a n d getting the crib and other stuff

ready. Ask if you can help them decorate the room. Maybe they’ll pull out some of your old clothes. Ask to see some baby photos of yourself. Aw! You were so cute!

Some kids share a room with their brother or sister. If the baby will be sleeping in your room, talk to your parent about ways to make sure your part of the room feels like yours — maybe you can put both of your names on the door or put a sign over your bed that says your name.

Mixed emotions

You may have different feelings about the new baby that’s on the way.

Some days, you might be really excited about it. Other days, you might wish for the old days when your mom wasn’t expecting a new baby. Maybe you feel like your mom and dad are too busy planning for the baby to pay attention to you. Or maybe you’re jealous that the baby has so much new stuff. But just because your parents are busy getting ready for the baby doesn’t mean they love you any less!

It’s normal for a kid to have happy and sad feelings about having a new brother or sister. You might try talking to your mom or dad or another adult, like a grandparent, about how you feel. Or maybe you want to write your feelings in a journal or draw pictures.

Are you thinking about who will take care of you when the new baby is born and everyone is at the hospital? Ask about it and then you’ll know what the plan is.

Meanwhile, think about all the fun times you’ll be able to have with the new baby, especially when he or she gets a little older. How lucky that baby is to have you as an older brother or sister! (kidshealth.org)

H

ow many feelings can you name? Happy, sad, scared? That’s a good start.

Can you name some more? How about playful, joyful, calm? Mad, upset, worried. Confused, lonely, nervous. Grateful, glad, cosy. Loved, friendly, peaceful.

There are so many feelings to name. Try coming up with some of your own.

No matter how you feel – good or bad –it’s healthy to put your feelings into words. Talking about feelings helps us feel close to people who care. It helps us feel better when we’re sad or scared.

Putting feelings into words helps us use self-control when we feel mad or upset. If your little brother took something of yours, you can say, “Hey, I’m annoyed that you took that without asking me. Next time, please ask.”

No need to get in a big fight over it. Just say how you feel and why, without yelling.

Know your feelings It’s easier to talk about your feelings if you know how you feel and why. Try these easy steps: Think of the name for how you feel. (Let’s say you feel nervous.)

Think of why you feel that way. (Let’s say you are nervous because you have a spelling test tomorrow.)

Put them together into words. (Say to yourself, “I feel nervous about my spelling test tomorrow.”)

If you don’t know why you feel a certain way, you can still talk about it. You can say, “I feel upset, but I don’t know why.”

Pick someone to talk to A parent, grandparent, or a friend can be a good person to talk to. It’s easier than you think. You can start by going to the person and saying, “Can we talk for a minute?” Then say how you feel and why.

Let the other person listen. Maybe they will give you advice. Or say something kind. Maybe they will help you laugh, or give you a hug. Or say, “Don’t worry, I’ll help you study your spelling words.” Just saying how you feel and why helps you start to feel better. It helps to know you are not alone with a problem or worry.

Talk about feelings any time You don’t have to wait for a big problem to talk about your feelings. You can say how you feel any time. It’s a good thing to practise.

Talking about feelings doesn’t have to be a big talk. You can make a short and simple comment. Like this: “Dad, I’m really glad we’re having pizza tonight!

Thanks!”

“I’m excited about the game tonight. I think the coach will let me start.”

“I’m so relieved because I did really well on my math test!”

“I felt so awkward when I asked Kyle to the dance, and I was so happy when he said yes!”

You don’t have to talk about every feeling you have. But noticing your feelings and saying how you feel and why is good practice. The more you do it, the easier it gets. Talking about your feelings is a healthy way to express them. And when you have difficult feelings you need to talk over, you’ll be ready. (kidshealth.org)

news

7

tuesday, october 15, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

T&T company implicates Finance Ministry in alleged kickbacks scheme …documents show 20% of contract price requested

L

eaked documents on Monday revealed that a Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) based company was approached by a senior official from the Guyana Oil company (GuyOil), who requested money from the company on behalf of a top official in the Finance Ministry.

It was previously reported in sections of the media that Commissiong and Company Limited was approached by GuyOil for payments after it would have signed three contracts with the State-owned oil company to construct two 10,000-barrel storage tanks at its Providence terminal.

According to documents seen by this newspaper, the GuyOil employee informed Commissiong Managing Director, Nirmala Rambharat, that

Guyana Oil Company

vided services to GuyOil, they confirmed having paid the GuyOil official 20 per cent of their contract values upon request.

It is understood that the company is preparing to sue the Government, since it has already invested thousands of US dollars in mobilisation efforts to execute the projects, said to be worth over $100 million. Efforts to contact Finance Minister Winston Jordan were futile.

Legal woes

The Finance Ministry

the payments were on behalf of a senior official within the Finance Ministry.

The leaked email shows that Rambharat complained that she “received a call from a woman identifying herself as the CEO of [GuyOil], she had asked me to pay to her 20 per cent of the contract value before the advance payment could be made.

She also indicated this was not for her but for the [name withheld] and she urge me to pay the payment to her and then the advance payments can be made to my company.”

Rambharat refused to make the extra payments, noting in the correspondence that she informed GuyOil that her profit margin was 10 per cent of the contract price and that since the company was new to Guyana, its rates were designed to introduce Guyana to its service.

Commissiong also noted in cor-

respondence with GuyOil’s legal department that the company holds no local collateral. In the correspondence, dated September 11, 2019, the Trinidadian company requested that GuyOil make its advance payments within 14 days so that the project could be started.

“A few days after, the Facilities Manager, Mr Nascimento, sent me an email stating that the advance payment bonds were rejected and I have to produce local bonds. I explained to him that my company is an international company and has no collateral in Guyana… neither the contract document never stipulated a local bond which is impossible for an international company to do. On Monday GuyOil sent a letter terminating all my contracts with them.”

Moreover, Rambharat revealed that after enquiring from other Trinidadian contractors that pro-

It would not be the first time the Finance Ministry has been embroiled with a Trinidadian company in a legal dispute. In fact, it Leaked correspondence from Commissiong, in which the Director details her took the intervention of President ordeal at the hands of GuyOil David Granger to save Finance Minister Winston Jordan from bepany US$665,032.17 as payment tive order to compel the Minister to ing jailed, after he did not comply for the works done along with make the payment. with court orders to pay Trinidad- US$1,563,368.50 for costs it inOn July 8, 2019; the last day for based Dipcon. curred for those works, together Jordan to pay Dipcon the monies, The Trinidad-based construction with interest on both amounts, at the President came through with company had taken the Finance a rate of six per cent annum from an executive order for a grant of reMinister to court for failing to hon- February 10, 2009, to October 21, spite, shielding the Minister. The our the payment of millions of dol- 2015, and thereafter at the rate of President issued the order in keeplars, which was awarded to Dipcon four per cent per annum until fully ing with his powers under Article

by Justice Rishi Persaud in 2015. A paid.

188 of the Constitution. According few months ago, High Court Judge, However, since none of the pay- to the order, Jordan was granted his Justice Sewnarine-Beharry had or- ments they were owed was made, reprieve “until all appeals and remdered Minister Jordan to pay Dipcon Dipcon had successfully approached edies available to him and the State the US$2.2 million award or face jail the High Courts for an administra- were exhausted.” time.

Dipcon first went to court in 2009 to recover monies owed for road works done. In Justice Persaud’s orders, Government was supposed to pay the com-

Businessman killed by...

The CCTV footage showed Stoll holding on to his stomach as he fell on the ground.

Security personnel attached to the El Dorado Trading, along with residents of the neighbourhood, rushed to aid Stoll and Powley. They managed to transport the injured men to the Georgetown Public Hospital for emergency treatment. However, Stoll succumbed at the hospital.

The security personnel from El Dorado Trading was later transferred to a private city hospital while Powley remains a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

When Guyana Times arrived at the scene, residents said that they heard gunshots.

Suspected bandit

Meanwhile, less than two hours after the shooting incident, the body of the suspected injured gunman was found at Tucville Squatting Area, Georgetown. He was clad in a navy blue jersey and white t-shit along with black pants. A purple shirt was seen lying next to his body – the gunman who had earlier shot Stoll was similarly attired.

According to the Police, the dead man is a Guyana Defence Force (GDF) rank of D Field, Sophia, Greater Georgetown.

“I was inside preparing lunch and I heard a noise like when a whistling thun-

from page 3

der (explosive) goes off…

But a big man came at my gate and called and asked me how come I didn’t know a body was laying right near my house and that is when I know. The lady whose house is opposite from where he was found was the one who discovered him, but she is at work now and I can tell you, he was found dead; he was not alive,” a Tucville Squatting Area resident said.

This newspaper was told that the suspected bandit’s accomplices may have dumped him there after he died as a result of the gunshot wounds.

Police have since launched an investigation.

8 news

tuesday, OCTOber 15, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Former GRDB manager to lead defence for 5 charges A former manager at the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Peter Ramcharran, will have to lead his defence on October 31, 2019, in relation to five charges concerning falsification of accounts.

This decision was handed down by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Monday.

Ramcharran was slapped with 39 fraud charges in March 2019, after being extradited from Canada.

The Chief Magistrate is dealing with 22 of the cases, while Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus will preside over the 17 charges of keeping fraudulent accounts.

However, Magistrate IsaacsMarcus is set to commence the trial into the matters on October 22.

Particulars of the first

Peter Ramcharran escorted by a Police Officer

five charges allege that between the years 2011 and 2015, Ramcharran, while being the accountant of GRDB, failed to enter some $414 million in the GRDB

ledger.

Ramcharran was slapped with 17 other charges which allege that he, along with former General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development

Board (GRDB), Jagnarine Singh and his deputy, Madanlall Ramraj, omitted entries into the company ledger.

The charges allege that Ramcharran failed to enter true entries of over $4.2 million into the company’s ledger, knowing that it was contrary to standard operating procedures between 2011 and 2012, at the company’s Lot 16-17 Cowan Street, Kingston head office.

The other charges allege that Ramcharran along with Singh and Ramraj fraudulently took $5.1 million or used the sum for their own use and benefit, or any use and purpose other than that of the GRDB. The matters are being prosecuted by Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) Prosecutor, Patrice Henry.

Sophia man remanded over Leopold Street shooting

A

26-year-old man was on Monday taken before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts slapped with an unlawful wounding charge.

Adrian Scott, of C Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown, appeared before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus.

It is alleged that on

October 7, 2019, at Leopold Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or cause grievous bodily harm, he unlawfully wounded

Adrian Scott

Arlington Harper.

Scott was represented

by Attorney-at-Law Keoma Griffith, who told the court that his client did not shoot the Virtual Complainant (VC).

Reports are that on October 7, Harper was at a party where he met Scott.

However, upon seeing Harper, Scott reportedly left, but later returned with a friend.

The prosecution is contending that Scott and Harper were subsequently involved in a scuffle and it was at that time, Scott pulled out a gun and handed it to his friend, who in turn shot Harper.

The injured man was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he remains a patient. The Police have since launched a manhunt for Scott’s friend.

Police Prosecutor Shondell Daniels objected to bail on the grounds of the serious nature of the offence and the fact that the victim was still hospitalised. Scott was remanded to prison, and the case was scheduled to continue on November 18, 2019.

Bee in bonnet…

I

…on extending Parliament’s life t’s said that “everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts”; but, in this age of “alternative facts”, the veracity of the second half of that assertion has been severely eroded. Things have gotten so bad that, in his Sunday column, the trade unionist Lincoln Lewis actually had the caption, “Alternate facts must not be allowed to shape Guyana’s destiny, we deserve better!” when he himself was delivering his personal “alternative facts” on the state of the illegality of the Granger Government in the wake of the successful NCM on Dec 21, 2018!!

Lewis starts off by trying to exculpate the PNC from precipitating its illegal status by conjuring the alternative fact of the Opposition’s “responsibility” What are the indisputable facts on what follows a successful NCM?? It’s declared in Art 106 (6) and 106 (7). The first declares: “Cabinet including the President shall resign if the Government is defeated by the vote of the majority of all elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence.” Article 106(7) provides that: “Notwithstanding its defeat, the Government shall remain in office and shall hold an election within three months, or such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution determine, and shall resign after the President takes the oath of office following the election.”

Now, we may all have an opinion on what exactly the above means in general, but on a PARTICULAR circumstance - as we had in Guyana on Dec 21 last and the subsequent recourse of the PNC to the courts -- we have to accept the Judiciary’s judgement as they interpret the clauses and apply them to the facts before them. Lincoln Lewis doesn’t seem to have a problem with this “Judicial Review” power of our Judiciary. Unlike Granger - who declared that the Judgement of the Chief Justice in one case was her “perception”, and he was entitled to his!!

So we come now to the Judgement of the CCJ about what should’ve happened after Dec 21. After it cleared the underbrush of what constituted a “majority” of 65, the Court was pellucid: The Cabinet should have resigned immediately, and elections should have been held in 3 months. But it went on to point out in its June 18 ruling that, since the Government had taken recourse to the Courts, there’d been a “pause” on the clock, which pause was now off.

Now, doesn’t this mean that elections should have been held within three months – by Sept 18? No! insists Lewis. He cites the CCJ’s consequential order of July 12: “Article 106 of the Constitution invests in the President and the National Assembly (and implicitly in GECOM), responsibilities that impact on the precise timing of the elections….”

Well, duh, it does!! But never explains how this made Sept 18 date for elections an “alternative fact”!! …on ambushing the PPP After all, you’d think that since Art 106 (6) comes BEFORE Art 106 (7), its instruction that elections be held before Sept 18 kicks in. But no!! Lewis, proceeds to Art 106 (7), which raises the possibility that the 3-month period COULD be extended by a 2/3 majority vote of the National Assembly. How? The Opposition is COMPELLED to perform an action that is within their DISCRETION!! So why’d they initiate the NCM in the first place??

What has changed the Opposition’s rationale for their NCM? Government further dirtied their hands with their GECOM manoeuvres!! Should Government’s recalcitrance be rewarded? One wonders what Lewis would say if Rusal arbitrarily fired striking workers for demanding their rights and then says, “Let’s move on”? Hold it!! That’s exactly what Rusal tried, didn’t they??

But Lewis didn’t overlook Rusal’s transgressions. He demanded and received reinstatement of the workers with full benefits.

Why shouldn’t the PPP uphold the Constitution? …on Doctrine of Necessity Lewis noted that the National Assembly would reconvene on Oct 10, and the PPP had a duty to show up.

Well, the PNC itself didn’t return. Didn’t they abdicate their constitutional responsibility??

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

news

9

tuesday, october 15, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Union blames mining company, GGMC for death of geologist – demands full investigation

T

he People’s United and General Workers Union has said it was holding Troy Resources responsible for the death of one of its workers, who died during a collapse at the Karouni Mine, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) one week ago.

Ryan Taylor, 33, of Lot 85 Lamaha Street, Alberttown, Georgetown, and three other persons were working on the construction of a “bench” in a mining pit when there was a slippage, which led to him falling and being covered by

debris.

On Monday, administrator of the union, Lincoln Lewis, during a press conference, said that the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and the Social Protection Ministry were also responsible owing to the lack of inspection and safety standards.

“The sad and gruesome passing of this young man is a grim reminder of the potential danger in mining and the need for strict compliance with safety rules by the employer and even more

strict inspection and enforcement of safety standards by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC),” he said.

After the incident, Guyana Times understands, it took some time to get Taylor from under the rubble and by the time he was pulled out, it was too late.

Troy Resources later confirmed that the industrial accident occurred about 02:25h on October 8 when the geologist was standing above an excavated working face. The embankment he

Dead: Ryan Taylor

Stabroek Market to be closed for vector spraying

S

Stabroek Market

tabroek Market will be closed on Wednesday to members of the public to facilitate vector control services.

This was revealed at the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) statutory meeting

on Monday. A notice has since been circulated to stall owners on behalf of the vector control section informing them that the entire Stabroek Market would be closed from midday.

Stabroek Market and its

environs has been the subject of much public debate over the sanitary conditions there.

In August, there was a garbage pile-up in the vicinity of Stabroek Market that caused traffic chaos.

According to reports, there were smelly overflowing bins that contained bags of rice, used plastic bottles, cardboard boxes and a few other items that were left for more than a week by City Hall garbage collectors.

Only in July, the M&CC had to shut down the Stabroek Market Wharf completely, because vendors continued to trade in the facility despite its deplorable state.

In previous reports from

the Council, it was understood that persons were living on the Wharf even after they were advised to remove.

The already crumbling structure was partially razed in November 2018.

It is suspected that the fire may have been started by a female who had an argument with another vendor.

was standing on collapsed and he suffered fatal injuries as a consequence.

Lewis on Monday argued that the workers at Troy Resources are subjected to work under unsafe conditions, and pointed out that there have been similar incidents at the same site, much to the company’s knowledge.

“We hold those at the GGMC and the Ministry of Social Protection equally accountable along with the employer for the conditions of work which Ryan Taylor and his colleagues are subjected to working under. It was not unknown to them. In 2016, there was a severe wall failure in Smarts Stage Three pit at the Karouni Mine. The Union reached out to GGMC and the Ministry time and time again, all to no avail,” Lewis said.

As a result, the Union has called for a complete investigation into the death of Taylor and the implementation of safety guidelines at the location.

“There appears to be no respect for laws of our land, governing industrial practices, protecting workers and dictating how foreign investors are expected to function … The Union demands a full and complete investigation into the death and reiterates that we will not rest until justice is done and standard safety practices are implemented at the mine site,” Lewis reiterated.

Managing Director Ken Nilsson had informed that mining operations at Karouni, have been temporarily suspended. However, in light of the incident, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman has since instructed the GGMC to begin making the necessary preparations for a thorough investigation of the matter.

A report is expected to be compiled and submitted upon completion. In the interim, all work in the area of construction has been ordered ceased pending the investigation.

10 NEWS

tuesday, october 15, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Suspected piracy

PPP Presidential Candidate gives support to fishermen’s families

Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali consoling a relative of one of the piracy victims

T

he People’s Progressive Party/ Civic Presidential Candidate, Irfaan Ali on Sunday visited the families of fishermen in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), who were victims of a suspected piracy attack.

On October 5, four men went off to sea in a vessel – Sara 1. Over the past few days, the bodies of two of the men were recovered while the other two are still missing.

Dead are Kawal Kissoon

also called “Ajai” of Letter Kenny Village, Corentyne, and Otto Lamar Petrie of Lot 90 Miss Phoebe, Port Mourant, Berbice. Missing are Marvin Tamesar also called “Buddy” and Bin Laden of Miss Phoebe, Port Mourant and Vishnu Seeram called “Kevin”.

After meeting with the aggrieved relatives, Ali said: “This is really a sad situation here and the stories from the families is one that tells us how much more we have to do as a people and as

a country in the way we approach situations also.”

He stated that from the perspective of grieving family members, there has been little action to provide any form of rescue for the fishermen.

“Since the last incident last year, we heard of a Quick Response Task Force in situations like these and what we’ve seen is a very limited response in the words of the communities and the families. No search and rescue operation, no chopper service, the owner of the boat has not facilitated the provision of another boat to help in the search. This is what is told by the families in the communities,” he disclosed.

According to Ali, there is presently no system to strategically locate the missing men.

He urged the relevant authorities to step in at this time, since counselling and other services will be necessary.

“From all that you’re hearing, there is no system

Dead: Kawal Kissoon called “Ajai”

in place to help these people or in terms of emergency, tracking, monitoring, search and rescue operations….

These are four families we’re talking about, large families. All the families are saying to us that they’re left in the dark…I want to call on the authorities to take this very seriously. There will

be a lot that is need. A lot of counselling will be needed.”

The body of 36-yearold Kissoon was discovered on Friday with his hands bound behind his back and his feet tied together on the Abary Foreshore, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice).

However, it was not until Saturday that his body was identified.

Meanwhile, the body of 20-year-old Otto Lamar Petrie of Lot 90 Miss Phoebe, Port Mourant, was discovered on Sunday at the same location. This discovery was made by a search party which was led by police officers. Petrie’s body was in an advanced state of decomposition. His hands and feet were also bound.

The two men, along with Marvin Tamesar also called “Buddy” and “Bin Laden”, 20, of Miss Phoebe, Port Mourant, and Vishnu Seeram called “Kevin”, 20, also of the same village, left from a wharf at Number 65

Dead: Marvin Tamesar called “Buddy”

Village for sea aboard Sara 1 – a fishing vessel owned by Sharanand Rabindranauth of Number 68 Village, Corentyne.

Sara 1 was found on the foreshore at Wellington Park, Corentyne, on Friday afternoon but none of the crew members were found at that time.

GTT cannot unilaterally change billing system – PUC

Complainant Ramon Gaskin during the hearing as he shows the new billing system

T

he Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has reached a conclusion on the complaints which were filed against the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT)

by Ramon Gaskin, questioning why the company’s monthly invoice was unilaterally changed without prior information and why he was forced to use the internet to access other information.

In a document dated October 11, the Commission clarified that the consumers should decide on such changes, rather than a unilateral modification.

Gaskin, who is a customer of the company, stated that his tax invoice for the month of May was changed, and consequently, there was an exclusion of the substantive billing information which had been in previous bills.

He alleged that upon an enquiry with GTT, he was informed that the information omitted could be viewed online. The complainant, further in his complaint, stated that he had no access to online facilities and that GTT was in effect forcing him to seek such facilities.

He also noted that he was not aware of the PUC ap-

GTT’s CEO, Justin Nedd

proving this change of billing format.

On September 12, a hearing was facilitated between the complainant, the utility company and the Guyana Consumer Association in which the Commission was enlightened on their explanations.

In delivering its decision, the PUC asserted that the company failed to provide prior notification to its consumers and did not seek to inform the Commission of this change in this paperless operation.

“The Commission frowns on the company and records its concern that the company sought to introduce the paperless facility and the company, by its own admis-

sion, failed to provide prior notification and failed to launch an effective educational campaign for the benefit of the public. At no time did the company seek to notify the Commission of its intention to embark upon a paperless regime.”

As such, GTT was ordered to dispatch detailed caller information on paper bills with effect of November 1, 2019. Adding to that, consumers will have a chance whether they want to continue with the paper billing or opt for the online option.

It stated, “That unless notified otherwise by consumers, GT&T shall dispatch to all business and residential consumers, paper bills which shall include the

detailed Calling Party Pay call fables and overseas call details…That all consumers who had received the new billing format issued from May 2019 be notified in their bills issued in November 2019, of the choice to opt-out of paperless billing and such choice should be with immediate effect upon indication from the consumer. The option to cancel online billings and resume paper billings should be clearly stated by GT&T on any of their online portal.”

Adding to that, the company was asked to ensure that the billing platform for paperless activities is accessed in time. If there is any failure on GTT’s part to do so, all paperless consumers must be dispatched with a hardcopy bill.

“That the company shall ensure that its billing platform from which such paperless billings are accessed is uptime and experiences minimal latency. Should the platform fail during any billing period or cycle, the company is required to inform all paperless consumers and dispatch bills in hard copy to each consumer.”

In the lengthy decision, the PUC mandated that any consumer who had received the new billing format with effect from May 2019 to date, and is desirous of receiving their detailed tax invoice, is to be issued same free of charge for each billing period as requested by the consumer. Public notices should also be prominently placed via the print and online media, and Short Messaging Service (SMS) notifying consumers of the new billing format and the choice to remain with paper billings.

news

11

tuesday, october 15, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

GECOM issues warning over imposters collecting voter info …urges citizens to be on lookout, call in Police

T

he Guyana Elections C o m m i s s i o n (GECOM) has issued a warning to residents to be on the lookout for persons posing as employees of the election agency, who then go on to request documents from these residents.

This was communicated by GECOM’s Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward, and via a notice. In the case of Ward, she noted that GECOM received reports from residents of persons purporting to be GECOM officials.

According to Ward, these ‘officials’ visit homes and offer to conduct transactions as part of the ongoing Claims and Objections exer-

cise (C&O), despite the fact that during C&O, residents visit GECOM’s office and not the other way around.

“GECOM is urging residents to be vigilant and to only conduct transactions at the permanent and temporary GECOM Registration Offices,” Ward noted in communication with members of the media.

While the PRO’s warnings were for the general public, the notice from GECOM specifically advised residents in Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), to be on the lookout for persons coming into their community and telling them that house-to-house was illegal.

Guyana Elections Commission

“Do not accept offers to be registered,” GECOM further advised. “These persons have not been authorised by GECOM and you

should not furnish them with any personal information. Please report any instance of such to the nearest police station.”

Last week, Oppositionnominated Commissioner Sase Gunraj told reporters after a meeting that Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield updated them that more than 2100 transactions had been recorded at the time during the C&O exercise.

He further related that they are still trying to get more details on other aspects such as the H2H data, as well as the overseas fingerprint cross-matching before any decisions are taken.

According to the Oppositionnominated Commissioner, the encoding (entering data into GECOM’s database) of the H2H data is scheduled to finish by today.

The preceding week, Government-nominated Commissioner Charles Corbin had told reporters that the encoded data will be available for scrutiny before the C&O exercise concludes in November.

GECOM was forced to bring the controversial H2H Registration to a premature end on August 31, by which time it had obtained in excess of 370,000 registrants.

It was then decided that the new data obtained will be merged with the existing National Register of Registrants (NRR) Database – something which the Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has been against.

Local Govt Commission requests City Hall’s assets register …Town Clerk claims timeframe inadequate

A

s the audit continues into the financial operations of City Hall, the Local Government Commission has requested officials to submit the organ’s assets register.

Acting Town Clerk, Sherry Jerrick informed during Monday’s statutory meeting that a deadline was given of October 26 to release the documents.

“The Local Government Commission has written the Council requesting a copy of the assets register of the Council. There are a number of facets to it and they have given a deadline for submission for October 26, 2019,” she said.

Contrary to this, she saw this timeline as an “unreasonable” one, and urged the Council to issue a correspondence asking for an extension. Jerrick then suggested an additional month before the submission can

Acting Town Clerk Sherry Jerrick

be made.

“I’m seeking the indulgence of the Council to write the Local Government Commission, requesting an extension. It is a bit unreasonable. We would not be able to prepare that document and have that submit-

ted on that time…I would suggest one month. I advise on one month. By 26th November, we can have it prepared and ready to be submitted,” the acting Town Clerk posited.

Previous acting Town Clerk Sharon HarryMunroe was sent on administrative leave by the Commission last August for failing to produce certain financial information which it had requested.

The Commission is conducting an audit into City Hall based on a recommendation of the Commission of Inquiry which was headed by retired Justice Cecil Kennard. In July, reports surfaced that a large portion of documents was still outstanding for the audit to be completed.

During the CoI hearings, finance records from the Audit Office were presented by the Audit Manager,

Dhanraj Persaud, which showed unaccountability for millions of dollars. Persaud showed that Central Government, through the Communities Ministry, had supplied funds for city restoration projects at a sum of $300 million in 2015 and in 2016, another $200 million was injected into the initiative which totalled to an overall balance of $500 mil-

lion.

However, when checks were made into the pieces of evidence presented for the expenditure of these projects, $70.489 million was unaccounted for.

“For 2016, Council did not produce evidence to account for amount totalling $70.489 million,” he said.

It was related that the Mayor and City Council

(M&CC) has a history of failing to source records in the past years. Over the course of six years, which date back to the period from 2006 to 2011, there have been no financial records for the disbursement of monies at City Hall. Additionally for the year 2005, documents were submitted but an audit could not be completed because the files were “damaged”.

Persaud said, “A few documents were submitted [in 2005] but those are the ones that were damaged”.

The Audit Manager stood before the Commission, stating that his agency would’ve inquired about the absence of the report but no explanation was provided. In 2012, records were damaged but from 2013 to 2015, some amount of files was presented for auditing, for which they were able to inspect and extract information.

12 news

tuesday, october 15, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Region 5 floods

Contractors now being mobilised to execute flood relief works

A

fter weeks of assault from the raging waves from the sea due to inadequate, and in some instances, damaged sea defence, residents of Region Five (MahaicaBerbice) are now being told that contractors are being mobilised to execute flood relief works.

Junior Public Infrastructure Minister Jaipaul Sharma in an interview with this publication on Monday said that works that could end up costing over $1 billion will be done on a projected three-kilometre stretch of land in Mahaicony.

“We’re currently mobilising with the contractors, that will be executing the works. Recently, we requested from Cabinet, additional contingency advances. So we are engaging with the contractors for the laying of the material.”

“We’re also cooperating with the [National Drainage and Irrigation Authority] and so we are looking at it holistically to see what can be done comprehensively to

on] the access dam. They might even consider if they should put crusher run on the surface… we have to ensure that the integrity of the dam will be maintained.” he said, noting the importance of being able to use available roads and other avenues to access the area.

Destruction

Junior Public Infrastructure Minister Jaipaul Sharma

address the issues,” Sharma added.

Sharma noted that NDIA had placed pumps to draw floodwater out and mitigate flooding on farmlands. He noted also that empoldering, the use of polders and dykes, among other measures to reclaim land from the floodwaters, is ongoing.

“There’s some empoldering work being done for the land. They’re also [working

Flooding in Mahaica this month saw more than 300 acres of rice being destroyed and hundreds of acres more being put under threat of destruction by saltwater. In addition, livestock was destroyed and properties sustained damages.

Apart from the destruction of the rice, it has been reported that the flooded land is no longer suitable for rice production, since the soil composition has become too salty.

On Thursday last, high tides caused major overtopping of the sea defence at Dantzig and nearby villages. This occurred even as the NDIA was preparing to prevent flooding from the October spring tide expected

The recent flooding in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice)

in two weeks.

Region Five Chairman Vickchand Ramphal told Guyana Times on Friday that the floodwaters from the previous flood receded a few days ago and the area is once again bracing itself for disaster. He said that the DantzigFairfield area has been completely flooded again.

“Currently, the situation in the Dantzig-Fairfield area has not been fully recovered

from the previous floods.

What we have seen over the past 24 hours is the water coming back onto the land, some of the fields which had dried off over the past couple of days have flooded again,” the Chairman said.

Two weeks ago, the sea defence at Dantzig, Mahaica, was breached and saltwater from the ocean flowed onto the land, killing livestock, rice fields and veg-

etable farms.

Persons in the residential areas were also hard-hit as the sea covered several miles inland.

Rice farmers at First Savannah, Mahaicony Creek, have been very critical of the Mahaica Mahaicony AbaryAgricultural Development Authority (MMA-ADA) after flooding caused millions in losses for them.

Linden electricity company workers strike over salary, safety issues

“F

ed up” with numerous issues affecting them, employees attached to the Lines Department of the Linden Utility Services Coop Society Limited (LUSCSL) in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), decided on strike action on Monday morning. The employees of the electricity company downed tools for the entire day and resorted to assembling at a nearby facility.

According to them, some of their main concerns are insufficient wages and salary, safety issues, lack of allowances and what they consider to be the unfair suspension and dismissal of two employees. These concerns, they noted, seem to have been falling on deaf ears for some time now.

“The main things affecting us right now are safety and increase of salary.

They’re supposed to employ a Safety Officer, they don’t have one. We spoke about it and they said it would’ve been taken to the Manager level (as well as) Board members and we still waiting. There are other issues concerning safety, for in-

A union representative speaking with workers

stance the types of gloves we use. They said they were checking on it and they were going to purchase it but that was over a year now,” one of the affected employees told this publication.

The employee added that the linesmen had also requested height and risk allowances but have not gotten a response in relation to this.

He said they are prepared to continue with the strike until their demands are met.

Another employee disclosed that things are not as good as they appear with the Lines Department.

“We stand on one of the grounds of a suspension of one of our employees whereby we feel action was taken without investigation

and the circumstances that made it meet to that level.

Also, there were some other issues which we raised several years ago... from outside it looks like all is well with workers but there are issues which we don’t appreciate – wages and salaries which is not up to date. Our salary scale is very ridiculous.

The risk that we take for

this electricity work, we’re not being paid to the maximum that we’re supposed to.

When we voice our opinions we’re not getting any reaction or nobody paying attention to us. So, we see it fit that we should stand down and let this company recognise that we are serious...”, he explained.

The linesman also noted that the employees are all family-oriented men who need a substantial salary in order to properly maintain their families. He also pointed to the alleged “actions” of management if workers “stand up for their rights”.

“It’s like you can’t stand up for your rights...every time we raise these things they come up with an idea and then afterwards we ain’t hearing back anything.

So, we’re looking to see something better happen because every person working is at risk every day...risk allowance and height allowance, these things we don’t have...I don’t want to get down to details but if you get to know the salary that we draw a month you would ask the question as to why is it that we’re still working,” the

linesman disclosed.

He further explained that the employees are working along with the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union and based on its negotiations with the company, they will decide on future action.

Issues

Meanwhile, Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union Field Officer Alieshaw Barker, who met with the affected employees, told this publication that the strike was as a result of pending issues. This included what she described as the unfair dismissal of an employee who was allegedly also not paid redundancy, in addition to a senior linesman that she noted was unfairly suspended. Barker also added that the Union was dissatisfied with the method used by the company to determine salary increases for the employees. She also cited unfruitful engagements between the Union and the management of the company in the past but noted that the Union did not instigate the strike action. continued on page 13

News

13

tuesday, october 15, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Suspected piracy attack

GDF, Police join search party for missing fishermen

Lone gunman attacks ECD furniture store

The gunman inside Pradeep’s Furniture Store

A

Dead: Otto Lamar Petrie

T

he Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Monday joined the search for the two missing fishermen from the suspected piracy attack of Sara 1 – a fishing vessel which was found ashore on Friday.

Regional Commander, Senior Superintendent Calvin Brutus explained that an aerial search was carried out on Monday over the Atlantic Ocean and Corentyne River.

The search took the aircraft from Suriname waters to the West Coast of Berbice.

Two bodies have already been found at Abary Foreshore in Region Five (MahaicaBerbice).

The body of 36-year-old Kawal Kissoon also called “Ajai” of Letter Kenny Village, Corentyne, was discovered on Friday and the badly decomposed body of 20-year-old Otto Lamar Petrie of Lot 90 Miss Phoebe, Port Mourant, Corentyne, was discovered along the said foreshore on Sunday.

The missing crew members are 20-year-old Marvin Tamesar also called “Buddy”

and “Bin Laden” of Lot 305 Miss Phoebe, Port Mourant, and 20-year-old Vishnu Seeram also called “Kevin” of Lot 76 Miss Phoebe, Port Mourant.

The vessel was found on the foreshore at Wellington Park, Corentyne, on Friday afternoon. The search is continuing for Tamesar and Seeram.

Meanwhile, family members have also been on a search along the shores of the Corentyne.

The four fishermen left the shore on October 5 and were expected to spend between 14 to 28 days before returning home.

However, the vessel, without the crew, was discovered seven days into the fishing expedition.

There are reports that the vessel drifted ashore two days prior to the official discovery on Friday. Further reports suggest that Sara 1 was seen drifting on Monday at sea.

This, together with the fact that when the bodies of Kissoon and Petrie were discovered, their hands were tied behind their backs and their feet were tied together, has led

to the belief that it was a piracy attack.

When Sara 1 was found, the boat engine was missing.

There was no food in the cabin, and the crew would have taken food to last them for at least 28 days.

Despite the advanced state of decomposition of the bodies, an autopsy is expected to be conducted today.

Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Leslie James is of the view that there is need for aerial surveillance coupled with “fit for the purpose vessels” to assist in effectively monitoring fishermen on the high seas. He expressed that view last month when he testified before the Commission of Inquiry about the deadly piracy attack on 28 Guyanese fishermen in May of last year.

James said that some amendment must be made to the current legislation to make it compulsory for fishing vessels to have GPS tracking and communication devices.

On April 27 and 28, 2018, pirates attacked several fishing boats with Guyanese fishermen in what is being considered the worst piracy attack on

Linden electricity company...

from page 12

A few of the striking workers

“The workers decided on their own, to strike but we stand [in solidarity] because as the bargaining agent for them we stand in support to ensure that in the event that they go back to normalcy there’s no victimisation.

So, we’re currently preparing Terms of Resumption for tomorrow at 8 – If they [company] decide to reach with us”, Barker said.

She stressed that if there are no conditions for

Terms of Resumption by the company, the Union will be seeking for other employees to join the strike in solidarity with the Lines Department. She also pointed to issues such as fear of dismissal and victimisation which the workers may face. Barker further made reference to a correspondence which she handed in to the company on Monday on behalf of the Union, in she which out-

lined that the Union was in support of the strike. The letter, which was seen by this publication, indicated that the Union is prepared to meet with the company today with the view of having the situation returned to normalcy. It also pointed to issues expected to be discussed such as height and risk allowances, safety gears and job evaluation, among others. (Utamu Belle)

Guyanese fishermen.

Four fishing boats with a total crew of 20 were attacked during the two-day period. Five of the fishermen survived after being chopped and thrown into the Ocean. The bodies of three of the missing men have since been recovered.

A fourth body, which was found in Surinamese waters, is still to be identified via DNA testing.

Eleven are still missing and are believed to have also died.

lone gunman stormed into Pradeep’s Furniture Store at Better Hope, East Coast Demerara (ECD), and then exited empty-handed after realising that the business place had no cash.

Reports are at about 12:20h on Monday, the gunman entered the furniture store, which had just opened and approached the sales clerk, demanding cash. The man whipped out a handgun from the waist of his pants and brandished the firearm while demanding that the clerk hand over the cash that was in the register.

This newspaper was told that the terrified female related to the gunman that there was no money inside of the drawer since no sales

transactions had been done for the day.

The gunman then quickly exited the building and jumped onto a motorcycle and rode away.

Region Four Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police, who is also the Commanding Officer for the Industry to West of Mahaica Bridge area, Royston AndriesJunor told Guyana Times on Monday that Police are on the hunt for the armed man.

The Commander said that the CCTV footage from the business place was reviewed by investigating ranks and any other footage that might be available from nearby buildings will also be reviewed.

Investigations are continuing.

Police said that the woman related that her son lives at Camp Street, Georgetown.

On Saturday night, at about 21:38h, Jason Jabharry Bowen and a 24-year-old male of A Field Sophia were involved in a scuffle when the suspect wrapped a belt around the man’s neck and proceeded to strangle him.

Public-spirited persons who witnessed the altercation rushed to render assis-

tance but by then, it was too late. The man was dead while the murder suspect attempted to flee the scene.

However, persons managed to grab onto the assailant and restrain him. The police were called and he was handed over.

The dead man was found clad in short camouflage pants, a blue jersey and a pair of fawn-coloured “Clarks” footwear.

Strangled man ID’d by mother

T

he man who was strangled to death on Saturday night on Church Street, Queenstown, Georgetown, after being involved in a fight with another man has been identified as 32-year-old Jason Jabharry Bowen.

According to Police, at about midday on Monday, his mother, Ingrid Bowen, who is a security guard, identified his body. The

14 news

tuesday, october 15, 2019| guyanatimesgy.com

Toshaos urged to craft plan to benefit from oil

Department of Energy Director, Dr Mark Bynoe

D

irector of the Department of Energy, Dr Mark Bynoe has called on Indigenous leaders to craft a strategic plan to ensure their communities benefit equally from oil and gas resources.

The Department of Public Information (DPI)

reported that Bynoe made the call while addressing the over 200 Toshaos and other Indigenous leaders in Georgetown for the 13th National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).

He is quoted by DPI as saying, “It must not just be a band-aid solution to address an immediate need, it should be focused towards where is it you want to go as a community, as a village and how is it you are going to get there… the biggest question that people ask is ‘when the monies begin to flow, how much will come to my region?’

The first thing I say is to have a plan… that in time to come you can have a defined pathway of how you will be able to improve the wellbeing of your people”.

The Director also explained that Guyana will not automatically be transformed with first oil since

Some of the Indigenous leaders at the National Toshaos Council Conference 2019 (DPI photo)

the $62 billion only represents about 10 per cent of Guyana’s current Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“It is important that we understand that as we move forward within this sector… that we need to prioritise. Government also needs to prioritise as there are multiple demands on the limited resources, they have at their disposal inclusive of improvement in

healthcare, education, enhanced infrastructure, enhanced water quality, while also seeking to ensure that we have more sustainable livelihood opportunities,” the Director stated.

While providing an overview of the new and emerging sector, Dr Bynoe explained that in terms of direct benefits, Guyana is entitled to two per cent royalty and 12.2 per cent of

profit oil in the initial stages. As it relates to direct employment opportunities, to date there are over 1300 Guyanese who are already employed directly in the sector. Guyana has also benefitted from over $150 million already injected into the sector.

He further outlined that going forward, indirect benefits will include associated gas which can help in electricity stability and the reduction of the cost of energy, and even more training opportunities. Dr Bynoe added that while the Administration is keen on ensuring all Guyanese are getting their “fair share”, just as important is the fact

that their capacity is built through training to ensure they are working alongside those external experts to ensure those skills are transferred.

The Toshaos called for more education and awareness programmes on oil and gas within the hinterland villages. The Department of Energy Head said that the Department has recognised the need to conduct more awareness sessions in these areas and will be moving in that direction.

Guyana first discovered oil in May 2015. US oil giant ExxonMobil has made 14 discoveries while UK company, Tullow has made two discoveries.

Brain surgeon accused of running child-sex ring found dead in jail

5-year sustainable artisanal A fisheries plan completed

I

n the face of climate change, overfishing, illegal and unregulated fishing, the Agriculture Ministry has secured a fiveyear management plan for the artisanal fisheries sector that will be implemented immediately.

Artisanal fishing involves the exploitation of fish and shrimp species for local consumption or export and is done on various scales. The Department of Public Information reported that there are five objectives outlined in the action plan.

According to DPI, these objectives seek to address issues relating to licensing and registration, marine environment, safety and order at sea, dialogue cooperation and coordination, and finance.

Agriculture Minister, Noel Holder remarked that the transformation the artisanal sector will undergo is one that is necessary for its

growth.

“These changes will be resisted by many, but with awareness programmes by the Fisheries Department, and with assistance by Cooperatives, I am sure all involved in this sub-sector will be willing to adapt to these changes,” the Minister is quoted by DPI as saying.

Among some of the changes that are necessary to effectively manage the sector are modification to fishing gear, to the types that are more environmentally friendly, along with the enforcement of closed seasons.

During an invited comment to DPI, Chief Fisheries Officer within the Department of Fisheries, Denzil Roberts touched on another topical area that the action plan seeks to address. “We will have more enforcement to ensure that the vessels are licensed,” the official explained.

Meanwhile, WWFGuianas’ Country Manager, Aiesha Williams mentioned that while the conservation body consistently partners with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Department of Fisheries, further collaboration will be done as the plan is being implemented.

According to Williams, “we will definitely work with the Department to assess the fish stock. We are really re-catching, re-eating, but we don’t have a good idea of the fish stock and the impact of our fisheries extraction on the stock itself.”

Without knowing the fish stock for different species, monitoring of fish populations may be difficult. Hence, the Country Manager declared that once a baseline of the fisheries stock is established, monitoring can be done. This will address concerns such as the harvest of fish of improper sizes and low harvest

counts.

Williams highlighted that under the Safety and Order at Sea section within the plan, the actions to be taken seek to improve tracking of vessels, reporting and addressing piracy.

As such, while pledging to work alongside the Fisheries Department during the phases of implementation, Williams described the handing over of the management plan as one that is, “a show of our commitment for safeguarding of our marine environment, as well as the wellbeing and our livelihoods of folks that depend on the sector”.

This management plan, which runs from 2019 to 2024, allows Guyana to maintain its obligations towards upholding the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #14 which seeks to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.

former pediatric neurosurgeon who was awaiting trial on numerous charges of sexual assault against children was found dead inside his jail cell Sunday in northern California, authorities said.

James Kohut, 59, had been in custody since May 2017 when authorities accused him and two women of running a child-sex ring.

The cause and manner of his death have not been determined, but the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office said he was alone and appears to have killed himself.

Kohut, who was in a protective housing unit at the Santa Cruz County main jail, was found dead when breakfast service began at 5:45 a.m., according to a news release.

Police arrested Kohut after they obtained a video that allegedly showed him sexually assaulting children. Nurses Rashel Brandon and Emily Stephens were also implicated.

Shortly after his arrest, prosecutors said he had written a suicide note, but his lawyer said Kohut was

Dr James Kohut

just experiencing a “dark night of the soul” and he was later deemed not be a suicide risk.

Prosecutors also accused the former doctor of having a “sexual compulsion” and a twisted desire to create “taboo families,” in which he would impregnate women and then rape the children. There was no evidence, however, that he ever created those families or assaulted any patients.

Kohut and Brandon worked together at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz while Stephens was arrested in Arizona.

(NY Daily News)

news

15

TUESday, october 15, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Indian American economist Abhijit Banerjee wins Nobel Prize for solutions to halting global poverty

I

ndian-origin MIT professor Abhijit Banerjee, his wife and one-time PhD student Esther Duflo, and Harvard professor Michael Kremer have been awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics for their work which has "dramatically improved our ability to fight poverty in practice" it was announced October 14.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which decides the award technically known as the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences, said the winners had introduced "a new approach to obtaining reliable answers about the best ways to fight global poverty," reported the BBC. It said they had broken the complex issue into "smaller, more manageable questions," making it easier to tackle.

"As a direct result of one of their studies, more than five million Indian children have benefited from effective programmes of remedial tutoring in school," the Academy said.

"Another example is the heavy subsidies for preventive health care that have been introduced in many

Indian-origin MIT professor Abhijit Banerjee, his wife and onetime PhD student Esther Duflo, (both pictured) and Harvard professor Michael Kremer have been awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics for their work on solutions to alleviate global poverty (MIT photo via Twitter)

countries," it added.

Born in 1961 in Mumbai, Bannerjee is a PhD from Harvard University and a Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Born in 1972, Duflo is the second woman and the youngest person to be awarded the Prize in Economic Sciences, which was not among the five original Nobels and was instituted by the Swedish central bank "in memory of Alfred Nobel" in 1969.

Also a professor at the MIT, Duflo said she was "humbled" by her success in winning the Nobel prize for economics and hopes it will

"inspire many, many other women”, the BBC reported.

"I hope showing that it is possible for a woman to succeed and be recognised for success is going to inspire many, many other women to continue working and many other men to give them the respect they deserve like every single human being," she said.

The trio's work has focused on the poor communities in India and Africa, and their research shows which investments in key areas like education and health care are worth making and have the biggest impact on the lives of the poorest people. (IndiaWest)

US Police Officer charged over bedroom shooting T he US police officer who shot dead a black woman in her bedroom on Saturday has been held and charged with murder.

Police in Forth Worth, Texas, wrote on Twitter that Aaron Dean was being held in the Tarrant County jail. On Monday police chief Ed Kraus told reporters Dean had resigned from the force.

Atatiana Jefferson was killed after police responded to a non-emergency call from a neighbour.

Body cam footage shows the officer shooting within seconds of seeing her.

Allegations of police brutality in black communities have been a longstanding issue in the US. In its initial statement, the Fort Worth Police Department said the officer had "perceived a threat" when he drew his weapon.

Had Mr Dean not resigned, Police Chief Kraus said: "I would have fired him for violations of several policies including our use of force policy, our de-escalation policy and unprofessional conduct."

Earlier Ms Jefferson's

Aaron Dean

sister, Ashley Carr, said she had been "killed by a reckless act" and called for a federal investigation.

Lee Merritt, a civil rights lawyer who is representing the family, said: "The investigation should be handled by someone other than the Fort Worth Police Department."

He added that the department "is on track to be one of the deadliest police departments in the United States".

Fort Worth residents held a protest outside Ms Jefferson's home on Sunday evening. First planned as a

vigil, the gathering became a demonstration as residents demanded justice for the 28-year-old victim.

Participants held candles and chanting: "No justice, no peace."

"State sanctioned violence has always been a culture for black people," said protester Michelle Andersen. "It's not about a training issue."

Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price was present at the vigil, but left after she was approached by protesters shouting "lock him up", in reference to the officer, CBS News reported. (BBC)

Trini-born surgeon in UK hailed as hero

A

Trini-born surgeon practicing in England is being hailed as a hero by many for successfully reconstructing the jaw of a 15-year-old girl following a horse-riding accident.

Consultant Oral & Maxillofacial surgeon based at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and an Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sheffield, Ricardo Mohammed-Ali, successfully reconstructed the jaw of Emily Eccles when it broke in half in August.

Speaking on the show “BBC Breakfast” on Friday, Eccles explained that her jaw was attached to her body only by a bit of skin and the helmet she was wearing at the time.

Eccles’ injury was described by doctors as the worst they’ve seen outside of a warzone.

Also appearing on the show was Mr MohammedAli who explained: “I got a call from one of my juniors, which was a bit odd that said we’ve got a patient that is coming in and their jaw has been separated from their face.”

“It’s not often you get a call like that. You get a fractured mandible, or a fractured cheekbone, upper jaw, lower jaw,” he said.

Elaborating on the extent of Eccles’ condition in an interview with Guardian Media, he said time was of the essence to the success of the surgery. “The jaw was split in two and the left side was completely separated from the face. The low-

Ricardo Mohammed-Ali

er part of the face was detached from the rest of the face except for a strip of skin on the right side. The nerves that move the lip and provides feeling were severed.

I had to reconstruct bone, muscles, nerves and restore blood supply. If not the lower part of the face would have not survived. The sur-

gery was time critical to ensure survival of the tissues.

We basically re-implanted the lower face.”

Eight weeks later Eccles is able to speak, however, she admitted on the BBC show that she can’t feel the bottom lip properly as “it’s like pins and needles because of the nerves being damaged and ripped out but other than that, it’s become normal now.”

Her recovery, Mohammed-Ali said, was remarkable. “On the third of October it was two months and the swelling has gone down, the jaw is functioning, she is back to eating and drinking as normal.”

With such a remarkable recovery, many have hailed Mr Mohammed-Ali a hero, dubbing his work as a miracle.

Asked by Guardian

15-year-old Emily Eccles broken jaw

Media if he felt like a hero, he said: “I am just doing my job and privileged that I am able to reconstruct faces and treat patients with facial deformities.”

Mr Mohammed-Ali was born in Trinidad and left for England after studies at the University of the West Indies (UWI). He has been residing in the UK for the past 16 years. (T&T Guardian)

16

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesday, october 15, 2019

Regional

Ecuador's Moreno readies repeal of fuel Jamaica: 5-week-old subsidy cuts as protesters head home boy stolen from mom

E

cuadorean President Lenin Moreno said on Monday that he would repeal an International Monetary Fund (IMF)-backed decree that slashed fuel subsidies “in coming hours”, confirming that he had given into a key demand of protesters who had spent nearly two weeks agitating against it.

Moreno added that a new decree would be issued to ensure that resources go to those who most need it, though he did not specify when. “We have opted for peace,” Moreno said on Twitter.

The comment follows a deal struck with Indigenous protesters’ leaders late on Sunday that ended demonstrations that had rocked the highland capital of Quito and forced Moreno’s Government to relocate to

People hold an Ecuadorian flag as they participate in a cleanup of the streets in the aftermath of the last days' protests, after the Government of Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno agreed to repeal a decree that ended fuel subsidies, in Quito, Ecuador, October 14, 2019

safer ground on the coast.

Indigenous protesters who had streamed into Quito from Andean and

Amazonian provinces to demand Moreno reinstate the fuel subsidies piled into buses that departed the city

on Monday.

“We’re going back to our territories,” said Inti Killa, an Indigenous man from the Amazonian region of Napo. “We’ve shown that the union and conviction of the people is a volcano that nobody can stop.”

University students, municipal workers, and other residents of Quito cleared burnt tyres and cobblestones that had been torn from streets of the capital’s downtown district as the smell of tear gas hung in the air.

The protests had grown increasingly chaotic in recent days as the Government launched a militarised crackdown to stop extremists whom it blamed for infiltrating the protests and wreaking havoc on the city. (Excerpt from Reuters)

T

he Jamaica Police were urgently seeking the public's assistance in finding five-week-old Nyyear Frank of Hopewell district, St Andrew, who was stolen from his mother on Sunday.

According to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Nyyear's mother was walking with him along Rousseau Road in St Andrew when a motor car drove up with three men aboard. One man

reportedly alighted from the vehicle and forced the woman with her child into the motor car.

The men subsequently took the child and released the mother from the vehicle, the Police said.

A report was subsequently made at the Half-Way Tree Police Station and an investigation immediately launched. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

T&T: Loggers plan to file injunction against Govt

C'bean countries call for prompt entry into force of Escazú Agreement

L

atin America and Caribbean countries (LAC) that have not yet signed or ratified the Escazú Agreement are being urged to do so in order to allow its “prompt entry into force”.

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) said that the matter had been further discussed at the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties where strategies and partnerships for achieving the legal instrument's early entry into force and implementa-

tion had been discussed.

The conference ended in Costa Rica over the last weekend and ECLAC said the agreement would enter into force once it obtained 11 ratifications.

“Half of these have already been achieved so far, and several countries are in the process of ratifying it,” it added.

Costa Rica's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lorena Aguilar, said the meeting on the Escazú Agreement was the last of the events related to the preparatory meeting for the United Nations' 25th

Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change (PRE COP 25).

“The Escazú Agreement is a pioneering and visionary accord. It is one of the main environmental treaties in the world in the last 20 years. It is based on the premise of ensuring the protection of the environment and human rights, in a sustainable development model,” she added.

ECLAC's Executive Secretary, Alicia Bárcena, said that the Escazú Agreement is “an unprece-

dented legal instrument in our region”.

“It constitutes Latin America and the Caribbean's first regional environmental treaty, and it is the only one to have emerged out of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20),” she said.

In addition, Bárcena said treaty is “the first in the world to establish specific provisions for the promotion, protection and defence of human rights defenders in environmental matters. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

14 Police Officers dead in Mexico gun attack

F

ourteen Police Officers have been killed and several injured following a shooting in western Mexico.

The Police were carrying out a court order in Aguililla, Michoacán, when their convoy was attacked.

Authorities said all resources would be put into finding those responsible.

The region is a hotspot for violence linked to drug cartels. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been trying to

Drugs-related violence has taken a heavy toll in Mexico over the years

tackle drug crime since he took office in December.

But while last year saw a record number of murders with over 29,000 recorded, this year could be set to surpass that figure.

The supposed leader of the Jalisco Nueva Generacion Cartel (CJNG) was killed by Michoacán Police less than a week ago.

In Michoacán in August, nine people were found hanging from a bridge with seven other corpses found on the road. (BBC News)

Venezuela’s Maduro hikes minimum wage again, this time by 275%

V

enezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro ordered a 275 per cent increase in the monthly minimum wage on Monday, the third hike this year, as hyperinflation drains the value of workers’ salaries.

The minimum wage rose to 150,000 bolivars (US$8) from 40,000, lawmaker Francisco Torrealba, a former Labour Minister and

close ally to the socialist President wrote on Twitter on Monday. In addition, workers will receive a food bonus of 150,000 bolivars, he added. It’s the second time in a row the announcement has come via a lawmaker, rather than the President.

Despite the increase, the new 150,000 bolivars wage barely amounts to enough to buy four kilos of

meat. Annual inflation in Venezuela is currently running at around 50,100 per cent, according to figures produced by the Oppositionled National Assembly. The Government does not provide data on price rises.

According to Bloomberg’s Cafe Con Leche Index inflation is running at 19,900 per cent annually. Inflation pulverised the value of the

previous minimum wage: 40,000 bolivars amounts to around two US dollars at the official FX rate.

Venezuela’s severe economic crisis, including hyperinflation, a Private Sector in ruins and a shortage of basic goods, has forced more than four million Venezuelans to leave the country, according to the United Nations.

(Excerpt from Bloomberg)

Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat

L

oggers are planning to file an injunction against the Government as it moves to offer larger acreages of prime teak and pine fields to large-scale sawmillers.

The threat of litigation comes despite assurances from Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat that the new changes in the distribution of lucrative teak fields will not trigger massive job loss and decimation of small-scale sawmilling operations.

The loggers believe that granting more precious resource to large-scale sawmillers and furniture owners will cause over-exploitation of the forests at a time when deforestation is at crisis levels. A report from the Environmental Management Authority in 2012 stated that T&T had a 32 per cent forest cover, with an average decrease of 0.31 per cent per year.

The loggers also ex-

pressed concerns that the granting of larger teak acreages to large sawmillers will force a monopoly in the teak industry, driving up teak prices and possibly lead to a closure of small-scale operators.

One sawmiller, who requested anonymity, said, "For some weeks now we are being told that the lottery system will be disbanded and only the larger sawmillers will get sizable fields.

Why can't everyone be given a five-acre parcel and when they complete that five-acre block, they can apply for another?"

The lottery system came about in 2014 and was aimed at ensuring the equitable distribution of State timber resources to eligible saw millers.

The State currently owns approximately 10,000 hectares of teak and 4500 hectares of Caribbean pine.

(Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

PM Mottley: We’ve halted slide

P

rime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has hit back at her Government’s critics, saying she is unfazed by their “unreasonable” comments.

And with the promise to do so again in two weeks at the party’s annual conference in Queen’s Park, she addressed criticisms on the shortage of garbage trucks and buses, as well as the amount of overseas travel, while addressing the Barbados Labour Party’s

St Michael West nomination meeting at St Leonard’s Boys’ School last night.

“This party has performed virtual wonders over the course of the last 16 months to stabilise this country; let us be clear about it. It has not been easy and those who want to talk about report cards, need first and foremost to find a card to report on themselves,” she said to cheers from party faithful. (nationnews)

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesday, october 15, 2019

17

Around the World

Rescuers search waist-high muddy waters Trump hits Turkey with tariffs, threatens sanctions over Syria incursion for missing people in typhoon-hit Japan

P

resident Donald Trump on Monday said he would authorise sanctions against Turkish officials, stop negotiating with Turkey on a US$100 billion trade deal, and boost tariffs on the country’s steel to 50 per cent over Ankara’s incursion into northeast Syria.

Turkey launched the cross-border assault on Kurdish YPG militia on Wednesday after Trump withdrew some US troops from the region, drawing sharp criticism from fellow Republicans who accused him abandoning allies who fought against Islamic State.

Trump’s statement promising an executive order “soon” did not specify individuals but said it would enable Washington to im-

President Donald Trump

pose “powerful additional sanctions” on those who may be involved in serious human rights abuses, obstructing a ceasefire, preventing displaced persons from returning home and forcibly repatriating refugees.

“I am fully prepared to swiftly destroy Turkey’s

economy if Turkish leaders continue down this dangerous and destructive path,” Trump said.

“The order will authorise broad range of consequences, including financial sanctions, the blocking of property and barring entry into the United States.”

He also reiterated he would pull the remaining US troops out of Syria, apart from a small group in the southern part of the country, and said they would be redeployed elsewhere in the region to monitor the situation.

Turkey's lira, which had weakened some 0.8 per cent in the day, reacted minimally to Trump's announcement. It stood at 5.9300 at 2018 GMT, from 5.9260 beforehand. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Stocks rise on cautious Brexit deal hopes, oil extends losses

A

sian stocks and Wall Street futures inched higher on Tuesday as some investors held out hope that Britain still had a chance to avoid a messy exit from the European Union at key negotiations this week.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was up 0.1%. South Korean shares .KS11 rose 0.21%, while Japan's Nikkei stock index .N225 was up 1.74%.

Capping broader gains, however, was a perceived lack of progress coming out of U.S.-China trade negotiations.

Reports of a “Phase 1” trade deal between the United States and China last week had earlier

cheered markets but the dearth of details around the agreement has since curbed this enthusiasm with oil prices extending declines, Chinese stocks weaker and the safe-haven yen holding gains versus dollar.

The focus has now shifted to Europe where officials from Britain and the EU will meet at a make-orbreak summit on Thursday and Friday that will determine whether or not Britain is headed for a so-called nodeal Brexit.

“Given the parliamentary intervention, I would say the chance of a no-deal Brexit is around 10% to 20%,” said Shane Oliver, head of investment strategy and chief economist at AMP

Capital Investors in Sydney.

“If there is a deal, sterling would rally and risk assets would rally, but the reaction could be limited to a day.”

US stock futures ESc1 rose 0.23% on Tuesday in Asia after the S&P 500 ended 0.14% lower.

Traders, however, cautioned that sentiment remains fragile because the outcome of Brexit talks is far from certain and the U.S.China trade war remains a risk to global growth.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to strike an exit deal at an EU summit on Thursday and Friday to allow an orderly departure on October 31.

(Reuters)

R

escue workers waded through muddy, waist-high waters on Monday searching for missing people after one of the worst typhoons to hit Japan in recent history, while rain fell again in some affected areas, stoking fears of further flooding.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said vast areas had been struck by the storm and called for urgent support to those affected.

At least 56 people were killed in the typhoon, which left vast sections of towns in central and eastern Japan under water, with another 15 missing and 211 injured, public broadcaster NHK said.

Tens of thousands of rescue workers and a fleet of helicopters fanned out in the affected areas, officials said.

Typhoon Hagibis, which means “speed” in

A rescue worker wades in the water in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis, which caused severe floods, near the Chikuma River in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, October 14, 2019

the Philippine language Tagalog, made landfall on Japan’s main island of Honshu on Saturday and headed out to sea early on Sunday.

At a second emergency meeting on Monday, Abe urged Ministers to do their utmost to help evacuees return to normal life as soon as possible.

Heavy rain was forecast for Monday night in some parts of central and eastern Japan, where soil is already

loosened by record-breaking downpours from the typhoon, prompting Suga to urge residents to keep their guard up.

A Nagano city official said there were some showers by early afternoon, although they were not heavy.

Some parts of Japan saw about one-third of their average annual precipitation just over the weekend, causing 37 rivers to break their banks, NHK said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Turkey-Syria offensive: Assad's army “enters Manbij”

S

yria's army has moved swiftly into towns and villages in the northeast of the country, which could lead to a confrontation with Turkish-led troops.

State media said Russianbacked Syrian forces entered the town of Manbij as part of a deal reached with Kurdishled forces previously allied with the US. Meanwhile, Turkish troops and allied Syrian militias were gathering near the town as they continued their incursion.

Turkey's offensive aims to push Kurdish forces from the border region.

Syrian State media said Government forces had entered Manbij, in the area

where Turkey wants to create a "safe zone" cleared of Kurdish fighters. Earlier, the army pushed into Tal Tamer and Ain Issa, where residents celebrated their arrival.

The deal is seen as a boost for President Bashar al-Assad as his troops return to those areas for the first time since 2012. The deployment came hours after the US announced that up to 1000 American troops would leave northern Syria.

The Turkish offensive and US pullout have been internationally criticised as the Kurdish-led fighters were crucial allies of the coalition against the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria.

There are fears about a possible resurgence of IS and the escape of prisoners amid the instability.

On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would not scale back its offensive, "no matter what anyone says", adding that the operation would continue until "ultimate victory is achieved".

With a "safe zone" reaching 32km into Syria, Turkey wants to resettle up to two million Syrian refugees currently on its territory. Many of them are not Kurds and critics warn this could lead to ethnic cleansing of the local Kurdish population.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Several killed in Guinea protests Violent clashes erupt as Spanish against Constitution change court jails Catalonia leaders

A

t least five people have been killed in Guinea during demonstrations called to oppose a possible change to the Constitution that could allow President Alpha Conde to run for a third term.

Police opened fire in clashes with demonstrators in the capital, Conakry as protests in the city of Mamou, an Opposition stronghold east of the capital, also turned violent on Monday.

At least four protesters were shot dead in Conakry, according to the Guinean Organisation for the Defence of Human Rights (OGDH).

Government spokesman Damantang Albert Camara said a gendarme in Mamouone and protester in Conakry had been shot dead.

Opposition leader Cellou Diallo, who came second behind Conde in the 2010 and

P

A small number of people took part in scattered demonstrations across the capital, Conakry

2015 presidential elections, told reporters that four protesters had been shot dead in Conakry. He said that at least 38 people had been wounded in Conakry and Mamou.

In a statement, rights group Amnesty International said it condemned the four deaths in the capital and urged the security forces to "refrain from using excessive and deadly force" and urged authorities to release "people arbitrarily arrested for organising the

protests".

Six Opposition figures were arrested ahead of the protests on Monday, the first in a series of planned demonstrations, with an alliance of Opposition parties and civil society groups known as the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC) calling for a significant turnout.

The Opposition leaders calling for the protests were blocked from leaving their homes on Monday. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

rotests erupted in Barcelona after Spain's Supreme Court sentenced nine Catalan separatist leaders to between nine and 13 years in prison.

The separatists were convicted of sedition over their role in an illegal independence referendum in 2017.

Another three were found guilty of disobedience and fined, but not jailed. All 12 defendants denied the charges.

Large crowds of pro-independence protesters clashed with Police at Barcelona's international airport.

Footage showed people attempting to break through a police line blocking one area of the building, while in another, officers hit protesters with batons and attempted to disperse the crowds with gas.

Thousands of Catalan independence supporters also marched in the city centre, blocking some streets and ac-

The 12 defendants pictured in the court in Madrid on the final day of their trial in June

cess to metro stations.

After the ruling, a new arrest warrant was issued for former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, who is living abroad. Puigdemont told a press conference that Catalonians were victims of a "strategy of repression and revenge".

During four months of hearings, they told the court in Madrid that they were victims of an injustice in a trial built on "false" charges.

Prosecutors argued that

the unilateral declaration of independence was an attack on the Spanish state and accused some of those involved of a serious act of rebellion.

They also said that separatist leaders had misused public funds while organising the 2017 referendum.

Prosecutors argued the leaders had carried out a "perfectly planned strategy... to break the constitutional order and obtain the independence of Catalonia" illegally.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesday, OCTOber 15, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES

Stop and observe, as it will save you from making a mistake. Make less fuss and spend more time putting everything in place.

Preparation and organization will determine your success.

TAURUS

Let your inquisitive mind lead the way. Ask questions, experiment and explore, and try something new and exciting. Life is an adventure, not an imposition. Live in the moment.

(March 21April 19)

(April 20May 20)

dilbert

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Peanuts

Calvin and Hobbes

Someone will make you feel anxious. Before you enter into a difficult conversation, have your facts in order and your boundaries and budget set.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Keep moving. Exercise and physical challenges will help tame your temper. Don’t let changes made by others ruin your plans.

Stay focused on health and well-being.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Expand your interests, visit a place you haven’t been to for some time or reunite with an old friend. Looking back will help you move forward. Love and romance will enhance your life.

LIBRA

Mindset is everything.

Channel your energy into gaining life experience, expanding your knowledge and heading in a direction that offers peace of mind. Set the stage and do your own thing.

(Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SCORPIO

SUDOKU

You can think big, but you are best off doing so with a minimalist attitude.

Refuse to let someone talk you into something you don’t need.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

solution for last published puzzle AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Be open to suggestions, but go with your gut. Being versatile will help you reach your goal and gain popularity at the same time. An unusual partnership proposal will intrigue you.

Don’t lose sight of what’s essential. Finish what’s expected of you before moving on to a more fun activity. Don’t give in to someone who is pressuring you.

If you make change part of your routine, you will accomplish more than anticipated. Start by making personal and domestic improvements. Your happiness should be the deciding factor.

Money matters will surface. Don’t let anyone tell you how to manage your cash. It’s up to you to take action if something needs to be fixed or updated.

The changes you make should benefit others as well. Standing up for the underdog or for what’s right will raise your profile and reputation. Romance is in the stars.

tuesday, october 15, 2019

19

SBF Petroleum/CGI Jaguars 50-Over franchise cricket tourney…

Round 2 bowls off today ꟷ Coach Hercules hopes Savory gets into national set-up

By Brandon Corlette

E

xciting cricket will today continue across different venues in Guyana, with matches set for Tuesday October 15 featuring Upper Corentyne clashing with Essequibo at Everest, Georgetown meeting West Demerara at Tuschen, East Bank playing West Berbice at Bush Lot, and Lower Corentyne and East Coast engaging each other at Enmore.

In the opening round of the SBF Petroleum/CGI Jaguars 50Over franchise tournament, Essequibo defeated Georgetown by 122 runs. After the match,

Essequibo Head Coach Ryan Hercules

Essequibo Coach Ryan Hercules engaged this publication to express satisfaction with that team’s opening round performance.

Brilliant performances on

behalf of the defending champions came from Kemol Savory and Ronsford Beaton.

Hercules, in declaring brilliant Savory’s innings of 81, said: “He did a lot of work on his batting, and he showed that level of maturity before.

This is not the first time he (has) dug us out of a hole. He has been doing this over the years, and I think he needs to remain consistent and, hopefully, he can get into a national team this year.”

The Essequibo team

GTT Indoor Hockey C/ships bully off ꟷ CASH to be ‘set on fire’

Bounty GCC’s Medroy Scotland blocking an Old Fort shot during last year’s action

T

he GTT National Indoor Hockey Championships bullied off last evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, and the expectation is that a week of exceptionally competitive hockey action lies ahead.

In the outstanding men’s division, the Pepsi Hikers will look to defend their title and maintain their position as the most successful men’s first division team in the competition’s existence.

This team will again be led by national captain Robert France, who has been one of the country’s most prolific strikers over the past decade.

The core players of this exciting team are now in the prime of their careers, thus this team will be a difficult side to beat.

With the introduction of new, exciting junior players like Omar Hopkinson and Nandlall Persaud added to reliable veterans Aderemi ‘Dove’ Simon and Jason DeSantos, Old Fort have been the most rapidly improving team in the men’s division.

And with Kareem McKenzie

and Meshach Sargeant being among the most skilful and entertaining players on show, GCC are likely to see some of their junior stars ‘breaking through the ranks’. National Goalkeeper Medroy Scotland will be key to this Bourda side’s contention.

Saints, the youngest team in the tournament, have been improving with each outing.

Their youthful energy and tactical understanding -- being under the tutelage of national coach Robert Fernandes -- will be factors that weigh heavily in their favour.

The ‘Garnett family’ form the cornerstone of this team, along with skilful midfielders Shakeem Fausette and Edmund Chinian.

The ladies’ competition is set to be a similarly thrilling affair. The Hikers wrested the trophy from the GBTI GCC Tigers in 2018, after the Tigers had retained same for nine years; thus these Tigers are sure to be spoiling for a fight in order to reverse that result in 2019. National players Marzana Fiedtkou, Gabriella Xavier and Trisha Woodroffe

form a powerful anchor for this team.

Defending champions Hikers also field a team that is chockful of international players. There is the powerful Marisha Fernandes in defence, and Latacia Chung and Nicole Eastman up front.

The Saints have emerged from a successful second division competition that surely gives them great confidence going into this ladies’ competition. Over the past couple of years, Tekeisha Deleon has been their star, while young speedsters Charlia Webb and Claysia Bobb have each posed a difficult challenge for opposing defences.

The dogged GBTI GCC Spice and the Spartans round off the women’s division.

There will also be in this tournament a men’s second division and a veterans’ division featuring players over the age of 35.

The competition will run for the remainder of the week, with the final clash being set for the evening of Sunday, October 20, from 16:00hrs.

moves forward under the captaincy of Anthony Adams, and Hercules has declared the bowling “powerful”. He said, “We are going to take each game at a time”.

Essequibo having played fearless cricket in the 2018 franchise, it is evident that beating Essequibo is everyone’s target.

“As I said to the guys, each team will come for us. last year we had nothing to lose, but this year is different, since we have the trophy. We will not take anyone lightly, we are going to come hard at every single Christopher team,” he Barnwell said.

Reflecting on his performance and that of the team, Savory said it was a brilliant effort.

“Losing five quick wickets against Georgetown under pressure and digging Essequibo out of a hole was a good comeback, and the Kemol Savory guys did well with plays one to point the ball”, Savory as Georgetown concurred. gloves man This reliable leftJoshua Persaud hander has reacts (Brandon added that Corlette photos) he would remain positive heading into the upcoming matches. Speaking as captain of the Essequibo team, Anthony Adams described this

Anthony Adams led his troops brilliantly

performance as a great start, especially because Essequibo are defending champions.

“We had some setbacks, but Savory played well, backed up

by Beaton at the end”, he said.

Adams added that as the tournament progresses, starts from the top order batsmen will be essential.

Apart from the success Essequibo is enjoying in being victorious over Georgetown, Lower Corentyne, West Demerara and West Berbice have also all been victorious.

On paper, Georgetown looks to be the most formidable unit, thus being led by Guyana Jaguars captain, they will be keen on bouncing back with a win in today’s second round match against West Demerara at Tuschen.

No more boundary countback as ICC change Super Over regulations

T

he unprecedented conclusion to the 2019 men’s World Cup final has prompted an ICC rule change, putting an end to boundary countback as a way of deciding knockout games.

After board meetings in Dubai, the ICC resolved that in semi-finals and finals in future world tournaments, if the teams score the same number of runs in their Super Overs, the Super Over will be repeated until one team wins.

Had the new rules been in place for the 2019 final, England and New Zealand would have played another Super Over, rather than the game being decided on the technicality of England having scored more boundaries over the course of the final.

An ICC statement said that the change was “in keeping with the basic principle of scoring more runs than the opponent to win,” and added that both its cricket committee and the chief executives’ committee agreed the Super Over represented an “exciting and engaging conclusion” to a

game.

The Super Over will also now be in place for every game in both 20-over and 50-over World Cups, having previously only applied in the knockout stages.

In the group stages of a tournament, if a Super Over is tied then the match result will be logged as a tie.

(ESPNcricinfo)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

tuesday, october 15, 2019

GTT adds mini football tournament to Pinktober calendar Story and Photos by Jemima Holmes

T

he Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) has delved into the sport of football for the first time ever as part of its list of Pinktober activities.

Over the years of organising activities to bring awareness to the scourge of, and assist in the fight against, cancer, GTT had never incorporated a mainstream sporting activity into its calendar of activities. However, for 2019, the Everest Sports Club was its venue of choice, as the mini tournament was contested on Saturday last.

The telecommunications company has recognised the importance of physical activity in the battle against cancer. This year’s Pinktober

The game between the Public Service Ministry and GTT was quite entertaining

ambassador, Ambika Ramraj, explained why GTT chose to place such emphasis on physical activity for 2019.

“There’s a host of behaviours that we don’t real-

team, were involved. The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) played a key role in organising the games, which were extremely exciting.

Speaking with this newscast, GFF President Wayne Forde praised GTT for the idea, and for their work in the battle against cancer.

“Well, first of all, we want to congratulate the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company for partnering with the Federation, and for the enormous work they’ve been doing over the past couple of years to promote awareness for breast cancer and extending their work to

that we can use football to further promote the work that GTT is doing to promote awareness for breast cancer is something that we’re proud of.

“Football has a wide reach, and I think it’s a great initiative; and next year, with the requisite planner, it can be bigger and better,” Forde explained.

Ramraj shared initiatives with the Football Federation boss, as she revealed that GTT would work to make the event bigger in years to come, and may even look to branch out into other sports.

“This is the first time

ly pay attention to; or lack of behaviours, such as being physically active, that can decrease our chances of having cancer. And looking back at all of those risk fac-

BCB/Stag Beer 50-Over 1st Division cricket tournament

Tucber Park take Upper Corentyne to school ꟷ join Rose Hall Town in final; D’Andrade, Lindie slam tons

I

n a full display of class by the dynamic Tucber Park duo of Anthony D’Andrade and Clifton Lindee -- who each smashed centuries to defeat Upper Corentyne by 188 runs at Albion on Saturday last -- New Amsterdam/Canje giants Tucber Park Cricket Club have advanced to the finals of the Berbice Cricket Board’s (BCB’s)/Ansa McAL Stag Beer 50-Over tournament.

In the match alluded to, Tucber Park won the toss and elected to bat first. They amassed a massive 338-5 in 50 overs, with former National Under-19 batsman D’Andrade rolling back the years with a polished 110 that included seven boundaries and two sixes; while fellow middle order batsman Lindee also scored 102, including nine boundaries and four sixes.

The Upper Corentyne bowlers and fielders struggled to cope with the blazing sunshine abounding at the Albion Sports Complex.

Guyana Under-19 batsman Garfield Benjamin struck 53, and Martin Singh made 27, supporting the two century makers as Tucber Park racked up the highest total of the tournament.

Upper Corentyne’s best bowlers were Devindra Bishoo with 2-48 and Steve Embrack 2-55.

Antony D’Andrade

A glimpse of the action between the GFF and the Celebrity team

Requiring 339 from 50 overs to reach the finals, Upper Corentyne were bowled out for 150 in 40 overs, to lose the match by 188 runs.

Veteran off-spinner Devon Clements grabbed 3-26, while paceman Nial Smith had 2-20 and Guyana Under-19 pacer Leon Swammy bagged 2-18 for the Tucber Park team.

Tameshwar Ramoutar top-scored with 48, while Embrack and Gooniah chipped in with 21 and 18 respectively.

The BCB will shortly name the date and venue for the finals, once certain arrangements fall into place.

The Tucber Park side would be spearheaded by the returning Warriors’ player Romario Shepherd, and include Devon Clements, Garfield Benjamin, Kwesi Mickle, Clifton Lindee, Nial Smith, Leon Swammy and Damon Vantull.

The powerful Rose Hall Town Namilco Flour team would include players like Shawn Pereira, Clinton Pestano, Eon Hooper, Delbert Hicks, Kevin and Junior Sinclair, Keith Simpson, Kevlon Anderson, Jonathan Rampersaud, Sylus Tyndall and Jason Sinclair.

Clifton Lindee

tors, we realise that physical activity is one of the major ones, so that’s why we decided to have a football match,” Ramraj explained to Guyana Times Sport.

This year’s event took on the form of a mini football tournament wherein four teams, namely GTT, GFF, Ministry of Public Service and a Celebrity

all cancer,” Forde stated.

Forde has said he is proud of the role that the GFF has played in the inaugural event, and looks forward to many more like it in future.

“I think we all recognise that the Guyana Football Federation, apart from developing football, has a social role to play, and the fact

that we’re doing this initiative, but not the last time, for sure. It is something that we plan on continuing, and maybe in future years we’ll change up the sports or add some different sports. Not everybody loves football, but we can find some other sport people can enjoy,” the Pinktober ambassador has said.

Inaugural Dragon Stout Futsal kicks off on November 15

F

utsal teams will now have another platform to display their skills, as the Dragon Stout Futsal Tournament has been launched, and the straight knockout action will unfold on November 15.

Four nights of extraordinary football action at the National Gymnasium will excite fans and supporters alike, as 16 teams vie for the $300,000 grand prize.

At this tournament’s launching ceremony on Monday morning -- which took place at ANSA McAl’s head office at Beterverwagting, the company’s corporate communications officer told media operatives about the rationale behind the tournament.

“One of the reasons for the tournament is not just to promote the brand, but it is to foster development in the communities to ensure that person have a chance to do something with their lives; a chance to play and have good development in the sport of futsal.

A lot of time there’s not much futsal being played, so that’s one of the things that this tournament targets,” Joseph revealed.

The 16 teams finalised for the fourday action are North East La Penitence, Albouystown, Leopold St, Broad St, Sophia, LA Ballers, Bent St, Gold is Money, Back Circle, Sparta Boss, Alexander Village, Future Stars, Tiger Bay, ‘Melanie B’, ANSA McAL All-Stars and Showstoppers.

Competition would begin on November 15, but other playing nights will be on November 22 and 29, with the curtains coming down on the activities on December 6.

Joseph has expressed an intention to expand the tournament in the future.

Here’s what he had to say: “In the near future, of course, it’s defi-

Dragon Stout’s Brand Coordinator Jamal Baird and Corporate Communications Officer Treiston Joseph

nitely one of the things we’ll look at in terms of expanding the tournament beyond Georgetown.

“It’s the inaugural tournament, so to start in Georgetown to really familiarise the brand with communities is a solid start. In the near future, we would be looking to expanded to other parts of Guyana, whether it is West Bank or East Coast,” he stated.

The winner of the inaugural tournament would pocket $300,000; second place will have to settle for $150,000, while third and fourth places would pocket $100,000 and $50,000 respectively.

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesday, october 15, 2019

CLASSIFIED ADS FOR SALE Left Hand Drive Toyota Corolla $380,000 neg. 680-3863

LAND FOR SALE TRANSPORTED HOUSELOTS SARAH JOANNA EAST BANK DEMERARA # 673-9231 / 216-4063/ 685-5476 Transported Land: 11.6 Acres. Lot 15 Public Road.No. 2 Village, West Coast Berbice, 5mins away from Berbice River Bridge.contact no.

648-7109.

2 Acres for Housing. Vreed-en– Hoop, W.C.D. 621-6918, 697-7731

spirituality & ASTROLOGY Are you having trouble with Health, Money/Love Life and Domestic Problems. Removal of Obstacles of any kind. Then I can help. Call / WhatsApp : 671-8919.

TO LET 1 House to Rent at lot 5 Best Road, Best village. Contact number: 668-6755 (Nevile) FOR RENT BY OWNER. 8000 sq ft of warehouse/office space on the BV (Beterverwagting) Public Rd, East Coast Demerara.

Multiple air-conditioned offices. USD $4500 NEGOTIABLE. Call or Whatsapp 592-610-6580

VACANCIES Female live in Domestic wanted to work in Trinidad.Must be single between the ages of 25-38.Meals and Accommodation is provided.

WhatsApp or call for more info.tel:1 868 386 5302,1 868 386 4621.

Office Assistant: Proficient in Excel, Minimum of 2 years’ experience, Knowledge of NIS/PAYE/PAYROLL, 5 subjects C.X.C, Good Oral and Written communication skills. Must be willing to assist in other areas.

Apply to MIMA Decor, 8 Sheriff Street Subryanville / mimadecor2@ gmail.com/ 226-0176.

Fourth EBFA/Ralph Green U-11 League: Day 5

Timehri Panthers, Riddim Squad, Samatta Point/Kaneville, Agricola win D efending champions Timehri Panthers, led by a double from their leading goal-scorer Jaden Tasher (5 goals), have clipped the wings of the Eagles Football Club of Stewartville to cement their place in the final four of the East Bank Football Association’s (EBFA’s) Under-11 League sponsored by USA-based Guyanese Ralph Green.

Playing at the Guyana Football Federation’s National Training Facility at Providence, East Bank Demerara on Saturday last, the youthful Panthers rebounded from losing their first game against the Vurlon Mills Academy to register three wins and a draw to thus secure their place in the final four, along with Mills Academy which still has a match in hand. Tasher netted in the 2nd and 7th minutes to secure the win for Timehri.

Riddim Squad, the first Group ‘B’ team to qualify for the semis, continued their flawless run by closing out the group stage with a 3-1 win over Swan Football

Samatta Point/Kaneville’s Mark Blackman (left) celebrating after scoring the winning goal against Fruta Conquerors

Club of the Linden-Soesdyke Highway.

The rhythm of the Riddim Squad lads in posting their third win also kept their unbeaten record intact.

Leading the victory charge was Matthew Murray with a double, scored in the 2nd and 20th minutes; while Riddim Squad’s leading goal-scorer Jahean Lewis tucked in the other goal in the 11th min-

ute.

Swan got their consolation goal from Anderson Webber in the 16th minute.

The other two matches on the day also produced positive results: similar 1-0 wins for Samatta Point/Kaneville and Agricola Red Triangle against Fruta Conquerors and Grove Hi Tech respectively.

Samatta Point closed

Federer confirms Tokyo Olympics participation

Handyman to assist with yard work, etc. $3,000 per day - 680-3863 Pump Attendant - 680-3863

NOT RECEIVING YOUR DAILY & SUNDAY

COPIES OF THE

GUYANA TIMES

in your area?

Contact our

Circulation Department on

Phone: 223-7230 EXT: 55

out their campaign on a high, obtaining their first victory in the fifth and final match compliments of a Mark Blackman 28th minute strike. Agricola Red Triangle sealed full points by closing out their group campaign with their second win. the result also kept their unbeaten record intact, but they still have not secured a place in the semis.

Their nine (9) points have them perched in the second place, but they can be overtaken by Kuru Kururu Warriors, who have 7 points and a game in hand this Saturday against their highway neighbours Swan FC. A loss for the Warriors will see Agricola going through as the second team from Group ‘B’, along with Riddim Squad.

WDCA Beacons 50Over competition…

Windsor Forest thump Zeeburg

H

Store Helper - 624-0033

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

21

Roger Federer won silver at London 2012, with Andy Murray taking gold and Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro earning bronze (Getty Images)

R

oger Federer confirmed his participation in next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo and said on Monday that he had listened to his heart before making the decision.

The Swiss 38-year-old competed in the first of four Olympic Games at Sydney in 2000 and won the doubles gold partnering Stan Wawrinka in 2008 and a silver in singles in 2012. He missed the 2016 Olympics due to a knee injury.

“At the end of the day my heart decided I would love to play the Olympic Games again,” Federer told reporters during a promotional event for his sponsor Uniqlo in Tokyo.

Federer will attempt to win a singles gold medal at the July 24-Aug 9 Games, the only major prize that the 20-time Grand Slam winner has yet to win.

“I’ve been debating with my team for a few weeks now, months actually, what I should do in the summer after Wimbledon and before the U.S. Open (in 2020),” Federer,

who will turn 39 during the Games, added.

“I carried the flag twice for Switzerland in Athens and Beijing, I’ve got a gold and a silver, and I would love to play again so I’m very excited.”

Federer will require an exemption to compete in Tokyo as he is yet to play in the Davis Cup for Switzerland in the current Olympic cycle that began after the Rio Olympics in 2016.

To fulfill the ITF participation requirements, a player must be part of a Davis Cup or Fed Cup team and present at the tie on at least three occasions in the Olympic Cycle, provided one of those ties is in 2019 or 2020.

Federer will have little reason to worry, however, as one of the special conditions that could gain him entry is his historical participation in the Games and the Davis Cup, as stated in the ITF's regulations here Switzerland's national tennis federation confirmed here it would appeal to the ITF for Federer's inclusion. (Reuters)

istory was created when, for the first time in 10 years, the dominant Zeeburg side suffered their first loss against Windsor Forest in the West Demerara Cricket Association’s (WDCA’s) Beacons 50-Over competition at the Zeeburg Cricket Ground.

Both teams looked poised and ready for action as they took to the centre for the toss.

However, it was Windsor Forest who won the toss and elected to bat first. For Zeeburg, batting first at home in the past had proven beneficial to the side, as they have posted 200-plus scores 90 per cent of the time, dominating their opponents.

Windsor Forest were therefore at a slight advantage, as the Zeeburg side were without four major players -the experienced Yutesh Avi Dhanpaul, Andre Seepersaud, Malcom Hubbard and Ronaldo Renne, who are currently playing in the GCB 50-Over Franchise league.

Windsor Forest were able to post a commanding total of 213 all out in 49.2 overs. Despite losing a few quick wickets, the Windsor Forest side continued to rally as things only got better from there.

They were able to pull together a few mini partnerships that propelled them to a competitive total. Top scoring were Avinash Ganesh with 84, Deoram Chandrabir with 31 and Mohesh Gopie with 32.

Bowling for Zeeburg were

Top-scorer for Zeeburg, Richardo Poloram (82)

Nick Mustapaha, who took 3 for 33, and Damion Allyene, who took 2 for 49.

Zeeburg, in reply, were bundled out for 143 in 26 overs. Things never got going for them; with the lack of their senior players, they struggled constantly to hold partnerships, and in the end it cost them, as it resulted in their first defeat of the tournament and first defeat from Windsor Forest in a decade.

Top scoring was Richardo Poloram with 82, and Damion Allyene with 17, while Dindyal Guyadeen bowled for Windsor Forest and took 4 for 46.

22

tuesday, october 15, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

CWI appoints Phil Simmons as new men’s Head Coach ꟷ new selection panels also announced

S

T. JOHN’S, Antigua - Cricket West Indies (CWI) announces the appointment of former West Indies player, Phil Simmons as the Head Coach of the West Indies Senior Men’s Team for a period of four years, as well as the appointment of three new selection panels.

Phil Simmons was confirmed as the Head Coach during a meeting of the CWI Board of Directors today, following the conclusion of a short but intensive recruitment process. The Board had made it clear prior to the start of the recruitment process in September that “persons without West Indian heritage need not apply.”

Simmons served previously for a short period as Head Coach of the West Indies Senior Men’s team, during which he coached the team to the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup title, following which he was controversially dismissed.

He served since as the Head Coach of Afghanistan, who he helped qualify for the first time for the 2019 ICC ODI CWC. His tenure as head coach of Ireland, saw them improve their ICC rankings and qualify for all major ICC events. Simmons’ latest coaching success came just two days ago when he coached the Barbados Tridents to the 2019 Hero Caribbean Premier League title with an impressive victory over the Guyana Amazon Warriors in Saturday’s Final.

CWI President, Ricky Skerritt, shared his thoughts on the confirmation of Phil Simmons, “Bringing Phil Simmons back is not just righting a past wrong, but I am confident that CWI has chosen the right man for the job at the right time. I want to also thank the very talented Floyd Reifer for the hard work he put in while he was the interim coach.”

CWI’s Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams, “I am happy, after a very robust recruitment process at the appointment of Phil to

the role of Head Coach. I have no doubt that Phil brings the requisite leadership skills and experience needed to drive improvement across our international squads and I look forward to supporting him in the role.”

CWI also announces the appointment of three new Men’s, Women’s and Girls’ Panel, and Boys’ Selection Panel following a recruitment process that ran parallel to the selection of the new coach. The recommendation of a new CWI selection structure and policy were the main outputs of the report of the Selection System Review Task Force, presented by Vice President Shallow at the September Board meeting in Tobago.

Eighteen (18) candidates were considered and evaluated for the five positions across the three Selection Panels.

Selection Panels selected

CWI Vice President Kishore Shallow commented, “We have been delighted at the interest and quality of candidates who participated in the recruitment process to fill the roles for the Selection Panels. These roles are vital to execute the new selection policy to select squads for the West Indies teams at every level. We wish the selectors every success as they commence work immediately.”

Commenting on the Selection Panels, Jimmy Adams said, “After a comprehensive revamp of our selection system including the introduction of separate panels, I am confident that our ability to identify and manage talent will be enhanced. I have all confidence that the new system, along with the selectors chosen to the various panels will continue to help drive our game in this critical area. “ The Selection Panels set to work immediately with the West Indies Men’s team preparing to play Afghanistan, in India, in November in three (3) T20 Internationals (T20Is), three (3) One Day Internationals

Coach Phil Simmons (left) said chief selector Clive Lloyd (right) was "irritated" by the Board's interference after the selection committee decided to drop Shivnarine Chanderpaul from the Test squad earlier this year

(ODIs) and one (1) Test match. The Men’s team then stay in India to play three (3) T20Is and three (3) ODIs before returning home before Christmas.

The West Indies Women will host India Women for three (3) ODIs and five (5) T20Is starting on November 1. And the West Indies Under-19 team will host a triangular series with Sri Lanka and England Under19s in December as they prepare for the ICC Under-19 World in January in South Africa.

The Men’s Teams squads will be announced in a press conference at 11am at Queens Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad

on Tuesday 16 November.

The CWI recruitment panel unanimously selected the following candidates who have now been confirmed: WI Men's Panel includes Lead Selector, Roger Harper and Selector, Miles Bascombe while the WI Women's & Girls’ Panel has Ann Browne-John as the Lead Selector while Travis Dowlin is the selector. WI Boys’ Panel has the Talent ID Manager booked by Robert Haynes.

The Head Coach of each team will complete the makeup of each of the respective panels.

GTTA secures services of ITTF Coach

T

he Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) has, through the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA), secured the services of an ITTF level one-certified coach, ULTM umpire, and Female Coach of the Year 2017: Candacy Mc Kenzie, to serve as Schools Table Tennis Coordinator/ Coach to support and work with its “National Table Tennis for Schools” National Athlete Development Pathway project.

This project was birthed as a collaborative effort between the following entities: Guyana Olympic Association; National Sports Commission; Guyana Teachers Union; Government of Guyana, through its various agencies; and the Ministry of Education’s Regional Departments of Education in Guyana, based on proposals made by the GTTA. The project forms key developmental projects aimed at providing equity access mass participation targeting athletes at ages that are more adaptive to feed to the GTTA talent identification and selection programmes, creating a sustainable pathway for the sport to grow.

This project, which is rooted in 11 of the 16

Guyana Teachers Union districts and targets students between the ages of 6 and 13 years old, has seen more than 200 teachers from the selected schools being trained in the ITTF 12-hour supervisory level ITTF training programme

by National Table Tennis Coach Linden Johnson.

Ninety Stag elite training tables and balls and racquets procured by the Guyana Olympic Association have been distributed to selected schools.

However, a key ingredient is the initial model concept proposal is missing due to funding limitations: provision of coaches, which would have seen 11 ITTFcertified coaches being hired and utilised to work with 106 schools in the districts/ schools.

This resulted in slower implementation of the project, given that the GTTA had to rely on the intervention of a steering committee and volunteer coaching and National Sports Commission support, with Linden Johnson conducting coaching programmes for teachers and students in addition to some intervention coming from the GTTA. This had seen ITTFcertified Coach Candacy McKenzie making key inter-

Candacy McKenzie working with student-athlete schools

ventions in schools over the last year.

However, through a Guyana Olympic Association Pan-American Sports Organisation (PASO) grant negotiated by the Guyana Olympic Association, which provides funding to the Guyana Olympic Association to assist national federations with their coaching and development programmes, the GTTA, like a few other sporting disciplines, was able to put forward its pro-

posal and negotiate coaching support grant, which will see a stipend being provided for a School’s Table Tennis Coordinator Coach to be hired for one (1) year in the initial phase, to assist the GTTA with the implementation of its National Table Tennis for Schools project.

While the provision of one coach is not adequate, given the initial concept of the proposal was to have a coach for each of the 11 dis-

tricts, the GTTA will seek to utilise the resource in a strategic manner, visiting more schools to ensure they each establish a team.

Some of the duties Candacy will perform as Schools Table Tennis Coordinator Coach include, but are not limited to, visiting the districts to assess progress being made, and making intervention; ensuring schools are utilising the resources provided; implementing a policy for the pro-

gram; establishing school teams at the various age groups; providing recommended coaching intervention during curriculum after schools and weekend type programs; ensuring teachers previously trained are engaged to assist with supporting the programme; providing support to assist with tournament coordination in school competitions; and identifying talent for training programs of the GTTA, among other duties.

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesday, october 15, 2019

23

How the Guyana Amazon Warriors have built a dynasty on their spin strength Story by Matt Roller

A

ny fool knows the story of spin bowling in 20-over cricket.

In 2003 everyone thought spinners would be useless; within a couple of years it was clear they could hold their own, and they gradually grew to dominate the format as they do today.

Well, not quite. Despite their continued success, spinners are still underbowled in T20. In each of the game’s three distinct phases powerplay (overs 1-6), middle (715), and death (16-20) - spinners concede fewer runs per over and take wickets more cheaply than seamers do. But conventional T20 thinking still dictates that bowling spinners in the powerplay or at the death remains a risky business, with the underlying assumption being that there is greater variance in their returns - that is to say, when it goes wrong, it goes very wrong. Even now, spin accounts for only around 40% of overs bowled worldwide in the format, the same proportion as seven years ago.

Several teams have noticed this apparent inefficiency. A handful of sides this year - the Chennai Super Kings, the Dhaka Dynamites, the Comilla Victorians, Zimbabwe, and the Birmingham Bears - have bowled more overs of spin than pace, and in each case their spinners have proved cheaper than their seamers. But no team has pushed this theory to its limits as much as the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

Fifty-eight percent of Guyana’s overs this CPL season have been bowled by spinners, almost an exact inversion of the usual pace-spin split. They boast a formidable attack, featuring right-arm offspin (Chris Green, Shoaib Malik), right-arm legspin (Imran Tahir, Qais Ahmad, and briefly Shadab Khan) and left-arm fingerspin (Chandrapaul Hemraj). Overall, their spinners go at just 6.28 runs per over, while their seamers go at 8.89. Throw in their brilliant batting line-up, and you get a team that won 11 games out of 11 this season on their way to the tournament’s final on Saturday.

The Spice of Life No longer does their success simply reflect a ruthless exploitation of conditions. For four turgid seasons, from 2013 through 2016, just 6.46 runs were scored per over at their home ground in Providence; but since the start of 2018, that figure is 7.98.

Spinners are still significantly more effective there than seamers, but the pitch is not the raging turner it once was.

And it is not just spin in general that has served Guyana well. Instead, they saw a way to use the overarching nature of prevailing T20 wisdom and ruthlessly exploit the inefficiency within. Bowling your best fast bowlers at the start of an innings is Captaincy 101 in T20. But according to Newton’s Third Law, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction: because they always face seamers early on in their innings, opening batsmen tend to be much better against pace on the ball.

Guyana’s response has been to bowl spin in the powerplay - lots of it.

Close followers of T20 will protest that this is hardly a novel tactic, but what is distinct about the Amazon Warriors is the scale on which they adopted it.

Powerplay spin on the rise Never before in a single T20 season have a team’s spinners bowled more overs in the powerplay than Guyana’s did in 2019: 60 overs, compared to just

12 by the seamers. On six occasions, they have used a spinner to bowl all six powerplay overs. Only once before has a single spinner bowled more powerplay overs in a season than Green.

“The key to managing bowlers is understanding when they are best suited to bowl” says Malik, who has captained the side through the season. “[Working out] at

what times and against which batsmen they would be most suitable. You can have those plans before going into the game, but it is also imperative that you can adapt on the day, because you never know what situation may arise.”

“Everyone knows the threat of the West Indian batsmen with their power game,” Green says, “and particularly early on, we feel like there’s an opportunity to expose a couple of the batters and hopefully get a few early wickets using our spin stocks.”

“We find that the local players certainly don’t play legspin as well as they do other types of bowling,” Amazon Warriors coach Johan Botha, who himself delivered a fair amount of powerplay spin for the Rajasthan Royals in 2011 and 2012, says. “So Imran, Shadab and Qais’ overs have been very important for us. It’s definitely a bit of a match-ups thing.”

Green himself has bowled 48.7% of his overs in the powerplay since the start of the 2017-18 Big Bash, going at

6.04 runs per over in the process.

He is a tall, quick bowler, relying on subtlety, guile and speed as much as spin, and his experience on the global circuit means he reads the short-form game better than most. This CPL, his Powerplay overs have gone at 5.39 apiece.

“It’s something I enjoy doing,” he says. “I really embrace the challenge of bowling up front. Being an offspinner in cricket in general - the feeling, or perception, is that particularly to righthand batters there’s not a massive

threat. “I make subtle changes and variations [Green is unusual among Australian spinners in having a carrom ball], and add things on here and there. I’m really happy with the way my game’s continuing to progress.”

“Part of it is his pace and his height,” says Botha, “but it’s also the length, the change of length, and the change of pace. He reads the game very well. For a fingerspinner, that’s got to be one of the keys: to try and stay one step ahead of the batsman, know when to give them a single - it’s an underrated skill.

“It’s so important to get good players off strike. If you just bowl and try and bowl dots every ball, the good players line you up and they’re eventually going to get you. We’ve seen it happen a couple of times to us in this tournament, and certainly our batters have done the same to other teams - they’ve lined bowlers up.

“Greeny’s good at changing angles - he bowls over, he bowls around, he

makes subtle changes in the field to take the batsman’s commitment away from the shot a little bit, and he forces them to look for ones and twos.”

Botha and Green are a distinctly modern coach-player partnership. If it were not for a series of impressive showings in Sydney derbies against Botha’s Sixers, Green might have been an improbable pick in any league ahead of last year.

Now he is something of a regular on the franchise circuit, having spent two seasons with Guyana and another at Botha’s Multan Sultans side in the PSL. They also worked together at Cricket Australia’s spin camp in Brisbane in May, and Green credits Botha with helping him become more comfortable bowling over the wicket; he generally bowled around at the start of his career.

“I was a very left-field replacement option for a tournament like this last year,” Green admits, “and I wasn’t a big household name - I’m still not but he gave me the opportunity and I grabbed it with both hands.” He has had indications from Australia’s selectors that his performances are not going unnoticed.

While Green has been everpresent in the powerplay, the rest of Guyana’s spinners have all done their bit too. Tahir’s success in that phase in the World Cup inspired Surrey to bowl him up front before Guyana followed

suit, while Shadab had done so in the Big Bash for the Brisbane Heat.

Hemraj bowls too…

Perhaps the unlikely star has been Hemraj, not least given Botha’s admission that he didn’t know until the second game of the tournament that he bowled at all.

“Our assistant coach [Rayon Griffith] said to me: ‘You know this guy bowls pretty good left-arm orthodox?’

We pushed him to bowl more in training after that. Leading up to it he didn’t bowl at all in training, so I didn’t see him bowl.”

In their third game, Malik threw Hemraj the new ball, and he struck immediately, skidding one on from around the wicket to bowl Barbados’ star man Alex Hales. Against Guyana’s bogey team, Trinbago Knight Riders, Hemraj repeated the trick, dismissing Javon Scantlebury-Searles and Denesh Ramdin - both promoted up the order to counter the early spin threat - in the third over, and later getting Lendl Simmons.All things considered, it represents a useful return for a man signed for just US$5000 in what Botha calls a “dream draft”.

Spin Stardust In their new book Cricket 2.0, Freddie Wilde and Tim Wigmore make some predictions for the future of T20. One of those is that spinners will bowl more; they conclude with the thought that “one team may even make history by delivering all 20 overs by spin”. In fact, Guyana almost gazumped that prediction before the book’s publication date; against the Tallawahs, they ended up bowling 15.3 overs of spin in the 16.3 overs that Jamaica took to get bowled out.

“More and more teams are seeing the value of spin,” Green says. “If you look at the world’s top T20 bowlers, the majority are spinners - nine out of the top ten [in the ICC’s rankings] are spin bowlers.“But fast bowlers will always still make up the majority of a team. I feel like that’s ingrained in cricket - bowling at the death, or up front, the majority of teams will continue to lean that way until there are more spinners that can bowl at different times.

“I think it’s almost a human instinct. Facing a ball coming down at 80-90kph as a batsman, you feel a lot more comfortable than facing a ball coming down at 140-150kph. Even though you may be struggling to hit a spinner off the wicket, if you asked the majority of batsmen, they’d tell you they’d rather face Imran Tahir or Chris Green than Jofra Archer or Mitchell Starc.

“It’s almost a natural aspect of our make-up, thinking I’d rather face spin because I don’t feel like I can get hurt, or I feel like I can hit more sixes with the ball coming slower.”

Malik agrees. “It is frowned upon to bowl spinners at the death of the innings, and sometimes even with the new ball,” he says, “so I guess that’s why teams usually only operate with one spinner, who will bowl after the powerplay.

“But why should it be frowned upon? As a captain, you have to look at them as bowlers and not categorise them into spinners versus pacers.

You have to think, ‘Who will get me a wicket here?’ or ‘Who will bowl the most economical spell?’”

Perhaps remarkably, Botha says that his team largely eschews team meetings, and debrief “very quickly” after games. He trusts Malik, Green and Ben Laughlin to make decisions on their own. (ESPNcricinfo)

tuesday, october 15, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Page 23

How the Guyana Amazon Warriors have built a dynasty on their spin strength Page 19

SBF Petroleum/CGI Jaguars 50Over franchise cricket tourney…

Page 19

GTT Indoor Hockey C/ships bully off ꟷ CASH to be ‘set on fire’

Round 2 bowls off today

ꟷ Coach Hercules hopes Savory gets into national set-up

GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, NEWS HOTLINE: 231-8063 EDITORIAL: 223-7230, 223-7231, 231-0544, 225-7761 SPORT: sport@guyanatimesgy.com SALES AND MARKETING: 231-8064 - marketing@guyanatimesgy.com - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC.