Guyana Times Wednesday December 18, 2019

Sergeant Clive Clarke awarded Best Cop for A Division

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Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

GECOM agrees to verify 20,000 H2H registrants guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4141

wednesday, december 18, 2019

PRICE

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Linden youth P8 found guilty of 2 rape counts

Page 3

Police brothers arrested over alleged beating, torturing of teen with hot water Page 13

See story on page 7

$80 vat included

Support PPP/C for the restoration of hope – Ali

MARAD accused of undermining Bartica Speedboat Association P14

Change in attitude needed to combat road carnage – Top Cop

…says current penalties against motorists are ‘sufficient’ P15

Taxi driver murder PI

Key witness P8 failed to identify one of 2 accused

PPP Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali strikes a pose with supporters at the Party’s fundraising dinner at Parc Rayne on Monday evening

Rural Tender for oil & gas Constable law firm likely by next stabbed to death week – Energy Dept at D’Urban Park Page 12

Page 16

– foreign law firm to develop, revise – mother says “somebody wanted him out” legislation for Guyana’s oil sector

Woman robbed in broad daylight – perpetrators crash into minibus P12

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wednesday, DECEMBER 18, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

news

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wednesday, DECEMBER 18, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

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

Wednesday, December 18— 10:00h – 11:30h and Thursday, December 19 – 11:30h – 13:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Wednesday, December 18— 09:20h – 10:50h and Thursday, December 19 – 10:35h – 12:05h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunshine with partly cloudy skies and light afternoon showers are expected during the day. There will be light rain showers at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to Easterly between 1.78 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 09:17h and 21:42h reaching a maximum height of 2.35 metres and 2.38 metres.

Low Tide: 02:42h and 15:11h reaching minimum heights of 0.75 metre and 0.91 metre.

saturday, DECember 14, 2019

LOTTERY NUMBERS D

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TUESday, December 17, 2019 DAILY MILLIONS

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PAY DAY

SUPER PAY DAY FRIDAY, DECember 13, 2019

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

GECOM agrees to verify 20,000 H2H registrants

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he Guyana Elections C o m m i s s i o n (GECOM) has decided to embark on a field exercise to verify the over 20,000 names listed as new registrants who were captured during the now-scrapped House-to-House (H2H) Registration process.

This was made known after Tuesday’s meeting at the Commission’s headquarters.

The Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has always contended that the H2H exercise, which ran from July 20 to August 31, 2019, was largely unsupervised and would produce flawed results. Indeed, the party subsequently found that many of the persons listed as new registrants are either dead or were previously registered.

In an interview with the media after the meeting, Opposition-nominated GECOM Commissioner Robeson Benn revealed that based on information from the Secretariat, as many as 16,369 persons on the list could not be verified. He also said that over 4000 persons on the Preliminary List of Electors were found to be duplicates.

“We’ve just had a decision where there will be a verification exercise by GECOM and stakeholders in respect of 20,556 names of persons who have been suggested to be placed on the list of electors for elections. The latest data we have from the Secretariat is that of 20,389 persons, 16,369 were not found.”

“4020 were duplicates on the Preliminary List of Electors, an astonishing amount of persons in spite of all the work which has been done in respect to House-toHouse Registration which we pointed out [had] serious pitfalls in getting any certainty, any comfort in respect of the electorate and for stakeholders to the process," he also explained.

Benn reminded that they have been pushing for this decision to do field verification for some time, in the wake of the discrepancies that have been turning up. He recalled that there have been bad and inaccurate fingerprints from overseas and even a case where the former Chancellor, Cecil Kennard, appeared as a new registrant.

“We have five days in which to do this exercise, which is supposed to be verified in the field, advertised for the public, persons would have to be employed to get this done and the stakeholders have the opportunity to be involved,” he said, adding that they are likely to start today owing to the timeframe.

“We on our side pointed

PPP-nominated Commissioner Robeson Benn

out that it was strange that GECOM’s Secretariat and persons on the other side were baulking [resistant] to having this work done, which we feel was very important to give the type of comfort and the sense of transparency and integrity for the upcoming elections.”

Benn, therefore, expressed the hope that the GECOM staffers conducting the exercise will do so in a diligent manner, “to satisfy all those concerned interested in free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections.”

Unnecessary

Meanwhile, Governmentnominated Commissioner Vincent Alexander explained that when the vote was taken, he and his Government-nominated colleagues (Charles Corbin and Desmond Trotman) opposed field verification. He defended their refusal to support the exercise.

According to Alexander, the issue at hand is the duplicates. He claimed that a field verification would do little to deal with this and was unnecessary. In fact,

GECOM Chair Retired Justice Claudette Singh

Government-nominated Commissioner Vincent Alexander

Alexander claimed that all GECOM had to do was sit back and let the process work, rather than embarking on field exercises to clear up the discrepancies in the potential list of voters.

“There was no need for anything else to be done, as far as I am concerned. We’ve gotten to the point where we’ve done an internal, side by side comparison of the information. We’ve, therefore, been able using all of the data in our system, to determine what we think the duplicates are. GECOM has a process in terms of how we deal with duplicates.”

“Field exercises has nothing to do with duplicates. There’s an investigative process, followed by a hearing. And where there’s a duplicate and we don’t find anyone committing fraud, the more recent information supersedes the previous one.”

It is understood that the exercise will conclude on Sunday. And according to Alexander, whatever may happen during the verification, there is an agreement that it would not affect the

election timeline.

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

However, it was recently reported that international digital security company, Gemalto, indicated that some 37,300 were new registrants who are eligible for voting, that is, they are above the age of 18. But an internal check conducted

by GECOM showed that approximately 17,000 of those “new registrants” were already on the voters’ list and some even voted in the past.

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

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wednesday, DECEMBER 18, 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

GNBA’s call for responsible broadcasting

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ecently, there were reports that the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) is considering taking serious sanctions against broadcasters which continually defy the rules for what is deemed responsible broadcasting of information during the elections period.

Cleary, the country would want every broadcaster to act responsibly at all times, more especially during the elections period.

World history is replete with the dire consequences of irresponsible broadcasting, therefore, in principle, the GNBA’s call for responsible utterances on the nation’s airwaves is sound. However, the manner in which the GNBA seemingly operated over the past three years raises suspicion on its real intent.

Some time ago, the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, claimed that the Guyana GNBA is targeting broadcasting stations perceived to be anti-Government. He further accused the GNBA of engaging in censorship and for terrorizing broadcast entities it perceives of being unsympathetic towards the APNU/AFC Government.

Mr Jagdeo’s position is similar to that of broadcasters who have been cited for broadcast infractions by the GNBA. Some have lamented a draconian approach that directly infringes on freedom of expression and the obligation to inform and educate viewers and listeners alike. This, in no way, suggests a right to broadcast libellous, discriminatory or inciting content.

Broadcasters in question are well aware of this and have endeavoured to abide by the GNBA’s broadcast guidelines. However, aspects of the said guidelines are viewed as deliberate measures to aid in the enforcement of censorship. Mr Jagdeo also claimed that some station managers are questioned as to why they cannot find positive things to say about the Government.

If that were the case, then it’s extremely worrying since it suggests that the GNBA is allegedly using its authority to force the broadcast of content favourable to the Government. If such actions are indeed meted out to broadcasters, then it becomes a direct assault on freedom of the press and freedom of expression. Therein lies danger since it becomes indicative of the Government seemingly using arms of the State to silence opposing views.

In August of 1950, former USA President Harry S Truman said, “Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear”.

During the period 1964-1992, the then People’s National Congress (PNC) Government unleashed severe measures to stifle the voice of the then People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Opposition and others who opposed it. In the process and among other things, the importation of newsprint for Opposition-ran presses was banned.

Some who raised their voices against the regime were beaten and/or incarcerated with some paying with their lives. That’s the terror that President Truman alluded to and the fear it precipitates into the mindsets of the citizenry.

Following the rebirth of democracy in 1992 under the PPP/C Government, one would have felt that dark and shameful past was laid to rest. Unfortunately, fears of a growing dictatorship are now being rekindled allegedly aided by actions of the GNBA, as claimed.

Noteworthy, the Broadcast Act was amended by the current APNU/AFC Government of which the PNC is the dominant party.

One aspect is that broadcasters are mandated to provide one hour of broadcast time to facilitate Government programming under the guise of public service announcements.

In principle, no broadcaster is against the airing of pertinent national messages that warn of natural disasters or outbreak of diseases or any other necessary information. However, they oppose the imposition of that hour for the broadcast of Government propaganda and that the choice of the timing can be dictated by the authority.

When that is taken into consideration, along with the claim of some station managers being allegedly asked to broadcast content favourable to the Government, it appears that the GNBA is seemingly becoming a conduit for Government’s infringements on freedom of expression. Given that, GNBA’s discharging of its mandate in a consistent, professional and fair manner has unavoidably been questioned.

The relevance of the question is within the context of the content of the State media broadcast arms. Aggrieved broadcasters, which have been cited for various infractions, are hard-pressed to see any consistency given some of what is being broadcast on the State media and the apparent free reign Government officials have through it.

With that in mind, Mr Jagdeo’s claims of the GNBA’s attempts to censor some broadcast stations drive home that inherent fear as some sections of the media are reportedly in the process of being muzzled.

The GNBA has denied the claims while stating it has recorded numerous broadcast infractions for the year so far. In addition, it would have also seized nine broadcast frequencies from three entities, including from a radio station owned and operated by the PPP. These, especially the latter, make it extremely difficult to dismiss the claims of censorship and possibly the terrorizing of broadcast entities. Within that said context, it also makes it difficult to take the GNBA at face value on its intent for responsible broadcast during the upcoming elections period.

More than 7000 members of the public took part in Glasgow’s annual Christmas Santa dash through the city centre. The Santa Dash has been held since 2006 and, over the years, has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charities working in and around the Scottish city (BBC)

Explanations, decisions and specialists Dear Editor, Guyana has two tasks concerning profit oil. Sell it for the highest price possible and use the proceeds for the benefit of the people of the nation. The tangent that Dr Bynoe and his consultants have gone on to “introduce and market a grade” is farcical. ExxonMobil, Hess, and CNOOC are all going to be selling oil from the same well, by the time Guyana’s turn to lift comes around, seven million barrels of ‘Liza grade’ would have been pumped, delivered, sold and even refined.

The crude marketing specialist employed by the DE said “We don’t know the real fair market value of our crude. What we are trying to do is test it, run it through a refining system, take the feedback from the refiner, from the people who have not just refining but also the marketing channels. They have the value of the pump, of the petrol, all around the world. We want to run it through systems who will give us the

feedback of what is the fair market value at this point”.

That must be the definition of ‘specialist’ in bovine waste. Take my simple and free advice: get the same price as ExxonMobil, Hess, and CNNOC and you will make more on the ‘takehome’. Let me explain further.

ExxonMobil, Hess, and CNNOC are experienced IOC’s, they are not going to be gypped out of a cent. If we attempt to reinvent this wheel and enter the race of highly tuned machines with a rickshaw pulled by Bynoe, we will be fleeced millions by way of specialists, consultants, backroom costs, administrative costs and we shall pay dearly for reports that are made available freely. This is often referred to as the ‘parasitic consultant trap’ a common problem for startup companies and businesses. The way to avoid it is to utilise your grey matter. Take a look at the other utterance from the DE specialist.

Crude Marketing

Specialist, Virginia Markouizou – “Here, we are talking about taking all the steps, establishing relationships with the market, showing a face of stability, introducing, in a paced way, a grade and holding faceto-face conversations with people who have to give us feedback”. I can advise that Guyana is already in a relationship with an IOC that is working to do all these things. The Operator of the Stabroek Block is in partnership with Guyana, it is not an adversarial relationship.

They have extended every courtesy asked of us and beyond with information and have (unasked) funded an under-utilised Centre for Local Content Development. ExxonMobil, Hess, and CNNOC share a common goal with Guyana when it comes to getting the best price for Liza grade.

We can apply ourselves and learn all we can from our current partners before we venture further into deep waters.

Dr Bynoe and the Minister responsible for oil in Guyana, HE David Granger, are either not applying themselves to the questions surrounding oil sales; being sidetracked or misled by consultants, or are not capable of critical thinking at the required level. I will not even entertain Bynoe’s concept of “transparency” when he described wanting to deliver information on the Government’s sale of three million barrels of oil after all arrangements were concluded.

Used to be that was known as a ‘fait acompli’: a thing that has already happened or been decided before those affected hear about it, leaving them with no option but to accept it.

The Granger years have been plagued by the question of the deliberately obtuse versus dense, it would seem there has been contagion.

Respectfully, Robin Singh

Republic Bank’s new system Dear Editor, Editor, when will Republic Bank stop fooling Guyanese who bank with them?

Every day the dailies carry articles of their unprofessionalism in their failure to bring some sort of relief to its customers.

For example, I have not seen my bank account for the past 2 months, since the introduction of their so-called banking platform, which cannot be ac-

cessed on my computer as was normally done by the use of the bank security ID card that has numbers to key in when prompted. It was so simple then, now to access your online bank account is very tough because to get the second authentication code that is required, you must have an iPhone or iPad to log in to the Republic Mobile Guyana app to get the code.

This is sheer nonsense. Why can’t the ATM bank card, with its 16 digital numbers, be used instead, replacing that of the second authentication code which is so difficult to obtain? Perhaps the authorities will think this over then come up with a resolution.

Regards, Albert Persaud

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

A ‘Balgobin’ at GPL means The Duck Test a company without vision Dear Editor, Permit me to express my concern, as an ex-employee, over the issue of abuse of power relative to discriminatory and corruption practices in GPL Inc. There has been outright and open corruption by a certain network of individuals within the GPL staff structure who have been placed to manage the affairs and develop the company’s economic contributions to the country.

I have seen privileges given to some individuals in GPL Inc to manage the affairs of this company being misused and abused, creating dynasties of malfeasants.

Some have enriched themselves and their cronies and in turn, neglected the very employees who are the pillars to satisfying the daily operations of the company.

Many of these employees are now saddled with fear of victimisation and discrimination should they resist the tyrannical behaviours of many of the Executive Directors and some Senior and Junior Managers of this company called GPL Inc. In my opinion, it’s frustrating to experience these repeated behaviours and nothing be-

ing done to alleviate the biases and abuse of authority of some Senior Management officials of GPL Inc (surprisingly much of these behaviours are perpetuated from the Human Resources Divisional Heads, enabled

by Senior Managers in the very structure).

Employees with the right aptitude, initiative, drive, commitment, dedication, honesty, integrity, loyalty and those who are deserving of jobs are not recognised or selected due to displayed nepotism and coupled with unethical labour practices. Up to recent times, we see competent employees with years of experience and qualifications being left out of interviews, just to fuel senior officers’ quest for power, nepotism and cronyism.

GPL Inc is ever so often under intense scrutiny and is perceived by the general public as always ready to entertain corrupt practices. Over the years, many of the management and non-management employees have lost sight and focus on their primary jobs and have resorted to unethical and counter-productive performance behaviours in ways

Farewell Basil B

Dear Editor, It is with great sadness that I learnt of the passing of Basil Butcher. Butcher was one of the world’s best batsman in his day.

Cricket lovers who had the good fortune of seeing him bat would never forget his beautiful on-drive. When he played it, not a fielder moved as the ball, more often than not, raced to the boundary.

Basil B, as he was fondly known, came to prominence with Rohan Kanhai and Joe Solomon, all from Port Mourant, all worldclass batsmen.

I fondly recall his 209 not out at Trent Bridge in England in which he not just saved the West Indies, but snatched, for his team, victory from the jaws of de-

feat!

I still recall the screaming headlines in our newspaper the next day ‘Butchery at Trent Bridge’ a most apt headline.

Later in his career, he also became a deadly spin bowler.

Maybe his biggest misfortune was that he, a giant, came to prominence at a time when two other giants were dominating West Indies batting, Rohan Kanhai and Garfield Sobers.

At his best, he was their equal.

I extend the deepest sympathy to his family and will forever be thankful for the joy he brought to our lives.

Sincerely, Donald Ramotar Former President

unheard of and unprecedented; which has led to inefficiencies in the company.

It is time to analyse all that is happening in GPL Inc as we hold the key to our rise in glory or our fall in utter despair.

There must be a renewed and objective approach by the Board of Directors and to some extension, the Minister with responsibility for the electricity sector, to rapidly come up with solutions to the overwhelming problems plaguing this company’s inept leadership, incompetence, poor decision-making/accountability, lack of vision, counter-productive and unethical work practices as these solutions are vital in the development of GPL Inc and the country.

Furthermore, I am sure that there are employees within the company and some stakeholders who wish to see GPL Inc flourish and not diminish with corrupt, unethical behaviours, incompetence, poor leadership and decision-making/accountability. All this will put GPL Inc in good standing.

For this to happen, we must first put, without a doubt, in our minds, the right persons, processes, and systems in place to run the company and not run it down the drain. The Board of Directors should seek to ensure that the right individuals with the right mindset who are willing and able to get the job done exactly how it should be done are employed and placed within the right areas of the compa-

ny’s management structure.

It’s time for eyes to be wide open and stop being fooled, we must analyse the strategic direction and obligations of GPL Inc and see if the principles of maximising the company’s performance are moving in upward mobility or downward mobility or if they are moving opposite of each other. The ideal outcome is that the company is lifted.

In conclusion, there must be a stop to the many company officials who choose to mismanage and haemorrhage the resources of the company and at the same time victimise and discriminate against employees who are not willing to participate in the mediocre and repulsive performance behaviours.

I recommend the restructuring of the staff hierarchy to carefully place the right individuals with the right mindset and qualifications to maximise GPL’s performance in the right direction that is beneficial to the greater population rather than focusing on personal gains. A true focus on true development of GPL Inc is necessary right now and not the lackadaisical work being done by so many individuals within the company.

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely and should the Board of Directors fail to plan then consequently, there will be a plan to fail.

Sincerely yours, An ex-employee

Dear Editor, “If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck”. The Duck Test is used to draw inference from customary behaviour and to highlight the obvious. Let’s take two pertinent examples: The decisions of the Chairman of GECOM thus far has led to more delays and confusion with our elections. GECOM is mandated under the Constitution to be in a state of perpetual readiness. However, nothing the Chairman, the CEO and the DCEO do inspires confidence. Naturally, this benefits the ANPU/AFC Administration that is banking on GECOM’s unpreparedness to remain in office illegally following its defeat by the NCM almost one year ago. In the meanwhile, it continues to abuse taxpayers’ dollars to buy votes and for other sinister purposes.

The Iron Lady has been uncharacteristically flexible and people are doubtful if she will hold free and fair elections. She, Madam Chairman, is persisting with the data from the flawed H2H. This is despite the fact that evidence is coming to light which shows that the list is heavily padded. In the circumstances, the Duck Test is fitting. It is also instructive to note that the PNC has habitually rigged elections whenever it has

been in office and, therefore, had the opportunity to do so.

I am not a pessimist but I am still to be convinced that GECOM and the Iron Lady will deliver free and fair elections on March 2, 2020.

The caretaker and possibly illegal Government are insisting on selling Guyana’s first three tranches of crude on the spot market when this method is itself crude and moreover when this will generate the lowest possible revenue outcome for the nation. Why then is the Government persisting with it? Well, this method can be executed in a very short period of time and with elections around the corner, time is of the essence and the boys need money.

Secondly, the spot purchase being contemplated brings the seller in direct contact with the buyer, paving the way for shenanigans under the table. Applying the Duck Test, it is obvious that Granger and his cabal are desperate to get their hands on the oil money before the elections. But Guyanese are not fools. They are aware that democracy ceased to exist in our country several months ago and that the illegal Government is operating outside the rule of law. The worse thing we can do is choose to remain silent at this time.

Sincerely, Ravi Ram

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Beat germs, stay well he holidays are one time of the year when you really want to feel your best.

But they’re also a minefield of health woes, from cold to flu bugs.

There’s a lot you can do to help your body weather the season. This is how to keep healthy – and merry –as you shop, travel, and celebrate.

Wipe away germs Before you settle in for the flight (or train or bus ride), run disinfecting wipes over the armrests, the tray table and latch, the air vent, and your seatbelt buckle, and let airdry. “Clean anything you might touch so you

don’t pick up germs that those who sat there before you left behind,” says Amy Nichols, RN, director of infection control at University of California San Francisco Medical Centre.

Indeed, studies done at the University of Arizona in Tucson have turned up flu virus— and even the antibiotic-resistant bacteria MRSA—on airline tray tables. “From what we can tell from our results, no one ever disinfects those things,” adds environmental microbiologist Charles Gerba, PhD. Stay hydrated Low humidity at high altitudes makes plane cabin air dry—and our airways more vulnerable to viruses and bacteria, says Marc Leavey, MD, primary care physician at Lutherville Personal Physicians in Lutherville, Maryland.

Foundation

Staying well-hydrated keeps those mucous membranes moist so they can better keep bugs out of our systems. Down eight ounces of water for every hour you’re in the air. Yes, that probably means using the plane’s germy lavatory (take your wipes!), but colds and flu are such monsters that you’re better off drinking than going dry.

Pack an alcohol-based hand sanitizer in your purse, and use it regularly. “The germs on your hands are the single biggest threat to your health, any time of year,” Dr Leavey says.

That’s because cold viruses tend to spread more from hand-to-mouth contact than through airborne droplets, making mall

doors, escalator rails, elevator buttons, and ATM touch screens virus central.

Stop for a rubdown Try a chair at the massage kiosk or salon: In a study at Cedars–Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles, a single Swedish massage session lowered levels of the stress hormone cortisol and boosted several types of white blood cells, which protect the body against germs.

Only have 10 minutes to spare? Says study leader Mark Rapaport, MD: “I suspect some massage is better than none.”

Say no to treats Don’t fall into the “I deserve this treat!” trap. Yes, strolling around the mall is good exercise. That said, we tend to overestimate

just how many calories we burn when we shop, says Cris Slentz, PhD, exercise physiologist and assistant professor of medicine at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. “At most you burn 150 calories an hour if you weigh 150 pounds, and that’s a pretty generous estimate,” he says.

Reality check: You’d have to walk for six hours to burn off a Cinnabon Classic Cinnamon Roll. Resist! Resist!

Speaking of Cinnabon, “packing healthy snacks in your bag helps you fight temptation,” says New York City registered dietitian Ilyse Schapiro, RD. Her recommended take-alongs: a piece of fruit, low-fat string cheese, an ounce of nuts, a whole-wheat pita stuffed with turkey, lowfat Greek yogurt, or a granola bar (look for brands with about 150 calories, no more than 10 grams of sugar, and at least three grams of fibre).

Stay in, rest up If you run yourself ragged and don’t get a good night’s sleep, you risk getting ill just because you’ve worn down your body’s defences,” Dr Leavey says. A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that people who slept at least eight hours nightly were about three times less likely to catch a cold than those who snoozed for less than seven.

You’re not being a Grinch by skipping a party when you feel worn-down; you’re being smart. Think of it as preventive medicine.

“We know to wash our hands and drink lots of liquids. Reducing stress is another way to avoid getting ill,” notes Chicago psychologist Elizabeth Lombardo, PhD. Prevent overeating We’d never tell you to pass up tasty holiday fare, but if you’re feeling bloated after too many nights of baked Brie, try this simple party trick: Pop gum in your mouth 15 minutes before hitting the buffet table.

“Chewing gum tricks your brain into thinking you’re eating, so you actually eat less,” says clinical psychologist Susan Albers, PsyD, author of Eating Mindfully.

Downing a mint in between servings can help, too: “It gives your body time to get a read on whether you are full or not,” Albers says. (Excerpt from health.com)

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his gnome really easy to make — and it would be easy to re-work his colours and hat to be Santa or even an elf! Perfect little decorations and gifts for Christmas.

Fill him with candy and bring him to a friend — he’ll brighten any day!

Supplies

Mason jar Foam cone Four colours of craft felt: red, blue, white, and tan Black ribbon Silver washi tape Hot glue gun Black Sharpie Scissors

Directions

Start by rolling the red felt around the cone. Then glue to cone. Trim off the extra red felt from the bottom of the cone.

Wrap the mason jar in blue felt, and glue together.

Stack! You already have the gnome shape — all you have to add are the details! You could also glue the foam cone to the lid of the jar to have a way to seal it.

Cut all of the details free-hand, starting with his little boots. Hot-glue those on.

Then I cut a shape for his beard, as well as a square piece to go behind the beard for his face.

A little Sharpie-action and his happy little eyes were complete!

Glued his face on, and then added a belt – use some black ribbon. To make the belt buckle, use a tiny piece of silver sparkly washi tape.

That’s all — all done! (heyletsmakestuff.com)

NEWS

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wednesday, DECEMBER 18, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Support PPP/C for the restoration of hope – Ali

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A section of the gathering at the fundraising event on Monday evening

PPP/C Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali addressing supporters

s he reflected on the grim reality of many families in Guyana, Presidential Candidate of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), Irfaan Ali has vowed to restore hope among the people, especially those who have experienced some form of struggle within the last few years.

Ali was at the time delivering remarks at the Party’s Georgetown District fundraising dinner on Monday evening at Parc Rayne.

“Today, families and women and mothers are not only faced with the hardship that the economy is bringing to them, they are

porting a better economy, you are supporting the protection of your rights… [you are supporting] youth development, a safe and secure environment, development of the productive sectors, real growth, infrastructural development, a better education system, a stronger and more united Guyana in which investment will flow once again, jobs will be restored and most importantly, there will be social justice for all,” Ali said.

Among the Party’s plans for Guyana is the removal of Value Added Tax (VAT) on key areas such as electricity, water and healthcare, among other things.

faced with broken down social infrastructure, broken down healthcare system, a broken education system, a system in which safety and security is not guaranteed,” he explained.

To this end, he promised to restore hope among those families. “This party struggles every day to advance the cause of humanity,” Ali expressed.

“We owe it to those mothers, we owe it to every single woman of this country, to struggle, to fight and to restore for them, that hope, that dignity, that price to be able to protect their family,” he stated.

In preparation for the

upcoming General and Regional Elections, the PPP/C has unveiled part of its elections manifesto, where it provided a glimpse of its plan for the country should it be elected at the March 2020 polls.

According to Ali, this plan will truly guarantee a good life for every single citizen of Guyana.

“I present to you a PPP plan that will deliver this better tomorrow that will ensure our young people will look up to tomorrow with hope,” the Presidential Candidate posited.

“When you support us on March 2, you are supporting more jobs, you are sup-

Also on the Party’s agenda is the reversal and/or reduction of the over 200 tax measures imposed by the coalition administration— such as on building materials, on data, and exports.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had pointed out that Government should be encouraging more exports so that foreign currency can be earned and more jobs created locally, not trying to stifle exports.

Moreover, the Party intends to reverse the VAT on farming, mining and forestry equipment.

For the education sector, the PPP/C has promised to offer 20,000 online scholar-

ships along with strategic initiatives to support the private education system.

Additionally, the Party plans to offer free university education within its fiveyear term in office.

Jagdeo had reasoned that “We could’ve easily said free university from day one but we’re not APNU (A Partnership for National Unity – the majority party in the coalition government). They promised free university, but they increased the University fees by 25 per cent. We’re not gonna do that, we’re making it clear within the five year’s we’re gonna do it”.

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IN THE COURTS Linden youth found guilty of 2 rape counts

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wenty-five-yearold Keon Lawson of Wismar, Linden was found guilty on two counts of rape by a 12-member jury before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall at the Sexual Offences Court of the Demerara High Court.

As such, he is expected to return to court on January 6, 2020, for sentencing.

The first charge read that between November 1 and 30, 2014, in the county of Demerara, he engaged in sexual activity with a sixyear-old girl.

The second read that on October 6, 2017, in the county of Demerara, he engaged in sexual activity with the said victim, who was nine years old at the time.

Convicted rapist Keon Lawson being escorted by Police

According to reports, on the first occasion, the now-convicted man went over to the child’s home. He then proceeded to hold the child, cover her mouth and committed the act.

On the second occasion, the young girl visited Lawson’s home to uplift something for her mother; however, upon arrival at his premises, he prevented her from leaving and proceeded to rape her.

The child later confided what happened to her teacher who later informed the parents and Police.

Prosecutors Teriq Mohamed and Nafeeza Baig presented the State’s case, while Attorney-at-Law George Thomas represented Lawson.

Taxi driver murder PI

Key witness failed to identify 1 of 2 accused

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s the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) continues into the murder of Marlon Seon Rodney, called “George”, who was shot and killed earlier this year, the key witnesses failed to identify one of the accused.

Those charged for his murder are Osafa Grundell, 39, called “Safo” of Freeman Street, East La Penitence, Georgetown and James Fraser, 21, called “Dab” of Garnett Street, Georgetown.

The duo was not allowed to plead to the indictable charge which alleged that between April 25 and April 30 last, at Norton Street, Lodge, Georgetown, they murdered Rodney.

When the matter was called in the courtroom of

James Fraser

Magistrate Faith McGusty, the key witness took the stand where she gave an extensive testimony as it relates to what she saw on the day Rodney was shot and

killed.

The woman then indicated to the court that she became familiar with Grundell since she shared a relationship with his uncle for several years.

However, when Prosecutor Dominic Bess asked the woman to identify Grundell she remained silent.

The prosecutor, who was stunned at the response, repeated the question; however, this time, the woman smiled and replied negatively.

Nevertheless, she was able to positively identify Fraser as one of the perpetrators.

The Magistrate adjourned the case until January 10, 2020.

It was reported that on the day in question, 35-yearold Rodney, a taxi driver of Lot 71 Norton Street, Lodge, Georgetown, was involved in an argument with three individuals.

As the argument escalated, the men then pulled out guns and discharged several rounds at Rodney, who was hit in the left leg.

An injured Rodney was

Osafa Grundell

picked up and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where he succumbed to his injuries.

Two months ago, the burnt body of 36-year-old Collin Rodney, who was the cousin of Seon and the main witness in the murder PI, was discovered in the trunk of his silver-grey Toyota Allion motorcar.

However, Police are yet to confirm whether the body found in the car is that of Rodney. The man went missing while making his way to court to testify in the PI. He was on the scene when his cousin was murdered.

The con I

…in oil sale t took the foreign business-focused Bloomberg News to spill the beans that the PNC coalition was going sell its first 3 million barrels share of our oil on the “spot market”. Up to then, all that we knew was the Exxon-led consortium had started “lifting” crude from the Liza field and were going to take the FIRST 3 million barrels. Why? Well, the ENVIRONMENTALIST Bynoe – who heads our ENERGY Department – replied blithely, “My understanding is the first lift often comes with a fair amount of impurities”!! Well, duh! That’s an environmentalist for you!! All crude has IMPURITIES!! What he probably meant was suggested by him pointing out that the operators— Exxon, Hess and CNOOC— all had refining capabilities.

They’d be able to hone in more precisely on the exact composition of our crude?

Now, this struck your Eyewitness as a bit of a stretch since the IOCs would’ve already assayed the oil months ago when they pronounced that our oil was “light and sweet”. Meaning that it has a low viscosity and low sulphur content – closer to the North Sea crude than the Trinis “heavy and sour” stuff. Your Eyewitness figured the decision to take first dibs on the crude was made

by Exxon because they didn’t want any oil revenues to flow into Guyana’s coffers BEFORE the elections. They could’ve been seen as favouring the coalition, which, that Professor at the US War College had predicted, would be losing the said elections to the PPP!!

That obviously irked the PNC since they’d been counting on getting the oil money in their grubby big paws before the elections – to convince their supporters not to jump off their sinking ship!! Hence, their obscene efforts to stymie the NCM and scheduling the elections for March 2. If Exxon lifts the promised 120,000 BPD starting on Dec 15, they’d be finished shipping their 3 million barrels by mid-January and be in a position to pass on Guyana’s share, amounting to 1 million barrels by mid-Feb. So enter Bynoe with his secret plot to sell their share of the oil on the spot market – for which they’d be paid immediately and be able to kill several birds with that one stone. Get some cash into the coffers – but also some into their elections war chest!! So do you understand why, in addition to the spot contracts, Bynoe resorted to the “unusual” step of instructing the brokers to come PERSONALLY to his office?

Where his hands would be under the table to receive that big, fat envelope!!

The brokers already know the code! They just have to wait on Bynoe’s wink!! …on oil sale timing Now, there are other signals that force any person with the slightest familiarity with the crude oil business to know that some hanky-panky is in the works. Take the timing of the sale to the brokers.

Selling oil on spot market…EITIU? Everyone knows that prices of crude oil bottoms out between Dec-Feb every year!! Just take a look at any chart of crude prices for the last decade.

As one report explains the phenomenon: “US refineries plan their maintenance shutdowns around the “slow” fall/winter period, reducing throughput and demand for crude. Stockpiles generally rise through the winter, causing oil prices to fall and usually bottom-out in December or January. It’s not uncommon for oil prices to bottom in the dead of winter”.

Then there’s Bynoe’s glib assurance that “the decision to sell the crude through the direct sale was made by all stakeholders on Guyana’s end”!! Really?? Aren’t the people of Guyana “stakeholders”?? He also didn’t bother to inform the Procurement Agencies, insisting an oil sale isn’t an oil sale when it’s sold on the spot market!!

Never mind this sets the price for term contracts!! …in Fergie’s palatial lot Some have taken objection to Minister Fergie insisting she only received one lot in Eccles.

In PNC’s NCM-influenced math, 1+1+1 = 1!!!

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

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Leonora fatal accident

Family of victim calls for justice …as file being prepared for advice

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hirty-nine-year-old Romel Carter, who died after being hit by an allegedly speeding truck along the Leonora Public Road, West Coast Demerara (WCD), was laid to rest on Thursday last, but his family is still hoping for justice.

His brother, Kempton Carter, in a recent interview with Guyana Times, explained that the driver responsible for his brother’s death was released on station bail following the acci-

dent on December 1, 2019.

However, in providing an update on the case, the younger Carter explained that he recently spoke to a senior Police rank who informed him that a report on the causing death allegation is presently being prepared to be sent to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.

But despite expressing some disappointment over

Killed: Romel Carter

the way the matter was initially handled, Carter is expecting a good outcome.

“We’re just here waiting, hoping and praying that we get justice ... They gotta do their job, how they do it, but we’re hoping to get good results,” he said.

Meanwhile, when contacted, Police Commander of Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Assistant Police Commissioner Simon McBean confirmed that the

file was being prepared and would soon be dispatched to the DPP’s office.

But according to the Commander, the accused driver, Dean Gharbaran appeared before Magistrate Zameena Ali-Seepaul at the Leonora Magistrate's Court, charged for the offences of operating unlicensed motor vehicle contrary to section 22(1) and uncertified motor vehicle contrary to section 15 of the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act, Chapter 51:02.

Gharbaran pleaded not guilty to the charges, but the matters were subsequently dismissed after it was found that related documents were still valid.

“The driver was placed before the court for two minor offences last week and we are presently preparing a report for advice as it relates to the causing death part of it,” the commander noted.

The accident occurred about 13:30h near the Leonora Police Station, WCD.

Police Commander of Region Three, Assistant Police Commissioner Simon McBean

After the accident, the driver of the truck picked up the injured man and took him to the hospital for treatment, but after realising that the pedestrian was dead, he allegedly attempted to flee, but was arrested by the Police.

It was further reported that at the time of the accident, there were two other occupants of the truck who made contact with Police to notify them of the accident.

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robbed in Rural Constable stabbed Woman broad daylight to death at D’Urban Park – perpetrators crash into minibus – mother says “somebody wanted him out”

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Dead: Seon Anthony Burry

he most immense hurt any mother can experience is that of losing a child in the cruelest way possible.

Such are the emotions of Jennifer Benn, after learning that her son, 28-yearold Seon Anthony Burry, also called “Cenestro”, was found dead with multiple stab wounds to the neck and throat on Tuesday morning.

Burry’s lifeless body was found at D’Urban Park, about 05:45h after he left his Lot 194 Section A, Field 7, South Sophia, Greater Georgetown home to train athletes at 03:30h.

He was a Rural Constable (RC) attached to the Police Force Sports Club.

His mother, who was able to view the injuries on her son’s body, told Guyana Times that it was her belief that someone may have wanted him dead, claiming that the young man was attacked and killed by more than one person.

“That is murder; somebody wanted him out. All the injuries that he got, wah I see on his hand was he defending himself trying to block, and it had to be more than one person. No one person couldn’t take him down so,” Benn added.

The grieving mother said it was somewhat normal for Burry not to return home af-

Mother of the deceased man: Jennifer Benn

ter training sessions, but, according to her, he was no troublemaker.

“According to them children, he didn’t come in last night, so I don’t know if that what happen to him happen late last night or early this morning, because some nights he wouldn’t come in … when he left, I wouldn’t have been at home,

I would’ve been at work,” the distressed mother noted.

Burry’s mother is pleading for justice as she called on the Police to act swiftly.

The father of one was described as the kindest person one could know, “That’s one of the kindest persons you would’ve ever wanted to know; he don’t deh in story, all his interest was running … Yes! I want justice, everybody know that he doesn’t deh in story, he doesn’t trouble nobody. When he left this house here is because he going and train people children,” the mother added.

Burry, who was enlisted as an RC in the Force on July 17, 2015 leaves to mourn his mother, a child, and siblings.

His body was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital mortuary to await a post-mortem as Police investigations are ongoing.

(Leah Hernandes)

A

robbery at Princes Street, Lodge, Georgetown on Sunday ended in a three-vehicle collision and an armed confrontation.

Bases on information received, a female was driving along Princes Street, Georgetown when two men on a motorcycle pulled up alongside her and relieved her of the gold chain she was wearing at the time.

“He snatched the chain and turned like he going

by Camp Street side, anyways, the woman drove behind them and they meet up with them like in George Street there. Apparently when they see she, they get cold sweat and crashed into another car. After that, they turn like to avoid crashing and end up crashing into a minibus that was passing at the same time,” an eyewitness explained.

Based on information received, the two men fled the scene on foot leaving the motorcycle behind, but returned minutes later to re-

trieve the crashed bike in the company of an armed man.

“They try to move the bike, but the boys tell them no let them wait till the Police come. All of a sudden, the banna comes out of the car they come with and point a gun at the bus driver. Everybody start running ‘cause, of course, was scared for our lives,” the resident explained.

Meanwhile, Guyana Times understands that the collaborator dealt the driver several blows across his body when he held tightly to the bike.

Under the unbearable blows, the driver eventually released the motorcycle and the three men took the bike and drove off the scene.

When contacted, Assistant Commissioner Edgar Thomas related that the Police were currently retrieving Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) footage in the area with the hope of identifying and ultimately arresting the perpetrators.

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found guilty of Police brothers arrested over alleged Lola assaulting model beating, torturing of teen with hot water T wo constables of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) have been taken into custody for allegedly beating and burning a 17-year-old boy on Monday.

Police Commissioner Leslie James called an emergency press conference on Tuesday, where details of the matter were brought to light.

Based on reports, the incident occurred at about 11:30h. The teen was picked up in a private motorcar and taken to a residence at La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara. The house is occupied by the duo – who is said to be brothers and also sons of a senior police officer.

On December 12, the said house was broken into, and the teen was allegedly listed as one of the perpetrators.

“Two members of the Guyana Police Force allegedly caused some injuries to a 17-year-old male…

He was picked up by these two ranks, who were allegedly with other persons, and taken to a dwelling in the Parfaite Harmonie area. I think the dwelling is their residence. The background to that is that their dwelling was broken into sometime prior and it was felt that the young man was a suspect,” James shared.

Upon reaching the house, the two ranks – one of whom is stationed at the Tactical Services Unit and the other, at the Wales

Police Commissioner Leslie James

Police Station – proceeded to inflict injuries and even poured a hot liquid on the teenager. This substance is believed to be hot water.

“The allegation is that the ranks proceeded to inflict injuries on him, that is, he was beaten and he was also burnt about his body by some liquid. I suspect it must’ve been water, hot water.”

The Top Cop said these allegations were made via a report by the young man’s relatives, and an investigation was later launched to determine what transpired.

Since then, both constables were taken into custody and the teen is said to be nursing his injuries at home.

“The investigation is being led by a very senior police officer…According to the Divisional Commander who reported to me, the

young man reported to his sister who then took the information to her mother and they all went to the Parfaite Harmonie Police Station where a report was made,” he informed.

Just two days ago, it was announced that a police officer who was caught on video using his handcuffs to beat a man while trying to arrest him at the Meadow Bank Wharf, Georgetown, earlier this month, was relieved of his duties which involve dealing with the public.

Commander of Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) Sub-division A (Georgetown), Assistant Police Commissioner Edgar Thomas told Guyana Times on Sunday that investigations into the matter were currently ongoing and is being spearheaded by the Office of Professional

Responsibility (OPR).

However, in the interim, until the probe is concluded, the rank has been tasked with other duties which do not permit him to deal directly with the public.

According to Commander Thomas, once the OPR makes its recommendation after its investigation, he will abide by it. As such, that policeman’s career depends solely on the findings of the OPR. Police ranks are issued various items to execute their duties; for instance, a baton is used to assist in subduing a suspect, the Commander noted, while a pair of handcuffs is used for another purpose.

However, according to the Commander, when a police officer uses one of his tools for a purpose than the one originally intended, this will lead to questions about whether or not the rank had stepped out of line or breached the rights of the suspect.

On December 5, a video went viral on social media (Facebook) with the police officer in question attempting to aid his colleague in arresting 32-year-old Quincy Little.

Little was accused of stealing a snapper from another vendor and the police visited him two hours after the simple larceny report was made requesting that he accompany them to the Ruimveldt Police Station.

(Rupa Seenaraine)

Lolita Callender and Onika Pompey

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uyanese makeup artist Lolita Callender, popularly known as “Lola Doll”, was on Tuesday found guilty of assaulting her former friend during a fight.

When the matter was called in the courtroom of Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty, who was conducting the trial, she stated that sufficient evidence was found against the make-up artist.

Callender, after hearing the verdict, apologised for her actions but the victim was not present in court.

The Magistrate instructed the defendant to apologise to the victim on the next court appearance which is slated for January 17, 2020, for sentencing.

The Magistrate deferred sentencing as she wanted to benefit from a probation report on Callendar’s character.

Callendar, 28, of Lot 231 East Ruimveldt Housing Scheme, Georgetown, had pleaded not guilty to the charge which alleged that on April 6, 2018, at Leopold Street, Georgetown, she caused grievous bodily harm to Onika Pompey.

She is presently out on bail and will return to court on January 17, 2020, for sentencing.

It was reported that on the day in question, Callendar and Pompey had a misunderstanding which led to a scuffle that resulted in Pompey receiving lacerations about her body including several bites.

Callendar was recently released from prison after being sentenced to six months behind bars in the British Virgin Islands for falsifying her HIV test in June 2019.

According to information received, in April last, the woman had a male take an HIV test under the name “Lolita Callendar”.

When the individual went to collect the results, he was in the company of the actual Lolita Callendar.

At this point, the duo, upon collecting the results, informed the staff that they needed the “Male” to be replaced with “Female.”

This caused the staffers at the medical institute to call in the police and Callendar was arrested, charged and found guilty of the offence.

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MARAD accused of undermining Bartica Speedboat Association

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he Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) has been accused of undermining the mandate of the Bartica Speedboat Association (BSA).

This was according to BSA President, Stephen Belle, who stated that he received a letter from the organisation informing him that the Association will no longer be responsible for the approval of applications for speedboats to be added to the turn system.

According to Belle, MARAD has been undermining the Association for some time now and has not been allowing for it to execute its mandate. Instead, MARAD has now taken full control of a key role of the Association.

“This morning I received a letter dated the 13th of December which says, with immediate effect, all appli-

Bartica Speedboat Association President Stephen Belle

tems must be made to the Maritime Administration for approval. Such authority no longer resides with the Association,” he added.

He claimed that there was an instance earlier last year where one boat was given a turn in the system without the Association’s approval or any application being filed.

He stated that MARAD’s

Speedboat operators at Bartica Stelling

cations for water taxi speedboats to operate within the various services turn sys-

Director General, Claudette Rogers, had said that the boat was owned by an oil

company, but it was later discovered that the owner of the boat was linked to a senior Government official.

Belle said that the boat was placed in the system by MARAD without any consultations or approval from the Association.

“We are very much concerned about what is happening and it seems as though nobody cares and [there is] nothing to be done… My major concern of this change is I think this is fraudulent, I think this is not good in principle,” the President expressed.

He added that MARAD has also been adopting unconstitutional practices by exceeding the stipulated number of boats allowed to operate.

“Right now, as it is, we have 53 boats, our Constitution says 50.

Maritime induced on us three more boats, then now they want to bring in eight,” Belle noted.

The President further stated that the negative effect which the excessive number of boats in the system will have.

“Everything is on a decline in Guyana, including the boat service, so if they do something like this, it means that the boat business would become now not viable.”

Belle told Guyana Times that there are a number of boats operating without the legal requirements being

Maritime Administration Director General Claudette Rogers

met and that despite several reports being made, MARAD has failed to enforce the regulations on those guilty of breaking the laws and other relevant authorities have continued to ignore this.

“Every day there are boats that are loading back and forth without licences under the watchful eyes of the Maritime officials at Parika. Reports were made to the police and to the Minister, the Director [of] Maritime Safety, Harbour Master and nobody seems to care, nobody seems to be doing anything about it,” Belle explained.

The President indicated that the Association will be seeking legal action against MARAD if things are not rectified as soon as possible.

MARAD’s Public Relations Officer, when contacted, told Guyana Times to return a call today Wednesday at 09:00h.

Silvie's Industrial Solutions (SIS) and NAMILCO have contributed to the wonderful Bal Nivas organisation through donations for the past two years.

This shelter/orphanage is currently providing a comfortable and secure haven for more than 25 children from across the country, who were affected by various forms of abuse.

It was opened in 2014 in the region of Berbice by the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha. In the photo, Deepawattie Persaud of SIS presents a donation to Dr Vindhya Persaud of the Bal Nivas/Sabha

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Ramsammy’s Ruminations Change in attitude needed to APNU/AFC’s legacy

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adly, the more the truth is revealed about oil contracts, the angrier we get. Has anyone noticed how quiet APNU/ AFC has gotten about the $US5000 per person annual cash transfer Clive Thomas and the WPA were proposing? The PNC, AFC and WPA have gone stark silent. They too have realised it would be some time before Guyanese meaningfully benefit from Guyana’s oil resources. But it is becoming crystal clear that oil companies, among the world’s richest corporations, with some of the world’s and history’s highest-paid executives, are about to get vulgarly richer, while poor Guyanese must wait for some time before even little bits of benefits reach them.

Make no mistake, oil is good for Guyana. On paper, we are destined to become one of the richest Caricom countries and one of the wealthiest developing Dr Leslie Ramsammy countries in the world.

Global economic bodies, including the World Bank and Bloomberg, agree Guyana’s GDP will increase in 2020 to almost US$10,000 per capita from about US$4500 presently, overall GDP increasing from around US$5B to about US$10B, an almost 100% increase. While oil companies will become filthy richer from day 1, no matter which Guyanese government is in place, the truth is that as long as present dispensation is allowed to continue, the riches oil companies will benefit from immediately will not be shared by Guyanese in their daily lives any time soon. On paper, we will become a rich country, but in reality, poor Guyanese will take crumbs.

That is why everyone has gone quiet, realising we have been shafted, that APNU/AFC gave away our national patrimony, our oil for little or nothing. Ordinary Guyanese are crying out that we put APNU/AFC to protect our interest, instead, they allowed “cat to eat we dinner”.

Take the announcement that oil companies want to build their own offices in Guyana. With the vast oil resources they control in Guyana, this makes sense. These Headquarters will become landmarks, a must-visit for Guyanese and tourists. I can see teachers planning visits to these buildings for children. It will positively add to Guyana’s landscape. For certain, these office buildings for oil companies are expected to be far more expensive than the Marriott Hotel, the most expensive privately-owned building in Guyana, reflecting how much richness will be generated from Guyana’s oil and gas.

But guess who will pay for these luxurious office buildings? It will be paid for by Guyana’s oil. Oil companies will deduct this cost from oil revenues before Guyana can get a share of profit.

In other words, these spanking new first-world headquarters will eat into the profits and Guyana is the big loser. Why should oil companies not use their share of profits to pay for their own headquarters? And our Energy Department says these companies can inflate the costs without being penalised. Do you see why lots of Guyanese think “cat eat we dinner”?

Already, our measly royalty, in the form of barrels of oil, is not really 2% or 1%. We have to pay oil companies for extracting and transporting our oil to our storage sites.

We then have to pay someone to sell it for us. Presently, the Government has embarked on a process that removes all transparency and every norm of accountability and international bidding standard for finding that someone.

There is no way of knowing whether we will have a good deal.

There is no way to know someone else is not getting rich from our resources while we are left with crumbs. What we do know, after deducting all these costs, our royalties becomes cut in half. And Granger cannot be bothered, even after his own energy boss tells the nation the Department of Energy does not really know what they are doing but nobody should worry because they will learn as they go.

We know that after using our profits to pay off corporate and income taxes and giving oil companies enormous dutyfree concessions, our share of the profits will take a sledgehammering. So even though on paper we are entitled to a 50% profit, it is really more like a 66 to 34% share. Even with all these constraints, even with a bad deal, oil and gas are big enough to ensure Guyana’s share is still meaningful, that Guyana’s benefits can genuinely change people’s lives for the better. But it means we must ensure total transparency and accountability, competence and efficiency and a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) managed in the interest of our people, and not a group of politicians and their friends and families.

But APNU/AFC designed a politically-controlled SWF intended for oil companies to get filthy richer, some politicians, their friends and families to get rich, but for the majority of Guyanese to live just as they did before oil. This tragedy has already played out in Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria and far too many other places on earth. It is not too late for Guyana to change this ugly storyline. To begin with, as Bharrat Jagdeo and the PPP promised, we must repeal and reenact an entirely new SWF.

combat road carnage – Top Cop …says current penalties against motorists are ‘sufficient’

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ith the high instances of road death recorded in recent months, Police Commissioner Leslie James is of the belief that motorists and other road users need to change their attitude for there to be a reduction in minor, serious and fatal accidents.

Guyana’s road carnage has increased in recent time, with as many as 12 persons losing their lives within seven days. While the Police Force has a major role to play in keeping the roadways safe, the Top Cop said the attitude of motorists is a major factor.

“This is what I would like to say. We would like to see a change in the attitude of motorists and the way in which they use our roads and they would have heard statements made by the Traffic Chief in that regard, speak-

ing directly to persons who are using the road, who decide on occasion the way in which they would driver or the way in which they would use the road resulting in serious and fatalities…It’s almost as if they’re flouting the law,” he cautioned.

Since last Sunday, the Force employed a new operation to decrease these numbers and make the roads safer, especially during the holiday season. James said more human resources will be put aside for this, until there is a positive change.

“We are out there in numbers…We sat and strategised after which we commenced an operation referred to as ‘Operation Safe Roads’…We’ve been doing what we have to do. We’ll continue to do what we have to do. We have increased numbers now following this operation that commenced on Sunday and this will continue until we see a change in the attitude of those using the road,” James added.

Penalties

Families of victims have been calling for stiffer penalties against errant road users, saying that the consequences are too lenient, hence the continued recklessness on the roadways.

But the Police Commissioner contended that Guyana’s Laws are sufficient.

Police Commissioner Leslie James

“We are aware that on occasions, especially in some developed countries, they may have certain penalties which can be used as a deterrent to cause persons to think differently about the way in which they would use roads while driving etc. The

law as it is today and penalties and fines being given to persons who are found driving dangerously and even where persons are incarcerated following an accident caused by dangerous driving, I think it is sufficient at this time.”

Later, at another event on Tuesday, the Police Commissioner divulged that there was an increase in ‘sensational’ fatal accidents.

On Sunday, 28-yearold Dean Grenville of Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, succumbed to his injuries while receiv-

ing medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) following an accident at New Amsterdam Public Road.

Based on reports received, at about 15:00h on the day in question, Grenville was driving motorcycle HC 6868 at a fast rate when he collided with motorcycle CJ 6265 driven

by Rodrick Ageeday also of Stanleytown.

As a result, both drivers received injuries and were picked up and taken to New Amsterdam Public Hospital where they were examined by a doctor on duty.

However, Ageeday sustained several fractures about the body while Grenville was referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital in a critical condition. He sustained a fracture skull and other injuries to the body including severe bleeding of the lungs.

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Tender for oil & gas Sergeant Clive Clarke awarded law firm likely by next Best Cop for A Division week – Energy Dept …foreign law firm to develop, revise legislation for Guyana’s oil sector

Energy Department Director, Dr Mark Bynoe

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he Department of Energy is one puzzle piece closer to improving Guyana’s ability to regulate the sector, announcing on Monday that it has almost completed a tender to contract an oil and gas law firm to help Guyana develop much-needed legislation for the sector.

This announcement was made by the Department’s Director, Dr Mark Bynoe, during a press conference at the Department’s new office on Brickdam, Georgetown.

According to Bynoe, they are hoping to complete the process in the new week.

“The tender for an international oil and gas law firm to revise, replace or develop legislation for Guyana’s oil and gas sector is almost complete, as we are in the contract negotiation phase as we speak.”

“We’re hoping to complete this process before Christmas, so we could send the consultants off with a wonderful Christmas present. And the mode take for this project is largely a joint venture approach, with most of the technical expertise coming from the international firm and the non-technical experts coming from right here in Guyana.”

Bynoe noted that they had previously been receiving legal advice from inter-

national law firm Clyde and Co. In addition, the Energy Department has been receiving advice from specialists like Crude Marketing Specialist, Virginia Markouizos, Commercial Expert Juan Lopez-Raggi and oil and gas legal expert

barrels of oil equivalent to over six billion. In addition, Exxon is moving ahead with its Liza Phase two project, which will contain approximately 30 wells.

ExxonMobil has estimated the recoverable resource in the block to be 5 billion oil-equivalent barrels. At US$50 a barrel, that equates to well over US$200 billion. In addition, an independent assessment, or competent people’s report, had found that 2.9 billion barrels of oil existed in the Orinduik block.

Exxon is expected to use revenue from its production in order to recoup its capital investment. Whatever remains of this is the “profit oil” Guyana will have to split with the oil company and its associates.

All this has happened and the only piece of oil-related legislature that has

Clyde and Co has previously provided international legal expertise to the Department

Peter Stewart, himself, a former member of Clyde and Co. Originally scheduled for 2020, the projected start of first oil production for Exxon and its partners has been moved up to sometime this month. A Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel has already arrived in Guyana’s waters, with Dutch firm SBM Offshore constructing a second one for offshore Guyana.

So far, Esso Exploration & Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL, Exxon’s local subsidiary) has made 14 oil finds in the Stabroek block over 100 miles offshore Guyana, including four for this year.

Last year, the company made five discoveries. These discoveries have pushed the total estimated recoverable

been made official is the Natural Resources Fund Act. Everything else has been in development.

Safeguards like a Local Content Policy to give guidance on local content for Guyanese, an oil depletion policy to control the rate of oil extraction and a national oil spill strategy are still not officially in place.

When the second draft of the Local Content Policy was released, the policy itself admitted that it does not deal with mid and downstream oil and gas initiatives but rather, the direct, upstream parts of the sector.

A National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP) was supposed to have been completed by early November, but that did not materialise. According to the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) Director, Major Kester Craig, a number of factors have caused the plan’s completion to be pushed back.

Craig had explained that one major factor in the delay was the additional comments they got from various stakeholders. Another factor was the manpower and resources that were diverted by the CDC to combat the recent effects of overtopping and flooding in coastline communities.

Nevertheless, Craig had assured that the lack of a completed policy does not stop the relevant authorities from acting in the unfortunate event of a spill.

Moreover, he had promised that the plan would be ready and presented to Cabinet by the time first oil arrives.

Police Commissioner Leslie James

O

Sergeant Clive Clarke, Best Cop for A Division

ver 50 Police officers from the Guyana Police Force’s A Division were on Tuesday recognised for their outstanding performance.

Sergeant Clive Clarke, who is attached at the Brickdam Police Station, was awarded Best Cop for A Division.

Speaking at the event, which was hosted at the Brickdam Police Station on Tuesday, Police Commissioner Leslie James reflected on the various challenges Police ranks face on a daily basis in the execution of their duties.

“I urge that you all remain steadfast and resolute in doing this work,”

the Commissioner told the ranks, adding that when becoming a cop, officers have signed on and swore to provide world-class protection for all citizens and to remain steadfast and resolute as they execute their mandates.

“This job must be dealt without fear, without affection, without malice, without ill will. You have the entire Force behind you and you must understand that.

I am reminding you that the Guyana Police Force has a support mechanism, there is no need for you to extort [unassertiveness] while you execute your duties. It can be confusing when our citizens experience [unassert-

iveness] while you are executing your duties, so I urge while you engage the public you do so with much assertiveness,” James emphasised.

In addition, several officers were given on the spot promotion. The subordinate officer at the Stabroek Police Outpost, Corporal Hicks, was promoted to Sergeant.

Woman Lance Corporal Rodney, who is attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at the Alberttown Police Station, was promoted to Corporal.

Also promoted to Corporal are Lance Corporals Richard Trotz and Keyon Ward.

Among the officers promoted to Lance Corporal were Woman Constables Erna Delicia and Tamesha Adams.

Additionally, 43 other ranks received gifts for their outstanding performance.

Convict in wedding house killing appeals conviction, sentence

A

fter being convicted and sentenced for the lesser count of manslaughter late last month, 38-year-old Rajen Dindial formerly of Lot 653 Section C Block Y, Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD) has moved to the Appeal Court, challenging his recent conviction and sentence.

Dindial was found guilty of manslaughter whilst on trial at the High Court for the September 3, 2017, Sarron Street Grove, EBD, murder of 25-year-old Alston Henry. He was subsequently sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment by Justice JoAnn Barlow.

However, in his appeal application, the convict, through his attorney, Nigel Hughes, argued that the presided Judge erred in some areas during the summing up aspects of his trial.

Court documents revealed that the appeal was filed on the grounds that the trial Judge erred in law when she failed to direct the jury to completely disregard the contents of the confession statement after it had been read to the jury and subsequently withdrawn from the jury.

Manslaughter convict: Rajen Dindial

This is in addition to Dindial arguing that the Judge erred when she failed to withdraw the case from the jury after reversing her decision to permit the caution statement into the evidence and the only implicating evidence was manifestly unreliable and the sentence being too excessive.

These are the grounds among others. Previous reports have revealed that Henry was at a wedding house with Dindial’s relatives when an argument ensued between the duo.

The now-dead man started to act in a disorderly

manner and threw down a portable toilet that was on the property where the wedding was being kept.

As such, the convict picked up a dabla (large wooden spoon) and dealt Henry several blows about his body.

The man fell unconscious but was however picked up and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

As such, the Dindial was later taken into Police custody where he was later charged with the offence.

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesday, december 18, 2019

17

Around the World

Pervez Musharraf: Pakistan ex-leader Doctors kidnapped in Kenya “are well”, Cuba says sentenced to death for treason

A

Pakistani court has sentenced former military ruler Pervez Musharraf to death in absentia for treason over his 2007 imposition of emergency rule.

Such a verdict is a first in a country with a history of army rule. The military reacted angrily, saying legal process “seems to have been ignored”.

The general seized power in a 1999 coup and was President from 2001 to 2008.

The penalty is unlikely to be carried out. Gen Musharraf was allowed to leave Pakistan in 2016 and is in Dubai.

The high treason charge has been pending since

General Pervez Musharraf resigned from office in 2008

2013. It relates to Gen Musharraf’s suspension of the Constitution in 2007, when he declared an emergency in a move intended to extend his tenure.

The 76-year-old said he

is receiving medical treatment in Dubai. He issued a video statement from a hospital bed earlier this month, describing the case against him as “baseless”.

Many of Pakistan’s army

chiefs have either ruled the country directly after coups, as Gen Musharraf did, or wielded significant influence over policymaking during periods of civilian rule.

But Gen Musharraf was the first army chief to be charged with such a crime and the powerful military have watched the case carefully.

It said the court ruling had been “received with a lot of pain and anguish by rank and file of the Pakistan Armed Forces”.

Analysts say the institution is deeply aware that how the case proceeds could set a precedent. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Mexico to hike daily minimum wage by 20%, experts worry about inflation

T

he Mexican government on Monday agreed to raise the daily minimum wage by 20%, the second consecutive major increase, but experts said a large hike could make it challenging for the central bank to keep core inflation under control.

“We continue to gradually recover the value that the minimum salary has lost over time without creating instability, without creating inflation,” Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said. “This is

an important increase.”

The daily minimum wage will be 123.22 pesos ($6.36) in 2020; in the northern border region, where it was raised by 5%, it will be 185.56 pesos. Nearly 11 million Mexican workers earn the equivalent of a minimum wage.

Lopez Obrador, a leftist who took office in December 2018, has vowed to close the wage gap in a country where almost half of the population lives in poverty.

Mexico increased the minimum wage by 16% this

year, during which inflation eased to 2.97% in November, just below the central bank’s target of 3%. But, core inflation, which strips out some volatile elements, was higher last month at 3.65%.

“In the past, real wage growth had been generally aligned with productivity,” economists at JPMorgan wrote in a note issued ahead of the decision. “The new wage policy has opened a significant wedge between the two, which eventually will likely create economic imbalances.”

The central bank, known as Banxico, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In its most recent minutes, some Banxico members raised uncertainty around changes to the minimum wage.

However, experts said a significant change to the minimum wage could put the brakes on the central bank’s trend of cutting interest rates, which were cut from 8.25% at the end of last year to 7.50%. (Excerpt from Reuters)

More than 20 killed in air raids on towns in Syria’s Idlib

A

t least 22 civilians, including several children, have been killed in northwest Syria as Russian and Government forces launched a series of air raids, according to volunteer medics who operate in rebel-held areas.

The Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, said the attacks on Tuesday targeted a dozen towns and villages in Maaret al-Numaan district, Idlib province, causing civilians to flee en masse towards internally displaced people (IDP) camps near the Turkish border.

Ahmed Sheikho, a spokesperson for the Civil Defence, told Al Jazeera that nine people were killed in the town of

People inspect debris of buildings after a Syrian Government air raid in Maarat al-Numaan district, Idlib

Tal Mannis, six were killed in Bidama and five others were killed in Maasaran. One person was killed in al-Kanayes, while another person was killed in Maar Shamshah, he added.

A market in the ru-

ral town of Maasaran was also bombed, according to Sheikho, who said that dozens of people were wounded across the region in the attacks and that rescue operations were ongoing on Tuesday evening.

Videos posted on social media and confirmed by residents showed emergency crews pulling charred bodies along the debris-strewn streets of Maasaran as ambulances were arriving.

The bombing began at around 7 am local time (05:00 GMT), Abbadeh Zakrah, a White Helmets volunteer-based in Maaret al-Numaan district, told Al Jazeera.

“The sound of barrel bombs has not stopped all day,” he said. “Bombardment was targeting civilians fleeing from towns and villages near the main highway.

“This is a vicious and systematic bombing camping to force people out of the northern region,” Zakrah said.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Angola recovers more than $5B in stolen assets

A

ngola’s Justice Minister Francisco Queiroz has said the country has so far this year recovered more than five billion dollars stolen from state coffers, both at home and abroad.

The money, including three billion dollars stolen from the Sovereign Wealth Fund, had been siphoned off by corruption and money-laundering, state news agency ANGOP on Monday quoted Queiroz as telling an international conference in Abu Dhabi.

Queiroz did not give specific details

about how the money was stolen.

An anti-corruption drive has accelerated in Africa’s second-biggest oil-exporting country since 2017, when Joao Lourenco became President, ending the nearly 40-year grip on power by Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

The Government wants to erase the influence of the former first family, recover lost assets and privatise state firms.

After taking over, Lourenco fired Dos Santos’s son as Head of the Sovereign Wealth Fund and his daugh-

ter, Isabel, as Chair of state oil company Sonangol.

The son, Jose Filomeno de Sousa, went on trial last week along with the Head of the Central Bank accused of transferring $500 million in state funds to a London account.

The Government said a business partner had returned over three billion dollars allegedly stolen from the Sovereign Wealth Fund.

Members of the Dos Santos family have denied wrongdoing. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Cuba has about 100 doctors in Kenya and is working with authorities there to secure the release of two who were kidnapped by jihadists, Vice President of the Cuban Council of Ministers Ines Maria Chapman said

T

wo Cuban doctors who were kidnapped in Kenya in April and taken to Somalia “are well”, a Cuban official said Tuesday, adding that both countries were working to get them released.

“The Kenyan authorities affirmed that both doctors, Assel Herrera and Landy Rodriguez, are well and they will continue their efforts, as well as those carried out by our country, for their safe return to Cuba,” Ines Maria Chapman, Vice President of the Cuban Council of Ministers, told reporters on Monday after returning from a trip to Kenya.

The pair – a general practitioner and a surgeon – were abducted on April 12 by suspected Al-Shabaab jihadists in Mandera, near the border with Somalia.

A top Government official said in May the gunmen had demanded $1.5 billion

for their release.

Herrera and Rodriguez were part of a 100-member Cuban medical brigade that was working in Kenya under an agreement between the two countries.

“Our people can be sure that the Cuban Government, like the Government of Kenya, is making huge efforts, paying special attention to this issue,” Chapman said.

She did not elaborate on the location of the two doctors, nor steps that were being taken for the release.

The rest of the Cuban doctors in Kenya “are fine, they are safe. Some doctors who were on the border have been relocated closer to the capital”.

Somalia’s Al-Shabaab militants have been waging an insurgency against the foreign-backed Government in Mogadishu for over a decade. (AFP)

Moise hoping for better 2020

H

aitian President Jovenel Moise, who has withstood calls for his resignation throughout the year, is promising to work harder to improve the lives of Haitians in 2020.

In a message for the Christmas Season, Moise, who came to power in 2017, noted that the new year must bring with it “hope for things to improve”.

“Yes, they must improve, because we will continue to fight without giving up. We will fight for what is due to you will reach you. Every day we work hard in the midst of all difficulties, to unite for and put an end to the ying-yang that divides us.

We need good unity, unity between rich and poor; unity between those from below and from above; unity between black and fair-skinned people; unity between people from the outside and those from the city; unity between the diaspora and the people living in Haiti,” Moise said in his Christmas message.

He is urging Haitians to “stand shoulder to shoulder, to refuse the abuses and violence that are done to our brothers and sisters”.

“Let’s learn to hug the

other to take the road of progress and true development,” he added.

Moise has been under pressure from opposition political parties that have accused him of corruption and have been staging violent street protests in a bid to force him out of power.

He has denied any wrongdoing and has instead called on the opposition to be part of the efforts to establish a government of national unity.

Meanwhile, media reports here say that Moise has written to Germeil Castel of the Marriott Accord Committee, inviting him to talks at the National Palace on Monday in a bid to find a solution to the crisis which has paralysed the country for many months.

The reports quoted the correspondence in which Moise wants to discuss with Castel, the “document prepared to end the crisis at the Marriott hotel dated November 11, 2019”.

Meanwhile, the Consensual Alternative Passage of Power Commission says it is ready to dialogue with Moise “if the President wants to meet with us on the terms of his departure”. (CMC)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesday, december 18, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS

dilbert

(April 20May 20)

Peanuts

Knowledge will be a powerful tool when you’re facing someone who tends to stretch the truth or offer false information. Don’t get into an argument; state the facts and keep moving forward.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Getting together with someone you haven’t seen in a long time will be rejuvenating. The ideas you share with each other will encourage you to stay in touch and to collaborate more. Romance is in the stars.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

Be prepared to give a little and to take something in return. Be generous of your time and open with your feelings. An unusual opportunity shouldn’t be ignored.

A change looks promising.

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

Don’t leave anything to chance. Articulate exactly what you know, how you feel and what you want. A change of attitude will help ease stress and encourage a healthier lifestyle.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Take time to rethink your strategy. If your plan isn’t panning out, switch gears and try something else. Don’t let your emotions interfere with you making the right decision.

If you can’t find the words, make your actions count. A kind gesture will be well received and will lead to an unexpected reward.

Romance waits in the wings.

Don’t believe everything you hear. Consider the source of the information you receive and choose not to take action. Keeping the peace is in your best interest.

Do things for others and reap the rewards. Your input will help bring about positive change to your community, family or employer.

Celebrate with a loved one.

If you aren’t sure, don’t SAGITTARIUS share. Information should (Nov. 23be verified before you pass Dec. 21) it along. Protect your reputation, important relationships and assets. Emotional spending should be avoided.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

SOLUTION FOr LAST PUBLISHED puzzle AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Your actions will speak for you. If you love someone, show them how much. You don’t have to buy expensive gifts; affection and passion should suffice.

Tidy up loose ends. Take advantage of tax incentives and other savings you can make before the year ends.

A positive change will be the result of helping others.

What you say may be disputed by someone who doesn’t see things your way.

Rely on honesty and integrity if you want to come out on top. Don’t embellish; truth matters.

wednesday, DECember 18, 2019

19

round-up: Mavs end

Bucks' 18-game win streak K

ristaps Porzingis collected 26 points and 12 rebounds as the visiting Dallas Mavericks ended the Milwaukee Bucks’ 18-game winning streak with a 120-116 victory on Monday.

Seth Curry scored 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the floor for the Mavericks, who overcame Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 48-point, 14-rebound performance to post their 12th win in 15 games.

Dallas played without reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic, who sustained a moderate right ankle sprain Saturday during the first quarter of a 122-118 loss to the Miami Heat.

Kyle Korver had five 3-pointers to highlight his season-high 17 points for the Bucks, whose streak fell two wins shy of the franchise record. The loss was Milwaukee’s first since a 103-100 setback at Utah on Nov. 8.

Oklahoma City Thunder

109 - Chicago Bulls 106

Chris Paul scored 30 points to lift Oklahoma City to a come-from-behind win over visiting Chicago. The Thunder trailed by as many as 26 points before launching a comeback that tied the biggest in franchise history and is the biggest in the NBA this season.

Paul fueled the fourth-quarter portion of the comeback, going 5-for-6 from behind the 3-point arc and scoring 19 in the final frame. The other 26-point comeback in Thunder history came last season against the Houston Rockets.

Danilo Gallinari added 22 points in the win while Dennis Schroder came off the Thunder bench for 18.

Paul narrowly missed a triple-double, finishing with 10 rebounds and eight assists. The blown lead spoiled Zach LaVine’s game-high 39-point performance for the Bulls.

Houston Rockets 109 San Antonio Spurs 107

Russell Westbrook scored 25 of his 31 points in the first half, and James Harden finished with 28 as Houston rallied past visiting San Antonio.

Houston trailed by 25 in the second quarter and by 19 at the half but roared back behind Westbrook and Harden, who scored 19 of his 28 points in the second half.

LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Forbes scored 18 points, all in the first half on six 3-pointers, while Dejounte Murray and White scored 16 points each.

Toronto Raptors 133 Cleveland Cavaliers 113

Pascal Siakam scored 33 points and Toronto defeated visiting Cleveland in the first meeting this season between the teams.

Norman Powell added 26 points on 11-for-15 shooting for the Raptors, who have won two in a row. Kyle Lowry had 20 points and 11 assists, Serge Ibaka scored 14 points off the bench and

OG Anunoby contributed 12 points and nine rebounds.

Collin Sexton scored 25 points for the Cavaliers, who have lost 10 of their past 11 games and two in a row.

Darius Garland added 20 points for the Cavaliers.

mation related to an allergic reaction. Blake Griffin was sidelined by left knee soreness. He has appeared in only 14 of the team’s 27 games.

Washington Wizards 133 Detroit Pistons 119 Bradley Beal poured in 35 points and dished out 10 assists, and Washington snapped a four-game losing streak by pulling away from host Detroit.

Isaiah Thomas, who missed the previous five games with a calf strain, supplied 23 points for Washington. Davis Bertans contributed 17 points off the Wizards’ bench while Ish Smith had 10 points and seven assists. Markieff Morris and Derrick Rose each had 22 points for the Pistons.

Detroit’s frontcourt stars missed the game. Andre Drummond, the league’s leading rebounder, sat out for the second straight game due to left eye inflam-

After squandering a 15-point halftime lead, Memphis closed the game on a 14-4 run to top visiting Miami.

Chipping away at a deficit that grew to as many as 16 points in the third quarter, the Heat took a threepoint lead with 5:30 remaining when Bam Adebayo dunked home two of his 14 points. The Grizzlies held the Heat to one point over the next 5:19.

Jonas Valanciunas’ had 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies, while Ja Morant dished out a gamehigh 10 assists to go with 20 points. Adebayo finished with a double-double for Miami, grabbing 13 rebounds to go with five assists, three steals and three

Memphis Grizzlies 118 - Miami Heat 111

blocked shots.

Portland Trail Blazers 111 - Phoenix Suns 110

CJ McCollum had 30 points, and Damian Lillard had 27 points and converted the winning three-point play with 26 seconds remaining as Portland overcame a 16-point deficit in a victory at Phoenix.

Carmelo Anthony had 23 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots, and Hassan Whiteside had his 18th double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who made 14 of 34 attempts from 3-point range. They had lost three of four overall and had lost six of their previous seven on the road.

Kelly Oubre Jr. had 24 points, Ricky Rubio had his sixth career triple-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists, and Dario Saric and Frank Kaminsky had 17 points apiece for the Suns, who have lost eight of 11.

NSC injects $1M into GBA Cuba stint T

he National Sports Commission (NSC) has come to the rescue of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) for the second time in two weeks as it looks to assist the Association in preparing local boxers for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

A total of four Guyanese boxers will have the opportunity to participate in a threemonth training stint in Cuba as they get ready for the Olympic qualifiers in March 2020. The athletes will include Keevin Allicock, Colin Lewis, Desmond Amsterdam and Dennis Thomas, who are arguably some of Guyana’s best prospects in boxing currently. The team is expected to be accompanied by Coaches Terrence Poole and Sebert Blake. Cuban Coach Roland Francisco will join the team in Cuba. The last time Guyana qualified for an Olympic event was in 1996. The feat was pulled off by light heavyweight John Douglas for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, US. Speaking at the simple presentation ceremony that was held at the NSC’s Homestretch Avenue office on Tuesday morning, GBA Technical Director Terrence Poole emphasised on the fact

dation, and their meals and of course, the Coaches there who will have to provide training,” Jones explained.

Disclosing that the highly-anticipated Olympic Qualifiers will be hosted in Argentina from March 26 to April 3, 2020, GBA President Ninvalle shared that the Association and boxers alike would continuously strive to put Guyana on the Olympic map.

“The sport of boxing is

Director of Sport, Christopher Jones hands over the cheque to GBA President Steve Ninvalle in the presence of Technical Director/Coach Terrence Poole

that major investments were needed if athletes were to be given the right environment and tools to succeed.

“I just want to reiterate what the President said just now. If you need good results in any sport, you have to start with investment. So, I appreciate very much the contribution being made by NSC, so we can have a well-prepared team going into the Olympic qualifier in March,” Poole highlighted.

In sharing what fuelled the NSC’s contribution, Director of Sport, Christopher Jones detailed a few of the areas that

the NSC’s contribution would cover. The Director of Sport went on to share that this $1 million would be followed by another donation of greater value in January 2020.

“Having the opportunity to have our boxers prepared in Cuba, is seen as most fitting and that’s why the NSC reached out to Mr [Steve] Ninvalle [GBA President] and the Boxing Association and indicated that we want to ensure that the boxers have every opportunity to prepare for this tournament. To cover their expenses, we’ll start with their airfare, accommo-

the nearest we will get to an Olympic medal in the near future and we will turn everything over in order to make this happen. So, this commitment from the Government is very important, the commitment from the Guyana Olympic Association is very important. I can say that each of the boxers selected committed to sacrifice in order to make this happen,” the GBA boss assured.

While it is the GBA’s hope

that the boxers could depart on December 29, it was revealed that the Guyanese pugilists would be exposed to better equipment, continuous sparring and Cuban boxing championships. They may also have an opportunity to compete in Panama and the Dominican Republic during January and February. The GOA association is also expected to make a donation in the near future.

Trophy Stall/Flying Ace cycling rescheduled for December 22

A

fter a delay on Sunday last, the Flying Ace Cycling Club of Berbice is set to host the Trophy Stall 40mile road race on Sunday, December 22 from 09:00h.

With some related issues affecting the commencement of the race, the stakes will remain the same when the race rides off.

This race is organised by Cycling Coach Randolph Roberts and trophy giant Trophy Stall’s Port Mourant branch in Berbice.

The race is set to commence

from Port Mourant at the gas station before heading to Number 51 Village, Corentyne and returning to the point of origin for the finish.

This race, which is open to Berbice cyclists only, will see three categories on show. The first five cyclists will be awarded prizes while the first three juveniles will be receiving awards. The other category of riders that will be on show is the 12-14 BMX Boys who will ride for 20 miles from Number 51 to Port Mourant, following the

seniors.

Eight sprint prizes will be up for grabs and the top wheelsmen will be gunning for supremacy. The likes of Flying Ace cyclist Balram Narine; Andrew Hicks; Andre “Padlock” Green; Trojans and national rider Curtis Dey; his teammate Ajay Goopilall, who is the 2019 national junior champion; Ralph Seenarine and Mario Washington will all be on show this Sunday.

This race is set to be the final one of 2019 in Berbice.

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

wednesday, DECember 18, 2019

Boards mourn death of Butcher: Berbice cricket hero Statement from CWI President Ricky Skerritt on the passing of Guyana and West Indies batsman Basil Butcher

I

t is with great sadness that Cricket West Indies has learnt of the passing of West Indies batting legend Basil Fitzherbert Butcher. Born in Port Mourant, Berbice, Guyana, on 3rd September 1933, to a St Phillip, Barbados father, Ethelbert Butcher and a Guyanese mother, Matilda Butcher, Basil was the eldest and only boy in a family of six sisters. He later became part of a prolific West Indies batting line-up that excited world cricket and brought great joy and pride to Guyanese and West Indian people everywhere. The name Basil Butcher is forever etched on the honours board at Lord’s cricket ground, as one of a select group of players who have scored a Test Hundred at Lords. Cricket West Indies would like to extend sincere condolences to Basil’s wife, Valerie Pamela Butcher, children Brian, Bruce, Basil Junior, Blossom and the extended Butcher family. West Indies Cricket has lost a legend and a proud pioneer.

After his illustrious playing days, he served both West Indies and Guyana cricket selflessly off the field in administration.

GCB extends heartfelt condolences on the passing of Butcher

It was with great sorrow that the executives and staff of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) learnt of the

form

Basil Butcher

passing of former Guyana and West Indies batsman Basil Fitzherbert Butcher.

Basil, who hails from Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, Berbice, played in the then Davson Cup First Division Cricket Competition for Port Mourant, the same club that former West Indian players Rohan Kanhai, Joseph Solomon, Alvin Kallicharran and the late Ivan Madray and many others played for. Butcher went on to play the Jones Cup Inter-County Tournament, then for Guyana and West Indies, registering a phenomenal average of 43.11 from 44 Test matches, inclusive of a magnificent 133 at Lords, for West Indies versus England.

After his playing days, Butcher went on to work

for the local company of ALCAN, Demerara Bauxite Company, which was situated in Upper Demerara.

There, he had the responsibility to develop cricket in the community, with the first national representatives from Linden coming up under his tutelage, inclusive of such names as Vibert Joheshen and Dr Vincent Adams. Their participation became more easily possible through the Butcher-led efforts for Upper Demerara’s involvement in White Cup, North Court and Case Cup Tournaments. In addition, recognition must be given to his contribution to the other cultural development activities, such as the role he played on the Cultural Committee which helped to

Mashramani.

Basil Fitzherbert Butcher was clearly a great son of our soil, and has contributed tremendously to the cricket structure and development of Guyana’s cricket.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time, as we share their pain and grief. May his soul rest in eternal peace!

Berbician scored 11,628 at the high average of 49.90 with 31 centuries and 54 fifties. He took 67 First-Class catches and claimed 40 wickets with his part-time leg spin. Butcher also had the best bowling figures for a Berbician for many years before Devendra Bishoo replaced him. He took 5 for 34 versus England.

The BCB salutes the memory of this great and legendary man, who would always have a special place in our heart and those who had the joy of seeing him bat during his career. He was inducted into our Hall of Fame, is a deserved member of our all-time Berbice XI and received our highest award.

Mr Butcher was also the father of our past President, Mr Keith Foster and was a close friend of

BCB mourns death of Butcher

It is with deep sadness that we learnt of the death of our cricketing legend, Basil F Butcher. Butcher died yesterday (Monday) after a long illness in the USA. Butcher in 1958 became the third Berbician to play Test cricket and went on to represent the West Indies in 44 Test matches before his pre mature retirement in 1969 at the age of 36.He scored 3104 runs at the respectable average of 43.11 with seven centuries and 16 fifties .His highest score was 209 not out .In 169 First-Class matches, this legendary

o u r current President.

He was well-known across the Caribbean for his views on West Indies cricket and was very concerned about the ongoing crisis in our cricket. For many years,

he was a major donor to Berbice cricket and was always willing to share his vast knowledge with the younger players. After his retirement, he served West Indies cricket as Chairman of Selectors and Manager.

We would like to urge all cricket clubs in our county to honour this great man in some way special and a minute of silence should be held before any BCB matches. The President and executives of the BCB would like to express our deepest sympathies to the family of the late Basil Butcher and wish to assure them that we share their grief. It is our hope that God will bless them during this difficult moment and provide them with love. We have lost a great cricketer and the world is a lot poorer without his charm, kindness and love of humanity.

It is our hope that every young cricketer in the county would work hard to emulate Basil Butcher, so that his legacy would live on.

Rest in Peace, our hero, friend and mentor – we shall miss you.

Thanks for the memories and the inspiration over the years. We at the BCB would continue to work hard every day to make sure that the legacy started by John Trim, Rohan Kanhai, Ivan Madray, Joe Solomon and Basil Butcher would continue in the future and that their names would forever be in the hearts of every cricket-loving Berbician.

KFC Goodwill Tournament…

4 teams battle for semi-final spots today F

ootball fans are in for an exciting afternoon of action, as four secondary school teams battle in order to seal a spot in the semi-final round of the KFC Goodwill Tournament.

The competition, which is now in its second year, has seen some brilliant performances over the past two playing days, with the playing field literally being level between the lone Trinidadian and five Guyanese teams at the Guyana Football Federation’s training facility at Providence.

Today’s double header will see two teams fighting to stay alive in the competition, while the others look to keep their slates clean.

In the first encounter at 13:00h, defending champions Shiva Boys will take on Annandale Secondary. The last time the two met was in the inaugural competition back in 2018 when Shiva Boys pulled off a last-minute victory four minutes before regulation time ended.

For flashback’s sake, current Shiva Boys Captain Adica Ash had netted the first in the 17 minute and Annandale’s Omari Glasgow

equalised in the 55th. It took a Jason Bristol goal in the 86th to give Shiva Boys the edge and the victory. This time around, spectators are in for a treat as the two teams look to bag three points. With Ash and Glasgow still being featured in their respective teams, the intensity will reach its boiling point when Annandale try to exact some revenge on their Trinidadian counterparts.

However, if Annandale are to advance to the semi-finals, they will need more than just Omari Glasgow, owing to their need to iron out their deplorable goal difference following a 9-1 loss to Annai Secondary on Saturday last.

These factors and the pure talent that both sides possess will make for an exhilarating first encounter.

The second game will see an inaugural meeting be-

tween Marian Academy and Waramadong, who are both new to the KFC Goodwill Tournament. The teams have started their campaign on contrasting notes, with Waramadong recording a 3-1 victory against Lodge Secondary and Marian Academy suffering a 6-1 loss to the same opponents.

Marian, who are eager to prove their worth after finishing third in the Guyoil/

Tradewind Tankers League, before the tournament’s start, had expressed intentions to weed down the competition.

They showed signs of this as they held off Lodge Secondary in the early minutes of their encounter, as such Marian are likely to take out their vengeance on Waramadong.

On the other hand, the team hailing from Region Seven looked composed in their 3-0 win and seemed to have no

trouble finding the back of the net.

The KFC Goodwill semi-finals will be contested on Friday, December 20, with the final showdown scheduled for December 22.

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

(Jemima Holmes)

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesday, DECember 18, 2019

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21

SleepIn Hotel supports GFF Super 16 Cup

G

eneral Manager of SleepIn Hotel located on Church Street in the city, Clifton Bacchus has committed his hotel, which is part of the SleepIn Hotels chain, towards supporting the annual Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Super 16, Cup which kicked off on Sunday night at the Police Sports Club Ground, Eve Leary with a double-header.

Bacchus handed over a cheque to GFF President Wayne Forde to confirm the support, noting that

SleepIn Hotel General Manager Clifton Bacchus (right) hands over the sponsorship cheque to GFF President Wayne Forde

the chain has been following the progress of the sport and this was its way of fulfilling its corporate responsibility of giving back, for development.

Forde, in accepting the sponsorship, noted that he welcomed the partnership of Bacchus and SleepIn Hotel for the year-end tournament, which has a total of 16 teams competing, with two already knocked out of the contest.

The GFF was very pleased with the support of SleepIn Hotel and wel-

comed it as another corporate partner for the yearend spectacle, which has already commenced and would get more exciting as the various match days unfolded, Forde said. “We look forward to a continued partnership and relationship with you and your hotel, Mr Bacchus as we work collectively to develop this beautiful game,” the GFF President declared.

The GFF Super 16 Cup will continue this weekend.

592 Beer Inter-Village Football Championship…

Quarter-finals start on Sunday

W

ith the exciting group stage concluded, quarterfinal section in the inaugural 592 Beer Inter-Village Football Championship will commence on Sunday with an exciting double-header at the Buxton Community Ground.

In the opening match, Mahaica will match skills with Friendship at 20:00h.

The weight of expectation of securing a semi-final berth will rest on the shoulders of Azuma Roberts, Eion Abel and Shameer Nazir come kickoff time.

Meanwhile, the trio of Dillon Wright, Clive Andries and Okenny Fraser will marshal the dangerous Friendship

outfit, a side which has grown with each outing and will have the partisan home support in their corner. In the second fixture, home side Buxton tackle Paradise at 22:00h.

The Paradise unit is considered one of the main contenders to secure the coveted title by several analysts. This label is justified as they possess quality players such as Quincy Adams and Tyreek Cummings in their roster.

However, the battle-hardened Buxtonians will be no pushovers and possess the skill set to create issues for their opponents, led by the dynamic Eon Costello.

Tournament coordinator Eon Havercome revealed that the event

would now officially conclude on January 1, 2020.

He stated that the decision to extend the event was based on the response of the players, fans and sponsors, providing the platform for the players to compete following the prolonged absence of structured football in the region.

According to Havercome, the staging of the event highlights that football was truly alive in the East Coast Demerara region, positing that the intention is for the tournament to be an annual affair. The competition continues with the second night of quarterfinal action on Christmas Day at the same venue.

The eventual champion will pocket $500,000 and the championship trophy. The second, third and fourth-place finishers will receive $200,000; $150,000 and $100,000 respectively and the corresponding trophy.

Similarly, individual prizes will also be award-

ed for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament, the MVP of the finale, the Best Goalkeeper of the tournament and the Best Goalkeeper of the final.

Some of the major sponsors of the tournament include Bakewell Guyana Incorporated, ExxonMobil, the NSC and Colin Talbot Construction Services.

In the second round of quarter-final matches scheduled for Christmas Day, Golden Grove will match skills with Brusch Dam in the opening match from 20:00h while Beterverwagting (BV) will oppose Ann’s Grove in the second encounter at 22:00h.

UDFA Christmas Football Tournament…

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ith the exciting group stage concluded, quarterfinal section in the inaugural 592 Beer Inter-Village Football Championship will commence on Sunday with an exciting double-header at the Buxton Community Ground.

In the opening match, Mahaica will match skills with Friendship at 20:00h.

The weight of expectation of securing a semi-final berth will rest on the shoulders of Azuma Roberts, Eion Abel and Shameer Nazir come kickoff time.

Meanwhile, the trio of

Dillon Wright, Clive Andries and Okenny Fraser will marshal the dangerous Friendship outfit, a side which has grown with each outing and will have the partisan home support in their corner. In the second fixture, home side Buxton tackle Paradise at 22:00h.

The Paradise unit is considered one of the main contenders to secure the coveted title by several analysts. This label is justified as they possess quality players such as Quincy Adams and Tyreek Cummings in their roster.

However, the battle-hardened Buxtonians will be no push-

overs and possess the skill set to create issues for their opponents, led by the dynamic Eon Costello.

Tournament coordinator Eon Havercome revealed that the event would now officially conclude on January 1, 2020.

He stated that the decision to extend the event was based on the response of the players, fans and sponsors, providing the platform for the players to compete following the prolonged absence of structured football in the region.

According to Havercome, the staging of the event highlights that football was tru-

ly alive in the East Coast Demerara region, positing that the intention is for the tournament to be an annual affair.

The competition continues with the second night of quarterfinal action on Christmas Day at the same venue.

The eventual champion will pocket $500,000 and the championship trophy. The second, third and fourth-place finishers will receive $200,000; $150,000 and $100,000 respectively and the corresponding trophy.

Similarly, individual prizes will also be awarded for the Most Valuable Player (MVP)

of the tournament, the MVP of the finale, the Best Goalkeeper of the tournament and the Best Goalkeeper of the final.

Some of the major sponsors of the tournament include Bakewell Guyana Incorporated, ExxonMobil, the NSC and Colin Talbot Construction Services. In the second round of quarter-final matches scheduled for Christmas Day, Golden Grove will match skills with Brusch Dam in the opening match from 20:00h while Beterverwagting (BV) will oppose Ann’s Grove in the second encounter at 22:00h.

ICC opens anti-corruption investigations after fixers intercepted at T10 league

T

he ICC has confirmed that it has intercepted a number of known corruptors at the Qatar T10 league and that it has opened several new investigations.

The event, which was sanctioned by the ICC 12 months ago, saw a raft of team changes in the days immediately before it started on December 7. The ICC's AntiCorruption Unit (ACU) was engaged by the league's organisers, with two officials deployed in the country.

Alex Marshall, the general manager of the ICC Integrity

ICC integrity unit general manager Alex Marshall (Getty Images)

Unit said: "The ICC sanctioned this event 12 months ago based on the sound information provided by the organisers.

"However, substantial changes to both team ownership and the organisers just days prior to the event getting underway rang alarm bells for us, and we applied additional investigative resource on the ground to address our concerns.

"As a result we have intercepted a number of known corruptors both in Qatar and globally and disrupted

planned corrupt activity at the event. This has given rise to a number of new investigations for the ICC ACU team as we continue in our efforts to ensure cricket is a corruption free sport."

Some bookmakers had removed markets for the league midway through the competition, with no explanation provided.

The tournament's final took place on Monday, with the Falcon Hunters beating the Swift Gallopers by four wickets. (Cricinfo)

22

wednesday, DECember 18, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

EBFA elects new President

T

he East Bank Football Association (EBFA) has a new President in former Vice President Kevin Anthony following the Association’s Annual General Meeting, which was held at the Mocha Community Centre on Monday evening.

Secretary Wayne Francois retained his position, but there was a re-positioning of some of the other executive members.

Based on the Constitution, no member can serve more than two consecutive terms (one term=two years), former President Franklin Wilson and Vice Presidents Anthony and Noel Harry served two terms each. Harry was elected as Assistant Secretary/Treasurer.

There was only one slate which was proposed by Timehri Panthers Football Club and seconded by Diamond United Football Club. The full

executive reads: Kevin Anthony (President); Orien Angoy (Vice President); Clayton Lambert Sr (Vice President); Wayne Francois (Secretary); Devnon Winter (Treasurer); Noel Harry (Assistant Secretary/ Treasurer) and Committee Members: Dillion Roberts, Amanda Angoy, Parbattie Winter, and Troy Jeffers.

Representing the Guyana Football Federation and overseeing the entire process was Lyndon France.

The Audited Financial Statement along with reports from the Immediate Past President Franklin Wilson and Secretary Francois were presented to the members. Wilson thanked the executive and clubs for allowing him to lead the Association for the past four plus years after serving as Secretary prior to taking up the top post.

EBFA President Kevin Anthony (seated centre) flanked by VPs Orien Angoy (left) and Clayton Lambert Sr. At back from left, Amanda Angoy, Devnon Winter, Wayne Francois, Noel Harry, Dillion Roberts, Troy Jeffers and GFF’s Lyndon France

He encouraged the new executive and clubs to continue working as a team to further advance the growth of the body, but, most im-

portantly, the players.

Gratitude was also expressed to the Guyana Football Federation and its President, Wayne

Forde, for their unflinching support towards the advancement of the game in the EBFA. Wilson promised to con-

tinue supporting the EBFA and said once called upon would be there to assist in the continued development of the EBFA.

Blairmont U-15s thump Achievers – U17 tournament continues

E

xciting junior cricket continued in the ancient county, Berbice on Monday last. In the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) Under-15 match, featuring Blairmont Community Centre and Archivers at Blairmont, hosts, Blairmont whipped the opponents by 158 runs.

Batting first, Blairmont racked up 201 all out in 32 overs due to rain. With proper invested covers at Blairmont, play was possible despite the inclement weather.

Blairmont collective batting effort was led by Rawl Dindyal who scored 30 and 12-year old batting sensation Razam Koobir who chipped in 27. Andy Rageraj and Zaid Baksh made 20 runs each. In reply Achievers were blown away like the winds for 43 all out in 14 overs when the impressive Andy Tageraj snapped up 5-6.

The left-arm spinner,

Andy Tageraj bowled with control to grab brilliant figures of 5-6

who made his First division debut against Tucber Park in the BCB Banks

Beer 2-Day recently, displayed great skill. He was supported by Dindyal who

polished off his all-round game with 3-14.

The matches will continue from tomorrow Thursday December 19.

In the Under 15 Zone B clash, Tucber Park will meet Rose Hall Canje at the Rose Hall Canje Community Centre Ground.

Kendall Union will play Edinburgh at Kendall Union while on Friday December 20, RH Canje will battle Edinburgh at Canje.

In the Zone C clash on Thursday December 19, Port Mourant will take on Albion at Albion While on Friday December 20, Albion and RHT Farfan and Mendes will battle for supremacy at Albion.

Meanwhile, in the Under 17 fixture set for today Wednesday December 18, Albion will meet Blairmont at Albion, Achievers clash Port

Rawl Dindyal and Razam Koobir chalked up fine effort with the bat

Mourant at Port Mourant, Tucber Park will meet RHT Bakewell at Tucber Park, and RH Canje takes

on Mt. Sinai at Canje. The semifinals are slated for Sunday December.

CWI appoints Whisper as host broadcaster for Ireland series in January 2020

C

ricket West Indies (CWI) and Whisper, the sport and live production specialist, are pleased to announce a new trial Partnership which appoints Whisper as Host Broadcaster of the West Indies vs Ireland series in January 2020. The series consists of three Colonial Medical Insurance One Day Internationals (ODIs) and three T20Is in Barbados, Grenada and St Kitts between 7-19 January.

In line w i t h

Whisper’s a m b i tious ap-

proach to its productions, the coverage will be led by established producer Rob

Williams, who was in the chair for this summer’s

dramatic World Cup final at Lord’s. The vastly experienced Simon Wheeler, a veteran in world cricket, will direct.

The commentary team is a strong collection of former players who will guide viewers through, what is sure to be an exciting series. Ian Bishop, Daren Ganga, Samuel Badree, Daren Sammy and Niall O’Brien are on board to offer entertaining insight and detailed analysis.

As well as managing the TV production, Whisper has also been appointed to produce a range of digital and multiplatform content for Cricket West Indies, to promote the reach of its games and maximise their impact. Dominic Warne, Commercial Director for Cricket West Indies, said, “As we move into a new five-year international match cycle, CWI plans to improve the coverage, accessibility and quality of in-

ternational cricket matches on both television and digital channels. This trial with Whisper is a key step to enhancing how we engage cricket and sports fans around the world with the unique story of our muchloved West Indies teams.’

Sunil Patel, Whisper CEO, added “It’s great to be working on these games for Cricket West Indies, which has some really exciting young players coming through. We are looking forward to showcasing them around the world. “Cricket is the heart and soul of communities in the Caribbean and we intend to draw on that by working with local

production talent and benefitting from their vast experience. It’s a really exciting Partnership for us, which also offers great potential for future opportunities.”

Whisper is one of a number of companies currently involved in an active tender process with Cricket West Indies for the longterm broadcast production of West Indies international cricket matches.

The West Indies vs Ireland agreement comes at a time of growth for Whisper in the cricket market and sits alongside another significant cricket win, which is due to be announced soon. (CWI)

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesday, DECember 18, 2019

23

India's home record under threat as Windies eye series win

I

t's been over 15 years since India last lost two consecutive bilateral ODI series at home.

They have also never lost five straight ODIs in India.

But both those things may happen if they lose to West Indies in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday - they lost the last three matches to concede the series against Australia 3-2 in March.

Although Rohit Sharma has been off-colour so far against West Indies, the rest of the Indian batting contingent has displayed enough composure and grit for the spotlight to move away from the star opening batsman. KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and Shivam Dube have all shown across t h e whiteball se-

be same about the team's bowling. Virat Kohli's template as captain has been to strangle teams in the middle overs after the new-ball bowlers do their job in their first spells, but with Jasprit Bumrah missing, the early wickets have been more difficult to come by.

It was on display in the first ODI, when the set West Indies batsmen played out the spin threat of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja with ease, despite plenty of turn on offer in Chennai.

It forced Kohli to bowl out D e e p a k Chahar and Mohammed Shami before the slog overs, leaving young Dube Shimron Hetmyer (BCCI Photos) with

ries that they could be relied on to take responsibility, but the same cannot

the loss to Australia, where Vijay Shankar was often the go-to bowler at the back end.

The only difference between India and the visitors in Chennai was the number of options each captain had, and West Indies' seven-bowler plan helped Kieron Pollard use conditions to his advantage.

In the preceding T20I series, West Indies had gone into the final game on level terms and then fallen short.

While they walk into the second game here with confidence, they need to make sure they don't let the opposition batsmen settle in.

In the spotlight

Is Shivam Dube a better all-round option than Vijay Shankar? An exciting half-century in the T20I series got people to sit up and take note, but his bowl-

ing hasn't been terribly impressive. On his ODI debut, he made just nine with the bat and conceded nearly nine per over with the ball.

There are question marks over his pace - late 120s and whether he can bowl accurately enough, to the team's fielding plans.

Shai Hope has been one of the keys to West Indies' success in recent times.

Hope's role as an anchor will be crucial once again, whether they bat first or chase. In his 218-run partnership at a strike rate of over 100 - with Shimron Hetmyer in Chennai, Hope was calm in his ap-

the task of bowling at the death. It was similar for India during

proach, scoring at a strike rate in the 60s while allowing his partner to bloom. He rotates the strike well, allowing his big-hitting partners to have that safety net, and gives a blanket of security to the team.

India may return to their "Kul-Cha" plans, having failed to trouble West Indies with spin in the first ODI. That means either Dube or Jadeja may be left out to accommodate Yuzvendra Chahal.

Whether Evin Lewis has recovered from a rightknee injury is not yet known. If he has, then he's likely to return to the XI in place of Sunil Ambris.

India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 Shivam Dube, 8 Ravindra Jadeja/Yuzvendra Chahal, 9 Deepak Chahar,

10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Mohammad Shami West Indies (probable) 1 Shai Hope, 2 Evin Lewis/ Sunil Ambris, 3 Shimron Hetmyer, 4 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 5 Roston Chase, 6 Kieron Pollard (capt), 7 Jason Holder, 8 Keemo Paul, 9 Hayden Walsh J r , 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Sheldon Cottrell

(Cricinfo)

Shai Hope

West Indian Sports Complex Badminton Tournament…

Haynes, Jeffrey, Shivnauth, Ramraj shine

A

kili Haynes, Tyrese Jeffrey and Priyanka Shivnauth are only a few of the outstanding players that emerged from the recently-concluded West Indian Sports Complex Christmas Badminton Tournament.

Pegged as the final hurrah for the Guyana Badminton Association (GBA) for the year 2019, the exciting tournament went down on Sunday last at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue.

Notably the highlight of the tournament, outstanding junior champion Akili Haynes won the Under-19 Singles and the Open Doubles, with Jeffrey as his partner.

In the first Boys’ U-19 Singles semi-final, Haynes and Matthew Beharry were paired up for battle.

Haynes made light work of his opponent 21-7, 2115 to advance to the final.

In the final, he was met by Jeffrey, who had overcome Isaac Mallampati 21-5, 2321 in the second semi-final.

Clearly, a battle of the

The winners' circle after Sunday's competition

best, Jeffrey put up a fight in the first set, but Haynes still managed to edge past him 21-18. In the second, Haynes sealed his victory comfortably with a 21-12 set.

The female U-19 division saw similar ex-

citement as Priyanka Shivnauth won a close encounter with Jayde Da Silva. Although it was close at times, Shivnauth eventually took the win in three sets 22-20, 21-18, 2117.

The second semi-final

was not contested after Alea Ruplal gained a walkover over Mishka Beharry.

The final was fiercely contested by the two young ladies, Shivnauth and Ruplal, and saw the match going to three exhilarating sets. Ruplal won the first

15-21, but Shivnauth made a stunning comeback to take the next two sets and the victory 21-19, 21-19.

Over in the mixed doubles category, Jonathan Mangra teamed up with Ambika Ramraj to easily defeat the pair of Darrell Carpenay and Ayanna Watson 21-13, 21-12 in the first semi-final.

The second pair to make it to the final were Avinash Odit and Christina Kumar, who brushed aside Akili Haynes and Emelia Ramdhani 21-11, 22-20.

In the final, Mangra and Ramraj made light work of Odit and Kumar in a two-set game 21-9, 2113.

The GBA expressed its immense gratitude to West Indian Sports Complex for making this tournament a success and also thanked Ayanna Watson for providing refreshments and gifts for all the participants. In addition, thanks were extended to Troy Beharry and the Executive Committee for a job well done in organising and pulling off this annual

Christmas tournament.

Under-19 Boys Singles: 1st – Akili Haynes 2nd – Tyrsese Jeffrey 3rd – Matthew Beharry Under-19 Girls Singles: 1st – Priyanka Shivnauth 2nd – Alea Ruplal 3rd – Jayde DaSilva Open Men Doubles: 1st – Akili Haynes/ Tyrese Jeffrey 2nd – Jonathan Mangra/ Avinash Odit 3rd – Darrell Carpenay/ Avian Rodrigues Open Ladies’ Doubles: 1st – Ayanna Watson/ Christina Kumar 2nd – Emelia Ramdhani/Anna Perreira 3rd – Jayde DaSilva/ Priyanka Shivnauth Open Mixed Doubles: 1st – Jonathan Mangra/ Ambika Ramraj 2nd – Avinash Odit/ Christina Kumar 3rd – Darrell Carpenay/ Ayanna Watson

wednesday, DECember 18, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

KFC Goodwill Tournament…

Page 19

Page 20

Trophy Stall/Flying Ace cycling 4 teams battle for rescheduled for semi-final spots today December 22

India's home record under threat as Windies eye series win Page 23

Team Windies

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