Guyana Times Friday November 29, 2019

G Division Traffic Department hosts mini-exhibition P15

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

Issue No. 4122

THE BEACON OF TRUTH FRIday, november 29, 2019

Use GuySuCo’s $30B bond to raise sugar workers’ wages – Jagdeo Page 3

GECOM’s needs to determine Parliament’s dissolution – Harmon

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Woman P8 gets bail for causing death of off-duty cop

Page 7

Govt urges P17 Republic Bank to “do better” …as Bank announces all issues to be resolved by mid-December

TAU to launch centre for P5 Lifestyle Management

Cop injured following 2-vehicle P17 collision Telecommunications giant GTT recognised its sales and brand partners on Wednesday evening at the Annual Vendors Awards Ceremony hosted at the Guyana Marriott Hotel, Kingston, Georgetown. In photo is GTT Chief Executive Officer Justin Nedd along with other officials and awardees

4th ExxonMobil drillship arrives offshore Guyana Page 7

1800 cannabis plants, 30lbs dried ganja destroyed in Linden Page 5

PPP/C to unveil 2020-2025 manifesto today Page 5

Couple P16 charged for possession of AK-47, narcotics and ammunition

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friday, november 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

3 Use GuySuCo’s $30B bond to raise sugar workers’ wages – Jagdeo O news

friday, november 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

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

Friday, November 29 – 05:00h – 06:30h and Saturday, November 30 – 05:30h – 07:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Berbice – Friday, November 29 – 05:50h – 07:20h and Saturday, November 30 – 06:30h – 08:00h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Thundery showers are expected until early afternoon, partly sunny skies will prevail for the rest of the day. There will be partly cloudy skies at night. Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North North-Easterly to Southerly between 1.78 metres and 3.57 metres.

High Tide: 05:55h and 18:05h reaching maximum heights of 2.56 metres and 2.66 metres.

Low Tide: 11:40h reaching a minimum height of 0.66 metre.

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

pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has invalidated Government’s claims that it cannot raise the wages of sugar workers, saying that adequate funds can be readily available to provide the much-needed increase.

Workers across the sugar belt were last given a wage increase in 2014. With mounting calls by these workers for a wage increase to be given, Government has indicated that they are not responsible for such a wage hike, but rather, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) Board will have to decide.

During his weekly press conference on Thursday, the Opposition Leader posited that this claim is misleading since the coalition administration has made far crucial decisions for the company in the past.

“There has been a call for a salary increase for sugar workers by GAWU and I’ve seen the prevarication in the Government as to why they cannot do this… It is disingenuous to argue that the board has to make that decision when the board has made every decision for GuySuCo, from the closure to the sending home of the staff, to the transfer of their assets, to the raising of their bond,” he asserted.

According to the former Head of State, financial backing can be supported through the $30 billion GuySuCo bond which was guaranteed by the State and National Industrial and Commercial Investment (NICIL) assets for the recapitalisation of the sugar sector. Government has also earned money from the disposal of assets from the company, which can also be utilised to benefit the

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

workers. This eliminates any need to return to Parliament or dip into the Contingency Fund.

“This Government has stripped the assets of GuySuCo and transferred the assets to NICIL and they are busy disposing a lot of these assets for which they earn money. They also pledged these assets and raised the bond. I think $17 billion of the $30 billion has been disbursed to them and it’s like a black hole. The country, nobody in Guyana know how they’re spending this money,” Jagdeo shared.

He guided, “They do have the money there, raised for GuySuCo on using GuySuCo assets as the pledge which was transferred to them.

Why can’t they use some of these resources? They don’t have to go back to Parliament. They don’t have to use the Contingency Fund.

It doesn’t have to be part of the budget. They can easily transfer some of the money that they’re sitting on, paying 4.75 per cent interest on…They could easily transfer it to GuySuCo and finance the salary increase. In the fight between GuySuCo and

NICIL, they said they have been transferring some money to them so this is nothing”.

After the announcement of increases for public servants, sugar workers from operating estates picketed that they too should be given a wage increase. They contended that it has been far too long while the cost-ofliving has risen significantly within the last few years.

Their last increase would’ve been provided under the previous administration – the

Purpose Unit (SPU) of NICIL. The $30 billion was raised solely on the Government’s promise to repay investors within five years if the money is not repaid by NICIL. It was recently revealed that the bond represented one of the largest financial transactions in the Caribbean, mainly due to the Government’s guarantee. The bond also comes with a 4.7 per cent rate of return for the investors.

In June, the National

Sugar workers picketing for a wage increase

People’s Progressive Party/ Civic.

Since the closure of the four estates, leaving more than 7000 sugar workers jobless, Government has moved to divest the facilities. United Kingdom company PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) was subsequently contracted to carry out valuations of GuySuCo’s assets up for sale and had invited expressions of interest from potential buyers, though it was recently revealed that the political climate has stalled these transactions.

As of December 31, 2017, all of GuySuCo’s assets were transferred to NICIL. The operations of GuySuCo are being managed by the Special

Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) said it had disbursed $7.42 billion to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) in nine payments. According to the agreement between NICIL and Hand-in-Hand Trust Corporation as the Trustee, the first tranche payment of $16.5 billion from the bond was to be used for a long-term project and capital financing for GuySuCo. Specifically, the money was to be used to acquire two co-generation plants, upgrade the existing factories to produce plantation white sugar, build storage and packing facilities and to help pay for two years of general operational costs.

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guyanatimesgy.com

FRIday, november 29, 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

Increasing violence in schools

W

hile it is accepted that school violence is a complex issue that requires collaborative efforts to address, the growth of school violence in Guyana is of primary concern.

Education Minister Nicolette Henry came in for stinging but justifiable criticisms on Thursday after she made an insensitive remark that it was “normal” in schools countrywide for students to fight in response to a male student violently beating his female colleague following a dispute at school.

A video circulating on social media shows the male student of Richard Ishmael Secondary School pushing the female student to the ground and repeatedly cuffing her about her body.

“Well, usually students fight. It’s nothing unusual as you would know, you’ve gone to school yourselves and we all would’ve seen…,” the Education Minister said in response to the video.

This imprudent comment is coming against the backdrop where students have been severely injured at the hands of their schoolmates. Only recently, at the Mon Repos Primary School, an eight-year-old and six-year-old were attacked by their classmates.

The eight-year-old student was hospitalised for several days after being hit to his head, while the other suffered a slashed hand. In October 2019, a female student in Berbice was badly beaten and her hijab was ripped off by other students.

Certainly, Minister Henry is not oblivious to the PanAmerican Health Organisation (PAHO) study which stated that while school violence is rarely lethal, it can lead to a wide array of negative health behaviours and many other psychological problems.

To compound the issue, the students were merely made to apologise to each other in the presence of the Minister during a special meeting at the school. A slap on the risk?

– One may say? A lack of will to punish in this instance can lead to a later reoccurrence. A clearly defined punishment tells the student that violence is wrong. Punishment sets an example to others who may wish to cause violence in school.

When a student can naturally lash out in such a violent manner at his colleague, he must have underlying issues.

There are ills affecting young people and programmes and support services to help address these issues could never be enough. Now, more than ever before, there is a need for a genuine collaborative approach, with inclusive planning and coordination to help find practical and lasting solutions to these many ills.

While the Education Ministry must play a crucial role in designing the relevant policies and other support mechanisms aimed at addressing this issue, this burden must also be shared with families.

United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) in a report said that about 150 million students worldwide between the ages of 13 to 15 would have experienced violence including physical fights and bullying from their peers in and around school.

The report was based on data from 122 countries and Guyana is among those countries.

Policymakers have to develop measures to try to stop the aggression by application of various strategies.

This is where the Education Ministry will have to be more innovative to derive mechanisms to build capacity among teachers to deal with signs of aggressive behaviours. This will not be easy, given the innovativeness of those involved.

Teachers will need to be supported in this fight and it may very well demand a relooking of policies at a higher level for the implementation of effective combating mechanisms.

This would need some urgency given that young people are our future leaders. It will take the involvement of all – starting more so with parents. Parents and teachers have to build the culture of tolerance and respect of the others.

The situation would probably demand the establishment of a non-partisan group to examine and recommend practical solutions within the shortest possible time to engage our young people on tolerance and violence.

Dean of College of Medicine at the Texila American University, Dr Dheeraj Bansal being assisted by Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud and PAHO/WHO Representative to Guyana, Dr William Adu-Krow to officially open the 2-day International Conference at the University’s headquarters, Providence, East Bank Demerara

Rodney CoI report poses grave danger to Granger’s portrayal of PNCR and Burnham Dear Editor, The Walter Rodney CoI report cannot truly be made “public” if it is unavailable in the library, university, the press, and bookstores. Parliament is no longer a place for protected speech. More than a summary of a plot to kill an esteemed citizen, this report is a symbol of free speech, and ought to be an election issue.

For all intents and purposes, the report has been suppressed in Parliament because the PNCR, and especially its leader Mr David Granger, still object in principle and practice to the renowned historian. Mr Granger, who has proactively resisted legitimate criticism against the PNCR, sees grave danger in the report.

The report threatens to puncture the halo Mr Granger has woven for Forbes Burnham.

It will destroy the façade of the PNCR as a law-abiding, democratic party (eg, see “Declaration of Vreed-enHoop”, 2012), that Mr Granger painstakingly nurtured during years of pseudo-political writings while attacking the PPP. In his version of the GDF’s history from 1966 to 1976 (see “The New Road”, 1976), he enjoyed describing the PPP and its supporters in derogatory terms such as “gangsters”.

Here is an extract about the rigged 1973 elections, which the “gangsters” lost: “Realising that their hold on the electorate was slipping further, and in an abortive attempt to forestall an obvious and overwhelming PNC victory, a campaign of violence and resistance was planned by the PPP. The GDF was called in to aid the civil power and prevent a breakdown of law and order that was planned by the gangsters”.

Mr Granger never sought to revise his overt prejudicial views, because misrepresentation under the guise of army

literature has its PNC virtues.

The public experienced this on June 13, 1980. It also did so between 2002 and 2006, and of course since September of this year, in defiance of the CCJ. It must be noted that Dr Rodney was not the only Guyanese who died or sustained serious injuries due to the use of State-owned gadgets or arsenals. Both before and after his demise, occupants of sugarcane villages have recorded by way of funerals, abortions, stolen property, and broken homes the use of state equipment to kill and keep villagers in line. No one protested then, to avoid doing so now.

To return to Mr Granger: with time, the more he wrote, the less history survived. He became more of a magician and less of a historian. His handiwork is to make entire occurrences disappear to protect Congress Place. It is not a coincidence, therefore, that this CoI report disappeared under his tenure.

In 2003, he presented a 28-page paper titled, “Civil Violence, Domestic Terrorism and Internal Security in Guyana, 1953-2003” at a foreign conference. He wilfully omitted any mention of violence that occurred from May 23 to May 27, 1964, at Wismar and Christiansburg. Like the CoI report, Wismar disappeared.

The Demerara River straddled by the steamer RH Carr, filled with thousands who fled the area on May 26, 1964, disappeared.

Regarding violence in the eighties, Mr Granger never mentioned “kick-down-thedoor” banditry. Guns, bullets, rapes, murders, whole corpses vanished as crime statistics plummeted with Mr Granger.

He told the foreign audience that there were a few “occasional outbreaks of criminal violence, especially against isolat-

ed households in rural area”.

Far from being an authority on crime in Guyana, Mr Granger still became President, in great fanfare and without inquiry of his distortions.

But such corruption of history comes with its problems. Dr Patricia Rodney, the widow of Dr Walter Rodney, said it better recently: “It is sad that on the continent [Africa], every person has read ‘How Europe Underdeveloped Africa’, but it is not available in Guyana”.

And the PNCR, unable to win elections, intends to keep it this way. They prefer a falsified, violent version of history, whether about a politically planned explosion near a jail in

June of 1980, or the politically planned escape of gunmen from a jail in February of 2002, instead of a second coming for D. Rodney.

A second coming will aid Freedom House and obstruct the PNCR’s intent to impose a wider Burnham renaissance upon Guyanese. Thus, while the political legacy of Mr Hamilton Green is resurrected by way of an Order of Roraima, the name of Dr Rodney is quietly being stripped away.

This call for the Rodney CoI report is therefore an attempt to unravel all of this.

Dear Editor, Recently I have noticed the increased rate of death of young adults exceeding the rate of older adults. I have achieved eighteen years of my life, and while reading newspapers almost every day, it dreads me to see someone not older than I am losing their life so carelessly, yet unfortunately.

All my life I was protected under the safety of my parents’ household, and with every day that goes by, they would go to decent lengths to keep me safely, along with my siblings.

I never understood what it means to care for someone more than your life, until I brought forth my son into the world. It now occurs to me how much my parents were really keeping me from.

Scared for my life is not my only priority now, but it is also looking out for my husband and my child at every step of the way.

I am convinced at the harshness of the world. The world is not cruel, but it’s the inhabitants who portray our world to

be so. The cruelty comes from drunk driving, hit-and-run, manslaughter, drug addiction, domestic violence, and the list of cruelty goes on and on.

The effects of these actions cause unwanted death, grievance, anger, helplessness, and so much more emotions. In school, the only way to complete a task with promptness and excellence is that the team members should put aside their differences -- be it the colour of their skin, their hair texture, or their family background.

We study history to get knowledge of our past ancestors, but what we care to overlook is the teachings and hidden messages they left behind.

They want to teach us morals and folk ways and norms.

The human mind of some persons is so clouded with self-absorption and ignorance.

I write this to open people’s eyes to see not only others’ mistakes, but also look upon themselves and make a change too.

Sincerely, Rakesh Rampertab

Worried citizen

Sincerely, Sandy Ramnarine

news

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FRIday, NOVEMBER 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

PPP/C to unveil 2020-2025 manifesto today T

he People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is all set to unveil its 2020-2025 manifesto for the March 2020 elections, highlighting key developmental aspects and policies which will be undertaken under their tenure in office.

The drafted plans will be announced at Freedom House today. While the full document will be released at a later date, the Party will be sharing a “summarised version” to highlight some of its policies and measures.

Thus far, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has given some insight into what can be expected in key sectors under his Party’s governance. These were targeted at eliminating some of the country’s key shortfalls in recent time.

He had indicated at a press conference that the Party’s robust energy plan includes not only a significant reduction in costs but some 400-megawatt (MW) capacity – which is more than double the less than 200 MW that is currently being generated. This was announced in light of the fact that the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) continues to grapple with the provision of reliable energy due to the deficit of its capacity.

Jagdeo, who is also the party’s General Secretary, has announced that if the

PPP returns to office at the upcoming elections, then resuscitation of the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP) would be among its top priorities for the energy sector.

“Our plan is resuming discussions on Amaila.

Immediately, starting to move forward on that project but recognising that that project will take some time into the future because it will take about four to five years to be completed. You can wait on that to bring in power now – baseload,” he had acknowledged.

Until the project can yield results, he noted, the PPP administration will move on to a gas power plant, which it believes could be done easily. However, while it will be bringing another 20 megawatts into the system, he stressed that it will not come into fruition until maybe 2021. As such, they will have to rely on fossil fuel initially to stabilise power supply in the country and bring an end to the constant blackouts.

“So immediately, we move to fossil fuel and then the medium-term – well by 2021 – to get to the gas fire power plant and then the hydro in about four years. That should put over 400 megawatts of new power [into the grid]. Right now, we’re generating under 200 megawatts, so that [400 megawatts] will

allow us to do street lights, it will allow us to reduce the cost of electricity significantly and it will allow us to do a number of other things both for household and [commercial purposes],” he stated.

The AFHP, which was initiated under the PPP Administration, was continually blocked by the then APNU and AFC combined Opposition while controlling the National Assembly by a one-seat majority. This project would have assisted GPL to get adequate electricity supply, thus, providing cheaper and more reliable power to citizens and businesses.

Education

The Education Sector under the PPP administration is said to be geared towards improved access, quality, affordability and preparing Guyanese students at the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Tertiary levels.

This is to ensure that they secure better-paying jobs in line with the requirement of the economy.

Prominent among these would be the delivery of free education at the University of Guyana (UG) and enhanced access through the use of Information and Communications (ICT).

Previously, it was explained that free university education would not be available initially but within two or three years as they work out the details of this policy initiative. The Party had also announced plans to give out 20,000 online scholarships, which will help with private education especially in courses that are not offered by UG.

…great need for more doctors in public, private health sectors – CMO

Dean of the Texila American University’s College of Medicine, Dr Dheeraj Bansal

T

he Texila American University (TAU) opened its 2nd international conference on Thursday with the focus being placed on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and lifestyle changes to prevent illnesses.

According to Dean of the University’s College of Medicine, Dr Dheeraj Bansal, the health risks and complications associated with lifestyle diseases, usually, those falling under the NCDs category, can be significantly reduced by making changes to one’s daily routine and habit.

He stated that this is the reason for TAU opening a centre to help persons focus on better and healthier living.

“So start early for this lifestyle management for these conditions… we are going to open a centre for lifestyle change, counselling for dia-

NCDs and that over the next two days, several speakers are slated to extensively address and advise on specific illnesses such as cancers, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Meanwhile, Guyana’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud during his address, stated that there is a need for more medical practitioners in Guyana to cater for the growing population that requires various health services on a daily basis.

He explained the unavailability of enough doctors to work in the country’s health sector, both at the private and public levels, is a major challenge to delivering adequate

Texila American University, located at Providence, East Bank Demerara

ence in 2020 will continue to focus on NCDs. But at that time, our area will be mental health and road traffic accidents”.

Dr Bansal noted that his University is trying to create awareness among the entire community by having a better understanding of conditions and risk factors associated with the various forms of

and universal health nationwide.

“We need far more doctors. Our rates when you compare the rate of doctors to population served in Guyana stand way below, not only in the Caribbean Region but even global averages that are required to provide quality care that is needed. We need both quality and quantity”.

for Guyanese.

Added to this is the restoration of the Joint Services bonus as well as support for small businesses via grants and interest-free loans to promote entrepreneurship.

The PPP will also roll out an extensive plan on how Guyanese will benefit from the riches expected from the impending oil and gas sector, as well as outline plans for the security sector with clearly defined strategies to tackle the various forms of crimes.

1800 cannabis plants, 30lbs dried ganja destroyed in Linden

VAT removal

Adding to that, the PPP has also published on its social media accounts several posters outlining the removal of Value-Added Tax (VAT) on key areas such as electricity, water and healthcare.

TAU to launch centre for lifestyle management betes and cardiovascular disease prevention. Our goal is not to conduct a conference and move on. We want significant outcomes from these sessions which hopefully will culminate into specific actions for the betterment of the entire community”.

He explained that the two-day conference, which is being held at University’s Providence, East Bank Demerara location, is more than just a meeting between stakeholders and students of the University.

“We intend to continue our effort in the field of NCDs for now. Keeping that in mind I will happily announce the theme for our next confer-

The VAT on farming, mining and forestry equipment will also be reversed, it promises. Also high 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, data and exports.

Other areas the PPP plans to address when it gets into office include reducing the age limit on the importation of vehicles, which will take more than $1 million off the current cost of vehicles and, thus, be more affordable

The CMO stated that another challenge which the Public Health Ministry faces is to ensure that all persons in dire need of treatments and medications for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) receive them.

The NCDs are preventable but many persons still end up suffering from at least one and more often than not, they cannot afford to pay for services they may need and the taxes cannot offset all expenses for each patient.

“So out-of-pocket spending for many of these disease conditions sometimes causes families to go into poverty literally poverty-selling their property, pawning their jewellery, for those Guyanese who know about the situation. Some people have to be displaced from their homes and communities to seek treatment which are usually long-term and sometimes even leading to more challenges”.

Dr Persaud added that the Global Health Strategy focuses on four main risk factors linked to contracting NCDs but that this “net” needs to be broadened and expanded.

“The four are unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, tobacco use and the harmful consumption of alcohol. Those are the main risk factors but we know along with that there are several others that we must look at. The high burden of these diseases puts an economic and social strain on our society”.

A

s the Guyana Police Force (GPF) continues its drug eradication exercise throughout the country, ranks stationed in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice) on Tuesday last destroyed more than two acres of ganja at 10 Miles Bosai Road, Linden.

Based on reports received, the more-than-fivehour operation resulted in

the destruction of more than two acres of cannabis cultivation with close to 1800 plants measuring a foot to four feet in height.

Additionally, the ranks found 30 pounds of processed cannabis. As such, a grid location of the area was made and efforts are currently being made to trace the ownership of the land with a view of instituting criminal charges.

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What is bullying? ullying is when someone is picked on by a person or group. Bullies might make fun of people who they think don’t fit in.

Bullies might make fun of others for many things, including: appearance (how someone looks) behaviour (how someone acts) race or religion social status (whether someone is popular) sexual identity (like being gay, lesbian, or transgender) Bullying can come in different types: Physical bullying is when bullies hurt their targets physically. This might be shoving, tripping, punching, or hitting. Any form of touching that a person does not want can be bullying and possible sexual assault.

Verbal bullying is taunting or teasing someone.

Psychological bullying is gossiping about or excluding people to make them feel bad about themselves.

Cyberbullying is when bullies use the internet and social media and say things that they might not say in person. This can include sending mean texts, posting insults about someone on Twitter, or making rude comments on their Instagram pictures.

Cyberbullies also might post personal information, pictures, or videos designed to hurt or embarrass someone else.

What are the effects of bullying?

Bullies often pick on people over and over again. This can make teens: feel afraid, stressed, depressed, or anxious have thoughts about suicide or hurting themselves have trouble with their schoolwork have problems with mood, energy level, sleep, and appetite What kind of people are bullies?

Both guys and girls can be bullies.

Bullies may be:

Foundation

outgoing and aggressive. This kind of bully might make fun of you to your face or physically hurt you. quiet and sneaky. This kind of bully might try to manipulate in secret. They might anonymously start a damaging rumour just to see what happens. friendly and fake. This kind of bully might pretend to be your friend so that you tell them things, but then do hurtful things behind your back.

Many bullies are a lot alike. They: like to be in control of others are focused on themselves have poor social skills and have a hard time getting along with people might not care about people, or lack empathy are often insecure and bully others to make themselves feel better Some bullies don’t understand normal social emotions like guilt, empathy, compassion, or remorse. These people need help from a mental health professional like a counsellor, social worker, psychiatrist, or psychologist.

What can I do?

There are many things that you can do if you’re being bullied or know someone who is. You can: Tell a trusted adult. Adults in positions of authority, like parents, teachers, or coaches, often can deal with bullying without the bully ever learning how they found out about it.

Ignore the bully and walk away. Bullies like getting a reaction. If you walk away or ignore them, you’re telling them that you don’t care.

Walk tall and hold your head high.

Using this type of body language sends a message that you’re not vulnerable.

Don’t get physical. You’re more likely to be hurt and get into trouble if you try to fight a bully. Work out your anger in another way, such as exercising or writing it down (make sure you delete or tear up any emails, posts, letters, or notes you write in anger).

Try to talk to the bully. Try to point out that his or her behaviour is serious and harmful. This can work well if you notice that a member of your own group has started to pick on or shun another member.

Practise confidence. Practise ways to respond to the bully verbally or through your behaviour. Practise feeling good about yourself (even if you have to fake it at first).

Talk about it. It may help to talk to a guidance counsellor, teacher, or friend — anyone who can give you the support you need. Talking can be a good outlet for the fears and frustrations that can build when you’re being bullied.

Find your (true) friends. If you’ve been bullied with rumours or gossip, tell your friends so that they can help you feel safe and secure. Avoid being alone, especially when the bullying is happening a lot.

Stand up for friends and others you see being bullied. Your actions help the victim feel supported and may stop the bullying.

Join your school’s bullying or violence prevention programmes. Peer mediation is another way you may be able to work things out with a bully. If your school doesn’t have these programs, start one of your own.

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fter hearing news of school shootings or other violence, it’s natural for students – no matter how old they are or where they go to school – to worry about whether this type of incident may someday happen to them or their friends.

When a tragedy like this happens, it’s normal to feel sad and anxious, and to want to make sense of the situation.

Why does school violence happen?

School violence isn’t easy to understand. There is no single reason why students become violent. Some are just following behaviour they’ve seen at home, on the streets, or in video games, movies, or TV. Some are dealing with mental health problems, like depression. Sometimes, people who turn violent are victims of teasing and bullying who’ve hit a limit and feel like they would do anything to make it stop. They may feel isolated and rejected by their peers. These are only a couple of the reasons why a person may become violent.

There’s one thing experts do agree on, though: Having access to guns or other weapons makes it easier for some people to lash out against the things or people they don’t like.

What if I’m the bully?

Some people bully to deal with their own feelings of stress, anger, or frustration. Bullies might also have been bullied and now want to show their power by bullying someone else.

If you have bullied someone: Try talking to a trusted adult to talk about why you have become a bully. Ask them for some advice on how you could change.

Try thinking of how the person being bullied feels. Imagine how you would feel if you were the target.

Even though people are different, it’s important to treat everyone with respect. (kidshealth.org) What can I do?

Someone on the verge of violence may display warning signs. These can include: playing with weapons of any kind bragging about acts of violence he or she would like to commit showing an obsession with violent movies or playing violent games bullying or threatening other people cruelty to pets or other animals If you start feeling unsafe at school, talk to a trusted adult. That person could be a teacher, parent, school counsellor, or religious leader. It can be difficult to report violence – after all, we are taught not to tell on others.

But many schools have set up ways to report bullying or the possibility of violence anonymously. Maybe your school has (or could set up) an anonymous hotline for people to share concerns without worrying that they may be found telling on another student.

If you’ve witnessed or experienced violence of any kind, not talking about it can make feelings build up inside and cause problems such as depression, anxiety, and fear. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop in someone who has lived through a traumatic event, such as a serious car accident, physical or sexual abuse, or a shooting.

You don’t have to be hurt to have PTSD – for some people, simply watching a traumatic event or being threatened with great physical harm is enough to trigger it. That’s why it’s important to get help. School counsellors can be a good place to start — they’re familiar with the issues in your school and can help you put things in perspective. (kidshealth.org)

NEWS

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friday, november 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

GECOM’s needs to determine Parliament’s dissolution – Harmon

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n September, President David Granger announced March 2, 2020, as the date for the hosting of the constitutionally-mandated General and Regional Elections; however, with time creeping up, he is yet to issue a proclamation to dissolve Parliament.

If elections are to be held on March 2, 2020, as announced, then President Granger would have to dissolve Parliament by December 3, 2019.

This is in keeping with Article 61 of the Constitution, which states that election of members of the National Assembly should be done within three months after every dissolution of Parliament.

It has been almost one year after the successful passage of a motion of no confidence against the A Partnership for National

Unity /Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) coalition government and the constitutionally-mandated General and Regional Elections are yet to be held.

This is despite the Constitution clearly outlining that elections were supposed to be held no later than 90 days after the motion was passed.

On Thursday, DirectorGeneral of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, when asked about the dissolution of Parliament, said that would solely depend on the needs of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

“In fact, we have said it is important that GECOM gets all of the resources it needs to ensure that we have credible elections in March of 2020.

So what I am saying is those issues will have to be dealt with before the Parliament

Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon

is dissolved. I can’t say that Parliament is going to meet today, the next day or whatever but these are the matters that are under active consideration in the Cabinet and so that the dissolution of the National Assembly

will be determined in principle measure by the need for GECOM to get the additional resources which it says it wants,” Harmon told the Press Corps.

He noted that Parliament is still functioning while explaining that it is the National Assembly that has not met as yet.

“I don’t know that the Parliament is not functioning, maybe the National Assembly has not met but Parliament is functioning. There are some efforts to have some of the Parliamentary Committees meet until such time Parliament is dissolved.

Just last week, the speaker received the reports from several entities,” he said.

Earlier in the month, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo told reporters that the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) will

resume protest actions if President David Granger does not dissolve Parliament come next month.

Having already set March 2, 2020, as the date for the much-anticipated General and Regional Elections and issuing the election proclamation, pressure has been mounting on the President to also dissolve the 11th Parliament.

“When the time comes, he will have to dissolve. I’m just making sure that he understands one thing that December 2 is the day… He has to dissolve Parliament; he has to issue a proclamation. Let him delay that and we’ll resume protest because that’s part of the holding of elections – the dissolution of Parliament,” Jagdeo had noted.

The APNU-AFC coalition has been acting as a caretaker government for nearly

one year since the December 21, 2018 passage of the NoConfidence Motion (NCM) against it.

President Granger had earlier indicated that he could not say when Parliament would be dissolved.

“I will stay away from dissolution as long as there is a likelihood that we will need the vote of the whole Parliament to pass any measure – financial measure.

Unfortunately, for time to time, because of urgent matters such as flood or fire, we may need funds and only Parliament could authorise disbursement of funds which have not been provided for,” he stated.

The Head of State further stated that in light of the circumstances, Government has not drafted a budget for 2020 and as such, has to be prudent in its expenditure.

tics services to ExxonMobil, in support of their exploration and development drilling in Guyana. Ramps has also managed similar cross-border projects for Tullow Oil and Kosmos Energy in Suriname during 2017 and 2018.

Oil production in Guyana is set to commence in a matter of weeks with close to 120,000 barrels per day.

Thus far, ExxonMobil has made its 11th and 12th discoveries offshore Guyana at the Tilapia-1 and Haimara-1 wells in the southwest section of the Stabroek Block.

The Tilapia-1 is the

fourth discovery in the Turbot area that includes Turbot, Longtail and Pluma discoveries. Tilapia-1 encountered approximately 305 feet (93 metres) of high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoir and was drilled to a depth of 18,786 feet (5726 metres) in 5850 feet (1783 metres) of water. The well is located approximately 3.4 miles (5.5 kilometres) west of the Longtail-1 well.

The Noble Tom Madden drillship started to drill the well on January 7, 2019, and will next drill the Yellowtail-1 well, approximately six miles (10 kilometres) west of Tilapia-1 in the

Turbot area. Baseline 4-D seismic data acquisition is underway.

The 12th discovery at the Haimara-1 well encountered approximately 207 feet (63 metres) of high-quality gas condensate-bearing sandstone reservoir. The well was drilled to a depth of 18,289 feet (5575 metres) in 4590 feet (1399 metres) of water.

Located approximately 19 miles (31 kilometres) east of the Pluma-1 discovery, the Haimara -1 is deemed a potential new area for development. The Stena Carron drillship began drilling the well on January 3, 2019.

4th ExxonMobil drillship arrives offshore Guyana

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n November 13, 2019, the fourth drillship, Noble Don Taylor operated by US oil giant ExxonMobil, arrived in Guyana to commence a one-year contract in the Stabroek Block.

This drillship, with its co-ventures Hess and China’s CNOOC, has now joined Noble Bob Douglas, Noble Tom Madden and the Stena Carron.

Based on reports gathered, services company Ramps Logistics Guyana’s team coordinated the customs clearance for the vessel to enter the country’s waters.

Operations Director of Ramps Logistics (Guyana), Richard DeNobrega had reported that the company is proud to be working on this project as offshore activities in the South American coun-

The Noble Don Taylor

try ramp up.

“Our team had the opportunity to board the vessel to provide clearance operations alongside the Guyanese Authorities. We are excited to be part of this project and

to be supporting the oil and gas industry as it emerges in Guyana,” he told sections of the media.

Since 2015, Ramps has provided the full complement of cross-border logis-

8 NEWS

FRIday, november 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Woman gets bail for causing death of off-duty cop

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hirty-four-year-old Towana Clarke, of Norton and Haley Streets, Wortmanville, Georgetown, was on Thursday arraigned for causing the death of Carl

Roach, a Police Officer, on November 25 during an accident.

Clarke, who is attached to the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute

(NAREI), appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on November 25, 2019, at Brickdam Public Road, Georgetown,

Lost at sea…

Towana Clark

Dead: Carl Roach

she drove motor car PMM 2528 in a manner that was dangerous to the public, thereby, causing the death of Carl Roach.

Clarke was represented

by Attorney-at-Law Dexter Todd, who stated that his client has fully cooperated with Police investigations and, therefore, bail should be granted.

Neville Jeffers told the court that on the day in question, Clarke, who was the driver of motorcar PMM 2528, was proceeding east along the northern side of the Brickdam Public Road when she failed to stop at Chalmers Place and swiftly turned south.

It was at then she collided with Roach who was on motorcycle CH 9436.

The court heard that Roach was flung 150 feet from the point of collision and landed on the road this resulted in him receiving multiple injuries. He was later pronounced dead.

The Prosecutor stated that an investigation was launched and led to the arrest of Clarke. She was subsequently charged for the offence.

Neville objected to bail being granted to the defendant on the grounds of the serious nature of the allegation and the fact that a life was lost.

However, bail was granted in the sum of $700,000.

The Magistrate ordered Clarke to report to the Alberttown Police Station every Friday pending the determination of the trial. Her driver’s licence was suspended.

She is set to make her next court appearance on December 16.

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…or just clueless? s soon as your Eyewitness read GAWU’s riposte to his comments on their bigging up of GuySuCo on what they thought was the latter’s plans for a “sugar refinery”, he remembered that old saw: “It’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt”.

“We did not swallow, hook, line and sinker all the sugar company disclosed,” they said. Really?? So how come they insisted, “A careful examination would see that our union did not mention Plantation White Sugar, we said explicitly White Sugar. We said so against the background that GuySuCo told us that it would be producing white and not plantation white sugar”. In which world are they living?? Hadn’t they followed the news from the COTED meeting held right here in Guyana about Plantation White Sugar and the pertinent issue was whether it could be substituted for REFINED white sugar??

Didn’t they read GuySuCo’s press release of June 20, explaining they were working with Belize and the Sugar Association of the Caribbean to expand market opportunities in light of their 2019-2021 Strategic Plan?? More pertinently, didn’t they read, “Under the value-added aspect, white sugar (Plantation white) was specifically discussed”?

GuySuCo is aiming to develop the capacity to produce over 50,000 tonnes of white sugar by the end of 2021 or early 2022. This will be done at the Albion Estate and the factory will be reconfigured with the flexibility to produce both brown and white sugar.

If on the “Refined” vs “Plantation” white sugar business all GAWU could say was “We understand, the former is of a higher quality than the latter”. They don’t know they’re different PRODUCTS involving different PROCESSES??

Yet, they unctuously bloviated, “Our membership and for those who know us, know of how much and how hard we work in the interest of…GAWU’s members”.

On the Eyewitness’ suggestion that shutting down Georgetown would’ve helped the sugar workers’ cause, imagine a TRADE UNION replying, “We are at a loss to see how this would have made a meaningful difference”!! Oh, for a Jagan, who marched from Enmore to Georgetown at the head of sugar workers!! Even the bourgeoisie MAPM Gtown protests forced the M&CC to back off the parking meters!! …or down memory lane Oh, how the movies have changed!! Imagine a US$159million film with some of the biggest names in Hollywood – De Niro, Pacino, Pesci being directed by Scorsese not opening in the cinemas but streamed on Netflix into his living room?!!? And with that line-up, since “The Irishman” had to do with the Mafia, of course, your Eyewitness sat down with his popcorn!! For a THREE AND A HALF HOUR movie, that’s a lot of popcorn!!

The plot focused on the head of the largest trade union in the USA “the TEAMSTERS”, Jimmy Hoffa and his relations with the Mafia and of course, politics. Starting from the 1950s events that touched our lives inevitably cropped up.

Since the Mafia had been the biggest losers when Castro took over and nationalised all the Casinos and Hotels they controlled, it wasn’t surprising to be informed that the guns for the “Cuban Invasion” at Bay of Pigs were supplied by the “Goombahs”.

It was also US Trade Unions that funnelled the money through the TUC to oust Jagan here!! …with Thanksgiving Over the last few years, Guyanese have started commemorating “Thanksgiving”. Now there’s nothing wrong about giving “thanks”. But this wholesale importation of the AMERICAN Thanksgiving bash?

Surely, our Indigenous peoples didn’t welcome the Dutch with Turkey!!

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

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friday, november 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Automot ve special

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Automot ve special

friday, november 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

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elcome valued readers to our second Guyana Times Special on the automotive industry. This informative special was done as an educational piece to bring to your attention some of the best of what Guyana has to offer for persons who are interested in purchasing, upgrading or looking at the prospects of acquiring a vehicle.

The idea behind our Special was predicated on outlining the various steps associated with acquiring and owning a vehicle and the go-to companies, which we have featured, that can make it very easy for interested readers to know what their options are.

As you peruse the Special, you will find a variety of banking institutions available for persons seeking to acquire financing for purchasing a vehicle.

Once you have that aspect covered, then the next step would be to purchase the vehicle of your dreams.

That has been made easy with the plethora of top businesses made available through this Special that interested persons can get on to.

After acquiring the vehicle of your choice, there are certain fundamen-

tals t h a t one would have to satisfy such as insurance.

We also have featured some of the best insurance companies that consumers can go to satisfy that requirement.

Part of the responsibility that comes with owning a vehicle is ensuring that it is well serviced with the correct lubricants and maintained with the correct auto parts. Our Special also has that aspect covered with some of the leading companies that sell spare parts and the necessary lubricants needed to ensure the longevity of your dream vehicle.

Provided that you have all of that covered, many car owners would want to also accessorise their vehicle to give it their unique look. We also have listed some of the companies that have a variety of accessories that can give you that one-of-a-kind factor that many discerning drivers crave.

We would like to take this op-

portunity to thank you our valued and consistent readers and business partners for being part of our Automotive Special that we will be doing from time to time.

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friday, november 29, 2019| guyanatimesgy.com

Automotive special

Car care: 9 essential tips for looking after your vehicle

* Quick and easy checks can ensure your car is reliable and safe * Healthy oil and cooling systems are vital to keep your car going * Tyres are your car’s only connection to the road – look after them * Poorly maintained car batteries are a big cause of breakdowns * Working headlights, taillights and indicators are safety essentials Regular care checks and maintenance are all it takes to avoid potential car reliability problems. Our maintenance plan will help you keep your car in good shape.

1. Seven things to check before your road trip

1. Radiator and cooling system 2. Engine oil 3. Tyre condition 4. Battery condition 5. Transmission and power steering fluid levels 6. Windscreen wipers and washer fluid 7. Headlights, tail-lights and indicators

2. How to check your radiator and cooling system

Caution: Never remove the radiator cap when the engine is hot. Let it cool for a few hours to avoid injury.

A quick check of the radiator coolant is as easy as looking at the level in the plastic overflow bottle of most cars. The coolant level should be in between the high and low markings.

Once the engine has cooled, you can remove the radiator cap and check the level in the radiator, too.

If the level is low, top it up with the coolant recommended by the vehicle manufacturer .If your car is regularly losing coolant, there may be a leak

somewhere that could be a sign of a bigger problem which needs professional assessment. While you have the bonnet open, inspect the hoses and pipes – such as those leading to and from the radiator and heater – the fuel lines and any pipes associated with the power steering or brakes.

Stains could indicate a leak, and any soft, kinked, swollen or cracked hoses should be replaced by a reputable mechanic.

If your car is regularly losing coolant, there may be a leak somewhere that could be a sign of a bigger problem which needs professional assessment.

3. How to check your engine oil

1. Park your car on level ground 2. Start the engine, let it run for a short time, then turn it off 3. While the engine is warm, remove the dipstick and wipe it clean with a clean cloth or paper towel. Reinsert the dipstick – make sure it’s fully inserted, otherwise you'll get a false reading 4. Remove the dipstick and check the oil level. It should be in between the low and high markings. If the oil level is low, top up your oil but first check the owner’s manual for the correct oil grade. Don’t start the engine if there isn’t any oil on the dipstick! An engine with no oil can seize and be extremely expensive to fix

4. Check your car’s tyre pressure and condition

Incorrect tyre pressures can reduce the life of your tyres and may make your car less safe to drive.

The correct tyre pressure for your car is located on the tyre placard, which is usually found inside one of the front doors. If you can’t find it, check the owner’s manual. It’s good

to carry a basic pneumatic mechanical tyre pressure gauge in your car, because service station gauges may not be accurate.

You should also check that your tyres have enough tread.

The legal minimum tread depth is 1.5mm on any part of the tyre surface – it’s wise to replace your tyres before they wear this far.

Tyres have tread-depth indicators in the grooves between the tread. When the tread is worn to be level with an indicator, it is time for a new tyre.

Also check your tyres for abnormal wear and damage such as cracks or bulges, which could indicate a suspension problem.

Routinely rotating your tyres helps spread the wear and extend tyre life, and it could be good timing to do so before a big trip.

Including the spare wheel and tyre in the rotation can extend the life of the entire set by as much as 20 per cent, because you’re now spreading the wear over five rather than four tyres, though sometimes this isn’t possible because the wheels and tyres are of different sizes or your car has a temporary spare.

Using the spare also helps keep the tyre pliable – a spare left in the boot for years can dry out, making a blowout more likely.

5. Checking car battery condition

Caution: Your battery is potentially dangerous, so don't check it near a naked flame or a lit cigarette. Batteries produce an explosive gas when they charge, and the fluid inside is corrosive, so avoid any contact with your eyes, skin, clothing, and painted surfaces.

If your battery has caps, remove them and check that the fluid inside is deep enough that the plates within are fully immersed. Some batteries

without removable caps have an indicator on the outside of the case to let you quickly check battery health.

If the battery’s level is low, top it up with distilled water (rather than tap water), but don’t overfill it. Replace the caps and check that the clamps are tight on the battery terminals. The top of the battery should be clean and dry and the terminals should be free of corrosion, which can be in the form of a white or bluish substance.

6. Transmission and power steering fluids

The right way to check your power steering and transmission fluid level differs between makes and models – you can find out how in the owner’s manual. A low fluid level in either could indicate a leak, which should be checked by a mechanic as soon as possible.

the correct type – you can read this on the globe itself, check the owner’s manual or ask your mechanic or spare-parts store.

Or book in for a comprehensive car health check or service at your local car servicing store and let an experienced professional take care of your car for you.

9. Warning signs that something is wrong with your car You will need to visit a mechanic as soon as possible if: * A dashboard warning light remains on * You feel any unusual vibrations * The temperature gauge reads hot * You hear any unusual noises

* The oil pressure gauge reads low * The car has a tendency to wander or steer to one side * You experience any abnormalities when braking You should also take your car to a mechanic if it: * Uses more fuel or oil than usual * Is difficult to start * Runs roughly * Leaves oil or coolant on the driveway * Has a smoky exhaust Note: This is a guide only.

The manufacturer's specific recommendations take precedence and you should still have your car regularly serviced by a qualified technician. (www.mynrma. com.au)

7. Maintain your windscreen wipers and washer fluid

Washer fluid Fill your washer bottle with clean water and the right amount of windscreen-washer additive. Don't use household detergents as they can damage your paintwork and wiper blades.

Windscreen wipers

If your wiper blades are not cleaning your windscreen properly, or are split or perished, they need to be replaced.

8. Checking your headlights, tail-lights and indicators Having working lights is a safety fundamental that’s so obvious, it’s often overlooked.

Test your indicators and headlights, including the high beams – your car’s reflection in a glass shopfront or on a wall can be useful if you don’t have someone to help you test the reverse and brake lights.

Replace blown globes with

Corporate Overview

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stablished in 1986, BM Soat Auto Sales quickly grew to become a dominant player in the auto sales arena. With over 30 years in business, BM Soat became the #1 auto dealer in Guyana. With the help of the community and our loyal staff, we have managed to serve our customers with great hospitality and quality services.

BM Soat Auto Sales can provide a variety of Japanese vehicles on a large scale; we also deal with special-order vehicles and pickup trucks from the USA. We can also supply brand-new vehicles with factory warranty brands and models to choose from and ensure that we meet our customers’ demand.

We comprise three showrooms in different locations with staff that are willing to assist and give cause to any concern customers may have. We have recently established a general automotive repair shop so that all of our customers’ automotive experiences will be at one location.

BM Soat Auto Sales gives the longest payback period, lowest down payment, lowest interest rate, and up to six months’ warranty.

Divisions

Trade In – ‘’IN WITH THE OLD, OUT WITH THE NEW’’ BM Soat Auto Sales established a new division “TRADE IN” with the slogan – “IN WITH THE OLD, OUT WITH THE NEW.” Whereas customers must bring in vehicle for inspection and valuation to be carried out; 70% would be refunded to customers and they must use the valuation fund as a down payment on another suitable vehicle.

If the valuation does not meet the required down payment for the vehicle selected, the customer would have to pay the difference.

We accept any type of car – old model or new.

OTHER SERVICES > Pay 30% down and get up to four years to repay with a 1% interest per month. > Lowest down payment – $500,000 > Buy cash and get 5% off instantly

news

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friday, november 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Students involved in violent fight G Division Traffic Department “made to apologise to each other” hosts mini-exhibition

Education Minister Nicolette Henry meeting with students of the Richard Ishmael Secondary School

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he two students of the Richard Ishmael Secondary School who were involved in a violent attack against each other were “made to apologise to each other” after Education Minister Nicolette Henry intervened.

A video circulating on social media showed the male student pinning the female student to the ground and repeatedly punching her about the body.

Minister Henry was facing strong criticisms after her remarks on the incident.

On Wednesday, the Minister had expressed that “students fight, there is nothing unusual as you would know, you have gone to school and we all would have seen those”.

However, on Thursday, she met with the entire student population during a special assem-

bly where she encouraged the children to find other ways, other than violence, to deal with diverging views and conflicts.

During her visit to the school, Minister Henry met with the students who were involved in the fight and they “were made to apologise to each other”.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing and the Education Ministry says additional actions will be taken against those involved in the fight when the probe concludes.

Meanwhile, during the special assembly, the Minister “told the children that there is a certain behaviour that is set out in the school policy that children should at all times adhere to. Dr Henry told the students that any deviation from what is expected will be

Businessman gets additional 1-year sentence for narcotics possession

Aundre Singh

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ifty-seven-year-old Aundre Singh, a businessman, of Lot 779 Section B, Block X, Diamond Housing Scheme, was on Thursday sentenced to an additional one-year imprisonment after pleading guilty to trafficking 6.6 grams of cocaine.

Singh, along with 60-year-old Clifford Gouveia, was in August last sentenced to three years jail by Principal Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus after they were found guilty at the conclusion of the trial. They were also fined $11.7M. However, on Thursday, Magistrate Rondel Weever handed down the custodial sentence after the conclusion of Singh’s trial at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

It was reported that Singh and Gouveia had denied the charge which stated that on October 3,

2018, at the Rupert Craig Highway, in the vicinity of the Kitty seawall, between Pere Street and Queen Street, they had 5.582 kilograms of cocaine in their possession for the purpose of trafficking.

On the day in question, agents of Custom AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) intercepted two motorcars with a quantity of cocaine, guns and ammunition. As a result of the operations, three males were taken into custody— including Singh and Gouveia.

It was reported that Singh and another man were in a white Premio motorcar bearing registration number PSS 8977, while Gouveia was the driver of another motorcar PLL 5213.

At the time, a box was being transferred from one car to the other.

Ranks of CANU swooped down on the operation and intercepted a box containing five suspected bricks of cocaine and beauty soaps.

Upon weighing the cocaine, it amounted to 5.582 kilograms.

In addition, the home of Singh was subsequently searched and a further 6.6 grams of suspected cocaine, along with US$5000 and GYD$3M were found.

One Taurus Revolver with matching ammunition and one Pistol with matching ammunition were also discovered in another section of Singh’s house.

dealt with firmly”.

“The Minister of Education told the students that they should make maximum use of the educational opportunities that are available to them and not be distracted by undesirable situations that are unproductive and will not help their development”.

Additionally, Minister Henry, according to the press release, told the children that they should be their brother’s keeper and the next time she visits the school she wants to hear good things about the institution.

The Minister also met separately with the teaching staff and had discussions with the teachers who gave feedback and shared suggestions. Minister Henry reminded the teachers that they are the mainstay of the Education Sector and she will ensure that their welfare and safety are always of paramount importance.

Minister Henry told the teachers that the School’s Welfare Department will be utilising the services of one of the Mobile Psychosocial Units to address issues affecting both students and teachers at that school.

G Division Traffic Chief Troy Griffith engaging students on Thursday

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cores of schoolchildren along the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) benefitted from a mini-exhibition organised by the G Division Traffic Department at the Anna Regina car park on Thursday in observance of Road Safety Week 2019.

Divisional Head of the Police Traffic Department, Inspector Troy Griffith, stated that the exhibition was organised to educate students, teachers and to an extent, the public on the role and function of that specific department.

On display were breathalyser machines, radar guns, traffic wands,

traffic signs, Police motorcycles and cars, a sample of a traffic offence and charge sheet among other items.

A live demonstration was done to educate residents of the danger of speeding and in case of a serious accident, how to render assistance.

Students at the exhibition were excited and some for the first time were given the opportunity to learn about the many equipment and tools used by the Traffic Department to make the roads safer, especially during this time of the year.

Road Safety Week commenced on November 24 and will conclude on November 30, 2019.

16 news

friday, november 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Guyana’s sea defence faces imminent threat …urgent repairs needed, or country will face major consequences By: Devina Samaroo

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uthorities need billions of dollars within the next two years to execute urgent repairs to the country’s sea defence. Failure to do so could result in major consequences for persons living along the coastline.

Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson has revealed that over 32km of the country’s sea defence is under immediate threat.

“We have immediately 32.9km [of sea defence] that

are under imminent threat as we speak. It is estimated that if we don’t do urgent repairs… within the next two years, events such as is happening now in the Mahaicony District will occur all across the country,” Minister Patterson said.

These events include the severe flooding caused by overtopping during the high tide periods.

Flooding was so severe that farmlands, which were inundated by the ocean’s salt water, have become barren.

Residents became vulnerable

and suffered major losses.

Guyana currently has 473.3km of managed sea defence, stretching from Shell Beach in Region One to the Corentyne. Government allocates some $2 billion every year to maintain the sea defence.

But according to the Public Infrastructure Minister, much more is needed within the next two years, to address this immediate threat.

“The cost [for repair] for the next two years for this 32.9km [of sea defence], to

rehabilitate and replant, is $14B,” Minister Patterson said.

The Minister made these disclosures Thursday night at the University of Guyana’s Turkeyen and Tain Talks which examined “Green Building for Resilient Future Cities”.

Guyana is considered one of the most vulnerable Caribbean Community (Caricom) Member States as sea levels rise. Nearly 90 per cent of its population resides on the coast, which accounts for the majority of the coun-

Couple charged for possession of AK-47, narcotics and ammunition

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odfrey Bacchus, 51, and his reputed wife, Stacy Cort, 34, both sanitation workers, of GPL Reserve, North Sophia, Greater Georgetown, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Thursday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts charged for narcotics trafficking and illegal gun and ammunition possession.

The duo denied the first charge which stated that both of them, on November 25, 2019, at GPL Reserve, North Sophia, had in their possession 34.75 kilograms of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

The second charge stated that on the same day and at the same location, Bacchus had in his possession 66 rounds of ammunition when he was not the holder of a firearm license enforced at the

Godfrey Bacchus

Stacy Cort

time.

It was further alleged that on the same day and at the same location, he had in his possession, one AK-47 and one pistol when he was not the holder of a firearm licence in force at the time.

The couple’s lawyer, Bernard Dasilva, told the court that the alleged arms and ammunition were found

in a trench near his clients’ home and further indicated that the marijuana was discovered in an ice-pitcher.

Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield told the court that on the day in question, Police, acting on information, went to the home of the defendant to conduct a search.

Prosecutor Mansfield informed the court that as the

ranks arrived at the scene, they noticed Bacchus throwing a wrapped parcel into a nearby trench. The parcel was retrieved and the arms and ammunition were unearthed.

The court heard that a further search was carried out and more narcotics were found in the couple’s bedroom.

The Prosecutor added that Bacchus admitted ownership of the articles while his reputed wife admitted ownership of the drug that were found in the bedroom during a video interview. Prosecutor Mansfield contended that the defendants should not be granted bail, citing the serious nature of the offences.

The Chief Magistrate remanded the couple to prison and they were expected to make their next court appearance on December 4, 2019 at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court.

Georgetown sea defence during high tide

try’s GDP. Discussions have already begun at different forums on the need to move the capital city to higher grounds. But Minister Patterson has cautioned that such talks should take into consideration specifics, such as likely locations and what or who will be relocated.

In fact, the matter has already engaged Cabinet and according to Minister Patterson, a high-level committee would need to be established to look at issues like the relocation of administration centres, and the establishment of an entity tasked with urban planning and development.

Director-General of the Ministry of the Presidency Joseph Harmon, during a post-Cabinet press briefing, noted that the Government has begun to consider several ways in which to address the situation, including the relocation of people living along the coast.

“We live in what is described by the United Nations as a low-lying coastal state … one of the priorities for low-lying coastal states is to look at

how best you can relocate to higher grounds,” Harmon told reporters.

Already, DirectorGeneral of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Kester Craig, said a major risk assessment on climate change is needed.

For now, he said persons can employ measures to protect themselves from the effects of climate change.

Some measures include building structures above ground and building pens for livestock on stilts.

“Those are some adaptation measures that have proven useful in Asia and other countries around the world,” the CDC Head had told this newspaper during a recent interview.

Moreover, he said garbage disposal is a major issue in Guyana.

“People continue to look at the environment and abuse the environment and dispose their garbage improperly. I think we need to be conscious about the environment.

I think we have to safeguard our environment and property,” Craig had said.

news

17

friday, november 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Dr Walter Rodney’s name to be reinstated at National Archives after being gazetted …removal of name never intended to be a disrespectful act – Harmon

Late WPA leader and academic, Dr Walter Rodney

L

ess than a week after the public outcry by the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) Party about the removal of Dr Walter Rodney’s name from the National Archives building on Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown, the Government assured that the name will be restored

once it is gazetted.

This is according to Director-General at the Ministry of Presidency, Joseph Harmon, who was at that time responding to questions posed by reporters during the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing held on Thursday.

“Well, there is no change of name of the Walter Rodney National Archives…

I want to say today, that our partnership in which the WPA is an active and valued member is as strong as it was when it first started and that we are engaging the WPA and we will address that matter. As a temporary measure, the signage was there and we have taken it down, and we will do all that is necessary to ensure that the law is observed and then we will put up the appropriate sign back once that is done”.

Director General at the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon

own country and, therefore, there is no disrespect which we will give to anybody…the intention of the Government is to Gazette the name”.

Three days ago, Social Cohesion Minister Dr George Norton, under whose purview the national archive falls, distanced himself from the removal of the renowned scholar’s name.

Norton was asked by this publication about the development, which has left the party Rodney headed— the WPA – seeking answers, and he has claimed that he

the front, saying “Walter Rodney Archives”. At some point, however, the sign was replaced with one lit by LED lights and emblazoned with the words “National Archives of Guyana”.

In an interview with this publication, WPA executive member Dr David Hinds had said the party would certainly be seeking answers in regard to the development. While he did not point fingers, he noted that whoever had ordered the removal of the sign had engaged in an act of “political

parliamentary seat is held

by Public Service Minister Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, who replaced party stalwart Dr Rupert Roopnaraine.

Its partnership with the People’s National Congress (PNC), the largest party in the entire coalition, has been a rough road. At one point, the party’s overseas chapter had threatened to have the party withdraw from the coalition if certain concerns were not addressed.

A Commission of Inquiry (CoI) ordered by the previous Government into

was out of the jurisdiction at the time, and had nothing to do with the decision.

According to the Minister, he will seek answers but for now, he could not provide further clarity.

“I was out of the jurisdiction… as soon as I get the opportunity I will (seek answers on the removal of the name),” Dr Norton promised.

Previously, the Archives had a large wooden sign at

pettiness”.

Hinds noted that Dr Walter Rodney had been a well-respected historian and academic, and, therefore, there should have been a consensus before such steps were taken. He called the act an insensitive one to Rodney’s legacy.

The WPA is one of five parties which came together in 2011 and formed A Partnership for National Unity (APNU). The party’s

Rodney’s death had cast blame on PNC founder and former President, Forbes Burnham, for the assassination of the political activist.

Rodney had been a prominent Guyanese historian, political activist and academic. He was assassinated in 1980 after a bomb that was planted in a walkie-talkie detonated in a car.

At the time, Rodney had been an outspoken critic of then-President Burnham.

Harmon noted that the act of removing the sign with Dr Rodney’s name was never intended to be an insult of any kind to his legacy or the WPA. “So there is no disrespect to the legacy of Dr Walter Rodney. These are people who are legends in our

Govt urges Republic Bank to “do better” …as Bank announces all issues to be resolved by mid-December

D

irector General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, has chided Republic Bank Limited for their poor service to Guyanese while urging them to do better than they are currently doing.

Harmon was at the time responding to questions about the plethora of issues faced by Republic Bank’s customers following an upgrade of the Bank’s system in November.

“At the level of the people, we will not sit idly by and see people can’t get their salaries and all of that. That is wrong.

The bank (have) to do something better than they are doing right now,” Harmon said at his Post-Cabinet press briefing on Thursday.

Since the upgrade, basic transactions at the bank have proven to be tedious tasks for customers to effect.

Among those challenges encountered are difficulty in accessing services through the new internet banking and mobile banking services; delays in processing of payrolls and wire transfers, as well as lengthy delays in completion of some transactions in branch; and inconsistencies with respect to the use of various other electronic services, such as the ATMs and POS services.

This has caused customers to complain bitterly, and that has caught the attention of the Government.

“To the extent to which large sections of our population are affected by the work of the bank or by the inactivity in some regard of the bank, then the Government would have to be engaged.

We would not sit idly by and see large sections of our pop-

Cop injured following 2-vehicle collision ulation being affected by an entity and sit down and do nothing about it… If the bank (have) to alter (their) mechanisms, (they have) to put in place some manual facility so that the people can get their money, then they will have to do it,” Harmon explained.

He further related that when Finance Minister Winston Jordan returns, he would be expected to implement mechanisms to further bring relief to customers.

The bank issued a statement earlier today apologizing to customers, but maintained that the integrity of their data and new IT systems remain intact.

RBL said many of the challenges were unexpected, despite them being aware of the complex conversion exercise. The bank further related that they are hoping to fully resolve all the issues they are facing by mid-December.

“While the bank, with the assistance of its Parent in Trinidad and Tobago and numerous international consultants, employed the most intense and updated systems’ integration and user acceptance testing, several challenges have been experi-

enced since the conversion…

Notwithstanding these challenges, we would like to assure clients that there have been no challenges with respect to the integrity of our data or the security of our new IT systems. Both the data and system infrastructure have been designed to satisfy the latest international standards re data protection and cybersecurity,” the statement noted.

RBL noted that while many of these challenges were unexpected, they were aware that the conversion exercise was very complex.

Additionally, the bank’s personnel are assuring customers that they are gradually resolving the challenges, and expect to have the issues fully resolved by the middle of December 2019.

“In the meantime, we are putting various additional measures in place to make it easier for clients to access both the information and the people needed to resolve any individual concerns. When fully resolved, we are confident that clients will enjoy their new banking experience, which some may already have noticed affords greater convenience and flexibility,” the bank noted.

A

Police Officer who was operating a private vehicle bearing the registration PXX 4423 is now hospitalised after he sustained injuries about his body when the car he was driving collided with a Ministry of Communities vehicle on Thursday.

The accident took place at around 09:20h at the intersection of Middle Road and Hunter Street in Georgetown.

Reports are that a woman who had been standing alongside the road await-

Motor car PXX 4423 that was being driven by a Police Officer at the time of the accident at Middle Road and Hunter Street, Georgetown

The Ministry of Communities’ vehicle that was involved in the accident on Thursday morning

ing the arrival of a minibus (public transportation) was also hit during the accident and is nursing wounds at a hospital.

At least one occupant of the Ministry of Communities vehicle is said to have received injuries.

Traffic Chief

Superintendent Linden Isles, when contacted by this publication on Thursday, confirmed that a Police rank had been driving the motor car involved in the accident, and that the rank has been admitted to a city hospital.

However, Isles noted that although at the time when speaking with this publication he was not updated as to how many others were injured, he was certain that no accident victim sustained any life-threatening wounds or injuries.

However, he indicated that a full, in-depth investigation into the matter is already underway.

18

friday, november 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

news

19

FRIday, november 29, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Police tipped off ex-cops, accomplice collected gun – acting Crime Chief

Soesdyke robbery-rape

Suspects likely to make court appearance today L

O

ne man who was accused of raping a waitress along the East Bank Demerara (EBD) Public Road after he and two others reportedly robbed her of her valuables is expected to make his court appearance today, along with his two accomplices.

Two men were arrested shortly after the crimes were committed while the alleged rapist escaped. He was subsequently arrested.

According to Police Commander of Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) SubDivision B – EBD, Senior Superintendent Kurleigh Simon, the alleged rapist and the other two suspects are expected to appear in court today, but this is dependent on the advice that comes from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

“Hopefully, they will be going to court tomorrow (Friday). We had an extension to keep the guys in cus-

tody because we were doing a very intensive in-depth investigation. The third suspect, like the other two, is in police custody presently and we are awaiting word from the DPP in relation to the trio,” the Police Commander told this publication on Thursday.

Reports are that on Friday, last, a 29-year-old waitress was left traumatized after allegedly being raped on the roadway by a gun-toting bandit while his two-armed accomplices watched on.

Reports are that on the morning in question between 06:30h and 07:00h, the woman of Base Road, Timehri, East Bank Demerara (EBD), was in the vicinity of the Soesdyke junction to Lanuni-Linden Highway area when a silver and blue motor car stopped near her.

She had been standing alongside the roadway at that time when the driver of

Region Four Sub-Division B (EBD) Police Commander, Senior Superintendent Kurleigh Simon

the vehicle stopped the vehicle.

He reportedly exited the vehicle with his two friends and they each whipped out a firearm and pointed the weapons at the waitress as they ordered her to hand over her cellular phone and gold chain.

Fearing for her life, the woman quickly gave the men her cellular phone, which was valued at $80,000 and took off her chain, giv-

ing it to the armed bandits.

The chain is said to be valued $140,000.

However, one of the three gun-brandishing perpetrators was not satisfied with just robbing the woman.

He quickly grabbed the woman and then proceeded to rape her in the presence and plain view of the other men.

When he was finished, the three men jumped into the vehicle and sped off leaving the traumatised woman in tears on the road.

However, she managed to find the nearest police station and subsequently made a report about her rape and robbery on Friday last.

As a result, two of the men were quickly arrested as well as the vehicle was impounded.

aw enforcement officials had been tipped off that ex-cop Teon Allen, called “Spoil Child”, and his two accomplices had collected an illegal firearm from a location on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD).

This is according to acting Crime Chief, Senior Superintendent Michael Kingston, who told Guyana Times on Thursday that Allen, who was shot by Police ranks after he allegedly pointed a gun at them, remained hospitalised while his accomplices were still in custody.

“We had some intelligence that they went and picked up a gun and that they were coming to Georgetown. They picked up the gun from a location in Region Four (B). We are conducting investigations and we have to do ID parades among other things,” the acting Crime Chief said.

Allen had been shot on Tuesday by ranks after he brandished a loaded firearm in their presence as they

were closing in on him and his accomplices at Rahaman’s Park, Houston, Greater Georgetown.

According to Kingston, the successful arrest of Allen and his companions – another ex-Police Officer Jason Gonsalves, of William Street, Kitty, Georgetown, and a Shaquille George – is testimony to the hard work of his ranks and members of the public who aid the Police in fighting crimes of all nature.

The illegal firearm that had been in the car at the time of the trio’s arrest is the seventh illegal gun that the Police have managed to “take off the streets” within the past seven days, he noted.

On Tuesday, Police began trailing the car in which Allen and his accomplices were travelling, and this eventually led to a chase during which the car crashed into a fence at Rahaman’s Park.

It was reported that a 9mm pistol was found on the driver’s side of the motor car.

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

friday, november 29, 2019

Diamond Mineral Water Indoor Hockey Festival…

GBTI GCC Tigers record massive win on opening night T

he curtain-raisers in all three divisions of the Diamond Mineral Water Indoor Hockey Festival on Wednesday evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall were all exciting matches.

The Saints ladies were the first to celebrate -- with a 4-2 victory over Red Wyne in the ExxonMobil ladies’ competition. The GBTI GCC Tigers then predictably secured an easy 8–1 victory over the Spartans; and old Old Fort got the better of Vintage GCC by a 5-3 margin in the lone Lucozade Veterans division match of the evening.

However, the most entertaining match of the evening, the one which had the highest quality of hockey on display, was the clash between YMCA Old Fort and Pepsi Hikers, which ended in a 4-4 deadlock.

In that match, overlapping Old Fort left back, the former national player Aderemi Simon, executed a brilliant solo run in the 6th minute to finish with a reverse-stick goal to bring the match to life.

The two teams had started tentatively, like professional boxers sizing up their opponents, but the pace quickened immediately after the Simon opening goal.

The skilful Omar Hopkinson then shocked the Hikers with a second Old

Saints Captain Hilton Chester on the attack against GCC

Old Fort’s Jason DeSantos being challenged by Hikers Jamarj Assanah

Fort goal seven minutes later, to give his side a 2-0 lead.

Unfazed by their cold start, the experienced Hikers soon began to carve inroads into the Old Fort defence, and they reaped dividends, as star nationals Aroydy Branford and Jamarj Assanah drew the scores level in the first half of the game with a pair of goals which were both scored in the 15th minute.

The second half saw the Hikers surge ahead through two early goals scored by Captain Robert France, who on both occasions outhustled his opponents to pounce on loose rebounds in the circle, to take the Hikers to a 4-2 lead.

But Old Fort got anoth-

country’s top sides.

A penalty-corner goal each from Steven Xavier and Kevin Spencer in the first half proved enough to give GCC the win, as the Saints could managed only one field goal, scored by Seon Sookhai.

In the ExxonMobil ladies’ competition, three penaltycorner goals from Tekeisha DeLeon and a field goal from young and upcoming star Claysia Bobb proved enough to give Saints an easy win over Red Wyne. Minsodia Culpepper and Bushani Kaladeen put in good performances for Wyne, but failed to match Saints.

Former national striker Tamala Glenn and Culpepper were the

er spark of brilliance from Omar Hopkinson, which brought his team within one goal of its opponent, when he feinted the Hikers goalkeeper before dragging his flick around to the right and up into the net.

Young Old Fort marksman Warren Williams brought the game to a fitting end when he scored the eighth field goal in the match four minutes before the end, to leave the final score at a well-fought 4-4 draw.

A young Saints team suffered an opening game defeat to GCC in the other men’s clash of the evening, but the modest 2-1 score showed that Saints has improved to becoming within striking distance of the

Movements Family to battle top teams in T20 competition

C

urrent 2019 Heritage Day C h a m p i o n s Mahdia Cricket Team, aka Movements Family, have again collaborated with various teams across Guyana to stage a T20 tape ball competition to round off the year 2019.

Matches in this tournament will be played at Thirst Park Ground, St Cuthbert’s Mission Ground and at Green Park.

The Movements Family had ended 2018 on a sad note, when they had to bow out of the finals of a similar competition against a Laluni team after they had progressed to that stage of the competition. They are, however, entering this year’s competition with a plan, bearing in mind that they are the defending Heritage 2019 Champions; hence they have set themselves the task of competing against the best teams in those teams’ respective areas.

This billboard was erected in honour of the 2019 Heritage Day champions

As a reward for the hard work they have since undertaken in pursuit of their quest, they were given their very own billboard in the town of Mahdia.

Their first fixture will commence on December 6, when they oppose the Banks DIH team at Thirst Park Ground. On December 7, they battle St Cuthbert’s at St Cuthbert

Ground. Their final match will be against the Leguan Sports Club at the Green Park ground on December 8.

The Mahdia Team have released a statement in which they noted that their competitors in Georgetown and surrounding areas are far superior, but this annual event is aimed at building the team and enhanc-

ing their capabilities, as they are prepared to defend their title.

The 13-man Mahdia squad consists of Mark Jeffers, Raydon Austin, Rajkumar Singh (Cpt), Lloyd Pio, Aubrey Thomas, Omesh Danram, Ershaad Ali, Paul Tyrell, Andrew Gibson, Ryan Adams, Ricardo Poloram, Malcom Hubbard and Carl Howes.

goal-scorers for Old Fort.

Pre-tournament favourites the GBTI GCC Tigers outclassed a youthful Spartans team by 8-1 in the other ExxonMobil ladies’ match of the evening.

With the halftime score at 3-1 for the Tigers, the tiring Spartans conceded 5 more unanswered goals in the second half to allow the Tigers to cart off an 8-1 victory.

National midfielder Marzana Fiedtkou was the leading scorer for the Tigers with three goals, while Sonia Jardine scored two, and Ashley DeGroot, Gabriella Xavier and Tiffany Solomon each scored one for the Tigers’ win. Abosaide Cadogan was the lone goal-scorer for the Spartans.

The Lucozade Veterans’ division was a highly contested affair, with Vintage getting off to an early start through a Kevin Spencer goal in the second minute.

Old Old Fort, however, responded in fine fashion despite the scores being level at 2-2 at halftime, and pulled off a 5-3 victory. The old Old Fort goals were scored as follows: Jason DeSantos 2, John Abrahams, Adrian Brandt and Dwight Sullivan one each.

The three goals for Vintage came through a Kevin Spencer double and a single from Dwayne Scott.

Matches continue all week at the same venue, and the finals are set for Sunday evening.

Bottas to start at back of Abu Dhabi grid

M

ercedes driver Valtteri Bottas will start the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from the back of the grid because of an engine-related penalty.

The Finn will have a new engine for the 2019 finale after an oil leak brought an early end to his race in Brazil.

Mercedes said his car would have a new internal combustion engine, turbo and MGU-H, the part of the hybrid system that recovers energy from the turbo.

That takes him over the permitted number of engine parts for a season.

The 30-year-old, who announced on Thursday that he had separated from his wife “because of the challenges of my career”, faces a penalty amounting to 20 places on the grid - anything more than 15 and the regulations dictate a start from the back.

Elsewhere, Ferrari d r i v e r Sebastian Vettel has

been excused his media duties at Yas Marina after staying in Europe for an extra day because his wife Hannah has given birth to their third child.

The German four-time champion had been due to attend the official news conference alongside teammate Charles Leclerc, where both had been expected to address the fall-out from their crash at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Both have been spoken to by team boss Mattia Binotto in the days between the two races and their responsibilities to Ferrari made clear.

Binotto described the crash as “not acceptable” in a social media fans Q&A this week.

He said the drivers “know how to move forward”.

Binotto has not yet expanded on exactly what instructions have been given to the drivers about on-track conduct following the incident. (BBC Sport)

guyanatimesgy.com

friday, november 29, 2019

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21

Brooks, Cornwall put West Indies in sight of big victory S

hamarh Brooks' maiden Test century and Rahkeem Cornwall's match haul of ten wickets took West Indies to the doorstep of victory by the end of day two of the one-off Test in Lucknow.

After starting the day on 68 for 2, West Indies were bowled out for 277, with Brooks' 111 giving them a lead of 90. The only bright spot for Afghanistan was debutant Amir Hamza, who ended with figures of 5 for 74. Then, just like in their first innings, the hosts squandered another good start and were stuttering at 109 for 7 at stumps, just 19 runs in front.

Javed Ahmadi and Ibrahim Zadran gave Afghanistan a 53run start. While both batsmen looked resolute in their approach, Ahmadi was helped by a slice of luck as well when he was caught at leg slip but replays showed Cornwall had overstepped.

However, an error in judgement from Zadran brought an end to the stand as the batsman offered no shot to a Cornwall offbreak and was given lbw. That was followed by a horrendous mix-up between Ahmadi and Ihsanullah, resulting in the latter being run out.

Cornwall then dealt two big blows, dismissing Rahmat Shah and Asghar Afghan in identical manner. Both of them got inside edges on to their pads, and Brooks pouched the chances at short leg. Having picked up 7 for 75 in the first innings, the offspinner finished the day with a match haul of 10 for 116.

SCOREBOARD

Rahkeem Cornwall ended with 10 wickets in the match (Getty Images)

Ahmadi brought up his fifty in the company of Nasir Jamal, and took Afghanistan to 96 for 5, but three quick strikes from Roston Chase under the floodlights dented them further. Jamal played down the wrong line and was bowled, while Hamza, the nightwatchman, and Ahmadi were taken at first slip.

Earlier, Brooks showcased excellent mix of attack and defence against the Afghanistan spinners, who tried too hard for wickets at most times. Rashid Khan had a couple of strong lbw appeals turned down and that added to their frustration. However, in the absence of DRS for the game, there was no choice but to accept the on-field decisions.

While Afghanistan did make inroads and one wicket invariably brought another, Brooks stayed firm. After counter-attacking for the first half of his innings, he assumed a more measured approach after lunch but didn't miss out on the loose deliveries.

Rashid, in particular, was at the receiving end as Brooks took 69 off 108 balls from the legspinner.

In all, Brooks struck 15 fours and a six before being bowled

by Hamza while looking for quick runs with his side eight wickets down.

John Campbell, the other overnight batsman, took to attack straightaway. The strategy paid off as he deployed a variety of sweeps - slog, lap, reverse - to counter the leftarm spin of Hamza and took 15 from the bowler's second over of the day. He brought up his maiden Test fifty with a single to deep square-leg, courtesy a conventional sweep.

Brooks was more orthodox at the other end but no less attacking. In one Rashid over, he struck two fours and a six as West Indies went past 100. Campbell and he added 82 in just 19.1 overs before Hamza broke the stand with Campbell's wicket for 55, scored in 75 balls. But it was as much Ihsanullah's wicket too, as the slip fielder moved

Afghanistan 1st Innings 187 West Indies 1st Innings KC Brathwaite lbw b Hamza 11 JD Campbell c Ihsanullah b Hamza 55 SD Hope c Ihsanullah b Khan 7 SSJ Brooks b Hamza 111 SO Hetmyer lbw b Khan 13 RL Chase c Zadran b Khan 2 SO Dowrich † lbw b Khan 42 JO Holder (c) st †Afsar Zazai b Hamza 11 RRS Cornwall lbw b Khan 5 KAJ Roach lbw b Hamza 3 JA Warrican not out 4 Extras (lb 12, nb 1) 13 TOTAL (83.3 Overs, RR: 3.31) 277 all out Fall of wickets: 1-27 (Brathwaite, 8.5 ov), 2-34 (Hope, 11.1 ov), 3-116 (Campbell, 30.2 ov), 4-137 (Hetmyer, 37.4 ov), 5-150 (Chase, 40.1 ov), 6-224 (Dowrich, 66.3 ov), 7-243 (Holder, 71.4 ov), 8-260 (Cornwall, 76.4 ov), 9-270 (Brooks, 79.5 ov), 10-277 (Roach, 83.3 ov) BOWLING Y Ahmadzai (10-3-24-0) A Hamza (28.3-4-74-5)

swiftly to his right upon seeing Campbell shaping up for a lap sweep, put in the dive and completed the catch onehanded.

Shimron Hetmyer and Chase didn't last long and at 150 for 5, it looked like Afghanistan had clawed their way back. But Shane Dowrich thwarted their hopes. Like the batsmen before him, Dowrich too started aggressively, hitting three fours in no time to move to 15 in as many balls. It wasn't that the Afghanistan spinners didn't create any chances.

R Khan (32-5-114-3) Z Khan (13-2-53-2) Afghanistan 2nd Innings I Zadran lbw b Cornwall 23 J Ahmadi c Cornwall b Chase 62 Ihsanullah run out (Hope/†Dowrich) 1 R Shah c Brooks b Cornwall 0 A Afghan c Brooks b Cornwall 0 N Jamal b Chase 15 A Hamza c Cornwall b Chase 1 A Zazai † not out 2 Extras (lb 4, nb 1) 5 TOTAL (36 Overs, RR: 3.02) 109/7 Yet to bat: Rashid Khan (c), Y Ahmadzai, Z Khan Fall of wickets: 1-53 (Zadran, 18.6 ov), 2-55 (Ihsanullah, 20.1 ov), 3-55 (Shah, 20.6 ov), 4-59 (Afghan, 22.1 ov), 5-96 (Jamal, 31.4 ov), 6-98 (Hamza, 33.5 ov), 7-109 (Ahmadi, 35.6 ov) BOWLING KAJ Roach (4-2-5-0) JO Holder (3-0-18-0) JA Warrican (12-3-31-0) RRS Cornwall (14-3-41-3) RL Chase (3-1-10-3)

Apart from the lbw shouts, Rashid got Brooks to edge one behind but Afsar Zazai dropped the catch. The batsman was on 59 at that time.

Brooks and Dowrich added 74 for the sixth wicket and took the side into the lead. But once Zahir Khan got Dowrich lbw, the rest of the batting didn't last long. Hamza picked up three of the remaining four wickets, while Cornwall was wrongly given out lbw off Rashid, with the ball brushing the inside edge on its way to the pads. (ESPN cricinfo)

GFF set the record straight on Lillieroos concludes medical personnel at GFF-Always successful training camp Female Championship

A

release from the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has declared that that body would like to set the records straight in relation to an article that appeared in a section of the print media under the caption “GFF criticised for no medical personnel at women’s tournament”.

The GFF hereby informs the public that both clubs are Elite League outfits, and as per Elite League regulations, must have their medical personnel present at every match. Additionally, the match was an unofficial friendly.

On the day in question, Saturday, November 23rd, 2019, the tournament: GFF-Always Female Championship, was scheduled to kick off with two matches at the GFF National Training Centre at Providence, East Bank Demerara. However, the teams were extremely late for the official march-past and subsequent kick-off, and as a result, a decision was taken to shift the opening match to this coming weekend.

Because the teams involved, Fruta and the

Guyana Police Force, were present and the ladies wanted to get in some competitive work, they mutually decided that they would engage each other in an unofficial friendly match.

All of this took place with the full involvement of the Tournament Coordinator, Wayne Dover, who informed that the match began at around 15:00hrs and was scheduled for one hour. the dominant team throughout the encounter was Fruta Conquerors.

With about ten (10) minutes to full time, Fruta Conquerors’ Amanda McKenzie was in possession of the ball and a Police FC player made a challenge to take possession.

McKenzie tried to turn away from the Police FC player, and in the process twisted her knee and fell to the ground.

Immediately, ice was administered to the injury, and as soon as McKenzie got a bit of relief, Coach Dover and Fruta Conquerors Coach Delon Williams took her to the Diamond Hospital

T

for professional treatment.

It must be noted that medical personnel were contracted to be at the venue for the official commencement, but due to unforeseen circumstances, they were not in attendance.

The GFF would like to assure all persons that medical personnel would be at every match of the tournament, as the GFF takes seriously the health and wellbeing of its players. This is a responsibility that has always been upheld with the highest possible standards, and would continue to be treated this way.

The GFF takes this opportunity to wish McKenzie a speedy recovery.

he Titans Table Tennis Club’s 14-day training camp hosted by International Table Tennis Federation Instructor Christian Lillieroos concluded on Friday, November 22, with the Swedish coach declaring how impressed he was with the level of talent displayed.

This high-performance training camp, which began on November 9, saw young players putting in 70 hours of work in two-and-a-half-hour training sessions twice a day.

Lillieroos told Guyana Times Sport in an interview: “It is an amazing feeling to do the camp. It was an amazing feeling to do this camp in Guyana. I’ve been doing this all over the world, and I’m amazed at the work they (Guyanese) put in. The athletes did an amazing job over their 14-day session.

“In the second week, they were a little tired but they pushed on nevertheless. I’m mostly impressed with the athletes. I do this many places in the world, and maybe I would label their (Guyanese) attitude and willingness as world class.

“The reason we call this ‘high-performance’ is that this is these athletes’ first chance (to get) a taste (of) what it is like being a professional athlete,” he explained.

Lillieroos also noted that if the athletes were to maintain their training and utilise their newly acquired knowledge, they could advance far in their careers as professional table tennis athletes.

He told this publication he believes that table tennis can go very far in Guyana. He said he was impressed with the togetherness of the athletes, as they encouraged each other on a regular basis.

This camp was sponsored by JGS (James Samuels), Guyana Beverages Inc (Viva Water), Kings Hotel and Residences, Courts Guyana, Beacon Cafe, Payless Variety, Jai Signs, Royal Chicken Inc, New GPC under their Whizz brand, and parents of the (club) Guyana Red Cross Society (home of the Titans).

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friday, november 29, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

Guyoil/Tradewind Tankers Tournament…

Queen’s College, Annandale win as Round 7 continues

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nnandale Secondary and Queen’s College bounced back to their winning ways in the Guyoil/Tradewind Tankers under 18 School’s Football League on Wednesday afternoon as round 7 action began.

In Wednesday’s first encounter at the Ministry of Education Ground on Carifesta Avenue, Queen’s College opposed Cummings Lodge Secondary, both of whom have had a bumpy journey in the 2019 competition thus far.

Cummings Lodge enjoyed a brief period in which they controlled the outcome of the game, as Christian Harris netted a goal in the 31st for a 1-0 score at the half.

However, when the second segment began, Queen’s College turned the tables on the opposition with a goal coming off the boots of Jorrel De Santos to ensure the scores would be levelled in the 39th minute.

Three minutes later, Captain Diarra Thomas found the back of the net for QC’s second goal;

Tankers League, which is also sponsored by ANSA McAL, will continue today with the final game in round seven, wherein President’s College will take on

Marian Academy at 16:00hrs.

The eventual winner of this league will receive $200,000 to complete a school project of their choice, while both the

winner and second place finisher will be afforded the opportunity to compete in the KFC Goodwill tournament which is scheduled for play from December 14 to 22.

BCB/RHTY&SC Busta Champion of Champions… and try as Cummings Lodge did, they could not find the equalizing goal, thus they conceded a victory to QC. Annandale Secondary bounced back from a hardfought draw with Charlestown on Sunday when they battled St. Stanislaus College, who are yet to win a game in the league.

Benefiting from a full squad this time around, and conscious of the need to win their remaining games in order to battle Lodge Secondary for the top spot in the league, Annandale handed St. Stanislaus a 5-0 trashing in this encounter.

Collin Hendricks was the first to find the back of the net, in the 15th minute; and Seon Haywood went on to score in the 26th and 31st minutes for a 3-0 score by the half.

As if it had become a norm, St. Stanislaus struggled to hit their mark, with their few shots at goal going awry.

Omari Glasgow, a familiar name on the score sheet, found the back of the net in the 56th minute, and 4 minutes later, Annandale’s last goal came off the boots of Hendricks for the 5-0 victory.

The Guyoil/Tradewind

2nd round to be played on Saturday ꟷ lone semi billed for Sunday T he hectic 2019 season of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) continues tomorrow (Saturday, Nov 30) with the second leg of the 2019 BCB/RHTY&SC/Busta Champion of Champions 40 overs tournament being hosted at various grounds in the Ancient County.

This tournament started with 11 teams, and the remaining six teams -- RHT Namilco Thunderbolt Flour,

Albion Community Centre, Port Mourant, Blairmont Community Centre, Tucber Park CC and Young Warriors -- will battle it out for the opportunity to reach the finals.

Albion will play Young Warriors at home, with the winner drawing a bye into the finals. Albion will feature these players: Jonathan Foo, Kandasammy Surujnarine, Gourav Ramesh, Anthonio February, Ritesh Umroa, Rajiv Ivan, Sarwan Chaitnarine, Ramesh Kasinauth and Adrian Sukhwa.

A confident team with seasoned campaigners, Young Warriors CC would be represented by Linden Austin, Vishal Mohabir, Suresh Dhanai, Alex Algoo, Ishwar Singh, Ricardo Ramdehol, Kassim Khan, Devindra Ramoutar and the talented Seon Hetmyer.

At the Area ‘H’ Ground in Port Mourant, defending Champions Rose Hall Town Namilco Thunderbolt Flour will field a team led by Shawn Pereira and including Eon Hooper, Junior Sinclair, Keith Simpson, Delbert Hicks,

Khemraj Mahadeo, Jonathan Rampersaud, Jason Sinclair, Sylus Tyndall and Chanderpaul Govindhan.

Their opponents, Blairmont, are a young team on the rise and could give the home team some headache with players like Seon Glasgow, Nigel Deodat, Kevin Jawahir, Javed Karim, Marvon Prashad, Shabeer Baksh and Waqar Hassan in the side.

Port Mourant CC and Tucber Park CC will clash in the final match at the Port Mourant Ground. Port Mourant will depend heavily on Demetri Cameron, Arif Chan, Rampertab Ramnauth, Mahendra Boodram, Trishan Ramsarran, Quincy Burnette and Salim Khan.

A strong Tucber Park CC team would include Garfield Benjamin, Martin Singh, Anthony D’Andrade, Quacy Mickle, Nial Smith, Leon Swammy and Devon Clements.

The respective winners of these matches would clash in the lone semifinals on Sunday at the Area ‘H’ Ground. All matches start at 11:00 hrs.

592 Beer Inter-Village Football Festival…

Double header on tonight

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ction in the inaugural ‘592 Beer Inter-Village Football Festival’ continues tonight with an exciting doubleheader being staged at the Buxton Community Centre Ground.

Annandale will, from 19:00hrs, make their debut in this event against the towering undefeated side Beterverwagting [BV], who in their previous match defeated home side Golden Grove.

In the main fixture, Victoria will faceoff with debutants Friendship. The Victoria unit lost their opening match to Paradise, and will thus be looking to regain their confidence.

Action in this event will continue at the same venue with another two matches on Sunday. Brush Dam opposes Ann’s Grove at 19:00hrs, while Mahaica take on Buxton in the feature matchup from 21:00hrs.

This tournament has 12 teams battling in an initial

group format. Group A comprises Buxton, Plaisance and Mahaica, while group ‘B’ consists of Friendship, Paradise and Victoria; group ‘C’ features Brush Dam, Melanie and Ann’s Grove, while Group D comprises Annandale, Golden Grove and Beterverwagting [BV].

The winner of each group, along with the second-place finisher, will advance to the quarterfinal round. The grand finale is pegged for December 14th.

The eventual champion of the event will pocket $300,000 and the championship trophy; while the second, third and fourth place finisher will receive $150,000, $100,000 and $75,000 respectively and the corresponding trophy.

Individual prizes would be awarded for the Most Valuable Player [MVP] and the Best Goalkeeper. Among the major sponsors of the tournament are Bakewell Guyana Incorporated, ExxonMobil, and the Colin Talbot Construction Services.

guyanatimesgy.com

friday, november 29, 2019

KFC Goodwill Tournament…

Coema Construction joins sponsorship team

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uyana Coema Construction and Services has added some fuel to the KFC Goodwill tournament by pitching in with sponsorship. In a simple handing over ceremony that took place at the Ministry of Education ground on Carifesta Avenue, this sponsorship was handed over.

Scheduled for play at this same ground from December 14 to December 22, The KFC Goodwill Tournament provides a great opportunity to witness some of the best secondary school teams in action. In this, its second year, the organisers, Petra, have opted to expand the tournament by bringing two additional teams on board.

However, with the coming of the extra teams comes the concomitant need for more assistance in staging this tournament. As such, the Guyana Coema Construction and Services has thrown its support behind this KFC tournament.

The parent company of Coema Construction, which has been operating in Boa Vista, Brazil for over 25 years, made its debut in Guyana some two and a half days ago, and has only recently completed a strip of

road in the Rupununi which runs from the airstrip to the Tabatinga bridge.

Coema Operations Manager Derek Melville Jake, while disclosing that the company’s main contribution will be transporting Annai Secondary to and from the KFC tournament, which will be played in Georgetown, shared why the company decided to get onboard.

“We look forward to being able to participate in the development of the community and sport within Guyana. No matter what region it is, as long as we could help, we will. In the future, we will be looking forward to participating more in these types of activities,” he said.

This year’s tournament will see participation from six schools; namely, Shiva Boys out of Trinidad and Tobago, USL Montjoly from French Guiana, Annai Secondary, Waramadong Secondary, and the first and second place finishers in the ongoing Guyoil/Tradewind Tankers League, which are tipped to be Annandale and Lodge Secondary.

In expressing his gratitude to the road construction company, Petra’s CoDirector Troy Mendonca

Operations Manager of Coema, Derek Melville Jake

explained that this sponsorship is more about investment in youth development than mileage.

“I just want to use this opportunity to say how elated we are to have Coema joining hands with KFC to bring this tournament to our public. So, members from the Coema Group, while we continue to ask corporate Guyana to invest in our youths, we definitely know that this investment does not just go in terms of your company, but you’re investing in our future human resources,” Mendonca explained.

The six teams will be placed in two groups of three, and round-robin games will begin on December 14 and run until December 18. The semifinals are slated for December 20, and the final showdown would be on December 22.

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friday, november 29, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Diamond Mineral Water Indoor Hockey Festival…

GBTI GCC Tigers record massive win on opening night

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Page 21

KFC Goodwill Tournament…

Page 23

Brooks, Cornwall put West Indies Coema Construction in sight of joins sponsorship team big victory

Coema’s founder/owner, Aurelio Sella hands over the sponsorship cheque to Petra’s Mark Alleyne in the presence of Coema’s Derek Melville Jake, Marco Salvadori and Troy Mendonca

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