Guyanatime 24 may 2018

St Ignatius Secondary targets child abuse in youth rally P12

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

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Issue No. 3573

IUF urges Govt to look into plight of 5700+ fired sugar workers

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

City Hall wants over $400M for restoration

P7

Page 3

…says no consideration given to establishing reform plans

Drug dealer forces self on 16-year-old

…as payment for father’s ganja habit

Page 9

PNC retracts President’s antimedia statement Page 2

Region 2 fishermen claim coastPage 14 guards demanding “best” catch 52nd Independence celebrations

Govt partnering with ExxonMobil, Caribbean Airlines Page 13

Officials of the Social Cohesion Ministry along with Minister George Norton; ExxonMobil’s Director of Public and Government Affairs, Kimberly Brasington; Caribbean Airlines South America Manager, Carl Stuart along with its Marketing Director, Alicia Cabrera and other sponsors for this year’s Independence celebrations

16 women rescued in human trafficking bust Page 7

State Minister, Page 10 Canadian High Commissioner discuss areas for cooperation

Unlicensed, drunk teen slams into P2 pedestrian

New oil sector

P9

Independence of central bank now necessary – economist

Child Advocacy Centre opens in Linden P12

Bar Association lashes out at AG’s “unwarranted P9 attack” …says Williams himself retained counsels in private practice

Essequibo Coast farmer loses memory after accident P10

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thursDAY, may 24, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

PNC retracts President’s Unlicensed, drunk teen slams into pedestrian anti-media statement

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mid mounting criticism over several anti-media statements made

by President David Granger during a People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) General Council meeting, the party has now withdrawn those statements made by the Guyanese Head of State.

On Wednesday, the PNCR said it retracted its previous press statement on the party’s General Council Meeting held on May 19, 2018, claiming that the quote made by President Granger regarding the media was “taken out of context”.

In the previous press statement, Granger was quoted highlighting “the daily challenges faced by the coalition from some sections of the media”. However, this did not sit well with several media entities who are known to have been critical of Government in the past. The members of the fourth estate have since expressed feelings of being threatened by the President’s remark.

In an effort to take attention off the controversial statement made by Granger, the PNCR said that the President has long been and will continue to be a strong advocate and defender of freedom of information.

“The leaders and members of the PNCR strongly believe that free access to information is an inalienable right of every citizen. It is an indispensable condition of democratic society,” the statement

fere in the work of the private media, and it has committed to ensuring that that does not ever occur.

Guyana Times threat

President David Granger

said. The party did not stop there, but went on to state that citizens’ access to information was a democratic right and information was necessary for citizens’ informed participation in society.

“The PNCR is committed also to non-interference in the independent media.

Independent media act as watchdogs of the Government. They promote transparency by ensuring that information is provided to the public on the work of the Government,” the party also added.

Further, the PNCR said private media companies were a source of valuable feedback on the effectiveness of the efforts of the Government.

Therefore, there is no good reason for the State to inter-

Meanwhile, on Tuesday Guyana Times informed the country that it received a number of threats from persons who claimed to be agents of the Government to stop publishing news items which are critical of the Administration and its work.

These persons have

threatened that should the newspaper continue to pursue articles which are critical of

the Government, its owners, management, and affiliate companies will face dire consequences.

As an independent media house, this newspaper pointed out that it has striven to express the views of all Guyanese irrespective of religion, race, creed, or political background.

“We are of the view that this threat is aimed at silencing us as a media house from performing our role as the fourth estate of democratic government...

This media house, over the past 10 years, has stood firm as a watchdog of our democracy and against Government excesses.”

In the past, Guyana Times has been threatened by Government officials. In particular one Government official called for the torching of Sanata Complex, Georgetown which houses, among other entities, the newspaper, Television Guyana (TVG-CH 28) and Radio Guyana Inc (RGI).

The companies have all strengthened their resolve and stood their ground since the President’s comments and the threats which pre-dated and increased after his statement.

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Jermin Baird in his hospital bed

Region One (BarimaWaini) teen is currently a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital after he was airdashed to the city following an accident. The 25-yearold Baramita, North West District man was struck by an unlicensed, drunk teen as he was heading home.

From his hospital bed, Jermin Baird told Guyana Times on Wednesday that he was hanging out with some friends in the wee hours of May 14 having attended a Mother’s Day lime.

He added that he left for home about 02:00h, and his intoxicated 16-year-old cousin struck him down with a motorcycle.

The young men were both picked up and rushed to a nearby health facility, before being air-dashed from the remote area to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Baird suffered a broken leg and arm. The interior worker said he was the father of two children, with the younger being three years of age.

Meanwhile, the teen reportedly sustained several abrasions and other minor injuries. On Sunday, May

13, at least two other accidents occurred.

On the Essequibo Coast, a 20-year-old almost lost his life on his way home when he was struck by a vehicle which he does not remember.

The young man, Yoni Thomas, who was discharged from the Georgetown Public Hospital last Thursday, admitted to this newspaper that he was “taking a few shots” with his friends to celebrate the occasion.

He was rushed to the Suddie Hospital before being transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he underwent CT scans among other examinations.

The young man was being treated for a fractured skull and minor injuries he received as a result of the accident. On the LindenSoesdyke Highway, in a much more devastating accident, at least three persons have succumbed after a car collided with a minibus.

Six-year-old Arianna Hughes; Quinton Odle, 42 and Shennelle Hughes, 31, all breathed their last at Georgetown Public Hospital days after the tragedy.

news

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thurSDAY, may 24, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, May 24 – a night retraction at 01:00h and a day retraction from 13:00h-14:30h and Friday, May 25 – a night retraction at 02:00h and a day retraction from 13:30h-15:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, May 24 – 12:45h-14:15h and Friday, May 25 – 13:25h-14:55h.

IUF urges Govt to look into plight of 5700+ fired sugar workers

…says no consideration given to establishing reform plans said that her organisation has been paying keen attention to the developments in the sugar industry. “We have been following this closely for some time. We’ve worked historically in sugar to improve working conditions with a view to having a stronger and healthy sugar sector in the Caribbean,” she said.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Lightly cloudy conditions should be followed by light rain showers in the mid-morning to midafternoon hours, with thundery showers expected in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 22 degrees and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Ranging between East North-easterly and North-easterly between 1.78 metres and 5.36 metres.

High Tides: 12:49h reaching a maximum height of 2.31 metres.

Low Tides: 06:21h and 18:48h reaching minimum heights of 0.94 metre and 0.86 metre. respectively.

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President David Granger

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he International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Association (IUF), an international trade union confederation, through its General Secretary Sue Longley, has written to President David Granger expressing strong concerns over the downsizing of sugar.

The IUF has strongly urged the President that his Government “…actively look at the plight that has befallen the thousands of workers of the sugar industry who have lost their livelihood…” The trade union body said the situation “…if left unchecked, would not be in the interest of your beautiful country and hospitable people.”

In its letter to President Granger, the IUF, which speaks on behalf of 10 million workers through its 422 affiliated unions in 131 countries, said it was aware that the sugar industry “…has made substantial contributions to your country’s national life and development…Its role as a national institution cannot be diminished, especially recognising the absence of alternatives at this time.”

The IUF said bearing those factors in mind and taking into account the information they have been receiving, it could not help but be saddened by what has taken place. “From our vantage point, we cannot fail to express our view that very little thought has been given to address the well-being and welfare of the thousands who have been affected. The impact, we have learnt, has been nothing short of significant and the disruption of village economies and the social fabric of communities, for us, is disturbing.”

Moreover, the IUF said it was aware that the coalition Government, despite being advised to, did not pursue any considered study to get a better grasp of the eventualities that would flow from its reform plans. As such, the international body told the

IUF General Secretary Sue Longley

President in the missive that it was not the wisest of positions.

Nevertheless, the IUF said too many Guyanese men, women, and children have found themselves facing tough and difficult times. “We are sure, Mr President, that you cannot be comforted by this fact. I should add, Mr President, that earlier this year during a visit to Guyana, myself and colleagues had an opportunity to meet a group of these workers,” the statement added.

For the IUF, hearing first hand from the workers, their stories of survival and struggle as they live day in and day out, was heart rending and very moving. “It is difficult, therefore, for us to imagine what has taken place in the days and weeks that followed that interaction,” it added.

Longley, in an exclusive interview with Guyana Times in January, had

The IUF official noted that it has been a concern for her organisation with the changes taking place in the Caribbean regarding sugar, starting with St Kitts and Barbados. “We were hoping that remaining producers like Guyana would remain very much committed to the industry,” she added. turn to page 7

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guyanatimesgy.com

thurSDAY, may 24, 2018

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

Breaking gender barriers

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very year, Guyana joins other countries in the world to mark International Women’s Day under various themes which centre on women’s rights, gender equality, wealth, and gender roles. There was much introspection and reflection on the progress or lack thereof made by Guyanese women over the past few decades with Non-Governmental Organisations last year and this year which resulted in official Government agencies setting goals and objections for achieving more progress by next year and beyond.

For the most parts, women were celebrated, admired, and praised. They were viewed as heroines because of the struggles they have endured and the challenges they face daily in ensuring that they play the role of the traditional woman as outlined in writings in the religious books, while aspiring to break barriers and crack glass ceilings as part of the process of metamorphosis in order to become the new ‘modern woman’.

There were those women who lived in the moment and blushed in the midst of being praised and celebrated. They made the most of it by attending all of the ceremonies and festivities associated with the day because they felt dutybound to ensure that the voices of women were amplified on this day and the challenges they faced also highlighted.

But there were those women who were no doubt more conscious. They held firm to the view that the state of the girl child could not be improved by mere reflection and introspection on one day.

It would take more than attending mundane workshops and conferences to ‘talk’ about women’s rights and issues to solve the problems facing women in the world today. UN speeches and public releases by organisations lobbying the world over for gender equality, though appreciated, could not create the level of awareness to create real and lasting change while forcing a paradigm shift in thinking patterns of the still largely male-dominated world.

What was needed was ‘immediate action’ by women themselves to rise up and challenge the stereotypes and prejudices that seek to keep them in their so-called ‘place’.

Women needed to rise up in large numbers and make a determined effort to rebel against all of the draconian laws as well as unwritten policies that promoted inequality, maybe not intentionally, in the work place, education system, marriage agreement, class structure, and other areas of their life.

In Guyana, women needed to express outrage against the rising levels of domestic abuse and violence against their kind. They needed to protest and take a firm stance against the attacks on women in the judiciary by leading members of the current Government. They needed to lobby the authorities in order to compel them to do more to safeguard women against rape, childhood marriages and suicide. The Guyanese women needed to send a stronger message that women deserve better health care while demanding that immediate changes are made at hospitals across the country where women have to deliver children so that the downward spiral of maternal deaths could commence.

Our women missed a golden opportunity to also seek out and motivate suitably qualified women folk to run again for the presidency by going against the norms within the various political parties in order to challenge the concept of male supremacy and the theory that men are born better leaders.

As it stands, women in Guyana appear satisfied with being seen as conservative, compassionate and compliant beings.

They seem comfortable with the current gender role that they are playing and whatever benefits they have accrued.

This is most unfortunate because Guyanese women possess a special finesse and strength that make them iconic and unconquerable. It sets them apart from persons of the same gender elsewhere geographically. They also possess a fighting spirit and the will to achieve success in areas where women traditionally would not dare step. If women here, therefore, are to be “bold for change”, they must first start the process internally and mentally in order to have a lasting and real impact on the affairs of the world in a more meaningful way.

The future of the girl child is at stake in a world of some many emerging gender cultures and preferences. They must stand tall and stand firm in unity. Like Hillary Clinton and Janet Jagan, they must not miss opportunities to crack glass ceilings because they understand their worth and value. This is no longer a man’s world.

As part of activities slated for Guyana’s Independence, local artists on Wednesday showcased their products at the Visual Art and Craft Market on Main Street, Georgetown. The two-day visual Art and Craft Market is being hosted by the Social Cohesion Ministry and aims to give the local artists much needed exposure.

A sign of desperation Dear Editor, A front-page comment in the Guyana Times (May 22, 2018) should be a warning to all Guyanese who cherish free speech, that the era of censorship is now upon us.

The threat that Guyana Times, its owners, management and affiliate companies will face “dire consequences” unless the newspaper company “stop publishing news items which are critical of the Administration” is real, and can be seen as a sign of desperation by the PNC-controlled APNU/AFC Government.

Last Saturday, the PNCR held its General Council Meeting at Congress Place, in which the Party Chairman, Basil Williams urged members to “stand up and defend the party, the Government and the coalition”. I was informed that at the closeddoor session that followed, a strategy was planned to achieve this objective. Then on Monday, May 21, the headline on the front page of the Government- owned Guyana Chronicle screamed, “Fight back – PNC chairman urges members to resist opposition propaganda.”

This man has been making headlines of late, all for the wrong reasons. Readers may recall the explosive revelation contained in a leaked email, reportedly emanating from the same email address used by Basil Williams which he quickly denounced as “fake”. But this so-called “fake” email address is the identical one used in the email-chain that the Parliament Office uses to communicate with the Attorney General and other Members of Parliament.

The leaked email exposed

the mindset of the PNCcontrolled APNU, and revealed the unscrupulous tactics this party has been using effectively for years against the PPP, and are still determined to propagate to retain power in 2020.

The strategy outlined in that email encourages the APNU/AFC government to, “Keep propagandising on the issue of having inherited an empty treasury …(for) statistics show that this has resonated well with our support base as a means of justification for the (draconian) Budget 2017 tax measures.

We must also continue to restate that the economy was surviving on drug money.”

If indeed the treasury was empty after the PPP/C left office in 2015, where did the Administration find the money to pay themselves hefty salaries ranging from $1 million to $1.7 million monthly; buy new luxury vehicles for the President and his ministers costing taxpayers as much as $22 million each; pay between $800,000 and $1.2 million a month in house rent for some government ministers to live; reward an APNU+AFC financier a lucrative $12.5 million a month contract for the rental of a non-certified pharmaceutical drug bond. According to the Bank of Guyana, our gold reserves and foreign exchange reserves have decreased significantly since 2015. The way this government spends money, it wouldn’t be long before we’re truly bankrupt again.

The leaked email also advised the APNU+AFC coalition that, “We must continue to prod favourable media houses and our social media

operatives so that they further fuel the perception that the PPP is racist. … this has worked well in the past and should continue.”

Well, while this perception may have worked well in the past, they will have a difficult time convincing AfroGuyanese that Jagdeo is a racist after the warm reception he continues to receive from their own supporters in traditional PNC strongholds including Tiger Bay and the Stabroek Market Square.

And despite the propaganda that the APNU/AFC peddled for years that Jagdeo and his Ministers stole billions while in Government, Minister within the Finance Ministry, Jaipaul Sharma, disclosed that 50 forensic audits into a number of State agencies had failed to unearth any evidence of fraud.

SARA and SOCU can’t seem to find any evidence of that too. So they can no longer convince the people that the PPP was corrupt.

The APNU/AFC is rapidly losing support, even in their hard-core base. They are becoming more intolerant and desperate, and desperate people do desperate things.

I believe the mainstream thinking of the PNC/APNU is to resort to proven tactics that have served them well in the past, and have become the hallmark of the PNC for decades – fear and intimidation!

Most people are now fedup with this Government.

They’re losing support and they know it. They already have SARA and SOCU doing their dirty work but that’s not enough. They were hoping to use the Sedition Clause in the Cybercrime Bill to si-

lence their critics and the Parliamentary Opposition, but now that this is likely to be thrown out, Government needs to find new ways to muzzle the press and any attempt by their critics to excite disaffection towards this corrupt, inept and incompetent government.

Guyana Times has been threatened before, however, these threats intensified over the weekend following the address given by the irate PNC Chairman and the loaded “Fight Back” headline in the Guyana Chronicle. This is no coincidence.

The PNCR has retracted a press statement that quotes President Granger expressing concerns about “the daily challenges faced by the Coalition from some sections of the media”, words they claim were “taken out of context” (nobody believes that). It is said “If you wish to know the mind of a man, listen to his words”. After reading the transcripts of his presentation, Granger is smart enough to conclude that the words spoken did not fit the image he wants to portray to the nation. Hence the statement was retracted.

I hope the PNCR follows his lead and retracts the goons that perpetrated these acts of terrorism against the Guyana Times based upon the inciting speeches made at Congress Place by both the Chairman and the Leader of the PNCR. Guyana is still a democracy where the freedom of speech is enshrined in our Constitution.

Sincerely, Harry Gill PPP/C Member of Parliament

guyanatimesgy.com

thurSdAY, may 24, 2018

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

Nothing improper nor unusual for private Our attitude to this nation lawyers to conduct litigation for State

Dear Editor, The Bar Council of the Bar Association of Guyana notes with much concern the comments made by the Attorney General, the Hon Basil Williams, SC, MP, on May 18, 2018. The Attorney General, in referring to the conduct of litigation by lawyers in private practice for the State, is reported to have said that criminal action needs to be taken against lawyers conducting such litigation and that he “believes that [lawyers] need to start being charged now”.

These statements of the Attorney General, in addition to ignoring the fact that it is the Director of Public Prosecutions, a constitutional office-holder, whose duty it is to determine when and under what circumstances persons should face criminal charges, may give the incorrect impression to the public that there is some-

thing wrong, sinister or unlawful with lawyers in private practice conducting litigation for the State In reality, lawyers at the private Bar have always conducted litigation for the State in Guyana and throughout the Commonwealth, and continue to do so today. This practice is entirely proper and is used where lawyers in private practice have such skills, experience or specialist knowledge of discrete areas of law to enable them properly and successfully conduct litigation on behalf of the State.

Writing in 1973, Dr Mohammed Shahabudeen, then Attorney General, noted the practice in his book “The Legal System of Guyana” as follows: In 1921 the Governor made it clear that King’s Counsel were expected to undertake prosecutions for the Crown at a nominal fee so as to free the Attorney

Requirements for posting parcels at the Post Office Dear Editor, The Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) wishes to acknowledge Mr Roshan Khan’s (Sr) letter published in the newspaper and captioned, “GPOC needs tweaking to remain relevant”.

GPOC wishes to apologise to the customer for the inconvenience caused.

Further, while efforts are being made to modernise the Post Office, the general public is hereby advised that the following documents are required when sending a parcel via the Post Office: 1. Proof of address: This is any mail addressed and delivered to you by the

Post Office within the last three months. It should reflect the date stamp of the delivery Post Office and, 2. Valid identification – This may be your National Identification Card, the New Driver’s Licence or your passport.

For further information customers are kindly asked to contact GPOC’s Customer Services Department on telephone number 226-3127 or email us at customercare@guypost.gy .

Yours sincerely, Management Guyana Post Office Corporation

General for more important advisory work. …

Senior Counsel are probably still conscious of a special obligation to accept a brief from the state, but it is rather unlikely that they consider that they have to do it at cut rates.

The fact that the Attorney General has himself retained counsel in private practice from outside of Guyana to conduct litigation indicates that the practice of the State retaining lawyers in private practice to conduct litigation is both well established and continues today.

This was done by the Attorney General in relatively recently conducted matters such as SM Jaleel & Co Ltd and Guyana Beverages Inc v The Co-operative Republic of Guyana, Zulfikar Mustapha v Attorney General, and The Attorney General of Guyana v Cedric Richardson.

It is clear, therefore, that lawyers who conduct litigation for the State commit no criminal conduct whatsoever by the fact of their conducting that litigation. It is also clear that it is neither improper nor

unusual for lawyers in private practice to conduct litigation for the State.

The Bar Council, therefore, views the comments made by the Attorney General as an entirely unwarranted attack on the professionalism and the independence of the members of legal profession, unbecoming of a member of the Inner Bar. It urges the Attorney General to strengthen methods of record keeping at the Attorney General’s Chambers, if there are difficulties in that regard, and to resolve issues concerning the conduct of litigation with those lawyers appearing for the State privately, with circumspection, and in a manner becoming of the standards of the profession.

Such a course of action will avoid bringing the legal profession in Guyana into disrepute, which is entirely undesirable from an office-holder who has traditionally been recognised in the Commonwealth with the unofficial and honorific title of Leader of the Bar. Sincerely, Guyana Bar Association

will determine its destiny

Dear Editor, It is my firm belief that our attitude towards this nation will determine its destiny. Attitude is an internal belief system that determines our perspective and practice.

Guyana has been endowed with the necessary natural resources and conditions for this nation to be developed into one of the top countries in this part of the hemisphere. The recent finds of large deposits of oil off the Stabroek Block have further poised Guyana for massive growth and development; but regardless of the wealth that is discovered in our land, sea and forest, these discoveries will not make us great as a nation. Unless we come to a place of having the right attitude towards one another and the development of our nation, the level of development and success that can be accomplished will continue to elude us.

I must applaud the present and past Administrations for their efforts to see the developmental potential that this nation is capable of, but there is only so much the Government can do. I believe that it is the positive attitude and patriotism of the people of any nation that dictate the level of growth and develop-

ment since attitude dictates altitude.

As Guyanese let us put aside petty political differences, racial disharmony, diatribe and negative projections. It is time for us to think more positively about the destiny of our nation, talk more constructively and use our energies towards the course of development for this dear land God has blessed us with.

A nation is as great as its people, so let us strive as individuals to make the change and be the change we want to see. It is difficult but possible.

As we get ready to celebrate 52 years of independence, this can serve as a sobering time of introspection for us as a nation as to where we were, where we are and where we are heading.

I appeal to my fellow Guyanese with the quote uttered by John F Kennedy, to close his inaugural speech, some 57 years ago which has not lost its profundity: “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country".

May God continue to bless this dear land of ours. Happy Independence to all Guyanese.

Yours respectfully, Bishop Joseph Inniss

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any children — and parents — grieve the loss of the kind of family they had hoped for, and children especially miss the presence of both parents and the family life they had. That's why it's common and very natural for some children to hold out hope that their parents will someday get back together – even after the finality of divorce has been explained to them.

Mourning the loss of a family is normal, but over time both you and your children will come to accept the new situation. So reassure them that it's OK to wish that mom and dad will reunite, but also explain the finality of your decisions.

Here are some ways to help children cope with the upset of a divorce:

Encourage honesty Children need to know that their feelings are important to their parents and that they'll be taken seriously.

Help them put their feelings into words Children's behaviour can often clue you in to their feelings of sadness or anger. You might say: "It seems as if you're feeling sad right now. Do you know what's making you feel so sad?" Be a good listener, even if it's difficult for you to hear what they have to say.

Legitimise their feelings Saying "I know you feel sad now" or "I know it feels lonely without dad here" lets children know that their feelings are valid. It's important to encourage children to get it all out before you start offering ways to make it better. Let children know it's also OK to feel happy or relieved or excited about the future.

Offer support. Ask, "What do you think will help you feel better?"

They might not be able to name something, but you can suggest a

Foundation

few ideas — maybe just to sit together, take a walk, or hold a favourite stuffed animal. Younger children might especially appreciate an offer to call daddy on the phone or to make a picture to give to mommy when she comes at the end of the day.

Keep yourself healthy For adults, separation and divorce is highly stressful. That pressure may be amplified by custody, property, and financial issues, which can bring out the worst in people.

Finding ways to manage your own stress is essential for you and your entire family Keeping yourself as physically and emotionally healthy as possible can help combat the effects of stress, and by making sure you're taking care of your own needs, you can ensure that you'll be in the best possible shape to take care of your children.

Find a support group, talk to others who have gone through this, use online resources, or ask your doctor or religious leaders to refer you to other resources. Getting help yourself sets a good example for your children on how to make a healthy adjustment to this major change.

Help from a counsellor, therapist, or friend will also maintain healthy boundaries with your children. It's very important not to lean on your children for support. Older children and those who are eager to please may try to make you feel better by offering a shoulder to cry on.

No matter how tempting that is, it's best not to let them be the provider of your emotional support. Let your children know how touched you are by their caring nature and kindness, but do your venting to a friend or therapist.

Take the high road Don't resort to blaming or name-calling within earshot of your children, no matter what the circumstances of the separation. This is especially important in an "at fault" divorce where there have been especially hurtful events, like infidelity. Take care to keep letters, emails, and text messages in a secure location as children will be naturally curious if there is a high-conflict situation going on at home.

Fighting in front of the children Although the occasional argument between parents is expected in any family, living in a battleground of continual hostility and unresolved conflict can place a heavy burden on a child. Screaming, fighting, arguing, or violence can make children feel worried and afraid.

Parents in open conflict set a bad example for their children, who are still learning how to form their own relationships. Children whose parents express anger and hostility are much more likely to have emotional and behavioural problems that continue past childhood.

Talking with a mediator or divorce counsellor can help couples air their grievances and hurt to each other in a way that doesn't harm their children. Though it may be difficult, working together in this way will spare children the hurt caused by continued bitterness and anger.

Get help This is not the time to go it alone.

Adjusting to a new living situation Because divorce can be such a big

Keep the details in check Take care to ensure privacy when discussing the details of the divorce with friends, family, or your lawyer. Try to keep your interactions with your ex as civil as possible, especially when you're interacting in front of the children.

change, adjustments in living arrangements should be handled gradually.

Several types of living situations should be considered: one parent may have sole custody joint custody in which both legal and physical custody are shared joint custody where one parent has "tie-breaking" authority in certain medical or educational settings Which one is right for your children? That's a tough question and often the one that couples spend most time disagreeing on. Although some children can thrive spending half their time with each parent, others seem to need the stability of having one "home" and visiting with the other parent. Some parents choose to both remain in the same home – but this only works in the rarest of circumstances and in general should be avoided.

Whatever arrangement you choose, your child's needs should come first.

Parenting under pressure Divorce can be a major crisis for a family. However, if you and your former spouse can work together and communicate civilly for the benefit of your children, the original family unit can continue to be a source of strength, even if stepfamilies enter the picture.

So remember to: Get help dealing with your own painful feelings about the divorce. If you're able to adjust, your children will be more likely to do so, too.

Be patient with yourself and with your child.

Emotional concerns, loss, and hurt following divorce take time to heal and this often happens in phases.

Recognise the signs of stress.

Consult your children' teachers, doctor, or a child therapist for guidance on how to handle specific problems you're concerned about.

Changes of any kind are hard – know that you and your children can and will adjust to this one.

Finding your inner strength and getting help to learn new coping skills are hard work, but can make a big difference to helping your family get through this difficult time. (Excerpt from kidshealth.org)

The importance of consistency Consistency and routine can go a long way toward providing comfort and familiarity that can help your family during this major life change. When possible, minimise unpredictable schedules, transitions, or abrupt separations.

Especially during a divorce, children will benefit from one-on-one time with each parent. No matter how inconvenient, try to accommodate your ex-partner as you figure out visitation schedules.

It’s natural that you’ll be concerned about how a child is coping with this change.

The best thing that you can do is trust your instincts and rely on what you know about your children. Do they seem to be acting differently than usual? Is a child doing things like regressing to younger behaviours, such as thumb-sucking or bedwetting? Do emotions seem to be getting in the way of everyday routines, like school and social life?

Behavioural changes are important to watch out for – any new or changing signs of moodiness; sadness; anxiety; school problems; or difficulties with friends, appetite, and sleep can be signs of a problem.

Older children and teens may be vulnerable to risky behaviours such as alcohol and drug use, skipping school, and defiant acts. Regardless of whether such troubles are related to the divorce, they are serious problems that affect a teen’s well-being and indicate the need for outside help.

Avoid getting involved in a tug of war as a way to “win”. When deciding how to handle holidays, birthdays, and vacations, stay focused on what’s best for the children.

It’s important for parents to resolve these issues themselves and not ask the children to choose.

During the preteen years, when children become more involved with activities apart from their parents, they may need different schedules to accommodate their changing priorities. Ideally, children benefit most from consistent support from both parents, but they may resist equal time-sharing if it interrupts school or their social lives. Be prepared for their thoughts on time-sharing, and try to be flexible. Your child may refuse to share time with you and your spouse equally and may try to take sides. If this happens, as hard as it is, try not to take it personally. Maintain the visitation schedule and emphasise the importance of the involvement of both parents.

Children sometimes propose spending an entire summer, semester, or school year with the noncustodial parent. But this may not mean that they want to move. Listen to and explore these options if they’re brought up. This kind of arrangement can work well in “friendly” divorces, but is not typical of higher-conflict situations.

As much as possible, both parents should work to keep routines and discipline the same in both households. Similar expectations about bedtimes, rules, and homework will reduce anxiety, especially in younger children. Even though you can’t enforce the rules in your ex-partner’s home, stick to them in yours. Relaxing limits, especially during a time of change, tends to make children insecure and less likely to recognise your parental authority later. And buying things to replace love or letting children act out is not in their best interests, and you could struggle to reel them back in once the dust settles.

Instead, you can lavish affection on them — children don’t get spoiled by too many hugs or comforting words.

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thurSdAY, may 24, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt failing “miserably” to honour campaign promises – former PM

By Michael Younge

T

he A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU-AFC) coalition Government is failing miserably to honour its campaign promises to the Guyanese electorate as it continues to perform poorly as far as governance, accountability, and transparency are concerned.

This is the position of former President and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, who stressed that after three years in office, it was clear that the coalition was unable to fulfil many of the promises it had made on the campaign trail ahead of the May 2015 General and Regional Elections.

“I think that the campaign was based on a lot of promises and accusations, which were just words…

Maybe they didn’t know what to expect when they entered Government, but they haven’t delivered on their promises,” he said.

Hinds also stated that the Government’s accusations of widespread People’s

Former President and Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds

Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) corruption were proving to be a fishing expedition as the coalition has been unable to substantiate claims in that respect with hard evidence.

The former Prime Minister maintained that the coalition Government should seriously explore the idea of returning to the people for a new mandate in order to restore public confidence in its ability to govern and transform the country’s poorly-performing economy.

“Even in areas where they have not performed any better (than the PPP), they should return to the polls to seek a new mandate. In fact, I think that people should demand that the coalition seeks a new mandate,” Hinds said on Friday during the exclusive interview.

Asked whether he was concerned by the arguments and propositions put forward by several political and ethnic groupings that he was merely a token used by the PPP for window-dressing purposes, Hinds responded in the negative.

He said while he could understand the sentiments being expressed, his career in public service coupled with his quiet yet effective work of representing Lindeners before and after he joined the PPP, spoke volumes about his accomplishments as Prime Minister and President of Guyana.

Hinds, who was Donald Ramotar’s Prime Ministerial Candidate back in 2011, said that the Guyanese people were wise and intelli-

IUF urges Govt to look into...

from page 3

Asked to comment on the manner in which the retrenchment took place, Longley said, “Like we’ve heard, it’s not just figures on paper, but there is a very human impact or cost on those retrenchments. And we take note of the suicides that have taken place as a result of this.”

Many civil society bodies and other interest groups have been urging the coalition Government to rethink the closure of estates and to implement plans that would tackle the welfare of workers.

In its end-of-year statement, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) highlighted that come 2018, there would, in fact, have been 5000 sugar workers who would be left unemployed if Wales was factored into the current numbers. The body is of the view that this action would have “serious repercussions” this year.

In November, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) first announced plans to dismiss thousands of workers, which it did. The Guyana Agricultural and

General Workers' Union (GAWU) says the downsizing and subsequent closure of sugar estates would lead to the loss of more than 15,000 jobs, and the potential threat of poverty for 50,000 to 100,000 people.

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

gent, and they knew what he stood for as a public figure.

He said that ultimately Guyanese were supportive of leaders who were hard workers and understanding as well as compassionate.

Hinds’ statement comes on the heels of similar sentiments expressed by for-

mer Finance Minister Juan Edghill over the weekend which suggest that the Government is becoming desperate in its actions and attacks on the media, because it knows it is losing electorate support even though it continues to blow its own trumpet.

Edghill, like Opposition

Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, has pointed out that supporters of the coalition are becoming impatient, disillusioned and disconnected from the leadership of the coalition, which is finding itself in a series of controversies and scandals which have affected its reputation since coming to office in 2015.

16 women rescued in human trafficking bust

S

ixteen women are providing statements to the Police Major Crimes Unit’s Trafficking In Persons Unit after they were rescued on Tuesday following a raid conducted in Kitty, Georgetown.

The women, 14 of whom are Venezuelans with one Cuban and one from the Dominica Republic, were discovered in a house located in David Street, Kitty.

The building was reportedly guarded. The security guard has since been taken into Police custody for questioning.

Reports are ranks from the Unit descended on the house after reports were made that women were being forced into prostitution at a bar in the Kitty area.

When contacted, a senior Police official confirmed the bust, saying, “They are suspected to be victims of human trafficking at a bar situated at Garnett Street.”

Investigations are ongoing.

Earlier this year, the Police launched a major sting operation at the Diamond Nightclub and

Hotel on George Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown.

During the raid, approximately 41 foreign nationals, along with eight employees, were arrested and a quantity of narcotics was also discovered on the premises.

Several persons have been charged in connection with the incident.

8 news

thurSDAY, may 24, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

IN THE COURTS

Money lender fined for Searching for… confiscating phone

A

Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara (ECD) resident was fined $50,000 after he admitted to confiscating a phone because money was owed to him.

Twenty-three-year-old Messiah Eastman of Lot 43 West Road, Sparendaam, pleaded guilty with ex-

planation to the charge, which was read to him by Magistrate Fabayo Azore.

The charge stated that on May 18, 2018 at Lane Street, Charlestown, Eastman stole one Samsung phone valued $126,000, property of Hetymyer Morrison.

According to Eastman,

he is owed money and on the day in question, he confiscated the phone thinking that it belonged to the person who owed him.

However, he later found out that this was not the case, but before he could return the said phone, he was arrested and charged with the offence.

The defendant asked for leniency, explaining that it was his intention to return the phone after he was paid.

As such, Magistrate Azore fined the defendant $50,000. Failure to pay the fine will result in one month’s imprisonment.

Man charged for taking away girlfriend’s phone

A

vendor who reportedly took away his girlfriend’s phone following an argument found himself before the court of law on Wednesday.

Ricky Boodhoo, 36, of Independence Boulevard, Albouystown, Georgetown, pleaded guilty with explanation to the charge when it was read to him by Magistrate Fabayo Azore.

The prosecution is contending that Boodhoo stole the phone valued $37,000, along with a gold chain, and in the process used personal violence on Refena Knights.

However, Boodhoo told the Court that he and the Virtual Complainant (VC) were having an argument on the day in question.

During that argument,

she was on her phone, which he claimed annoyed him, so he took it away and left.

According to the man, he was going to return the phone to her as they live together, but he was subsequently arrested and charged for stealing it.

He also told the Court that he was unaware of the incident with the gold chain.

As such, a not-guilty plea was entered by Magistrate Azore on his behalf.

Police Prosecutor Simone Payne objected to bail being granted, noting that the accused punched the VC several times on the day in question.

He was remanded to prison and was scheduled to next appear in court on June 27, 2018.

Musician before court for narco possession

A

musician was released on $35,000 bail on Wednesday when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Fabayo Azore charged for

having nine grams of cannabis in his possession.

Dwayne McFarlane, 23, of Lot 6 Camp Street, Werken-Rust, Georgetown, denied the allegation put to him.

It is alleged that he had the illegal substance in his possession on May 19, 2018 at Aubrey Barker Road for the purpose of trafficking.

According to the man, he was searched by ranks,

but nothing was found on his possession; as such, he was unclear how the charge against him was instituted.

The case will continue on June 25, 2018.

Woman further remanded for attempted murder of cop

T

wenty-five-year-old Maryanne Daby of Lot 127 D’Aguiar Park, Houston, Greater Georgetown who was slapped with an attempted murder charge was on Wednesday further remanded to prison when she appeared before the Chief Magistrate at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Daby’s Attorney, Mark

Waldron, in another bail application on Wednesday, told the court that the charges for the possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition should be dismissed since his client is licensed.

The said licence provided to the Court has expired; however, Waldron noted that Daby was still within the stipulated period to have same renewed.

Turning his attention to the outstanding ballistic report, the lawyer noted that it would take time to be provided by the prosecution.

However, the Police Prosecutor maintained the prosecution’s objections to bail as a result of the seriousness of the offence.

Magistrate Ann McLennan further remanded Daby to prison on the grounds of public safety.

Maryanne Daby

The case will continue on May 30.

Daby was charged after she fired shots into the air while partying at a Thomas Land, Georgetown racing club. She was allegedly approached by Christopher Kissoon, an off-duty officer, who asked her to stop.

However, according to the Prosecutor, the irritated young woman took the said pistol and pointed it to the officer’s head and pulled the trigger. The Prosecutor informed the court that the gun jammed and did not discharge. As such, she was arrested and slapped with an attempted murder charge.

W

…the PNC’s fulcrum ell, it’s now out in the open…Basil Williams is being challenged for the Chairmanship of the PNC by Joseph Harmon. Of course, the obligatory genuflection to burgeoning “democracy” in the PNC (take THAT, PPP!!) had to be made! But there are ramifications far beyond the PNC observing procedural democracy in electing its executive.

But that doesn’t mean the election itself isn’t important – in fact the PROCEDURE might very well determine the outcome! Right off the bat, we should know the two individuals are actually signalling their intent to succeed David Granger as the Leader of the PNC and then onto the presidential candidate of the party in 2020. So, this should remind us of Granger’s own election as PNC leader back in 2011.

Most thought he was a candidate out of left field and were surprised he came out on top. Of course, there were the indignant protesters who felt the elections were rigged in his favour – but then that would only make it authentically PNC, wouldn’t it?!! But Granger was never out of “left field” – as he told a meeting of North American PNCites. He was a member of the PNC since he returned as a second lieutenant back in 1965.

The GDF created by Burnham from that date was always intended as an integral element of the PNC’s regime – just like the party itself. If the entire society was to be “disciplined” and the Armed Forces would be instilling the requisite “discipline”, you should understand the bona fides of the Army in any PNC order.

That out of all the more senior officers in the new army, Burnham picked young David Granger to instil the new orientation where the army simply had to be loyal to the PNC and no other possible government – should signal the bona fides of Granger to claim he’s fulfilling the legacy of Burnham.

But then there’s the PNC party itself – it has its own history. It was formed by the Burnham faction of the PPP he’d split – comprising rural and urban ordinary African masses -- joining up with the UDP – the party of the upper crust Coloured and African elements.

After Burnham was given office by the Brits and the Yanks – he eliminated this latter element by banning their leaders as Ambassadors. His harassment of their representatives in the Civil Service at Hope Estate was icing on his cake. Burnham’s PNC was an African PNC! So we arrive at our two protagonists who’re about to duke it out for the Chairmanship in the month of August – not so incidentally, Emancipation Month!! Which strand each represents? And which one will win out?

That’s the real question

…diamonds Your Eyewitness used to hear about diamonds being “a girl’s best friend”. It appears they’re also the Police’s best friends!! Here it is, $54 MILLION worth of diamonds are left in the care of Police – designated protector of all our property! – and now they can’t be found?? Your Eyewitness experienced a frisson of excitement, when he read the news. He was taken back to his dissolute youth when he’d feasted on the exploits of super sleuth Perry Mason, as he solved all sorts of mysteries!! Could this be “The Case of the Disappeared Diamonds”???

But there’s a fly in the ointment, as you’ve already figured out, haven’t you Dear Reader? We don’t have to worry about “motive” – everybody likes money!!

But since the likely suspects are the Police – on account of “opportunity”! – who’s going to investigate the investigators?? But not to worry!! We already have in Guyana a fella certified at the highest level to recover assets of all types!!

Yup!! Sam Sittlington, “mentor to the Special Organised Crime Unit”!!

Play it again, Sam!! …Abused flyers?

American Airways formally applied for permission to run flights from the States to Guyana. Their new slogan is “The World’s Greatest Flyers Fly American”.

After decades of the almost CAL monopoly, “the world’s most harassed flyers” will also fly American!!

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

News

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thursDAY, may 24, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Bar Association lashes out at New oil sector AG’s “unwarranted attack” Independence of central …says Williams himself retained counsels in private practice

T

he Guyana Bar Association has called out Attorney General (AG) Basil Williams for his recent remarks that outlined concerns with lawyers in private practice who make representation for the State, deeming his position “unwarranted”.

Two weeks ago, the AG, who is also Legal Affairs Minister, referred to the conduct of litigation by lawyers in private practice for the State and was reported to have stated that criminal action needed to be taken against lawyers conducting such litigation.

In fact, he said that he “believes that [lawyers] need to start being charged now”. These comments did not sit well with the legal body, which observed that the statements do not consider the constitutional process in place.

“These statements of the Attorney General, in addition to ignoring the fact that it is the Director of Public Prosecutions, a constitutional office-holder, whose duty it is to determine when and under what circumstances persons should face criminal charges, may give the incorrect impression to the public that there is something wrong, sinister or unlawful with lawyers in private practice conducting litigation for the State,” the Association stated on Wednesday.

The Bar Association added that lawyers at the private Bar have always conducted litigation for the State in Guyana and throughout the Commonwealth, and continue to do so today.

“This practice is entirely proper and is used where lawyers in private practice have such skills, experience

GBA President Kamal Ramkarran

Attorney General Basil Williams

or specialist knowledge of discrete areas of law to enable them to properly and successfully conduct litigation on behalf of the State,” the Bar said, pointing to the writings of then AG, Dr Mohammed Shahabudeen, who shared sentiments similar to that of the Association.

Moreover, the Bar said that the fact that Williams has himself retained counsel in private practice from outside of Guyana to conduct litigation (SM Jaleel & Co Ltd and Guyana Beverages Inc v The Co-operative Republic of Guyana, Zulfikar Mustapha v Attorney General, and The Attorney General of Guyana v Cedric Richardson) indicated that the practice of the State retaining lawyers in private practice to conduct litigation was both well-established and continues today.

“It is clear, therefore, that lawyers who conduct litigation for the State commit no criminal conduct whatsoever by the fact of their conducting that litigation. It is also clear that it is neither improper nor unusual for lawyers in private practice to conduct litigation for the

State” said the Association.

As such, the Bar Association says it views the comments made by the Attorney General as “an entirely unwarranted attack on the professionalism and the independence of the members of the legal profession, unbecoming of a member of the Inner Bar”. It is urging Williams to strengthen methods of record-keeping at the Attorney General’s Chambers if there were difficulties in that regard.

The Association further said that it is calling on the Attorney General’s Chambers to “resolve issues concerning the conduct of litigation with those lawyers appearing for the State privately, with circumspection, and in a manner becoming of the standards of the profession.” It is of the view that such a course of action will avoid bringing the legal profession in Guyana into disrepute, which is “entirely undesirable from an office-holder who has traditionally been recognised in the Commonwealth with the unofficial and honorific title of Leader of the Bar”.

Drug dealer forces self on 16-year-old …as payment for father’s ganja habit

T

he pastor of a church in Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) has given a father an ultimatum to report a sexual act committed by a drug dealer on his 16-year-old daughter or he will report it himself.

Guyana Times understands that the father sent the teenager to collect marijuana from his supplier, who lives at Number Two East Canje. However, the drug dealer forced himself on the teenager before supplying the drug.

This publication has been reliably informed that the father is indebted to the supplier and has difficulty meeting his financial obligations incurred by his illicit

habit.

A pastor, who reached out to this newspaper and who is very popular in the community, reported that he has given the father the ultimatum to report the matter or he will go to the Police himself.

bank essential – economist

I

n comparing Guyana with Ghana in the context of their oil and gas sectors, Guyana-born economist Collin Constantine has declared that if this country did not protect the independence of the central bank, it could lead to several complications that may have long-lasting effects on the country’s financial standing.

Constantine, who was one of the presenters at a forum organised by Moray House Trust on Wednesday evening, made a panel presentation and discussion entitled "What will oil do for Guyana?” The young economist told the small gathering that the legislation in Ghana supported the central bank’s independence (this obtains in Guyana as well).

But according to him, this did not stop the Ghanaian Government of the day from abusing its power, which led to the country suffering from the oil curse. In fact, during his 20-minute Powerpoint presentation, Constantine noted that post 2007 the bank’s financing of the Government of Ghana increased by 640 per cent. This, he said, was political control of the central bank.

He explained that the international standard and recommendation for balance of payments and sustainability is three months of import cover. It means that each central Bank should keep three months’ international reserves in the vaults that could cover three months of imports. “This is the minimum. Anything below of imports you have a crisis. This is the moment you invite the [International Monetary Fund]

Collin Constantine

IMF,” he added.

The economist noted that Ghana discovered oil in 2007 and started production in 2010.

At the point of production, immediately after 2010, balance of payment import cover went below three months.

This, he explained, was related to the irresponsible funding of Government by the central bank. “When you provide loans to the Government, that increases aggregate demand.

Industrial capacity is limited in Ghana just like Guyana. It means much of that demand will spill over to imports. This will put pressure on reserves, lead to depreciation of the currency and inflation in the economy, which indeed is the Ghanaian experience. This is why we have an independent central bank,” he asserted.

Constantine, therefore, argued that given the similar nature of the discovery and production in Guyana and Ghana and the fact that the political structure of executive power is the same, there is an urgent need for constitutional reform. This, accord-

ing to him, will help to limit political influence and ensure that the central bank operates independently as it should, without any hindrances. Another similarity between the two countries is that they have two dominant political parties with fairly similar political support, and they have a Petroleum Management Act to ensure fiscal accountability. They also have a Sovereign Wealth Fund and a Stabilisation Fund. But in getting into the details of the issues Ghana faced, Constantine showed statistics which showed that post production, the fiscal deficit as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased substantially. Political consensus was another point raised by Constantine, who explained that based on his research, most oil-producing countries which have a similar political structure such as Guyana, where there is executive power and politicians are selected through proportional representation, have had many issues. “The resource curse exists in natural resources-rich countries that have little limits on executive power. So, it’s not a case that all resource-rich countries suffer from the resource curse…Constitutions matter, political systems matter for how oil will affect Guyana,” he opined. As Guyana’s debt continues to rise, there have been some concerns in several quarters of society that the coalition Government’s spending is spiralling out of control and should be better managed, or the country could be faced with insurmountable challenges in years to come. turn to page 12

10 news

thurSDAY, may 24, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

State Minister, Canadian High Commissioner discuss areas for cooperation

M

inister of State, Joseph Harmon was paid a courtesy call by Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Lilian Chatterjee on Wednesday to discuss potential projects that support sustainable growth.

The brief meeting was held at the State Minister’s Office, Ministry of the Presidency, Georgetown.

Minister Harmon and Chatterjee discussed projects to support innova-

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon greets Canadian High Commissioner Lilian Chatterjee

tion and the provision of Canadian technical expertise to the Government of Guyana.

Minister Harmon and the High Commissioner also spoke of the long-standing and mutually beneficial relationship that the two countries share.

High Commissioner Chatterjee was accompanied by Trade Commissioner at the Canadian High Commission, Anand Harilall.

Essequibo Coast farmer loses memory after accident …drunk driver in Police custody

T

he family of a 53-yearold man is thanking God for saving his life, following a horrific accident on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), where he was struck down by a drunken motorcyclist.

Valmeek Persaud, a father of three, who hails from New Road Charity, Essequibo Coast, was on Friday struck from behind by a motorcyclist, who was not only drunk but also riding without lights.

Persaud, who farms for a living, will be forced to adapt to major changes, since he is currently nursing a fractured right leg, internal bleeding, brain damage, spinal injuries, a cut in his right eye and several lacerations about his body.

The man, who lost some of his memory during the tragic accident, has

Valmeek Persaud

been questioning his relatives about his whereabouts since he regained consciousness and is having a difficult time adjusting to his new diet, since he

has been feeding through a straw and has been banned from solid foods until recovered.

Persaud was rushed to the Charity Hospital, along

with the rider of the motorcycle. Persaud fractured his jaw and reportedly cracked his skull. He was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital as a result of extensive injuries.

Prakash Persaud, one of the injured man’s sons, said he learnt that his father was on his way home during a heavy downpour about 19:00h when the motorcyclist struck him.

The distraught young man told Guyana Times that his dad, given the memory loss, has been asking questions like “what happen to meh foot” and as they gradually try to remind him of the accident, he seems to be “coming around”.

The man remains a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital. This publication was told that the driver is in Police custody.

Media “concerns”

S

atiricus literally wiped some sweat off his brow. That was a close call, he thought, as he walked slowly over to the Back Street Bar. Here it was, President GrainJa had announced he had “concerns about sections of the media”. And when Satiricus was told by his editor that several persons had specifically called up employees of HIS newspaper and threatened them about their articles, he thought his goose was cooked – along with his media house.

“But not to worry, fellas!” he said boisterously to his friends after he sat down and explained his worry. “The Pee an’ See just retracted the statement!”

“Wha’ da mean?” asked Bungi. “Grain-Ja nevah seh ‘e concern ‘bout de media?”

“Well, they said the statement was taken out of context,” explained Satiricus.

“Suh dem na deny ‘e seh suh!” said Cappo. “Dem explain wha’ de ‘can-tex”?

“No they didn’t,” admitted Satiricus. “But they did say the PNC believes in freedom of information.”

“Sato,” said Hari with raised eyebrows. “I was worried when the President mentioned “certain sections of the media. Did they say which sections?”

“No…but my paper was threatened,” said Satiricus. “I’m hoping this explanation will stop those threats.”

“Budday, pick sense fram nansense, na?” said Bungi. “Dis President guh do wha’ HE waan fuh do!”

“Yes!” butted in Cappo. “Burnt Ham always use fuh seh ‘e gat plenty way fuh kill wan cyat!!”

“You mean they’ll find a way to close down my newspaper,” said Satiricus apprehensively.

“What you think? Army people does only think in black and white,” said Hari. “The President is trained to see disagreement as disloyalty!”

“All cassava get same skin but all nah taste same way, Sato,” said Bungi. “Army people a t’ink differen’.”

“Dis wha’ bin friken me when ayuh KFC jine up wid them PNC army people,” said Cappo. “Dem people guh jail all abee, much less close down ayuh paypa!”

“I’ll have to speak to Nagga Man,” said Satiricus. “Maybe he got them to change their minds. He’s an old newspaper man, you know!”

“Yeah right!” snickered Hari.

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

11 Residents call for 52/74 NDC Chairman’s resignation R news

thursDAY, may 24, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

esidents of Number Naught Village on the Corentyne, Berbice are calling for the resignation of the Chairman and Overseer of the 52/74 Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC).

There are reports that the acting Regional Chairman Dennis DeRoop had to quell an intended protest by residents after they unearthed what they claimed was corruption by two NDC officials.

Following the allegations, the acting Regional Chairman met with the NDC, but only a few councillors and the Vice Chairman attended. The NDC Chairman was absent.

There are also reports which suggest that the NDC had taken a decision to construct a culvert and had gotten estimates from prequalified contractors. However, the son of the NDC Works Committee Chairman was given the contract, and he reportedly used Community Infrastructure Improvement Project (CIIP) workers, who were assigned to clean drains in the community and who are being paid through the Government, to carry out the private contract during regular working hours.

CIIP workers engaged on the project

One of the NDC Councillors Ahmad Rajab told Guyana Times that the contractor was

using old zinc sheets to form a revetment and a section of the street caved in forcing him to

yield to the residents and stop the project.

He said when he arrived he was shocked to see what was taking place. “There was no contractor and the workers claimed that the Works Committee Chairman’s son is the contractor. He is not a licensed contractor, and they were using CIIP workers to do the job. They broke the dam in half and the residents are suffering. They have all the stuff in the middle of the road and it is affecting traffic and pedestrians. I say it is incompetence on the part on the NDC because both the NDC Chairman and the Works Committee Chairman were standing right there when the work was going on.”

The acting Regional Chairman told this publication that the NDC may have underestimated the project and attempted to undertake it themselves.

Prime Ministerial Regional Representative Gobin Harbhajan, who resides in the NDC area, said residents went to his home and demanded that he visit the site where someone might have been trying to pocket taxpayers’ dollars.

The current state of the unfinished project

He said he was amazed to learn that the NDC Chairman allowed something like that.

“It is not a regular culvert.”

Meanwhile, DeRoop said the project has been stopped, the regional engineer has been asked to produce an estimate for the project and the contract would be put out to tender.

DeRoop said the regional administration took note that the CIIP workers who were on the project do not have the capacity to undertake the construction of a culvert.

“Residents have gone so far as to make allegations against the Overseer and the NDC Chairman. I think that the people are very upset be-

cause it is the village next to the NDC office. This is one of the NDCs that is lacking in performance. There are many times that I have to make interventions within the 52/74 NDC. I think the Chairman is very weak and the Overseer is doing his own thing sometimes.”

DeRoop said even though the NDC is equipped to the extent that it has its own Superintendent of Works, the regional administration is forced to visit to resolve minor issues. DeRoop is of the opinion that the 52/74 NDC has not been fulfilling its obligation to residents. (Andrew Carmichael)

City Hall wants over $400M for restoration …to save deteriorating building

G

City Hall

eorgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) Town Clerk Royston King has pegged the overhaul of the City Hall building at over $400 million, and noted that stakeholders would strive to attain funding for the rehabilitation works. He made these comments on the sidelines of the hosting of a two-day workshop at Duke Lodge to facilitate a study for a Comprehensive Restoration and Sustainable Conservation Management Plan for 19th Century structures. King told reporters that the estimated figure was derived around a decade ago and he further observed that given the fact the building has deteriorated even more over time, additional funds would be needed to save the structure, which was completed in 1889.

“It has significant historical and cultural significance and we couldn’t allow the building to remain like that in the city,” King noted on Wednesday.

The project is a European Union (EU)-funded initiative that was formed out of collaboration with the M&CC and the National Trust of Guyana.

The assessment plan falls under a $64 million contract, which has special focus on the physical and structural state of City Hall and the City

Engineer’s Building. A compre-

hensive green restoration plan and a sustainable conservation management plan will also be put forward to stakeholders.

British architect and conservationist Francis Maude said that the local construction industry and capacities for joinery were assessed in various meetings between November 2016 and 2018. “We also visited the municipal archives in order to learn about the history and development of the building and we returned to the UK (United Kingdom) to work on the report

to support the findings on what we had done,” Maude observed.

Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase Green said that future generations would be able to see and appreciate the beauty of the building, which her grandchildren call a “castle”.

However, the building has suf-

fered much neglect over the years even though millions of dollars has been allocated to facilitate repairs, including some $20 million in 2012. Apart from that, an independent fund had been set up to garner donations to salvage the structure.

Nevertheless, the Mayor regarded much of the work done over time as “cosmetic sur-

geries”. National Trust Head Nirvana Persaud added that the technical development plan should be handed over to City Hall by July and it was expected that City Hall would then seek funding from international donors. Persaud is, however, appealing for locals, including the Private Sector, to support the restoration initiative. continued on page 14

12 news

thursDAY, may 24, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

St Ignatius Secondary targets Child Advocacy Centre opens in Linden …to cater for victims of child sexual abuse child abuse in youth rally

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t Ignatius Secondary School hosted a youth rally on Tuesday to bring awareness on child abuse to commemorate Youth Week 2018.

Residents of Lethem watched in awe as some 700 students marched down the streets of Lethem holding placards and chanting “We are the Future”; “Don’t touch me, I go talk” and “Stop Child Abuse.”

Head Teacher Yvette Archer stood up and passionately addressed the issue that has plagued the Indigenous communities of the Rupununi. She declared that “is not our culture, it is not for the Indigenous children, we will not be silent, and we are sending a message to the communities.” She encouraged students to be aware of child abuse and to be brave to stand where there is injustice.

The students were treated to cultural presentations and a special presentation by Red Tread

Students of the St Ignatius Secondary during the rally in Lethem, Region Nine to raise awareness on child abuse

who spoke about violence against women.

Lethem’s Town Queen, Alliayah Anthony spoke about how young women were taught to behave in a certain way to earn respect, but were never taught about the predators that lurk about. She told students to remain strong as they stand against all forms of child abuse.

A touching song came from Ashley Gill, who stressed that artistes must stop degrading women in their songs.

Dr Alex D’Aguiar of Lethem Public Hospital voiced his support for students and even told them to embrace the changes that their bodies were going through, but they must be cautious.

he Social Protection Ministry, through the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA), has partnered with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), Blossom Inc and the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) to establish a “One Stop Centre” for vulnerable children in Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice).

The Centre is established for children who are victims of sexual abuse.

It will provide support for interviewing and after-care services. Similar centres are earmarked to be established throughput the regions of Guyana, to bring relief to vulnerable children and their families.

Situated in a space set aside at the LHC, the Centre was officially launched on Tuesday in the presence of numerous officials.

Speaking at the simple ceremony, Linden Mayor Waneka Arrindell expressed gratitude to the team, noting that it was a commendable effort.

Deputy Director of Children Services, Fiona October, who also addressed the gathering, said that the process will have the involvement of other partners such as law enforcement, the prosecution and the health sector to record the child victim’s account of abuse.

She said the process will require a forensic interviewer in

Linden Mayor Waneka Arrindell cutting the ribbon to open the Centre, assisted by LHC Chief Executive Officer, Dr Farouk Riyasat and officials gathered at the launch

a special room while the representatives from the key disciplines observe and listen to the interview in a different space.

This will facilitate the child having to tell of the incident only once and thereafter commence the healing process and court support to see the case through the judicial system, October indicated.

Regional Chairman Renis Morian congratulated the agencies as he encouraged them to move beyond a space, to establish a permanent building in the Region. Morian pointed out that some of the greatest crimes against children were committed in their homes, as he urged all to push to ensure children’s rights are protected.

“We need to continue to push more to see more stringent laws enacted to protect our children. I love the space here and I want to encourage all working in this environment to really work assiduously to bring protection for our children...This is a good start, but I’m saying to the Ministry of Social Protection, the Regional Democratic Council, the hospital and every other agency represented here, we need to push the envelope beyond a space, we need a building...,” Morian emphasised.

The space was officially declared open by the ceremonial cutting of a ribbon. (Utamu Belle)

Independence of central bank...

Economists, financial analysts, and politicians alike have argued that the current Administration was engaged in too much borrowing in light of the pending oil sector. But these critics have also warned that this could have severe economic and financial implications for the country. Nevertheless, Finance Minister Winston Jordan has repeatedly defended Government’s position when it comes to borrowing against future oil revenues. Jordan stated that the Government was actually uneasy about borrowing in that regard. The Minister said that while tempting, as it would provide important resources to finance many critical pipeline projects, it was not something that Government would do.

However, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, who has opposed extensive borrowing by Government, recently said that the debt accumulated from 2015 to 2018, plus the $30 billion loan from Republic Bank, coupled with the US$900 million, which the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) predicted that Government would borrow from the Islamic Development

Bank, doubles the total debt which the PPP had left after 24 years in Government.

Political consensus was another point raised by Constantine, who explained that based on his research, most oil producing countries which has a similar political structure such as Guyana, where there is executive power and politicians are selected through proportional representation, have had many issues. “The resource curse exists in natural resources rich countries that have little limits on executive power. So, it’s not a case that all resource rich countries suffer from the resource curse…Constitutions matter, political systems matte for how oil will affect Guyana,” he opined. As Guyana’s debt continues to rise, there have been some concerns in several quarters of society that the coalition Government’s spending is spiraling out of control and should be better managed, or the country could be faced with insurmountable challenges in years to come. Economists, financial analysts and politicians alike have argued that the current administration is

from page 9

engaged in too much borrowing and is using that opportunity in light of the impending oil sector. But these same critics have also warned that this could have severe economic and financial implications for the country. Nevertheless, Finance Minister Winston Jordan has repeatedly defended Government’s position when it comes to borrowing against future oil revenues. Jordan stated that the Government is actually uneasy about borrowing in that regard. The minister said that while tempting, as it would provide important resources to finance many critical pipeline projects, it is not something that Government will do.

However, Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo who has opposed extensive borrowing by Government, recently said that the debt accumulated from 2015 to 2018, plus the 30 billion from Republic Bank, coupled with the US$900 million, which PPP predicts that Government will borrow from the Islamic Development Bank, doubles the total debt which the PPP had left after 24 years in Government.

news

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thurSDAY, may 24, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

52nd Independence celebrations

Business plan competition

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Govt partnering with ExxonMobil, Scotiabank announces finalists Caribbean Airlines orporate sponsors have partnered with the Social Cohesion Ministry to facilitate the formal ceremonial aspect of the Independence flag-raising ceremony on Friday, which will focus on Guyana’s children and youth.

ExxonMobil’s Director of Public and Government Affairs, Kimberly Brasington, said the company was pleased to share this special occasion with Guyanese, particularly the youths.

“It is an honour for ExxonMobil to be at this table and be a part of it.

“When we heard the focus this year was on youths and culture and celebrating the country, we were absolutely interested and when the Ministry said they were open to corporate participation and sponsors, it was something that ExxonMobil wanted to be a part of from the beginning,” she said.

Brasington further added that she hoped engaging the youths was an initiative that the Government would continue to foster.

Marketing Director of Caribbean Airlines, Alicia Cabrera said the airline’s team was “honoured to be

Officials of the Social Cohesion Ministry along with Minister George Norton; ExxonMobil Director of Public and Government Affairs, Kimberly Brasington; Caribbean Airlines Marketing Director Alicia Cabrera and other sponsors for this year’s Independence celebrations

here today to celebrate the unwavering commitment [of Caribbean Airlines] through the sponsorship and partnership we have with you, at this event.”

At the flag-raising ceremony, it was revealed on Wednesday, approximately 4000 children are expected to participate. As such, modifications were made in favour of the participating youths by scheduling the activities at an earlier time on Friday afternoon.

Social Cohesion Minister, Dr George Norton said that this year’s ceremony would have a special focus on youth with emphasis on developing a strong sense of

national pride, patriotism and appreciation for the strides which Guyana has made since the gaining of Independence.

Meanwhile, the Sport Director, Tameka Botswain stated that local Guyanese artistes will be given a chance to showcase and promote their talent at the flag-raising ceremony during a two-hour long musical event. The audience will see performances by Big Red, Natural Black and Blaze Antonio among others.

This, she said, is an opportunity to promote and showcase the talents and products that are coming

Young non-violent offenders must be transformed, not imprisoned – PM …youth business summit to assist young entrepreneurs

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s Guyana continues to celebrate Youth Week, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo has called for youths who are associated with petty felonies to be reformed and not placed in the lockups.

Speaking at the inaugural Guyana Youth Business Summit on Wednesday, which was held under the theme “Empowering Guyana’s Youth Through Training, Mentorship and Leadership Development”, Nagamootoo stated that for Guyana to develop and improve the lives of its younger generations, mechanisms must be set aside for individuals to benefit from, after they would have committed “non-violent” offences.

“We have to not condone the use of illicit drugs, but we have to make sure that we deal with it in a compassionate and a realistic way so that we do not send our young people to jail, but help to rehabilitate and reform them. Those that are before court for nonviolent offences should be allowed an opportunity to make life better rather than them to be spending the rest of their lives behind bars.”

He also noted that sever-

al reports in the past have indicated that the rate of unemployed youths, youth crimes and drug use are on the increase. As such, he said, the Youth Policy has been introduced, but the final document has not been debated in the National Assembly.

Recently, it was revealed by the Director of Youth, Melissa Carmichael, that the policy, which is still in its gestational stage, caters for the development of a National Youth Empowerment Action Plan, which will include comprehensive and strategic programmes and projects being implemented.

“The policy defines youth as persons between the ages of 14 and 35, who make up some 68 per cent of our population. When taken office, there were no statistics.

Many of our young people had no jobs or couldn’t get support to start their own businesses,” she added.

The first session of the two-day summit saw dozens of young entrepreneurs who were presented with hands-on knowledge from experienced individuals about the different aspects of venturing into a new business. Throughout that

day’s proceedings, presentations were made by entities such as the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA); Commercial Registry; Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS); National Insurance Scheme (NIS); Guyana Energy Agency (GEA); GO-Invest and Dr Rosh Khan.

The participants were urged by the acting President to be among the policymakers and were briefed on the need for youths to be brought out into the political aspects of society.

In many cases, young entrepreneurs are unaware of the procedures and support systems which can assist in the establishment of a business enterprise. According to the coordinators and members of the various ministries, these will help to assist them in critical areas which include the lack of capital and increased knowledge on the ways to access capital, which can be one of the key limiting factors. It was revealed that Guyana had begun to engage in discussions to promote more youth businesses and work of equal value among aspiring entrepreneurs.

out of Guyana.

The ceremony will feature a grand cultural display depicting Guyana’s national patrimony while highlighting Guyana as an “emerging green state”. The coordinators have announced that the cultural display will feature about 2000 children.

Additionally, a parade and fireworks display will follow which will comprise the military and 1500 more youths.

Guyana will be celebrating its 52nd anniversary since the attainment of Independence on Saturday.

The celebrations, which will commence on Friday, are slated to begin at 02:00h.

n event planner, a tour operator, a bottled water manufacturer, a videographer and developer of an online barter site are the five finalists who will be competing for $1.5 million in this year’s edition of the Scotiabank Vision Achiever Programme Business Plan competition.

The bank on Wednesday officially announced the finalists during its television show “Money Moves”.

The top three videos from Facebook reactions were Shemar Spencer for Swopp, Shannita Ramnarine for Experience GT Tours, and Natalya Thomas for Aone Events. Two wildcards, Sherwin Bart for Your Waters and Ruth Wilson for Soarers Video Production, were then selected, bringing the total number of finalists to five.

The finalists will be put through an intense business coaching programme by partnering entity ActionCoach from June to August, at the end of which they are expected to produce a business plan using Scotiabank’s free Plan

Writer Tool on the Bank’s website.

The winner will be awarded $1 million while the runner-up will receive $500,000. The prize money has been doubled this year in light of the Bank’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

This competition is in collaboration with the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) to promote entrepreneurship. It started in 2014 as a simple business plan competition requiring entrants to use the Bank’s online Plan Writer tool to prepare a plan which was then judged to arrive at the winner.

Over the years, the competition has evolved to include video and television pitch elements to teach each entrepreneur how to pitch their business idea to the public and create more awareness and gather public support for their business.

There were 16 entrants in this year’s competition, several of whom benefited from a free training session by Dr Rosh Khan of the Masterclass Institute.

UG celebrates work of 1st Deputy VC

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solemn assembly was on Wednesday hosted by the University of Guyana (UG) in memory of the first Deputy Vice Chancellor of the institution, Harold A Drayton.

Among the gathering of individuals who attended the ceremony to pay tribute was the Vice Chancellor, Ivelaw Griffith; Deputy Vice Chancellor, Barbara Reynolds; Pro Chancellor, Retired Major General Joseph Singh; the University of Guyana Students Society (UGSS) President Norwell Hinds; lecturers and students.

The UGSS President delivered a presentation on the life of Dr Drayton and his accomplishments during the four decades in which he served as a lecturer and administrator locally and in the Diaspora.

Dr Drayton was born on August 20, 1929 in the then British Guiana. He was educated at Queen’s College and later graduated with a degree and PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

At the invitation of

Dr Harold Drayton during one of the university’s past events

Premier Cheddi Jagan, he returned to British Guiana to assist in the establishment of UG in 1963. When the doors of the university were finally opened, he was the first Guyanese to sit on the administration as he was appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor. He also served in the capacity of head of the Biology Department where the training of medical technologists would subsequently evolve that department into a full faculty for Health Sciences.

Homage was also

paid by Professor George Danns, Malcolm Rodriques and Vonna-Lou Drayton.

A former student of the late doctor, Professor Danns in his remarks described Dr Drayton as “a son of this soil, an activist committed to social justice, a lecturer, an academic administrator who led the foundation for the development of the University of Guyana.”

Dr Drayton served as Deputy Vice Chancellor from 1963 to 1964.

14 News

thursDAY, may 24, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Region 2 fishermen claim coast guards Health Minister demanding “best” catch addresses world health assembly on F universal health

Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence addressing the World Health General Assembly

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ocal efforts made by Governments can motivate global action for active collaboration with several countries and sectors. This, in turn, can contribute to the achievement of universal health care for all, Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence told the World Health General Assembly of 194 country representatives. The World Health Assembly is being held in Geneva Switzerland from May 21 to 26, 2018.

Universal health coverage is a goal of all countries under the World Health Organisation (WHO) to which they all must work together to achieve. Minister Lawrence told representatives of member states that, “We can share learnt lessons best practices and promote close cooperation between governments to ensure that we achieve universal health, (for) everyone, everywhere,” the Minister is quoted by the Department of Public Information as saying.

With reference to Guyana’s progress in this regard, she said that the Government has to ensure that, health coverage remains free for all, in keeping with the constitutional rights of all Guyanese.

In achieving Sustainable

Development Goals for health, “universal (health) coverage by itself clearly is not sufficient to ensure the health, well-being and equity in our countries,” the Minister stated. She added that while there is an improvement in access to health services, there is need to address the social factors of health.

Health services in Guyana are decentralised and the challenge is ensuring that all persons in Guyana access adequate and appropriate health services.

She added that the Public Health Ministry has embarked on a vision of having every person in Guyana be among the healthiest in the Caribbean by 2020. Also, a national health strategy 2013-2020 has been developed to support the process.

This strategy has been compiled on two main pillars, one of which is Universal Health coverage.

This means access to medicines and health technologies, providing equitable access to people-centered care.

It also envisions strengthened integrated health services delivery networks and competencies for other human resources for health.

ishermen in Region Two are complaining about the demands of Guyana Defence Force Coast Gaurds who are demanding they hand over their “best” catch when they are stopped at sea.

The issue was raised on Tuesday when the Region Two fisherfolks met with the Regional Chairman Davanand Ramdatt, Chief Fisheries Officer, Denzil Roberts, G Division Commander, representatives from the Coast Guard, Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), RDC councillors and other officials to discuss the many issues facing the fishing industry. The meeting was held in Regional office boardroom.

According to the Fishermen although MARAD have an office in Charity they are still forced to travel to Georgetown for licensing of boat captains and

takes a long time to process. They said that this has caused a lot of issue with them and the coast guards, who demand their best catch if they explain that the license are still being processed.

T

A section of the gathering at the mediation refresher course in Berbice

he Supreme Court along with the Judicial Reform and Institutional Strengthening (JURIST) Project is currently in the process of conducting a refresher training mediation workshops in Berbice, Region Six and Georgetown, Region Four.

The two-day workshop

City Hall wants over...

However, the building suffered much neglect over the years even though millions of dollars have been allocated to facilitate repairs, including some $20 M in 2012. Apart from that, an independent fund had been set up to garner donations to salvage the structure. Nevertheless, the Mayor regarded that much of the work done over time were “cosmetic surgeries”.

National Trust Head Nirvana Persaud added that the technical development plan should be handed over to City Hall by July 2018 and it is expected that City Hall will then seek funding from international donors. Persaud is however appealing for local operatives including the private sector to support the restoration initiative.

“In order to make a real

inspections of boats.

During the meeting the fishermen complained bitterly of alleged corruption in the system.

Some of the fisherfolks stated that although they paid for their licenses, it

As a result of the allegations, a committee of six persons was formed to represent the Essequibo Coast Fishing Industry at a Government level and will meet regularly with the Region to iron out the problems facing them.

Supreme Court conducts refresher mediation training

from page 11

“In order to make a real difference, we must seek to educate ourselves and each other and learn about the significance of these aspects of our heritage,” she noted.

In a previous report, Mayor Chase Green had highlighted that operatives of the M&CC were in discussions with the World Monument Funding Agency, Guyana Heritage Society and the National Trust, which also gave assurances of its support after a review of the building, indicating that repairs should be conducted in the near future. She pointed out then that the wait was on for a thorough report from the organisations along with recommendations on each phase of the restoration process, after which the rehabilitation works will commence.

A section of the gathering at the meeting in Region 2

difference, we must seek to educate ourselves and each other and learn about the significance of these aspects of our heritage,” she noted.

In a previous report, Mayor Chase-Green had highlighted that operatives of the M&CC were in discussions with the World Monument Funding Agency, Guyana Heritage Society and the National Trust, which also gave assurances of their support after a review of the building, indicating that repairs should be conducted in the near future. She pointed out then, that the wait is on for a thorough report from the organisations along with recommendations on each phase of the restoration process, after which the rehabilitation works will commence.

in Georgetown opened on Wednesday at the Marriot Hotel while the Berbice workshop concluded on Tuesday at the Little Rock Suites in New Amsterdam.

The Judicial Reform and Institutional Strengthening (JURIST) Project is a fiveyear regional Caribbean judicial reform initiative funded under an arrangement with the Government of Canada. The Project is being implemented on behalf of Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and the Conference of Heads of Judiciary of CARICOM (the Conference), by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), which was appointed by the Conference as its Regional Executing Agency (REA). The Project is working with judiciaries in the region to support their own efforts to improve court administration and strengthen the ability of the courts and the judiciary to resolve cases efficiently and fairly.

In New Amsterdam, it was the first refresher training in Berbice since the first grout of mediators was trained in 2011.

Mediation in Berbice has been almost non-existent.

That is according to Director of Mediation Services International Attorney at

Law Jamela Ali. Speaking at the opening of the workshop in New Amsterdam she said in Berbice mediators have not been given the opportunity to utilize their skills.

She noted that the Berbice Mediation Centre is underutilised.

“Since interest in mediation in Berbice has been low key, it is not surprising that in 2018, the numbers of mediators have dwindled a bit, for various reasons. But What is of significance is that Mediation seems not to have been developed or encouraged in Berbice and Mediators not given much Opportunities to utilize their skills acquired since 2011. In this regard, It is our objective that at the end of the session tomorrow, the mediation skills of the participants would have been strengthened and sharpened, there will be a renewed interest for mediation in this beautiful County of Berbice so that Berbicians can utilize the newly constructed Berbice Mediation’ Centre and benefit from your skill,” she said.

Mediation, as used in law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution or a way of resolving disputes between two or more par-

ties with concrete effects.

Typically, a third party, the mediator assists the parties to negotiate a settlement.

Ali said while the need exists greatly in Berbice for retraining of mediators, their counterparts in Georgetown are no less in need of such training.

Meanwhile, Project Director of the Judicial Reform and Institutional Strengthen (JURIST) Project Gloria Richards Johnson noted that the training is a milestone in the life of JURIST. She explained that it is their goal to enhance the capacity of Guyana’s mediators in court-connected mediation.

She said they have made great strides thus far and the project has completed several initiatives which include, Guidelines for Sexual Offence Cases; Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Planning, Training on court administration and adjudication that is gender responsive and Customer focused; Reengineering of business processes in selected courts to identify backlogs, introduce technology to eliminate backlogs and expedite the process, and undertake training for a more efficient administration.

In giving some statistics on the meditation system in Guyana, Solicitor and Mediator Rafina Rahim noted that of 880 cases the court through the trial Judge directed 772 for mediation and of that number 108 matters were settled before actual mediation while 48 of matters successfully mediated where an agreement was reached.

However, in 228 matters, the mediation was unsuccessfully and referred to trial. Rahim said some 338 of the matters which were referred to mediation, only some of the issues were resolved and 98 were returned to trial.

thursDAY, MAY 24, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

A

s Guyana prepares to celebrate its independence anniversary, many of the persons who desire to launch their own business and gain independence from employment simply

do not know where to start. There is no limit on who can start a successful business: you don’t have to have money, or a degree or know somebody.

“Education is key. Never stop trying to educate yourself…. [and] know your Unique Selling Proposition (USP).”

Marlon George of accounting and business services firm Solutions Pro

“You need to get fed-up of your current situation (whether it’s the paycheque that’s done two weeks into the month) to enable you to realise your purpose and give you lasting reason to do what you need to, to grow (into business or better employment). The most powerful capital that you need is between your ears – your brain…. talk to the right people – those who are doing what you want to – ask for their advice. It is important that you do the learning for whatever you want to do so that you can do it well and set the standard. [Then], you just need to do – [execute your plan].”

Joyce Jasmin Sullivan of Buttercup Day Care, Playgroup and After School Care Service

“Starting a business is an exciting endeavour. My advice would be to ensure that you have a deep passion for your prospective business. Be positive and brave, do your research and seek a mentor.”

Dr Rosh Khan of SocialRankMedia, Masterclass Institute, FranklinCovey Guyana

“Just start [working to a specific plan].”

Sandra Craig of SS Natural FruitFlavoured Barbecue Sauce

“Whatever vision you get, go for it…. don’t sit down on it, go for the gold.”

Irene Bacchus-Holder of Amazon Authentics crafts

“Think carefully of what you want to do then do a feasibility study. Plan and be prepared for the hard road ahead, the sleepless nights, the failures, how to cope when that happens. Success is there, but it is a fierce battle to get there. Look around for those persons who will help. They are there. Seek them out. Then there are those who will pull you down. Be smart and recognise them for such. Maybe you cannot get rid of them, but seek ways in which you can box them out.”

Vishnu Doerga of ActionCoach and Doerga Business Enterprise

“Take the time to see if your idea is viable, and adapt to the market (if necessary)... to what customers want…Be committed to your own success...work with all your might, obey the laws, hold yourself to a standard....”

Samantha Sheoprashad and Narendra Nauth of Trifinity Solutions web & app design/development company

“Invest in education, and work smart and not necessarily hard. Try to build a sustainable business that will strive without your physical presence, and not a job for yourself.”

Rosamund Benn of agro-processing start-up Pomeroon Rose

Gold Prices – Guyana Gold Board

Cambio Rates

Calculated at 94% purity, May 23, 2018

Bank of Guyana Buying

“Talk to your family and friends; a few persons, persons you care about deeply, will almost certainly express doubt, but take their advice and incorporate that doubt into your execution.

Make sure you are prepared for what they are worried about. As I said, it’s not always that they mean to discourage. And do your thing.

If you’re sure this is what you want to do, go for it.”

Roland Eudoxie of Korean International Martial Arts Academy

“In anything that you set out to build, you must go through the process. You can never get to 100 until you go through 1, 2, 3 etc.”

Cur

Here is advice on getting started from Guyanese of various backgrounds who have started thriving companies in various sectors, living the dream of being their own bosses: Josephine Tapp, of scented candle company Wick’et

Sean Major, of Sean Major Entertainment, Publik Wing & Burger House, and Pasta Bowl

Market statistics Selling

USD

$1289.00

GBP

$280.38

$283.92

Gross

$253,394

CAN

$161.21

$163.08

Net

$233,123

Indicators as on May 23, 2018

USD

$207.98

$210.45

EURO

$243.33

$246.44

15

Indicators

US$ per barrel

Crude Oil

$79.57

Price

USD

+0.44 Change %

$262.53/ton

+0.86

London Sugar

$330.20/ton

-2.43 USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1293.20

$1294.20

Low/High

$1287.50

$1299.00

Change

+0.20

Athalyah Yisrael of Fun Park Rentals

“….if you want comfort, remain employed. If you want to take the risk and work endless hours, go do it; it’s quite challenging, but yet rewarding.”

“You have to keep getting back up [Don’t look at people. Don’t rush into things too fast]. Think you can do it. Success is not easy. It’s a lot of late nights working, a lot of background work. You need to stay with your vision and trust and believe it.”

Change %

Rough Rice

Live Spot Gold

“You need to be focused; have a plan, prepare, careful planning and preparation. Don’t wake up today and say I want to do this, wake and say today I will do this and plan how you will achieve it.”

Joshua Avinash Singh of Fit-Rex

1. Evaluate yourself 2. Think of a business idea 3. Do market research 4. Get feedback: 5. Make it official: Get all

of the legal aspects out of the way early.

6. Write your business plan 7. Finance your business 8. Develop your product or

service 9. Start building your team 10. Find a location: 11. Start getting some sales 12. Grow your business

Investor’s Guide

+0.02%

Business Concept – Equity Fairness and impartiality towards all concerned, based on the principles of even-handed dealing.

Equity implies giving as much advantage, consideration, or latitude to one party as it is given to another. Along with economy, effectiveness, and efficiency, equity is essential for ensuring that extent and costs of funds, goods and services are fairly divided among their recipients.

Accounting: (1) Ownership interest or claim of a holder of common stock (ordinary shares) and some types of preferred stock (preference shares) of a company.

On a balance sheet, equity represents funds contributed by the owners (stockholders) plus retained earnings or minus the accumulated losses. (2) Net worth of a person or company computed by subtracting total liabilities from the total assets. In case of cooperatives, equity represents members’ investment plus retained earnings or minus losses. (Business Dictionary)

U

S stocks ended with small gains on Wednesday after minutes from the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting suggested higher inflation may not result in faster interest rate hikes.

Most Fed policymakers thought it likely another rate increase would be warranted “soon” if the US economic outlook remains intact, and

many participants saw little evidence of general overheating of the labour market, minutes of the central bank’s last policy meeting showed.

Stocks turned higher after the news, with rate-sensitive S&P 500 utilities and real estate ending the day with the biggest percentage gains. Financials, which benefit from a rising rate environ-

ment, ended the day down 0.6 per cent.

“The market is probably breathing a little bit of a sigh of relief knowing that inflation even a bit above two per cent may not necessarily mean a faster rate of increases,” said Mike Baele, Managing Director at US Bank Private Client Wealth Management in Portland, Oregon. (Reuters)

16

guyanatimesgy.com

thursDAY, may 24, 2018

Regional

Venezuela accuses EU of Cubana bombing suspect dies at 90 “prejudice” over elections M

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enezuela on Wednesday accused the European Union of “prejudice” in its reaction to the presidential elections won

by Nicolás Maduro.

“They preferred to descend into prejudices and issue unfounded statements,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It said the EU had declined an invitation to send observers to the vote.

The EU said Tuesday it would consider imposing new sanctions on Caracas after Maduro’s re-election was marred by “irregularities” and failed to meet international standards.

The elections took place “without complying with the minimum international standards for a credible process, not respecting political pluralism, democracy, transpar-

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro

ency and rule of law”, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

Maduro won 68 per cent of the vote in an election that was boycotted by the Opposition and condemned as illegitimate by much of the

international community.

Turnout, at 46 per cent, was also the lowest since the country returned to democracy in 1958, as millions of Venezuelans, fed up with the economic crisis and distrustful of the Government, stayed away. (AFP)

ilitant anti-Castro Cuban exile and former CIA operative Luis Posada Carriles, accused of masterminding the explosion of a Cuban airliner 40 years ago, died early on Wednesday in Florida at the age of 90, his attorney’s office said.

Posada Carriles was considered a hero by some Cuban exiles for his attempts to topple Fidel Castro’s government following the 1959 revolution, while Communist-run Cuba called him a terrorist unjustly given haven by the United States.

He died in a U.S. veterans nursing home, 1-1/2 years after his arch-nemesis Castro died at the same age, his lawyer Arturo Hernandez said.

Posada Carriles had had surgery to remove cancerous nodules in his throat during that time, Hernandez said.

He was also injured in a car accident.

Militant anti-Castro Cuban exile and former CIA operative Luis Posada Carriles

“The biggest terrorist of this hemisphere died without paying his debts to justice or reparations to the victims,” wrote Sergio Alejandro Gomez, the international editor of Granma, the official newspaper of Cuba’s Communist Party, on Facebook.

“He died in ...the United States, the country that trained him to lay bombs and attack the lives of hun-

dreds of Cubans.”

For his generation of Cubans who went into exile as Castro turned their island into a one-party communist state and expropriated their businesses, Posada Carriles was an iconic figure, said Hernandez.

“He was a patriot,” he said. “The priority he had in his life was bringing freedom to Cuba.”

Posada Carriles’ death is a painful reminder in Cuba of the 1976 plane crash that killed 73 people, as the country mourns the 111 who died last Friday in one of its worst air disasters ever.

Cuba has accused the United States of double standards in its war on terrorism for failing to make Posada Carriles face justice.

Trained by the CIA for its disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion to oust Castro in 1961, Posada Carriles was jailed in Venezuela for the 1976 Cuban airliner bombing but escaped in 1985. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Electoral Department in Barbados Honduras plane crash: Private says it’s ready for General Election jet splits in half in crash landing

H

ours before today’s general elections in Barbados, the Electoral Department has been a hive of activity, with the management and staff pulling out all the stops, ensuring that it is ready for polling day.

Supervisor of Elections Angela Taylor said the Electoral Department has been extremely busy over the past few days, with staff preparing the packages of election materials, supplies, and equipment for polling day.

“Much of the last two

days has been spent collecting ballot papers from the Government Printery, after which they were checked to ensure that they were properly numbered, and that there were no inconsistencies or inaccuracies in the ballot books.

“In addition, the polling tins for each polling station have been packed with the registration cards, so that when electors attend the polling station to cast their ballot and they don’t have their ID card, the registration card can be referenced,” she explained.

Taylor noted that Monday evening, all of the Returning Officers and Election Clerks were engaged in a refresher training session in preparation for Election Day. It included training in the use of an Election Management System, new software which will be used for, among other things, entering the results of the count.

“The results will be transmitted to the Electoral Department and some of the media houses will also receive live feeds from that data. (Excerpt from caribbean360)

Scientists warn bigger and stronger storms ahead

S

cientists studying past and future weather patterns have warned hurricane conditions could get bigger, stronger and wetter.

Researchers at the National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) have published a detailed analysis of how 22 recent hurricanes would change if they instead formed near the end of this century. And while each storm’s transformation would be unique, on balance, the hurricanes would become a little stronger, a little slower moving, and a lot wetter.

In one example, Hurricane Ike – which killed more than 100 people and devastated parts of the US Gulf Coast in 2008 – could have 13 per cent stronger winds, move 17 per cent slower, and be 34 per cent wetter if it formed in a future, warmer climate.

A

t least six persons were injured when a plane crash landed in Honduras's capital Tegucigalpa on Tuesday morning.

The Gulfstream G200 aircraft was on a private flight from Austin, Texas, when it skidded off the runway and into a ditch at Toncontin International Airport.

Authorities have given conflicting accounts of how many were on board the aircraft, some saying six or nine. "Thank God there are no fatalities," one police official said.

One witness told AFP he helped five men and a woman out of the plane, all of whom were "practically unharmed".

Aviation expert Andrew Charlton told the BBC he believed this particular aircraft to be "back-heavy", with cargo, galley (kitchen) and toilet facilities at the back. "An aircraft is under massive, mas-

In 2008, a plane of the former airline TACA crashed in nearly the same spot. Five people died in that crash

sive pressure when it lands at speeds of like 200 miles an hour. You design planes to withstand this."

He speculated that a strain or microscopic fissure in the metal may have added to pressure on the wheels, leading to the structure tearing.

"The people would've been sitting more to the front, and no one being killed is a testament to the wearing of seat belts," he said, adding that there will be a thorough

investigation to ensure similar accidents can be prevented in future.

In 2008, a plane of the former airline TACA crashed in nearly the same spot. Five people died in that crash.

Surrounded by mountains and with a very short runway, the Toncontin airport is considered one of the world's most treacherous. The Government is constructing a new international airport about 50km (31 miles) away from the capital.

(BBC News)

Ecuador’s indigenous Waorani launch petition to save the Amazon The rainfall rate of simulated future storms in the study increased by an average of 24 per cent

Other storms could become slightly weaker (like Hurricane Ernesto) or move slightly faster (like Hurricane Gustav). None would become drier. The rainfall rate of simulated future storms in the study increased by an average of 24 per cent.

The study, led by the National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and published in the Journal of Climate, compares high-resolution computer simulations of more than 20 histori-

cal, named Atlantic storms with a second set of simulations that are identical except for a warmer, wetter climate that is consistent with the average outcome of scientific projections for the end of this century.

“Our research suggests that future hurricanes could drop significantly more rain,” said NCAR scientist Ethan Gutmann, who led the study. “Hurricane Harvey demonstrated last year just how dangerous that can be.” (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

T

he Amazon rainforest is not an oil block and it is not for sale, says Ecuador’s Waorani community in a new petition.

The indigenous community has been living in and fighting for their jungle territory for thousands of years, but they could soon see the entire region auctioned off to the highest bidders in the oil industry.

Responding to the potential auction, 18 Waorani communities launched an international petition on Wednesday, asking the world to sign to demand oil drilling stays out of their

territory in the southeast Amazon, one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet.

“We want to teach people why we live here, and all that we have here,” Nemonte Nenquimo told Al Jazeera from her home of Nemonpare, a remote Waorani community in the heart of the rainforest.

Nenquimo added that then maybe they would understand what the oil industry is taking away from her community and the area.

Earlier this year, President Lenin Moreno opened the southeast

Amazon up for bidding to the oil and natural gas industry in an initiative called the South-East Oil Round (Ronda Petrolera SurOriente).

The aim, according to the Government, is to boost Ecuador’s floundering oil economy, which has seen major divestment since 2014 when the international price of oil plummeted.

The southeast Amazon region has been divided into 13 blocks in which one area, referred to as block 22, overlaps almost entirely with Waorani territory.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

thurSDAY, may 24, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

Around The World

Trump lawyer “paid by Ukraine” to arrange White House talks

D

onald Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, received a secret payment of at least US$400,000 to fix talks between the Ukrainian President and President Trump, according to sources in Kiev close to those involved.

The payment was arranged by intermediaries acting for Ukraine's leader, Petro Poroshenko, the sources said, though Cohen was not registered as a representative of Ukraine as required by US law.

Cohen denies the alle-

gation.

The meeting at the White House was last June.

Shortly after the Ukrainian President returned home, his country's anti-corruption agency stopped its investigation into Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort.

A high-ranking Ukrainian intelligence officer in Poroshenko's administration described what happened before the visit to the White House.

Cohen was brought in, he said, because Ukraine's registered lobbyists and

U

Wednesday came hours after the US Embassy in China issued a health warning to Americans living in the country on an "unusual" auditory or sensory phenomena.

The Embassy said a US government employee in the southern city of Guangzhou

Pentagon disinvites China from major US military exercise

T Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko (left) meets US President Donald Trump at the White House in June 2017

Embassy in Washington DC could get Poroshenko little more than a brief photo-op with Trump.

Poroshenko needed something that could be portrayed as "talks". (Excerpt from

BBC News)

American in China injured in 'sonic attack' similar to Cuba S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said a brain injury sustained by an American official in a "sonic attack" in China was similar to those that affected US and Canadian diplomats in Cuba.

Pompeo's remarks on

17

reported experiencing a "subtle and vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure", which led to a mild brain injury.

Pompeo told the House Foreign Affairs Committee the "sonic attack" in China was similar to the incidents in Cuba last year.

"The medical indications are very similar and entirely consistent with the medical indications that have taken place to Americans working in Cuba," he said.

The US was moving medical teams to the area to work on the case, he said.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

he Pentagon on Wednesday disinvited China from a major US-hosted naval drill in response to what it sees as Beijing’s militarisation of islands in the South China Sea, a decision China called unconstructive.

“As an initial response to China’s continued militarisation of the South China Sea we have disinvited the PLA Navy from the 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise,” said Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Logan, a Pentagon spokesman.

PLA is the Englishlanguage acronym of China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army.

Logan did not specify what else the US

Government might do to respond, but stressed there was “strong evidence” that China had deployed anti-ship missiles, surfaceto-air missile systems and electronic jammers to contested features in the Spratly Islands.

“We find that a very unconstructive move,” China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, told reporters in Washington after meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Wang described its activity in the South China Sea as self-defence, saying it was working on a “much smaller scale” than what the United States had done in Hawaii and Guam. (Excerpt

from Reuters)

Iran's leader to Europe: Fulfill demands or deal's dead

India-Pakistan cross-border shelling hits Kashmir

S

ix civilians and a soldier have been killed along the border between India and Pakistan on the sixth consecutive day of shelling in the divided Kashmir region, reports say.

Indian Police told the Associated Press news agency that at least five civilians were killed and 30 more injured on the Indian side on Wednesday when Pakistani soldiers targeted Indian border posts and villages with mortars and automatic gunfire in Indianadministered Kashmir's Jammu region.

Pakistani security forc-

India and Pakistan have accused each other of initiating the current violence [Channi Anand/AP]

es, for their part, told AP that a civilian and a soldier were killed as they exchanged fire with their Indian counterparts near

Sialkot in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province.

Several people, including three border guards, were wounded, the Pakistani offi-

cials told AP. An Indian government official told AFP news agency at least 80,000 people living along the border between Jammu and Pakistan's Punjab have fled their homes since Friday.

"Some have gone to their relatives and for others, we are arranging shelter, food and water," Hemant Kumar Sharma, a local divisional officer, told AFP. Schools within five kilometres of the border were reportedly closed by Indian authorities. AFP said the total death toll of the six-day escalation in fighting now stood at 16. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

WHO: DRC Ebola outbreak on a “knife's edge” as urban cases rise

tings.

"The next few weeks will really tell if this outbreak is going to expand to urban areas or if we're going to be able to keep it under control," Salama said.

Following the meeting, Salama told AFP news agency the outbreak "could go either way" in coming weeks. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Twenty-seven people in DRC have died this month from the Ebola outbreak [Louise Annaud/Medecins Sans Frontieres via AP]

A

n outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo has the clear "potential to expand" as the number of confirmed cases continues to rise, the World Health Organisation warned.

Health workers' response is on an "epidemiological knife's edge"

after the number of people stricken with Ebola in the DRC rose to 28 since an outbreak was detected earlier this month, said WHO Deputy Director Peter Salama, in comments made on Wednesday at a conference in Geneva, Switzerland.

Seven of the confirmed cases were in urban set-

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks at a meeting with officials in Tehran on Wednesday [Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP]

I

ran's supreme leader set out conditions for Tehran to stay in its nuclear deal with world powers, including steps by European banks to safeguard trade with Tehran after the US withdrawal.

European powers must continue buying crude and protect Iranian oil sales from US pressure, and promise they would not seek new negotiations on Iran's ballistic missile programme and Middle East activities, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's official website said on Wednesday.

"European banks should safeguard trade with the Islamic Republic. We do not want to start a fight with these three coun-

tries [France, Germany and Britain], but we don't trust them either," Khamenei said.

"Europe should fully guarantee Iran's oil sales. In case Americans can damage our oil sales … Europeans should make up for that and buy Iranian oil."

He warned if the Europeans did not meet these demands, Iran would resume its enrichment of uranium, halted under the deal to minimise the risk of Tehran developing the means to build nuclear weapons.

European powers see the accord as the best chance of stopping Tehran acquiring a nuclear weapon. (Excerpt from Al

Jazeera)

US-North Korea summit 'depends on Kim'

T

he planned summit between US President Donald Trump and Kim Jongun depends on the North Korean leader, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said.

The event is scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, but the North has said it

may cancel if the US insists on it giving up nuclear weapons.

President Trump said the US would know next week if a summit would take place.

Pompeo said the US was prepared to walk away from the talks and a "bad deal" was not an option.

It follows a historic meeting between the leaders of the Koreas in April.

Trump said at a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday that the North must meet conditions for the summit to go ahead, and that "denuclearisation must take place".

Meanwhile, a group of international journalists is travelling to North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear test site to watch it being dismantled.

The demolition has been billed as a goodwill gesture but may be delayed by bad weather. (Excerpt

from BBC News)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

thursDAY, May 24, 2018

ARCHIE

Don’t let anyone limit what you can do. Listen to and ac(March 21- knowledge others’ input, and April 19) make alternative suggestions.

How you approach change will make a difference to the outcome. Diplomacy and willingness to help are encouraged.

ARIES

Learn from people with more TAURUS experience.

Showing respect and (April 20May 20) offering praise where it’s due will lead to an opportunity that can help you get ahead. Be receptive to new ideas and changes.

dilbert

Don’t let your emotions GEMINI (May 21- come between you and someJune 20) one you love, or stop you from making the personal changes necessary for a better home life.

Explain yourself and show others what you want or how (June 21- to do something. Reaching July 22) out and offering help will lead to greater opportunity and good alliances.

CANCER

Peanuts

Keep your opinions to LEO yourself and avoid getting into (July 23- a debate that could ruin your Aug. 22) day. Concentrate on being reliable and finishing what you start. Think twice before making a rash decision.

Calvin and Hobbes

If you bring about change, VIRGO you will be praised for your in(Aug. 23sightful maneuvers. Working Sept. 22) alongside others will help you maintain control. A steady pace will lead to greater stability.

Put more thought into LIBRA (Sept. 23- where your money goes.

Oct. 23) Look over your bank statements to find a way to cut corners. Take better care of your health through good nutrition, diet and exercise.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

TODAY’S WORD — ADVANTAGE (ADVANTAGE: ad-VAN-tij: A relatively favorable position.)

Watch your step when SAGITTARIUS dealing with others.

(Nov. 23Problems with in-laws, sibDec. 21) lings or anyone who tries to control or manipulate you should be firmly dealt with right out of the gate.

Average mark 20 words Time limit 30 minutes Can you find 27 or more words in ADVANTAGE? The list will be published tomorrow.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

YESTERDAY’S WORD — FLUSTER

felt fetus flue flute fret fuel furl fuse left

lest lure lust luster lute ulster user self serf

slue slur suer suet sure surf true turf rest

restful result rule ruse rust rustle

RULES OF THE GAME: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” is not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed. To contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe, write to Word Game, Kathleen Saxe, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

Be imaginative and make SCORPIO some noteworthy changes. A (Oct. 24change to how or where you Nov. 22) live or physical improvements you make will be beneficial.

Organize your day to accomplish what you set out to do. Money or a gift will come from an unusual source.

Home improvements and romance are favored.

solution AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

A cautious approach to change is in your best interest. If someone wants to forge ahead, don’t feel the need to follow along. Do things at your own pace.

Spend less and save more.

Express your thoughts and feelings to get the support you need to move forward. A physical improvement at home will encourage you to share with someone special.

19

thursDAY, may 24, 2018

KKR to fight Sunrisers for spot in IPL final

R

ajasthan Royals got the best of the conditions but made a complete mess of a chase that seemed to be under control. Chasing 170, they seemed to be cruising at 87 for 1 in 10 overs, but then they - particularly captain Ajinkya Rahane - got stuck against spin and left their weak middle order too much to do. In 96 unsuccessful IPL chases of targets of 170 or lower, only once has a side lost with more wickets in hand than Royals had in this Eliminator: six.

Those wickets in hand proved to be no good as Rahane watched the asking rate grow from overs 10 to 15.

W h e t h e r Rahane’s innings was dictated by the weak batting lineup that followed, only Rahane can tell.

Kolkata Knight Riders, who will now face Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2, had no such dilemma even though they got off to a poor start in sticky conditions.

Even after being 24 f o r 3 they - led b y captain Dinesh Karthik - attacked the sixth over of the Powerplay; even after

they were reduced to 51 for 4 they batted with enterprise; and, when Andre Russell came in with 34 balls to go you knew the bowlers were in for a world of pain.

With early starts - 7pm - for the playoffs, the dew that comes down later has become a

Andre Russell pulls one for six against Rajasthan Royals

m o r e of a factor, but on the night the team bowling first had another advantage: the pitch, for the early stages, retained some

moisture from overnight rain.

Royals’ spinners made the most of it with turn and sticky bounce. K Gowtham, the hope for fingerspinners this season, took out Sunil Narine and Robin Uthappa. Legspinner Shreyas Gopal accounted for Chris Lynn, and Nitsh Rana’s short-ball problems continued.

Loosing their fourth wicket in the eight over, KKR

needed a bit of a partnership only long enough to make sure Russell didn’t have to play a long innings.

About 30-40 minutes into the match, the pitch began to ease out, at least in terms of variable pace off the surface, and Karthik and Shubhman Gill batted with purpose. They scored 31 in the next five overs without taking a risk, and once Gopal made a mistake they both pounced on him, taking 20 off the 14th over.

Russell has taken the art of six-hitting to another level. No matter what length you bowl, no matter if you beat him the change of pace, he always sets himself up for a baseballstyle hit down the ground and backs himself to clear the field.

Twice in his onslaught Russell was done in. First a quick bouncer from Ben Laughlin had him playing without even looking at the ball, but he swung with all his

might and the top edge flew for a comfortable six. Joffra Archer then had him playing a slower bouncer too early but he didn’t bother, he just flat-batted it over long-off for another six.

Russell’s 49 off 25 gave Knight Riders what looked like a par total.

When Rahul Tripathi and Rahane came out to bat, the ball began to skid through nicely, making it easier for them to time their strokes. Tripathi slogged Sunil Narine for two sixes in his first over, and Rahane looked comfortable against the quicks. While Piyush Chawla had Tripathi in the sixth over, 51 for 1 was a good Powerplay score when chasing 170.

Rahane came into the match with a negative Smart Strike Rate, which - as per ESPNcricinfo’s new metrics to make sense of T20 numbers meant his aggregate of 324 was actually worth 40 fewer runs.

He was without Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes. This was a weird position for him to be in.

Should he play the normal T20 game, which is not his best bet, especially when the bowling is slow? Or should he take all the responsibility and look to bat deep? Rahane chose the latter, and even as Sanju Samson batted more fluently at the other end, Rahane just couldn’t get out of the quick sand.

He was 28 off 20 at the end of the Powerplay. He faced 21 more balls for just 18 runs. He faced 20 balls of pace and 21 of spin, scoring 31 and 15 off

Kuldeep Yadav celebrates after picking a wicket

them. He failed to pick t h e wrong ‘uns, e s p e c i a l l y the ones bowled by left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav, against whom he has batted a lot in the India nets. By the time his innings came to an end, Royals were looking at more than 10 an over. In a line-up in which Stuart Binny bats at No. 5, it was unlikely to happen. It didn’t.

SCOREBOARD Kolkata Knight Riders Innings (20 overs maximum) SP Narine st †Klaasen b Gowtham 4 CA Lynn c & b Gopal 18 RV Uthappa c & b Gowtham 3 N Rana c Unadkat b Archer 3 KD Karthik (c) † c Rahane b Laughlin 52 Shubman Gill c †Klaasen b Archer 28 AD Russell not out 49 JPR Scantlebury-Searles c Archer b Laughlin 2 PP Chawla not out 0 Extras 10 (b 4, nb 1, w 5) TOTAL 169-7 (20 Overs, RR: 8.45) Did not bat: Kuldeep Yadav, M Prasidh Krishna Fall of wickets: 1-4 (SP Narine, 0.2 ov), 2-17 (RV Uthappa, 2.1 ov), 3-24 (N Rana, 3.4 ov), 4-51 (CA Lynn, 7.6 ov), 5-106 (Shubman Gill, 14.2 ov), 6-135 (KD Karthik, 17.1 ov), 7-164 (JPR Scantlebury-Searles, 19.4 ov) BOWLING: K Gowtham (3-015-2), JC Archer (4-0-33-2), JD Unadkat (2-0-33-0), IS Sodhi (4-0-15-0), S Gopal (4-0-34-1),

B Laughlin (3-0-35-2) Rajasthan Royals Innings (target: 170 runs from 20 overs) AM Rahane (c) c & b Kuldeep Yadav 46 RA Tripathi c & b Chawla 20 SV Samson c Scantlebury-Searles b Chawla 50 H Klaasen † not out 18 STR Binny c Lynn b Prasidh Krishna 0 K Gowtham not out 9 Extras 1 (w 1) TOTAL 144-4 (20 Overs, RR: 7.2) Did not bat: JC Archer, S Gopal, IS Sodhi, JD Unadkat, B Laughlin Fall of wickets: 1-47 (RA Tripathi, 5.1 ov), 2-109 (AM Rahane, 14.1 ov), 3-126 (SV Samson, 16.5 ov), 4-130 (STR Binny, 17.6 ov) BOWLING: AD Russell (30-22-0), M Prasidh Krishna (4-0-28-1), PP Chawla (4-024-2), SP Narine (4-0-39-0), Kuldeep Yadav (4-0-18-1), JPR Scantlebury-Searles (1-0-13-0)

Returning Serena Williams ready to deny Paris convention

C

onvention would have it that to succeed on the grueling clay courts of Roland Garros requires playing a stack of matches and having miles in your legs.

But then Serena Williams has never been one to take too much notice of convention.

The 23-times grand slam singles champion will be back at Roland Garros having missed last year’s event as she prepared to have her first child, Alexis Olympia, who was born in September.

Following a tumultuous birth, when she needed emergency surgery after suffering a blood clot, just being back on the court is a remarkable achievement.

When she returned to the Tour in March, playing in Indian Wells and Miami, she looked short of fitness and form, going out in the third round and first round respectively.

Her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, admits she returned too soon but

the pair have been working hard together ever since.

At 36, Williams is chasing the record of 24 grand slam title wins, held by Australia’s Margaret Court, and if she lines up at Roland Garros, she will be fitter, fresh and dangerous.

“Serena will play the French Open to win it,” Mouratoglou told the WTA website recently.

“Can she do it? Serena can achieve anything — after being her coach for six years, I’m even more sure of that statement.”

It was the arrival of Mouratoglou as Williams’ coach in 2012 that sparked the most successful period of her

career.

Having been knocked out of the French Open in the first round, Williams turned to the Frenchman to revive her fortunes; they have won 10 grand slam titles together since.

With organizers sticking strictly to the world rankings, Williams, currently ranked 453, will be unseeded in Paris, which means she could face any of the highest-ranked players in the first or second round.

But even with her lack of match practice, if anyone can hit the ground running it is Williams, the winner there in 2002, 2013 and 2015.

“I hear when she was down in Palm Beach she was training very hard with her physical trainer

(Mackie Shilstone),” seven-times French Open champion Chris Evert, an analyst for broadcaster ESPN, told Reuters.

“At the end of the day she knows how to play tennis. It’s more about fitness, getting the cardio up, the first step.

“We know she will have the fire, the fight and the heart and the drive but you don’t know about seven matches in a row to keep that level up. That’s what it’s going to take.”

Jim Courier, who twice won the title at Roland Garros, also believes Serena can defy logic.

“One can never count Serena out if she’s in a draw,” the American, who will be part of ITV’s French Open coverage, said.

“She lacks match play and will be vulnerable in the early rounds as she seeks form and confidence. If she does reach the second week she will be hard to stop.” (Reuters)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

thursDAY, may 24, 2018

DeVilliers retires from international cricket F

ormer South Africa Test captain AB de Villiers said he had “run out of gas” as he announced his retirement from international cricket.

The 34-year-old has played in 114 Test

matches, 228 oneday internationals and 78 Twenty20 matches for the Proteas.

He took time away from Test cricket in 2017, missing the series against England that summer, but returned to the red-ball side in December.

“I’ve had my turn and, to be honest, I’m tired,” he said.

“This is a tough decision. I’ve thought long and hard about it and I’d like to retire still playing decent cricket.

“It would not be right for me to pick and choose where, when and in what format I play for the Proteas.

“For me, in green and gold, it must be everything or nothing.”

“AB is one of the all-time greats of South African cricket who has thrilled spectators around the world,” Cricket South Africa president Chris Nenzani said.

“It goes without saying that he is going to be greatly missed wherever international cricket is played.”

His final

appearance for South Africa came in Johannesburg, where the Proteas beat Australia by 492 runs and clinched the series 3-1.

He kept wicket on occasion and recently featured for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.

De Villiers added in his video message that he has “no plans” to play overseas, and he hopes to continue to be available for domestic cricket in South Africa.

AB de Villiers averaged 50.66 in Test cricket for South Africa

’One of the all-time greats’

De Villiers hit eight fours and 10 sixes during his record-breaking 149 against West Indies De Villiers made his international debut in the Test series against England in 2004 and played in a limited-overs match a year later.

He scored 8,765 Test runs for South Africa and has a batting average of over 50 in both Test and ODI cricket.

De Villiers’ 22nd - and final - Test century came against Australia in March.

A former Test captain, he holds the record for the fastest one-day century, reaching three figures in just 31 balls against West Indies in January 2015.

He also holds the record for the fastest Test century by a South African, making 100 from 75 balls against India in 2011.

’A fantastic ambassador’ - what they said

England captain Joe Root, speaking to Test Match Special: “AB is one of the few players that kids around the world watch and say they want to be like.

“You see the lads watching the cricket when it’s on in the dressing room - when he comes out and bats, I want to sit and watch, because of the way he bats. He’s done some tremendous things in the game.”

Ex-Proteas wicketkeeper Mark Boucher: “I remember AB on his first day out for Proteas. What an inspiration, person and player he turned out to be. Thank you for everything you have done and been for your country, teammates and fans.”

Ex-South Africa pace bowler Morne Morkel, speaking to Sky Sports: “It’s a big shock, especially with the World Cup around the corner. But he’s played for 14 years and played all formats and after a while all the miles get to you.

“He’s been a great servant, he’s a fantastic ambassador, and it’s a sad day for South Africa and for cricket.

We’re going to miss him dearly.” (ESPNcricinfo)

Clark, Coetzer and Hesson appointed to ICC committee

F

ormer Australia women’s captain Belinda Clark, New Zealand coach Mike Hesson and Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer have been appointed to the ICC Cricket Committee - for a three-year team each - which will convene in Mumbai on May 28 and 29. Among the topics for discussion at the annual meeting are the playing conditions for the Test Championship in 2019, the scrapping of the toss and day-night Tests.

Clark has replaced Clare Connor, who completed her third three-year term on the committee. Hesson replaced Darren Lehmann, who was declared ineligible after he resigned as Australia’s coach following the Test series against South Africa. Coetzer was brought in for Kevin O’Brien as the Associate Members representative. O’Brien was ineligible after Ireland achieved Full Member status. Incidentally, O’Brien was the Man of the Match for his 118 against Pakistan in Ireland’s first Test, earlier this month.

Committee members

Chairman: Anil Kumble Ex-Officio: Shashank Manohar (ICC Chairman) and David Richardson (ICC Chief Executive) Past Player representatives: Andrew Strauss and Mahela Jayawardena Current Player representatives: Rahul Dravid and Tim May Full Member team coach representative: Mike Hesson Associate Members representative: Kyle Coetzer Women’s Cricket representative: Belinda Clark Full Member representative: David White (NZC chief executive) Media representative: Shaun Pollock Umpires’ representative: Richard Kettleborough Referees’ representative: Ranjan Madugalle MCC representative: John Stephenson (MCC’s Head of Cricket) (ESPNcricinfo)

‘I want Arsenal to be back among Europe’s elite’ U

– Emery

nai Emery said he wants Arsenal to be among Europe’s elite once more when he appeared at his first news conference since being appointed as Arsene Wenger’s successor.

The 46-year-old was officially appointed on Wednesday before he, along with chief executive Ivan Gazidis, addressed a packed media room.

He said: “Success next season would be developing, but how?

By battling for every title.

“That’s in Arsenal’s and my history.”

Arsenal failed to qualify for the Champions League in 2017 and won’t feature in the 2018-19 competition having previously been in every year since 1998.

Gazidis revealed that the Spaniard was on an eight-man shortlist for the job, but was the club’s main target.

“All eight took part in extensive interviews and none of them withdrew from the process,” said the chief executive, who added that the job was the most attractive in world football.

“We were in a fortunate position to name our first choice.

“Our first interview was on 25 April and our last was on the 15 May. A formal recommendation to the board was supported by a 100page dossier with a great degree of background information.

“All of the board members were energised and enthused by our decision.”

Gazidis said the former Valencia, Sevilla and Paris St-Germain boss impressed the interview panel with his “meticulous preparation”.

“He was extraordinarily well prepared with a knowledge of Arsenal and an analysis of all of our players, their qualities and how he can help them develop.

“The thing that distinguished him above all that was the chemistry between us and the feeling for football in the room.

“He has a feeling and competitive energy and it is this passion, love for Unai Emery football and will to win that made us feel it as exactly right for Arsenal.”

Emery told the gathered media he flew to Atlanta with Gazidis, head of recruitment Sven Mislintat and head of football relations Raul Sanllehi in order to meet the club’s major shareholder Stan Kroenke and his family.

“We want to work on this club together,” he added. “I know my ambition and my passion and to know how I want to grow up with Arsenal.

“All the conversations I have had with the club shows we share the same vision for the club.”

The Gunners finished sixth in the Premier League last season - their lowest position since they finished 12th during the 1994-95 campaign. One of the complaints from supporters was the lack of quality in the current squad.

Asked whether he will need a recruitment drive this summer, Emery said: “I believe we can grow with the players we have.

“The objective is to work hard together and with these talented players.

“It’s very important for the club, after two years outside the Champions League, to work to be the best team in the Premier League and also in the world.”

He also paid tribute to predecessor Wenger, who was in charge of the club for 22 years: “I want to say thank you Arsene Wenger for your legacy,” Emery said.

“For all the coaches in the world, he is a reference. We learned, I learned from him all the things in football.

“It’s a big challenge for me, but I have worked also in other projects, big projects. For me, I am proud to be here and to work after Arsene Wenger.”

What has Emery achieved?

Emery announced last month he would leave PSG when his contract expired at the end of the season, despite leading them to the Ligue 1 title.

During his two-year spell with the French giants, he also won four domestic cups, having joined from Sevilla in 2016.

It was in his home country that the former Real Sociedad and Toledo midfielder made his name as a manager, taking charge at Almeria and Valencia before moving to Sevilla in 2013.

There he won three successive Europa League titles as well as finishing runners-up to Barcelona in the 2015-16 Copa del Rey. With a rebuilding job needed at Emirates Stadium following Arsenal’s sixth-place finish in the Premier League, his meticulous, hands-on coaching may well be just what the Gunners need. (BBCSport)

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I

n Kolkata Knight Riders’ final league game of the season, a crucial fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Sunil Narine was their most valuable player. According to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats, he saved KKR 11 runs with his bowling, and his innings was worth 16 more than the 29 he made. It’s the kind of contribution that franchises pay for when they sign Narine: a couple of these every season, apart from the batting-only or bowling-only contributions he delivers.

For KKR’s assistant coach Simon Katich, the defining moment of that innings was the first ball Narine faced. A vicious inswinging yorker from around the wicket from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the fastest bowler in Sunrisers’ line-up that night and therefore the primary weapon against Narine. Except it didn’t work. It was the only ball Narine faced from Bhuvneshwar that night and he handled it with astounding ease, twisting his wrists to make contact with the ball less than a yard away from the stumps, and picking up a single to third man. In that moment, Katich saw progress.

“That ball last season would have knocked his poles everywhere whereas this season he was very much aware,” Katich says. “It was a beautifully executed ball but he managed to get some bat on it and it got him to start his innings.”

Narine’s ascension to opening in T20s is not a sophisticated story: an opportunity born through a combination of fate - an injury to Dwayne Bravo at Melbourne Renegades and Andre Russell’s absence from

Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn wait for their turn

the KKR squad last year - and punts from two franchises.

His batting style seemed just as unsophisticated. Most of his shots seemed like bets against the bowler. It fuelled the notion that Narine as a batsman is expendable; that his fearless batting brings runs at a devastating pace - as Royal Challengers Bangalore discovered last season - or an early dismissal that will not cause his team much much harm.

“It basically evolved because of Andre Russell not being available last year,” Katich says. “Given we were going to lose Andre’s power at the back of the innings, we had to try and fix that because it’s very difficult to find a player of Andre’s class that strikes at 180 at the auction. So we brought in Chris Lynn to give us power at the top and replace Andre’s bowling with someone like [Nathan] Coulter-Nile.

Once Lynn got injured last year, that’s when Narine got his opportunity. We took a little bit of a punt. He’d done it once before I think, for the

“Sunil was always a batsman,” Borde tells ESPNcricinfo. “He was a topthree batsman and seam bowler in his formative years (7-13). He changed to spin in his teens and focused more on that aspect of his game.

With his obvious bowling skills, he was usually put down the order. He always loves [batting] and can bat as correctly as any.”

Borde recollects a tense match in 2011 between West Indies A and Bangladesh A in St Lucia. The hosts needed 14 when last man Nelon Pascal joined Narine on the last day of a four-day match that also featured Russell.

“Sunil came in and struck boundaries with aplomb and calm,” Borde says. “He actually played a reverse-sweep to get the [winning] runs, all this while the entire coaching staff was nervous.”

Borde later asked Narine, who made an unbeaten 26, how he played those shots.

“He just said, ‘because they were the right balls to hit.’

Calmness personified.”

For those watching from afar, it’s completely fathomable that Narine would say something like that. There is nothing about the man, not even the way he walks out to the middle, that suggests he is doing anything more than the very least that is required. Yet, he has great achievements to his name and an unflinching ability to face up to and beat challenges. He’s done it multiple times with his bowling action, and now he’s doing it with the bat: not just staying relevant as T20’s most exciting batting experiment in recent years, but slowly turning the role into a serious designation.

(ESPNcricinfo)

Berbice male & female teams honoured a bicycle, trophy, and a medal.

BCB President Hilbert Foster hailed the two teams as true heroes of Berbice cricket and congratulated them on being outstanding ambassadors for the Ancient County. Touching on the lack of preparation that the Berbice teams suffered from in the past, Foster pledged that under his leadership, all Berbice inter-county teams would be properly prepared and provided with all the

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Renegades in the Big Bash and he did alright - got 20 off 12 balls [21 off 13] or something like that. And that’s what we were looking for.”

And it’s what he has delivered. He struck at 172.30 last year, and has bettered that to 189.01 in this edition, and has even managed to make more runs than Rohit Sharma.

All of his top innings, like his half-centuries against RCB and Kings XI Punjab this season, are sure to feature shots on the rise over the bowler, slices over extra cover, and slogs over wide long-on, amongst a slew of edged or spliced boundaries. They’re the kind of strengths that also expose weaknesses. In essence, they are the weapons of a slogger and should not, in theory, be sustainable over a long period of time.

But Narine has begun taking batting more seriously now, and become a de facto allrounder rather than just a pinch hitter. Ensuring, as he did against Bhuvneshwar, that he makes starts has now crept into his consciousness.

And the failures aren’t as lowimpact as they were once thought to be: four of KKR’s six losses this season were games in which Narine made singledigits scores.

“He’s got a very good cricket brain from a bowling point of view - he’s now starting to develop more of that from a batting point of view. There’s no doubt teams have figured out how to bowl to him and he’s starting to be able to come up with plans to counter that,” says Katich, who is one of Narine’s main influencers in the team alongside head coach Jacques Kallis.

“It’s about making him aware of his basic technique and the mechanics of it. He likes to clear his front leg and that’s great from a powerhitting point of view but it creates issues if oppositions know exactly what lines and lengths and pace to bowl. So that’s something that he’s got to be really aware of. He’s certainly getting more and more clever with how he goes about constructing an innings throughout the tournament.

He’s prepared to let the odd short one go and that comes down to him now being gameaware.”

People who have followed Narine’s career closely are not at all surprised by his batting exploits and his “natural talent”. Colin Borde has seen Narine since when he was seven and started playing at the Queen’s Park Cricket Club in his native Port-of-Spain.

Since then Borde has been the manager of various cricket teams Narine has played for, including Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, West Indies A and Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League.

The Berbice female inter-county team with their accolades

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s a part of a promise made at its elections in February, the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) honoured its male under-19 and female senior teams Sunday last at its Brian Ramphal Annual Award Ceremony.

The male under-19 team copped a double championship, winning the Guyana Cricket Board

(GCB) Three-Day and 50Over Tournaments, while the female team won the 50-Over Inter-County title and were poised to take the T20 title had the competition not been cancelled owing to inclement weather. The Most Valuable Players (MVP) of each team were also honoured at the ceremony. MVPs Erva Giddings and Kevlon Anderson received

The successful Under-19 Berbice male team

necessary tools to achieve success.

Former BCB President Anil Beharry also sang the team’s praises and urged them to take advantage of the opportunities being presented to them by the BCB. The BCB is currently aiming at organising cricket clinics for batsmen, wicket-keepers, off-spinners, leg-spinners and fast bowlers, in order to improve the skills within the county.

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GUYANATIMESgy.COM

thursdAY, may 24, 2018

PCL draft completed as tournaments approach O

n Wednesday morning, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) completed the Professional Cricket League (PCL) 2018/2019 Draft in Antigua as the Region prepares to spring into action.

However, it was disclosed that the Regional 50-over competition will be staged prior to the Regional Four-Day t o u r n a ment since the West Indians are preparing for the

International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup 2019.

Based on Cricket West Indies rules, each franchise must have 15 contracted players, and as such, the Guyana Jaguars franchise retained 10 players.

Defending champions of the Regional FourDay tournament, Guyana Jaguars selected five cricketers during Wednesday’s draft. They are Ramaal Lewis, Christopher Barnwell, Tevin Imlach, Akshaya Persaud, and Javier Spencer.

Guyana Jaguars retained Veerasammy Permaul, Leon

Shivnarine Chanderpaul

Johnson, Vishal Singh, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Gudakesh Motie, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Keon Joseph, Anthony Bramble, Sherfane Rutherford, and Romario Shepherd.

Former West Indies U-19 players Guyanese Tevin Imlach and Antiguan Javier Spencer are the uncapped players in the squad while it is Ramaal Lewis’s second year with the Jaguars, even though he has not yet made his debut.

Akshaya Persaud was gifted with the opportunity of making his debut last season.

Keemo Paul and Shimron Hetmyer were not retained because they both have an active West Indies contract.

They are still eligible to play for Guyana once there are no conflicting Windies duties.

Meanwhile, Shivnarine Chanderpaul will accompany Guyana on a pay-per-play basis while Devendra Bishoo and Raymon Reifer are also

in Guyana’s side.

The other squads: Barbados Pride: Anthony Alleyne, Shamarh Brooks, Jonathan Carter, Dominic Drakes, Justin Greaves, Keon Harding, Chemar Holder, Shayne Moseley, Shamar Springer, Haydn Walsh Jr* Draft picks – Marquino Mindley, Kevin Stoute, Aaron Jones, Tevyn Walcott, Mario Rampersaud Leeward Islands Hurricanes – Rahkeem Cornwall, Montcin Hodge, Jahmar Hamilton, Keacy Carty, Jeremiah Louis, Devon Thomas, Terrance Warde, Sheeno Berridge,

Akeem Saunders, Ross Powell Draft Picks – Damion Jacobs*, Sheldon Cotterell*, Orlando Peters, Nelson Bolan, Jason Peters Jamaica Scorpions: Nikita Miller, Assad Fudadin*, Derval Green, Chadwick Walton, John Campbell, Brandon King, Paul Palmer Jr, Aldaine Thomas, Andre McCarthy, Fabian Allen Draft Picks – Oshane Thomas, Reynard Leveridge, Kenroy Williams*, Denis Bulli, Steven Taylor Windward Islands Volcanoes: Devon Smith, Shane Shillingford, Kyle

Mayers*, Obed McCoy, Tyron Theophile, Roland Cato, Audy Alexander, Shermon Lewis, Delorn Johnson, Alick Athanaze Draft Picks – Kirk Edwards*, Ray Jordon, Tarryck Gabriel, Denis Smith, Josh Thomas Trinidad and Tobago Red Force: Kyle Hope*, Tion Webster, Yannic Cariah, Amir Jangoo, Denesh Ramdin, Imran Khan, Daniel St Clair, Bryan Charles, Khary Pierre, Jason Mohammed Draft Picks – Odean Smith*, Jeremy Solozano, Marlon Richards, Isaiah Rajah, Joshua Da Silva

Harmon pledges Govt’s commitment to Doris’s 2020 Olympic quest

National male basketball team for 3-day tour to Barbados Commonwealth Games gold medallist Troy Doris poses with a plaque the Ministry of the Presidency presented to him, in the presence of Minister of State Joseph Harmon; Director of Sport Christopher Jones and other Ministry officials

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T

The men’s basketball team will be in Barbados on a three-day tour

he national male basketball team will depart these shores on June 8 for Barbados as they intensify preparations for the Caribbean Basketball Championships (CBC) by engaging in a three-day tour to the island.

It is understood the traveling squad will consist of 12 players, Coaches, their manager and trainer. The CBC tournament is set for Suriname from June 15-30.

The current train-

ing squad includes a number of overseas-based players, led by Gordon James, Shawn James, Delroy James, Anthony Moe, Ray Victor, Kevin Mickle, Kevon Wiggins, Richard Mohandatt, Nikon McGregor and Juon Nicholson. The Guyana-based basketball stars being called for trials are: Shaine Webster, Timothy Thompson, Shelroy Thomas, Stanton Rose, Harold Adams, Orlando Glasgow, Terron

Welch, Chris Williams, Travis Burnett, Dominique Vincente, Nathan Saul, Dave Causeway, Travis Belgrave, Akeem Crandon, Nikkoloi Smith, Domair Gladstone and Curt English.

Other overseas-based players are under consideration.

The squad’s daily training starts on Sunday, May 27, 2018 from 20:00h; all training sessions will be held at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

he Government of Guyana is willing to pledge tangible support to Troy Doris on his journey to the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.

In April of this year, Doris, a US-based athlete, landed a triple jump gold at the Commonwealth Games in Australia which was the first for Guyana since Aliann Pompey claimed the women’s 400 metres title at the games in Manchester, England in 2002.

Doris’s performance on the Gold Coast and those of the past give him a realistic chance of medalling for Guyana at the 2020 Games, a feat that has not occurred for the country since Bantamweight boxer Michael Paris won Guyana a bronze medal in 1980.

At a courtesy call paid by Doris to Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, in the company of Director of Sport Christopher Jones, it was disclosed that support would be given to the jumper.

On the side-lines, Jones explained that Doris has submitted a document which contained the itinerary of activities he was seek-

ing to attend to gain as much preparation as possible for the Games. The next step will be for Social Cohesion Minister with responsibility for sport, Dr George Norton, to submit the proposal to Cabinet for approval.

More so, Harmon noted that when athletes do well, the country is duly publicised in a positive light.

“We want to assist them, since when they excel they do the nation proud; they are not doing it for themselves, they do it for the country and when you see the flag up high, it is a proud moment,” the Minister expressed.

The day also saw Doris being presented with the iconic cricket band and a special handcrafted pendant made by King’s Jewellery World. The Ministry of the Presidency also gave Doris plaques in appreciation of his achievements.

Today, Doris is expected to visit Bartica, and also be a part of the country’s 52nd Independence celebrations on Friday before departing Guyana on Sunday.

CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifiers…

Lady Jags, Bermuda battle to exciting draw

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uyana’s senior female football team, Lady Jags managed to scrape a point in the first of their CONCACAF Caribbean World Cup Qualifiers by drawing 2-2 with Bermuda on Wednesday evening at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora, West Coast Demerara.

Both sides had their fair share of chances, but it was the Lady Jags who would be left to rue not capitalising the most.

Bermuda wasted no time announcing their arrival as Teyah Lindo, who had a double in the match, marked her first in the fifth minute with a right-footed shot from 40 yards out which was picked up late by custodian Natalie Nedd as she was beaten into the back of the net.

Immediately, Head Coach, Dr Ivan Joseph and his master plan of producing a “defensive master class” took an early dent.

Mid-fielder Brianne Desa looked the most dynamic player on the field bringing life to the Guyanese attack with some challenging offensive runs and it was no surprise when she levelled the score, with some nimble footwork before unleashing a powerful shot off the right boot just outside the box in the seventh minute.

The pendulum was now

Brianne Desa was a live wire for Guyana against Bermuda in the mid-field on Wednesday evening at National Track and Field Centre

swinging the locals’ way, and Bermuda who were touted to be the Jags’ biggest test had the Guyanese working overtime.

Their second came again, not by an outstanding play, but rather by an elementary freekick which Lindo took just on the outskirts of the 18-yard box in the 11th miniute which had Nedd, once again, beaten by flight.

The appreciative and boisterous audience was silenced and for the next passage of play, it seemed we

already knew the victors. Given this is the first step to a trip to the 2019 World Cup in France, the ladies began showing some fight. They could have brought it level, but Calaigh Copland missed a cross from the right flank just on the cusp of halftime.

Forward Cameo Hazlewood had her presence felt more in the penalty area with thoughts set on the critical equaliser in the second stanza. A more physical battle was now ensuing and the Jags drew a foul just on

Archery introduced at St Ignatius Secondary School

Coaches Manley Polo Thomas and Shunette Thompson (centre) flanked by students of St Ignatius Secondary School after an introduction to archery session

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istory was created on May 21, 2018, when St Ignatius Secondary School in Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), became the first school in Guyana to introduce archery as part of its activities.

“Archery Guyana continues to spread its wings as two of its recently-certified Level One Coaches from Region Nine, Mr Manley Polo Thomas and Ms Shunette Thompson conducted an introduction session with one of the classes from the St Ignatius Secondary School,” a release from Archery Guyana stated.

Speaking about the importance of balancing the different sports in the school system was Kenerick Lewis, who is the Deputy Master of the School. He stated, “We welcome this discipline into the school system, and I know many of the students are anxious to learn about archery.”

While the official documents are being filtered down through the Education Department, initiated by the Director of Sport Christopher Jones, the Region Nine Coaches are eager and allowing no more time to pass, to share and ensure that Region Nine is prepared and set for the National Schools Championships that Social Cohesion Minister with responsibility for sport, Dr George Norton promised for November this year.

Head of the Allied Arts Department within

23 NBS supports construction of practice facility at Malteenoes guyanatimesgy.com

thursDAY, may 24, 2018

Coach Shunette Thompson instructing a student of St Ignatius Secondary School on the Olympic-style Recurve Bow

St Ignatius Secondary School, Ryan Farias, also shared his views. “Students are excited and will need to know every detail that there is to archery. As you can see, they are anxious and excited; even the teachers are anxious about this new discipline.”

Coaches Thomas and Thompson will soon be meeting and working with the other three Secondary Schools across Region Nine.

the edge of the box.

It was a free-kick. The fans knew the importance of it and not a sound could be heard.

Hazlewood chipped and sent a ripping bullet to the right which the goalkeeper, Micah Pond, parried into goal in the 58th minute.

Tensions became high, but the tired legs saw many of the final rushes to goal lacking intensity which left the result unchanged.

In the earlier match, Barbados defeated Suriname 2-1 led by goals from Catilyn Padmore in the 2nd minute and Felicia Jarvis in the 48th minute; Suriname had equalised in the 20th minute, compliments of Saffira Hoogdork.

On Friday, Barbados battle Bermuda from 17:30h followed by the hosts and old foes, Suriname, from 19:30h.

Guyana’s starting XI: Natalie Nedd, Nikita Persaud, Sydney Cummings, Jade Vyfhius, Cameo Hazelwood, Alison Heydon, Brittany Persaud, Mariam ElMasri, Calaigh Coplan, Collette Hope, Brianne Desa Bermuda’s XI: Micah Pond, Victoria Davis, Marley Christian, K’shaela, Akeyla Furbert, Khyla Brangman, Deshae Darrell, Teyah Lindo, Jade Hill, Keeunna Dill, Jade Stewart.

NBS Vice President Seepaul Narine extends a helping hand to Malteenoes, presenting to Club President Winston Semple a bequest at the Bank’s Avenue of the Republic head office

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s part of its corporate responsibility, the New Building Society (NBS) Ltd has thrown its support behind the Malteenoes Sports Club for the construction of an allweather practice facility at its Thomas Lands venue.

NBS Vice President Seepaul Narine presented $250,000 to Malteenoes President Winston Semple at the Bank’s Avenue of the Republic location in the presence of representatives of both entities.

Seepaul said NBS was happy to contribute to the project, which would help to build its relationship with the Club and aid in the development of cricketers.

Semple, the brother of former West Indies batsman Keith Semple, expressed gratitude to NBS and informed that the project was stalled on account of the inclement weather. He added that the facility would be of tremendous benefit to the Club since its players would be able to practise during the rainy season.

The estimated cost of the facility, which will have three pitches including a concrete one, is $3.3 million and so far the fundraising drive for that project has accumulated $1.5 million. Excavation work will commence as soon as the weather improves.

The completion date will depend on the weather and the response to requests for sponsorship.

The club, which was founded in 1902, is looking to develop the site into a multipurpose sports facility for double the current cost.

ExxonMobil U-14 league to assist in female football development

Some of the participants and the organisers at the team briefing on Tuesday at the National Library

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il giant ExxonMobil, in collaboration with the Public Health Ministry, will see its Under-14 boys and girls school league being used to aid in the development of female footballers.

This was disclosed by Troy Mendonca, Co-Director of the organising body, the Petra Organisation, at a team briefing held on Tuesday at the National Library.

Mendonca explained that the league commences on June 2 and lasts for seven weeks, but the girls’ segment will be for five weeks as they will spend the first two weeks under the con-

trol of the technical assistants of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) to get them fully prepared for the competition, which eight schools are expected to participate in, as compared to the 24 for the boys.

The GFF is expecting to participate in the Under-14 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) male and the Under-15 CONCACAF female championships.

The programme for the girls will see them having to spend one hour on the boys’ match days training to get fully acquainted with the structure of the sport.

Schools that are slated to compete are: Annandale

Secondary, Marian Academy, Christ Church Secondary, Chase Academy, Dolphin Secondary, East Ruimveldt Secondary, Lodge Secondary, Mae’s Schools, St George’s Secondary, Friendship Secondary, Kingston Secondary, Vergenoegen Secondary, Queenstown Secondary, School of the Nations, Uitvlugt Secondary, South Ruimveldt Secondary, St Rose’s High School, Tutorial Secondary, the Bishops’ High School, Charlestown Secondary, Ann’s Grove Secondary, Buxton Youth Developers, and Tucville Secondary.

thurSDAY, may 24, 2018

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

guyanatimesgy.com

CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifiers…

Lady Jags, Bermuda battle to exciting draw

Pg 23

Goal! Teyah Lindo had goalie Natalie Nedd beaten all ends up as she scored her second goal at the National Track and Field Centre on Wednesday evening

PCL draft

completed as tournaments approach Pg 22

Flashback! The four-time Regional Four-Day champions after retaining their title over Jamaica in the 2015-2016 season

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