Friday, August 10, 2018

GWI to reactivate P well in Port Kaituma 14

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana Issue No. 3651

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Friday, August 10, 2018

Govt never consulted party on oil & gas sector – WPA guyanatimesgy.com

PRICE

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Page 12

Region 4 P15 records 650 HIV cases in 2017

Guyana Amazon Warriors thrash Patriots in first home game

See story on page 23

Bartica man killed on EBD Public P12 Road Constable denies being assaulted

by Minister Ferguson P12 – GPF

…no info on whether Govt official instructed Police

2 arrested with gun, P10 ammo in Charlestown

Stabroek Wharf rehabilitation Guyana Amazon Warriors fans flocked the Guyana National Stadium on Thursday as their team took on St Kitts Patriots

Slowe admits Lindo Creek CoI report having Officers will be “baggage” held accountable Page – President

– as members of 9 PSC sworn-in … says “troubling questions” raised in report

Page 9

M&CC P2 awaiting response from Public Infrastructure Minister

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Stabroek Wharf rehabilitation

M&CC awaiting response from Public Infrastructure Minister

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A section of the Wharf to be rehabilitated

ith the recent collapse of a section of the Stabroek Wharf which resulted in the relocation of vendors, Town Clerk Royston King told media operatives that he was awaiting a response from Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson on the way forward.

On Thursday, King indicated that the vendors were operating at the Wharf even though it was unsafe.

However, they are pushing to have the works commence as soon as possible, since another section of the deplorable Wharf collapsed last week.

“This is the second time we have had such an incident this year. At the moment, the physical condition of that facility appears to be very unstable. It presents a clear and present danger to those who occupy as well as

those who visit to purchase from the stallholders,” he said.

“I’ve written to the Minister and we hope to get a reply before the next statutory meeting, which is on Monday next. In any case, the persons who will be relocated to that section of the city will have to remain there on a temporary basis,” he added.

Meanwhile, it was related that the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) had made the decision to relocate the vendors to an area that is situated on the western side of Parliament Building.

“I have taken action to relocate those stallholders who are operating at that facility. Last Friday, we met with them and explained that situation and our intention to relocate them. They agreed…however,

we are in the process of preparing the area and hope to be able to have the stallholders there in another three weeks,” King said.

For the relocation, King explained that the Ramp Road hire-car drivers were also engaged by Mayor Patricia Chase Green and the issues affecting them were also rectified. This comes in light of the fact that many of the operators had raised concerns about the relocation, since the Council had closed their parking area to facilitate the vendors. The livelihoods of the drivers were severely affected as a result.

“Also, Her Worship met with taxi drivers who operate from that area and shared with [them] the necessity of our action to rearrange and reorganise that space to accommodate our legal tenants who are operating at the Wharf. They have agreed to work with a reduced space, to be registered with the Council and pay a fee to the City Treasurer. That fee would be used to sanitise the area and to keep it clean,” the Town Clerk stated.

“The 42 bus park is usually operating in that particular area and that really is within the portfolio of the Council and what we’re trying to do is to use our own resources or own reserves to allow our legal tenants to do their business,” he added.

As of now, a comprehensive analysis is being conducted on the condition of the Wharf by the City Engineer, and will include practical and workable recommendations.

Bartica man killed on EBD Public Road

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43-year-old man is now dead after he was struck down by a minibus while attempting to cross the East Bank Demerara (EBD) Public Road at Prospect on Wednesday evening.

The accident occurred around 20:00h.

The dead man has been identified as Franklyn Dover, of Lot L First Street, Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

According to Police reports, a Route 42 minibus, bearing registration number BVV 2848, was proceeding south along the western lane of the eastern carriageway of the East Bank Road at Prospect when Dover reportedly ran across the road from West to East and was struck by the front right side of the bus.

As a result of the impact, the pedestrian fell

onto the roadway with injuries about his body. He was picked up in an unconscious state and rushed to the Diamond hospital, where he was treated and then transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

However, Dover died around 23:15h that same evening while receiving medical attention at the city hospital.

Meanwhile, the 33-year-old minibus driver of Farm, EBD, has since been detained. A breathalyser test was administered to the driver and no alcohol was detected. He remains in Police custody assisting with further investigation.

The body of the 43-yearold man was taken to Lyken’s Funeral Home to await a post-mortem examination, expected to be conducted today.

news

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fridAY, august 10, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

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

Friday, August 10, 2018 – a night-time retraction at 03:30h and a day-time retraction at 14:30h-16:00h and Saturday, August 11, 2018 – a night-time retraction at 04:30h and a day-time retraction at 14:30h-16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Friday, August 10, 2018 – 15:55h-17:25h and Saturday, August 11, 2018 – 16:40h-18:10h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunny intervals are expected in the day with clear skies in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 21 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

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

High Tide: 15:58h reaching a maximum height of 2.64 metres.

Low Tide: 09:20h and 21:48h reaching minimum heights of 0.48 metre and 0.57 metre.

WEDNESDAY, august 8, 2018

LOTTERY NUMBERS F

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11 13 22

22 Bonus Ball

FREE TICKET

THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2018 DAILY MILLIONS 06 09 17 21 22 LUCKY 3 1 5 3 Afternoon Draw DRAW DE LINE

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Evening Draw

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

Jagdeo supports conditional transfers of oil money – but says country will have no means to give cash grants

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hile some persons have been touting that Government should seek to hand out cash grants to citizens from oil resources, starting in 2020, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has said he does not support this idea, as Guyana will not have the means to do so. He is therefore urging better use of the resources.

Jagdeo feels the idea presented by Working People’s Alliance (WPA) executive Economics Professor Clive Thomas to give out cash grants of US$5000 to each Guyanese household annually may not be the best move; but rather, looking at other important areas that would require attention would be best suited.

Although he believes that certain policies should be explored to provide upliftment to people, provide more jobs, and address poverty, he said, “It’s not going to happen. We don’t have the means to do so. I support conditional transfers.

We’ve done that before, and we need to help poor people.

“What I have been critical about is this wishywashy approach by the Government, designed to mislead people that they will get large sums of money when it’s not true…They are raising expectations unnecessarily, and spreading false hopes; and that’s all they are doing about oil.”

Jagdeo reasoned that if Guyana managed to secure US$300 million in earnings from oil in the first year, this will not be enough for cash handouts. The Government has said that monies will have to be put into the Stabilisation Fund, Savings Fund, and for catalytic investments as set out in the Green Paper.

“So if they spend on all these things from this pool of money, how you could propose you will give each family $5000 per annum which is about US$1B per annum?” he questioned, while noting that the maths behind this plan is not very realistic and is far from what they should be thinking.

The former head of state put out an idea of using some of the money towards improving human capital through education by means of scholarships and advancing the education system in Guyana.

“So why not put the money into paying for scholarships? So we put $100 million or $50 million and we put it towards paying for kids who do well...go to the best universities in the

world and upgrade our university to a top notch university with a global standard by bringing in new lecturers, etcetera. That sort of thing would help us in the long run. And then we switch to educational exports.”

President David Granger has said, too, that he has not considered the proposal put forward by Professor Thomas. When questioned on the proposal at State House on Thursday, Granger said it was not formally submitted to him; however it is outside the recommendations of the Sovereign Wealth Fund.

“I don’t know where the proposal came from, but it hasn’t been formally submitted to me; and as you know, I established a quintet of Ministers to advise me on the oil and gas sector, and I have also appointed a Director of Department of Energy; but I have not considered that proposal, it is outside of the recommendations of the Sovereign Wealth Fund …”the President informed.

The Head of State also rationalised that there is no evidence or basis for such a proposal being made.

Granger said, “I also don’t know if there is precedence for it, so I don’t know the ev-

idence or basis for making such a proposal”.

Thomas made the recommendation, which was welcomed by the Alliance for Change (AFC) earlier this week. “I believe that some portion of the net cash flow from oil should be dedicated to be given as cash transfers to every single household in this country.

Whether it is US$5000 per year or whatever it works out at, we can put the figure together. There must be a mechanism in place to ensure every single household, and by extension every single person, would see the benefits of oil and gas in terms of cash or cheque received in their accounts”, the economist said.

Thomas suggested that citizens must directly benefit from a portion of the “national pie”. “I believe there must be developed a cash-transfer programme of some significance that makes sure that, when all is said and done, out of the national pie, a certain permitted amount of resources are transferred to the masses”.

As such he called on the Government to direct policies that would see this becoming a reality.

ExxonMobil said in July that it has increased its estimate of the discovered recoverable resources for the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana to more than 4 billion oil-equivalent barrels.

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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

CPL and the economy

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ow in its sixth year, the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is truly established as one of the leading T20 leagues in the world, and compares favourably with the likes of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Big Bash League (BBL). In addition to the high level of entertainment provided for families, many stakeholders in the Caribbean, including Governments and Private Sector bodies, are well aware of the huge economic potential the CPL has on host countries and the region as a whole.

Hosting of the CPL games here is the kind of intervention that is needed to give a much-needed boost to the country’s ailing economy. Guyana, through the CPL, has benefited significantly from hosting the event since the inception of the tournament in 2013. It was reported in the media a few days ago that the CPL’s economic impact on Guyana in 2017 was around US$ 14,183,035.

This figure has been arrived at by using organiser spend, visitor spend and media value, and was calculated for Hero CPL by world-renowned researchers SMG Insight.

In addition to the huge economic impact, 492 jobs were created as a result of this country hosting the games.

4097 hotel rooms were filled during the event. There was also significant value for Guyana in terms of the country being given coverage through the television broadcast of the event. The total brand exposure for Guyana has been calculated at US$3,294,323, with more than 37 hours’ coverage of the country across the tournament. Based on official statistics released, the CPL spent just under US$1 million in Guyana during the 2017 event, with over 40 per cent of that figure going to local staff and suppliers.

In essence, the CPL games here are a good example of the tremendous benefits that could be derived from a sporting event of such magnitude.

It is well known that Guyana’s economy has been on a downward spiral for some time now, and businesses and individuals are feeling the squeeze. Over the past year or so, several businesses have been complaining of poor sales, companies have had to lay off workers, and some companies are even closing down due to unprofitability.

There seems to be no sign that the situation will turn around for the better. The relevant stakeholders have pleaded with the Government to take the necessary steps to revive the economy and create opportunities for citizens, but it is still left to be seen what effective measures will be adopted to bring some sort of relief.

That said, now that the CPL tournament has proven to have many trickle-down effects, the whole concept of sports tourism is beginning to gain popularity in the region. The introduction of sports tourism as a major industry here is an excellent idea, and it would certainly be in the nation’s interest if the major players involved work seriously towards designing and implementing the necessary programmes and policies that would see Guyana taking advantage of the many opportunities available in that sector.

Analysts have pointed to the fact that sports tourism is a huge and growing industry, with important economic implications for the sport, the event, and the impact of travel and tourism-related benefits on host destinations.

For this year’s tournament, Guyana will be given the opportunity to host seven games, including the play-offs.

This is indeed good news for fans. CPL has indeed been a success story, not only as it relates to the development of cricket in Guyana and the Region, but because of the potential for growth and the ability to create the kind of opportunities that would seek to improve the lives of citizens. Guyana must, therefore, capitalise on the economic successes of CPL, and work towards further developing sports tourism in general.

Each year, the National Stadium at Providence, which is the home ground of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, attract massive crowds and Thursday night was no different as the 2018 Guyana leg started. However, with tournaments such as this one, it is not only the sold-out stadiums that warrant the prestige, but the chance to showcase one’s country on the global market, since television viewership would usually span each continent.

The STEM Guyana team, being sponsored by GTT, heads to Mexico to participate in the First Global Robotics Challenge set for the Arena Ciudad De Mexico from the August 15-18, 2018. The STEM Guyana team will be competing against 149 other countries

Slackness and corruption permeate Guyana’s private security sector Dear Editor, Slackness and corruption permeate all levels of Guyana’s private security services sector, and this situation was cruelly exposed by the media last week when news broke that a security guard who was involved in a public altercation with Minister Simona Broomes last month is a jailbird who has served time in the US for gun-related offences and drug crimes.

People all across Guyana are scratching their heads and trying to wrap their minds around news reports that this guard is a deportee and ex-convict named Robert Goodluck, a.k.a.

Robert Wren, who not only beat the system to get hired as a guard, but was also able to get himself appointed as a supernumerary constable and pass the Police background check for a precept to bear firearms.

Anyone who is shocked that a deportee who was jailed in the US for manslaughter and crimes involving drugs ended up as a security officer with a precept squabbling with a Government Minister will be blown away to find out that a bail-jumper and fugitive from American justice heads a local security firm, and in 2016 became secretary/treasurer of a major security association, of which I was a co-founder, chairman, secretary, and president.

Because of these kinds of shenanigans, I prefer to keep my distance from that association.

Something stinks to high heavens in the local private security services system.

It took the incident with Minister Broomes to get the Police to do a proper background check on Goodluck and belatedly discover the security officer’s criminal background.

How was Goodluck able to get around a Police background check? By simply applying for a precept under his other name? Isn’t that one of the oldest tricks in the book? Since the Police were able to find Goodluck’s criminal record quite easily after the Broomes incident, how come they couldn’t find it before? Didn’t they do the same check when his name was first submitted for a precept? This is either slackness or corruption; pure and simple.

How many others have slipped through the cracks in our gun-licensing system because of negligence or skullduggery?

The same slackness and corruption that infest the issuing of firearm licences exist in other areas of the private security services sector.

The fault does not necessarily lie with the Office of the Commissioner of Police. I believe the system is failing because an evil bureaucracy is stifling the local security

industry, and this monster is made up of officials who are clueless, or corrupt, or both.

If you look at the recent known cases: of a fugitive heading a security company and holding high office in a security association and an ex-felon getting a precept to bear firearms, it is hard to believe that an official Guyana Security Service Act is in place. But the local security sector is in such disarray right now that this Act is now nothing more than a paper tiger that nobody bothers with anymore.

The cold, hard fact is: we have a Security Services Act in place, and it gives the Office of the Commissioner of Police wide powers to enforce it and monitor all operatives in the industry. So, how in the world did a fugitive from American justice -- for bail-jumping and narcotics-related crimes -- get permission to set up a private security company and get elected to high office in a security association?

The answer is simple: the system is completely broken down because some persons in authority have been compromised by favours and bribes. I can state this openly without fear of contradiction. Google it and you will see that this fugitive fled American justice since 2009, to live here with impunity. Both the previous administration and the cur-

rent Government know this, and have done nothing.

Certain individuals across administrations have given this fugitive big business plus protection. Despite the owner being wanted for serious crimes in the US, this person’s company gets huge security contracts, and his pockets are bulging with taxpayers’ dollars. But he knows how to manipulate persons in high office, and has made some of them shareholders and directors in his company.

The National Insurance Scheme (NIS) was forced to publish his company’s name in the newspapers because he was not paying up contributions to the scheme.

Furthermore, this wanted person’s workers staged a massive public protest, claiming that they are not being paid and their Pay As You Earn (PAYE) taxes were not being remitted.

But that is not all: this individual was hauled before the Guyana courts for trafficking cocaine in fish.

The same US fugitive was charged and appeared in our courts, but the Police were embarrassed because the case jacket disappeared.

Yet, despite a background steeped in suspicious behaviour, this fugitive got a personal firearm licence, and is licensed to operate a private security service with armed personnel.

Continued on page 5

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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

Cash handout Politicians need to look beyond debate exposes the ends of their noses political hacks Dear Editor, Not long after coming to office, the APNU+AFC coalition Government disbanded the $10,000 school grant initiative on the grounds that it was “fiscally unsustainable” and could be used as an “electioneering gimmick”.

Fast-track to August 1, 2018 and President David Granger is quoted in a speech urging Guyanese not to be “slothful”, to desist from seeking “raises”, and to get prepared for the oil economy.

A few days later, Economist Professor Clive Thomas suggested that every household in Guyana should benefit from an annual cash payout when oil revenue begins to flow.

Enter the flip-floppers and party hacks.

Those who agreed that the PPP-Government school grant initiative was being used as an electioneering gimmick now think a potential coalition Government oil payout initiative is the best thing since sliced bread. Those who firmly agreed with the President that the culture of ‘always wanting a raise’ was counterproductive now say handouts from oil revenue is a brilliant idea.

One only has to look across at Venezuela to see how the creation of a welfare state killed productivity and contributed to soaring inflation. Closer to home, the Amerindian community in Guyana has been the recipient of substantial

State grants and support.

One cannot conceivably say that our Amerindian brothers and sisters are better off as a result.

Most importantly, we lack the basic systems to equitably disburse any such funds. So it was in the case of the school grant, and so it remains. We lack the political integrity required to not use such a scheme to buy votes. So it was before, and so it remains. To believe otherwise points to madness.

It is time that common sense and good judgment are used in serious debates on issues with national implications. Those who appeal to the emotions and weaknesses of the poor with tactful comments on social media and elsewhere, in an attempt to sell the goodness of a welfare state, are in fact enemies of the poor.

They serve political outfits, and operate at the bidding of their masters.

Guyanese people need to wake up before it is too late. Demand accountability and full transparency in management of the oil revenue. Demand investments in infrastructure, education and social services. Reject attempts for you to be used as political footballs. Reject overnight schemes designed to keep you in poverty and subservient to the state.

Wake up!

Sincerely, Patrick Davis Concerned Guyanese

Slackness and corruption...

from page 4

No wonder people are saying all over the place that Guyana’s system of awarding gun licences is so lax that known criminals, fugitives from American justice, severely depressed persons, and even psychopaths can beat the system and get firearm licences.

In recent times, highly suspicious persons who are well-connected to ‘big’ ones’ in society have been able to acquire large arsenals of weapons through pseudo-legitimate channels. I recall a bizarre case not long ago, when a well-known businessman went on a shooting spree in a Georgetown street and several persons, including the gunman, ended up dead.

In the ensuing news reports, persons at the scene claimed that everyone knew the man was deranged and wanted to know how he got so many guns, apparently with the approval of a particular former Commissioner of Police.

Something is seriously wrong when people who are known fugitives from the law and persons of suspicious

character can set up private security services and get gun licences willy-nilly. It is even worse when such characters can get protection from persons in power. With such powerful protection, they can become emboldened to do serious criminal acts.

Private security services are a sensitive law enforcement arm of the country.

Their value relies upon effective scrutiny of their owners and personnel, as well as proper and timely monitoring of their operation. It is highly dangerous when totally unsuitable and undesirable persons can infiltrate this sector and get away with it.

God knows how many trigger-happy criminals, ‘loose cannons’ and outright lunatics have gotten gun permits because slackness and corruption have penetrated the system; and they are out there with both the means and opportunity to create terror, murder and mayhem in other people’s lives.

Sincerely, Roshan Khan Sr

Dear Sir, After a long wait, a Green Paper titled ‘Managing Future Petroleum Reserves etc’ has been released. It speaks to our fiscal frameworks and a Sovereign Wealth Fund. The proposal has reportedly had the benefit of scrutiny and input from several international bodies and the Cabinet.

About a year ago, a similar series of events unfolded in regard to the Petroleum Commission Bill. At the time, in a submission to the Select Committee assessing the Petroleum Commission Bill, I wrote: “The general posture of the Bill is that the Petroleum Commission

(PC) is an advisory body to the Minister, albeit with executive functions.

“The Bill is not designed to create an independent or autonomous body. This posture of dependence will inhibit the capacity of the Petroleum Commission to perform its monitoring and regulatory duties. It also creates too many areas where the Commission’s actions and remit fall within the Minister’s sphere of control.”

Those comments apply to the proposals outlined in the current Green Paper.

This suggests the emergence of an alarming pattern of behaviour on sever-

al fronts.

First, one has to question the quality of advice being provided by the international bodies, and their willingness to lend their names to these documents.

Second, we appear to be utterly incapable of conceiving and configuring independent institutions.

The petroleum industry represents both a massive stress test for Guyana and an opportunity. These institutions will bear the brunt of the stresses. They will need to be robust, efficient and autonomous. If, instead, we construct a fleet of institutional-balahoos designed to sway with the

political tides and electoral cycles, we will all suffer the consequences. ??

This is a moment in Guyanese history when politicians of all persuasions need to look beyond the ends of their noses. Shortsighted, me-first or we-first policies will not work.

There was some talk recently that the administration and the opposition might be prepared to work to achieve consensus and draft a road map on a limited number of topics.

Perhaps they could start with this one.

Yours faithfully, Isabelle de Caires

Perseid meteors this weekend Dear Editor, The planets Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars are lined off this month of August 2018: Venus in Virgo, Jupiter in Libra, Saturn in Sagittarius, and Mars in Capricorn. Venus can be seen up to about 9pm, Jupiter up to about midnight, Saturn up to 2am, and Mars up to 4am. Mars has overtaken Jupiter in brightness, and is now the 4th brightest heavenly body (after the Sun, Moon and Venus) up to September.

This weekend of August 11-12, the Moon is fairly new and will therefore not be interfering with visibility.

That interference will be left to the weather and bright city lights.

Every year around August 11-12, the Perseid meteors encounter the Earth. They are called the Perseid meteors because, when you see these shoot-

ing stars, they appear to emerge from the constellation Perseus, which rises not until around midnight. The next time this meteor shower will be so near a favourable New Moon will be in the year 2026.

The University of Guyana Astronomical Society (UGAS) have informed me that they are going to use the 2018 opportunity to view the Perseid meteors -- which are sporadic, but can average 70 meteors per minute in good visibility. So they are renting a high rooftop in Queen Street, Kitty, opposite Glow Hotel, to minimise the bright city lights; and are inviting the public at a cost of $1,000 per person, $500 per child, to camp out for the events.

They plan to set up by 6.30 pm on Sunday, August 12, and showcase their recently acquired 10” reflecting telescope while providing the

opportunity for those who have their own instruments to use or demonstrate them on the planets Andromeda and our own Milky Way galaxies and all the interesting constellations.

Early comers may be able to catch the Southern Cross and Venus before they set in the West. Knowledgeable persons should be available all night until dawn to talk

night sky lore and discuss theories of the universe. I am told that refreshments can be purchased on location.

So let’s pray the weather permits clear viewing.

We can always wait it out in fruitful discussion and answering of questions.

Yours sincerely, Alfred Bhulai

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Foundation

By Teresa Gil, PhD

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n my psychotherapy practice, I work with adult women recovering from abuse including childhood emotional, physical, sexual abuse, and neglect. Many of these women are mothers seeking therapy out of a desire to protect their children from the abuses they themselves have experienced. My clients describe having difficulties caring for and meeting the needs of their children, and although they want to mother in more loving and appropriate ways, they express feelings of inadequacy in their mothering. They speak of an inability to feel spontaneous, to laugh and play, or to show affection to their children, and they grieve that their past experiences are impacting their ability to be effective mothers.

I also work with women who have made a conscious decision not to become mothers. Even though many of these women have stated that they love children, they have vowed not to have any. They say they do not believe that they are emotionally capable of being “a good mother” and that having a child would be a selfish act. They speak of being terrified of “messing up” or “screwing up” their children, and are fearful of passing down their pain to the next generation. They do not want to bring children into the world, only to have them experience the same hurts they had experienced when young.

Finally, they express the fear that they may not be able to protect their children from abuse or keep them safe. This group of women mourn not having children and deeply feel the loss of not having a mothering experience during their lifetime.

Emotional barriers

Clients have stated that they felt the existence of emotional barriers that reduced their capacity to be loved and to express love in healthy ways. They felt overwhelmed and did not know how to set healthy boundaries, seeing themselves vacillating between being overly rigid and/or overly permissive with others. Even more important, they did not know how to protect themselves or their children. Some women talked about feeling numb or “zombie like.” Many felt they were minimally functioning and struggled with caring for their own basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter. Some women expressed feeling dead inside and unable to feel joy, to laugh or smile, or to feel positive for long enough to penetrate their numbed existence and to give life meaning.

For a child, feeling numb is a defence, used to cope with dysfunctional dynamics at home. Going emotionally numb helps to screen out the yelling, hurtful comments, scenes of domestic violence, abuse, and/or manage the experiences associated with poverty. Yet, for an adult, continuing to use defence mechanisms such as numbness, denial, and dissociation is unhealthy and interferes with day-to-day functioning.

On the first night of one sexual abuse survivor’s group, a woman said that her goal for therapy was to “feel something, to feel anything.” She did not care if it was sadness or fear or anger; she just wanted to feel. She was tired of her numbness,

which she felt separated her from others and from the world. One mother in the group said her numbed state was impacting her ability to care for her children. She was unable to play, laugh, join in games, and be spontaneous or to hug and kiss her children without images of her own abuse coming to the surface.

When I facilitate a sexual abuse survivor’s group, on the first night we meet, the women introduce themselves and I ask the question, "How did the sexual abuse impact your life?” Participants are

asked to brainstorm words that best describe how they believe the child sexual abuse has affected them. The list is always quite long and for many women, this is the first time they have had an opportunity to speak about and reveal long-held secrets while in an atmosphere of understanding and acceptance. Below is a list of words and phrases generated by group members that describes and captures the ways in which child sexual abuse has impacted their adult lives: low self-esteem - self-hatred - problems with intimacy mistrustful - uncomfortable in their bodies - worthless uncomfortable being visible - emotionally needy - anxiety problems with boundaries - depression - alcohol addiction - drug addiction - problems with anger - fearful - unlovable - dirty damaged goods - easily irritated - problems with setting limits unprotected - gullible - people pleasers - put others first - fearful of authority - intimidated easily - socially awkward My clients chose to go into therapy because they were struggling from the consequences and symptoms associated with the long-term impact of abuse. They believed that their past had followed them into their current lives and was negatively impacting their ability to function in their families, friendships, and work environments. The women wanted to break negative behaviours, thought patterns, and defences that at one time had helped them manage the dysfunction and violence they experienced as children but no longer worked for them as adults.

Many of my clients endured their child abuse alone and as adults they are reaching out for support in order to heal. (psychologytoday.com)

You will need: Music, paper, felt-tip pens, pencils, and art materials to use for drawing

Directions:

Listen to a variety of music with your child and talk about how you feel when listening to different types of music. Then, with your child, draw representations of feelings based on the music you hear (jazz, filmi, classical, hip-hop, R&B, swing, reggae, etc). Have your child experiment with drawing lines to music (straight, curved, jagged, squiggly, zig-zag, serrated, wavy, etc).

Tip:

If you child is interested, have him try the activity

on a tray or wearing a blindfold. Let your child select colours according to how the music makes him feel, and talk about how different colours make us feel, too.

What your child can learn: To appreciate different genres of music To express himself creatively To connect hearing and seeing (www.brighthorizons.com)

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fridAY, august 10, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Over $4B owed to M&CC by large businesses …no valuation in 2 decades

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he Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown (M&CC) on Thursday revealed that the reason it is cash-strapped is because of the large amount of debt it is owed by large businesses.

According to Town Clerk Royston King, this totals over $4 billion. He informed media operatives that many large business enterprises are guilty of undervaluing their properties and assets, thus ensuring they pay less than they are legally required to.

King stated that, in many instances, the business owners are paying a standard domestic rate when in fact they should be paying the commercial rate.

“We have an amount outstanding of over $4B owed to this Council by mainly big businesses. Those who neglect to pay their rates and those who are undervaluing their properties so they are paying, for example, the commercial rates of 250 per cent, they’re paying the domestic rate of 40 percent,” the Town Clerk said.

King explained that as long as a building is com-

City Hall, Georgetown

pletely constructed, the proprietors would have to contact the Valuation Department, and thereafter the Council would calculate the correct amount of money that has to be paid.

Those who do not adhere to these regulations would be hauled before the courts.

“The property owners know that once they complete building, that they have to approach the Valuation Department for revaluation, and they

have to approach the City Council so that we can calculate the correct amount of taxes or rates that they are expected to pay, and that they go ahead and pay it.

In the event that they neglect and refuse to pay it, the matter is taken to the court.”

Additionally, King noted that as it relates to a valuation procedure, the council has not had one in some two decades, which leaves a window open for these busi-

ness owners to continue paying smaller amounts of monies.

“The trouble we have (with) the process to recover outstanding sums from defaulters is [that] it is so cumbersome that it serves as a disincentive to the Council, (which) actually collects this money.

Instead, it should be a deterrent, instead of serving as a disincentive. By the time you go through the process to actually collect the money and to actually have a judgment, so many years would have passed and so many things would’ve changed,” he said.

As such, the M&CC is still required to supply the same quality of services for a lesser quantity of revenue.

This, as a result, affects some of the projects which the Council should’ve embarked on, which includes the restoration of City Hall, which is currently in a deplorable state.

The Town Clerk further explained, “So we are in a vicious circle, having to supply vital municipal services with very limited money, and we go on and on as the

years goes by. We have not had valuation in over two decades, and as a result of that, we are really, really strapped for cash, and that is why some of the things you see, like the physical condition of the City Hall building.

It is because the council doesn’t have the money

to prepare, restore and preserve the building.”

In March of this year, it was reported that the cost of the restoration exercise was estimated at some $400 million, and the project is a collaborative effort between the European Union (EU) and the National Trust of Guyana.

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FRIdAY, august 10, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Attempted murder of La Penitence Market elderly couple …Police Lance Corporal expected to testify

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Lance Corporal attached to the Ruimveldt Police Station will today take the stand before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to give evidence in an alleged attempted murder case involving an elderly couple, which occurred at the La Penitence Market earlier this year.

The accused, Dason Jupiter, who has been arraigned on one count of robbery-under-arms and two counts of discharging a loaded firearm, was on Thursday further remanded to prison after the rank failed to make an appearance.

It has been reported that on April 2, 2018, while at Saffron Street, Georgetown, Jupiter discharged a loaded firearm at Dodnauth Danasri with intent to cause him actual bodily harm.

It is further alleged that on April 2, 2018, he robbed Hardai Danasri of $150,000

Dason Jupiter being escorted by a Police Officer

cash before making good his escape on a bicycle.

The victim and his wife, residents of Windsor Forest, West Coast Demerara, were attacked and robbed while they were plying their trade at the La Penitence Market.

According to reports, af-

ter carting off the cash, Jupiter and three other men fired shots at the couple, which resulted in Doodnauth being hit to his head.

The gunmen had managed to escape after the ordeal, but Jupiter was later

apprehended by Police officers.

Reports are that on the day in question, Doodnauth Danasri, 62, had just finished packing goods on the stall when Jupiter pounced on him while two other bandits were on the lookout. Jupiter demanded that Danasri hand over cash.

The bandits then turned their attention to the man’s wife, after noticing that she was wearing an apron containing cash.

In an attempt to defend his wife, Doodnauth Danasri whipped out a knife to confront the men, but they in turn shot him to the head before snatching the woman’s apron.

Ranks from the Ruimveldt Police Station arrived on scene shortly after the shooting, and transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital the injured Doodnauth Danasri, bleeding profusely from the head.

Kescia Branche’s trail

Father moved to tears after testifying

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lfred Branche, father of the late Kescia Branche who was brutally murdered in November last year, broke down in tears in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday after seeing photos (exhibit A) of his 22-year-old daughter’s body at the time it was discovered.

The preliminary inquiry into Kescia Branche’s death is ongoing in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, and apart from her father Alfred Branche, Hazel Richardson, an audit officer attached to the

Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation, also testified in the preliminary hearing.

Taxi driver Matthew Munroe faces an allegation of murder committed on Kescia Branche in November last year. Attorney-at-Law George Thomas, representing the 47-year-old Munroe, told the court that his client, who has been in custody since November 30, has denied committing the crime, and is maintaining that he was not in the jurisdiction at time of Branche’s demise.

Thomas claims that his client’s mobile phone was confiscated by the Police, and records can prove his claims.

The Police are contending that the car from which Kescia Branche was allegedly dumped reportedly belongs to Munroe. Upon receiving that bit of information, the Police immediately named him as a person of interest.

Munroe had departed Guyana for the USA allegedly at some time in November last year, but after spending some time in the United States, had

returned to Guyana and presented himself to the Criminal investigation Department in the company of his lawyer.

The Police say that during interrogation, Munroe could not provide information on his whereabouts on the night that Kescia Branche was brutally attacked; and that more so, he failed to give Police information on his missing car bumper.

The late Kescia Branche, a teacher and resident of Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown, was discovered lying at the corner of Princes Street and Louisa Row in Georgetown on the morning of November 5.

She succumbed at the Georgetown Public Hospital two days after her discovery, and a post mortem performed on her body indicated that her death was due to brain haemorrhaging and blunt trauma to the head.

According to reports, Branche had left home for a night of partying. She had left her three-year-old son in the care of a friend, who revealed that Branche told her she had intended to go to Palm Court to meet a male friend.

The teacher had later returned home, but subsequently left again. She had told her friend that she would be home by 02:00h, but never returned.

She was last seen leaving a nightclub on Lamaha Street in the company of two Police ranks.

The father of Branche’s child was also arrested after the teacher’s mobile phone had been found in his possession. He, along with four cops, were questioned about her death, but were later released on station bail.

The preliminary inquiry is expected to continue today.

Dead…

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…or alive?

efore the AFC actually got hitched up with the PNC (you don’t really believe this “APNU” fairy tale, do you, dear reader?) Khemraj Ramjattan had predicted they’d become “dead meat” if that were to happen. But the PNC made them an offer they COULDN’T refuse – because of their greed, of course.

The 60/40 MP allocation and Cabinet positions “full their eye”.

Well, three years down the road – and many turbulent rivers crossed – the AFC have been told by the PNC to prove they’re not “dead meat”!! God does have a sense of humour!! Imagine, the poison pill demanding the victim prove it was ineffective!! The AFC demanded the same 60/40 split at the LGE – even though the PNC had showed them how meaningless that “split” was as far as having actual power was concerned!! And the PNC, not surprisingly, balked!

Your Eyewitness wasn’t surprised…after all, the AFC had never delivered on their side of the bargain – which was 10% of the Indian vote - reminiscent of Salome delivering John the Baptist’s head to Herod! Part of their problem was their purported major vote-getter in the Indian Community – Moses Nagamootoo – declaring before the elections he was no Indian!!

Anyhow, the PNC have demanded the AFC show them their “wares”. While folks may vote for different reasons in the LGE, as opposed to the national elections – that’s not the point the PNC want to prove. Since they – the PNC – figure they now have total control over the African Guyanese vote, all they’re looking for is to see whether the AFC can pick up any votes in the Indian Guyanese community. This is what the LGE does best, since the geographical constituencies are so granular!

So what’s the result going to show? “Dead meat” or no “dead meat”? Your Eyewitness has absolutely no doubt (he’s willing to take bets on this!) that it’ll be “dead meat”!! And being in that state for so long, it’ll be stinking to high heavens!! Let’s look at the facts. Firstly, some Indian Guyanese might’ve voted for the AFC – but because they were tired of the PPP. Incumbency fatigue and all that. But those voters will be asking themselves, “What did the AFC do for us in the last three years?”

Sugar workers? Even less than zilch – since the AFC didn’t even make a squeak when the PNC closed down half of the sugar industry! Rice farmers? They’ve gone back to the days of producing rice for export – at prices far below what the PPP had secured from the Venezuelans with PetroCaribe. The remainder? They’ve been embarrassed at the lack of testicular fortitude of Nagamootoo, Ramjattan et al.

Come November, prepare to hold your nose, dear reader!!

…on arrival?

Finance Minister Jordan has diplomatically proposed that Clive Thomas’s suggestion – that some cash from coming oil revenues be given to every citizen every year – becomes the basis of a debate on the issue. But he made it clear he himself doesn’t think much about the supposedly “senior” economist’s gambit. Several eminent persons have already bolstered Jordan’s position.

One was a PPP MP rather inelegantly suggesting Thomas’s proposal would cultivate “parasites”. Now, while the MP may have a point – as has been observed from the behaviour of those who’ve been receiving remittances from their overseas relatives – in politics, one can’t be so blunt. Just look at the flak President Granger took for suggesting that folks can’t get ahead if they expect to just lime on street corners or swig beers at “Guinness bars”!

But what Thomas didn’t explain was the money doled out in Alaska came from dividends generated by the Sovereign Wealth Fund. Citizens thus had an incentive that the SWF was managed most prudently.

And based on the Green Paper, boy does Guyana need prudence!!

…horse on presidential press conferences

President Granger just promised he’ll hold a press conference “soon”. Back on July 2nd 2017, he was even more specific – when he returned from the HoG. But it took him five months!!

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

News

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fridAY, august 10, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Slowe admits to having “baggage”

Lindo Creek CoI Report

Officers will be held accountable – President

– as members of PSC sworn in

...says “troubling questions” raised in report Even as Government continues to review the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) report into the Lindo Creek Massacre, Commander-inChief of the Armed Forces, Brigadier David Granger, on Wednesday said that those officers who are implicated in the Lindo Creek Massacre will face the consequences of their actions.

“The report’s recommendations will be acted upon in due course. The days of concealing security sector mistakes and misdeeds are over.

The Force’s officers will be held accountable for the consequences of their actions, and for the instructions they issue to their subordinates,” the President said in his remarks at the swearing-in of the new Police Service Commission.

Moreover, the CoI report, which according to the President is being reviewed in detail, contains a lot of evidence.

“That report raised troubling questions about the role of the Defence and Police Forces during the ‘troubles’, and the reticence of the political administration of the day to provide useful evidence to the Commission of Inquiry into the massacre,” he asserted.

President Granger further stated that the ‘troubles’ was a dark period in the country’s history. He added there is need to build public trust in the Police Force, and noted that security reform is now more urgent in light of the CoI report.

“The inability of the Police to arrest the outbreak of criminal violence quickly led to the emergence of so-called ‘phantom’ death squads. The ‘troubles” revealed also how drug lords had infiltrated the Force.

The ‘troubles’ exposed the

President David Granger, State Minister Joseph Harmon, and Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan pose with the new members of the Police Service Commission

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President David Granger

influence of a small but influential group of rogue officers. It revealed the need for more careful selection of officers, and improved intelligence-gathering,” the President added.

Sometime between June 12, 2008 and June 24, 2008, miners Cecil Arokium, Dax Arokium, Compton Speirs, Horace Drakes, Clifton Wong, Lancelot Lee, Bonny Harry and Nigel Torres were shot and killed, and their bodies burnt at the Upper Berbice River mining camp which was being operated by Leonard Arokium.

Almost 10 years after the Lindo Creek massacre, President Granger established a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) and selected Retired Justice Donald Trotman to probe the killings. The inquiry commenced back in February, and after several months, the report was compiled and handed over to the President last week.

The lone Commissioner had said the main objective of the CoI was to find the truth, and to bring healing and closure to the nation as a whole. He had expressed hope that the Lindo Creek and other inquiries would help bring about reconciliation among Guyanese.

On the other hand, President Granger had described Lindo Creek as a “massacre of the innocent”, saying his Government believed the way the investigation was handled indicated that there was a high level of collusion.

He had also rejected suggestions to extend the CoI’s focus to several years before 2008, when other major criminal activities had plagued the country.

Meanwhile, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had expressed skepticism about participating in, and supporting the work of, the Commission.

The Party believes that, given the manner in which the CoI was constituted and the commentary from senior Government officials, it was designed to achieve a political outcome and continue the Government’s programme of witch-hunting Opposition personalities.

The PPP/C had even said that the Governmentsponsored inquiries into the ‘troubled’ period should have started from the period 1998, when the real wave of ethno-political violence commenced, which would assist in addressing the root cause of the violence.

Guyana, Jamaica to tackle US sanctions against RUSAL

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atural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman on Wednesday announced that Guyana is engaging the Jamaica Government in a joint effort to tackle the severe repercussions that US Government-imposed sanctions on Russia Aluminum (RUSAL) have on the two countries.

He said, “We have engaged the Minister responsible in Jamaica about this matter. Jamaica also has a RUSAL Plant. They have shared some ideas with us, and we are monitoring

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman

it through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other

channels”.

Trotman reminded that a Cabinet Taskforce has been appointed to handle this specific issue. “A Cabinet Taskforce has been appointed to look at the impact, and how we can cushion or moderate the impact of this event should the company close its operations”.

He pointed out that hundreds of persons would be rendered jobless if the company is forced to close its business, and the country’s revenue would be impacted. turn to page 10

ewly appointed Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Paul Slowe, has admitted that he does have “baggage”, but noted that what is in the baggage is what matters.

Following a meeting with President David Granger last month, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had said that Slowe “…will bring two sets of baggage with him. One, the political approach to the job; that is, judging people based on politics; and secondly, he has a lot of interpersonal problems with many members of the Police Force and old scores, I believe, to settle; and therefore that could harm his judgment.”

Asked to comment on this statement shortly after he was sworn in on Thursday, the new PSC Chairman told reporters that what he has to offer is what matters.

“I do have baggage, but is what's in the baggage is the important thing.

The baggage contains discipline, professionalism, measures to deal with corruption; so forget about the baggage, examine what’s inside,” the new PSC Chairman asserted.

Jagdeo had said that when he raised his concerns, President Granger had indicated that he would speak with Slowe to ensure that he acts im-

partially, and not to “bring baggage to the job”.

Slowe returned to the limelight last year when he was handpicked by the Head of State to carry out a commission of inquiry (CoI) on the Police Force’s handling of allegations to assassinate the President.

In his report, Slowe had recommended major reshuffling of the Force’s hierarchy as well as sanctions against several high level ranks.

In addition to Slowe, Vester Adams, Clinton Conway, Alexis Jarvis and Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Michael Somersall, were also sworn in as members of the new Police Service Commission by the Head of State on Thursday.

Following the Investiture Ceremony at State House, Slowe told reporters that the first order of business will be to scrutinise and fast track the promotion and discipline process within the Police Force.

“The Constitution dictates that discipline of ranks from Inspector to Assistant Commissioner is the duty of the [Police] Service Commission, but for a number of years, we’ve had issues; up to when I left. And I suspect it has continued – where matters are there pending for unduly long periods of time, and as you know, justice delayed is justice de-

nied. “So that is one of the areas I think we need to look at very seriously, to make sure that the whole process of discipline is smooth and efficient,” the new PSC Chairman stated.

Meanwhile, President Granger, in brief remarks, said the PSC has the power to hire and discipline the Force’s hierarchy, which is essential not only for efficiency of the police, but also for the enhancement of public trust.

“The Commission’s independent status can contribute to enhancing public trust in the Force, to boosting the morale of officers, and to ensuring the efficacy of law enforcement.

The Commission’s powers of promotion can re-establish the principle of merit in the advancement of officers. The Commission’s powers of discipline and dismissal, applied fairly, can encourage probity and discourage misconduct…

The appointment of the Commission, therefore, is essential to Police Force efficiency and to state security,” the President noted.

This new Police Service Commission will last for a period of three years. The life of the previous Police Service Commission ended last September, and there have since been calls for the new appointment of the new Commission to be expedited, since the Force has lost nearly a dozen senior ranks to retirement.

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fridAY, august 10, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

2 arrested with gun, President “searching” for ammo in Charlestown

“unbribable” Top Cop

PSC Chairman Paul Slowe

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s the search continues for a new Commissioner of Police, President David Granger has said some of the qualities the new Top Cop should possess are: integrity, intelligence and impartiality.

The Head of State told reporters on Thursday that with reconstitution of the Police Service Commission, the appointment of a new Police Commissioner will now move forward.

Article 211 (1) of the Constitution vests the President with the authority to appoint the Commissioner of Police and every Deputy Commissioner of Police “… after meaningful consultation with the Leader of the Opposition, and Chairperson of the Police Service Commission after the Chairperson has consulted with the other members of the Commission.”

To this end, President Granger noted that he intends to engage both parties in “meaningful consultations” to have a substantive Commissioner of Police appointed as soon as practical. In fact, he noted that he has already spoken with the Chairman of the new Police Service Commission, Paul Slowe, on the matter.

“He has just been sworn in so he has to now meet with his colleagues of the Police Service Commission and review the potential candidates before he can consult with me. I told him that I am ready at any time, because such [appointments] are prohibited from proceeding with the consultations,” the President said.

Questioned about the qualities he would be looking for in the new Top Cop, the Head of State posited that integrity is the most important one, along with intelligence and impartiality. “I don’t give orders to the Commissioner of Police, but I want somebody who is unbribable; I want some-

body who is intelligent; and I want somebody whose commitment is to carrying the programme of Security Sector Reform, who has the initiative and who can generate public trust. If I put somebody there who is not trust worthy, the public would laugh,” the President noted.

Asked whether he has found anyone with these qualities, the President said he is “searching”. He reminded that apart from now awaiting advice from the PSC, he has already interviewed the eight Assistant Commissioners in the Force, so he has got a sense of the pool from which he has to choose.

While some Caribbean nations have turned to foreign nationals to head their Police Force, the Head of State is insistent that the new Top Cop must be a Guyanese.

“I think we have the talent in Guyana, and I intend to turn to Guyanese; but I’m looking for somebody who has the intelligence, the impartiality and the integrity to hold such a position. I think Guyana needs to have a Commissioner to look up to, and I expect that he is gonna be supported by four Deputy Commissioners. We haven’t had four Deputy Commissioners for a long time, and the hierarchy has been flat. You know everybody is of the same rank, and of course that created moral problems. Everybody wants to rise to the top,” President Granger asserted.

PSC Chairman Paul Slowe has said he would be consulting with his fellow Commission members before approaching the President with any recommendation.

However, he did note that the PSC would be looking for a competent candidate, who can earn respect not only within the Force, but outside as well.

“People must have confidence in that person. So I think those are the two main things that I would be looking at – competence, and a person who can command respect of his subordinates and members of the public,” Slowe asserted.

Former Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud went into pre-retirement leave back in February, and officially retired two months later. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Administration, David Ramnarine, has since been the acting Top Cop. He and seven other Assistant Commissioners were each interviewed for the post.

The other ACPs are: Crime Chief Paul Williams; ACP - Operations, Clifton Hicken; Force’s Finance Officer, Nigel Hoppie; ‘A’ Division Commander (ag), Leslie James; substantive ‘A’ Division Commander Marlon Chapman, who is currently on leave; ‘B’ Division Commander Lyndon Alves; and for the first time ever, a female contender in ACP-Administration II, Maxine Graham.

Guyana, Jamaica to tackle...

Thus work is being done to handle the situation.

Further, he asserted that a recent article published in the United States has managed to raise some hopes of the sanctions being lifted.

“About a week ago, there was a report in Forbes Magazine that there seems to be a thawing, and that the US Secretary of the Treasury may be willing to lift the sanctions,” Trotman explained.

A recent decision taken by the US Government to impose severe sanctions against RUSAL, one of the largest aluminum producers in the world and owner of a large bauxite opera-

tions base here, is currently affecting about 500 persons.

RUSAL-majorityowned Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI) operates in Linden and Berbice. The Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU) is unaware of this move, but has raised concerns over whether workers will be paid severance.

According to reports, the sanctions against Rusal have caused aluminum prices to surge, since the sanctions freeze all of the company’s assets under US jurisdiction.

The US Treasury Department recently an-

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nounced sanctions against seven Russian oligarchs, 12 companies they either own or control, and 17 senior Government officials whom Washington said were profiting from the Russian Government’s engagement in “a range of malign activities” around the world.

The Treasury Department warned that US entities would be “generally prohibited” from dealings with the persons and firms on the sanctions list, while added that companies outside the United States could face sanctions for “knowingly facilitating significant transactions for, or on behalf of,” the sanctioned entities.

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38-year-old man of West Ruimveldt, Georgetown and a 20-year-old of Campbellville Housing Scheme, Georgetown, who attempted to evade law enforcement were on Thursday nabbed after the motor car in which they were travelling crashed into a utility pole.

Based on reports received, a mobile patrol was in the Charlestown area when they observed the suspicious movement of a motor car bearing registration number PWW 149 and it was being driven by a “known character”, while another man was seated in the back seat .

As the patrol approached the vehicle in the vicinity of Russell and Howes Streets, Charlestown, the Police ranks signalled the driver to stop, but instead he accelerated and subsequently crashed into a utility pole on Link Street.

The occupants were ordered to exit the vehicle during which the driver dropped a firearm, which was immediately retrieved and found to be a .38 Smith and Wesson Revolver with a live round in its chamber. As such, both men were arrested and are being grilled at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

The gun and ammunition found after the car crashed

The mangled car after the accident

S RAIGHT How can we tell if foreign reserves are 'too low'?

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iven the structural character of the economy (a small and open economy), it is expected that there will be a high reliance on im-ports for consumption and capital development. In such a situa-tion, the proper administration of the stock of foreign currency is of paramount importance in order to enable the economy to be able to meet the demands for foreign exchange to conduct trade. Therefore, there must be discipline in the use of the country's foreign currency reserves.

What the Guyanese people have seen under this Granger regime is anything but the disciplined use of the country's foreign currency reserves.

Upon its establishment, one of the primary purposes of the Bank of Guyana was given by one of its statutory mandates, which is to foster “domestic price stability through the promotion of stable credit and exchange rate conditions�.

One of the preconditions towards fulfilling this mandate is the maintenance of adequate Import Cover in the economy.

What is the Import Cover? It is when the stock of the country's foreign currency reserves at a point in time are compared with the value of imports of merchan-dise goods over a 12-month period. This ratio basically measures a nation's ability to pay its foreign currency bills. The international norm is that all countries should have a supply of foreign currency to purchase 3 or more months of imports at any point in time.

According to the just-released IMF Article IV Report on Guyana for 2017, the gross international reserves (also called foreign cur-rency reserves) were enough to cover 3.2 months of imports at the end of 2017. As the graph below shows, it has been a slip-pery slope for Guyana since March 2015. The empirical evi-dence garnered from the Bank of Guyana Quarterly Report for the first quarter of 2018 revealed that, over the first three months of 2018, this important key performance indicator (KPI) declined to 3.1 months. The Ministry of Finance’s just released Half Year 2018 Report confirms the thread by revealing from its figures that at June 2018, this KPI dropped further to 3.0 months. What message are these figures telling us? Is the Import Cover set to fall below 3 months by Christmas 2018?

As the export sectors continue to not perform at the expected level in 2018 and oil price climbs, the strain on the foreign re-serves will increase. But yet we cannot see the green shoots from the emerging economic sectors that President Granger promised the nation in 2015. All we are getting from Team Granger are lethargy in action and policy paralysis on the in-vestment front. And for good measure, lame excuse after lame excuse.

Based on the trends revealed in the Minister's Half-Year Report, by the end of 2018, Guyana is expected to have a further deterio-ration in the deficit position on the overall balance of payments. How will Guyana finance this? Well, the Minister was clear in his strategy, his Government plans to further raid the foreign curren-cy reserves at the Bank of Guyana, and he has now given the blanket mandate to the Central Bank to then raid the stock of for-eign currency in the private sector.

This is another clear example of how the Public Sector continues to crowd out the Private Sector upon the arrival of Team Granger. The only outcome of such a dotish strategy is a further deteriora-tion of the exchange rate, which will bring great economic harm to the most vulnerable in Guyana.

The empirical evidence over the period January to June 2018 has revealed that the Bank of Guyana drained US$76.2 million from the local private sector supply of foreign currency to prop-up the stocks in the Central Bank. This is a new but dangerous trend that last happened in the Burnham days, and has started to happen again since 2017. We have a history of what such a strategy can do to the economy.

I am therefore encouraging the authorities to cease and desist from this reckless economic strategy, since it will have long-term consequences for all Guyanese. The foremost consequence is a rapid shortage of foreign currency in the market, which will drive the re-awakening of a parallel foreign exchange market, which can lead to economic retardation.

This strategy being used by the Granger Government must be exposed, opposed and reject-ed by the Guyanese people, because all will suffer if it is allowed to continue.

Guyana can your do better than this!

Please share thoughts at sasesin1@yahoo.com.

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fridAY, august 10, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

12 news Govt never consulted party on oil & gas sector – WPA T fridAY, august 10, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

he Working People’s Alliance (WPA) has lashed out at the APNU/AFC coalition Government for not extending its hand for any consultations with the party on critical matters relating to the State’s impending oil and gas sector.

During a press conference at WPA Party Headquarters in Queenstown, Georgetown on Thursday, the WPA called on the ruling Administration to establish a Renewable Energy Ministry.

The call for this establishment comes despite the Ministry of the Presidency’s assuming responsibility of the petroleum sector from Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman in January, 2018.

The WPA, which forms part of the APNU, said Government should estab-

WPA Headquarters in Queenstown, Georgetown

lish the Renewable Energy Ministry to frame the sector’s policy and implement actions to improve energy efficiency, reduce costs, and advance non-carbon energy technologies.

That party’s calls for openness and transparency are seemingly coming from the wilderness, as described by WPA executive

and political analyst Dr. David Hinds, who however is adamant that the party will continue to fight for its voice in the coalition, as it has always believed in power sharing since its 1974 inception.

“The WPA is not a ‘yes’ partner in the coalition; we are not yes men. Along with the PNC, we worked

very hard to bring the APNU into being, and the Coalition (Government) into being. We believe in coalition politics, but we are not prepared to be part of a coalition where we just go along,” Dr Hinds asserted.

When the party was further probed, another executive, Tacuma Ogunseye pointed out that the APNU

does not have an adequate forum within which its partners can meet for pre-consultations.

Ogunseye said that while the major decisions are made by Cabinet, the parties that constitute the APNU do not have a say beforehand. He said that while this situation has been ongoing for the last two years, nothing has been done to resolve it.

Meanwhile, that party, in a release, said it was the first party to call on Government to publically release the oil contract with US-based oil giant ExxonMobil. WPA highlighted that the current Administration, of which it is part, did not consult with

its leaders on the oil and gas industry that it expects to improve the economic prospects of Guyana.

“Although WPA is a member of the governing coalition, and have within our ranks persons with known expertise on the economics of oil and gas, we have never been consulted or briefed on the negotiations,” the party pointed out.

The WPA, however, says it’s optimistic about the nation’s future, despite the inevitable challenges. As of August 1, 2018, Environmental Economist Dr Mark Bynoe was appointed to Head the Department of Energy. ExxonMobil is expected to pump Guyana’s first oil by 2020.

Constable denies being assaulted by Minister Ferguson – GPF …no info on whether Govt official instructed Police

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he Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Thursday afternoon denied that one of its ranks had been verbally assaulted by an A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change Government Minister after an online article went viral on social media about another confrontation involving yet another official serving within the David Granger Administration.

The online article had alleged that Minister within the Public Infrastructure Ministry, Annette Ferguson had been involved in a confrontation with ranks of the East Ruimveldt Police Outpost after they refused to adhere to instructions from her to release someone they had arrested for committing an offence.

The offence was said to have occurred on Sunday night when the individual in question was alleged to have been speeding on a motorcycle without a number plate which resulted in him being stopped and detained.

The article further alleged that the rider assaulted a Police Constable identified only as “Jacobs” before he was taken to the East La Penitence Police Outpost.

It stated that the ranks complained that the Minister in question had verbally assaulted them after they raised objections that she could not instruct them or even threaten them with dismissal. The man was released and the Minister subsequently left.

The Police Force in responding directly to the article said that the Police Constable has denied be-

Minister within the Public Infrastructure Ministry, Annette Ferguson

ing abused. It did not name him.

“Please be advised that the Constable in question has indicated in a signed statement that he was neither abused nor assaulted by the Honourable Minister Annette Ferguson, during the night in question,” Police said.

The statement from the Police also said that “it, therefore, makes the publication by the online media entity a total fabrication, which may have legal consequences”.

Surprisingly, the Police statement did not provide any other details or confirm whether the Minister had indeed given instructions to the Policemen. Further, it did not state the circumstances that led to the arrest and detention of the man or on what grounds he was released.

No official statement was forthcoming on the Minister’s very active social media page about the incident, and efforts to contact her for a comment on Thursday proved futile.

14 news

fridAY, august 10, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

2010 Judicial Review Act

Appeal Court dismisses AG’s case – to pay respondent $150,000

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he State was on Thursday ordered to pay $150,000 in court costs by the Appeal Court following Attorney General Basil Williams’s unsuccessful bid to continue refusing to comply with the order of acting Chief Justice Roxane George that the AG must bring the Judicial Review Act (JRA) into force.

The Appeal Court’s decision was handed down by Justice Rafiq Khan, who dismissed an application that Williams filed to stay the execution of Justice George’s decision, which compelled the AG to enforce the Act by July 31, 2018.

Applicants Solicitor General Kym Kyte and Deputy Solicitor General Debra Kumar appeared for the State while Attorney Anil Nandlall was the respondent. After Justice Khan’s decision was announced, Nandlall explained that if Williams continued

Attorney Anil Nandlall

to refuse to comply with the acting Chief Justice’s order, contempt of court proceedings would be filed against the AG. According to the facts of the case, the National Assembly passed the Bill and it was assented to by the then President Bharrat Jagdeo since 2010. However, it was posited that the then

Government never operationalised the Act, because the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) were not put into effect. The CPR came into effect in 2017, but the JRA was still not implemented by the current AG. Former Attorney General Nandlall had moved to the court to determine: whether the Minister had discretion to bring into force the JRA after the promulgation of CPR, whether the Minister had a duty to issue the order to bring into force the JRA, and whether the Court can compel the Minister to fulfil his duty.

In December 2017, the acting Chief Justice had granted an Order Rue Nisi of Mandamus, directing Williams to show cause why the said Order Nisi should not be made absolute.

Williams later mounted an appeal on June 13, 2018, having noted that there were serious issues regarding “ju-

Attorney General Basil Williams

dicial interference” with the powers of the Executive and the Court by the May 28, 2018 decision. He contended that the Judiciary attempted to govern from the bench and to usurp the power which was explicitly vested in the Legal Affairs Minister which he said was in breach of the doctrine of the separa-

tion of powers.

In Williams’s appeal, which Justice Khan has rejected, he had outlined that acting Chief Justice George had “committed a specific illegality when by her ruling she purported to dictate to the Minister of Legal Affairs her own timelines to bring the Judicial Review Act into force in contravention of the doctrine of separation of powers and as such, exercised his discretion”.

In addition, the appeal posited that the acting CJ committed a specific illegality when she failed to apply the overriding objective of the new CPR to deal with cases in the interest of the parties just and when she ruled that the applicant/appellant had breached a duty by not bringing the JRA into force.

In his decision, Justice Khan reasoned that while there was separation of powers, the three arms of

Government do not exist in separate bubbles. He highlighted that when Bills are passed in Parliament and are assented to, they become part of Guyana’s laws. The Appellate Judge noted that the JRA would seek to modernise the “archaic” Crown Office system and harmonise it with systems and procedures of the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

The Court explained that it would be sensible to explain that the JRA was not enforced owing to CPR not being in place, but this was no longer the case. Justice Khan also observed that the applicant, the AG, did not explain how he would have suffered “irreversible hardship” if a stay was not granted. The Judge surmised in the case disposal that the applicant did not satisfy the Court that his appeal has any reasonable prospect of success.

GWI to reactivate well in Port Kaituma

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esidents of Port Kaituma in Region One (Barima-Waini) are soon to benefit from the activation of another well, as works are continuing to provide an alternative source of potable water for the community.

Just a few weeks ago, the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) discovered the presence of mercury in the main source of water – the Kaituma River.

As such, GWI Managing Director, Dr Richard Van West-Charles and a team of technical officials visited the area on Wednesday to inspect the works that have already been completed.

At that time, engineers discovered water in a well at Citrus Grove, Port Kaituma,

which had been out of operation for a number of years.

It was decided that the engineers would rehabilitate this well to supplement an existing one. This would entail a camera inspection, test pumping the well, and determining an appropriately-sized pump before it is connected to the distribution network.

Furthermore, plans are also ongoing for the installation of additional storage tanks at the well site and the rehabilitation of another tank in the community.

This is expected to increase the storage capacity of the water network which serve the community. The tanks will be connected to a distribution network that will be connected to each house-

Engineers inspecting the well at Citrus Grove, Port Kaituma

hold.

The duration of this project to increase water supply and storage capacity is approximately two months.

Water from the river tested positive for mercury after samples were taken and sent to the Kaizen Environmental Services Laboratory in Trinidad.

Samples were also taken from different sections where they are currently awaiting the results.

Presently, residents have been accessing water directly from the well in the interim, but owing to climate change and other environmental challenges, the company has moved to drilling more wells in these areas, so as to ensure equal access to potable water year-round.

news

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FRIdAY, august 10, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Region 4 records 650 74% of public servants want HIV cases in 2017 dress code maintained – report

Minister within the Public Health Ministry, Dr Karen Cummings

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egion Four (Demerara-Mahaica) has recorded the highest number of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) cases for 2017.

The stunning figures were displayed during the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) consultation for Faith Leaders, hosted at the Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown on Thursday.

The two-day PANCAP consultation is being hosted with the intent of developing an action plan to eliminate AIDS by the year 2030.

According to statistics presented, Region Four has recorded the highest number of HIV cases in 2017.

This was, however, just one of the disappointing and shocking revelations made, as the country has also seen an overall increase in HIV cases, owing to the fact that 705 were recorded in 2015, 855 in 2016, and a whopping 961 cases were confirmed in 2017.

Region Four has since earned the title of the region that is most populated with HIV affected persons due to the fact that it is evidently the most populated region in the country.

Trailing Region Four was Region Three, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, with 130 cases of HIV in 2017.

For the same year, Region Eight, Potaro-

Siparuni, was documented as the Region with the least number of cases, since a mere three persons were diagnosed with the virus there.

Minister within the Public Health Ministry, Dr Karen Cummings, has said there are many gaps in AIDS responses, which deserve some attention.

She said, “There are still major gaps in the AIDS response, and then there are barriers that still stop people from accessing quality health care services. Too often, stigma and discrimination prevent people from accessing the much-needed health care…this situation needs to be promptly addressed, in order to ensure equitable and equal access to treatment is universal among those living with HIV”.

The Minister went on to encourage the use of treatment, as she noted that neither HIV nor AIDS is a death sentence.

“HIV is no longer a death sentence. When the HIV outbreak first began, (the disease) most individuals developed in about eight to 10 years, and once persons were diagnosed with AIDS, he or she had a two year life expectancy…HIV is no longer a terminal illness we describe it as a chronic, manageable disease,” Cummings added.

The Health Minister took the opportunity to encourage the religious leaders to continue working together as they seek to develop solutions to reduce the spread of the virus.

The two-day consultation with Guyana’s national faith leaders will conclude today.

The initiative is part of a series of engagements with faith leaders in Guyana under the PANCAP Justice for All (JFA) programme.

Over the two days of the session, the 40 participants would propose solutions for resolving the challenges in developing a viable faith leaders’ network, and focus on how and what can be done to end AIDS.

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embers of the public continue to call for the dress code to be relaxed when conducting business with Government entities, but seventy-four percent of public servants seem to believe that the dress code should be maintained.

This was suggested in a report on the national dress code that was on Thursday submitted to Cheryl Sampson, Liaison to Public Service Minister Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, at the Ministry of the Presidency’s Department of Public Service.

The report on the Committee on National Dress Code advises that Managers at Government agencies are expected to maintain the standard of dress for workers.

Secretary to the National Dress Code Committee, Deborah Blackmoore (Carl Croker photos)

tidy and professional when dealing with members of the public. Twenty-seven

An example of the acceptable attire the report recommended

Permanent Secretary Reginald Brotherson of the Department of Public Service is flanked by National Dress Code Committee members and other Government officials

It has been reasoned that workers must appear

Government agencies participated in the survey,

which saw 6,799 questionnaires being distributed by Permanent Secretaries.

600 fire hydrants restored in Georgetown

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he Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) has restored 600 fire hydrants in Georgetown; and in the coming weeks, will be doing same across the country, according to GWI Managing Director Dr Richard Van West-Charles.

He noted that while it was not directly the GWI’s

responsibility to replace the hydrants, the company embarked on doing same in a project costing it $25 million.

“We have done a lot with respect to the fire hydrants.

We have replaced a number of fire hydrants throughout Georgetown. The fire hydrants are not really a de-

fining responsibility of GWI, but we have taken up that mantle and refurbished more than 600 fire hydrants throughout the city,” the GWI head declared.

He related that in most cases the hydrants were vandalised, but he said those refurbished will be maintained, and an addi-

Alcoholism among youth

Parents neglect role in society – Pandit A

lcohol seems to be increasingly used and abused by teenagers, and Pandit Dev Ramrattan believes the issue is prevalent in the country’s youthful population because parents are neglecting their roles as first teachers of children.

The well respected Hindu priest posited that the scourge of alcohol abuse is causing the young people to break away from their social being, while at the same time causing them to be affected both mentally and religiously. This trend, he noted, would eventually

Pandit Dev Ramrattan

Secretary to the National Dress Code Committee, Deborah Blackmoore, said the recommendations took into account Guyana’s climate and the nation’s “rich cultural diversity”. She explained that the Bureau of Statistics assisted with the analysis, and it was through the report that fifty-five percent (55%) of public servants said Government should finance uniforms for public servants.

The Committee’s mandate was to develop a Dress Code for Public Servants through a data-driven report. Once Cabinet gives its approval on the Committee’s recommendations, the policy will be implemented across Government agencies.

lead to their being involved in domestic violence.

“Young people are imbibing a lot, and it is causing (their) downfall and a breakaway from the social being, which affects them mentally. Religiously, as well, there has been a lack in young people’s commitment to their religion.

Generally, when we examine the effect (alcohol) has on our society, I can only say it is detrimental,” he declared.

He reflected on an incident in which three girls who were brought up by alcoholic parents followed in

their parents’ footsteps and themselves became alcoholics and victims of abuse. He gave this as an example to convey the message that parents must be great role models for their children.

Ramrattan is encouraging young minds to educate themselves and get involved in religious organisations, so that they can be helped in dealing with issues before those issues cause them to become alcoholics.

“My advice to young people who would turn to alcoholism is: seek help. There is a lot of help out there

in terms of having education. There are organisations that are set up to curb these practices… Parents, as well, have a huge role to play in the upbringing of their children, by giving them the necessary training and (having) them counselled,” he explained.

Ramrattan is part of the “Divya Jyoti Jagrachi Sanschan”, which when translated in English reads: Divine Light Awaking Mission, which helps peope to overcome various issues.

This organisation, he noted, can also bring an end to alcoholism in our society.

tional 500 hydrants will be restored in the near future.

He disclosed that there was some collaboration with the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) to rehabilitate the fire hydrants.

He also said that new communities are earmarked for installation of hydrants, as attention is being given to the exercise to make it a mainstream activity. In this regard, the GWI is seeking to extend collaboration with the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) among other agencies.

“We’re seeking to work with CH&PA and other agencies to ensure that fire hydrants become a mainstream activity for new communities which are emerging; but at the same time, it is something that we have to look at as the society’s development improves,” he added.

In regard to water quality, the GWI, it was learnt, has secured a recommendation from the Guyana National Bureau of Standards to be certified for its testing laboratories, and is now working to achieve standards which are set out by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).

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guyanatimesgy.com

FRIdAY, august 10, 2018

Around the World

Yemen war: Saudi-led air California Police Chief’s son strike on bus kills 29 children arrested in attack on Sikh man

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t least 29 children have been killed and 30 wounded in a Saudi-led coalition air strike in Yemen, the International Committee of the Red Cross says.

The children were travelling on a bus that was hit at a market in Dahyan, in the northern province of Saada.

The health ministry run by the rebel Houthi movement put the death toll at 43, and said 61 people were wounded.

The coalition, which is backing Yemen’s Government in a war with the Houthis, said its actions were “legitimate”.

It insists it never deliberately targets civilians, but human rights groups have accused it of bombing markets, schools, hospitals, and residential areas.

Meanwhile, the new UN

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Northern California Police Chief has said he was “disgusted” to hear his estranged son was arrested in an attack on a 71-yearold Sikh grandfather.

Footage of the attack showed Sahib Singh Natt walking on Monday when he was confronted by two men.

One of them began kicking

The Red Cross said a hospital it supported in Saada had received dozens of casualties

special envoy to Yemen, former British diplomat Martin Griffiths, is planning to invite the warring parties to Geneva in September to discuss a framework for negotiations.

He told the BBC’s Lyse Doucet that if the conflict is left unresolved, Yemen could collapse and the international community could

be looking at “Syria-plus” in the years to come.

“The war in Yemen will get more complicated the longer it goes on. There will be more international interest and polarisation in terms of the parties, it will fragment further, it will be more difficult to resolve – even more than it is now.”

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the previous four years. The figure was also included in a report, dated July 9, which was recently published online, according to The New York Times, which was first to report that officials had acknowledged the new estimate.

Pedro Cerame, a spokesman for the Puerto Rican Government, told the newspaper that the territory’s officials “definitely acknowledge this is a realistic estimate”.

The report to Congress said the additional deaths resulted from the effects of a storm that led to “cascading

failures” in infrastructure across the island of 3.3 million people.

In the days and weeks after the storm, which hit on September 20, the territory experienced an island-wide electricity outage, as well as blocked roads due to downed power lines and other debris, which made it difficult to move around and stretched emergency services beyond their capabilities.

“The hurricanes’ devastating effects on people’s health and safety cannot be overstated,” the Government said. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

daughters, and I feel right now,” McAllister wrote in a lengthy Facebook post after learning of his son’s alleged involvement.

“Violence and hatred is not what we have taught our children; intolerance for others is not even in our vocabulary, let alone our values.”

(Excerpt from BBC News)

France floods: 1600 evacuated, German missing at campsite

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Puerto Rico acknowledges Hurricane Maria likely killed hundreds uerto Rican officials have quietly acknowledged that last year’s devastating Hurricane Maria killed more than 1400 people, far more than the official death toll of 64 that was previously reported.

The figure was included in a draft report to Congress that outlined the Government’s reconstruction plan for the US territory.

In the report, Puerto Rico’s Government said there were 1427 more deaths from September to December 2017 than the average for the same time period over

him as he fell down.

Union City Police Chief Darryl McAllister later revealed that his 18-year-old son was a suspect.

Police say they are investigating it as an attempted robbery, not a hate crime.

“Words can barely describe how embarrassed, dejected, and hurt my wife,

A campsite in Saint-Julien-de-Peyrolas was damaged by fastflowing torrents

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eavy floods have forced the evacuation of 1600 people – most of them campers – in southern France, officials say.

They say a 70-year-old German man who was help-

ing to supervise children at one of the summer camps is missing.

The worst-hit areas are Gard, Ardèche and Drôme.

More than 400 firefighters and Police – as well as four

helicopters – have been deployed.

The flooding comes after southern France – and much of Europe – experienced unusually hot weather.

In a statement (in French), the French Interior Ministry said six departments were placed on a flood alert.

In one summer camp in Saint-Julien-de-Peyrolas, 119 children were evacuated.

The missing German was supervising the children at the camp.

Trapped by a fast-flowing torrent, he sought shelter inside his caravan – but the vehicle was swept away, the AFP news agency reports.

Divers were called in, as the search operation was continuing. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Israel bombs Gaza, Palestinians fire rockets in escalation amid truce talks

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sraeli aircraft struck more than 150 targets in Gaza on Wednesday night and early Thursday, and Palestinian militants fired scores of rockets including a long-range missile deep into Israel, escalating fighting despite talks on a truce to avert an all-out conflict. After the long-range Palestinian missile attack, the first of its kind since a

2014 war, Israeli air strikes resumed on Thursday afternoon, flattening a multi-storey building that the Israeli military described as a Hamas headquarters.

Israel has fought three wars in the past decade with Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Gaza strip.

A surge in cross-border rocket and air strikes in recent weeks has prompted the

United Nations and Egypt to try to broker a truce to prevent another one. A pregnant Palestinian woman and her 18-month-old child were killed in the Israeli attacks overnight, as was a Hamas militant, local medical officials said. Hundreds of people took part in the funeral for the woman and child on Thursday. (Excerpt from Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

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even beautiful and intelligent young ladies will be competing for the title of Miss Emancipation when the Pageant is hosted on Saturday evening at the National Cultural Centre.

The theme for the Miss Emancipation Pageant is centred on the International Decade for People of African Descent.

The delegates have created

spoken word renditions for the introduction segment, based on the United Nations theme for this Decade, “Justice, Recognition and Development”.

They are also attending African culture lectures given by Dr Norman Ng-A-Qui of Cuffy 250 Committee and franchise owner Dr Melissa Varswyk.

For this year’s project, the del-

egates will be coding robots to escort them onstage during the project presentation segment.

They are being trained by USbased Robotic Engineer Terrence Southern. He is the Global Lead Robotics and Automation Engineer at GE Global Research.

As an influencer of innovation and a recognised leader in robotics and artificial intelligence,

Delegate #1

Name: Tandika Moore Occupation: National Insurance Scheme Clerk Education: Certificate in Industrial Relations

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eventeen-year-old Joshua Liverpool was on Sunday evening crowned Mr African Roots when the pageant was hosted at the Theatre Guild, Lamaha Street, Georgetown.

He outshone six other competitors to cop the title. This is the second year the former South Ruimveldt student has competed in the pageant.

In 2017, he was awarded the third runner-up spot, and the confident young man described winning the title as “redemption”.

Heading into the pageant, he saw himself as his biggest competitor and was confident that he would have won the pageant. Of all the competitions on the eve-

Southern leads the Robotics & Automation project strategies across the GE business portfolio which include research, system and application development, testing and manufacturing system project management and installation.

Tickets for the show on Saturday evening cost $2000 and $1000. Tickets will be available

Delegate #2

Name: Patrina Cummings Occupation: Systems Operator Education: Certificate in Business Studies and Diploma in Public Management

Delegate #4

friday, august 10, 2018

Delegate #3

Name: Feliciann Elliot Occupation: University of Guyana Student Education: Pursuing a BSc in Computer Science

Delegate #5

Name: Sithendisi Cameron Occupation: Scribe at the University of Guyana Education: Bachelor Degree in Public Administration

from the National Cultural Centre or the members of the committee comprising Dr Varswyk; Miracle Hilliman (Miss Emancipation 2013); Marva Langevine (Miss Emancipation runner-up 2014); Latisha Chan (Miss Emancipation delegate 2014); Delisha Wright (Miss Emancipation 2016) and Amaniah Cort (Miss Emancipation 2017).

Name: Gabrelle Cummings Occupation: Teacher at East Ruimveldt Secondary School Education: Associate Degree in Law, Associate Degree in Humanities, Associate Degree in Education

Delegate #6 Name: Shelisa Depradine Occupation: Banker at Scotiabank Education: Degree in Banking

ning of the grand finale, he thinks his talent presentation – a spoken word piece – was well-executed.

His evening outfit was designed by Unique Arts.

The newly-crowned king intends to do a lot of community work by promoting the African culture. He is also making plans to have a symposium with youths of African descent to educate them on their role in society.

He thanked his mother, his friends f r o m Unique

Delegate #7 Name: Dr Colleen Bovell Occupation: Medical Doctor at GPHC Education: Pursuing a master’s in psychiatry

Arts, Michael Sam, Rudy Richmond Creation and Raul London for their tremendous support leading up to, during and after the pageant.

Meanwhile, Kimba Coats was crowned Miss African Roots in the teen category while Showana Sydney copped the first runner-up spot and Lovern Gouveia was named third runner-up.

In the Young Adults Category, Eon Peters was crowned king followed by Ronald Taylor as the first runner-up and Elisha Donellas in the third spot. Tonia Harris was crowned queen in this category while Katifah Letich was the first runner-up and Nickita Mc Farleen second runner-up.

The winners have won themselves cash and other prizes which will be handed over at a special ceremony shortly.

18

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wenty-three-year-old Jermain Gladston Grimmond was born to Natalie Grimmond and Gladstone Reis at the Georgetown Public Hospital and grew up in Campbellville, Georgetown. He is fortunate to have three siblings –- Jason and Jamal Grimmond and John Wong.

He attended the Rama Krishna Primary School where he wrote the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) and was awarded a place at South Ruimveldt Secondary School.

This young man, who has had an adventurous upbringing, is no stranger to the stage as he is versed in acting and would have been part of several theatrical productions.

Although, he did not have much to do while growing up, he was taught how to fish and more so, he was taught how to play cricket. These precious moments, he underlined, cannot be regained.

While growing up, Grimmond

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guyanatimesgy.com

friday, AUGUST 10, 2018

inal preparations are underway for the successful hosting of Lake Mainstay’s 18th Annual Regatta and Stage Show billed for this Sunday at the freshwater resort.

The kids’ section is being set up, and the boats have started to arrive for an action-packed day of sport on Sunday.

Come Sunday, over $3 million are up for grabs in several categories. These include the 15, 40, 90, and 200-horsepower races, as well as the Open races. All the categories will be open to both male and female.

In addition, there will be the 200-metre male and female canoe races, the 200m female canoe race. Also,

looks up to Jim Carrey as his idol.

“His ideas and beliefs on life have surely guided me to see things on a higher level,” he told Guyana Times Entertainment.

He then started his acting career in 2012 when Henry Rodney created a group titled “Surmounting Thespians” that catered for young aspiring actors.

He capitalised on the opportunity and excelled. Since his passion and interest have shifted to theatrical production, he was part of “Uncensored” – a standup comedy production created by Maria Benschop. He was also part of “Nothing to Laugh About”, and also acted in a short film titled “Choices”.

The experience gained was always incredible, since being in the spotlight and among great people was relaxing.

He was also privileged to be around the late Habeeb Khan which he described as a onein-a-million experience.

The young talented actor believes that performing in the whole is a gift, but he still has the opportunity to discover great things when he gets a chance to explore.

As he continues to live life in abundance, he sees him-

self in the next five years as being someone’s mentor Jermain but he also Gladston wants to fulGrimmond fil his dreams of becoming a medical personnel.

His advice to young people who want to pursue a career in acting is “Go for it. Create as much memories as you can do. There will come a time when you’ll have a chance to reminisce on it all.”

On a lighter note, his favourite food is channa and pot roast while his favourite colour is black, and his favourite movie is “Interstellar”.

“Greatness is a lot of small things done well” is his favourite quote.

be sure to walk with that hot swimwear if you want to participate in the 200m Open swimming race.

However, there will be a memorial race in the 90hp category in honour of Orin Belle, who lost his life a few years ago at the resort. As the sun sets, the entertainment will kick start. This year, the local artistes will take centre stage.

Those slated to perform live for their fans are the versatile Yoland Nedd out of the Shakti Strings Orchestra; former Chutney monarch Vanita Willie; Berbice singing sensation Vicadi; Kadi Kish and for the first time, there will be the Calibro Band, who will be performing some fine

Brazilian music.

As usual, the emcee for the day will be Lyndon “Jumbie” Jones and the DJs from Pream’s Mega Sounds.

There will also be a children fun park comprising merry-go-round, trampoline and bouncy castle. Food will not be a problem, since there will be a food court with various dishes and if you do not get what you want, then the Lake Mainstay Resort can prepare it in a jiffy.

If you are coming to party, then there will be several beverage bars, including Banks Beer, Stag Beer and Xtra Beers. Gates will be open from 09:00h with the first race getting underway at 11:00h.

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ormer Carib Soca Monarch Jumo “Rubber Waist” Primo will be celebrating his birthday in grand style with a grand party on Saturday, August 18 titled “Short Shorts”.

The grand affair is set for the West Vibz Sports Bar and Restaurant located at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo. It will be the first time a group of high-energy performers will take to the stage on the West Side.

The line-up includes the birthday boy, Lil Million, Trevor Vibez, Stitchy One Man Band, Keston, Shelly G, and Antonio Blaze. The party is expected to be crazier as “Seen Up” and “Magnum” will be in the house to ensure the vibes are kept alive.

They will definitely set the vibes for a great evening.

The former Soca Monarch promises a memorable night with lots of great performances and music. In addition, Slingerz Family will be in the house as well as Notorious International and One Voice Family.

Admission to the event is $1000 and the tickets will be available at the door.

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ocha, East Bank Demerara (EBD) residents are in for a treat on Saturday evening at the Official Village Day Jam slated for the Mocha Community Centre Ground.

The event will feature several of Guyana’s top DJs and selectors will be heating up the place in the form of a clash titled “Climax”.

Those on the card to set the place on fire are Gully Ras and Selector Diamond; DJs Akelo, Energy, and Fresh; Selector Face, Big Pappa, Father Moey and DJ Dellon, along with Selector Charley. It will be the “clash of the titans” that patrons do not want to miss.

In addition, it will be a heated exchange of words that will most obviously see some tempers flaring. Sounds will be provided by One Voice.

Gates will be open from 18:00h and the action will get underway at 20:00h.

friDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

19

Late flurry of signings Palm Court, Electronics lights up deadline day City join list of sponsors King of the Strip 3…

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verton, Fulham and Leicester all made big-money signings as the earliest transfer deadline in Premier League history came to life late in the day.

However, the amount spent in the window by Premier League clubs fell for the first time in eight years, to £1.2bn.

Tottenham - who did not sign any players this summer - and Manchester United made no signings on 9 August.

The deadline was moved from 31 August to the day before the Premier League season starts after a vote by clubs.

Yerry Mina's £27m move to Everton from Barcelona was the day's big transfer.

The deadline also applied to English Football League clubs - although they can still sign free agents and loan players until 31 August.

Premier League and EFL clubs voted - although not unanimously - to close the transfer market earlier this season to avoid disruption to the opening weeks of the season.

However, it was only introduced i n England, with Spanish, German, French and Scottish clubs able to sign players until the end of the month.

Italy has a deadline of Friday, 17 August - the day before Serie A starts.

Players could still leave the Premier

League - with Chelsea's Eden Hazard a reported target for Spanish giants Real Madrid, although the Blues would then not be able to sign a replacement.

As well as the earlierthan-usual date, the deadline also

closed earlier in the day - 17:00 BST compared to the usual 23:00.

It looked as if this was going to be the quietest final day since the window

was introduced in 2003 - with only eight signings confirmed by Premier League clubs before 17:00.

The highest-profile deal at that stage was midfielder Mateo Kovacic joining Chelsea on loan from Real Madrid - with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois going the other way permanently.

But clubs had another two hours after the deadline to finalise paperwork - during which Everton signed Colombia defender Mina and midfielder Andre Gomes on loan from Barcelona having signed free agent Bernard earlier in the day.

Fulham announced five players, all after the deadline - Marseille midfielder Andre-Frank Anguissa in a £22.3m deal, Bristol City left-back Joe Bryan for £6m and Sergio Rico, Luciano Vietto and Timothy Fosu-Mensah on loan. That made them the first promoted team ever to spend over £100m in the summer.

And Leicester City confirmed the signing of Freiburg and Turkey defender Caglar Soyuncu, in a deal thought to be worth up to £19m.

Earlier on, they had bought defender Filip Benkovic from Dinamo Zagreb for a reported £13m.

The top 10 Premier League signings of the transfer window - Kepa, Mahrez, Jorginho, Alisson, Keita, Fred, Fabinho, Anderson, Richarlison, Mina (BBC Sport)

O

nce again, Palm Court has thrown its support behind motor racing locally, this time as one of the major sponsors for the upcoming “King of the Strip” (KOTS) 3 international drag racing event, which will speed off at the South Dakota Circuit, Timehri on August 26.

Also signing on to the premier drag race meet, which is organised by the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) are cellular phone retailer Electronics City and Trans Pacific Auto Sales and Spares.

GMR&SC President Rameez Mohamed iterated the companies’ usual willingness to support motor sports locally.

“Palm Court, Electronics City and Trans Pacific are companies that are always ready to rally behind motor racing.

They usually help in whatever way they can and this time around, it’s a big effort from both of them.”

“Their support will go directly into plans for the August 26th event, some of which will feature work on the launch pad which commenced last week and is expected to be completed before race day,” Mohamed further noted.

Meanwhile, the GMR&SC President contended that this was what the Club has been working on from the beginning of this year – getting international competition. He noted, “Earlier this year, I went to a drag meet in Trinidad to try and solicit competition for our local guys to foster a better drag meet and also put on a better show for Guyanese”, and that move has now resulted in several Trinidadian competitors, Barbadians, Surinamese and now even Grenadians showing keen interest in the much- buzzed-about KOTS drag series.

GMR&SC President Rameez Mohamed

Zampa replaces Afridi Guinness Cage “East Coast Best vs the Rest” Competition… at Jamaica Tallawahs Julius Variety Store confirms support I S hahid Afridi has withdrawn from the Jamaica Tallawahs team for this season’s Hero CPL tournament with Jefferson Miller, CEO of the Tallawahs, confirming the veteran Pakistan allrounder is injured and has been ordered by doctors to take an extended break from cricket.

Afridi has been replaced by Australian Adam Zampa, a leg-spinner who plays for South Australia. Zampa has also played at T20 level for his country, picking up 17 wickets in 13 matches. He has experience playing in the Hero CPL, having represented Guyana Amazon Warriors in 2016.

Zampa has also played in the Indian Premier League for Rising Pune Supergiant and in the Australian Big Bash for Adelaide Strikers and Melbourne Stars.

The Jamaica Tallawahs are going for their third T20 title. Their ranks this season includes allrounder and captain Andre Russell, leg-spinner Samuel Badree, fast bowler Kemar Roach, and batsmen Andre McCarthy, Ross Taylor and David Miller.

They open their campaign on August 10 versus defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders at Queens Park Oval in Trinidad. Their first home match is against St Lucia Stars at Sabina Park four days later.

The Tallawahs also play Trinbago Knight Riders and Barbados Tridents in the tournament’s South Florida leg from August 1822 at Central Broward Regional Stadium.

Adam Zampa

n another expression of confidence for the work being done by Three Peat Promotions, Julius Variety Store became the latest entity to endorse the organisation’s Guinness Cage Competition following its confirmation of support on Tuesday, at its Regent Street location.

Staff member Leslie Mentis handed over a cheque for an undisclosed sum to Three Peat Promotions’ Rawle Welch in the presence of staffers.

Welch, in response to the kind gesture, thanked the entity for answering the call for support, while promising to conduct the tournament with a high degree of discipline and most of all, pulling out all the stops to meet the stated objective, which is to foster integration among the participating communities and create a better understanding among its inhabitants.

The competition kicked off on Wednesday at the Haslington Market Tarmac where all invited 24 teams were in action in front of a large and festive crowd.

The five-day tournament,

Julius Variety Store’s Leslie Mentis (second left) hands over the cheque to Three Peat Promotions’ Rawle Welch in the presence of staffers on Tuesday

dubbed “the East Coast Best versus the Rest”, pits the best teams from the East Coast corridor against the finest selection from Georgetown.

Among the other entities who’ve pledged support are: Banks DIH under its Guinness and Power Wine brands; Clarks footwear giant Chetsons; E-Networks Inc; KSM Investments;

Yhip’s Bakery; Brass Aluminium & Cast Iron Foundry (BACIF); Ray’s Auto Sales; YK Investments; Trophy Stall; Express Shipping; Woodpecker Products; National Sports Commission; C Division of the Guyana Police Force; Jai Signs & Auto Designs; Gaming Authority and C & C Prestigious Styles.

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“The future of chess Banks on board once again is bright” – Meusa Guyana Cup 2018 launched…

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Banks Beer Manager Brian Nedd (centre) with the Championship trophy along with Nasrudeen Mohamed (second right), in the presence of Director of Sport, Christopher Jones; Banks DIH managers and other event organisers

H

orse racing action will return to the Rising Sun Turf Club next weekend as the Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing committee gears up to host its highly-anticipated Guyana Cup horseracing event.

As such, corporate sponsor Banks DIH has exercised its corporate duty by jumping on board the event for the twelfth year in succession.

Banks DIH Public Relations representative Troy Peters has expressed elation on behalf of the company. “If you follow horseracing, you’ll know that this is the biggest event and Banks DIH started (sponsorship) when it (the tournament) was very small and we have grown at least to see this tournament grow and we’re quite pleased to be associ-

ated with it once again,” he happily stated.

The event has also received the support of the National Sports Commission, through the Director of Sport, Christopher Jones who stated: “At these events it fosters what the Government has set out to achieve and that’s social cohesion.”

The Director of Sport went on to explain that he was pleased with the tourism sector also coming on board.

“This horserace meet is one of the biggest activities that we’ve had in Guyana. And of course, it doesn’t only provide a forum for horse owners, but persons who will be betting on horses. But essentially, it provides a forum from which tourists can come to Guyana. That’s why I’m happy that the tourism sector has come on board,” he stated.

The horse race organisers have promised action like never before, highlighting that the event has grown considerably over the years with a crowd almost reaching 12,000. Noting that there will only be a few changes to the event, organiser Nasurdeen Mohamed Jr explained how the quality of the Guyana Cup would be bettered.

Patrons can expect a lively commentary of every race, thanks to a Trinidadian commentator travelling to Guyana to take up the post.

The more-than-capable announcer has worked with the Bel Monte and Triple Crown in the past.

Additionally, a series of big screens will be set up around the venue so as to ensure that viewing is more accessible and comfortable for patrons.

“Tourism has so many

widely-ranging events; for this event, it will be sports tourism. Culinary tourism will also be highlighted,” Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) President Ramkumar Mitra noted in his remarks.

Subsequently, the Jumbo Jet organisation’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Jafar Ali expressed his gratitude to all the persons and entities that have given them their support.

With over $15 million in prizes, the largest purse for next Sunday’s meet will be to the tune of $3.875 million for the 1600m race.

A $2 million purse is also lined up for the 1100m 3-year-old derby race.

Patrons are being encouraged to come out and support the ever-growing tradition.

ational Chess Champion and Coach Wendell Meusa under his organisation, the Wendell Meusa Chess Foundation (WMCF), is striving to spread the game of chess to students from an early age. As such, the Foundation has hosted its chess summer camp which was inclusive of two competitions.

Admitting that chess is not very popular in Guyana, Meusa disclosed that the Foundation has a goal of pushing kids in Guyana to get involved in the sport.

Aside from that, he is hopeful that he can produce players that are ranked internationally. “One of the main objectives here is to get these kids what we call a FIDE (World Chess Federation) ID. All of the participants should be getting an ID; this is the first step in receiving an international rating,” he said.

Speaking on the attendance to the camp, the chess champion noted that there was an unexpectedly large turnout. Added to that, the students who were trained and graded performed exceptionally when it was time to put their newfound skill to the test.

“This is the first time I’ve had a class where our lowest percentage was actually 92.5,” Meusa said in celebrating the children’s achievement.

The programme also produced its youngest player, five-yearold Javier Ali. Meusa described the end-of-program competition as being “very competitive”.

Wendell Meusa

“It was very, very competitive. These kids have shown a lot of improvement.”

Zeroing in on the specific areas that he has identified improvements in, Meusa stated, “We’re seeing more theoretical chess games, less blunders, less mistakes.

We’ve seen positional sacrifices, tactical things, so these children are showing that they’re promising.”

Coupled with their astonishing progress, Meusa highlighted that the majority of the players are at a fairly young age, thus giving them more time for improvement. “Most of them are between the ages of 14 and 15, so I think Guyana has a bright future with chess.”

Ethan Lee, 15, could be considered the shining star of the programme, winning both of the tournaments hosted with a spotless record.

Mohamed’s Enterprise/ExxonMobil 5th annual futsal…

Quarter-final action kicks off tonight

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he knockouts begin tonight with the quarter-final matches of the Mohamed’s Enterprise/ExxonMobil fifth annual futsal tournament, which kicks off from 19:00h.

This evening will feature Progressive Ballers versus Germans in the first match followed by Quiet Storm vs DC Ballers in game two while Goodfellas will match skills with Russians in the third quarter-final before the feature match between the crowd favourites Figgy Green Jaguars and Haynes Hitters.

When the action continued on Wednesday night, Figgy Green Jags, Good Fellas, Germans and Quiet Storm have each topped their respective groups and secured their places in the quarter-final round.

Figgy Green Jags are being dubbed one of the favourites to clinch the championship by the fans in the mining town and rightfully so after edging one of the stronger teams in the tournament, Silver Bullets, 2-1 on Wednesday,

to top Group A with a perfect record.

Runic Velloza smashed four

goals while his teammate Joel Isaacs netted a brace as Good Fellas held their nerve to get past

West Side Ballers 6-5. Marvin Josiah scored a hat-trick for the West Demerara-based team while

Stephon Jupiter and Lennox Cort added one goal each for the men from Region Four.

Silver Bullets went down 4-1 to Amelia Ward’s Russians. Travis Watinton buried a hat-trick while Ruel Williams added one goal for the winners and Jamine Samuel scored the solitary goal for the losers.

Germans’ Andre Mayers banged in a late hat-trick in their 7-2 final group game win over Achievers to secure their quarter-final berth.

In other results, DC Ballers defeated Young Kings 5-3 while Hardball negotiated Presidential Family 7-4, and Quiet Storm plundered a depleted Swag FC 8-4 to top their group.

The final of the tournament is set for August 18 and the runners-up will receive a handsome $250,000, third $100,000 and fourth place $50,000 in the competition, which has been sanctioned by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF).

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he Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) selectors will be announcing the final squad to represent Guyana at the Americas Rugby Challenge in Colombia within the new week. This was disclosed by Head Coach Grant Stuarte at a training session on Wednesday afternoon.

With just days to go before the team depart for the Challenge series, the training squad has stepped up its preparations with a trial session among the players at Parade Ground in the city, as a playing venue remains a big challenge for the Union.

According to the Head Coach, the players’ fitness is not the question at the moment, but getting them to gel and understand the system is the focus.

He, however, is confident the players will get it right in time.

The Green Machine, Guyana’s national rugby team, will participate in the Americas Rugby Challenge series for the first time and will be compet-

ing against countries such as Mexico, Colombia, and Paraguay in the 15s format of the game.

This will be a great test for the Caribbean side who are yet to dominate at this format regionally.

Confirmed schedule for #ARChallenge2018:

August 26: Paraguay v Mexico August 26: Colombia v Guyana August 29: Guyana v Paraguay August 29: Colombia v Mexico September 1: Mexico v Guyana September 1: Colombia v Paraguay

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he Trophy Stall at Bourda Market, which is one of the leading trophy and engraving entities in Guyana, continues to make good on its many promises.

The entity with outlets now in Bourda Market, City Mall and South Road, through its Managing Director, Ramesh Sunich, has made a significant contribution to the Nand Persaud Karibee Rice Mega Sprint Classic Horse Race meet, which is slated for this Sunday. The event, which is organised by the company’s Sky Plus Promotion Group, is slated for the company’s Number 36 Village, Macedonia Estate, Corentyne, Berbice racing facility.

The Trophy Stall has consented to donate the Champion Jockey and Champion Trainer trophies along with other incentives for other outstanding participants on the day.

There are seven races carded for the day with over $4 million in cash, trophies and other incentives up for the taking. The event will see the horses running in

Trophy Stall, through its Managing Director, makes good on promises to sponsor Nand Persaud Sprint Classic Horse Race meet

a straight line on Guyana’s only grass track.

So far, over 40 horses have been entered, and a number of other sponsors are on board. Among them are ANSA McAL under its

Stag Beer brand, Republic Bank, Jumbo Jet Auto Sales, NTN, Prem’s, retired jockey Abdul Latiff, and businessmen Deo Persaud, Jaikaran Sergobin and Jaikishan Persaud among others.

The feature is for animals classified D and lower over four furlongs for a winning purse of $400,000 and trophy, which will see the likes of TNT and Isn’t She Charming powering for the attractive purse.

The other events are for horses classified H and Lower for a take-home prize of $260,000 and a trophy over three furlongs.

The race for three-yearold animals has a winning purse of $200,000 and a trophy; it will be over a distance of three furlongs while the two-year-old animals will race for four furlongs with a top prize of $200,000 and a trophy.

The K Class and Lower animals will have at stake a first prize of $140,000 and a trophy over three furlongs.

There is an event for male animals classified L and Lower over a distance of over four furlongs. The top prize will be $100,000 and a trophy while the L class event for female horses over three furlongs also has a first prize of $100,000 and a trophy. (Andrew Carmichael)

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friDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

CONCACAF Nations League countdown…

Golden Jags’ 23-man squad announced G

olden Jaguars Head Coach Michael Johnson has announced a 23-man squad to participate in the “Train and Play” in Brazil that will be held over the period August 12-26 as Guyana seeks to build a foundation of excellence for the senior men’s national’ team.

The squad, which consists of Guyana and internationally-based players from England, Canada and Trinidad and Tobago includes: three goalkeepers, eight defenders, six midfielders and six forwards.

Johnson, in an invited comment, said the camp would focus on both on and off-field activities, including developing a “winning mindset and drive for excellence” among the players.

“With the Nations League and Gold Cup qualifiers on the horizon, the camp gives young players the opportunity to showcase their talents and their characteristics to the senior

Facebook

staff. The experienced members of the squad will be looking to establish themselves as we focus on preparing the Golden Jaguars for September 8. The camp will be the mechanism to develop a winning mindset and drive for excellence within the group as we look forward to our Nations League campaign,” he explained.

As Guyana look to qualify for its first CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2019, Technical Director Ian Greenwood said player assessment and instilling the new philosophy were primary elements of focus for this initial period of encampment:.

“The Head Coach and staff will be looking to establish the values and beliefs around the newlook Golden Jaguars set-up; the training camp in Brazil is the ideal opportunity for effective player-coach relationship building. The staff will benchmark and assess the Guyana-based players to truly understand what they are capable of achieving. Our new Head of Recruitment, Mr Khan, along with technical staff, has been a key figure in ensuring specific criteria are followed as we prepare for the upcoming Nations League campaign via scouting and video performance analysis,” Greenwood said.

He added that the technical team was “excited about the blend of youth and experience in the group”, and emphasised the importance of the players earning the right to wear the badge.

“The players have the opportunity to establish themselves and cement their place in the squad

against Barbados in September, but it is ultimately up to them as individuals to grasp this opportunity. The key message to players in the national team pool is to earn the right to wear the badge.”

Guyana’s first match of the CONCACAF Nations League is set for September 8, 2018 at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora.

Guyana have been matched against Barbados, Turks and Caicos Islands, French Guiana and Belize and will play host to Barbados and Belize in September 2018 and March 2019 respectively while Turks and Caicos Islands and French Guiana will host Guyana in October and November 2018.

The squad reads: Jason Cromwell (Buxton United); Jermaine Cumberbatch (Den Amstel); Sese Norville (Milerock); Raushan Ritch (Fruta Conquerors); Kester Jacobs (Den Amstel); Kevin Layne (NA United); Jake Newton (Hamble Club - England); Kevin Dundas (Den Amstel); Jelani Smith (Sigma - Canada); Samuel Cox (c) (Wealdstone - England); Cecil Jackman (Fruta Conquerors); Delwin Fraser (GDF); Job Caesar (Fruta Conquerors); Curtez Kellman (Western Tigers); Anthony Benfield (Fruta Conquerors); Ryan Hackett (Fruta Conquerors); Vurlon Mills (Western Tigers); Eon Alleyne (Fruta Conquerors); Daniel Wilson (Western Tigers); Kelsey Benjamin (Western Tigers); Delroy Fraser (GDF); Delon Lanferman (Den Amstel) and Sheldon Holder (Caledonia AIA).

Three Peat Promotions/Guinness Cage Competition

to broadcast Hero Ruthless Tiger Bay advance CPL to 54 countries

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he Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has reaffirmed its partnership with Facebook with an agreement to broadcast the 34 matches this year to 54 countries. The tournament starts on 8 August 2018 and will run until 16 September.

The best cricketing talent from across the Caribbean and from around the world will be taking part. Fans will be able to see the likes of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Brendon McCullum, Steve Smith, Evin Lewis, David Warner and many other global superstars compete for the Hero CPL title.

As well as broadcasting live matches, Hero CPL will be sharing unique and engaging content with fans, both during games and from behind the scenes, on Facebook

throughout the tournament.

All content will be available on the CPL T20 Facebook Page.

Speaking about the deal Head of Digital for Hero CPL, Vishnu Kumar, said: “Facebook has been such an important part of the growth of Hero CPL over the years and we are delighted to be continuing to work closely with their excellent team to bring our fans as close to the Biggest Party in Sport as possible.”

The countries where the games will be streaming live on Facebook are the following: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy,Japan, Luxembourg, M a l a y a s i a , Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, P a n a m a , Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Samoa, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Tonga, Turkey, Uruguay and Vanuatu

Part of opening night action in the second Annual Three Peat Promotions’ Guinness Cage Competition being played at the Haslington Market Tarmac

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ho could stop Tiger Bay’s prolific marksman Deon Alfred was the question on everyone’s lips after he produced another dazzling display, firing in four goals to lead them to a comfortable 6-0 win over Victoria Church Yard on opening night of the Three Peat Promotions’ Guinness Cage Competition, at the Haslington Market tarmac.

The diminutive striker picked up where he left off in the Guinness national play-offs when he led his team to the title over Sparta Boss and was once again the main architect in the team victory, netting in the 2nd, 4th, 9th and 10th minutes to earn them three points.

He was supported by a goal apiece from Keoma Gravesande and Leon Fredericks.

In one of the more entertaining matches, Broad Street came from behind to beat East Coast’s Paradise 3-2 with Jimmy Gravesande’s 13th minute strike being the decider.

Victoria Eagles impressed with a clinical 2-0 win over Melanie A in an all East Coast match-up, while the

much-vaunted Sparta Boss’s struggles continued when they succumbed to defending champions Ol Skool Ballers by a solitary strike from Sheldon Profitt after 11 minutes.

Kitty Hustlers started the proceedings with a narrow 2-1 win over

Blazers, while Leopold Street escaped with a 2-1 penalty shootout triumph over Avacado Ballers.

Belfield Warriors beat Melanie B 1-0 on penalties after regulation time failed to break a 1-1 deadlock.

The full results are seen below: Win in Normal Time-3 points Win on Penalty Kicks-2 points

BV-B 1 vs Buxton Diamond 0 Wayne James – 8th

Alexander Village 6 v Haslington Hypers 2 Alexander Scorers Shaka Jones – 5th and 10th Shem Porter – 9th and 12th Leon Yaw – 7th and 13th Haslington Scorers Rodwell Sandy –2nd Steffon Bailey – 3rd

Back Circle 4 v Plaisance-B 0 Jermaine Beckles – 3rd and 14th Selywn Williams – 12th Dellon Kelly – 13th

Albouystown 1 v North East La Penitence 0 Tevin Curry –12th

Uprising 0 vs Vryheid’s Lust 1 J Gibbs – 5th Melanie-B 1 vs Belfield Warriors 1 Belfield won 1-0 on penalty kicks Leopold Street 1 vs Avocado Ballers 1 Leopold won 2-1 on penalty kicks

guyanatimesgy.com

friDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

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Hero CPL 2018 Match 2

Hetmyer’s blitz powers Amazon Warriors to emphatic 6-wicket win over Patriots Thomas.

The in-form Hetmyer announced himself in the middle with a four and two thumping sixes off spinner Tom Cooper. He then clobbered his former Windies U-19 teammate Alzarri Joseph for a six and two fours to help the Warriors speed to 61 inside the fifth over.

Hetmyer took his score into the 40s as the scoreboard kept ticking towards the total, but the same could not be said about his then partner Jason Mohamed (16), who hit a four and a six and seemed to be looking decent before gifting his wicket to Lamichhane. A tuck for two through mid-wicket

By Clifton Ross

A

brutal half-century from Shimron Hetmyer steered the Guyana Amazon Warriors to a thumping six-wicket win over the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in Thursday evening’s Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) soldout opening game played at the Providence National Stadium, Guyana.

A packed Providence Stadium was treated to a fine victory by their home team who got off to a winning start in their first of three home games.

Hetmyer, who is fresh off a ton at Providence in last week’s ODI series versus Bangladesh, hammered his maiden Hero CPL fifty, which helped the Warriors

gun down the Patriots 1465 to end on 148-4 in 16.3 overs.

Hetmyer imposed himself early as he scorched an unbeaten 79 from 45 deliveries which included nine fours and four sixes, sharing an unbeaten, match-winning 62-run partnership with Aussie Chris Green, who ended unbeaten on 25. Patriots were indebted to spinner Sandeep Lamichhane (2-12) and Windies left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell (2-21).

The Patriots innings was built around the power-hitting and subtlety of Chris Gayle, who finessed 86 off 65 with seven fours and five monster sixes. His innings was the cornerstone of the Patriots’ 146-5 in 20 overs.

Guyana and Windies

Sherfane Rutherford takes the catch to dismiss Chris Gayle

Shimron Hetmyer and Jason Mohammed celebrates scoring off Alzarri Joseph

Chris Gayle

all-rounder Keemo Paul was the Warriors star with the ball, grabbing 2-16 while a wicket each from the overseas trio of Chris Green, Sohail Tanvir and Imran Tahir helped seal off a reasonable bowling outing.

After being clobbered for a few fours by his countryman Chadwick Walton (09), Cottrell rebounded in a major way as he ripped the stumps of Luke Ronchi for a duck. Lamichhane soon got into the action when he removed Walton, who was easily caught at midon by Ben Cutting to leave Guyana reeling at 9-2.

Warriors Captain Shoaib Malik (14) opened up his account with a trifecta of eye-catching fours off Cottrell before the West Indies fast bowler produced a beauty to remove the Pakistani, who was caught behind by gloveman Devon

would see the Windies star batsman reaching his first CPL fifty.

Green and Hetmyer prolonged the frustration of the Patriots bowlers having to toil as the boundaries continued to flow from both ends. Hetmyer continued to bat in assault mode, hammering Cutting for two fours and a six as he raced into the 70s.

The final nail in the coffin was put in by Hetmyer, who whacked one straight down the ground off Joseph as he and Green celebrated the Warriors’ first win of the tournament.

Earlier in the match, it was Green who drew first blood for the Warriors when he knocked over left-hander Evin Lewis for 1 in the fourth over. Gayle seemed unflustered as he continued to find the ropes. Tahir was the victim of the World

Boss’ first six, a thumping blow over long-on.

The Patriots reached their 50-run mark inside 10 overs with Gayle looking dangerous and Cooper (15) now finding his feet. Green came in for some punishment in his final over, being taken for four by the Dutchman before Gayle smashed back-to-back sixes over the long-on region.

Cooper got a reprieve thanks to Sherfane Rutherford, who spilled a catch in the deep after a top-edge off Rayad Emrit.

His luck would then run out when he fell LBW to Paul which left the Patriots two down. Gayle, who went past 11,500 T20 runs with his six off Green’s final ball a few overs prior, then reached fifty with a single and humbly acknowledged the milestone with a brief raise of

the bat.

Tahir was again dispatched for a six a few metres away from the Party Stand with Gayle looking to motor-on as the overs were near expiration. Emrit was the next to be launched back over his head by the big left-hander. Cutting then smashed Tanvir for a six in the 17th over, but had his stumps cleaned up the very next delivery.

The South African leggy then got his revenge, bagging the big wicket of Gayle, who mistimed a shot and was caught by Rutherford in the deep, leaving Brathwaite (5) and Brandon King (01) to complete the job. Guyana will look to make it two-in-two when they tackle the St Lucia Stars on Saturday from 16:00h at Providence.

SCOREBOARD

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots Innings (20 overs maximum) CH Gayle (c) c Rutherford b Imran Tahir 86 E Lewis b Green 1 TLW Cooper lbw b Paul 15 BCJ Cutting b Sohail Tanvir 15 AP Devcich c Rutherford b Paul 9 CR Brathwaite not out 5 BA King not out 1 Extras: (lb 4, w 10) 14 Total: (5 wickets, 20 Overs, RR: 7.3) 146 Did not bat: DC Thomas †, S Lamichhane, SS Cottrell, AS Joseph Fall of wickets: 1-15 (E Lewis, 3.2 ov), 2-76 (TLW Cooper, 11.1 ov), 3-119 (BCJ Cutting, 16.4 ov), 4-134 (CH Gayle, 18.3 ov), 5-141 (AP Devcich, 19.2 ov) Bowling: Sohail Tanvir 4-0-241, CJ Green 4-0-33-1, Imran Tahir 4-0-32-1, KMA Paul 4-016-2, RR Emrit 4-0-37-0

Guyana Amazon Warriors Innings (target: 147 runs from 20 overs) CAK Walton c Cutting b Lamichhane 9 L Ronchi † b Cottrell 0 SO Hetmyer not out 79 Shoaib Malik (c) c †Thomas b Cottrell 14 JN Mohammed c Cooper b Lamichhane 16 CJ Green not out 25 Extras: (lb 1, nb 3, w 1) 5 Total: (4 wickets, 16.3 Overs, RR: 8.96) 148 Did not bat: SE Rutherford, Sohail Tanvir, Imran Tahir, RR Emrit, KMA Paul Fall of wickets: 1-9 (L Ronchi, 0.6 ov), 2-9 (CAK Walton, 1.1 ov), 3-24 (Shoaib Malik, 2.6 ov), 4-86 (JN Mohammed, 9.2 ov) Bowling: SS Cottrell 2-0-21-2, S Lamichhane 4-0-12-2, TLW Cooper 1-0-17-0, AS Joseph 1.3-0-28-0, AP Devcich 1-016-0, CR Brathwaite 4-0-240, BCJ Cutting 3-0-29-0

friDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

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Hero CPL 2018 Match 2

Hetmyer’s blitz powers Amazon Warriors to emphatic 6-wicket win over Patriots Green Machine intensify prep for Americas Rugby Challenge Pg 23

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