Guyana Times October 29 2018

Neurosurgeon offers Berbice students tertiary education financing P13 …“find inner strength to conquer uncharted ground” – Dr Dukhi Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 3730

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Monday, October 29, 2018

PRICE

HEYS project

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Indigenous Peoples' Affairs Ministry cannot account for $865M – AG Showdown unfolds at Eccles Health Centre – as REO refuses to pay contractor for botched work

Public servants bowing to P7 “political pressure” – former Minister

Page 3

– visit reveals property now dumping ground

$80 vat included

Service disruption

GTT hit by more acts of sabotage – sets up reward for info P7

Page 9

3 women P12 among 31 arrested during Police raids

Guyana advised to use ICT to improve classroom teaching

Hundreds walk to raise awareness about breast cancer

…it will improve quality, delivery – ICT innovator

P13

Early detection saves lives: From left: Sita Nagamootoo, wife of Guyana’s Prime Minister, along with Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence, First Lady Sandra Granger, and Minister within the Public Health Ministry, Dr Karen Cummings, holds hands with young participants on Sunday morning during the Public Health Ministry’s Breast Cancer Awareness Walk in Georgetown

Biker dies in Essequibo Coast accident

Page 3

CH&PA distances Buy out Berbice River self from housing Bridge for public good – overseas developer Page 10

…after numerous fraud complaints

Page 2

economist to Govt

21-year-old severely beaten outside nightclub P9

2 news

mondAY, october 29, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Buy out Berbice River Bridge for public good – overseas economist to Govt

By Samuel Sukhnandan

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s the time draws closer to the date set for the imposition of fare increases at the Berbice River Bridge, there continues to be great worry over whether this could in fact take effect, or whether the Government would step in and reverse the decision.

Overseas-based economist Professor Tarron Khemraj feels that Government should buy over the bridge in its entirety. He told Guyana Times on Sunday that the bridge is now financially unsustainable, as compared to when the proposal

President David Granger

Berbice has suffered from depopulation in the past 15-20 years. Therefore, I support buying out or na-

Berbice River Bridge

for its construction was implemented.

“As I said, the demand was not there then; hence the need now for high tolls.

tionalising the bridge,” Khemraj noted.

He said that once the Government owns the bridge, some decisions

would have to be made to address the high operating costs of this type of bridge.

According to him, decisions would have to be made with the objective of motivating private sector employment in Berbice.

A former advisor to the Alliance for Change (AFC), Khemraj is also opposed to increasing the bridge tolls, especially because the traffic flow to accommodate the higher tolls is not there.

“This is why they have to increase the price to make up the revenues,” he explained, adding that the Berbice Bridge Company Inc (BBCI) seem to have forgotten the concept of price elasticity.

“The higher price will contract demand -- even though they tried to curtail all substitutes, like the private boat operators and the ferry -- and therefore compound the pressure on an already vulnerable region…The BBCI is caught between a rock and a hard place,” he said.

No vision

The economist spared no effort in chastising the coalition Government for appearing not to be certain about what they are doing.

Economics Professor Tarron Khemraj

“They rolled up village economies, free markets, green economy, petro-based economy, small business, etc., all in one,” he said.

At this stage, Khemraj said, it is clear the bridge has a dimension of higher public good than the private aspect. Therefore, he recommended, Government should buy out all of the shares.

“That's a solution, albeit it can't be the sole policy action; it will have to be followed by other actions.

When you have a public good, the Government has to provide a subsidy.

Otherwise, the private sector does not have the incen-

tive to do so,” he explained.

While the BBCI is ultimately responsible to its shareholders, the economist told Guyana Times that BCCI officials have to bear in mind what the demand response is going to be if they take the price too high.

“These are clearly exorbitant proposed increases. I can see some kind of a strategic tit-for-tat occurring. The Government can respond by allowing the private boat operators to do business, which will further hurt the investment return. The Government will be more willing to finance any shortfall in the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), but unlikely BBCI,” he added.

He called it ‘unfortunate politics.’ However, Khemraj said he is under the impression that the BBCI is falling for the ‘sunk cost fallacy’. “If you don't cover your operating costs, you have to let the investment go. You can't let sunk cost guide future actions,” he opined.

The new fares the BCCI proposes to impose for use of the bridge stipulate that cars and minibuses will now be charged $8040; pickups, small trucks and

Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson

four-wheel-drive vehicles, $14,600; medium trucks, $27,720; large trucks, $49,600; Articulated trucks, $116,680; freight, $1680; and boats passing through the river will be charged $401,040.

Government has outrightly rejected the proposed toll increases, but has simultaneously stated its non-support for a buyout. Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson had told the media that the proposal to buyout the shares of the BBCI is not on Government’s agenda at this time.

The proposed increases are scheduled to take effect on November 12.

news

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mondAY, october 29, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Monday, October 29 – 09:00h-10:30h and Tuesday, October 30 – 09:30h-11:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Monday, October 29 – 07:45h-09:15h and Tuesday, October 30 – 08:30h-10:00h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunny intervals can be expected throughout the day, with clear to partly cloudy skies in the evening.

Temperatures are expected to range between 21 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Ranging from South South-easterly to Northeasterly between 1.78 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 07:27h and 19:41h reaching maximum heights of 2.51 metres and 2.56 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 13:14h reaching a minimum height of 0.78 metre.

HEYS project

Indigenous Peoples' Affairs Ministry cannot account for $865M – AG L

ack of accountability in the Hinterland Employment and Youth Services (HEYS) programme was highlighted

by Auditor General Deodat Sharma after the Indigenous People’s Affairs Ministry was unable to account for how $865.1 million of tax payers’ money that went towards the programme was actually spent.

This is according to Auditor General Deodat Sharma, who noted in his latest report that $576 million spent on stipends for the 1,900 trainees, and $81.8 million spent on 230 HEYS staff during the period January to December 2017 were not substantiated with progress reports from the Indigenous People’s Affairs Ministry.

In addition, there was lack of accountability for how the money was spent in providing business grants to individuals and communities to set up small proj-

Indigenous Peoples' Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock

ects, purchase equipment, procure items for training, meals, accommodation, travels, and the very launch of the second phase of the project.

“The ministry did not present progress reports for these projects; therefore, it could not be determined whether the funds were utilised for the intended purpose,” the Auditor General also noted.

Minister within the Indigenous Peoples' Affairs Ministry, Valerie Garrido-Lowe

In addition, the AG found that $210.3 million was expended to pay grants ranging from $500,000 to $2 million to 215 indigenous villages across the country to execute various projects.

But the duplication of one particular payment raised eyebrows for the state auditors.

“It was observed that there was a duplication

of payment in the sum of $800,000 to one of the community villages,” the AG stated, noting that progress reports were also not presented for these projects.

“The Head of the Budget Agency acknowledged this finding, but explained that after this payment was processed twice in IFMAS (Integrated Financial Management System), the second cheque was refunded to the Consolidated Fund.”

HEYS was first launched by the coalition Government when the Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Ministry partnered with several other ministries and Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) for the development of residents of the hinterland areas.

It was announced earlier this year that the programme would be replaced with something that can incorporate other programmes and have an expanded reach across Guyana.

Biker dies in Essequibo Coast accident apet.

Both the cyclist and the pedestrian were picked up by public-spirited citizens, including Sankar’s biker friends, and rushed to the Suddie Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Meanwhile, the pedestrian, who suffered a fractured left hip, was admitted for further treatment.

The Police are investigating the accident.

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biker is now dead and an elderly woman hospitalised following an accident on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) on Sunday.

Dead is Naitram Sankar, called “Mice” of Agricola, Greater Georgetown, while the injured woman has been identified as 56-year-old Juliet Miller of Kilkenny Street, Queenstown, Essequibo Coast.

The accident occurred about 13:00h on the Queenstown Public Road.

At the time of the accident, Sankar was among a party of bikers riding on the Essequibo Coast.

According to reports, Sankar was riding motorcycle CG 1530, proceeding south along the eastern carriageway of the road at a fast pace when he ended up on the western parapet and struck Miller.

After hitting the pedestrian, Sankar then crashed into a utility pole on the par-

Sankar’s biker friends and public-spirited persons rushing to his rescue

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guyanatimesgy.com

mondAY, october 29, 2018

Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

Crime-busting

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gainst all the experiential truth of the Guyanese public, the Public Security Ministry and the PNC-led Governmental propaganda apparatus insist that their “statistics” show that “serious” crime is actually decreasing. It is clear that this Government, which boasts about their “expertise” in security matters because of the number of armed forces personnel in their ranks, do not have a credible anti-crime strategy.

By following the foreign- funded foreign experts’ studies and recommendations on “security,” they have lost the forest for the trees. The newly boosted army and newly formed Peoples’ Militia are not crime fighting units. Even the Police SWAT team has been mothballed.

However, “crime fighting” via direct confrontation with the criminals is but one approach – albeit the default stance of most citizens. With the development of modern society in the nineteenth century, there was an upsurge in behaviour that was defined as “criminal” with the dissolution of the societal norms in the movement from status to contract. Police Forces were formed, and jails expanded exponentially to incarcerate offenders against the criminal laws. In Guyana, our Police Force was launched a decade after the London Metropolitan Force, and this approach has dominated the discourse on “crime reduction” until the latter part of the 20th century, when sociological and psychological theories proposed interventions in both the focus on apprehension and incarceration of criminals.

This approach, in direct conflict with the “tough on crime” approach, was proffered once again only recently: that the Government go to the “roots” of crime, which are supposed to emanate from societal factors, such as poverty. In this case, the individual who had earlier supported the call for direct “oil payments” to Guyanese reiterated that call. With money in their hands, the criminals who preyed on others presumably would obdurately turn their faces away from the life of crime.

There are no studies that directly prove such a causal link between poverty and criminal proclivities, but stochastic data does suggest a correlation. There is direct evidence, however, that there are poor communities right here in Guyana that do not engage in violent crimes to secure wealth, and this undercuts the “poverty argument”, but this inconvenient fact seems to always escape the notice of those who want to throw money at the crime problem. Then there is also the fact that even when known criminals – such as the recently-apprehended Guyanese drug smuggler in Jamaica – acquire enormous wealth, they still continue in their lives of crime.

Like with most human behaviour, there is no monocausal explanation for criminal behaviour of humans, but there is general acceptance that it is not genetically linked – save perhaps for some sociopaths.

So, bereft of the explanatory recourse to “nature”, we are left with the omnibus term “nurture”, which covers so many institutions in society, especially the family and the schools. Families transmit behavioural traits to children by encouraging or discouraging particular values which are prevalent in their culture, and this is where governments have failed to make meaningful inroads in discouraging negative “values”.

While crime can occur in all neighbourhoods, in some it is an outlier occurrence, while in others it is endemic.

No Government, unfortunately, has had the intestinal fortitude to analyse the prevalent social mores that are operating in specific communities, so that interventions can be customised at this level rather than throwing money handouts at the culprits. The secret of reducing crime at the most cost-effective social intervention has been shown to be the creation of well-paying jobs that can engage especially young men and women in the “high-crime” producing areas. Simply doling out money to this group will do absolutely nothing to deter them from a life of crime. When people earn their money, they will begin to value it.

It is our contention that there needs to be a combination of the traditional crime- fighting techniques through professionalisation of the Police Force and directed social interventions to change cultural mores that do not stop criminal behaviour, but may actually further it.

“Early detection saves lives” was the chant as hundreds took to the streets of Georgetown to raise awareness on breast cancer as part of the activities to observe Breast Cancer Awareness Month organised by the Public Health Ministry

Khashoggi case: Turkey to present probe findings to Saudi, request new search – Turkish dossier presented to Saudi Prosecutor will contain crime scene evidence and identify main suspects, source says

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urkish investigators looking into the killing of Journalist Jamal Khashoggi will present Saudi Arabia's top prosecutor with a 150-page dossier and request another joint search at the residence of the Kingdom's consul-general in Istanbul, according to a Turkish source.

Saudi Prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb will today meet Irfan Fidan, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor, to discuss the latest findings in the case of Khashoggi, who was murdered in the consulate building on October 2.

His trip to Istanbul on Sunday comes amid Turkish suggestions of a lack of cooperation by the Saudi side – despite a joint investigation group – and alleged attempts to spoil evidence.

According to a source at the Prosecutor's office, who spoke to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity, Fidan will ask al-Mojeb to conduct another joint search at the Consul-General's residence.

The source said that when Turkish investigators first entered the building in mid-October, they were not allowed to search three rooms that had been locked by the Saudi staff.

Police were also not allowed to search a 20-metre-deep well located in the residence's garden. As previously reported by Turkish media, the Saudis did not let the investigators call a fire brigade team to go down the well, and the search ended with Police only able to obtain some water samples.

In today's meeting, the Turkish dossier that will be presented to al-Mojeb will include interviews with 45 consulate employees.

According to the source, the file also identifies four people as the prime suspects of Khashoggi's kill-

Jamal Khashoggi was an outspoken critic of the Saudi Government

ing, but names only three of them: Saudi Consul-General Mohammed al-Otaibi, forensics expert Saleh al-Tubaiqi and Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, who was identified as being part of a 15-member team of suspected Saudi agents who flew into and out of Istanbul on October 2, the day of Khashoggi's disappearance after entering the consulate to obtain paperwork needed for his upcoming marriage.

The fourth person that will be presented as a main suspect is an unnamed "local collaborator" who, according to Riyadh, was given Khashoggi's body in order to dispose of it.

The file also contains evidence from the crime scene as well as CCTV footage of Saudi diplomatic vehicles.

It will also include the four telephone conversations between Khashoggi and the Saudi consulate officials before his October 2 visit. In one of the calls, the source said, Khashoggi was invited to the consulate.

The dossier will also contain the phone records – but not the calls’ content – of the 15-member Saudi squad that flew in and out of Istanbul on the day Khashoggi was killed.

The Saudi Prosecutor is expected to present the statements of 18 suspects arrested

in Saudi Arabia in connection with Khashoggi's killing.

However, following Saudi Foreign Minister Adel alJubeir's recent statement that those behind the killing would be prosecuted in the Kingdom, and that the investigation would take time, a senior official in Ankara told Al Jazeera that Riyadh may not be willing to share the suspects' statements – or may only share parts of them.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called Khashoggi's killing a premeditated, political murder, insisting the suspects be put on trial in Turkey despite the consulate building being Saudi territory.

What's next?

Saudi Arabia's narrative surrounding the circumstances of Khashoggi's death has changed significantly over the past few weeks.

After initially denying allegations that Khashoggi never left the consulate, Riyadh later admitted that the Journalist was killed inside the building – but has still made no mention of where his body is.

Meanwhile, unnamed Turkish officials have drip fed details of his killing to the media, which resulted in increased international pressure on the Saudis.

"And the Saudis ended up

with a confession, even if partially," according to a senior Turkish official. "First they admitted Khashoggi was killed during a fistfight at the consulate, then confessed it was a pre-planned murder by rogue elements within the State," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Since then, Erdogan has been insisting the Saudis reveal the location of Khashoggi’s body and name the "local collaborator", as well as the person who had ordered the murder.

Former Head of the First Civil Chamber at the Court of Cassation in Turkey, Salih Zeki Iskender, said an indictment can be filed even without Khashoggi's body.

He added, however, that his death must be proved by other evidence and that finding the body is crucial to identifying the nature of the offence.

"The Saudi step to admit this was a murder is very important,” said Iskender.

"However, I don't believe that Saudis will be able to establish justice, considering the Saudi attempts to spoil some of the evidence."

Separately, international law professor Hasan Koni said Turkey and Saudi Arabia do not have an extradition treaty between them.

Koni said Turkey will seek to establish justice by all means, but added that some of its efforts may be blocked by international law and diplomatic restrictions.

"However, sua sponte (on their own accord), the UN has the right to ask for prosecution stating it is a crime against humanity, and ask the International Criminal Court to open a probe," said Koni, but downplayed the chances of that happening due to a possible veto of the United States – a Saudi ally – at the Security Council. (Al

Jazeera)

guyanatimesgy.com

mondAY, october 29, 2018

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

Prime Minister having Many sick minds a PTA meeting in Guyana Dear Editor, The frauds, tricks and deceits which are being perpetrated by the AFC on the Guyanese people, especially Berbicians, are unparalleled when compared even to the PNC in the heydays of Burnham’s dictatorship.

The late Forbes Burnham mastered the art of getting school children to line the roadways and wave flags in the sweltering heat at high noon, but he never made pretensions about it-he wanted a crowd and his acolytes must deliver! He never had to trick them about the purpose of their ‘homage’. This is unlike what the ‘siren’ Prime Minister is doing. He wanted to hold a political meeting to campaign on behalf of the AFC for the upcoming Local Government Elections, but he cannot advertise it as such, so he spun a yarn and used the children of Auchlyne Primary School instead. He printed thousands of expensive multi-colored flyers with his nouveau-riche

image boldly displayed on it, spending taxpayers’ hard earned dollars in his quest to regain recognition.

Further, he commanded his Representative in Region 6 to distribute them. The children were instructed to give the flyers to their parents, guardians and neighbors who must make special efforts to attend. I could recall this man lambasting the PPP for using Government resources for political campaigning. What hypocrisy!

The flyer stated that it is a ‘Community Outreach meeting to discuss Local Government issues’ and followed at the bottom by ‘Make sure you vote on November 12’. Imagine, in the height and heat of the LGE campaign season the self-proclaimed ‘Elder’ of the AFC is having an ‘outreach’ with students’ parents and guardians. This sounds more like the Prime Minister having a PTA meeting, but the catch is that he badly needs some people to listen to his biographic cacophony and

massage his now deflated ego. He would then follow this with the emotional plea to vote for the AFC so that he can show the APNU that he and the AFC are still relevant to the Coalition. The ploy, is to keep his ‘siren’ job at all costs!

It is evident also, that for the past month the PM’s Representative Office has temporarily moved from Port Mourant to Whim in an effort to resuscitate the AFC. It appears that anytime Nagamootoo visits Whim, his birth place, he places undue pressure on his Representative to use whatever means will get a ‘crowd’ for him.

But it all came to naught when he arrived at the Auchlyne School, sirens blaring all the way. There were few school children who stood around the tents with a few seated parents. It was evident that many from his audience were ‘bussed’ from various parts of the country. An entire entourage came from Georgetown.

The group of protesters that

greeted him, was actually bigger than his ‘outreach’ attendees. Compared to the PPP bottom house meeting at Whim, the leader of the Opposition attracted over two hundred and fifty persons from the village itself and the surrounding areas. The huge yard could not contain the overflowing numbers. There were numerous persons standing by the fence and the street corner nearby. I had assumed that Nagamootoo would have wanted to hold a meeting at his birth place and dispel doubts concerning his dwindling popularity in the face of the fraudulent backers’ lists. However, he displayed good sense not to do that!

All of these trickeries, lies and deceit remind me of what Sir Winston Chruchill once said, ‘Some men change their party for the sake of their principles; others their principles for the sake of their party’.

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

Whim-Bloomfield NDC residents were denied their rights by GECOM Dear Editor, Any country, by adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, has agreed that its citizens will benefit from all their basic rights; that every person, regardless of race, religion, gender, ethnicity, age or wealth has the right to receive and enjoy. Under the Guyana Constitution, it must be noted that "the interpretation of the fundamental rights provisions in this constitution, a court shall pay due regards to international law, international conventions and charters bearing on human rights ".

The human rights treaties are at the core of the international legal system for the promotion and protection of the human rights of every man, woman or child.

International human rights standards were developed to protect people's human rights against violation by individuals, groups or nations. Every UN member state is a party to the major human rights treaties.

Guyana has demonstrated its commitment to the preservation of the rights of all citizens at a working session of the United Nations committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights held in Geneva Switzerland in 2015.

The recent decision at the High court in Berbice where 51 persons were de-

nied their rights to withdraw their names from an AFC document which ensured that the AFC can nominate candidates at the present LGE; The issue is whether this decision was made in haste, political judicial pressure, doctored police reports(Minister intervention), or because GECOM had already printed the ballots for the LGE, and as such the judge had no other option but to rule and in a way that denied these people their rights to withdraw their names-and support- from the AFC documents irrespective of trickery or not.

In Article 2 of International Human Rights Declaration it states: "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political jurisdictional or international status ......" this evidently ensured that even if people want to change their marriage, religion, nationality etc they have a right to, providing they follow the constitutional process.

The people’s rights of Whim – Bloomfield, howev-

er, were disregarded when their decision to remove their names from AFC backers’ lists was rejected -despite legal authorised documents presented to GECOM and the court to indicate their choice- and unfortunately, they were forced to

support the AFC. The UN GHRA and the international community should pay careful attention to what is actually happening in Guyana.

Regards, Zamal Hussain

Dear Editor, I read, with a disturbed mind, about a 53-year-old former Police Officer who raped a three-year child awaiting sentencing.

Things like these bother the psyche of humans and we can ask ourselves many questions like: Who can we trust these days with our children? What kind of a human would think in such an evil way about a child?

Will a life sentence be good enough, or instant hanging?

As I continued reading, about another story of two soldiers raping a young lady, another story popped up whereby a police officer emptied his gun into his reputed wife and pleaded insanity in court, and yet another, whereby a senior police superintendent killed someone due to drunk driving and so many men in Guyana beating their spouses and girlfriends to death and then committing suicide. Worst of all, a pastor was sentenced to 40 years in jail for raping a teenager.

The dismal news around us on a daily basis can disturb your mind for an eternity but they make headlines in our newspapers.

What is more disturbing is that the people in the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defense force can no longer be trust-

ed. These people who are placed to represent Law and Order, and to lookout for the citizens, are the ones using their power to hurt helpless people. Since the inception of the GPF and the GDF, many rogue individuals join the force most, of whom can barely read and write, so profound ignorance has become the order of the day. I have visited several Police stations and what I have observed is that most Police officers use cuss words or indecent language when they talk to each other or citizens. They are setting a bad example, but they do not know any better. I was happy to hear that our new Police commissioner has a plan to weed out bad eggs from the force; he has an incredible task ahead of him-it will be like trying to wash the wind, but I wish him well.

Only God knows the heart of humans, but many people today do not believe in God. This entire nation needs to go back to basics, go back to church. The family life must be returned.

Husbands and wives must be leaders in their homes and families. Crime is THE result of broken families and the great neglect of our young people.

Regards, Rev Gideon Cecil

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Foundation

A proactive approach to discipline – restorative discipline seeks to create an environment in which problem behaviour is less likely to occur

By Marieke van Woerkom

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ducators who’ve had success with restorative practices find them to be much more than an alternative to suspension. Restorative practices encourage us to engage with our students not only when there’s an incident but throughout the school day.

They’re part of a system of discipline that takes us back to the root of that word, the Latin disciplina, meaning instruction and knowledge. They draw on what we as teachers do naturally – teach.

Restorative discipline, then, is proactive and supportive as much as it is responsive. It aims to create conditions in which issues are less likely to arise, and in which, when they do arise, we have the connections and skills needed to handle them and restore the community as needed.

What does it take to adopt an approach to discipline that is proactive and supportive as well as responsive to problems in school? There are several key steps.

Steps to proactive discipline

Get to know your students: For both teachers and students to be our best selves, we must get to know each other. Teaching and learning occur through relationships. The stronger the relationship and the better we understand our students, the more knowledge and goodwill we have to draw on when the going gets tough.

Share and teach into classroom expectations: We

want to make sure our students know and understand our classroom expectations.

Discussing them early on promotes buy-in and allows us to better assess what skills and support students need to live up to our expectations.

Develop classroom norms collaboratively: There is a power in deciding together which norms you and your students need to do your best work. Once you’ve come up with a manageable list, spend some time exploring it. For example, what does respect look, feel, and sound like? Which

norms will be easy to follow, and which more challenging? Why? Spend some time problem-solving the more challenging norms, and consider together how you might support one another when challenges arise.

Steps to supportive and responsive discipline

Model kind, supportive, and respectful behaviour: Having come up with a list of classroom norms, it’s important that you, as the adult, lead the

way and show students how to uphold them consistently.

Review classroom norms and expectations: Be sure to provide reminders about your norms, especially early on. Learning happens over time, and most students need reminders. While standing at the door to welcome your students to class, for example, you might urge them to change putdowns you observed in the hall into kind, supportive language.

Remind them of the discussion you had around respect early in the year.

Redirect student behaviour using positive language: Such direction can help students get back on track. To a student who’s off task: “I need you to go to page 35, read the first paragraph, and then turn to the questions at the bottom of the page.” To a student who’s disrespectful: “You seem frustrated. I’d be happy to sit with you and problem-solve. Let me know when you’re ready.”

Recognise student effort and growth: Noticing that a student is trying or is making some headway is important –this growth de-

serves to be celebrated. If a student has trouble focusing for the duration of class, going from five minutes of focused work in September to 10 minutes in October is progress that should be recognised even as we encourage the student to make it to 15 minutes in November.

Signal nonverbal support, recognition, or redirection: If you’ve built a problem-solving relationship with students, you may be able to use proximity or prearranged signals to help a student get back on track or to encourage them, all without saying a word.

Check in and offer gestures of support: Young people in our care often complain about not being seen or heard by adults, especially in high school, which can be lonely, impersonal places.

Notice if a student seems troubled. Check in with them: “Are you OK?” or “You look upset – do you need a few minutes to collect yourself in the hallway?”

This sends a message that you care, that you see the student and are interested in their well-being.

Have a restorative chat: A one-on-one chat in which you actively listen can help you better understand a student who’s struggling with behaviour. Active listening has the additional benefit of helping people calm down, which can encourage them to be more introspective and open to problem-solving.

Imagine a student who

spills into class several minutes after the bell, disrupting your lesson. Consider asking if they’re OK. Welcome them to class and direct them to quietly take their seat. When you have a few minutes, pull up a chair.

Ask them what happened – why were they late? Express concern about what happened or about this becoming a habit. Have the student reflect on the effects of being late and problem-solve getting to class on time.

The goal of these disciplinary interventions is to

teach behaviour while building and maintaining our relationships with students and strengthening the community as a whole. When more serious problems arise or harm is done, we can then draw on the relationships and skills we’ve built to come to a resolution and repair the harm. Meanwhile, our work has had the positive effects of supporting students’ social and emotional growth and creating a more congenial and productive classroom climate. (Excerpt

from edutopia.org)

Shouldstorm …parents and the culture of criticism

By Alison Escalante, MD

“S

o how are you adjusting to being a new parent?” I asked Sarah.

“I’m doing okay. I mean I’m tired, but it’s okay.”

“I’m glad to hear that, because a lot of parents tell me they feel a lot of pressure. There are a lot of opinions out there about how we should be parenting.”

“Oh! You mean that thing where everyone tells me I’m doing it all wrong the time!”

“Yeah. That thing.”

Do you want to know the truth? You probably are getting it wrong. Daily. Like I am.

If we step back for just a moment, we know that. We know that we can’t help mistakes, that mistakes are part of any process, especially one as messy as a human process. We also know that everybody makes mistakes and that they are okay.

But then we see an article about how one shaming comment ruined some person’s life and we panic.

When I hear this idea that we are not supposed to mess up with our kids, I find myself asking what exactly is going to happen to our kids that is so terrible? And what happens to our kids if we don’t mess up? I hate living with the burden of having to be perfect, and I think you do too. If I accept it and act as though there is no coming back from mistakes, then I teach my kids that this is the real world. And that would be terrible, because I want my kids to have the inner freedom to live beautiful lives full of meaning and connection. But there is no joy in perfectionism, only the eternal hamster wheel of endless striving that never satisfies. I want my kids to grow up in an entirely different world. That means I have to show them how to mess up and then get right back up again and try again. It means I have to show them compassion in their mistakes. It also requires that I show myself compassion for my own mistakes, and do this in their presence.

Everybody has an opinion on our parenting.

Years ago, on a brutally hot summer Saturday, while I was at work taking care of patients, my husband took our four-month-old son grocery shopping. They were grinning and talking to each other in the fresh vegetables section.

My husband was selecting nutritious food for our family and showing all the veggies to our son. Suddenly a woman approached him. “Where are his socks? Didn’t you know babies need socks? He’s going to get cold feet!” My husband was flabbergasted.

When my husband told me about it later, I could tell he was worried I would yell at him too. But I said, “That’s ridiculous!

His feet are not going to get frostbite from five minutes in the vegetable section on a hot day.” I wanted to find this woman and tell her that we both worked full time, and that we were struggling to manage all the demands of being new parents. I wanted her to know that it was not going to help us take care of our baby, if she discouraged my husband from doing the grocery shopping.

In my parents’ generation, this kind of behaviour would have been shocking. There was a term for people who got involved like that: a busybody. But it seems normal now. I hear stories like this from parents all the time. (Excerpt from psychologytoday.com) To be continued

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mondAY, october 29, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

2017 AG Report

Public servants bowing to “political pressure” – former Minister

A

n examination of the 2017 Auditor General’s (AG) Report that was recently tabled in the National Assembly points to a large number of issues piled up on the already heavy stack of financial irregularities and breaches that have taken place under the coalition Government.

But even more worrying is the fact that public servants, mainly Permanent Secretaries, Regional Executive Officers (REO) and other public accounting officers, may be bowing to ‘political pressure,’ says former Junior Finance Minister and Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Juan Edghill.

“It is a clear case that accounting officers are either unaware of what are their roles and/or they are succumbing to pressure from their ministers…or we have a situation of ‘I don’t care a damn’ approach to the management of the finances of the State,” he told Guyana Times on Sunday.

The former minister said that having studied aspects of the report, he has come to a conclusion that this is a worrying development which could possibly become more widespread.

Edghill has said that if public servants are under any such pressure, they must come to the fore and say it.

“Let people know how this country is being mismanaged, and how politics and intimidation and bullyism (are) being used to twist the arms of public officials to act in a manner that is inimical to their mandate and the public’s interest,” he has advised.

Edghill says he has noticed recklessness, violations that are unheard of, mismanagement, and a high degree of incompetence in some of what has been recorded in the AG report.

Former Junior Finance Minister, Opposition MP Juan Edghill, says public accounting officers are bowing to political pressure

The first matter he pointed to involved the highly controversial D’Urban Park project. He recalled that Government went to Parliament to seek a supplementary provision of $5 million to pay a debt that was incurred by Homestretch Development Inc, which was developing the D’Urban Park project. The question was asked by the Opposition, how the money will be transferred.

“Here, the AG is saying that the Permanent Secretary who is in charge of this budget agency of Public Infrastructure cut cheques and sent (them) directly to Homestretch Development Inc, and there was nothing attached to those payments to show how the money was disbursed,” he noted.

Put on notice Edghill therefore questioned why a Permanent Secretary would make such a reckless move. “Or is this PS under political pressure to do something that he knows that he will have to answer to at the Public Accounts Committee (PAC)?

So I can put him on notice: ‘See you soon!’”

Another controversial matter that Edghill pointed to is the sole-sourcing, in June 2017, of $366.9 million in emergency drugs to HDM Labs, an entity that was handpicked over three oth-

er companies that had gone through tendering and were declared to have failed the

evaluation process.

“That is what you call a fixed arrangement. They ended up paying $100 million more on the same items (than) if they had gone to a next supplier providing the same items.

“Why would a Permanent Secretary breach procurement laws to expend $100 million more for the procurement of drugs? To that PS, I say to you: ‘See you at PAC! We will discuss it further’.”

The MP also pointed to another glaring case of financial mismanagement in the Berbice region, where the price for the work of a contractor and the engi-

neer’s estimate were item for item, line for line identical.

“What is worse, he does the work and signs the contract.

Which REO could authorise a work, and when the work is completed you sign the contract?” he questioned.

He continued, “So public officials are making these decision as if they don’t have to answer or account; or they should come to the public and do so like the General Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge did when he said he was instructed

by Minister David Patterson (Public Infrastructure) to sign the contract for the feasibility study without the

board’s knowledge.”

The former Junior Finance Minister said it is also perplexing how -in an environment wherein people are expected to be accountable, and based on the David Granger-led Administration’s promise to be accountable and transparent -- accounting officers are acting recklessly.

The Opposition MP said public officers have to be mindful that they are governed by the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act, and have a responsibility to their country. (Samuel Sukhnandan)

Service disruption

GTT hit by more acts of sabotage – sets up reward for info

severed, resulting in service interruptions in those areas on Friday.

“Investigations revealed a direct act of external sabotage in the vicinity of Long Creek...few have the motive or resources to perform this heinous act, and GTT will ensure a thorough investigation is done,” Harris stated.

“The team has worked assiduously throughout

T

he GTT has been hit by more acts of sabotage, this time affecting its cable in the vicinity of Long Creek, SoesdykeLinden Highway, and resulting in loss of service to customers in Linden, Kwakwani, and as far as the township of Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni).

A missive from GTT Communications Manager Jasmine Harris noted that the cable providing service along the southern link was

the night (Saturday) until 06:00h (Sunday) to restore this disruption, which affected over 12,000 customers. GTT does not take lightly this type of interruption, and as such has instituted a reward for anyone with the pertinent information to bring the perpetrator to justice.” continued on page 10

8 news

mondAY, october 29, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

IN THE COURTS

Public cuss-out lands 2 at Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts

A

public cuss-out at Houston Public Road ended with two persons being charged and appearing before Georgetown Magistrate Leron Daly.

Ishmael De Younge admitted to the Magistrate that on October 21, 2018, at Houston Public Road, Georgetown, he made use of abusive language towards Julian Augustine whereby a breach of the peace was occasioned.

Virtual complainant

Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts

Julian Augustine also faced a charge which stated that

on October 21, 2018, at Houston Public Road, he

made use of abusive language towards Ishmael De Younge whereby a breach of the peace was occasioned.

Augustine pleaded not guilty to this charge, and the Police Prosecutor did not object to him being placed on bail.

Magistrate Daly placed Augustine on bail in the sum of $10,000, while De Younge was fined $10,000.

The case against Augustine will continue today (October 29).

Sophia woman charged for assault

J

ennifer Duncan, a 56-year-old resident of Lot 192 North Sophia, Greater Georgetown, appeared last week before Georgetown Magistrate Leron Daly slapped with an

assault charge.

The charge alleged that on October 26, 2018, at North Sophia, Greater Georgetown, she unlawfully assaulted Rakesh Shaw.

Represented by

Attorney-at-law Paul Funga-Fat, Duncan, a cook by profession, denied the allegation; and in an application for bail, her attorney told the court that his client does not pose a flight risk, and

should be granted bail. The Police prosecutor did not object to Duncan being placed on bail, and Magistrate Daly placed her on $10,000 bail.

The case will continue today (October 29).

Community service for narco-trafficker

O

swald Hendrick appeared last week before Magistrate Leron Daly at the

Georgetown Magistrates Courts and admitted that on October 28, 2018, at Stabroek Market, Georgetown, he had

in his possession four grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

He was consequently fined

$3000 and was ordered to complete six months of community service at the Brickdam Police Station.

Bitch-slap…

D

…on the hussy bully avid Granger fired former Chancellor of the Judiciary Cecil Kennard from the Police Complaints Office, ostensibly because he was too old -- about 80 years. But Granger’s action was exposed for the witch-hunting it was by two sets of events, one retrospective and the other prospective. Kennard had been extremely active in his position, suggesting all kinds of changes – like demanding more investigators, and travelling to all the other regions to take complaints.

And then, right after dumping Kennard, Granger went and unilaterally appointed a fella older than Kennard – James Patterson – to a position a hundred times more demanding – Chair of GECOM. Well, fast forward two years and Kennard is appointed as a one-man CoI to look into the handling of a noconfidence motion against Town Clerk Royston King, which questioned King’s qualifications and suitability for his appointment. Well, the PNC-led administration found out to their cost that the mild-mannered and unassuming Kennard might talk softly, but he carries a big stick. The Mayor – who was finally on the stand – argued that there was nothing wrong in accepting the opinion of ROYSTON KING’S LAWYER that the motion against his client wasn’t valid!

So, as is her wont, she began to bluster to defend her contention, as if she was a stranger to the foundation of western adversarial-based jurisprudence: that a lawyer is supposed to be representing his client’s interest, not that of his interlocutors!! Looking directly at the bellicose Mayor, Kennard said firmly, “Take that sort of attitude to City Hall; not here! You are attempting to be rude! Can you shut up and listen to the questions?”!!

Following that bitch-slap which rocked the Mayor, Kennard repeatedly asked her in an incredulous tone whether she didn’t see the conflict of interest in accepting unreservedly the advice of King’s lawyer, and using it as the basis of having the motion scrapped!!

Even her lawyer had to accept that it was a violation of natural justice for the Mayor not to seek independent legal advice.

But the bullyism that the Mayor had started out with against Justice Kennard has become her trademark ever since she succeeded her mentor and bullyism exemplar Hamilton Green as Mayor. She was a harridan! She used her office to browbeat everyone who objected to the pillage and looting of the coffers of City Hall by her and her cronies, such as King. Imagine, the woman had the temerity to walk around with TWELVE BODYGUARDS to slap down anyone who wasn’t intimidated by her haranguing!

Well, there are four other issues that she will have to testify on. Watch Kennard put her in her place.

He’s not an old man…he’s “old school”!! …on Nagamootoo’s shill This week, Nagamootoo didn’t write his column for the Chronic (fiction can be taxing!!) but his shill didn’t disappoint. He wrote enough crap for the two of them!!

Purporting to defend his AFC executive Ramjattan and the Police against charges they were using questionable “statistics” to hoodwink the public that crime was DECREASING when in actuality it was RISING actually confirmed the accusations about their “lies, damned lies and statistics”!!

The shill -- who doubles as Nagamootoo’s water boy and general factotum -- asserted that the “murder rate” was higher during the PPP administration!! “In 2001, it stood at 79 murders (relatively low). But in 2002, the rate jumped to 140 and then skyrocketed to 206 in 2003.

The murder rate declined slightly thereafter, but still hit peaks of 153 in 2006 (the murder of a sitting minister Satyadeow Sawh); 168 in 2008 (the year of the Bartica, Lusignan and Lindo Creek Massacres).”

Ow man! Even Granger consistently refers to those times as “the troubles”!! It was when gunmen calling themselves “Freedom Fighters for African Guyanese” attacked the state (Police) and civilians (Indian Guyanese).

They called it “collateral damage”

…on SOCU You’d think big drug traffickers are part of “organised crime”, wouldn’t you?

So why they couldn’t catch the latest foreign bust?

They’re too busy with political witch hunting!!

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

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mondAY, october 29, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Showdown unfolds at Eccles Health Centre

– as REO refuses to pay contractor for botched work – visit reveals property now dumping ground

T

The Eccles Health Centre that was supposed to have been completed months ago

rouble is brewing between the Region Four Regional Democratic Council and a contractor, Vision’s General Construction Services, over the already delayed Eccles Health Centre, with Regional Democratic Council (RDC) officials demanding the contractor do the work according to stipulations and the contractor demanding payment for work already done.

Region Four Executive Officer (REO) Pauline Lucas has indicated at the statutory monthly meeting of the Region Four RDC that she would continue to stand her ground when confronting issues with contractors of the region.

Speaking on the $27 million Eccles Health Centre project, Lucas said the contractor, Vision’s General Construction Services, had previously been informed that the wrong roofing material had been used on the centre and that this would have to be corrected before he can be paid.

In spite of all this, Lucas reported, the contractor still requested a payment, as he claimed he had “done some additional work.” But with a change in the engineering department of the RDC, a new engineer is expected to verify the status of several issues with the contract, including this supposedly additional work.

As such, the REO noted, no payment would be made unless the work is verified by an engineer.

“It was brought to my attention that some of the previous evaluations done by the previous engineer were wrong, and this was only brought to my attention after (the new engineer) took over the project,” REO Lucas declared.

Lucas also noted that when the engineer who was previously responsible for the project departed, he did not hand over all the doc-

uments. These documents include the complete Bill of Quantities for the projects.

She stressed that this has resulted in current Engineer Eon Austin encountering a number of challenges and difficulties.

The REO revealed that the Region has placed some systems in place in an effort to rectify this situation.

“I don’t want, at any stage, that we would have overpaid any contractor, as I have a responsibility and I will ensure that I maintain my position. I have made my position clear to the contractor -- that he cannot receive any additional payment until he fixes the roof and the engineer would have reviewed and certified the work done,” REO said.

The matter has been compounded, according to Lucas, by the fact that the Health Centre was supposed to be completed by the end of June. But despite being granted extensions, Lucas related, the contractor has still failed to complete the project.

This publication paid a visit to the construction location over the weekend, where it was evident that others had found unsavoury uses for the long overdue site. Animals could be seen roaming in the yard, and the location was being used for illegal garbage dumping.

The contract for the health centre was signed

in 2015, but the project, expected to serve some 15,000 residents in the area, has experienced numerous delays. Overpayments to contractors have plagued successive regional administrations. In the 2016 Auditor General’s Report, it was found that overpayments on 98 contracts administered by various Ministries, departments and Regions in 2016 amounted to $82.6 million.

Garbage dumped in the Eccles Health Centre compound

21-year-old severely beaten outside nightclub

P

olice in A Division ( G e o r g e t o w n and East Bank Demerara) are currently investigating an incident that occurred outside a popular night spot on Main Street, Georgetown, leaving one man hospitalised and another nursing a broken jaw, while two others have been arrested.

Injured is 21-year-old Romario Balget, popularly known as “Short Boss”, of Eccles, East Bank Demerara. He is currently hospitalised at a private city hospital, nursing injuries about his body, and has even required stitches to his face.

Balget, who has a walking disability, was reportedly badly beaten by a popular nightclub patron, his brother and friends outside the Main Street, Georgetown night spot sometime between 02:30h and 03:30h on Sunday.

The suspect, according to Police sources, is one of the persons who were involved in the incident with Trinidadian Soca artiste “Benjai” outside the same night spot last year.

Guyana Times was told that Balget was with two friends – a male and female – heading to a car parked outside the night spot when the incident occurred. At the time, the suspect and a group of friends were standing close to Balget’s car, and Balget reportedly walked through

Injured man: Romario Balget

the group. This reportedly caused the suspect to push Balget to the ground, and he and members of the group began kicking and stomping him.

In trying to rescue Balget, his friends attempted to ward off the men, but they also became victims of the assault. The male friend was reportedly punched to the face by one of the men in the group, causing his jaw to be fractured, while the female was slapped by another attacker.

Guyana Times understands that during the ordeal the suspect reportedly discharged a firearm into the air.

Balget was picked up and rushed to a private medical institution, where he was admitted for treatment.

A Division Commander Marlon Chapman has confirmed that the incident is being investigated.

This newspaper understands that two persons have been taken into Police custody to assist with the investigations.

Balget’s father told this publication that the family intended to pursue this

matter to the end to get justice for his son.

In April 2017, the main suspect in Saturday night’s beating was named in the assault of Soca artiste Rodney “Benjai” Le Blanc.

Meanwhile, it was reported that in 2010, a wanted bulletin was issued for the same man by the Police in relation to a security guard being hospitalised and in relation to discharging a loaded firearm.

10 news CH&PA distances self from housing developer mondAY, october 29, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

…after numerous fraud complaints

A

housing developer whom sources indicate was once charged with fraudulent conversion of money for a house lot has since had his partnership with the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) severed.

According to a notice in the daily newspapers, CH&PA informed the public that a Robert Forrester is not authorised to transact any business on behalf of the agency. The notice added that this was by order of management.

Forrester is the CEO of Icarus Construction & Development INC. It was only in August that an announcement was made of a partnership between his firm, the Communities Ministry and the New Amsterdam Municipal Council to construct a model village at Savannah Park.

The notice in the newspapers indicate that CH&PA has severed ties with Robert Forrester

It was noted that the US$3 million initiative, the first for New Amsterdam, would have all the basic amenities and sixty housing units that would cater for low, middle and high-income earners.

It was pointed out in

the report that only limited spots would be available, as only a specific number could be accommodated; that successful applicants would be screened; and that the requisite documents would be cleared with the relevant lending institutions before

applicants would be allocated lots. And like CH&PA’s regular house lots, these homeowners would have a specific time in which they must build.

In an interview at the time with the media, Forrester had revealed plans for a Police outpost to be erected, in addition to commercial spaces, green areas, and a mall that would have all essential services.

However, following the publication of the notice on Sunday, sources at the CH&PA indicated that Forrester was charged back in September of 2014 with converting to his own use $1.5 million given to him to purchase a house lot. He was subsequently granted bail in the amount of $150,000. It is unclear what came out of the matter.

The source noted that the CH&PA has been receiving a high number of complaints

from members of the public about Forrester’s alleged financial improprieties.

Guyana Times understands that these complaints have been made for some time now, but a senior CH&PA official has managed to keep them under wraps since the two share a long friendship.

This newspaper was told that the notice in Sunday’s newspaper was prompted by complaints against Forrester in Berbice.

Efforts to contact CEO of CH&PA, Lelon Saul, for a comment on the matter proved futile.

CH&PA has several projects in the pipeline in a bid to provide housing solutions. Last year, under the Housing Solution 2017 and Beyond project, CH&PA completed six duplexes and two elevated units at Perseverance on the East Bank of Demerara (ECD).

Father of 2 feared drowned after going missing at Kingston Seawall

A

father of two is now missing and presumed dead after he went missing at the Kingston Seawall late Sunday afternoon. The incident occurred sometime about 19:30h.

Dead is 22-year-old Dharshan Mohabir, called “Ravi”, of Second Street, Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

According to reports, Mohabir had gone with a group of friends to play cricket in the National Park on Sunday. However, after the game, they decided to go to the Seawall for a swim.

Mohabir’s friends claimed that while in the water, they saw him going down under the water and he appeared to be drowning.

However, none of the four were unable to go to his rescue owing to rough waves.

After he was not seen for some time, the Police were summoned, and his family

Missing: Dharshan “Ravi” Mohabir

informed.

The four friends were taken into custody for questioning by the Police.

The search continues for Mohabir’s body.

He leaves to mourn his wife and two children, aged one and two, as well as other relatives and friends.

GTT hit by...

from page 7

The company urges persons with pertinent information to contact the GTT Vandalism Hotline on 0908 or 226-2764. It would not be the first time that GTT has been faced with sabotage.

Previous incidents have also resulted in rewards being instituted for information Last year, after the company had reported that its cables had been sabotaged, a reward of $500,000 was offered for the capture of those responsible. The telecommunications giant had also announced that it planned to meet with the relevant Ministers of Government to discuss the spate of sabotage plaguing the company.

The company has previously lauded the role members of the respective communities where the sabotage was being conducted have played in capturing some saboteurs. The company had noted that those community members had acted on appeal of GTT to say something if they saw something.

The first act in the recent series of sabotage was detected on July 14, 2017,

one day before GTT officially launched the Blaze fibre-optic high-speed Internet. At one point, the company’s fibre-optic cable was also sabotaged at a time when it launched its high-speed LTE broadband in Essequibo.

The company had also revealed that, over a 12-month period from September 2016 onwards, their loss of service and restoration effort had equated to $50 million.

But there have been prosecutions.

Twenty-two-year-old Ricky Singh of Lot ‘F’ Grove, East Bank Demerara was in August placed on $350,000 bail upon being arraigned in court and denying that between July 22 and July 24, 2017, at Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara, he was caught vandalising and stealing the GTT fibre-optic cable.

Twenty-four-yearold fisherman Sanjay Seecharran of Grove Public Road, East Bank Demerara has also recently been jailed for three years after confessing to stealing fibre-optic cable from GTT.

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mondAY, october 29, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Chinese businesses sensitised on Guyana’s labour laws

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number of Chinese business owners were on Sunday sensitised on Guyana’s labour laws.

The seminar focused on the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act, Leave with Pay Act, Minimum Wage Order, Occupational Safety and Health Act, decent work as a philosophy and practice, and terms and conditions of employment.

The exercise, hosted at the Chinese Association, Brickdam, was led by Minister within the Social Protection Ministry, Keith Scott; Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle and other labour officers from the Ministry.

With the establishment of several large and small Chinese owned-businesses across the country, Minister Scott noted the timeliness and importance of the seminar in ensuring these business owners comply with the local labour laws.

It was highlighted that many businesses seeking to maximise profits often find themselves in contravention of the labour laws.

“Breaking those laws can affect your success and your

Chinese business owners in attendance at the sensitisation seminar on Sunday

continued survival. It is better to be educated with the requirements of our laws and comply with them, as opposed to relying on highpriced lawyers to fight your case in court,” Minister Scott stated.

Chief Labour Officer Ogle told the business owners the Labour Department (which falls under the Social Protection Ministry) focused on protecting the rights of workers. He explained its remit included ensuring payment of the minimum wage and above, ensuring workers’ contributions were made to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), and employees receive their annual leave.

Ogle also pointed out that employees should only work eight hours a day and

five days per week. If there is need for an employee to work beyond that, he noted, the employee is entitled to be paid overtime. According to Ogle, it is stipulated in the laws that every employer must have a “record of wages, a record of leave; the law says in Section 10 of the Labour Act, all employers must keep a record of wages. Also, under the Leave and Pay Act, Section Eight, stipulates that the employers must keep a record of the Leave with Pay Act,” he outlined.

The sensitising of foreign entrepreneurs on Guyana’s labour laws is an ongoing countrywide exercise by the Labour Department. A similar exercise is slated to be carried out with the Brazilian business owners.

Tourism workshop aims to boost regional tourism product

Stakeholders and representatives from the business community along with regional authorities during the workshop

G

uyana’s pristine natural attractions and unique cultural heritage make it a perfect getaway for visitors.

With this in mind, the Tourism Department of the Business Ministry is working along with the various regional authorities to develop several Regional Tourism Committees in order to expand Guyana’s tourism product.

The Department recently hosted a workshop with the regional authorities of Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) on October 25 in New Amsterdam.

Tourism Department Director General Donald Sinclair highlighted that these Regional Tourism Committees would be expected to be in the forefront of efforts to develop and market a strong and sustainable tourism product in the respective regions. This, in turn, will allow for the improvement of livelihoods, strengthening of communities, and enhancement of the physical environment.

According to Sinclair, workshops such as these are hosted to highlight and educate Guyanese on the hidden beauty and rich history of their homeland.

During the exercise, tourism stakeholders and regional authorities from both regions proposed activities that could be held in Berbice during the observation of Tourism Awareness Month in November. Some of the proposed activities were a street fair exhibiting the history of Berbice; a food festival showcasing Guyana’s diverse culinary dishes and a historic tour of the Ancient County.

Participants at the workshop were encouraged to promote their regions to the fullest, so that visitors will want to visit each region for its hospitality, historic views, cultural dishes and a clean and sustainable environment.

Attending the workshop were Region Six Deputy Regional Executive Officer Claude Henry; New Amsterdam Health Inspection Officer Ackloo Ramsudh; members of the Joint Services;

members of the business community; Regional Democratic Council (RDC) representatives and representatives from the Chambers of Commerce of both regions.

Sinclair said at the conclusion of all the workshops, the Tourism Department would assist the various regional authorities to create their Tourism Committee comprising a corps of individuals who would work to develop each region’s tourism product.

Similar workshops are also being held in different regions across the country.

Judge: Hold parents responsible for children’s criminal actions

A

High Court Judge in Trinidad and Tobago is call­ ing for the en­ act­ment of laws to hold par­ ents and guardians re­spon­ si­ ble for their chil­ dren’s crim­i­nal ac­tions.

De­liv­er­ing the ser­mon in his ca­pac­it­y as a lay min­is­ ter at the Mara­bel­la Pres­by­ ter­ian Church, Frank Seep­ er­ sad said some par­ ents ben­efi ­ t from the spoil’s of their chil­dren crim­i­nal ac­ tiv­it­ies while oth­ers turn a blind eye.

He al­so called for an over­ haul of the failed ed­uc­ a­tion­ al sys­ tem which, he says, does not in­cul­cate a sense of na­tion­al pride in youths.

Not­ing that the na­tion­al re­sponse to the re­cent dev­ as­tat­ing floods has re­sult­ed in a flood of re­newed hope in our sense of hu­ man­ it­y and broth­ er­ hood, he said, “This we-can-do-it at­ti­tude needs to be used tack­ le the on­ slaught of crim­i­nal­i­ty which con­fronts us.”

Point­ing out that the ma­ jor­i­ty of the crime is com­mit­

ted by youths, he said this is be­ cause fam­ il­y life has de­ te­ri­o­rat­ed. There is a lack of parental guid­ ance and the ed­u­ca­tion­al sys­tem has failed.

“Par­ents for too long have hid­ den be­ hind the phrase ‘yuh does make a child but not dey mind’ to ex­ plain their chil­dren’s tru­an­cy.

Far too many moth­ers have sanc­tioned crim­i­nal con­duct as they col­lect gro­cery mon­ ey from their un­ em­ ployed gang­ ster sons who wear shoes cost­ing thou­sands on­ly to cry out ‘he was a good boy’ when he is shot or ar­rest­ed.”

De­clar­ing that par­ent­ing is a di­vine and moral oblig­ a­tion, Seep­er­sad said, “We need to con­sid­er the en­act­ ment of parental re­ spon­ si­ bil­ it­y laws so as to im­ pose sanc­tions up­on par­ents and guardians whose poor­ ly in­ struct­ed and su­per­vised chil­ dren cre­ate hav­oc. The com­ mon law should be used to treat par­ents as ac­com­plices when they har­bour guns in their homes which their sons

use to com­mit a crime.”

Seep­ er­ sad said a range of al­ter­na­tive so­lu­tions, both ju­di­cial and com­mu­ ni­ ty-based, must be put in place to treat with sit­u­a­tions youths re­ fused to lis­ ten to their par­ents/guid­ance.

Ac­knowl­edg­ing that some par­ents face dif­fic­ ult cir­cum­ stances, he sug­gest­ed re­vert­ ing to that time when it took a vil­lage to raise a child, be­ ing more ac­com­mo­dat­ing in the work­ place or as­ sist­ ing with books or cloth­ing or oth­er sim­ple acts of kind­ness and en­cour­age­ment.

“We need to re­ vis­ it our schol­ar­ship sys­tem and con­ sid­er award­ing schol­ar­ships to pur­sue ar­eas of en­deav­our which can crit­i­cal­ly as­sist in our na­tion­al de­vel­op­ment needs. We have pro­duced cit­ i­zens with cer­ti­fic­ a­tion who lack a sense of cit­ iz­en­ ship and com­mu­ni­ty. The ex­ist­ ing sys­tem does not fos­ter a cul­ture of vol­un­teerism, na­ tion­al iden­ti­ty or skills of in­ ter­de­pen­dence.” (T&T Guardian)

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mondAY, october 29, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

3 women among 31 arrested LGE 2018 KUFP looking for clean sweep with during Police raids

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anks of the Guyana Police Force have arrested another 31 persons, this time from the East Bank and West Bank of Demerara, as they continue efforts to restore law and order throughout the country.

This recent ‘Operation Restore Order’ was executed on Sunday morning, during which the ranks conducted a number of cordon and search exercises in Divisions ‘A’ (EBD) and ‘D’ (WBD).

The pre-dawn simultaneous operations -- which involved more than 190 ranks, inclusive of senior officers -- were carried out in the villages of Kaneville and Diamond on the East Bank, and Westminster and La Grange on the West Bank.

Among the items recovered were: two flat screen televisions; a DVR; a Technical Pro music box; a Motorola handset; 15 cellular phones; a Technical Pro 1200-watt amplifier; two video cameras; a Toshiba laptop; two car rear view mirrors; a vehicle headlight; a desktop computer; monitor; 1500 grams of cannabis; a tablet; a toy gun; two digital scales, and $207, 740 cash.

Following the raids, a total of 31 persons, inclusive of three females, were ar-

women candidates leading charge

T

he Kwakwani Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) has 12 seats up for grabs in the upcoming Local Government Elections, and with nine women leading the charge, the independent group Kwakwani United For Progress (KUFP) is looking to grab all those seats.

The KUFP was founded in 2016 after Kwakwani resident Charles Thom saw the need for an independent group to keep the powers in check. The KUFP contested the 2016 LGE and got approximately 60 per cent of the votes, but because of the Proportional Representation System, KUFP gained only five of the 12 seats.

Juanita Leacock

Petranella Pollard

well represented with young people from various parts of Kwakwani. We have our vision for the development of Kwakwani, and we know the Government will work with us,” Thom said during

Petranella Pollard, Randy Williams, Michelle Rogers, Earlina Towler, Jennifer Edwards, current NDC Chair Juanita Leacock, Michell Simeon Watson, Loraine Fordyce, Maleka Russell, Lyndon Mc Calmont and Fay Rodriguez.

Leacock is a logger and a trained Medex. She was secretary of the Upper Berbice Forest and Agricultural Producers Association (UBFAPA) for two years, where she brought a higher standard to the secretary position. She excelled at representing the UBFAPA at national meetings, and was a regular invitee to national meetings, especially as a representative of women’s rights. She has been an NDC Councillor for three years, and took up the mantle as Chair about seven months ago.

Leacock has established herself as a Chair who is capable of doing all the managerial and contractual work, as well as representing Kwakwani at any level required by the NDC. Speaking about her experience at the helm of the NDC, Leacock said she is proud of what the NDC has accomplished in that short time.

“We have accomplished so much. Most of the issues we have had over the years are being solved. We will be pushing for more infrastructural development, as well as better health and education. Our education system is good, but is swamped at times. We need to do more training (of) our teachers and so on,” she said.

Leacock explained that the NDC will be pushing for a more developed health care system. She said the NDC will be pushing for more services to be offered at the Kwakwani Hospital, as opposed to having Kwakwani residents travel all the way to Linden or Georgetown to access certain healthcare services.

Some of the items which were found during the raid

rested for various offences, ranging from possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking to robbery under arms to unlawful possession and to wounding.

The Police have said

there were no incidents during the exercise.

Sunday’s raids followed a similar operation conducted on October 13, during which 38 persons, including one female, were arrested in Georgetown and on the East Coast of Demerara.

Those raids were centred in the East La Penitence Station District, which includes Guyhoc Park and part of Sophia, Greater Georgetown; as well as in Beterverwagting (BV) and in Sophia, Greater Georgetown, on the East Coast.

Maleka Russell

Earlina Towler

“We are the only independent group running in the Local Government Elections. We feel confident of doing better, and we are

a recent interview with this publication.

He told this newspaper that developmental plans for that riverine community include a heavier focus on infrastructural development. He explained that the infrastructure in the logging community needs upgrading.

“One of the major problems in Kwakwani is dust pollution, and we need to find ways of addressing that. We have no proper roads, and if we get the majority, we will push for asphalted or concretised roads, especially the major roads in the community. We need to get it done, and we understand that it will take collaborative work, and we are a group that does not have any party obligations; so we will work in the best interest of the people here,” Thom said.

“We have seen, over the years, that the parties in Georgetown put people who are not fit to be the leaders here. We want to have the community developed, and that is our priority right now. That is all we want,” Thom added.

Those on the list of candidates for the KUFP are

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mondAY, october 29, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Neurosurgeon offers Berbice students Guyana advised to use ICT to tertiary education financing improve classroom teaching …“find inner strength to conquer uncharted ground” – Dr Dukhi

S

keldon Line Path Secondary School has achieved 100 per cent passes in nine subjects, and has seen improvements in the areas of Mathematics and English.

Additionally, the school has recorded exemplary performances in all other subject areas.

This was disclosed by Headmistress of the school, Evett Johnson, at the school’s annual graduation exercise held on Friday last.

Johnson described the academic year as a “successful one.”

The headmistress is quoted by the Department of Public Information as saying that to further improve in the area of Mathematics, the school, through the Education Ministry, will be embarking on the Guyana Secondary Education/ Improvement Programme (GSE/IT), which will see the introduction of a “Math Lab” and the integration of national strategies to improve the subject area.

Meanwhile, delivering an emotional feature address at his alma mater, Neurosurgeon Dr Amarnauth Dukhi publicly announced the launch of the ‘Dr Amarnauth Dukhi Foundation’, which will as-

T

Neurosurgeon Dr Amarnauth Dukhi hands over the trophy to top student and valedictorian Yugeeta Kumar

sist students who do not have access to the necessary finances to pursue a tertiary education.

“It will serve to identify and help brilliant minds who would have excelled at CSEC exams but cannot afford a tertiary education. The foundation will finance their university education, so that they can harness their true potential…

It’s a way of giving back to the school where my dreams all started,” Dr Dukhi explained.

Dr Dukhi challenged the students to strive to be the best version of themselves. “….success is not the absence of fear, but the capability of overcoming it, finding that inner strength to

make a difference and succeeding in conquering uncharted ground…You do not need magic to transform your world, you carry all the power you need inside yourself already. Remember what you learn; teach, and what you receive give.”

The first beneficiary of the foundation was top student Yugeeta Kumar, who attained 16 subjects. Kumar was the second top performer for Region Six, and placed 17th in the country at this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination. The aspiring biochemist was given the opportunity to pursue a career of her choice at the University of Guyana.

Cacique Accounting College “Pink Out Saturday”

C

acique Accounting College, in collaboration with the Cancer Institute of Guyana, held its cancer awareness fair themed “Pink Out Saturday” over the weekend.

The students and staff of Cacique Accounting College benefited from cancer sensitisation. Demonstrations were done to teach students how to perform self-breast examinations. continued on page 14

…it will improve quality, delivery - ICT innovator

Students and staff of the Cacique Accounting College pose for a photo moment during their “Pink Out Saturday”

echnological innovation is changing the way that students learn and universities teach, and with an influx of new learning models available, traditional educational methods are bound to evolve in the next decade. As such, Guyana should make use of technology to advance education.

This is the advice of District Magistrate in the Indian State of Bihar, Kundan Kumar, who was in Guyana for the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) biennial conference, which was held at the Marriott Hotel between October 22 and 24.

Kumar, who led a team from India here, competed in the CAPAM competition.

Their project, the Unnayan Banka, won the Reinventing Education using Technology category. The programme, an interactive online and offline study method, was nominated by the Government of India.

The Indian national said the State of Bihar’s Banka district has re-invented the meaning of ‘smart classroom’ with the introduction of this new technology-based learning app, alongside continuous monitoring of students through a centralised tracking system.

He said the initiative is an employment generator while also creating a virtual classroom for subscribers.

According to Kumar, technology can be an enabler in providing solutions to problems in classrooms, and has proven to be successful in many areas.

In explaining how the model is working in India, he said most of the students belong to tribal communities and have been deprived of quality education for years.

The initiative has created hopes in the students and

District Magistrate in the Indian State of Bihar, Kundan Kumar

their families to excel in academics and provide much needed support to their families.

The programme, he said, began in August 2017 with 5 schools, and was for students of Class 12. It has now expanded to include 143 schools in the district. According to a report by the Indian Express, the programme has further expanded to facilitate smart class facilities for Class 9 students as well.

From Monday to Saturday, the students of 143 schools in Bihar’s Banka district are made to watch short audio-visuals in social studies, science and maths for an hour-and-a-half every day.

The topics of these short audio-visuals are chosen from the curriculum. During these sessions, the students are encouraged to take notes as they watch the videos.

Towards the end of each day, a sheet with five questions each from three subjects is given to the students.

These sheets are then evaluated by the students themselves with the help of the teacher in charge. Students evaluate each other’s work and upload the daily results on the app.

The progress of the students can be monitored by parents, students and administration officials through

the app itself. Kumar further said, “The centralised uploading of marks gives us a clear idea of how students have been faring in these three subjects, and also tells which school or area in the district needs intervention.”

With the use of this technology, the Indian District Magistrate posited, Guyana can use ICT to advance teaching.

“There are many constraints that crop into providing quality education to everyone…but technology is a great enable, (and) can provide many solutions to problems such as teachers’ absenteeism, low learning capacity, and assessment etc.” he added.

Kumar said Guyana can become an entire virtual classroom with the use of technology wherein people in the most remote part of Guyana can have access to education through technology.

“It is changing the landscape of education. It also reduces the barrier of getting an education, getting good quality education and good outcomes. It is very much needed,” he recommended.

He noted that both private and public sectors approve that technological innovations will continue to have major effects on teaching approaches over the coming years.

“Certainly it will be a core differentiator in attracting corporate partners and students in academic institutions.”

Distance learning and online programmes are gradually gaining a firm foothold in academic institutions all over the world, including right here at the University of Guyana and the National Center for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), among other places.

14 News

mondAY, october 29, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Hundreds walk to raise awareness about breast cancer

New agricultural co-op established in Linden A

Some of the participants at Sunday morning’s breast cancer awareness walk

“E

arly detection saves lives” was the chant as hundreds took to the streets of Georgetown on Sunday to raise awareness on breast cancer as part of the activities to observe Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The march, which was organised by the Public Health Ministry, commenced and culminated at Parade Ground on Middle Street, Georgetown.

Leading the march were Public Health Ministers Volda Lawrence and Dr Karen Cummings, along with First Lady Sandra Granger; Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and his wife, Sita; and several cancer survivors.

Cancer survivor Desiree Edghill said that the walk differed from similar walks in that it allowed cancer survivors to feel embraced. “When people see survivors walking,

I think that gives them some hope that I can fight this and I think what was good about this walk also is that there was a lot of education happening on the way … so, I think it is important that we continue to walk and continue to let people know that early detection saves lives,” Edghill underscored.

Also, a survivor, Public Health Minister Lawrence – who described herself as a ‘cancer warrior’ – said raising awareness was important, since many women experienced the symptoms, but were afraid to let people know or face the issue head-on.

“When we come out in the public and we show them that even a minister or anyone – it does not matter who you are, but you can have cancer and you can be a survivor, you can war against cancer. So, this is to encourage [persons] to come out and do their breast checks,” Minister

Lawrence is quoted as saying by the Department of Public Information (DPI).

Dr Cummings, the Minister within the Public Health Ministry, noted that the huge turnout demonstrated that more people were aware of the issue. The Minister said, “We certainly want to reduce the morbidity and mortality of cancers in general and more importantly, breast cancer, which is very common among women.

So, I know that persons will learn to examine themselves every month so they can save their lives.”

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Governments, civil society groups and NonGovernmental Organisations (NGOs) use this annual observation to raise awareness about the disease, and garner funds that will go towards research on treatments and a cure.

new agriculture cooperative society has been officially established in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) and according to its members, this is a major step towards the advancement of food security within the region.

The Madinah Strait Agricultural Cooperative Land Society Limited was established at Wisroc, Wismar, Linden. It has been registered and has been officially launched with the handing-over of the registration document and a tree-planting exercise.

The simple ceremony was held at the Cooperative site along the Wisroc Back Road and saw regional officials, members and others in attendance.

President of the newly-established Cooperative, Kwesi Parks said the initiative was aimed mainly at providing food for members of the community at large. "...For a very long time our region was out of such a wonderful programme...," he noted. While he explained that there were many challenges along the way, Parkes said the Co-op was commit-

Regional Chairman Renis Morian (centre); Co-op President Kwesi Parks (left) and a member of the new entity planting a tree to mark the official launch

ted to ensuring success. In strong support of the realisation of the Madinah Strait Cooperative was Regional Chairman Renis Morian, who offered words of encouragement to the newly-established Cooperative. He emphasised that togetherness was pivotal for its success. Morian said the initiative came to fruition owing

to hard work and dedication of Co-op members. The Regional Chairman handed over the registration document to the Co-op President and was gifted a plaque by the members for his continuous support throughout the process. A tree was planted to mark the official launch of the newly-registered entity.

North Rupununi leaders urged to create visionary, green sustainable projects

Cacique Accounting...

from page 13

The students were also educated on making healthy lifestyle changes, and free pap smear examinations were performed by members of the Cancer Institute of Guyana, Fiona Legall and her team.

Legall noted that she was quite impressed with the turnout and she was also happy to be given the

chance to make young people more aware of the signs, symptoms and risk factors associated with breast and cervical cancer.

Cacique Accounting College Director Fazal Bacchus said he recognised the importance of raising awareness on breast cancer and also all other types of cancer and saw it fit to bring

that awareness to the students.

In recognition of the work by the Cancer Institute, Cacique Accounting College made a monetary donation to the body and remained committed to a continuous partnership with the Institute in the fight against cancer.

Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock addressing village leaders at the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB) meeting at the Bina Hill Institute, Annai

“A

s leaders, we need to be visionaries and consider projects that will be of great benefit to the people. If we are going to progress, we must use the resources available to the best of our ability for the benefit of the people who elected us.”

This was the charge given to Toshaos and Senior Councillors of villages in the North Rupununi

by Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock on Friday last.

The Minister was speaking at the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB) meeting at the Bina Hill Institute, Annai District, where 16 village leaders were in attendance. He urged the North Rupununi village leaders to be for-

ward-thinking as they moved the development of their communities forward. Minister Allicock said that the Government has embarked on creating a Green State Development Strategy (GSDS) through which a number of projects will be executed across the regions, including solar farms and hydropower projects. He advised the leaders to consider green sustainable projects that would cause little or no damage to the natural environment, while generating an income for the village and creating employment for the people.

“You must look at what is needed in your village.

If you had flooding last year, what are you doing to avoid flooding this year?

Do you know your area? Do you know your resources?

You need to get started and be ready to access funding that is available to you. We at the Ministry are ready to support you,” the Minister was quoted as saying by the Department of Public Information (DPI).

Minister Allicock encouraged the Village Councils to organise members and elect persons who would represent the health, education, infrastructure, social services and security sectors. These individuals will liaise with the Regional Administration to ensure issues in those areas are addressed in a timely manner.

Minister Allicock further suggested that these concerns be forwarded to the Community Development Officer (CDO), who is in direct contact with the Minister.

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monDAY, october 29, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

VOX POPULI

What the people say

I SAY...

What do you know about Local Government Elections (LGE) and what changes would you like to see implemented by your constituency candidate?

Ian De Anointed Smith I am the constituency candidate for constituency 4 of Soesdyke Huist Coverden. Local Government Elections is a chance for the people to elect their leaders who have a more intimate connection with them and operate on a day to day basis. It is at this level that decisions are made that affect the everyday lives of people. As a candidate, I aim to be more in contact with the residents of my constituency, since there are a number of issues to be addressed. Poor Drainage and maintenance, no access to electricity in the grand-sand-road-hilltop area, the poor state of Roadways are a few of issues that I will address. More deeply, however, there is a general lack of unity, cooperation and awareness to LGE in my area and as a counsellor I will continue the sensitisation initiative. I have worked and made a community Centre available and will continue to work to ensure youths of my community & constituency are empowered.

Denisia Liddell With Local Government Elections, we get to elect leaders from within our constituencies. So far I have not seen any real significant changes in my area. But this time around I hope our constituency representative pays attention to the needs of the community.

Davika Seeraj Local Government Election is for the election of people in the community who will bring about change, and see that the lives of persons are better than it was before. This year, it would be good to see that those who are elected continue to show their input in the development of the village and advocate for a better quality of living.

Shamian Wilson My community of Kwakwani needs further development. It is quite small and there isn’t much that can be done, however, I believe the size of my community makes it easier for us to have it further developed into something greater than it currently is. We have a lot of space, like water holes etc., that can become sight attractions. As such I believe that we should have, as I said, more development.

respective communities. In my community, I think that we urgently need someone to look into the teenage boys who are walking the streets and are already becoming drug addicts. It is so sad to see, they need an urgent intervention!

Shaunell Wilson Well I know LGE is the elections where persons are elected to represent their

Dalon Chapman I know that Local Government Elections is supposed to put the power back into the hands of the local people. Changes I would like to see are repairs to the Block 22 roads in Diamond, better opportunities for young people and more business developments in the community.

Rovanna Nichols Local Government Elections is about you and about your rights; your entitlement to choose the people who you want to represent you at the community level; that is what it is all about. For me, the things in my area that I am most concerned about are street lights. We need more street lights in the Sophia area since that area is known to be associated with a lot of criminal activities. So that is one area I would like out newly elected constituency Candidate to look into after LGE.

New Attorney pledges support to domestic violence victims

F

ollowing six years of continuous academic studies, 26-yearold Suriyha Sabsook on Thursday last realised her dream of becoming a lawyer.

This is as the legal Bar of Guyana continues to welcome a number of young professionals, allowing Sabsook to officially start her career as a legal practitioner. She took her legal practitioner oath before Justice Navindra Singh at the Berbice High Court.

Sabsook, who hails from Rose Hall Town, Berbice, has a strong passion for criminal law. She commenced her ascent to the Bar by pursuing A-Level courses at the School of the Nations.

Immediately after, Sabsook earned herself a spot in the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) programme at the University of Guyana, after which she took on her Legal Education Certificate (LEC) at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and graduated earlier this year.

The new Attorney, after her admission to the Bar on Thursday, pledged her assistance to reduce instances of domestic violence that pervades the Rose Hall Town area and

New Attorney-at-Law Suriyha Sabsook and Justice Navindra Singh pose for a photo at the Berbice High Court

teen suicide. She also expressed her care for the environment and committed herself to its protection, whether as an advocate or with general policy.

She thanked her moth-

er, Petal Sabsook, who she said was her greatest supporter and best friend.

Justice Singh advised the young Attorney to grow with her experiences while maintaining her integrity.

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guyanatimesgy.com

mondAY, october 29, 2018

Regional

Brazil elections: Bolsonaro headed for sweeping victory

Jair Bolsonaro and his wife, Michelle voted in Rio

It has been a divisive election in which supporters of the rival candidates have at times clashed

F

ar-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro is heading for a sweeping victory in Brazil's presidential election, according to exit polls.

The polls suggest

Bolsonaro has 56 per cent of the votes and his rival from the left-wing Workers Party, Fernando Haddad, has 44 per cent in the second and final round of presidential elections.

Bolsonaro campaigned on a promise to eradicate corruption and to drive down Brazil's high crime levels.

The election campaign has been deeply divisive.

Millions of Brazilians are

choosing between two very different politicians to be their next president.

The election has been overshadowed by corruption scandals and a knife attack on Bolsonaro in which he lost 40 per cent of his blood and needed emergency surgery.

The 63-year-old former army Captain is from the small, conservative Social

Liberal Party. His provocative statements on abortion, race, migration, and homosexuality have earned him the nickname "Trump of the Tropics".

Haddad, a 55-year-old former São Paulo Mayor and Education Minister, is the son of a family of Lebanese immigrants.

He replaced former President Luiz Inácio Lula

da Silva, currently serving a 12-year prison sentence on corruption charges, as the presidential candidate for the Workers' Party less than a month before the first round of the election.

One of Bolsonaro's flagship campaign issues has been to increase security for Brazilian citizens. He has portrayed himself as a hardliner who will restore safety to Brazil's streets, indicating that his government will aim to relax laws restricting the ownership and carrying of guns.

His economic policy plans include proposals to reduce Government "waste" and promises to reduce State intervention in the economy.

He has also said that he will "cleanse" Brazil of corrupt politicians, and that Brazil could pull out of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. (Excerpt from Reuters)

New US-bound group Holness, Malta President accept honorary of migrants sets off chairmanship of Global Resilience Centre from El Salvador

A

new group of migrants bound for the United States set off from El Salvador on Sunday, following thousands of other Central Americans fleeing poverty and violence who have taken similar journeys in recent weeks.

The group of more than 300 Salvadorans left the capital San Salvador on Sunday. A larger group of mostly Hondurans, estimated to number at least 3500, who left their country in mid-October and are now in southern Mexico, has become a key issue in US congressional elections.

A third group has been moving through Guatemala, at one point numbering more than 1000 people before beginning to fragment.

Hundreds of that group

broke through a Guatemala border gate in Tecun Uman, and on Sunday afternoon were on the bridge into Mexico.

US President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans have sought to make immigration a major issue ahead of November 6 elections, in which the party is battling to keep control of Congress.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on “Fox News Sunday” said Trump was determined to use every authority he had to stop immigrants from crossing the border illegally.

“We have a crisis at the border right now ... This caravan is one iteration of that, but frankly we essentially see caravans every day with these numbers,” she said.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

J

amaica Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has announced that Prime Minister Andrew Holness and President of Malta, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca have accepted the role of honorary chairman to the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre.

According to a release from the Tourism Ministry, the announcement follows Bartlett's recent meeting with Coleiro Preca, who is also Patron of the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation (MTF), to discuss the country's possible participation and collaboration, in the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre.

“We recognise that the time for partnership in resilience building is now giv-

Jamaican Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett (right ) in a light moment at the San Anton Palace with Malta President and Patron of the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca and former Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, Taleb Rifai. The occasion was the announcement of the acceptance of Preca as coHonorary Chairman of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre

en the increase in global disruptions such as hurricanes, earthquakes and cybercrimes and I am pleased that Jamaica as a thought leader is the driver of this

initiative. This acceptance highlights the partnership between two vulnerable States which will allow for deeper dialogue on building more resilient and sustain-

able tourism in both countries,” Bartlett said.

The Centre, which will be housed at the University of the West Indies, Mona (UWI), is being designed to help vulnerable States across the world, to recover quickly from natural disasters. It will specifically target destination preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and/or crises that threaten economies and livelihoods globally, with real time data and effective communication, the release said.

The official launch of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre is scheduled for January 2019, during the Caribbean Travel Marketplace, which will be held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre. (Excerpt from

Jamaica Observer)

Antigua: Top Cop suspended shortly after Bermuda sends violent child sex offender to UK for treatment winning case against earlier suspension

T

he ink was hardly dry on the ruling of Justice Godfrey Smith, who on Saturday quashed the suspension of Police Commissioner Wendel Robinson, before the Police Service Commission (PSC) issued another suspension letter for Robinson to one of his lawyers.

The letter, reportedly hand delivered to Attorney Cosbert Cumberbatch mere hours after Robinson’s victory, said the Top Cop was suspended, this time pending the hearing and outcome of internal dis-

ciplinary charges of discreditable conduct under Section 105 of the Constitution, which

speaks to the Appointment, Etc, Of Police Officers, and he will be informed of the next step.

These charges were filed last month, even while the Court was yet to determine whether Robinson’s first suspension on April 5 was lawful.

He had been suspended indefinitely, without any explanation of what would be next.

Sources close to the matter said the latest administrative action was pre-planned, in the event that Robinson won the argument that his first sus-

West Indies (UWI), St Augustine Campus says the 4.1 magnitude earthquake occurred at 11:36h (local time).

It was locat-

ed at Latitude: 11.11N,Longitude: 61.93W and at a depth of 10 km.

The quake was reportedly felt in the towns of Arima and Diego Martin.

Police Commissioner Wendel Robinson

pension was unfair, unlawful and null and void.

So, while he was celebrating with the support of friends and fellow officers who showed up at the High Court for the ruling which was delivered via Skype, the PSC was already sitting with its legal advisers, finalising the recent suspension papers, ensuring that Robinson would not make it back to his office at Police Headquarters to sit as Commissioner of Police until all legal battles have been thrashed out. (Excerpt from Antigua

Observer)

Another earthquake rocks T&T

A

nother earthquake was felt in sections of Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday.

The Seismic Centre at the University of the

It was also felt in Grenada.

This is the seventh earthquake to be felt in the twin-island republic in the last week. (CMC)

N

ational Security Minister Wayne Caines has confirmed that a violent 33-year-old Bermudian child sex offender has been sent to a high-security hospital in Britain for detention and treatment.

Merrick Seaman was transferred to the hospital in Northampton, in England's East Midlands, seven weeks ago after the Supreme Court ruled he would “likely” cause harm to the community if no action was taken.

Seaman had been held under the Mental Health Act at the Corrections Department's Co-Educational Facility at Ferry Reach in St George's for three months after he was moved from the high-security Westgate Correctional Facility in Dockyard.

In 2011, Seaman was jailed for eight years after he was convicted of a serious sex assault on a five-year-old girl.

“I can confirm that on

September 4 Mr Seaman was transferred to a suitable clinical location in the UK for the necessary treatment. He is no longer under the care or supervision of the Bermuda Department of Corrections,” Caines said.

Then Chief Justice Richard Ground ruled the offender should serve his sentence at Westgate rather than be detained under a Mental Health Act order. Seaman was eligible for parole in April 2013, but it was recommended that his release should be delayed until the risk of him committing further offences was reduced.

He was given another psychiatric review the following year after he said: “I intend to go on a killing spree when I get out of jail.”

Seaman was convicted of wounding another inmate in 2016, which earned him an extra nine months on his sentence. (Excerpt from CMC)

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mondAY, october 29, 2018

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Around the World

Pittsburgh synagogue victims named Germany election: Further blow for after worst attack on Jews in US

A

97-year-old woman, two brothers and a couple in their 80s were among the 11 worshippers murdered at a Pittsburgh synagogue in the deadliest attack ever on the Jewish community in the United States, officials said on Sunday.

The suspected gunman, 46-year-old Robert Bowers of Pittsburgh, stormed the building during a Saturday morning service. He also wounded six others, including four Police Officers, before being arrested.

Bowers, who had made anti-Semitic posts online and shouted about killing Jewish people during the attack, has been charged with federal hate crimes and could face the death penalty. He will appear before a judge this afternoon, US Attorney Scott Brady said at a news conference.

“The fact that this attack took place during a worship service makes it even more heinous,” Brady

Mourners grieve upon visiting an impromptu memorial at the Tree of Life synagogue following Saturday's shooting at the synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US, October 28, 2018

said.

The Tree of Life synagogue in the city’s Squirrel Hill neighbourhood, a heavily Jewish area, was holding a Shabbat religious service when the gunman burst in.

Five of the victims lived in Squirrel Hill and the rest were from other Pittsburgh neighbourhoods and communities surrounding the city.

The mass shooting prompted security alerts at houses of worship around the country and condemnation from politicians and religious leaders.

It followed a spate of pipe bombs found mailed in recent days to prominent political figures, mostly Democrats including former US President Barack Obama, ahead of November 6 congressional elections.

figures including ex-President Barack Obama and actor Robert de Niro.

Two were found in Florida and New York City on Friday morning.

Later, two more were discovered in California.

Billionaire and Democrat donor Tom Steyer said that a package sent to him had been intercepted at a mail facility in Burlingame, and another addressed to Democrat Senator Kamala Harris was reported in

Sacramento.

The incidents come less than two weeks before the US mid-term elections, with politics highly polarised.

The President praised law enforcement for the quick arrest of the suspect, describing the search as looking for a "needle in a haystack".

"These terrorising acts are despicable and have no place in our country," he said. (Excerpt from BBC News)

“We’ll get through this darkest day of Pittsburgh history by working together,” the city’s Mayor, Bill Peduto, told reporters.

David and Cecil Rosenthal, 54 and 59-yearold brothers; Sylvan Simon, 86, and his wife Bernice Simon, 84; Joyce Fienberg, 75; Richard Gottfried, 65; Jerry Rabinowitz, 66; Daniel Stein, 71; Melvin Wax, 88 and Irving Younger, 69, were killed, according to officials.

The oldest victim was Rose Mallinger, 97, of Squirrel Hill.

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump told reporters the killings might have been prevented if there had been an armed guard. Synagogue officials said Police would only normally have been present for security on high holidays.

Peduto on Sunday said that keeping guns out of the hands of irrational people was a better way to prevent violence. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Merkel in Hesse

B

oth the parties in German Chancellor Angela Merkel's governing coalition have suffered heavy losses in a regional election, early results show.

Her centre-right CDU party and the centre-left SPD were each 10 per cent down on the previous election in Hesse state.

SPD leader Andrea Nahles said the federal government's poor performance had "significantly" contributed to the disappointing result.

She told reporters the state of the Government was "unacceptable".

The federal government must find a "reasonable way of working", after what looks to be the SPD's worst result in the western state since 1946.

The CDU must agree to a "clear, binding roadmap"

ahead of a scheduled coalition review next year. "Then we'll be able to check whether this government is still the right place for us," she said.

Both the CDU and the SPD have seen their support slip nationally in recent months, and the coalition has already come close to collapse.

"The message to the parties ruling in Berlin is people want fewer disputes and more focus on the important issues," state premier and CDU member Volker Bouffier told supporters.

Meanwhile, the left-leaning Greens surged into third place in the Hesse regional government, with about 19.5 per cent.

And the far-right AfD will enter the regional assembly for the first time, having secured about 12 per cent of the vote. (Excerpt from BBC News)

US mail bombs: Man charged after Sri Lanka shooting: 1 dead campaign against Trump critics amid political crisis

A

56-year-old man has been arrested in Florida in connection with a mail-bombing campaign aimed at critics of US President Donald Trump.

US officials named the man as Cesar Sayoc. He faces five charges including mailing explosives and threatening ex-presidents.

Trump said the acts were "despicable and have no place in our country".

Fourteen items have been sent in recent days to

Drowning kangaroo rescued by Australian Police Officers

imal became spooked and leapt back into the sea – this time with the two officers in hot pursuit. (Excerpt from BBC News)

O

ne person has been killed in Sri Lanka after the bodyguard of a sacked minister fired at a mob amid a growing political crisis.

The incident happened after President Gamaralalage Maithripala Yapa Sirisena sacked the Cabinet, suspended Parliament and appointed former strongman president Mahinda Rajapaksa as the new Prime Minister.

Opponents say this is unconstitutional, but Sirisena denies this.

He said differences with Rajapaksa's predecessor made it inevitable.

Ranil Wickramasinghe insists he is still Prime Minister. He has refused to leave the official residence and wants the opportunity to prove in Parliament that

Sacked Oil Minister Arjuna Ranatunga (centre) was escorted to safety wearing a military helmet and fatigues

he still commands a majority.

The shooting took place as Arjuna Ranatunga, who was oil minister in the sacked Cabinet, tried to enter his office at the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation.

Protesters were trying to block his entry.

A 34-year-old man died

shortly after being admitted to hospital, health officials said. Two others were injured in the shooting.

Ranatunga, a 54-yearold former national cricket team captain, was rushed from the scene by Police commandos in a helmet and body armour. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Abe and Modi to discuss trade, security in Japan summit

Sergeants Christopher Russo and Kirby Tonkin were just in time to grab the kangaroo before it drowned

T

wo Australian Police Officers have described the moment they jumped into the sea to rescue a drowning kangaroo.

Sergeants Christopher Russo and Kirby Tonkin dragged the unconscious animal out of the water and performed chest compressions to revive it.

The kangaroo is now recovering after the dramatic rescue in the Mornington Peninsula area, south of Melbourne.

Sgt Tonkin said it was a

"good feeling", adding "every life is worth saving and we just did what we could".

The incident happened in the late afternoon on Saturday.

Local resident Mia Grant saw the kangaroo bounce across the road towards Safety Beach. "I saw him swimming and started filming, but he suddenly got caught in the backwash of the waves so we got him out and waited for Police," she told Australian media.

But the exhausted an-

J

apanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has welcomed his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to Japan, hosting a private dinner at his villa near Mount Fuji to kick-off two days of talks on trade and security in the Indo-Pacific region.

The two leaders are scheduled to hold formal talks in Tokyo today that will also likely touch on China's growing power in the region.

Abe himself had just returned from China, where he held talks with President Xi Jinping.

This is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's third visit to Japan as PM; the two leaders last met in November 2016 [Reuters]

Abe and Modi are expected to issue a joint

communiqué on strengthening security coopera-

tion and measures aimed at pursuing a "free and open Indo-Pacific", Kyodo News agency reported on Sunday, citing an unnamed Japanese Foreign Ministry official.

Their statement is expected to include improved cooperation between the two countries and the United States amid efforts to counter China's expansion in the South China Sea. Japan and India are set to hold their first joint military exercises involving ground forces in November.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

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mondAY, october 29, 2018

ARCHIE

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dilbert

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Peanuts

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Calvin and Hobbes

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Getting upset will not help a situation you face at home or work. Take care of your responsibilities and move on to something you enjoy doing. Physical activity will relieve stress.

A change will do you good. Schedule a business trip or meeting, or sign up for a course that will add to your qualifications. A positive change will lead to solid relationships.

Don’t let others get you down. Put on a happy face and do something you enjoy.

A good workout will help clear your head so that you can move forward with confidence.

Share your feelings with a loved one. Make arrangements that will push you to get out more and participate in events that will help you advance.

Watch your step. If you make a snap decision, you will end up regretting it.

Don’t take on too much or make promises you cannot keep. Don’t disregard someone’s complaints.

If you say what’s on your mind, positive change will result. Take control of whatever situation you face so that you can make a difference. Love and romance are encouraged.

Personal improvement LIBRA (Sept. 23- should be your focus. Taking Oct. 23) better care of your health through proper diet and exercise will bring positive results in every aspect of life.

WORD GAME TODAY’S WORD — ATTIRES (ATTIRES: uh-TYE-ers: Dresses or clothes.)

SUDOKU

SATURDAY’S WORD — CONSCIENCE nice niece nine noes noise nonce none nones nose scene scenic science scion

sconce scone secco seen seine since sine sone sonic icon incense ensconce

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

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

Stay focused on what’s important. Refuse to let anyone bait you into an argument.

Expand your knowledge to gain insight into what’s important. Romance is favoured.

Consider what others say, SAGITTARIUS but don’t act on what you (Nov. 23- hear. Go to the source to valiDec. 21) date information you receive.

Protect yourself against being misinterpreted and don’t be a conduit for false information.

Average mark 35 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 50 or more words in ATTIRES? The list will be published Monday.

cense cisco coin cone concise conic conies conn cosine once oscine nene neon

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

solution for LAST PUBLISHED puzzle AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Share your feelings and thoughts with the people who will be affected by the decisions you make. Being open to change will help you clear up misconceptions.

Do your own thing, instead of giving in to someone else’s pressure. Put your energy into constructive projects that are geared toward self-improvement.

Participate in events that will allow you to show off your skills, knowledge and experience. You’ll make a good impression that will lead to an offer you cannot refuse.

Romance is highlighted.

mondAY, october 29, 2018

19

Suárez hits hat-trick as Barcelona demolish insipid Real Madrid A

t half-time in the clásico, Luis Suárez walked off with a heavy-legged, frustrated stride, head in his hands, muttering to himself, annoyed that he had wasted the opportunity to end this game – and, quite possibly, Julen Lopetegui’s time in charge of Real Madrid. At full-time, Suárez walked off holding the match ball, scorer of a wonderful hattrick in a match that may well be Lopetegui’s last.

Real Madrid’s manager insisted that he has the “strength” to carry on, and vowed that Madrid will improve, insisting, “this team has a future, I am sure of that” but he must be aware how weak his position is now. The Bernabéu board, already convinced that a change of coach was necessary, did not see anything to alter that view here.

“I’m sad, it’s a tough blow, but I have strength to continue and the belief that things will improve,” Lopetegui said, but few at the club agree and he knows that.

“We know how the world of football works; I’m the coach and the coach holds ultimate responsibility although there are other factors,” he said.

Lopetegui felt his team had deserved more and for a moment, it is true, it appeared that Madrid might react, their managed resuscitated and perhaps even rescued, but ultimately they were ripped apart. When Arturo Vidal headed in, it was Barcelona’s fifth. These are not the kind of results from which Madrid managers return, still less in the recent context: Madrid have now won just once in

Luis Suárez beats Thibaut Courtois to complete his hat-trick

six games – and if this is to be the end for Lopetegui, it was a painful one, leaving his team in ninth place, seven points behind their greatest rivals.

Nor was it just the scoreline; it was the sensations too. In the first 45 minutes here, Madrid didn’t exist: they were, put bluntly, awful. Simply not there. And while they did react in the second half, while they made a game of this, it was insufficient. In the final minutes, they were beaten and broken, in pieces and at risk of conceding even more.

And all that was without Lionel Messi, which rather undermined

Lopetegui’s laments about injury. The Argentinian watched from the stands as Suárez took centre stage. There was a superb performance too from Jordi Alba.

And while Lopetegui’s position is ever more precarious, Ernesto Valverde emerged enhanced, his changes making a huge difference: Ousmane Dembélé, Vidal and Sergi Roberto, moved into midfield, were the ones who closed this game out amidst the delighted din.

Barcelona took the lead in the 11th minute, 30 passes completed before Ivan Rakitic delivered the ball that broke through, a long diagonal over Nacho to Alba. He

raced forward and as Suárez ran into the six-yard box, Madrid’s players going with him, Alba pulled back for Philippe Coutinho to finish from by the penalty spot.

The Camp Nou erupted; Madrid barely moved. Coutinho had a shot blocked and Arthur Melo drew a sharp save from Thibaut Courtois, but it wasn’t the chances that defined this. What did was an overwhelming sense of superiority.

It felt almost as if Barcelona could have ended it sooner had they sought to accelerate. The ball was theirs and theirs alone, Rakitic, Arthur and Sergio Busquets exercising control, Alba leaving Nacho

exposed and vulnerable. From Madrid, there was no reaction, no resistance, and soon the lead was doubled, Suárez brought down by Raphaël Varane and scoring the penalty himself.

The second half saw a Madrid fightback, even if it was to prove short-lived. Lopetegui shifted to three at the back and the response was swift, Marcelo halving the deficit five minutes later, seemingly setting up a whole new game.

“We had chances to have equalised or led,” Lopetegui said. Sergio Ramos dived to head over, Luka Modric struck the post and Karim Benzema should have scored with a header from nine yards. Barcelona though saw out the storm and in Suárez they had an outlet unlike any other. They also made changes which worked perfectly.

Dembélé was sent on by Valverde, and almost straight away was running at defenders.

He spread it wide to Sergi Roberto, moved into midfield when Semedo was introduced, who clipped in a cross. Suárez’s neck strained and his header, full of intent, flew powerfully into the net beyond Courtois. Soon Sergi Roberto battled with Ramos and released Suárez again, ready to dink the ball wonderfully over Courtois.

Madrid were finished but the game was not just yet, Dembélé wriggling clear andcrossing for Vidal to score.

“Whoever doesn’t bounce is a Madridista!” the stadium chanted and all around they bounced.

Lopetegui just watched, lost and long gone. (The Guardian)

Svitolina beats Stephens for biggest win of career

E

lina Svitolina beat Sloane Stephens to claim the biggest title of her career at the WTA Finals in Singapore.

The first Ukrainian to be crowned champion, Svitolina recovered from a difficult start to win 3-6 6-2 6-2.

Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, controlled the first set but Svitolina broke three times in the second.

The 24-year-old then repeated the feat in the decider to become the first player to go unbeaten at the tournament since Serena Williams in 2013.

"It is amazing. I am very pleased with my performance this week," said Svitolina, who has won her past nine finals on the WTA Tour and not lost one in the last two seasons.

"There were nerves early on but I was just trying to fight for every ball and I think that made the difference in the end."

American Stephens, the world number six, raced into a 3-0 lead in the opening set and the 25-year-old went on to wrap it up in 46 minutes.

Elina Svitolina presented with the trophy by Billie Jean King following her win over Sloane Stephens in the final

The trend of this tournament suggested the match would go to three sets, however - 10 matches have gone the distance this week,

beating the previous high of six and it duly did so when Svitolina ran away with the second set.

And the world number seven

continued her dominance into the final set, breaking three times once more to secure the title.

"Sloane played amazing ten-

nis so I really had to play my best tennis to win," Svitolina added.

Stephens, making her debut at the event, won all three of her group matches and then beat Karolina Pliskova in the semi-final.

"It is not the way I wanted to finish but I worked really hard to get here and I can be really proud of my result today so I am really pleased with that," she said.

The WTA Finals feature the leading eight players of the year, split into two groups of four for round-robin matches before the semi-finals and final.

This year, ninth-ranked Kiki Bertens was given a chance after world number one Simona Halep was ruled out with a lower-back injury.

Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki went out at the group stage and has since revealed she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in August.

The Finals were held in Singapore for the fifth and final time before moving to the Chinese city of Shenzhen next year. (BBC Sport)

20

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Hamilton wins 5th Formula 1 world title at Mexico Grand Prix M

easured even by the exceptional standard he has set in dominating Formula One, Lewis Hamilton, in taking his fifth title in Mexico, has unquestionably raised the bar to new heights.

We, like he, should revel in his achievements. If motor racing’s history is defined by drivers, this must surely now be considered the Hamilton era.

Delivering the championship was proof, were any needed, that not only is he at the peak of his powers but that as things stand no one can match him.

The race was won by Max Verstappen for Red Bull but Hamilton’s fourth place was enough to seal the title. The British driver knew what he had to do and delivered, as he has so often this season.

A celebratory win would doubtless have been welcome but Hamilton’s remarkable run to the title has repeatedly been defined by his ability to play the long game, exercising the judgment of champions to optimise every situation.

Daring and committed when required but also exercising ruthless control when called for.

At the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez he faced a tense race, struggling with tyre wear and vibration but was calm and considered in conceding places when necessary and carefully

Lewis Hamilton overcame a lockup in Mexico to ensure he secured his fifth Formula One world title

bringing his car home.

Hamilton and Mercedes entered the weekend sticking to their game plan of taking each race as it comes and the British driver insisted he would race as normal from third on the grid. They were unable to quite do so as Mercedes were left at the end wondering just where their performance had gone. Yet Hamilton and the team wanted to close it out in Mexico and proceeded to do with disciplined attentiveness.

He needed only seventh place or better to take the title and ensured he did so.

When the celebrations in Mexico City finally die down,

Hamilton may consider his fifth title, equalling the great Juan Manuel Fangio and only two behind Michael Schumacher’s record, as perhaps the most satisfying of his career. His first for McLaren in 2008 will never be forgotten but this was the climax to a season when the 33?year?old had admitted Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel had presented a challenge like no other he had faced.

That he has closed it out with two races remaining perhaps does a disservice to just how hard he has had to work. The season had opened with Ferrari and Mercedes

evenly matched but the Scuderia took the advantage in the development war, giving Vettel the faster car from the British Grand Prix onwards.

With the points gap between them now so cavernous it is worth noting that until the German Grand Prix, the 11th meeting of the season and only eight races ago, the lead had changed hands five times. Before Germany, at Silverstone, Vettel was leading by eight points.

Hockenheim perhaps summed up the difference between the two and began the run that gathered an almost inexorable momentum,

which culminated in Mexico.

Hamilton won in Germany from 14th with Vettel crashing out after an error in the wet. On the podium the British driver stood, arms outstretched, head raised to the heavens amid glowering skies, thunder, lightning and torrential rain.

Had a flight of valkyries swept across the track it would have been almost fitting as Hamilton enjoyed the blow he had struck.

It was the first in what turned into a barrage. He left Germany with a 17-point lead, one that would not be surrendered again and went on to win six of the eight races since then. Indeed the numbers brook no argument.

He has nine wins to Vettel’s five and nine poles to Vettel’s five.

He has endured a mechanical retirement, where Vettel has had none and until Mexico had only twice not finished on the podium.

Which reflects why it is he, not Vettel, who takes the crown. Where Hamilton has been almost flawless, after a string of misjudgments across the season by the German and Ferrari their chances had all but gone. Vettel had to win in Mexico and managed only second, in front of his teammate Kimi Räikkönen.

Verstappen’s win was a fine drive as he took the

lead into turn one and held it throughout the race. It is his fifth victory and his second this year makes it two in row in Mexico after he took the flag here last year. In a race where tyre wear dominated the Dutchman proved to have the measure of his rubber and the opposition, with a composed performance that once again proves what great potential he has.

Hamilton had made a great start into second but with the Mercedes struggling for pace and heavy on its tyres he could not hold the place.

A nervy lock-up that sent him off when being passed by Daniel Ricciardo was the most dangerous moment in a race when he was extraordinarily circumspect in ensuring he did not over-engage in battles at the expense of the war.

Expectations had been high that Hamilton would take the championship at the last round in the US yet denied there it was but a postponement.

Hamilton, like all the great champions, knew how to turn the screw and end it with clinical finality in Mexico, a race that was ultimately only the coda to a peerless collection of performances. A fifth title was deserved vindication of a season Hamilton will long treasure and fair warning that he has more to come. (The Guardian)

Khan's choke headlines Pakistan's 3-0 whitewash of Australia

I

t shaped up as the most competitive match of the series, but in the end, Australia couldn't keep up with Pakistan. A 93-run opening stand between Sahibzada Farhan and Babar Azam - who top-scored for Pakistan yet again with 50 - took Pakistan to a total in a region that's been too good for Australia all series. This time they reached a square 150, and even though the visitors started brightly -

post in excess of 170. This time Farhan, playing just his second T20I, was his partner in crime.

His first T20I had also come against Australia, in the final of the tri-series in Harare, where he had been run out for 0. This was a far more memorable game for him, as he took responsibility for assuming the Fakhar Zaman role, smashing three sixes and two fours on his way to 39. His stand of 93 with Babar, which was the

carried the momentum with them into the chase.

It showed in the way Alex Carey, promoted to open the batting for Australia, played Imad. In the first two games, Imad was the man who built the pressure for the bowlers that followed , but here Carey dismantled him spectacularly, smashing two fours and two sixes in the first over as the asking rate came sliding down to under

Shadab Khan starred with the ball for Pakistan with figures of 3 for 19

Imad Wasim was dispatched for 20 in the first over - the pressure of Pakistan's bowling took its toll on Australia. Aaron Finch's men ended up comfortably second best, bowled out for 117. That's what they've been in comparison to Pakistan all tour, and that's how they go home.

In their own way, these three T20Is have been uncannily similar. Particularly so the first innings, where a big partnership up top for Pakistan (inevitably involving Babar) has set Pakistan on their way to a total that, with the right finish, would see them

biggest partnership all series, set Pakistan on their way to a score Australia would find too steep.

Yet again, though, Australia hit back in the death overs with regular wickets to prevent Pakistan running away with it.

Adam Zampa, who has been excellent all series, kept a leash on Sarfraz Ahmed's men in the middle overs, and there was time for vice-captain Mitchell Marsh to bowl the penultimate over which removed both Shoaib Malik and Faheem Ashraf. Only 11 came off the last two overs, and it seemed Australia had

seven with just six balls bowled.

But Australia couldn't get a partnership going, and when Finch and Carey fell within three balls of each other, Pakistan had already climbed their way back into the ascendancy.

Australia finished the Powerplay with exactly as many runs as Pakistan had managed in that passage of play - 54 - but the eighth over was the one that really killed them off. Shadab Khan broke through with his first delivery, with Lynn holing the ball to deep midwicket as he tried to play against the turn. But the gut

punch was to follow four balls later.

Ben McDermott had been playing adroitly in a cameo that might, with more luck, have become a match-winning innings. But a nasty mix-up with Glenn Maxwell at the other end saw him race through for a single even though Maxwell had stopped after no more than two steps. He was well past the point of no return before he became alert to the danger, and for the third time in three matches, McDermott had been run out.

It is the only way he has ever been dismissed in international cricket; the only other game he played he ended his innings unbeaten. Even the most ardent Pakistan fan might have been able to spare some sympathy for him as he dragged himself off, seething.

From there on, Pakistan's fielding was on a different planet altogether. More precisely, it was simply the Shoaib Malik Show.

The bowlers began to circle as they smelt blood, and the 36-year old Malik was just as watchful of the moment. The first, to dismiss Maxwell off Shadab, was simple enough, but as they got harder, Malik rose to the challenge.

Mitchell Marsh holed out with a half-hearted shot to long on, and Malik had to scamper across to take a smart, diving catch.

The third one was best of all, driving the final nail into an already fairly secure Australian coffin. D'Arcy Short pulled a back of a length Usman Khan ball to the midwicket boundary, and while it didn't have enough to clear the ropes, it seemed he might get a couple. Malik was in no mood to allow that, though, as he sprinted left from long-on at speeds 36-year old legs didn't

seem capable of sustaining. He got there with the ball inches from the ground, sliding to complete a remarkable catch that had Mickey Arthur purring in the pavilion.

From that point on, Hasan Ali toyed with the Australian tail as Australia's miserable tour began to draw to an equally bleak conclusion. Sarfraz showed impressive reflexes himself to take a diving catch to his left off

Hasan, and off the first ball off the final over, Zampa holed out to extra cover. 33 runs was the final margin of victory as Pakistan whitewashed Australia in a threematch series for the first time. It completed 26 wins in 30 matches under Sarfraz's captaincy in the format, while Australia were left to ponder over numbers that will not look remotely as impressive in Justin Langer's post-mortem.

(ESPNcricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

Pakistan Innings (20 overs maximum) Babar Azam b Tye 50 Sahibzada Farhan c Tye b Lyon 39 Mohammad Hafeez not out 32 Shoaib Malik c Finch b Zampa 18 Asif Ali c Coulter-Nile b Marsh 4 Faheem Ashraf c Tye b Marsh 0 Imad Wasim not out 3 Extras (w 4) 4 TOTAL (20 Overs, RR: 7.5) 150-5 Did not bat: Hasan Ali, Sarfraz Ahmed (c) †, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan Fall of wickets: 1-93 (Sahibzada Farhan, 12.5 ov), 2-97 (Babar Azam, 13.1 ov), 3-126 (Shoaib Malik, 16.4 ov), 4-140 (Asif Ali, 18.2 ov), 5-141 (Faheem Ashraf, 18.4 ov) BOWLING: NM Lyon (4-0-331), NM Coulter-Nile (3-0-290), AJ Tye (4-0-30-1), DJM Short (4-0-27-0), A Zampa (40-25-1), MR Marsh (1-0-6-2) Australia Innings (target: 151 runs from 20 overs) AT Carey † c Ashraf b Hafeez 20 AJ Finch (c) c Hafeez b Ashraf 1 CA Lynn c Faheem Ashraf b Shadab Khan 15 BR McDermott run out (Babar Azam/†Sarfraz Ahmed) 21

GJ Maxwell c Shoaib Malik b Shadab Khan 4 MR Marsh c Shoaib Malik b Shadab Khan 21 DJM Short c Shoaib Malik b Usman Khan 10 NM Coulter-Nile run out (Shadab Khan) 0 AJ Tye c †Sarfraz Ahmed b Hasan Ali 5 A Zampa c Imad Wasim b Hasan Ali 9 NM Lyon not out 4 Extras (lb 5, nb 1, w 1) 7 TOTAL (19.1 Overs, RR: 6.1) all out 117 Fall of wickets: 1-24 (AJ Finch, 1.5 ov), 2-24 (AT Carey, 2.1 ov), 3-60 (CA Lynn, 7.1 ov), 4-62 (BR McDermott, 7.4 ov), 5-75 (GJ Maxwell, 10.1 ov), 6-94 (MR Marsh, 14.3 ov), 7-99 (DJM Short, 15.1 ov), 8-99 (NM Coulter-Nile, 15.2 ov), 9-108 (AJ Tye, 17.6 ov), 10-117 (A Zampa, 19.1 ov) BOWLING: I Wasim (4-033-0), F Ashraf (2-0-8-1), M Hafeez (2-0-16-1), H Ali (3.10-14-2), S Khan (4-0-19-3), Usman Khan (4-0-22-1)

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Leicester City owner, 4 others killed in helicopter crash L

eicester City soccer club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, a Thai tycoon, was killed along with four others when his helicopter crashed and then exploded after a Premier League match on Saturday, the soccer club and police said.

Vichai bought the unfancied side from central England in 2010 and went on to stun the soccer world by beating odds of 5,000/1 to win the Premier League title in 2016 in what amounted to a sporting fairytale.

The father of four and founder of duty-free giant King Power International was a huge favorite with the club’s fans.

“It is with the deepest regret and a collective broken heart that we confirm our chairman, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, was among those to have tragically lost their lives on Saturday evening when

a helicopter carrying him and four other people crashed outside King Power Stadium,” a club statement said.

The aircraft came down in a car park near the King Power stadium shortly after 19.30 GMT, about an hour after the end of Leicester City’s game against West Ham United, police said.

The other victims were believed to be two members of his staff, Nursara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare, pilot Eric Swaffer and passenger Izabela Roza Lechowicz, Leicestershire Police said.

No one on the ground was believed to have been injured, they said.

According to witnesses, the helicopter had barely cleared the top of the stadium before it started to spin. It then plummeted to the ground and burst into flames. (Reuters)

Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha: the man who helped Leicester City to ‘dream the impossible’

Ashraful returns to BPL after fixing ban ends

T

he BPL draft lost much of the excitement after Chittagong Vikings picked Mushfiqur Rahim minutes before the event started on Sunday. Mushfiqur was available after the governing council informed the day before that as an A+ cricketer in the list, any franchise would be able to pick him after Rajshahi Kings opted against retaining him.

Mushfiqur’s fee as an A+ player from Bangladesh is between USD 50,000 and 93,000.

But overseas cricketers in the same bracket cost USD 200,000.

Shahid Afridi and Evin Lewis

were bought at that price by Comilla Victorians. The first foreign pick in the draft, though, was little-known West Indies allrounder Fabian Allen, who went

t o Sylhet Sixers for USD 30,000 The big interest among the local picks was Mohammad Ashraful, who qualified to play in the BPL in August this year after serving a five-year match-fixing-related ban. He was picked up by Chittagong Vikings.

Among the local players, wicketkeeper-batsman Jahurul Islam was the Mohammad Ashraful

draft’s first overall pick and he went to Khulna Titans.

Khulna added Lasith Malinga to their roster from category A, apart from legspinner Yasir Shah, Afghanistan left-arm legspinner Zahir Khan and Zimbabwe batsman Brendan Taylor.

Rajshahi opted for Soumya Sarkar as their first local pick, and used their first overseas-player quota to pick Sri Lanka’s left-arm seamer Isuru Udana.

They also took Netherlands’ Ryan ten Doeschate, Sri Lanka’s Seekugge Prasanna and uncapped England batsman Laurie Evans.

South Africa’s Cameron Delport and Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka went to Chittagong, while Ian Bell found a place with Dhaka Dynamites. Apart from Afridi and Lewis, Comilla went for Thisara Perera, a strong performer for Rangpur in the previous season.

Rangpur picked Shafiul Islam and Sohag Gazi in the local players’ first round. They retained Ravi Bopara and took Rilee Rossouw and West Indies fast bowler Oshane Thomas. (ESPNcricinfo)

LeBron passes Nowitzki for 6th in all-time scoring in Lakers loss

L

os Angeles Lakers LeBron James leapfrogged Dirk Nowitzki for sixth position on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

James was 21 points behind Dallas Mavericks great Nowitzki with 31,167 entering Saturday’s 110-106 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

But the 33-year-old and three-time champion passed the Mavericks veteran with less than eight minutes remaining in the third quarter.

James – who also surpassed Shaquille O’Neal for sixth on the all-time field

goals list – finished with 35 points and 11 rebounds away to the Spurs in San Antonio.

“If he stays healthy, the

way he’s looking and moving, he has a chance at Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar],” Nowitzki told ESPN. “His numbers have been unbe-

lievable. He doesn’t seem to slow down. The stuff he was doing last year in year 15 was incredible. If he keeps this up, he can pass Kareem.”

Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) and Michael Jordan (32,292) are fifth and fourth respectively on the list, with Lakers icon Kareem AbdulJabbar (38,387) the all-time leader.

James also moved up to fourth on the all-time 30-point games list with his 432nd, still adrift of leader and Chicago Bulls Hall of Famer Jordan (562). (Sportsmax)

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

mondAY, october 29, 2018

India seek redemption after Windies jolt

India Captain Virat Kohli congratulates Shimron Hetmyer on his century earlier in the 5-match series

T

he bus journey from Pune to Mumbai for India should have ideally been a calming ride.

By the third game of the series, without any disrespect to the opposition, the fate was expected to be decided.

That's not the case, however. With the way the series has panned out so far, the encounter at the Brabourne Stadium - its first ODI since 2006 - has become all-important, with the winning team set to have its one hand on the trophy.

Having experimented with their best batting lineup so far, it should have ideally been a clash where

India could have tested their bench. From serving water to substituting in the field, KL Rahul and Manish Pandey have done all but featured in the Playing XI. With Kedar Jadhav returning for the last two games of the series, the one tentative spot in the line-up - No 6. - will also be out of their grasp.

The fact that a near fullstrength Indian line-up has failed to dominate against a near second-string Windies team at home may not be a true reflection of their abilities. But to know that three games down they find themselves at par with

their opposition, who have themselves not played their best game, would be a worrisome prospect.

The issue for India is not as much about losing an irrelevant bilateral series as it is about having their morales dented. In a year where they have made several foreign trips and are set to go on one more, this was expected to be their easiest assignment.

There could be several reasons that could've added up to their below-par show so far - ranging from fatigue to lower motivation - but to have allowed Windies, who are having their own set of

challenges, to cash in on this is dangerous.

The visitors are aware of being written off. That's a milder way of putting how their challenge was being ridiculed all along. For them to have reached this point and caused any sort of stress to the hosts, they had to do it with their performances for they didn't have enough 'stuff' to back up any talks. It's to their credit that they have managed to keep the interest level alive in the series thus far, and with how it stands now, it's going to be high till the end.

It's fancy how they have managed to do so without the experienced players leading the challenge or any of the four debutants, who have shown good signs, but not contributed substantially. Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope have clearly been their standout performers and allowed Windies to hover around the 300-run mark. The batting, otherwise, has been inconsistent. Above everyone else, it is Jason Holder who has let go off good starts thrice in three games so far. Similar is the case with the openers - Kieran Powell and Chandrapaul Hemraj.

Marlon Samuels may have turned the game around in their favour with the ball, but with the bat, he's yet to do anything noteworthy. However, in smaller contributions and taking advantage of India's lacklustre show, Windies have found parity.

What India need to know, and more importantly worry about, is that their less fancied opposition are yet to fire at their best.

(Cricbuzz)

BCB/Pepsi 50-Over 2018 Tournament‌

4 teams register victories

T

he Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) 2018 Pepsi Tournament is the eighteenth tournament to be organised by this vibrant Board, with thirteen of those having already been completed.

In the third round of this Tournament, Blairmont Community Centre, West Berbice Cricket Team, Tucber Park Cricket Club, Rose Hall Canje Cricket Club, Police Sports Club and Young Warriors Cricket Club contested Zone A encounters; while Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets, Albion Community Centre, Port Mourant Cricket C l u b , Upper

Corentyne Cricket Club and Skeldon Cricket Club battled in Zone B. At Bush Lot, Blairmont defeated Police by 94 runs.

Batting first, Blairmont amassed 277 all out, with the inform Zameer Nasir top-scoring with 59, which included three boundaries and five massive sixes.

National Under-17 player Seon Glasgow (45) and Marvin Prashad (26) batted well, while extras contributed a healthy 36 runs.

Pacer Jamal Jarvis took 3 wickets for 55, while C. Mitchell took 2 for 41, T. Drakes 2 for 41, and C. Campbell 2 for 46 for Police.

In reply, Police were bowled out for 183, with Brentnol Woolford (36), Khemraj Mahadeo (31) and G. Rant (26) being the only batsmen to offer resistance as left- arm spinner Nigel Deodat took 4 for 29 from nine overs for Blairmont, while Shabeer Baksh supported with 2 for 51.

Over at Cumberland, Young Warriors Cricket Club squeezed past old rivals Tucber Park Cricket Club by one wicket.

Tucber Park made 149 in 32.5 overs, with Nial Smith (41), Quacy Mickle (43) and Garfield Benjamin (21) being the top scorers.

Berbice Under19 left-arm spinner Trevon Stanislaus took 5 for 33, while Kassim Khan and Linden Austin took 3 for 27 and 2 for 41 respectively.

Needing to score 149 for victory, Young Warriors batted their way to 150 for 9 off 41.4 overs, with Vishal Mohabir scoring 50 and Linden Austin 37. Former junior National pacer Nial Smith took 7 for 32 in a losing cause for Tucber Park.

A t Welfare Ground in East Canje, West Berbice defeated Rose Hall Canje by 42 runs. West Berbice made 194 all out in 44 overs, with A. Mc Donald and Andrew Dutchin both making 50, while Sherwin Mc Pherson pitched in with 28.

Mark Sampson took 3 for 33 while Martin Singh snared 3 for 35.

Rose Hall Canje made 153 all out in 45.5 overs, with Martin Singh top-scoring with 69. Steffan Adams was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 25.

Meanwhile, at Albion, the home team defeated Skeldon, but scores are unavailable as both teams failed to submit their report forms.

The Tournament is being played in a round-robin format. International Softball Brand and DDL through their Pepsi brand are sponsors for the Tournament, which pulled a cost of $500,000.

GCB Female Franchise Under-17 Secondary Schools T20 League 2018

T

he Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) will be conducting its first ever Female Franchise Under 17 Secondary School T20 league, with the initiative of the ICC WWT20 West Indies 2018 Tournament.

It is understood that GCB will use this tournament as a foundation for the Female Franchise tournament in the upcoming years.

It is scheduled to commence today, October 29, and is expected to conclude on Wednesday,

November 7.

Eight franchise teams from across Guyana will be participating in this league; namely Upper Corentyne, Lower Corentyne, West Berbice, East Coast Demerara, Georgetown, East Bank Demerara, West Demerara and Essequibo.

The teams will compete in a round-robin method, with matches fixed for Enterprise Ground; Demerara Cricket Club Ground; Albion; Bush Lot, and Wales.

guyanatimesgy.com

mondAY, october 29, 2018

23

Marooners humble Jaguars to lift Super50 title – Corbin smacks impressive half-century

T

he CCC Marooners have handed the Guyana Jaguars a humiliating defeat in the 2018-2019 Regional Super 50 Final played at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados on Sunday.

They won by six wickets as

of Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Trevon Griffith had a watchful start, with Griffith being the aggressor for a brief moment, until he was removed with the score on 27 by Marooners semifinal hero Akeem Jordan in the seventh over. Griffith went for a breezy 20 from 22

continued to have a good tournament, picking up wickets at regular intervals.

All-rounder Christopher Barnwell joined Chanderpaul in the 13th over, and the pair batted until the 23rd over, when Barnwell was caught by Kirton off the bowling of Keron Cottoy for 15.

The dependable Raymond Reifer then occupied the crease with the aim of rebuilding the innings, since the Jaguars were on 88-3 after 23 overs.

However, Carlos Braithwaite and his bowlers had other plans, as they prevented the Jaguars from scoring briskly.

Though Tagenarine Chanderpaul still occupied the crease, he did not put pressure on the Marooners, opting instead to soak up 59 dot deliveries in scoring 56 from 95 balls, which included

4 boundaries, 3 of which were scored square of the wicket.

The young tiger was, however, removed by Carlos Braithwaite in the 32nd over.

Reifer continued to be the glue of the innings, but struggled to score boundaries frequently, managing 38, with his only boundary being one maximum.

The big-hitting Rutherford, batting at number 6, struggled his way to 14.

Jamaica-born fast bowler Jermaine Levy wreaked havoc on the middle-lower order, picking up 4 of the last 5 Jaguars wickets. Levy grabbed his third 4-wicket haul in List A cricket by picking up Rutherford, Bramble, Shepherd, Permaul and Pestano.

The final 6 Jaguars batsmen scored 47 runs combined, as Jordan removed Pestano to end

3

SCOREBOARD

Kyle Corbin (left) and Kjorn Ottley shared a solid 109-run opening partnership

their fast bowlers and opening batsmen dominated the Guyana Jaguars.

It was the clash of the 20182019 Super 50 giants, and Barbados-based Guyanese came out in their numbers to support the Jaguars, while University of the West Indies (UWI) students filled the Kensington Oval stands in a show of support for their University colleagues, the CCC Marooners.

Marooners won the toss and elected to field first, while the new look Jaguars opening pair

deliveries, including three fours and one massive six.

Jaguars’ captain Leon Johnson joined Tagenarine Chanderpaul, and the pair added only 24 runs for the second wicket partnership. The young Chanderpaul continued to hold the innings together, but lost his skipper in the 13th over with the score on 51. Johnson was removed by his counterpart Carlos Braithwaite for 14 runs, which included three trademark boundaries.

Marooners bowlers

Guyana Innings (Maximum 50 overs) T Chanderpaul c Corbin b Brathwaite T Griffith c Drakes b Jordan L Johnson * c Cottoy b Brathwaite C Barnwell c Kirton b Cottoy R Reifer c Cottoy b Brathwaite S Rutherford c Ottley b Levy A Bramble + c Drakes b Levy R Shepherd c Drakes b Levy V Permaul c Cottoy b Levy C Pestano c Brathwaite b Jordan R Lewis not out Extras (b 2, lb4, w7, nb1) Total (49.1 Overs) 204-10 FOW: 1 - 27(Griffith, 6.3 Ov), 2 - 51(Johnson, 12.5 Ov), 3 - 88(Barnwell, 22.4 Ov), 4 119(Chanderpaul, 31.3 Ov), 5 - 149(Rutherford, 39.5 Ov), 6 - 164(Bramble, 43.3 Ov), 7 - 182(Shepherd, 45.1 Ov) , 8 - 182(Permaul, 45.2 Ov) , 9 - 203(Reifer, 48.1 Ov) , 10 - 204(Pestano, 49.1 Ov)

56 20 14 15 38 14 12 8 0 13 0 14

Bowling: A Jordan (7.1-0-30-2), J Levy (10-0-43-4), J Jaggesar (6-0-21-0), C Brathwaite (101-42-3), K Ottley (6-0-270), K Cottoy (10-0-35-1) CCC Innings (Target 205) K Corbin c Reifer b Pestano 72 K Ottley c Lewis b Shepherd 45 A Jangoo + c Barnwell b Lewis 12 J Drakes c Bramble b Shepherd 16 C Brathwaite * not out 30 N Kirton not out 6 Extras (b3, lb6, w 5) 24 Total (37.4 overs) 205-4 FOW: 1 - 109(Corbin, 16.3 Ov), 2 - 129(Jangoo, 22.4 Ov), 3 - 160(Ottley, 29.6 Ov), 4 - 189(Drakes, 35.3 Ov) Did not bat – K Cottoy, A Jordan, J Jaggesar, K Ottley, J Levy Bowling: C Pestano (7-028-1), R Reifer (3-0-20-0), V Permaul (9-1-43-0), R Lewis (6-0-44-1), R Shepherd (6.40-41-2), C Barnwell (3-1-6-0) S Rutherford (3-0-14-0)

Tagenarine Chanderpaul attempting a scoop

a shocking batting performance from the Jaguars, in which they were shunted aside for 204 runs all out in 49.1 overs.

The Marooners fast bowlers destroyed the Jaguars line-up as they shared nine wickets between themselves. Levy was the pick of the bowlers with 4 wickets, Braithwaite grabbed 3 wickets, and Akeem Jordan snatched 2 wickets.

With only 205 required for victory in the Super 50 finals, Marooners openers approached the task in swashbuckling mode; and the right-handed Kyle Corbin immediately made the Jaguars bowlers feel the heat as the Marooners raced to 100 in only the 15th over.

In Raymond Reifer’s first spell, he was taken to the cleaners as Corbin showed some serious intent. The openers went on their merry way, Corbin in the process reaching his half century.

The Jaguars tasted success for the first time with the ball when they removed the aggressive Kyle Corbin, who had stroked a counterattacking 72 off 53 deliveries. Corbin’s innings was laced with 12

timely fours and 2 maximums, which he danced down the track to pump over the head of Shepherd.

The Regional Super 50 tournament this year has been a revelation: Kjorn Ottley has been the Marooners’ leading batsman, compiling 45 runs from 84 balls on this important occasion.

Jaguars started a fight back in the latter part of the innings, as Amir Jangoo and Jonathan Drakes scored 12 and 16 respectively; but Captain Carlos Braithwaite, at number 5, ensured there were no more hiccups. Braithwaite played a responsible innings, scoring 30 from 25 balls, including four boundaries and one humongous six.

Romario Shepherd picked up two wickets, while Ramaal Lewis and Clinton Pestano took one wicket each.

The poor Jaguar was put out of its misery when Nicholas Kirton, rubbing salt in the wounds, stroked a boundary to complete a stunning CCC Marooners victory in the 20182019 Super 50 finals over the Guyana Jaguars.

(Brandon Corlette)

Jabari Joseph impresses in GABA League T

he action first began on September 1, 2018 as the UG Trojans’ under 23 team played their first match at the Burnham Hard Court on Carmichael Street in the 2018 Rainforest Water/Malta Supreme/ Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) League.

Shining for them was a young Jabari Joseph, who would thereafter go on to lead the Trojans to many victories.

Joseph, who spent his childhood years in Vergenoegen and teenage years in Tuschen, all East Bank Essequibo communities, was ironically never a fan of basketball, until he watched Lebron James playing the game and felt somewhat of a connection. He began to train for the sport, and has excelled at the top of his game, as he always pushes to lead from the front.

Now a 23-year-old student of the University of Guyana who will be graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies, Joseph told Guyana Times Sport, “I focus more on the defensive end of the game and let the rest come to me. Being focused on the defensive ends and getting stops build momentum for the team. We have a lot of scorers, so offense comes naturally. I just try to keep everyone in the game and focused.”

He disclosed that he trains twice a week at the gym, and practises a lot of defensive drills during training sessions which are orchestrated by his coaches, whom he praised. The results of his hard work have been evident.

“Both coaches pushed me to be great. They worked with me individually on fundamentals and how to see the game. There were film sessions wherein my flaws were pointed out so as to enable me to better myself,” he also disclosed.

J o s e p h continues to maintain his form throughout the season, and anticipates scoring big when his team faces the Kobras on October 31, especially since they have an old score to settle.

Asked about the team’s chances against the fearsome Kobras, he said, “Well, I don’t want to be overconfident, because it led us to a loss in our last encounter. Nevertheless, we’ll surely be ready for them come the 31st. Our coaches have implemented a new system, which has being working for the past three games. So we just have to stick to the game plan and execute; everything else will fall in place.”

Jabari says he would like to thank God for thus far keeping him in good health and strength.

He would also like to thank his parents for their continued support, and his team mates for allowing him to be himself on the court. (Timothy Jaikarran)

Jabari Joseph

mondAY, october 29, 2018

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Marooners humble Jaguars to lift Super50 title

Page 23

– Corbin smacks impressive half-century Jermaine Levy celebrating the snaring of another wicket

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

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