Guyana Times November 3 2018

UNESCO launches “Truth Never Dies” campaign to tackle crimes against journalists P14

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

Issue No. 3735

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Saturday, November 3, 2018

PRICE

Disciplined Services vote at LGE 2018

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Hundreds feel disenfranchised as names not on voters list ...unsatisfactory answers from GECOM – Jagdeo Page 12

Shipping company lease

P7

“NICIL is a fraud” – Town Clerk’s lawyer

Wanted bulletin issued for murder P8 accused

– GECOM to investigate

Driver dies after being pinned under tractor Page 2

City Hall has “verbal” contract for multimilliondollar works – Town Clerk Page 9

DDL pulls out of race for Enmore Estate Page 3

… Nand Persaud & Company bids for all closed estates

2019 pension books' distribution begins on Monday P11

Linden school shutdown

Samples of P14 suspected asbestos sent to T&T for testing

WCD road deterioration

Opposition Leader calls for probe of public officials with beneficial ownerships Page 2

…reiterates PPP’s adherence to Integrity Commission

Contractors P11 bearing cost of repairs – Ministry official

2 news

saturdAY, November 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Opposition Leader calls for probe of public officials with beneficial ownerships

…reiterates PPP’s adherence to Integrity Commission

T

he majority of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Members of Parliament have already submitted their declarations to the Integrity Commission, according to the Party’s leader, Bharrat Jagdeo.

Last month, Chairman of the Commission, Kumar Duraisami, had disclosed that only some MPs had so far submitted their declarations to the Commission, which is responsible for ensuring that public officials declare their assets annually, as required under the law.

Duraisami, an attorney and former Land Court Judge, had disclosed a total of 1296 letters and declaration forms sent out to public officers – 69 to the National Assembly; 407 to the various

Ministries; 242 to the 10 administrative regions and 576 to the various constitutional agencies. However, only 248 forms were returned to the Commission.

However, the Integrity Commission Chairman could not say specifically at the time how many parliamentarians had complied and sent in their declarations.

Noting that MPs are not the only ones with outstanding declarations, Duraisami said an additional two-month extension has been given to allow those who are required to declare their assets to do so.

But Jagdeo told reporters at his weekly press briefing on Thursday that he had urged the Party’s MPs to try to get their declarations in before the end of October.

However, he noted that most of the parliamentarians have been out in the field preparing for the upcoming Local Government Elections. “[But] it’s already November 1, so I have to check now how many managed to [do so] but definitely before Local Government Elections, all our members of Parliament would have submitted their statements to the Integrity Commission.

I did so about two weeks ago…,” Jagdeo stated.

The Opposition Leader’s comments came as he was responding to questions about beneficial ownership.

Jagdeo believes that public officials who shares in companies should declare same to the Integrity Commission.

“You should state there [at the Integrity Commission

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

declaration] whether you have holdings etc. But sometimes, you know, they do it through third parties so that’s why you have to trace it. We don’t have the capability of doing it because we, the PPP, have limited funds and staff, and so on…,” the Opposition Leader stated.

According to Jagdeo, his party has received informa-

tion of several public officials with beneficial ownerships.

One such case is a senior official at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) being a part owner of a company that is reportedly getting contracts in another agency.

“He is a key figure in GECOM and the contracts are not all above board so if you start tracing some of the contracts, you would find some of the linkages of individuals,” he stated.

Another instance, the Opposition Leader highlighted is the several hundred million dollars in supplementary funds that were sought for increase in fees to security services. However, Jagdeo said he does not believe that the security guards benefit from these increases.

“We want to know whether this money will get into the pockets of the security guards but we suspect not, because we have started doing some investi-

gations as to who the principals are… and you will see a direct link between some people in Government now and beneficial ownership,” he asserted.

Furthermore, Jagdeo posited that the concept of “borrowing over the budget” was clear during Wednesday’s sitting of the National Assembly when Minister Rupert Roopnaraine was answering questions on a leaning college building and for which corrective works were way in excess of what the original contract cost.

“So you can bid for $10 million now, and work for Government, and by the time you finish working, you get $90 million but you only bid on $10 million with the other competitors because they varied the contract throughout, this time they claiming that they finish the building and the building leaned so you had to get another $50 million to go back to the foundation,” he noted.

Driver dies after being pinned under tractor

A

resident of Moraikobai Village, Mahaicony River, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), was killed in an accident along the Moraikobai trail on Thursday, after he was reportedly pinned by his tractor while providing assistance to a lorry driver.

Dead is Malone Antonio, also called “Bill”, who was a tractor operator. The incident reportedly occurred at about 09:30h after a lorry which was heading to Moraikobai, was stuck in the trail. As a result, the driver sought assistance from the 37-yearold tractor operator, who attached his tractor to the lorry with a chain. According to reports, in the process of trying to remove the lorry from the ditch, the tractor turned turtle and flipped backwards, pinning Antonio resulting in his death.

E Division (Linden-

The tractor which turned turtle in the Moraikobai trail

Kwakwani) Commander, Linden Lord noted that he, along with ranks from the Traffic Department visited the scene and took Antonio’s body to the Linden Hospital Complex, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The body is presently at the Wismar Hospital Mortuary in Linden awaiting a post-mor-

tem examination. The driver of the lorry was later questioned by Police in relation to the incident.

Moraikobai is an Amerindian settlement situated up the Mahaicony River.

Access from Linden is gained via the sand trail which begins at the Linden-Highway junction.

news

3

saturdAY, November 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, November 3 – a night retraction at 02:00h and a day retraction from 13:30h-15:00h and Sunday, November 4 – a night retraction at 02:00h and a day retraction from 13:30h-15:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Saturday, November 3 – 13:30h-15:00h and Sunday, November 4 – 14:15h-15:45h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Light to thundery showers can be expected throughout the day, with partly cloudy skies in the evening.

Temperatures are expected to range between 22 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Ranging from East North-easterly to Northeasterly and North North-easterly and Northerly between 1.78 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 13:24h reaching a maximum height of 2.40 metres.

Low Tide: 06:49h and 19:21h reaching minimum heights of 0.81 metre and 0.82 metres respectively.

DDL pulls out of race for Enmore Estate

…Nand Persaud & Company bids for all closed estates

I

n a surprise move, Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) announced on Thursday that it has pulled out from the race to acquire Enmore estate, which is one of the estates being divested by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

According to the bids that the Special Purpose Unit of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) received, Guygulf International Trading Development, parent company of local subsidiary Nand Persaud and

“There was an expectation that DDL would tender for the Enmore Estate; and in fact DDL invested considerable time and financial resources in a due diligence process to determine the level of investment required to turnaround the Enmore Estate. In fact, DDL’s interest in Enmore is driven primarily by its need for molasses for its core business as a distillery.”

However, in its due diligence exercise, DDL was unable to find a model for the Enmore Estate that would properly fit with-

wednesDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2018

LOTTERY NUMBERS L

09

16

18

19

20

28

FREE TICKET

05 Bonus Ball

friDAY, NovemBER 2, 2018 DAILY MILLIONS

01

08

10

21

23

LUCKY 3

4

1

3

4

Afternoon Draw

8

1

Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

02

07

08

09

12

14

PAY DAY

06

08

09

10

21 SUPER PAY DAY

14

05

07

14

18

21

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

Bidders

The Florida-based Guygulf International Trading Development has as its principals Hefazul Hakh, Ragindra Persaud and Faiz Al-Abidee. While Ragindra Persaud is the Chairman of Guyana’s Rice Millers Association, he is also Chief Executive Officer of Guygulf’s local subsidiary.

Meanwhile, Liberty investments Inc is a Californiabased construction company that bills itself as a custom home builder. While there is

Skeldon Sugar Estate

Company Limited, is bidding to acquire the Skeldon, Rose Hall and Enmore estates.

Besides Guygulf, D Rampersaud & Co Ltd has submitted a bid for the Skeldon Estate; Liberty Investments Inc has submitted a bid for the Enmore Estate; Industrial Equipment Sales and Service Incorporation (IESS) has expressed interest in acquiring Rose Hall Estate, as has Kadem Sugars Inc. Tenders closed on October 31. Conspicuously absent is DDL, who in a statement on Friday made it clear that it decided not to submit its bid for the Enmore estate. It acknowledged the importance of the industry both to produce its rum and for sentimental reasons, but noted that its due diligence did not justify making the investment.

The East Demerara Sugar Estate, popularly known as Enmore Estate

in its current investment and development strategy.

Nevertheless, DDL said, it remains committed to participating, should the opportunity become available in the future.

Commenting on the issue, DDL Chairman Komal Samaroo maintained that DDL would continue to pay keen interest in the divestment. He also acknowledged the role that the SPU and overseas based accounting firm Price waterhouseCoopers (PwC) is playing.

“If the estate is sold, we will quickly engage the new owners to ensure that we secure supplies of molasses for our distillery. Should the estate remain unsold, we would equally re-engage to determine if there is a model that works for our shareholders.”

to import its molasses. The company had submitted an expression of interest (EoI) to Government for the potential purchase of Enmore.

At the time, Public Relations Representative of DDL, Alex Graham, had said that once the supply of molasses was threatened, it was in the company’s interest to explore options with the intention of finding a solution.

Graham had explained that when the Special Purpose Unit (SPU) was established, it had requested

Rose Hall Estate

no official website under the name of Kadeem Sugar Inc, this publication was able to ascertain that IESS is a USbased industrial equipment company involved in the oil and gas sector.

Following the downsizing of the sugar industry, DDL was at one time forced to turn to another country, Nicaragua, from which

interested parties to submit EoIs, and DDL had submitted same. He noted that no formal proposal has been submitted otherwise.

In 2016, the operations of the LBI Estate were amalgamated with those of the Enmore Estate. Government also plans to privatise the Skeldon and Rose Hall estates.

4

guyanatimesgy.com

saturdAY, november 3, 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

Minibus operators and higher standards

I

t was recently reported in the media that efforts are being made to establish a Code of Conduct for minibus operators. President of the United Minibus Union (UMU) Eon Andrews had started the process and was expected to have a meeting with officials of the Business Ministry to finalise the document. It is expected that once the code is drafted, the Business Ministry, in partnership with the Union, would begin to engage representatives of the various minibus routes with the aim of getting all stakeholders on board to adhere to the code.

Some issues which the code of conduct seeks to address include: the mode of dress; general conduct of drivers and conductors, overloading, loud and lewd music, driving under the influence of alcohol; the manner in which drivers and conductors speak to passengers and so on.

Many are of the opinion that at present, the standards in relation to public transportation here are very low and there is urgent need to raise those standards in keeping with what obtains in other countries. Hence, the action being taken by the authorities to bring an end to the present level of lawlessness is a step in the right direction as it will compel operators to offer a more professional and well-run service to its customers; especially if they want to remain in business.

With the booming oil and gas sector expected to come fully on stream by 2020 many more persons would come to Guyana, both to visit and work, and will certainly, at some point in time, depend on the public transport system. The transport sector is very crucial and cannot be left behind; stakeholders must therefore do what is necessary to ensure that the service provided is exceptional and could compare favourably with what obtains abroad.

It is well known that Guyana has recorded very high road fatality rates over the years. The reasons for this are well known and reside partly in the minibus culture; and the way drivers and conductors are paid. Minibus drivers and conductors are expected to meet a quota for the owner, and they can keep takings over and above that. So there is a mad rush to pick up as many passengers as possible since both the driver and conductor aim to make as much money in the shortest possible time.

Also, it could be recalled that in 2008, a law was passed in Parliament in relation to loud music in buses and hire cars.

Initially, this law was strongly enforced, with Police taking firm action against those found to be in breach. However, at present, many public transport operators, especially minibuses, are still blasting their music and the Police seem to be turning a blind eye to this lawlessness.

What is even more dangerous is that some of these drivers and conductors could be seen openly consuming alcohol while transporting passengers to their various destinations. While some passengers may speak out against such actions, others are afraid that they will be attacked.

It is also widely believed that some drivers, including those for hire and private cars, have ‘bought’ their licences, and have never taken a driving test or been exposed to formal police instruction on the Highway Code. This therefore contributes to the high level of lawlessness on the roads and hence high level of fatalities.

That said, as we had stated before, while there are various factors which impact on road safety, there is little doubt that the single most important in a general sense is enforcement of the traffic laws. The government has enacted the relevant legislation in relation to driving under the influence, loud music in vehicles, overloading, speeding, etc, but if the laws are not adequately implemented they become useless.

For too long, the Guyanese public has accepted mediocre public transport services. Now that a code of conduct will be implemented for minibus operators, it is hoped that everyone in the sector will seriously work towards ensuring higher professional standards are established and maintained. After all, the intention of the code is meant to be of benefit to both passengers and operators.

Students of New Campbellville Secondary pose with their Rangoli at the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha Georgetown Inter-schools Diwali Rangoli Competition on Thursday. The event was hosted at the Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud Dharmic Sanskritk Kendra in Prashad Nagar. Participating schools included Queens College, Bishops’ High, St Stanislaus College, St Rose’s High, Marian Academy, School of the Nations, St Joseph High, Rajiv Gandhi University, and North Georgetown Secondary (Adam Baksh Photo)

Khashoggi murder: Turkish leader blames Saudi State directly

T

urkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has for the first time accused the Saudi government directly of murdering journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"We know that the order to kill Khashoggi came from the highest levels of the Saudi government," he wrote in an article in the Washington Post.

But stressing Turkey's "friendly" ties with Saudi Arabia, he added that he did not believe King Salman was involved.

Khashoggi was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October.

Turkish investigators believe the journalist, who was living in exile, was strangled when he visited to collect documents for his forthcoming marriage to a Turkish citizen.

His body has not been found and an aide to President Erdogan, Yasin Aktay, has said he believes it was dissolved in acid after being cut up.

The murder, initially covered up by Saudi officials, caused a diplomatic crisis between Saudi Arabia and its allies.

The Saudis have since arrested 18 suspects who, they say, will be prosecuted in Saudi Arabia. Turkey

Journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

wants them extradited.

A memorial service marking four weeks since the journalist's death has been held in Washington.

"We know that the perpetrators are among the 18 suspects detained in Saudi Arabia," he wrote in the Washington Post, where Khashoggi had written a column.

"We also know that those individuals came to carry out their orders: Kill Khashoggi and leave.

Finally, we know that the order to kill Khashoggi came from the highest levels of the Saudi government."

Writing that the murder had involved a "lot more than a group of security officials", President Erdogan called for "the puppet masters behind Khashoggi's killing" to be exposed.

"No one should dare to

commit such acts on the soil of a Nato ally again," he said. "If anyone chooses to ignore that warning, they will face severe consequences."

He complained that no action had been taken against the Saudi consul general, who has left Turkey, and accused the Saudi public prosecutor of failing to co-operate with the investigation "and answer even simple questions".

What do we know about the murder?

The Saudis have admitted Khashoggi died at the consulate, while denying they know what happened to his body.

A Turkish prosecutor said earlier this week that investigators believe the journalist was immediately strangled on entering the consulate, in a murder

planned in advance.

His body was then dismembered and destroyed "again, in line with advance plans", prosecutor Irfan Fidan said.

Once an adviser to the Saudi royal family, Khashoggi fell out of favour with the government last year and went into self-imposed exile.

He had become a sharp critic of the Saudi government and of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has been pioneering an ambitious economic and social reform programme in the country.

Speaking at the memorial service in Washington, Daniel Balson from Amnesty International said the Saudi government needed to be held to account over the journalist's death.

"For too long, they've operated under the impression that impunity is for them and that the rules are for others," he said.

"They believe that a government critic can disappear in their diplomatic mission and that those who care about justice will not notice or if they notice they will not object or if they object, they will not remember. Well we've noticed and we're outraged and we will not forget." (BBC News)

guyanatimesgy.com

saturdAY, november 3, 2018

5

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

Payback time?

Dear Editor, An announcement on Friday, November 2, 2018, by the Regional Executive Officer (ag), and former RDC chairman, Mr Knights, of RDC number 7, that a contract was signed on the same day for phase one of the One-to- 4 Mile stretch of the Bartica Potaro Road valued at $8 million to BK International is of interest. It is instructive that the contract is expected to last 10 days.

First of all, this is a mere election gimmick, as this is basically a hurriedly done contract for patch work on a section of the road on the eve of the Local Government Elections.

One doesn’t know if this was publicly tendered. But one does know that the roads within the Bartica

Township are in deplorable conditions and nothing has been done by the government, the Regional Administration, or the Town Council, despite the cries of the Barticians.

In spite of a Parliamentary Opposition motion brought about in July this year, calling on the Government to treat with urgency the abominable state of the interior roads especially Bartica to Lethem and Mahdia, the issue was treated with scorn by the Minister of Public Infrastructure, and little to or work was done afterwards. Now this last-minute patch work will be done to try to pacify Barticians, and bring them back home to the APNU. This is a case of too little too late.

Most Interesting, is

who got the contract, BK International, the same company who got a multi-billion settlement by the Government in 2016 for the Haggs Bosche project for work that was not done.

Now the township is buzzing that BK vehicles are being prepared to fetch people out from the quarries, and the township, to attend the APNU rally on November 3rd in Bartica.

As our national poet, Martin Carter wrote “the mouth is muzzled by the hand that feeds it”. So BK to the APNU rescue once again at election time? Is this “payback time”????

People aren’t fooled anymore.

Dear Editor, Guyanese are now faced with the revival of the Burnham era- not by the PNC, but by the Alliance for Change, a political party whom the electorate had placed their trust and confidence to make ‘the right turn’ away from corruption, cronyism, racial discrimination and vendetta politics.

The AFC were supposed to bring in a new political culture which would herald peace and harmony among Guyanese, but since coalescing, it has continued to make all the wrong turns!

Moreover, whatever miniscule shred of respectability had remained in the AFC is now gone forever, and there is not even a glimmer of hope that it can be regained. The curse is now complete, and the AFC is ‘dead meat’. But what is ironic is the fact that the same man who prognosticated that the AFC will be ‘dead meat’ if it coalesces with the APNU is the same man who was instrumental in fulfilling his own prophecy!

I had written to the media, through a TV station in Berbice, with regards to the veiled threats issued by the Minister of Public Security, Mr Khemraj Ramjattan, where he claimed on the Alliance on the Move program that PPP supporters were intimidating people from putting their names on the AFC’s candidate list. He further said that the Guyana Police Force will be called in to deal with these PPP supporters.

However, it was later found that people were tricked into signing the AFC’s backers’ lists at Whim/ Bloomfield, 51/Good Hope, and many other LAAs. This matter was subjected to a High Court hearing and the Public Security Minister again made a statement on

television that he would deal with the person who filed that petition. That person was Safraz Beekam, a PPP candidate from the Whim Bloomfield LAA. Unfortunately, the fact that the case went in favor of the AFC did nothing to allay the insecurity of the AFC. It was time for vendetta politics and to promote a campaign to get voters’ sympathy and to up its smear campaign against the PPP. This is the only way it can swing some votes in its favor. It must be noted that the AFC was thrown into the deep by the APNU and it is now a make or break situation. The AFC must deliver votes to retain its place in the Coalition, failing which, it will be disgraced and unceremoniously kicked out of the partnership and mark the end of the Cummingsburg Accord as it is. It must be noted that the AFC got a bigger share of the pie than they should have gotten and that must now be rectified by the APNU. Fortunately, the melodrama now playing at Whim will not serve the purpose intended and the hasty press release by the AFC which states that, “The AFC views this as a terror attack both on Ms Permaul and the lives of her children and father and her home. This act is consistent with the old political tactics of fear which is resorted to by certain political entities” clearly implicates the People’s Progressive Party.

Why would the AFC go to such a length when the police had not even initiated an investigation into the alleged arson? It is also too suspect when it is considered that it was the alleged victim who actually posed as a GECOM staff and tricked Beekam to sign the backers form, and it was Beekam, a PPP candidate who filed the petition in the High Court.

The AFC must understand that the accusation it is now making against the PPP marked a period when Nagamootoo and Ramjattan were executive members of the PPP, therefore, if they are correct in their conclusion then there should be a commission of inquiry wherein these two former PPP stalwarts must testify to these allegedly nefarious criminal activities. Furthermore, they are now accountable to the Guyanese people to give examples of these ‘acts of terrorism’ alluded to in the press release. In addition, it can also be assumed that these two former PPP members can now be deemed experts in the use of ‘threats and terror’ and therefore have the competence and the power (one is the prime Minister and one is the Minister of Public Security) to unleash these as is evidenced by Ramjattan’s threat to ‘fix’ Beekam.

Mr Nagamotoo and Ramjattan should focus on the trickery which is now being perpetrated within the AFC against its own members. At the 51/Good Hope LAA, a pastor who is an AFC member filled out a backers form with 30 names as the constituency candidate but his Form 13 was scrapped and his backers’ list was attached to the From 13 of a woman who was holidaying overseas and came into the country after nomination was long closed. The pastor has since engaged the leaders of the party but was told that it was GECOM’s ‘error’. It is sad and disappointing that the AFC has no qualms and moral scruples and would resort to even trick and deceive its own!

The AFC seems to have now perfected the art of deceit and trickery!

Sincerely Gail Teixeira, MP

Wrong turns by AFC

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

Concerned about secrecy of GuySuCo plans

Dear Editor, The GAWU has obtained a copy of the responses of Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, to questions posed by PPP/C Member of Parliament, Mohamed Irfan Ali regarding the utilisation of the $30B bond secured by GuySuCo. The Finance Minister advised that the bond is aimed mainly “…to acquire two co-generation plants; to upgrade existing factories to produce plantation white sugar; to build storage and packing facilities; and to contribute to two (2) years of general operational costs…”.

Interestingly and conspicuously absent, were any mention of investments in the cane fields to improve productivity.

In April, this year, then GuySuCo CEO, Paul Bhim, in a GuySuCo/SPU engagement with GAWU told us that $11B would be spent on capital works across the three (3) estates with about 70 per cent of that sum being utilized in the fields. While we are supportive of initiatives in co-generation and white sugar, their success is largely predicated on having sufficient quantities of canes available. We therefore ask, what is the purpose of having shiny, new plants but inadequate canes?

The minister then informed that GuySuCo has presented a plan to the Administration to engender its viability. This is indeed noteworthy news from the Honourable Minister. We recognized that President David Granger in his address to the National Assembly on October 18, 2018, said “…a plan is being developed to boost production in the remaining East Berbice, West Berbice and West Demerara estates”. We hasten to add that between October 18 and 31, a span of 14 days, GuySuCo was able to develop its plan and present it to the Administration, using the Minister’s term, “…for consideration”. That plan,

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

we may add, according to the Minister was “..underpinned by a 10-year supporting cash flow projection…”. This is simply an amazing feat and we urge the Government to quickly share the plan with the stakeholders and the public.

The planners must also be complimented for recognizing that our Union, among others, for some months, has been speaking about the absence of a plan. We also wonder whether it is that the Administration has, at this time, approved the plan for implementation. Bearing in mind that it took nearly half a year to appoint a GuySuCo Board, we wonder when the Government- given that we expect the plan to be technically-oriented- will give its seal of approval.

The minister also said that feasibility studies found that white sugar and co-generation plants were viable. This is pleasing news. On the white sugar matter, in April the GAWU was told that the feasibility study was yet to commence but it seems, for all appearances, that empirical work has now been concluded. While not wanting to throw cold water on the ideas, we ask, like we did in April, whether the CET will be applied to extra-regional imports of white sugar. As far as we recollect, no announcement has been made in this regard. Or, is the Government, together with its Jamaican and Belizean counterparts, representing this matter in CARICOM. We are aware, that not too long from now a special meeting will be held on the CSME in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. It will be an opportune time for such representations to be

made. Regarding the co-generation facilities, again like we asked in April, how does the planned co-generation plans mesh with plans by the Guyana Power and Light (GPL), which has been speaking about solar and natural gas plants?

Minister Jordan also informed that in view of the viability of the plans for co-generation and white sugar, the design for the respective plans has already been completed. In view of this admission and given the lead time to invite prospective bidders, evaluate proposals and ultimately construct the plants, while taking into account that billions have been borrowed and attracting interest, wouldn’t it be prudent, at this time, to begin the process of seeking proposals? Maybe there is a good reason for not doing this now, though it’s hard to see why not and the ‘efficiently prepared’ plan may shed some light on this.

The GAWU remains supportive of plans that would secure the sugar industry and safeguard its viability. However, our support is predicated on sound, credible and well-thought-out plans. The apparent secrecy shrouding the plans for the bond borrowed with a sovereign guarantee is something that causes us to feel uneasy and worried. If there is a plan, like the Minister of Finance says, we urge those in authority to share those plans with an understanding of having full discussions, as all stakeholders are desirous of having a successful sugar industry.

Yours faithfully, Seepaul Narine General Secretary GAWU

6

saturdAY, november 3, 2018

Page

By Caroline Miller

W

hen teenagers are struggling with emotional problems, they often turn to alcohol or drug use to help them manage painful or difficult feelings. In this they are not different from adults. But because adolescent brains are still developing, the results of teenage “self-medication” can be more immediately problematic.

In the short term, substance use can help alleviate unwanted mental health symptoms like hopelessness, anxiety, irritability and negative thoughts. But in the longer term it exacerbates them, and often ends in abuse or dependence.

Substance use escalates from experimentation to a serious disorder much faster in adolescents than it does in adults, and that progression is more likely to happen in kids with mental health disorders than in other kids.

“The rule of thumb is that almost half of kids with mental health disorders, if they’re not treated, will end up having a substance use disorder,” explains Sarper Taskiran, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Child Mind Institute. A 2016 study of 10,000 adolescents found that two-thirds of those who developed alcohol or substance use disorders had experienced at least one mental health disorder.

Substance use also interferes with treatment for mental health disorders and worsens the long-term prognosis for a teenager struggling with one. How can we help these young people avoid the substance use trap

Foundation

when the deck seems to be stacked against them?

Why are kids with mental health disorders prone to substance use?

Kids who are anxious or depressed may feel more emotionally “even” if they drink or smoke marijuana. For socially anxious kids, it can quiet the anxiety enough to allow them to function in peer groups. And since their friends do it, it’s not stigmatised the way taking medication is.

“Pre-gaming is a lot about anxiety,” notes Jeannette Friedman, MSW, who works with families of adolescents with substance use problems.

“The kids are s a y i n g ‘Let’s go have some fun before we go to the real party.’

But in fact, most of them feel like they need it to calm down enough so they can walk into a group where they’re going to feel exposed and criticised.”

A teen with anxiety might start by smoking marijuana to calm down before social events, and soon find himself smoking every morning just to get to school. “I’ve had very stressed-out kids say, ‘I get high before I go to school because I’m so anxious when I think about the start of the school day,’ says Friedman. “‘If I smoke a little weed, I don’t feel so anx-

ious.’”

Kids who are depressed may use alcohol or marijuana to cheer themselves up, Dr Taskiran notes, and blunt the irritability that is a symptom of adolescent depression. “They know there’s something wrong with them,” he says. “They’re not taking pleasure in things, they’re not feeling happy. So if their peers are offering a drug that makes you happy, that’s often the first thing they turn to.” Substance use can quiet negative thoughts that plague depressed kids.

It’s also common for children with mental health or

learning disorders to develop self-esteem problems, a sense that there’s something wrong with them or that they’re flawed. When these children reach adolescence, with its focus on fitting in, notes Friedman, “they really want to be normal and they don’t

feel normal. And that means they’re more vulnerable to somebody passing around a drug, because they’re just trying to feel better.”

Why is alcohol use riskier for teenagers?

Alcohol affects teens differently from adults. While adults tend to get more subdued and slowed down by alcohol, in adolescents it’s the opposite. They tend to become more energetic, engage in more risky behaviour and get more aggressive.

D r

Taskiran uses the example of driving. “When adults drink and drive you worry about slowing of the reflexes and lapses in attention, like missing a stop sign,” he explains.

“But with adolescents, we’re worried that they’re going to get more activated. It’s not that they won’t see the red light, but they might try to run it.”

This is especially dangerous for kids with ADHD, who are already impulsive.

And substance use makes depressed teenagers more prone to impulsive suicidal behaviour. “The adolescent will still be depressed,” says Dr Taskiran, “but the things that usually hold him back won’t be there while he’s intoxicated, like love for family or the belief that he’s going to get better.”

Why teenagers get addicted sooner

Adolescent alcohol or drug use accelerates very quickly when an untreated mental health disorder is present. ”Within months we can see problematic use,” says Dr Taskiran.

Why are they different than adults? In the adolescent brain, pathways between regions are still developing. This is why teens learn new things quickly. This “plasticity” means the brain easily habituates to drugs and alcohol. “If you start drinking at 30, you don’t get addicted nearly as fast as if you start drinking at 15,” adds Friedman.

Alcohol and drugs also affect the same brain regions that are at play in behaviour disorders like ADHD and ODD, says Dr Taskiran. Teenagers who have those disorders get more satisfaction from the substance — and are more likely to become addicted.

“Biologically they get more from the drug,” he adds, “so that’s why they get more hooked on it.”

It’s important to know that substance use can disrupt a young person’s life even if he is not technically dependent on the drug.

This is especially true for youth with mental health disorders. “You might not see withdrawal, you might not see the craving, which are the hallmark symptoms for dependence,” says Dr Taskiran. “But the impact in his social life and academic life, or in terms of his mental wellbeing, might still be large.”

Why substance use makes depression and anxiety worse

“Self-medicating” with recreational drugs and alcohol works temporarily to alleviate symptoms of anxiety or depression because they affect the same brain regions that the disorders do.

But the result is that teens feel even worse when not using. That’s one reason substance use is a risk factor for suicide in kids with depres-

sion, Dr Taskiran notes.

Another negative effect of substance use is that it undermines treatment.

First, it diminishes a teenager’s engagement in therapy, and hence its effectiveness. Second, if she is taking prescription medication, it may lower the effectiveness of that medication.

“The drugs and the medications target the same areas of the brain,” explains Dr Taskiran. When meds have to compete with drugs or alcohol, they are less effective.

“Also, it’s not uncommon with kids who are using substances to be noncompliant with their meds.”

Psychosis and substance use

Michael Birnbaum, MD, is a psychiatrist who heads an early treatment programme for young people who have had a first psychotic episode, usually signalling the onset of schizophrenia.

Dr Birnbaum estimates that at least 50 per cent of his patients have at least some history of drug and alcohol use. Getting a handle on substance use is important for the recovery process, he says. “Folks who are still using are more likely to struggle with ongoing psychotic symptoms, and also are more likely to have a relapse.”

Most of the people who come to the early treatment programme have just come from a hospitalisation, he notes, and they are eager to make sure that doesn’t happen again. “So part of the discussion is how do we prevent a relapse?” he continues. At Dr Birnbaum’s programme, clinicians work to understand what substance use was doing for the patient. “It may seem obvious to us,” he says. “’Okay, you need to stop using now.’ But there may be other reasons for continued use that, to the patient, outweigh the risks.”

Dr Taskiran echoes that approach. “The last thing I’d say from the get-go to one of my patients is, ‘Marijuana is bad for you,’ because the kid has heard that from teachers, parents, TV, everywhere. So instead what I say is, ‘What is it doing for you?

What are you getting out of it?’”

All behaviour serves a purpose, even if it’s self-injurious or risky behaviour. “If you’re trying to take something away from a teenager, you need to replace it with something,” says Dr Taskiran. “So instead of just saying, ‘Don’t do that, it’s bad for you,’ we’re trying to replace the need for substance with a coping strategy, with tools for coping without the substances.” (childmind.org)

news

7

saturdAY, november 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Shipping company lease

“NICIL is a fraud” – Town Clerk’s lawyer

C

ity Hall and the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) are currently battling over a plot of land on Lombard Street, and both sides have presented evidence to back their claim of ownership of the property.

The unending conflict continued once again at the Commission of Inquiry, where Town Clerk Royston King presented documents to show that the land is owed by the Mayor and City Council and had been leased before on two occasions.

It is alleged that King leased the land, located at Lot 1 Mudflat, Lombard Street, for a price of $625,000 per year since 2016.

NICIL would have provided statements to the Commission, via its in-house Attorney Arianne McLean, which posited that they

acquired the property in 2002. The Guyana National Engineering Corporation (GNEC) would have vested all of its assets to NICIL and they became the lawful owner.

GNIC was occupying the said piece of land as a tenant from 1995, and when NICIL acquired the property in 2002, GNIC continued to operate with the new proprietor.

“The original owner of the property was GNEC. They leased it to GNIC by a 1995 lease. In 2002, GNEC was dissolved by a vesting order and GNIC remained the tenant.”

Represented by Attorneyat-Law Maxwell Edwards, King appeared before the CoI on Friday and a discussion led to Edwards referring to the organisation as a “fraud”.

In April of 2016, the lease was granted by Town Clerk

Maxwell Edwards

Royston King for the Quick Shipping Incorporated to operate at the Lot 1 Mudflat, Lombard Street property.

While a letter was issued to NICIL for permission, it was

insinuated that King did not submit the document to the council for deliberation, as was mandatory.

King’s lawyer maintained that City Hall is the rightful owner of the wharf, and further declared “NICIL is a fraud”, since the property was never conferred.

On another note, King verified that this matter was never brought to the attention of the Council, since he has the power to ensure all of the Council’s properties are effectively managed.

Additionally, he said, the land was leased before, and he was continuing that process.

Conversely, when he tried to prove his point using the Municipal and District Council’s Act (Chapter 28:01),

Justice Cecil Kennard clarified that this does not give him the authority to lease lands. He also mentioned that the Council should’ve been informed, since the parties had changed.

Furthermore, while the Town Clerk stated that the monies were paid to the council, Tax Collecting Officer of the City Treasury Department, Kim Forbes, had told the CoI there are no records of payment by the shipping company for 2016, but yet the company managed to submit their receipts during their statement. In 2017 and 2018, $625,000 was paid to the Council.

Reneged tax waiver

King was also subjected to answer to his private

meeting with the Chairman of Giftland Mall, Royston Beepat, for the waiver of taxes.

Consultant of MCG Investments Inc, Ray Hugh, represented Beepat and exposed that a meeting was convened between the duo, whereby it was agreed that all rates and taxes, including penalties and interests, would be waved completely for the years 2015 and 2016. Additionally, for 2017, Giftland Mall would only be required to pay a sum of $11,467,500 after the interests and penalties would’ve been waived. This was after a letter was issued stating that the mall owed $44,255,183 to the local organ body. turn to page 9

8 news

saturdAY, november 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Wanted bulletin issued for murder accused

A

wanted bulletin was on Friday issued for Leon De Yonge, whom Police want to question in relation to the 2013 murder of Titus Sutton, which occurred at Baracara, Canje Creek, East Berbice.

According to a Police statement, Sutton, 53, of Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara was in-

volved in an argument with his business partner (DeYonge) when he was shot once to his chest with a shotgun. A friend of Sutton’s, 34-year-old Sherwin McAlmont, was also shot to his right thigh in that incident.

Police on Friday said they do not have an exact address for De Yonge,

thus anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of this suspect is kindly asked to contact the nearest Police station on the following numbers: 333-3876, 333-2485, 333-5564, 3332151-3, 225-3650, 226-1929, or 911.

All information will be treated with strict confidence, the Police have said.

Waiting, waiting…

Wanted: Leon De Yonge

Threatening language lands taxi driver in court F orty-year-old taxi driver Shem Porter of West Ruimveldt, Georgetown appeared on Friday before Georgetown Magistrate Peter Hugh to answer a charge of using threatening language towards his reputed wife.

He admitted that on

October 21, 2018 at Lot 16 Independence Boulevard, Georgetown, he made use of threatening language towards Michelle Latchmie, whereby a breach of the peace was occasioned.

Facts presented by the Police Prosecutor stated that, on the day in question,

the defendant went to pick up his son at Independence Boulevard when the virtual complainant informed him that he could not take the child. This annoyed the defendant, and he armed himself with a metal object from his car and threatened the VC.

In court on Friday, the defendant told Magistrate Hugh that he disagrees with the facts presented by the prosecutor. As such, Magistrate Hugh entered a not guilty plea on his behalf, and placed him on $10,000 bail. The matter has been adjourned to November 23.

A

…and then there were 5 lmost two years ago, this newspaper revealed that the Government was going to shutter Wales Estate on the West Bank of Demerara. When the Government finally had the guts to tell the “people of Guyana” -- on whose behalf the PNC of Burnham had nationalised the sugar industry in 1976 – the Government announced its “rationale” and plans for the “way forward”.

Government officials admitted the “course of action has nothing to do with the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the sugar industry,” and went on to paint a most dystopian picture of conditions at Wales to justify their draconian decision.

“Wales is by far the estate in poorest shape. The details of its performance include: 60 per cent of its D&I infrastructure is run down; 75 per cent of the bridges are in poor shape; the cultivation is also in poor condition and the factory is old and in need of major investment. It is impossible to make sugar production at Wales viable.”

The Government blithely announced it would initiate projects at Wales for “wealth creation and employment generation”. Sadly, its officials followed up with closing three other estates – Enmore, Rose Hall and Skeldon -and announced they were going to sell them off, along with Wales. Receiving a slew of expressions of interest (EoI), the Government then hired a high-priced ($60 million) international accounting firm – Peat Marwick – to evaluate the assets.

Well, after all these preparations – while a soap opera played out between the Ministry of Agriculture and a Special Purpose Unit (SPU) formed to oversee the disposal process -- officials announced they received 70 EoIs. But when the bid box was opened, only 5 bids were received!! What happened?

In trying to be too clever when closing Wales, Government officials had shot themselves in the foot (actually, Guyana’s foot) in trying to justify their senseless decision. They’d painted too bleak a picture of the assets, and your Eyewitness wonders why they’re surprised that most of the EoIs wondered whether they were buying “scrap metal”!!

The Government is also NOW concerned the buyers all want to go into sugar – with exception of one rum producer, who wants molasses – and they might now go into competition with GuySuCo!! Ain’t that a bitch!?

Your Eyewitness always wondered why the Government had been touting the pipe dream of “diversification” of the GuySuCo lands when they’d never even conducted a study as to what crop other than sugar cane was feasible!!

Well, the PNC-led Government, like all “smart flies”, is caught in the BS in the bull’s backside!! Because of its big mouth, it’ll be forced to sell off the assets for a song.

To friends and donators, of course! …on Jonestown closure This month, it’ll be 40 years since the event that will probably stain our name till the end of time – the 908 persons who committed suicide in Jonestown. It was less than four years after we became a Republic -- and the year after Burnham rigged the 1973 elections -- that he gave permission for Jim Jones to bring in all those Americans to “farm” in our North West District.

What was on his mind?? We know he’d also accepted an American refugee on the run from the law -- “Rabbi” Washington, and his House of Israel – to set up shop here. They’d become one of his goon squads, in addition to opening up a “plantain chip” operation that probably inspired David Granger, who was then a junior officer in the GDF. But the stories that circulated at the time about the relationship between Jim Jones, Burnham and his government have never been put to rest.

Stories of funds diverted, guns supplied, women shared, and Guyanese being among the dead.

Isn’t it time for a CoI to bring closure? …in an ironic world The news announced that Dextroy Pollard, the prison escapee who was on the run for almost two weeks, was yesterday recaptured at Free and Easy Village on the West Bank of Demerara.

Yes…“Free and Easy Village”!!

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

News

9

saturdAY, november 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

City Hall has “verbal” contract for multimillion-dollar works – Town Clerk

T

hroughout the past weeks, several contracting and electrical firms have stood before the Commission of Inquiry (CoI), claiming that they were ordered by City Hall to conduct works around the city of Georgetown without being issued any contracts.

This was on Friday confirmed by Town Clerk

General Manager of XL Engineering, Aysha Harrop previously testified that no contacts were produced since King would take contractors to the site and stipulate that it was “emergency works”. The total cost of these works amounted to some $150 million and date back to 2015.

When probed, King told

Royston King testifying at the Commission of Inquiry

Royston King, as he reappeared to answer questions about the financial state of affairs at the Mayor and City Council (M&CC).

the Commission that there was a “verbal agreement” between himself; the contractor; the acting City Treasurer, John Douglas;

and former member of the Finance Committee, Junior Garrett. The contractors agreed to proceed with the works and would be paid depending on the availability of financial resources. He could not recall if any payments were made but was certain that an amount is still outstanding.

Meanwhile in another scenario, the same contracting firm was hired to carry out works under the umbrella of the Communities Ministry but was spearheaded by City Hall. A sum of $15 million was disbursed to the City Treasury Department to make payments for the cleaning project but only $9 million was handed over to XL Engineering. For this project, the then City Treasurer, Ron Mc Almont is under scrutiny since he was responsible for the payment.

Legal Officer, Sherwin Benjamin questioned as to how monies are allocated without contracts to which

“NICIL is a fraud”...

King was required to respond via a letter after the engagement to confirm the agreements, but the company said he issued a letter sometime after, stating that the agreement ‘no longer stood’ because of the lapse of time and ‘certain circumstances’.

The Town Clerk admitted that he did attend the meeting, but said this was only at the behest of the Finance Sub-Committee, who thought of it as the best way of obtaining whatever sum was owed. King also claimed that he did not engage in discussions about the wavering of

outstanding rates and taxes.

“There was no discussion on waiving any taxes. There was discussion concerning options in respect to the interests that were approved on the taxes,” he said.

“I’m not aware”

For the many vendors who have been complaining about their stalls being demolished and items seized, the Town Clerk posited that he was “unaware of”, or couldn’t “recall,” most of the incidents.

He further stated that he is responsible for the administration of the Council,

City Treasurer Ron McAlmont

King retorted, “Such a matter would be discussed with the City Treasurer and the City Treasurer would determine based on works assessed by the Engineer’s Department what should be paid.”

To this response, the Chairman, Justice Cecil Kennard commented, “That is a loose way of doing business…and it increases suspicion. [It] creates the impression that something is wrong there.”

Chairman of the Finance Committee, Oscar Clarke

from page 7

and Clerk of Markets Sherlock Lovell and the City Engineer’s Department would usually deal with these issues.

A Bourda Market vendor, Desrey Dey, would have testified that her stall was demolished along with 21 others in 2015.

She stated that they were informed by Town Clerk Royston King that they would have to remove their stalls to make accommodation for works at the Bedford School. After a few days had elapsed and King had failed to meet with them, an excavator was instructed to de-

molish her stands, causing her to incur losses amounting to $300,000.

King told the Commission that he does not know anyone by the name of Desrey Dey, and he indicated that there were no stalls at that area, only tables and stands.

As of now, no school was ever built at the location.

made it clear during his statement to the CoI that cash must only be paid if there is a contract or source document.

The company maintained that a letter was sent to the firm by King which stated how much money was owed. Despite several efforts to contact the Town Clerk to retrieve this substantial sum, officials of the Council would make excuses about the lack of finances.

Absent records

The Audit Office of Guyana presented to the Commission that there are no financial records from City Hall for the years 2006 to 2011 while $70 million was unaccounted for in the city restoration funds.

Adding to that, payments were made in excess of $150 million but there were no vouchers to ascertain such.

Audit Manager Dhanraj Persaud had stated that the Town Council has a history of failing to produce records for their expenditures.

As this topic arose during Friday’s hearing, King threw the blame on the City Treasurer, stating that he is responsible for sourcing financial records.

He further stated that his function is only to relate to the City Treasurer’s Department when those requests are made by the Audit Office.

In attempts to produce a report of the organisation’s spending, Persaud related that the documents were not prepared in accordance with the requirements that are accepted by the Audit Office.

For this, King was notified via a letter on June 30, and was required to respond within 30 days in following the Audit Act of 2004. Subsequently, King responded by asking for a 30-day extension but to date, there has been no response and the report remains incomplete.

“The Town clerk would be ultimately responsible for the presentation of the record. These monies would’ve been given by Central Government and so findings of this report would be present in the Auditor General’s report that is presented in Parliament,” the Audit Manager indicated before the Commission.

“Presently, the officers have been cooperating with the Audit Office. I know they have had communication and I know that they are preparing documents in a way that will allow the auditor to make an opinion,” King defended.

The Municipal and District Act (Chapter 28:01) states that failure to supply accounts for the purpose of auditing is considered an offence. (Rupadai Seenaraine)

10 news

saturdAY, november 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Guyana’s best days are ahead – Energy Director Outgoing US

E

dison Chouest Offshore officially opened its office in Guyana on Friday evening under the name G-Boats Incorporated. More than 60 Guyanese are employed with the company whose vessels supply the operations of ExxonMobil and its partners offshore.

Director of the Energy Department, Dr Mark Bynoe, along with Finance Minister Winston Jordan officially opened the office located on the corners of Quamina and Carmichael Streets, Georgetown.

Dr Bynoe in his keynote address noted that better days are ahead for Guyana.

“Occasions like these continue to demonstrate the positive strides the country is making as a place for doing business, investors’ confidence and emphasising

Dr Mark Bynoe

that the benefits from the oil and gas sector will redound to Guyana and Guyanese,” Dr Bynoe is quoted by the Department of Public Information as saying.

G-Boats was incorporated in Guyana in January 2016.

Daniel LaFont,

Business Development Manager for Edison Chouest Offshore, said that he is extremely pleased to be working in Guyana.

LaFont noted that already more some 67 Guyanese are employed in entry-level positions on vessels as riggers, cooks and oilers with the opportunity for advancement. There are 10 boats working under the G-Boats name.

There are two Guyanese serving as first mates, positions just below the Captain.

Three persons are working in the newly opened office and the company is looking for three more individuals to work in the office, LaFont noted.

“We are training them to move up … to higher positions. More drilling rigs means more employment,” LaFont noted.

President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Deodat Indar, noted that the introduction of G-Boats signals intent in the transferal of the safety and standard of operation to other industries. He also commended the use of local content.

“I’m happy to know that the population of ships… means more jobs for Guyanese and more offshoot of services of services that will be provided by Guyanese,” Indar said.

Edison Chouest, a Louisiana, USA, was birthed 58 years ago. Today, the company has more than 200 vessels worldwide including offices in Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago and employed some 10,000 persons.

Ambassador calls on Minister of State

M

inister of State Joseph Harmon was on Friday paid a courtesy call by outgoing United States Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway. The Ambassador lauded the cordial relationship and bilateral cooperation that the two countries have shared over the past 52 years. Ambassador Holloway was accredited by President David Granger in October 2015.

GCCI inks MoU to benefit 20 small businesses

O

ne week after inking with the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enable 20 businesses to become standardised and compliant, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has ventured into a new collaboration with the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) to further assist those businesses.

The MoU in regard to this collaboration was signed on Wednesday with the GA-FDD in the boardroom of the GCCI. Deputy GA-FDD Director Jewel Sears signed on behalf of the GA-FDD, while Executive Director of the GCCI, Richard Rambarran, signed on behalf of the GCCI. The MoU was drafted to benefit agro-processors.

On Friday, the GCCI outlined that the two parties will collaborate to enhance “understanding of the quality standards required to operate effectively as an agro-processor in Guyana, and application of knowledge and skills gained to improve food safety practices and food quality”.

As part of the agreement, the agro-processors -which include men, women, youths, indigenous groups and even persons with disabilities -- would benefit from training to help them develop their standards.

“The parties also agree that the scope of work will be carried out according to the terms and conditions stipulated in the accompanying Appendix, subject to mutually agreed amend-

ments from time to time for the new initiatives,” GCCI said.

The agreement, which took immediate effect, will be valid for one year, but will be extended for successive periods with the agreement of the parties.

GCCI last Thursday inked an agreement with the GNBS which would allow for those businesses to be more competitive.

It was explained that the first batch of 20 small, medium and micro-businesses will go through an inspection phase and be selected thereafter.

Deodat Indar, GCCI president, explained: “The outcome of the project is to develop those 20 companies in the areas of standardisation, certification, as well as to enable them to have proper GMPs or good manufacturing practices, and also assisting them with proper packaging and labelling of their goods.”

These new initiatives for small businesses are being made possible through the partnership of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

GNBS Executive Director Candelle WalcottBostwick noted that technical assistance and guidance will be given to 20 agro-processors across Guyana to implement good manufacturing practices so that they can become certified and export ready.

She added that, with these new standards, the businesses would be able to improve their competitiveness and business operations, enabling them to provide better and safer products for consumption.

news

11

saturdAY, november 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

WCD road deterioration

Contractors bearing cost of repairs – Ministry official C ontractors who rehabilitated the West Coast Demerara (WCD) road to the tune of $9.7 billion will be standing the cost of repairs after the road started to deteriorate mere months after completion.

Guyana Times first reported on Thursday, just months after its official completion that a hole had developed on the Vreed-enHoop access road, WCD. The project was undertaken by a Jamaican company, along with BK International.

On Friday, Head of the Works Services Group at the Infrastructure Ministry, Geoffrey Vaughn told this publication that the contractors are now standing the expenses to conduct repairs to the road, under the defect liability clause in the contract.

He told this newspaper on Friday during a telephone interview that the contract has a defect liability period, which means any defects which develop, in this case over a year’s time, would have to be repaired by the contractors and not the Ministry.

Vaughn explained, “Our contract catered for a detect liability period and if there are any defects the contractor would fix it”.

Limited had begun drilling holes to surround the sunken section of road at Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara, as they explained that they were conducting an examination to determine the reason for the sunken road.

Guyana Times understands that days before the hole formed, the patch was uneven and rough, causing motorists to avoid using that section of the roadway.

The $9.7 billion project was completed by the Jamaican company along with BK International earlier this year after several hiccups and setbacks.

Back in July when the road was commissioned by the subject Minister David Patterson, it was noted that

A section of the deteriorated West Coast Demerara access road

The head of the Works Services Group also pointed out that the Ministry is aware of the situation, hence, it is ensuring that the contractors remedy the road. According to him, “We see the defects, we are cutting the area out now and ensure that there is no further deterioration.”

On Wednesday workers attached to Surrey Paving and Aggregate Company

Teen charged for 2 counts of armed robbery

A

teenager was released on $100,000 bail after being slapped with two counts of robberies under arms charges earlier this week.

Eighteenyear old Tishan Welcom, of Hadfield Street, Wortmanville, denied that on October 17, 2018 at Cornhill Street, Georgetown, while being in the company of others and armed with a knife; he robbed Bisnauth Narine of a Samsung cellphone valued $90,000 and also $20,000.

Another charge stated that on the same day at the same location, while being in the company of others, he robbed Kiren Persaud of one Samsung S8 phone valued at $190,000 and $90,000.

However, the teen denied both charges.

Police Prosecutor Rorrel Thornhill objected to bail, citing the seriousness of the

offence and the fact that personal violence was used on both victims.

However, the prosecution is contention that on October 17 about 18:20h, Bisnauth Narine and his cousin, Kiren Persaud, were in the vicinity of Cornhill Street, Georgetown when the teen and his accomplices pounced on them with a knife and demanded that they handed over their valuables.

Following the robbery, a report was made at the Brickdam Police Station and an investigation was carried. The defendant was later arrest with the knife in his waist and according to Police, he was positively identified by the victims.

Magistrate Fabayo Azore released the teen on $50,000 bail for each charge.

The case will continue on November 28.

University student slapped with fraud charge

G

e o r g e t o w n Magistrate Peter Hugh on Friday released university student Jerry Humphrey on $75,000 bail after he appeared before him on a charge detailing that, between September 2015 and November 2017, while being solely entrusted with $1.2 million -- property of Seon Boodnaught

-- to purchase a house lot, he fraudulently converted same to his personal use and benefit.

Police Prosecutor Simone Payne did not object to Humphrey being placed on bail, and after Magistrate Hugh had set the bail, he adjourned the case to November 23.

Head of the Works Services Group at the Infrastructure Ministry, Geoffrey Vaughn

the project was funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

Some 30.7 kilometers

of the West Coast roadway was rehabilitated to include bridges and culverts, new ‘shared-use’ lanes for cyclists and pedestrians at key junctions, the installation of high visibility traffic signs and road markers, the installation of pedestrian footpath bridges, the construction of concrete drains at critical locations and the construction of parking lanes along identified sections of the road, the Department of Public Information reported.

The expansion entailed the improvement of about 30.7 kilometres of the West Coast Demerara Road from Vreed-en-Hoop to Hydronie, East Bank Essequibo just about one mile East of Parika.

12news

saturdAY, november 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Disciplined Services vote at LGE 2018

Hundreds feel disenfranchised as names not on voters list …unsatisfactory answers from GECOM – Jagdeo – GECOM to investigate

D

isciplined Services voting for Local G o v e r n m e n t Elections got underway on Friday; but there was some worry, with even the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) acknowledging the low voter turnout evident for much of the day.

However, ever more worrisome was the fact that a large number of ranks reported that they turned up to vote but their names were not on the list.

This publication caught up with GECOM Chairman, retired Justice James Patterson, at the Brickdam Police Station, where he went to observe the operation. At Brickdam, two polling stations were set up for the Police to vote, but few ranks could be observed voting, when this publication arrived.

When asked, Patterson acknowledged the low turnout of disciplined services ranks to vote. He remained optimistic, however, that the traffic would pick up and more persons would turn out to vote.

“My initial reflex action observation is it’s too slow.

But then I remember these are the forces that have to do duties as well as vote.

So I suppose they had to be there early in the morning to do traffic duties and so on.”

Patterson was also asked directly whether he was confident in the amount of voter education exercise undertaken.

However, he maintained that GECOM did all it could to raise awareness of the Local Government Elections.

“I’m not confident, I’m more than confident; because we have gone out of the way to use -- some people might say abuse -- the media, and our staff have been on orders to spread the message. So I have confidence that we have done our part… can’t do more than that,” he opined.

Meanwhile, GECOM Public Relations Officer Yolanda Warde addressed concerns about certain ranks being unable to vote.

She claimed that GECOM received only two reports of ranks turning up to vote only to find their names are

Two GDF ranks as they cast their ballots

not on the list. She noted that the issue will be looked into, and if need be, such ranks will be accommodated on November 12.

Investigation

When this publication visited the Guyana Defence Force’s headquarters at Base Camp Ayanganna, voting was slow-paced. Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, who was present there, explained that he was going around ensuring that there are adequate statutory forms available, especially in Georgetown, for those who are voting without ID cards.

Further, the Chief Elections Officer explained that the polls opened on time, and that the turnout had been low earlier in the day.

Lowenfield also referred to instances when the names of ranks were omitted from the voters list. He promised that this would have to be investigated, but could not give an explanation for the missing names.

Seeking answers

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Firday took GECOM to task for the missing names. He added that he also had received information that there have been over 100 reports of this occurring, in sharp contrast to the two reports cited by Warde.

“I am very unhappy with a situation that was brought to our attention today (Friday),” Jagdeo stated. “We have received over a hundred reports where soldiers and Police turned up to vote and were told that they will be unable to do so since their names were not on the list to vote today, although they had done so in 2015 and 2016 on D- day.”

“So far we have sought answers from GECOM. The explanations are not satisfactory. We will follow this matter intensely over the next few days, to ensure that no member of the disciplined services is disenfranchised,” he added.

Linden

Meanwhile, it was a smooth process of voting for members of the Disciplined

Forces in Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) on Friday. The region recorded no major hiccups as members of the forces turned out to vote at the six polling places across the region.

Polling places had been set up at the Wismar and Mackenzie Police Stations, and at Linden, Ituni, Mabura, Kwakwani and Aroaima; and these were all opened promptly at 6:00hrs to facilitate the process.

Figures recorded shortly after 13:00hrs on Friday revealed that of 114 ranks eligible to vote at Mackenzie, 55 had already voted; and from a number of 58 eligible voters at Wismar, 37 had voted. Meanwhile, at Kwakwani, of 15 eligible voters, all had voted at the time. Additionally, at Ituni, of 4 ranks, 2 had already voted.

The figures for Mabura showed that all of seven ranks had voted. 'E' Division (LindenKwakwani) Commander Linden Lord said the process would have wrapped up early at some of the polling stations situated in areas like Kwakwani, since only a handful of ranks were stationed there.

He said the process for the

change from the last time to now," he indicated.

Lord, who voted at Brickdam, Georgetown, said for him the process was very smooth and commenced on time. Deputy Commander Jermaine Harper also shared similar sentiments.

"I feel good! It's a good opportunity when you're about to exercise your franchise. It's your democratic right", he said. He noted that almost all ranks who were a part of the process at his location at Mackenzie had completed voting shortly after midday.

Five (Mahaica/Berbice) 110 Police Officers were expected to cast ballots, and at the close of polls 39 voted, while at the Mahaica Police Station 51 officers were on the voters list and 39 cast ballots. At the New Amsterdam Town Council in Region Six (East Berbice/ Corentyne) 277 Police officers were listed there, but at close of poll the count was 120 had cast ballots. There were also 16 ranks from the Guyana Defence Force slated to vote there.

At the New Amsterdam Prison, 113 prison officers were listed to cast ballots and 53 did, while at the Whim Police Station 141 Police officers were on the voters list. At 18:00h, when polls closed, the count was 70 had voted.

Voting also took place at the Springlands Police Station, where 57 Police officers were listed to cast ballots.

tions has been very poor,” Hussain added.

Meanwhile, Regional Supervisor for A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Kirk Fraser, feels that while GECOM has a part to play in voter education, political parties also have a role to play.

“We would have been doing our own voter education in the constituencies that we are contesting, because we would have had printed material that we used to distribute in all the areas that we are contesting. So we don’t find voter education as a problem, but I do feel that GECOM can up their advertising and ensure that more persons are aware of Local Government Elections for E-Day which is November 12,” Fraser said.

Unaware

Meanwhile, a few prison officers said they were unaware they were expected

Region Two

Over in Region Two, (Pomeroon-Supenaam), members of the GDF and GPF voted at the Suddie and Anna Regina Police Stations on Friday. According to Returning Officer Roxanne Smith at GECOM, Anna Regina, the Army came out early and voted, but the members of the Guyana Police Force trickled in.

Numbers coming out of ‘G' Division show that in Leguan, 31 of 42 ranks voted. In Suddie, 28 ranks of 38 voted. In Anna Regina, 99 of 193 Police ranks voted, and 19 of 86 GDF ranks

E Division (Linden-Kwakwani) Commander Linden Lord displaying his stained finger

At about 15:00h on Friday, voter turnout in Region Six was under 60 per cent.

Regional Supervisor for the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Zamal Hussain, in an interview with this publication, said the voter

to cast their ballots Friday.

Some of them only checked the voters list on Friday to determine if their names were on.

Like other parts of the country, some ranks in Berbice turned up to vote, but their names were not on

Ranks in Berbice check for their names

region was smooth, with observers and staff present at the polling stations. Lord also spoke of the reluctance of some ranks to vote at the elections.

"Some of the ranks indicated that they would not be voting because the people who they would be voting for is not doing nothing for them. This information is already with the Force’s administration...some of them said they haven't seen any

cast their vote. This publication understands that the Guyana Fire Service did not vote on Friday, but will do so on November 12.

Berbice

In East Berbice, Region Six, five polling stations were available for members of the Joint Services to cast their ballots.

At the Fort Wellington Police Station in Region

education by GECOM was insufficient, thus resulting in the low turnout.

“GECOM has lapsed it its voter education to the population,” Hussain said.

Hussain also pointed to misinformation as it relates to the number of constituencies and the boundaries of those constituencies in Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) that were redesigned.

“GECOM’s public rela-

the list.

At some polling stations, the process took about five minutes. However, one Prison Officer said he took about 30 minutes.

At the Guyana Defence Force base in New Amsterdam, most of the officers said they were told that they had to go to other parts of the country to cast their ballots, since their names were not on the list there.

13 Sidewalks, cycle lanes for several communities along public roads S news

saturdAY, november 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

everal communities along the East Coast and East Bank public roads will soon be outfitted with sidewalks and cycles lanes, as the Public Infrastructure Ministry ramps up efforts to bolster road safety.

Speaking with the Department of Public Information (DPI), Manager of Traffic, Safety and Maintenance at the Public Infrastructure Ministry, Kester Hinds, said the Ministry will be lobbying for the funds to be allocated in 2019 Budget.

He explained that public roads, which are subject to heavy traffic flows and where school children frequently traverse, will be first to be targeted. Among these are Diamond, Providence public road – on the East Bank

Similarly, the Ministry is also planning to construct cycle lanes along many public roadways. Hinds noted, “Guyana is developing and while many individuals are driving, cycles remain relevant as many persons

D

in Woolford Avenue and expended millions of dollars annually for the placement of road safety signs and other measures across the country to ensure that the road laws are observed and lives are preserved.

Salvation Army launches Christmas Kettle

of Demerara and Turkeyen public road, on the East Coast of Demerara.

“What we find is that in most communities there are no sidewalks. For instance, on the Corentyne public road (Region Six) there is none and the residents would have to walk on the earthen shoulders, which can be slushy and muddy

during the rainy season. So, we’re working towards having sidewalks constructed along this roadway and in several communities, providing we get the monies approved,” Hinds explained.

The Ministry has already sent out bids for the construction of the sidewalks at an estimated cost of $88.8 million.

2019 pension books’ distribution begins on Monday

espite plans to do away with the pension book system and digitise the process, the Social Protection Ministry has announced that distribution of the 2019 senior citizens pension booklets will begin on Monday.

The Ministry made this disclosure in a notice published in the daily newspapers. According to the notice, pensioners are expected to have their 2018 booklets as well as their National Identification (ID) Cards in order to be able to uplift the new booklets. This time around, the Ministry has also stipulated that all pensioners will be required to personally uplift their booklets, as no authorisation to uplift the booklet would be accepted.

The notice stated, “We have made every effort to place distribution centres closet to pensioners. Kindly check the schedule carefully and present yourself at the distribution centre that covers your catchment areas”.

Distribution of the new booklets will be facilitated from Monday between the hours of 09:00h and 14:00h at the more than 100 locations across the country, as was published. This year’s dispersal of pension books is likely to come to a halt by December 7.

Director of Social Services, Wenthworth Tanner, was quoted by the Department of Public Information (DPI) as saying that the Ministry was working in collaboration with the

still ride. So, with the cycle lanes, we will see everyone having access to safer facilities. We will be pushing for it so that we can incorporate them into our roads.”

The Ministry has already constructed sidewalks

Public Telecommunications Ministry to upgrade the system into an automated one. “…currently, the system is primarily manual. We want to get the system automated, and so that’s an ongoing process. We are continuing to work to get it on stream as soon as possible,” Tanner explained.

The Social Services Director has said that an important aspect of the project will be the sanitisation of the old age pension database, which entails the removal of the names of deceased persons from the pension register. In this regard, he said, the Ministry is collaborating with the Office of the Registrar General and with funeral parlours, and based on information gathered, the old age pension database will be cleansed.

On the issue of Guyanese residing overseas but receiving old age pension locally, Tanner said, “That is a bit more challenging, given how the pension system is currently set up; however, these are things that will be addressed once the system is automated.”

The digitisation project is intended to ensure efficiency, accountability and transparency in the distribution of Old Age Pension. It will reduce the need for workers to search various documents in order to retrieve information. Probation officers will also be afforded more time to conduct fieldwork and visitations, DPI said.

Back in July, when Guyana Times spoke with

a reliable source at the Ministry, it was related that Government’s plans to digitise the system might be flopped, as a survey conducted found that most pensioners were against the new system.

According to the source, the survey was conducted in the May/June period by the Telecommunications Ministry in collaboration with the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC).

“Based on the reports from the survey, most of the pensioners did not want the upgrade,” the source informed.

It was further informed that, despite the findings from the survey, talks are ongoing for the upgrade.

The Government had first revealed its plan for an electronic payment system for pensioners back in 2016.

The system was intended to have pensioners uplift their monthly allocations through the local banks.

Assistant Chief Probation and Social Services Officer Ricardo Banwarie had explained back then that it is a system wherein pensioners would sign the coupon in the booklet and access their cash. The pensioners’ information would be entered into the data base of the GPOC in order that a record of pensioners might be kept in the system.

“Added to that, we will be having the agents for persons who are shut-ins, persons who are not capable of going to the Post Office to uplift their pensions. We will be able to have the names of the persons who are going to be authorised to uplift the pension on behalf of the pensioner in our data base,” Banwarie explained.

The then Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence, had in 2016 told the National Assembly that the new electronic payment system would be implemented in 2017.

T

he traditional Christmas Kettle launched by the Salvation Army saw Public Affairs Minister Dawn Hastings-Williams giving the first donation to the charitable cause.

Hastings-Williams was the featured speaker at the launching of the annual appeal for public donations at the Georgetown Club on Friday, as the festive season gets underway.

Minister HastingWilliams acknowledged the tremendous work being done by the Salvation Army in assisting the less fortunate. She said the fact that the institution is working so tirelessly and energetically to help people is gratifying.

Further, the Minister noted that the Salvation Army’s contribution is significant to the country’s development.

Meanwhile, Salvation Army Advisory Board Chairman, Edward Boyer said it is one of the best types of help and while it is a good initative during this time of peace and goodwill, he said, “we should have these activities to help put some light in the lives of many people who have fallen on bad times.”

Further, he mentioned

that people from all walks of life enter the Salvation Army Rehab programme and are able to get a second chance at life. However, he noted that the institution needs more help to expand the current programme.

Giving brief remarks, Divisional Commander, Major Matignol Saint-Lot said in addition to the core churches that the Salvation Army operates, it also has several other initiatives, including a feeding programme.

He highlighted that the organisation operates a half-way house, a hostel and drug rehabilitation centre while explaining that their mission is to save souls and better them.

The simple ceremony featured steel pan rendi-

tions by the Police Steel Pan band, a motivational song by the Salvation Army Men’s Social Centre and a performance by the Divisional Youth Choir. Also offering a rendition of songs were the choirs from the St Rose’s High School, the Bishops’ High School and Marian Academy.

Officers of the Salvation Army will be stationed at strategic locations near popular stores and businesses as they solicit donations from the general public to fund their charitable programmes.

Government provides a subvention for the organisation’s drug rehabilitation programme, but it is dependent on the good will of the general public to support its various initiatives.

14 news

saturdAY, november 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

UNESCO launches “Truth Never Dies” campaign to tackle crimes against journalists

T

he United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched its “Truth Never Dies” campaign on Friday as the world observed the fifth International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.

The campaign is aimed at fueling awareness on the issue of journalists killed on the job. “Truth Never Dies” encourages people to share stories by and about fallen journalists to keep their legacies alive and to push for investigations into their deaths to be continued, according to the UN. "The truth never dies.

And neither must our commitment to the fundamental right to freedom of expression,” the UN Secretary General António Guterres said, while highlighting that when journalists are attacked “societies as a whole pay a price."

UNESCO, in a statement, outlined that in the last 12 years, over 1,000 journalists have been killed for reporting the news and bringing information to the public on trafficking, political wrong-doing and human right abuses. On average, this constitutes one death every four days. It explained that impunity leads to more

journalist Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi was murdered on October 2, 2018 in the Saudi Arabia Consul in Turkey.

Khashoggi, born on October 13, 1958, was a Saudi Arabian journalist and aukillings and is often a symptom of worsening conflict and the breakdown of law and judicial systems adding that those responsible for these killings are almost never brought to justice.

Meanwhile, the Association of Caribbean Mediaworkers (ACM) noted that the November 2 observances are important to media workers as it allows them to bring about awareness to free press issues, particularly attempts to silence the media through criminal means.

“This is not unknown in the Caribbean and the ACM has cited instances in Haiti and Guyana in which attacks on media workers have gone unpunished. Every year, dozens of journalists are killed worldwide while in their pursuit to bring truth to the public. This year, so far, the Committee to Protect Journalists reports that 45 journalists have lost their lives – more than half were murdered, while others were killed on a dangerous

assignment or in crossfire,” ACM said in a statement.

The Association said that despite those incidents occurring in other parts of the world, the Caribbean media professionals must not become complacent urging them to against all threats to silence the media.

“Crimes against journalists must not go unpunished and it is our responsibility to continue to highlight criminal acts committed against the media.

Tolerance and understanding are key to the process of ending impunity for crimes committed against journalists.

We therefore call upon politicians and other leaders to refrain from rhetoric that may incite violence against journalists,” the statement added.

UNESCO says in the last 12 years 1,010 journalists were murdered with nine of those cases remaining unresolved.

The “Truth Never Dies” campaign comes after

thor, and a former General Manager and Editor-inChief of the Al-Arab News Channel. He also served as editor for the Saudi Arabian newspaper Al Watan, turning it into a platform for

Saudi Arabian progressives Khashoggi’s killing continues to draw global outrage as several organizations and governments around the world are calling for a transparent investigation.

Linden school shutdown

Samples of suspected asbestos sent to T&T for testing

F

ollowing the relocation of students of the Christianburg Wismar Secondary School in Linden owing to the suspected presence of asbestos at the school, samples of the suspected materials have since been tested.

Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), Orrin Gordon, confirmed to this publication that tests have been conducted both locally and overseas.

Gordon said samples of the materials were sent to Trinidad, and other tests have been conducted here locally by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and report on the results is expected shortly.

He noted that following tests on the air inside the school, it was found to be free of asbestos fibres.

"We, at the level of the RDC (Regional Democratic Council), did send the sample to be tested...The Ministry of Education did send a team on Sunday to test the air, to find out if the air in the classrooms that are purported to have asbestos…is clean. And it was found that the air indeed was clean, and so there was no evidence of any asbestos fibres floating around.

And this was the EPA doing this in conjunction with the Central Ministry,” Gordon indicated.

Parents of students attached to the school recently protested the decision by Education officials to have students relocated to the Wisburg Secondary in light of the suspected presence of asbestos. They had noted that they were against a decision for their children to attend school from 12:00h to 17:00h. The parents had made calls for the issue to receive urgent attention from the Education Ministry, as they called for an arrangement for buses to take the students to school.

Under pressure

Gordon on Thursday noted that parents were under severe pressure, and he added that the Department of Education has been unable to provide transportation for all of the students.

"My concern though is that what happened last week was that the parents were up in arms on the issue because they now have to send their children a further mile away from the normal place of schooling and that placed them under severe pressure financially and otherwise. Children were going home late in the evening, and so that meant then that other arrangements had to be put in place for their safety. That, to some extent, is untenable,” he noted.

"The second issue was

that the Department of Education does not have enough transportation or enough vehicles to transport the children from one area to the next, which was what was promised to them. And so that could not be sustained. That means that again the parents were under severe pressure,” he said.

Gordon added that following results from the tests, a decision will be made as it relates to when the students will return to school.

In August, shortly after the Region 10 Administration had said that asbestos had been discovered in the ceiling of the school prior to its reopening, the Education Ministry had refuted the claims.

Regional Chairman Renis Morian had noted at the time that officials had received reports from parents while conducting checks on the school’s readiness for reopening, as the asbestos had been discovered in the ceiling of the school by contractors who were conducting repairs. The Regional Chairman had also related that officials were aware that in 2001 and 2002, a contract was handed out for the removal of asbestos from inside the school. However, he noted that it appeared as though some had been hidden, given the way asbestos had been placed.

According to the Ministry, an investigation was done, and it indicated that asbestos was not present in any part of the building. “This was ascertained by testing a sample of the material suspected to be asbestos found in the ceiling.

Consequently, a request was made for the contractor to resume work on the building in an effort to have the building ready for use in the time allotted,” the Ministry had said. Despite this, the students were later relocated after the suspicions intensified.

The removal of asbestos must be done with great care due to the toxic properties of this substance.

Asbestos removal is a very dangerous and expensive undertaking. Locally, very few companies have the capacity to properly remove this hazardous substance.

news

15

saturdAY, november 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

National Diya Light-up to be held on Sunday

T

he Festival of Lights celebrations is expected to kick-start with the annual “National Diya Light-up” which is being held on Sunday at Rahaman’s Park, Greater Georgetown. This spectacular event is hosted by the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh-Hindus for Selfless Service (HSS) and will mark the fourth consecutive year of the Festival’s celebrations since the first National Diya was lit back in 2015.

The diya light-up is expected to have the usual attendee which include heads of leading Hindu and other religious organisations, young leaders and the general public. The aim of the National Diya lighting is to promote, preserve and spread awareness of oneness and national unity. The theme for this year’s Diya Light up is “Atma Deepo Bhava” or You Become the light.

The festival 'Diwali' in Sanskrit has a literal meaning of 'a row of lamps'. This festival usually falls between the middle of October and the middle of November, although this is decided upon by the Hindu lunar calendar.

The most popular tradi-

tion of celebrating Diwali is filling little clay lamps (Diyas) with oil and wick and lighting them in rows all over the house, this reflects the rich and glorious

past of culture and teaching to uphold the true values of life.

Lights and diyas are lit to signify the driving away of darkness and ignorance,

as well as the awakening of the light within one’s self. It is viewed as a time for family gatherings and foods as well as a celebration that reminds us of our original virtues; the light of which brings joy and hope.

Diwali celebrates victory over evil or darkness and the coming of a New Year. The light refers to following a path virtue such that our thoughts are always pure in heart; meanwhile the darkness refers to negative thoughts which bring about hurts and sorrow.

Diwali should be experienced as a country, as this would signify the closing of old account books such as any unpleasant relationships, and the beginning of new ones. Diwali should be a festival of removing all the crackers of evil characteristics within one’s self.

Additionally, apart from the spectacular display of the National Diya Light up, there will be a cultural evening of dances, skits and music to portray the significance of the national holiday. This event will commence at 18:00h and conclude at 20:00h.

GWI survey shows persons illegally reconnect water

A

recent survey conducted by the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) has found that a massive 60 per cent of some 700 sample residents in Georgetown illegally reconnected their water supply after being disconnected.

The GWI, in a release to the media on Thursday, sought to highlight the major issue while noting that plans are afoot to intensify its disconnection and service removal campaign, in a bid

to focus on customers who are determined to illegally reconnect their service.

The water company explained that of the sample population of 700 Georgetown customers surveyed, 60 per cent have illegally reconnected their water service after being disconnected for overdue balances, thus the utility has intensified its disconnection and service removal campaign across the capital city with a particular fo-

cus on those customers who have illegally reconnected their service.

According to the GWI, most of the customers who would have indulged in the illegal act are domestic customers.

According to GWI, its customers are given 28 days after their bill is due to clear their balance, or utilise the option of taking advantage of the utility’s wallet-friendly payment plans.

If they fail to do so, their

service is disconnected, but they are given an additional 28 days to pay their reconnection fee before their service is removed. The cost for reconnection for domestic customers is $7,500, and for commercial customers$16,000; whereas the replacement fee for both categories is $20,000.

It has been pointed out that GWI targets all categories of indebted customers, irrespective of whether they are domestic or commercial.

16 days of activism campaign against domestic violence planned

T

he Social Protection Ministry will be collaborating with Voices Against Violence to raise awareness on gender-based violence and the elimination of violence against women.

The awareness session will kick off on November 25 and conclude on December 10. The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign is a time to galvanise action to end violence against women and girls around the world. The international campaign originated from the first Women's Global Leadership Institute coordinated by the Centre for Women's Global Leadership in 1991.

In recent years, the voices of survivors and activists, through campaigns such as #MeToo, #TimesUp, #Niunamenos, # N o t O n e M o r e , #BalanceTonPorc and others, have reached a crescendo that cannot be silenced any more. Advocates understand that while the names and contexts may differ across geographic locations, women and girls everywhere are experiencing extensive abuse and their stories need to be brought to light. This is why the UNiTE Campaign’s global advocacy theme this year is: Orange the World: #HearMeToo. Currently, more than 3700 organisations from ap-

proximately 164 countries participate in the campaign annually. Joining these organisations this year is Voices Against Violence, an umbrella entity comprising NGOs, FBOs, CBOs and other entities and activists, that is organising speak outs across Guyana.

This effort has been endorsed by the Ministry, which is partnering with Voices Against Violence; the Women and Gender Equality Commission and Help and Shelter.

Organisations, groups and communities are urged to bring people together and have them share experiences, personal or otherwise, on gender based, child and sexual abuse as well as

brainstorm on ideas to address these scourges. The idea is to create scope for victims to speak out since doing so is a form of catharsis that can also motivate and inspire other victims.

Speak outs sessions do not need large attendance; 10 persons would be enough.

And since this is about the attendees themselves, guest speakers are not necessary. Anyone can moderate a session. Organisers are urged to video the sessions so they can be used for sensitisation, advocacy and activism, while ideas can be gathered together and share with relevant Government Ministries and agencies as well as the media.

Ethnic Relations Commission message on Local Government Elections 2018

D

ear brothers and sisters of Guyana, as you are aware, our nation is in the process of another important elections, specifically Local Government Elections to be held on November 12, 2018.

Many of our citizens, either from Parliamentary and other political Parties, independent groups or ERC Chairman John Smith as individual candidates, are engaged in the process to become elected representatives within the various Municipalities and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils while thousands of others will be executing their constitutional and democratic right to vote for those of their choice.

Campaigning is a natural and integral part of the process for the purpose of bringing awareness to programs and polices of those who seek these public offices. These campaigns, whether through public meetings or personal interactions, in addition to its primary objective of awareness, unfortunately hold the potential for statements which are counterproductive to the fostering of harmony, to be enunciated.

If that potential were to be realized, then the challenges it can pose to our society, as what regrettably obtained in the past, need no explanation or convincing.

It is in this context that the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), with a constitutional mandate for the promotion of harmony and good relations, as agreed by the various political Parties within our country’s Parliament, seeks your assistance for you to do your part and to encourage all to keep the campaigns and other interactions, including social media, free of any utterance which can impact negatively on national harmony and good relations amongst Guyanese.

Guided by lessons on elections from our history, the ERC believes that the assistance sought from you is extremely important given it’s a task it cannot accomplish on its own. Among other things, a campaign free of hate, racial and all other forms of incitement is most desirable and essential to the efforts of building and sustaining a cohesive nation with a common destiny.

The promotion of harmony, while constitutionally mandated to the ERC, is a vital process that requires the efforts of all of us. The Chairman, Commissioner and Staff of the ERC encourage that the campaign, the electoral procedures on November 12 and the period following be proliferated with respect and tolerance in a demonstration to ourselves and others that while we will disagree in the process, it is not a reason for hostility through hated.

Let us together use this opportunity and challenge ourselves to remove whatever barriers of togetherness and humanity that confront us as we endeavor collectively to promote harmony, unity and good relations. Elections must not be a process that divides us.

Let us also use this opportunity to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood and to make foremost the welfare of this land that is home to all of us; our Guyana.

The ERC takes this opportunity to extend best wishes to all the candidates who continue to dedicate their time to become representatives of the various constituencies; to all the staff and volunteers involved in the process and to you whether you are eligible to cast a ballot or not. Peace, during and after the process is in the hands of all of us.

16

guyanatimesgy.com

saturdAY, november 3, 2018

Regional

Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro First imported fuel arrives in T&T makes top Judge Sergio T Moro Justice Minister

B

razil's far-right President-elect Jair Bolsonaro has convinced prominent anti-corruption judge Sergio Moro to lead the country's Justice Ministry.

Moro said on Thursday it was an "honour" to be asked to be the minister overseeing justice and public security. But his appointment is likely to fuel allegations that his high-profile anti-fraud probe was politically motivated.

“Operation Car Wash”, as his inquiry was known, was accused of unfairly targeting left-wing politicians.

Its biggest scalp was leftist ex-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was a frontrunner in the election before his 12-year jail sentence last April for corruption.

Bolsonaro won a sweeping election victory earlier this week. He is a polarising figure, whose praise of Brazil's former dictatorship and comments on race,

Sergio Moro met Jair Bolsonaro at his home in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday

women and homosexuality have raised concerns.

Bolsonaro made it known earlier this week that he wanted Moro to be Justice Minister, saying he was a person "of extreme importance in a Government like ours".

The two men met in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday. The Federal Judge was in charge of “Operation Car Wash”, a major investigation into claims that executives at the State-owned oil company Petrobras accepted bribes

in return for awarding contracts to construction firms.

He uncovered a huge web of corruption involving top-level politicians from a broad spectrum of parties.

His crusade against corruption has made him a hero to many, but others accuse him of disproportionately targeting left-wing politicians, especially those in the former ruling Workers' Party.

Former President Lula has repeatedly said he is a victim of a political witchhunt. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Cuba lashes out at Trump Administration over new sanctions

U

S President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, announced on Thursday that more than two dozen Cuban companies associated with the Communist-run island’s military or intelligence would be added to the more than 100 that Americans are already banned from doing business with or patronising.

The announcement came just an hour after 189 member countries of the United Nations called in a resolution for an end to the US economic embargo on Cuba.

Washington tried without success to amend the text

to push Cuba to improve its human rights record.

The UN vote can carry political weight, but only the US Congress can lift the more than 50-year-old embargo, which Cuba calls a blockade. The United States and Israel voted against the resolution.

Bolton outlined the Trump Administration’s plans to get tougher on Cuba and its allies Venezuela and Nicaragua in Miami, the heart of the three countries’ exile communities, just days before the midterm US congressional elections.

Trump has taken a harder line on Cuba after

former President Barack Obama sought to set aside decades of hostility between Washington and Havana. He has rolled back parts of Obama’s 2014 detente by tightening rules on Americans traveling to the island and restricting US companies from doing business there.

Bolton also said the Administration would review whether to allow U.S. citizens whose property was seized by the Cuban government to sue foreign companies that have invested in the properties on the island, a longstanding demand of hard line exiles.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

he first of 16 shipments of refined fuel arrived in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) last Saturday, delivered under an agreement with BP’s Latin America Integrated Sales and Trading group.

Its delivery marked the shift away from the refining of crude by Petrotrin to importing of refined fuels and exporting of crude oil and one of the significant developments since the phased shutdown of the 100-yearold Pointe-a-Pierre refinery started on October.

According to a release from Petrotrin, the other fuel shipments will arrive over the next four months.

On Tuesday, Petrotrin loaded approximately 500,000 barrels of Molo (medium octane low octane) crude oil onto the tanker Hellspoint Progress – its first shipment of oil for export. The crude was purchased by Trafigura Oil Traders Limited.

In keeping with restructuring timelines and the transition to the new energy companies – Paria Fuel Trading and Heritage Petroleum Company Limited – gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, and other refined products the country needs – estimated at around 25,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day – will be imported and all crude oil production

will be exported.

At the start of its shutdown, the refinery was producing approximately 40,000 barrels of oil a day and was operating at a capacity of 140,000 barrels a day. Approximately 100,000 barrels of oil had to be imported to make up the shortfall.

In early October, Government issued a request for proposals from 13 oil traders to purchase 25,000 barrels a day of refined products as it starts decommissioning the refinery. At that time, there were 20 days of inventory left at the facility to meet domestic needs. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Estonia Inspires E-Governance Roadmap for the Caribbean

The Caribbean delegation after a working session on e-cabinet and e-Consultations at the State Chancellery of Estonia

A

fter an intensive week of training and consultations in Estonia, a group of Caribbean policy makers is inspired to improve digital governance in the region.

With a population of 1.3 million people, Estonia is the world’s leading example of how Information and Communications Technology (ICT) could be used to improve the lives of citizens and their interaction with the state. Based on Estonia’s track record of ICT innovation, the Inter- American Development Bank (IDB) designed and funded a week of training at the Estonian e-governance academy to

support the reform and modernization of Caribbean public administration using the tools of ICT. The cornerstone of Estonia’s e-governance system is the establishment of each citizen’s strong digital identity. This is bolstered by secure data exchange and connectivity.

Information on every citizen of Estonia is stored in government agency databases.

This could include medical records, school records and tax history. Secure digital gateways then link individual data to other files. A system called ‘X-Road’ connects citizens’ records to doctors, the police, banks or any oth-

er agencies with whom individual users interact.

With 99 per cent of all government services available online and a growing number of private services also available, it means that written prescriptions, paper forms, and long lines are extinct in Estonia.

During the week of training, Caribbean policymakers were introduced to a vast array of ICT-related solutions. They learned how Estonia’s e-governance system was created, as well as challenges in implementation and successes over the years, including savings of two per cent of GDP. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Taiwan investors seek investment opportunities in St Kitts-Nevis

R

epresentatives from government agencies, the Taiwan embassy and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce engaged in robust discussions with members of the 11-member delegation of Taiwanese investors, who visited St Kitts and Nevis on a fact-finding mission.

The mission was designed to create business, and human resource development opportunities which could redound to the benefit of individuals and entities in Taiwan and St Kitts and Nevis.

Kaye Bass, permanent secretary at the ministry of foreign affairs, welcomed Ambassador Tom Lee and the visiting delegation.

She reiterated the strong bonds of friendship between the countries and underscored the timeliness

(Seated): Kaye Bass, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Kara Daly, Director, Chamber of Industry and Commerce (CIC); Jasmine Weekes, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of International Trade; and Carlene Henry-Morton, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism. Standing are members of the Taiwanese delegation; officials from the Taiwanese Embassy in St Kitts and Nevis, as well as other Government officials

of the visit, given the 35 years of relationship. She said she hoped

the visit would yield fruitful business partnerships.

Bass invited her colleagues from the ministry of trade, the

St Kitts Investment Promotion Agency (SKIPA), and the ministry of tourism to present on ongoing and future projects in their respective agency with promise for Taiwanese collaboration.

The presentations elicited interactive and meaningful deliberations surrounding human resource development for the hospitality sector; investment in the yachting and marina sector; spa and wellness; high end shopping; and art and craft sector, which caters to authentic indigenous products for the tourism industry; small business development; technical and vocational skills development; commercial agriculture; renewable energy; fisheries; and development of a food processing industry. (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

17

saturdAY, november 3, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

Around the World

Trump Administration to reinstate all Iran sanctions

T

he Trump Administration is to reinstate all US sanctions on Iran removed under the 2015 nuclear deal. The White House said it was "the toughest sanctions regime ever imposed on Iran" and targeted Iran's energy, shipping and banking sectors.

However, eight countries will not be penalised by the US for continuing to import Iranian oil. EU states which backed the deal have said they will protect EU firms doing "legitimate" business with Iran.

President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in May, describing it as "defective at its core". The US has been gradually re-imposing sanctions since it unilaterally withdrew from the agreement, but analysts say this move is the most important because it targets the core sectors of Iran's economy.

An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said Iran was unconcerned at the return of sanctions, Reuters reports.

The agreement saw Iran limit its controversial nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

Barack Obama, the US President at the time, had argued the deal would

President Trump began reinstating sanctions on Iran in May

prevent Iran from developing nuclear arms. The UK, France, Germany, Russia and China were also parties to the 2015 accord and have stuck to it, saying they will set up a new payment system to maintain business with Iran and bypass US sanctions.

Trump argues that the terms of the deal are unacceptable and it has

not stopped Iran developing a ballistic missile programme and intervening in neighbouring countries, including Syria and Yemen.

Iran has accused Trump of waging "psychological warfare". The US sanctions will come back into force on Monday, November 5, covering shipping, shipbuilding, finance and energy.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Yemen: Amal Hussain, whose image drew attention to famine, dies

A

mal Hussain, a seven-year-old girl whose image in the New York Times last week brought new attention to the thousands upon thousands of children suffering the dire consequences of Yemen's devastating war, has died, according to the newspaper.

The child died of malnutrition in a refugee camp in northern Yemen, her family told the Times on Thursday. "My heart is broken," Mariam Ali, the girl's mother, was quoted as saying. "Amal was always smiling. Now I'm worried for my other children."

The Times also quoted Mekkia Mahdi, a Yemeni doctor who had treated the girl shortly before her death, as saying: "We have many more cases like her."

The photograph by

Amal Hussain died of malnutrition in a refugee camp in northern Yemen. She was seven years old

Pulitzer Prize-winner Tyler Hicks, which showed the emaciated girl lying on a bed inside a mobile UNICEF clinic in Aslam, touched a nerve with people across the world and sparked outcry over a crisis that has been called by the

United Nations the worst in the word.

Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, has been embroiled in a devastating war, since September 2014, when Houthi fighters swept into the capital, Sanaa, and overthrew President Abd-

Rabbu Mansour Hadi's internationally recognised government.

Worried by the rise of the Houthis, believed to be backed by regional rival Iran, a Saudi-UAE-led military coalition launched an intervention in 2015 in the form of a massive air campaign aimed at reinstalling Hadi's Government.

Civilians, including children, have borne the brunt of the conflict which has killed at least 10,000 people since the coalition intervened in Yemen, according to the UN. The death toll has not been updated in years and is likely to be far higher. The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), an independent watchdog, recently said around 56,000 Yemenis had been killed in violence. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Florida yoga class 'fought back' as gunman killed 2

A

gunman opened fire in a Florida yoga studio on Friday, shooting six people and killing two of them before class members fought back and the attacker killed himself, police and authorities said.

Police received a call at 17:37 of multiple victims at the Hot Yoga studio at an upscale shopping center in Florida’s capital, Tallahassee, Police Chief Michael DeLeo told reporters.

The shooter pistol-whipped one man in the yoga class who rushed him after he opened fire, the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper reported.

“There were indications that several people not only fought back but tried to save other people,” DeLeo told reporters, confirming that one man was pistol-whipped.

Three of the wounded were in critical condition, said Danielle Buchanan, spokeswoman for Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.

The gunman appeared to

Pakistan: Cleric known as 'Taliban's father' killed

T

he Pakistani cleric Maulana Sami ulHaq, known as the Father of the Taliban, has been killed in the northern city of Rawalpindi. Local media quoted his family members as saying that he was stabbed to death. But other reports say he was shot dead.

The motive for the attack is unclear. Haq was the head of the Haqqania madrassa in the north of Pakistan, where many Taliban members - including the group's founder, Mullah Omar – had studied. There are still conflicting reports of exactly how Haq was killed.

The cleric's son said his father was stabbed "multiple times" in the house he owned in Rawalpindi. "He was resting in his room

Chongqing bus plunge caused by fight between driver and passenger The crash, on a well-maintained and relatively quiet bridge, has shocked China

S

ecurity footage from a bus which crashed into a river in China has revealed that the driver was fighting with a passenger moments earlier. The bus plunged 50 meters (164 feet) off a bridge into the Yangtze River in Chongqing on Sunday – at least 13 people died and two more are missing.

Early reports said the bus had swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle. But the new footage shows the driver was being hit by a passenger and then struck her back.

The bus, travelling at speed, then turns into the opposite lane and smashes through the safety barriers, before the footage cuts out.

Police have said the fight was the cause of the crash, state newspaper People's Daily reports. Passengers can be heard screaming in the disturbing footage, shared by Chinese state media.

Police said the passenger, identified as a 48-yearold woman with the surname Liu, was angry that

the bus had missed her stop.

They said she hit the driver, named Ran, with her mobile phone when he refused to stop and let her off.

Witnesses had said they saw the bus swerve across to the wrong side of the road before crashing through a safety barrier in Wanzhou district.

A huge rescue operation

have acted alone and there was no immediate threat to the Tallahassee community, DeLeo said.

Police have tentatively identified the shooter and are looking for any links between him and the victims, he added.

“All evidence points to a single actor who has stayed on scene and is deceased at this time so there is no additional threat to the public,” DeLeo said. City Commissioner Scott Maddox was among officials who went to the incident. Alex Redding, a patron at a bar downstairs from the studio, said people came inside seeking assistance, saying a man had been acting strangely inside the yoga studio and then began shooting during the class, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.

Other victims, barefoot from their yoga class, came into the bar in clear shock and barely able to speak anything but the word “shooter,” the newspaper reported.(Reuters)

was mounted with teams of divers and dozens of boats and cranes deployed. But there have been no reports of survivors. The wreckage of the bus was pulled out of the river from a depth of 71 meters on Wednesday night.

Several of the passengers' bodies had to be retrieved by divers. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Maulana Sami ul-Haq was an influential figure in Pakistan

during Asr time when his driver-cum-guard went out for 15 minutes," Maulana Hamid ul-Haq was quoted as saying by Pakistan's Geo TV. "When he returned, he found Maulana Sami ulHaq dead in his bed and his body covered in blood."

Meanwhile, Haq's nephew Mohammad Bilal told Reuters his uncle was found with stabbing and gunshot wounds in his house on Islamabad's outskirts.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for Friday's attack.

Afghan officials had recently asked the cleric, believed to have been in his 80s, to help convince the Taliban to begin peace negotiations. He was a former senator who ran a faction of the religious Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party - and was close to Prime Minister Imran Khan's PTI party.

Khan is currently on an official visit to Beijing, but his office said in a statement that he condemned the killing and had ordered an investigation. (Excerpt from BBC News)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

saturdAY, november 3, 2018

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

dilbert

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Consider the changes you can make and check out available opportunities.

Look for a positive way to advance a relationship that is undergoing a transformation. Focus on togetherness and practice patience.

Look for new ways to profit from the things you love to do. Concentrate on important relationships and how to best handle any changes that could affect your future.

Emotional distress will overwhelm you if you aren’t careful. Be honest about your feelings and find out where you stand before you make a decision that could alter your lifestyle.

Don’t limit what you can do when you should be trying new things and taking an adventurous approach to life, love and happiness.

Share your thoughts, feelings and intentions.

Be careful what you wish for. Jumping from one thing to another without giving enough thought to the risks involved will result in stress. Slow down and consider your options.

Listen to what others have to say. Showing emotion isn’t a sign of weakness, so don’t be afraid to share your feelings or find out where you stand.

Make changes to the way LIBRA (Sept. 23- you live. Fix up your resiOct. 23) dence or make adjustments that will accommodate loved ones. Use your intelligence and physical strength to accomplish your goals.

WORD GAME TODAY’S WORD — TRIUMPHS (TRIUMPHS: TRY-umfs: Is victorious or successful.)

SUDOKU

YESTERDAY’S WORD — ADJURING rain

gnar

daring

rang

gird

darn

rani

gradin

ding

rind

grain

drag

ring

grand

drain

ruin

grid

drug

ruing

grin

dung

rung

grind

during

nadir

guan

unrig

gain

guar

raid

gaur

guard

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

Expand your plans and strive to take a step in a unique, fulfilling direction that will allow you to use your talents and skills to the fullest.

Trust in those you know SAGITTARIUS well to help you avoid mak(Nov. 23- ing an emotional mistake. If Dec. 21) something doesn’t add up, back away before you get hurt. Trust in logic and common sense.

Average mark 31 words Time limit 45 minutes Can you find 44 or more words in TRIUMPHS? The list will be published tomorrow. arid

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

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

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

A steady pace will get you where you want to go.

Negotiations will run smoothly, and money can be made. A personal contract will encourage a positive change in an important relationship.

Press forward with your plans. Refuse to let anyone talk you into expanding too quickly or taking on something that could set you back. A personal change will be gratifying.

If you share your feelings, listen to others’ input and are open to their suggestions, a solid relationship will develop with someone special. Romance will enhance your life.

saturdAY, november 3, 2018

19

Djokovic, Federer Guyanese contingent exceptional to meet in Paris Masters semi – Coach grateful for exposure Cup of Guianas Tournament 2018…

T

he Guyana Lawn Tennis Association (GLTA) recently sent a 12-member team to participate in the 2018 edition of the Cup of Guianas, which was held in Suriname. This team produced solid and fruitful performances.

In the Under-12 Girls’ Singles and Doubles, Menikshi Jaikissoon and Reshida Hardy reigned supreme, while Sekia Jones came out on top in the U-14 Girls’ Singles. The Girls’ U-18 Singles saw Africa Gentle coming out the victor, while her counterpart Kalyca Fraser finished as a runner-up.

In the Boys’ U-18 Singles, both Hemraj Resaul and Viraj Sharma finished in the top spot. However, the Doubles U-18 category saw the combination of Resaul and Sharma emerging in second place, just as did the pair of Gentle and Fraser in the female category.

Following the tournament, Coach Shelly DalyRamdyhan declared that the team had played exceedingly well, but the scores unfortunately did not reflect this exceptional level of play and the finish wasn’t what had been expected.

Relative to the U-12 Boys’ category, she said there was a narrow chance of great performances, but since the

Ressouvenir Tennis Club; Sheltez Tennis Club; Swiss Machinery; John Fernandes Ltd; Pas Cargo; Jai Transportation Service Guyana; Non Pareil Tennis Club; Fiona Bushell and Sandeep Chand.

PREPARATION

The Guyanese contingent that participated in this year’s tournament

players were relatively new to international competition, things played out the way they did. She was, however, very glad for the exposure afforded the entire team.

Team Manager Orande Dainty said, “Although both the Dutch and French teams were more experienced on the international tour, our team was at no point blown off the court by any player.

“The guys rallied competitively.

However, we didn’t capitalise on our break chances. I believe mental toughness won the tournament, and that’s where we were submissive. The games

were highly contested, and we can only use the experience as a barometer for enhanced performances next tour.”

The GLTA has said it is sincerely grateful to all of the sponsors for their contributions towards the competition. Support came from Massy Industries; P & P Insurance Brokers; Power Producers & Distributors Inc; Hassan Tractor and Spares; Grand Coastal Inn Inc; Zeco Industrial Engineering; Rohan Auto Spares; Massy Gas Products; Amar Ally Engineering and Construction Inc; Le

The team's preparation before departure was a major concern, since a continued lack of proper facilities affects team performance, hence the players are always depending on the private court(s) for extra practice.

Practice sessions were conducted at The National Racquet Centre, The National Park, and the Le Ressouvenir Tennis Club.

However, the lack of lighting facilities at the National Racquet Centre and at the National Park continues to be major contributing factor affecting longer practice sessions.

The team coaches were Shelly Daly-Ramdyhan and Orande Dainty. Some of the boys were also able to benefit from some coaching sessions with top senior tennis player Anthony Downes.

The team manager was Cristy Campbell Vice President of the GLTA. The GLTA is thankful to the parents and various tennis clubs for their support.

S

econd seed Novak Djokovic will face third seed Roger Federer in the semi-finals of the Paris Masters.

Djokovic fought back from a set down to beat Croat Marin Cilic 4-6 6-2 6-3 in two hours and 12 minutes.

The Serb lost the opening set and went 2-1 down in the third before immediately breaking back and then moving ahead at 5-3.

Australian Open champion Federer beat Japanese 10th seed Kei Nishikori 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 21 minutes.

The Swiss held off a break point late in the first set before immediately moving ahead in the second.

Last week, Federer sealed the Swiss Indoors title for the ninth time and is now one short from 100 tournament wins.

Djokovic showed frustration during his victory, aiming an outburst at his box before serving for the second set, and breaking his racquet after dropping serve in the third.

The 2018 US Open and Wimbledon champion is on a 21-match winning streak and has beaten Cilic in their two most recent meetings.

Fifth seed Cilic defeated Djokovic

in this year's Queen's final but the Serb won in the last four of the Cincinnati Masters on the way to a record-breaking victory over Federer in the final.

Djokovic, who has won four Paris Masters titles, will take the world number one ranking from Rafael Nadal on Monday.

Russian world number 18 Karen Khachanov beat fourth seed Alexander Zverev 6-1 6-2 in their quarter-final, setting up a lastfour tie with Austrian sixth seed Dominic Thiem.

There were complaints from Zverev over noise coming from Khachanov's box during the match, which finished in just over an hour.

French Open finalist Thiem came from a set down to beat defending champion Jack Sock 4-6 6-4 6-4 in two hours and 16 minutes. (BBC

Sport)

US Open and Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic is unbeaten in 21 matches

GTT National Indoor Hockey Championships…

Lady Tigers devour Saints

T

he GBTI GCC Tigers continue to storm the Women’s First Division competition of the GTT National Indoor Hockey Championships, on Thursday evening inflicting an 8-nil thrashing on a spirited Saints side.

The dominance of the GBTI ladies is evident not only in their having not conceded any goals in their last three matches, but also by their winning each by a minimum of four goals.

With an Aliyah Gordon easy deflection goal in the second minute after a well-constructed build-up, the GBTI GCC Tigers signalled that they were well on their way to another dominant victory over Saints. The girls in grey, however, put up a spirited show against the powerful national champions, and held GCC scoreless for the next ten minutes.

Although seeming a bit scrappy in their approach, the GBTI ladies finally got themselves back together, and a plethora of goals flowed from there onward. Vanessa Pires and Marzana

Fiedtkou scored in the 12th and 20th minutes to amass a GCC halftime score of 3-nil.

In the second half, it was all GBTI GCC again, as they drove home five more unanswered goals for the easy victory. GCC continued a dominant evening of ladies’ hockey when the GBTI GCC Spice defeated the Woodpecker Hikers by 1-0 in the Women’s Second Division competition, while the Bingo GCC Spartans got the better of Saints by 2-0. GBTI GCC Ladies have 9 points to top the women’s First Division table so far, with the Woodpecker Hikers on 6; while Old Fort 2.1.2 and the Bingo GCC Spartans share third place with 3 points each.

The Saints men managed to achieve their first win of the Men’s First Division competition by squeezing past Supernova 2-1.

Comprising of a national Under-19 selection, Supernova were first on the score sheet against Saints when prolific goal scorer Warren Williams con-

GBTI GCC Tigers maintained the bulk of possession throughout their First Division encounter with Saints Women

verted a penalty corner in the 3rd minute. Saints drew even just before the half through the diminutive Hilton Chester, and then go one up to seal the win by a Nickel Ashby field goal in the 25th minute.

The Old Fort Mustangs continued their unbeaten run in the Veterans’ Division by burying Antonio’s Hickers 7-4, while the GCC Pitbulls got their first victory in the Men’s Second Division with a 4-2 win over the Hikers Cadets. The PEPSI Hikers and Old Fort Lamborghini lead the Men’s First Division table with 6 points each; Bounty GCC and Saints are in a tie for third spot on 3 points each.

In the two-pool men’s Second Division competition, Old Fort Top Form lead Pool ‘A’ with 6 points, while Old Fort Rogue lead Pool ‘B’ with 4.

GBTI GCC Spice lead the Second Division table with 9 points; followed

by Bingo GCC Spartans on 7, Saints on 3, and the Woodpecker Hikers on 1.

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

saturdAY, november 3, 2018

Lewis eager to break into Jaguars 4-Day team – credits family-like atmosphere

By Clifton Ross

G

uyana Jaguars off-break spinner Ramaal Lewis has said he’s gunning for a spot in the 4-Day team following

team behind pacer Clinton Pestano (15), and 9th overall on the wicket-takers’ list. The 22-year-old told Guyana Times Sport on Friday that although he was aiming to end as the

cept that. We had a couple of games rained out and so forth; but 13 wickets -- the second most for Guyana -- I would accept that anytime!” said the spinner.

Lewis formed a good

Ramaal Lewis celebrating a wicket with teammates Chris Barnwell and skipper Leon Johnson

outstanding 2018 Regional Super50 Championships’ performances with the ball.

The Jaguars franchise player ended with 13 victims, the second most for his

leading wicket taker, he was nevertheless satisfied with his returns.

“Yea, it was good. This is my second year of Super50, and 13 wickets -- I would ac-

slow-bowling attack with the veteran Veerasammy Permaul, and, as a result of the enormous talent in the side, the spinner said he felt pleased at his consis-

tency and form throughout the championships.

“It was a great feeling (picking up wickets regularly). It was my aim to come out with the most wickets as a spinner. I know spinners always pick up wickets in the Caribbean, so in my mind I just wanted to pick up the most wickets in the tournament, but I did manage to end in the top 10,” he added.

The Jaguars continued their decade-long chase to reclaim the Regional 50 Overs title, but unfortunately failed in the finals, losing to the CCC Marooners, who lifted the title for the first time in their existence.

Speaking about the Jags’ stellar run, Lewis said, “Well, I think it was good, we had a really tough group with Trinidad and defending champs Windward Islands, so we had to put some good scores on the board; and we did well all round, and it was a good performance by the entire team”.

An ex-West Indies U-15 and World Cup U-19 skipper, the Jamaica-born, who wants to play for the Windies senior team, currently has his sights firmly set on breaking into the Jaguars 4-Day team by virtue of performing well

Lewis getting some high-fives from his teammates

in the upcoming domestic 3-Day league.

“Well, for me, now I’m just looking forward to doing well in the local 3 Day tournament to try and get in the 4-Day team this time around. I did well in the Super50, but that has passed and gone, so I just have to keep putting in the work, training hard and working on my game, and any opportunity comes around I’ll grab it with both hands”. The spinner stated.

Lewis believes the envi-

ronment, which he dubbed as similar to that of a family, was possible because of the great relationship between the team and the coaching staff.

“The coaches shared some really good information. We had really good preparation before and during the tournament.

They did some really good work, and everyone was feeling great. The coaching staff makes everyone feel good around each other, like a family,” he ended.

Trophy Stall donates Guyana Open Trophies to LGC Spinners, Dottin script easy

Antigua & Barbuda’s 37th Anniversary T20...

5-wicket win against English

A

fine all-round performance by the Windies Women saw them to a comfortable 5-wicket victory over England in Friday’s exhibition T20 match played as part of Antigua & Barbuda’s 37th Anniversary celebration of Independence. The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium was lit up as the ICC World T20 champs commenced their title defence, which bowls off in a few days in Guyana, with a strong showing against a powerful England team. After winning the toss and electing to bat, England managed to score 106 all out in 19.5 overs, while Windies replied by breezing to 119-5 in 19.1 overs. All-rounder Deandra Dottin smacked an unbeaten 43; while Brittney Cooper 22, Vice-Captain Hayley Matthews 19, and Kycia Knight 16* played crucial knocks.

Bowling for England, Kirstie Gordon snapped up 2-27 from her allotted 4 overs, Danielle Hazell and Jenny Gunn picked a wicket each.

Seasoned Windies spinners Anisa Mohammed and Afy Fletcher sliced through the English team to end with figures of 3-25 and 3-15 respectively. Pacers Shamilia Connell, Shakera, and skipper Stefanie Taylor chipped in with a wicket apiece.

Hazell resisted with an aggressive knock of 32 from 21 balls, supported by knocks from veterans Natalie Sciver and Heather Knight with 23 respectively. Lindsey Smith and Natalie Sciver were also utilised in England Women’s bowling attack.

The Windies Women now look forward to

their first official ICC Women’s World T20 warm-up match, which takes place at the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) in Antigua on Sunday, November 4. They play India at 4pm (16hrs). Meanwhile, in the first exhibition match, India squeezed past South Africa by three runs.

Deandra Dottin saw the Windies team home with her unbeaten knock of 43

L

Trophy Stall’s Devi Sunich presenting local pro golfer Dr Joaan Deo with one of the trophies

ong-time servant of sports in Guyana, a close friend to the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) fraternity, Trophy Stall, recently donated a number of trophies which will be up for grabs this weekend. The LGC will be hosting the premier golf tournament, the Guyana Open, an event on its annual calendar, on November 3 and 4 at the Lusignan Golf Course; and Trophy Stall has sought to continue playing a role in the development of golf by providing the spoils.

Devi Sunich, wife of Trophy Stall boss Ramesh Sunich, recently handed over the trophies to former Guyana Open Champ and front-runner for the Ladies crown this weekend, Joaan Deo. Trophy Stall continues to sponsor and support the new executive of the LGC, and has pledged to stand with president of the club as

he seeks to improve the game for women and children. Devi Sunich, in brief remarks, added that Trophy Stall is happy to be on board any development of sports, and that the donation was merely a way of giving back to sports in Guyana. She said golf has obviously grown in popularity, “and we expect it to grow tremendously in the years to come.”

This year’s tournament will be the largest in the history of the country, with 100 participants from across the globe set to occupy the Greens. Guyana’s Avinash Persaud and Christine Sukhram will have targets on their backs as they seek to retain their respective Male/Female Guyana Open titles when the tournament concludes on Sunday.

Tee off time on Saturday is set for 5:15hrs, and entrance to the venue is free. (Clifton Ross)

CLASSIFIED ADS

saturdAY, november 3, 2018 | www.guyanatimesgy.com

ACCOMMODATIONS Conferences and retreats – full service: Hotel, Catering & Facilities.

Aracari Resort WBD – 264-2946 Alex Wayne.

Weddings and anniversaries: Rental or full service: Banquet Hall & Catering.

Aracari Resort 264-2946 Alex Wayne.

Aracari Hotel, WBD (Near Harbour Bridge) – All modern amenities, rates from $25. Phone 264-2946-8 Salon/Spa. Cosmetology – full course $100,000, technician $40,000. Aracari Salon and Spa, WBD 264-3312

FOR SALE SKUTT AUTOMATIC KILN, MODEL 1227, AND MOVABLE STAGE PIECES FOR SALE. 650-1713 Dyna Canter GSS9669, 2 tons, 2005 model 1.2 M Whats app:680-3863

HERBAL TREATMENT MIRACLE HERB PRODUCTS - HAVE ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE HERBAL CANCER TREATMENT. RESULTS IN 3 DAYS. CALL 612-8944, 688-3663 MIRACLE HERB PRODUCTS - HAVE THE CURE FOR DIABETIC FOOT AND OTHER WOUNDS. NO AMPUTATION NO MATTER HOW HARD. CALL 6128944, 688-3663 MIRACLE HERB PRODUCTS HAVE TREATMENTS FOR THE FOLLOWING: CANCER, DIABETIC FOOT, GALL STONES, ASTHMA, HORMONE IMBALANCE, PROSTATE, THYROID, COUGH AND COLD, HEART BLOCKAGES, CIRCULATION PROBLEM, PAIN IN JOINTS AND MUSCLE, CUTS/ BRUISES, SNAKE BITE, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, KIDNEY STONES AND MANY OTHER HEALTH ISSUES. CONTACT MAHADEO LALL ON TEL# 612-8944 OR 688-3663.

LAND for sale One transported land for sale 100x50ft at Hope Town village West Coast Berbice Price 1.2M Contact # 680-1009

MASSAGE Visit Cloud 9 spa located at Lenora W.C.D for massage, manicure, pedicure, facial and nails. Book appointment with Renisa on 625-1323.

property for sale Transported Land. 11.6 Acres. Lot 15 Public Road. #2 Village. West Coast Berbice. Price $18M. Contract # 6864818, 648-7109 Property for Sale: Friendship, EBD Interested persons contact Manjarie on 668-1092

Sri Guru Raghavendra Astrology.

Master: VEERA BHADRA. Specialized in: PALM, FACE, PATRA READING & HOROSCOPE BOOK OPENING. An expert in clearing negativity in life by using ancient prayer methods. Gives complete solution to your problems like: love, children, finance, job, marriage, finance and education.

Meet him once to get guidance. All religions are welcome. Private and confidential. Tel: 695-9805 & 6526427.

INDIAN FAMOUS ASTROLOGER MASTER VENKATESH ALL RELIGIONS WELCOME SPECIALISED IN BRINGING LOVED ONES BACK, EXPERT IN READING PALM & FACE READING. GET ADVISE AND SOLUTIONS FOR LOVE, MARRIAGE, DIVORCE, FAMILY PROBLEMS, SEXUAL PROBLEMS, FINANCE PROBLEMS, STOP ALCOHOL ADDICTION, SICKNESS, BUSINESS/ JOB CAREERS, VISA ETC. PANDIT CAN REMOVE ANY KIND OF BLACK MAGIC, VOODOO, AND GIVE PROTECTION. CONTACT- 600-8222 WWW.ASTROVENKATESH.COM

Lot 15 Public Road, #2 Village, West Coast Berbice. 49ft x 10,314ft Length. $18M. Contact: 648-7109 or 686-4818

spirituality & ASTROLOGY INDIAN ASTROLOGER AND SPIRITUAL CENTER. INTERNATIONAL FAMOUS ASTROLOGER. MASTER RAJARAM. ALL RELIGIONS ARE WELCOME. RISE, AWAKE AND STOP NOT TILL THE GOAL IS REACHED. SPECIALISED IN READING PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE, FACE READING, PALM READING, BOOK OPENING, SHELLS READING. GIVE SOLUTIONS FOR: HUSBAND AND WIFE, LOVE, PROMOTION, REUNITE LOVERS, BUSINESS, PROPERTY, STOP DIVORCE, SEXUAL PROBLEM, JEALOUSY PROBLEM, FINANCIAL PROBLEM ETC. PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL. CONTACT: 6928449, 693-8655 Spiritual healing: remove blockages, voodoo, excurse, black magic, spell, business, upliftment, pregnancy, love & marriage problems, clearance, etc. Contact: 694-9569 or 683-5228

T

he Guyana Sport Shooting Foundation (GSSF)/ BM Soat Auto Sales held their 3rd Annual Halloween Costume Practical Shoot, and exceptional marksmanship was shown by Pravesh Harry “The Gold Tooth Gangster”; as well as by Vidushi “Lara Croft” PersaudMcKinnon and others.

The Timehri Rifle Ranges came alive on Saturday, 27th October, as competition was contested within the confines of

Competitors in the GSSF/BM Soat Auto Sales Practical Shooting Costume Match 2018

GR Taxi, 24 hours. Phone: 2257878, 219-5000 or 227-2100

TO LET ONE, 1-BEDROOM, SEMIFURNISHED CONCRETE STUDIO APARTMENT WITH LIGHT AND WATER, FULLY GRILLED ALL AROUND WITH GARAGE. WORKING COUPLE PREFERRED. NO CHILDREN, NO PETS. TEL: 615-7129 ONE BRAND NEW APARTMENTPARKING AVAILABLE. ONE 2-BEDROOM BOTTOM FLAT $50,000 PER MONTH. TEL: 226-3430 One-bedroom apartment at Parfaite Harmonie (Dairy) Call: 670-2653, 638-8499

VACANCIES Pump Attendant- Rubis BelAirWhats app: 680-3863/6240033 House Keeper/ Cook Whats app: 624-0033 Accounts Assistant Whats app: 680-3863 Bill Payment Clerk Whats app: 680-3863 Supervisor for Water Company Whats app: 680-3863

VEHICLES FOR SALE ONE TOYOTA MARK 2 (GX 100) $1,500,000. CONTACT # 615-5646

WANTED WANTED. Drivers and Security Personnel. Apply to North West Mining Investment Inc. 344 Middle and East Streets, N/Cummingsburg

NOT RECEIVING YOUR

DAILY & SUNDAY COPIES OF THE

GUYANA TIMES

in your area?

Contact our

Circulation Department on

223-7230-1 Phone: 223-7230 (Ext 55)

EXT: 55

21

“Lara Croft”, “Gold Tooth Gangster” shine in 3rd Annual BM Soat Costume Practical Shoot

taxi services

TRANSPORTED LAND WITH COMMERCIAL BUILDING 33X40 LAND(108X200) LOCATED AT LOWER MAHAICONY, ECD. PRICE: 38 MILLION NON NEGOTIABLE. CONTACT: 642-0336, 258-0280, 6556643 LOT 15 PUBLIC ROAD #2 VILLAGE WEST COAST BERBICE. 3 HOUSE LOTS. COCONUT AND MANGO TREES. RICE CULTIVATION. RED SAND. 49FT BY 10,314 FT LENGTH. PRICE $18M. CONTACT: 648-7109, 686-4818

sports

Division Winners: Lara Croft (Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon) and the Gold-Tooth Gangster (Pravesh Harry) in action

the safety rules and under the watchful eyes of Range Master Dallas Thomas and his team of range officials.

Shooters were in the Halloween spirit, as the likes of Hunter, a Sport-Shooter, a Construction Worker, a Rifle Shooter, the Black Panther, a Biker, Lara Croft, the GoldTooth Gangster and even Count Dracula risked the afternoon sun to come out and exhibit their skills.

The bevy of local marksmen was simultaneously placed

in two squads shooting two stages: ‘Related” with 9 IPSC Targets and 4 Steel poppers set out behind various screens; and “Big Barricade Mash Up”, which consisted of 10 metric targets, 7 no-shoot targets, 5 plates and 4 poppers.

Participants then converged on the final and third stage for the afternoon “Quad Standards”, which seemed like a final easy stage to end the afternoon with 4 targets set up down-range and 3 shooting lines set up at varying distances in front of them.

The first line set up started from 120 feet away from the targets, and had to engage the targets with only one round, make a mandatory reload and then engage again with only one round freestyle. The gunners then had to proceed to Line 2, engage with only one round, make a mandatory reload and then engage with only one round strong hand only.

Finally, participants had to proceed to Line 1 which was set 45 feet from the targets, engage with only one round, make a mandatory reload and engage with only one round weak hand only.

In the end, only 2 shooters managed to secure a positive hit factor in this stage, thereby changing the dynamics of the possible match outcome, with Persaud-McKinnon and Lennox Braithwaite being the survivors.

When the smoke had cleared in the Limited Division, it was Harry with 212.547 points in the first place, closely trailed by second place David Dharry with 209.0814 points; followed by Braithwaite in third place with 206.478 points.

In the Production Division, “Lara Croft” Persaud-

McKinnon amassed some 262.0026 points to clinch the 1st place, while GSSF President Ryan McKinnon was forced to settle for second despite shooting a total of 245.623 points, leaving Dallas Thomas to languish in third with 108.1096 points.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Practical Shooting Committee, Match Director David Dharry, expressed appreciation to the Management of BM Soat Auto Sales. The Board of Directors wishes to commend the Match Director, Range Master, Stats Officer, Range Officers and the shooters for ensuring an efficient event.

Special thanks also to the Guyana Defence Force, Chief of Staff Brigadier Patrick West, Commissioner of Police Mr. Leslie James, OC Mr. Guy Nurse, the ranks of TSU and the Guyana Police Force, the Media, the Management of Clear Waters and GSSF members for their support in promoting practical shooting locally. Sincere thanks are also extended to Mr. Rameez Mohamed of BM Soat Auto Sales. (Clifton Ross)

Stage of Champions III on tonight

‘S

tage of Champions’ is set to flex off this evening at the Theatre Guild Playhouse from 19:00h, and athletes will show off some of the best physiques that have been sculpted over lengthy periods of time and with great sacrifice and discipline.

Over the past week, many entities have expressed interest in coming on board this event. The show’s organiser, Videsh Sookram, was fortunate to reach sponsorship agreements with Subs and Salads and Life’s Gym. During simple ceremonies, representatives of these entities handed over sponsorship cheques to Sookram, who in turn thanked them for the kind gesture.

According to Sookram, the show usually attracts international competitors because of the lucrative cash prizes on offer, and as time progresses it is set to become of a higher calibre than in the years prior.

He said that besides musclemen and women from Trinidad, St. Maarten, Suriname and Antigua, he is optimistic that the recently crowned national bodybuilding, men’s physique and bikini champion -- Kerwin Clarke, Emmerson Campbell and Chandini Khan respectively -- will compete on stage, as this would offer Guyanese fans the treat of a life time as they see their very own compete.

Khan and Clarke, a five-time national champion, will be making their debuts. Campbell had won the physique segment in 2016 and 2017, and would be gunning for a three-peat. He is confident he would make a repeat of the previous years, as he said second place is not an option for him, no matter who he is competing against. He also said he is training rigorously as he wants to do his best.

Sookram also said, “We are still looking for sponsors, so we can give some more incentives to the athletes; but I am sure the corporate community will support, once we start getting the word out there.”

Last year, the bodybuilding, physique and bikini champions took home $250,000, $100,000 and $100,000 respectively.

The second and third place finishers in bodybuilding secured $130,000 and $100,000, while the first and second runners-up in physique and bikini pocketed $50,000 and $25,000 in that order.

Organiser of the event, Videsh Sookram, poses with IBFF American Bodybuilding champion Kai Greene

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

saturdAY, november 3, 2018

58th National Schools’

Championships officially launched – Banks DIH powers event with Malta Supreme 15 Championships, wherein six of them were awarded medals for their outstanding performances.

The GTU President also highlighted that the National Schools Championships have produced one of Guyana’s best athletes in Cleveland Forde, who received a national award this year.

Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, explained that the National Sports Commission is excited that the National

Championships are being hosted at Leonora, Region 3. In his brief remarks, he congratulated all the organisers for their dedication and hard work.

The Education Minister, in her remarks, noted these National Championships are an essential part of the schools’ curriculum, and have helped students to become well-rounded individuals. “The students/athletes develop leadership skills which are important in this era,” the Education

Minister concluded.

The National Schools Championships have, for 57 years, been sponsored

by Banks DIH Ltd. In partnership with the Education Ministry and the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), Banks DIH has sponsored this mega-event under the Malta supreme brand. The beverage giant supports these National Schools Championships because this event is where the stars are born. (Brandon Corlette)

GTU President Mark Lyte; Director of Sports, Christopher Jones; Education Minister Nicolette Henry, and Banks DIH representatives at the official launch (Brandon Corlette photo)

T

he National Schools’ Cycling, Swimming and Track & Field Championships are scheduled to be held during the period November 25th -30th at the National Track &Field Centre at Leonora, WCD, in Region 3.

The cycling aspect is scheduled for November 26th at the National Park in Georgetown, while the swimming aspect will be held

at the National Aquatics Centre at Liliendaal, ECD. These Championships were launched on Friday last at the Education Ministry on Brickdam, Georgetown.

Education Minister Nicollete Henry; Director of Sport, Christopher Jones; and Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) President Mark Lyte were among individuals present at the launching.

The GTU President pre-

sented an overview of the National Championships, wherein he noted that these events have exposed numerous athletes who went on to represent Guyana at various levels, and emerged as successful athletes. He disclosed that seven athletes who participated in the last National Championships were involved in the Caribbean Union of Teachers under

Gayle’s availability confirmed Round of 16 commences for MSL tomorrow opening round W Hamilton Green 9-a-side Inter-Ward/ Village KO Cup…

Chris Gayle

C

S A has confirmed that Chris Gayle will be part of the Mzansi Super League (MSL) opening weekend and will turn out for his team Jozi Stars' first fixture against Nelson Mandela Bay Giants at the Wanderers on Saturday November 17.

Gayle is also due to play for Kerala Kings in the T10 League in Sharjah from November 23 to December 2, but CSA chief executive Thabang Moroe set aside doubts about Gayle's availabil-

ity for Jozi Stars' first round of matches at the MSL, which starts on 16 November and runs until 1 6 December.

"We are excited to have Chris part of this tournament from the start and he is looking forward to linking up with his Jozi Stars team-mates," Moroe said.

"Seeing the 'World Boss' back in South Africa and playing cricket - we and the fans could not have asked for anything better than one of the most popular players that have ever played the game."

Gayle, 39, is still an in-demand commodity in T20 leagues around the world, and in October he was part of the inaugural Afghanistan

Premier League, where he helped Balkh Legends to the title with a string of fifties.

Gayle has also had a previous stint in South African domestic T20 cricket with Lions, for whom he played in the 2014-15 Ram Slam T20 Challenge, topping the team's run-scoring charts with 257 runs at a strike rate of 141.98 including a century against Warriors.

Gayle's homeground with Jozi Stars will be the 34,000-seater Wanderers in Johannesburg, where he scored the first ever century in the shortest format of the game in the opening match of the World T20 back in 2007. He will join a lineup that also includes Kagiso Rabada, Reeza Hendricks and Beuran Hendricks.

(Cricinfo)

ith eight exciting matches scheduled to be played tomorrow in the Hamilton Green 9-a-side Inter-Ward/Village KO Cup round of 16 in commemoration of the 84th Birth Anniversary of the former Mayor of Georgetown, the action is set to be the talk of the town.

Matches are scheduled to be played at the Den Amstel Community Centre ground.

The opening match features Plaisance taking on Sophia at 17:00hrs, with both teams aiming to qualify and advance to the next round, and claim the coveted prize of being deemed champions.

Central Mackenzie will tackle Mahaica at 17:30 hrs. The Linden, considered strong favourites, are expected to progress easily; but the land of cultivators – Mahaica -- should not be taken lightly, as they may very well spring a surprise.

That game will then be followed by the one featuring Newtown Kitty facing off against the Wolves at 18:00hrs, before Sara Lodge look to shut the doors in their 18:30hrs matchup against

Kuru Kururu. In other matches Uitvlugt and Stewartville will face off in the match of the night at 19:00hrs, before Goed Fortuin and Sophia ‘B’ collide at 19:30hrs.

Crane and Wales will then square off from 20:00hrs, before Pouderoyen and West Side Masters bring an end to the night’s proceedings when they take to the field at 20:30hrs. In excess of $700,000 and lots of prizes, including the coveted first prize of $400,000 and the championship trophy compliments of the Ministry of Citizenship, are up for grabs.

The runner-up will be awarded $200,000 and trophy, through the goodwill of John Fernandes Ltd, while third and fourth place finishers will receive $60,000 and $40,000 respectively along with the Techno Mills and Courtney Benn Construction Services trophies in that order.

The Most Valuable Player will be awarded a special prize from Techno Mills.

The tournament is being co-ordinated by former national player/coach Lennox Arthur.

guyanatimesgy.com

saturdAY, november 3, 2018

23

West Indies tour to Bangladesh 2018

Will new faces feature in West Indies squads?

By Brandon Corlette

A

fter an unsuccessful ODI and Test match series in India, West Indies will tour Bangladesh -- from November 18 to December 22 -- playing two Test, three One-Day International (ODI) and three T20 International matches.

The maroon-clad boys will kick start their tour with a twoday practice match on November 18, ahead of their first Test match on November 22. The Test squad to Bangladesh is likely to be announced soon.

Since the Test matches are scheduled to begin before the white ball matches, Cricket West Indies (CWI) are expected to announce their Test squad promptly. The selectors will be hunting for batsmen, since the West Indies batters have struggled to score runs consistently.

West Indies suffered huge defeats in the two Test matches played in India. In the first Test, they lost by an innings and 272 runs, and in the second Test, they lost by 10 wickets.

The top West Indian batsman in the India Test series was Roston Chase, who scored 185 runs at an average of 46.25, including a sensational century. This India series was dominated by the Indian bats-

Raymond Reifer

men, and Chase was the only West Indian to be featured on the list of the top 5 batsmen in this Test series. Kerian Powell was the only other West Indian batsman to score in excess of 100 runs, but he was inconsistent throughout the series, and his top score was 83.

Sunil Ambris got his opportunity in both Test matches, but failed miserably, scoring 12, 0, 18 and 38. The right-hander averaged 13 in Test matches, with 93 runs in eight innings in his brief Test career. Ambris will be hoping for an-

other opportunity, but the likes of Jermaine Blackwood, Jonathan Carter, Raymond Reifer and Leon Johnson will be looking to return in West Indies colours.

The aggressive Jermaine Blackwood had an outstanding Regional Super 50 tournament, wherein he compiling 320 runs, which included a masterful century.

Jonathan Carter, the Super 50 leading run scorer with 351 runs, will be eager to book a spot on the Bangladesh Tour. This Barbadian left-hander (Carter) made his international debut in 2015, and played his last ODI in June 2017 against India in Port of Spain.

The Jaguars’ duo of Raymond Reifer and Leon Johnson have also attracted the selectors with some brilliant performances in the recently concluded Regional Super 50 Tournament. Reifer in particular has been consistent, but Johnson reminded the selectors that he is still good enough to play for the West Indies with his scintillating century in the big semis against the Jamaica Scorpions.

The left-handed Reifer represented the West Indies in one Test match, in December 2017 against New Zealand.

The 31-year-old Leon Johnson has played nine Test matches and

Hope, Hetmyer make big leap in ODI rankings S

hai Hope is now the highest ranked West Indian One Day International batsman, while Shimron Hetmyer has also made a huge leap in the latest MRF Tyres ICC Men's Batting Rankings.

The duo was the two highest jumpers

the Windies now have two representatives inside the top-30 among batsmen.

India captain Virat Kohli who completed 10,000 ODI runs on his way to a series aggregate of 453 runs has consolidated his position as the top-ranked batsman.

in the latest rankings, thanks to impressive performances in the just concluded fivematch ODI series against India, which the Windies lost 3-1.

Hope scored 250 runs in the series at an average of 62.50, which allowed him to rise 22 places to 25th on the list, while Hetmyer, who was the West Indies' leading run scorer in that series with 259 runs at an average of 51.80, has jumped 31 places to now be ranked 26th.

The two batsmen are enjoying their career-high rankings and are now separated by only nine points. But, more importantly,

Kohli earned 15 points, lifting him to 899 points, 28 ahead of second-ranked teammate Rohit Sharma, who collected 29 points following his series total of 389 runs. His point tally of 871 is his highest to-date.

In the Bowling Rankings, another Indian in Jasprit Bumrah holds the top spot after achieving a career-high 841 rating points, which is the highest in ODI bowling since Shaun Pollock had 894 points back in 2008.

There is no West Indies' bowler in the top 30, with off-spinner Ashley Nurse's ranking of 33 being the highest on the list, with captain Jason Holder being ranked 36th. (CMC)

Jermaine Blackwood

six One Day Internationals for the West Indies, and he will be hoping for an International return after two years’ absence.

The selectors may not make many adjustments to the ODI squad, but the big players may return for the World Cup in May 2019.

Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer have proved themselves worthy in ODI cricket, and they will be eager to score runs in Bangladesh.

In the bowling department, Cricket West Indies selectors will be looking at extra spinners, even

though Devindra Bishoo and Jomel Warrican are on the radar in the Test team. Bishoo has of late not been effective, but his experience in the Test team will be critical.

Khary Pierre, who had an outstanding CPL tournament, may be an addition to the ODI squad, since Ashley Nurse is presently suffering from an injury.

Bangladesh and West Indies played a full tour in the Caribbean in August 2018, with Bangladesh wining the ODI and T20I series 2-1 and West Indies being victorious in the Test matches 2-0.

CONCACAF Men’s U20 Championships…

Guatemala dismantle Guyana in opener Guyanese Goalkeeper Johnathan Vaughn looks on as Edin Rivas attempts a header

G

Shai Hope (L) and Shimron Hetmyer

Leon Johnson

uatemala recorded a commanding 4-0 win against Guyana in Group F of the CONCACAF Men’s U20 Championship, on Friday at the IMG Academy in Florida USA. Both teams were fighting to eventually book their place in the World Cup in Poland 2019. Before heading into the match, the Guatemalan side, trained by David Gardiner, was already carrying a huge advantage as they had managed to go undefeated in the UNCAF U-19 Regional Tournament that was held in August in Honduras. In the matchup, the Guyanese side looked flustered, as they could not control the Guatemalans, who showed their attacking prowess from the whistle. They eventually ended with 78 per cent ball possession.

The Guatemalan side outmatched Guyana in every aspect of the game, but the Jaguars managed to keep the scores lev-

el until the brink of half time, when Rudy Barientos (45th) pegged one in as Guatemala announced their presence.

At the half, Guatemala had already accumulated 80 per cent possession, and as the match progressed, the Guyanese withered against the pace and dynamism of their opponents. When play resumed, José Ardón shot one in from just outside the 18yard box to put Guatemala ahead by two in the 53rd minute. Barientos then completed his double in the 66th minute, to leave the Guyanese staring down the barrel of a 3-0 defeat. With the higher level of ball play being exhibited by Guatemala, it was just a matter of time before they pierced the defensive line and successfully convert. Mark Santis announced his presence when he put the nail in the coffin of the Guyana side in the 73rd minute. After this loss, Guyana will face the Cayman Islands, Curacao and El Salvador in the coming days.

saturdAY, november 3, 2018

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

guyanatimesgy.com

58th National Schools' Championships officially launched Page 22

– Banks DIH powers event with Malta Supreme Cup of Guianas Tournament 2018…

Menikshi Jaikissoon collected the top prize in the Girls’ U-12 Singles

GTT National Indoor Hockey Championships…

Lady Tigers devour Saints Page 19

Guyanese contingent exceptional Page 19

– Coach grateful for exposure

GCC’s Aliyah Gordon (with ball) going on the attack against two Saints defenders

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.