Guyana Times Epaper - Thursday, September 6, 2018

GAWU training sugar workers for community mobilising P10

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

Issue No. 3678

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Thursday, September 6, 2018

PRICE

Teachers strike day 3:

“Unfit, disrespectful” Education Minister must go – GTU

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

GTUC supports arbitration call to end teachers’ salary impasse

...accuses Govt of “talking past” teachers

P10

Page 12

Stabroek P14 wharf vendors to be relocated next Friday

200 pensioners benefit from P11 feeding programme

…second round of conciliation talks scheduled for today …MoE to present “revised position” As the Guyana Teachers' Union wages strike entered its third day, the number of frustrated teachers increased as they upped the protest actions on Wednesday in front of the Education Ministry. Numerous dramatic outbursts calling for the removal of Education Minister Nicolette Henry were made and for the intervention of President Daivd Granger

Double-murder convict gets 18 years for Page wounding 8

Lost $47B Gold Board revenues could have cushioned sugar Page 3 industry – Jagdeo

Savannah Park residents question cost for house lots

East Bank Berbice Road Project set for year-end completion

P5

Page 8

President attends 9th Prime P9 Ministerial SubCommittee on CSME

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thursdAY, september 6, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Savannah Park residents question cost for house lots

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esidents of Savannah Park in New Amsterdam, Berbice are questioning the costs they have to pay for lands they have been squatting on for close to two decades.

There are 27 homes in the community comprising of more than 150 residents, who say they are being asked to pay $700,000 for a house lot with dimensions of 48 feet by 75 feet.

Munishwar Sugrim, who has been living at Savannah Park for the past 15 years, told this publication that when he moved there, the area was covered with thorns and other thick vegetation.

According to him, the dam which they now use for access was impassable. Over the years, he noted, the residents have been able to develop the area.

“We don’t have water and light,” he said.

Sugrim has been living on a plot of land three sides of which measure 45 feet, while the fourth side measures 75feet.

He said the residents were summoned to a meeting with the Mayor and Councillors, where they were told that they have to pay $700,000 for a plot of land.

“We don’t deny that we have to pay for the land, but the price, $700,000, I don’t have that amount of money to pay them, because I have four children going to school.

It isn’t easy to send four children to school when you don’t have light and water, and that is the most important thing to make people comfortable,” another resident said.

According to him, he does

Some disgruntled residents of Savannah Park

not want to move because he has already developed the land and has fruit trees growing thereon.

Recently, residents were being asked to pay $79,000 and $98,000 at Angoy’s Avenue. While the prices were determined by the size of land, none was sold for

more than a $100,000 Meanwhile, another resident, Jeffin Bhandan, told this publication that the price of $700,000 for a plot of land in that area is too expensive.

“We are seeking help from, not the council, but somebody else also so they could have it reduced. When we first came at the back here, there was a lot of bush and all kind of things, and people came and help develop the place. I know my mother living at the back here for eighteen years, and we come and reach people at the back here. The previous Mayor come and tell people that they can’t live here, and people end up leaving, but we remain,” Bhandan said.

The area was recently surveyed by the municipality.

Angela Richards, who operates a mobile vegetable business, explained that a lot

of work was put into developing the area at Savannah Park over the nine years she has been living there.

She said she cannot afford to pay $700,000 for such a small plot of land. According to Richards, it was the Mayor and Town Clerk who, at a meeting, informed them of the price for each plot of land.

“Three quarters of us are self-employed and quarter is working as janitors at Government places. For doing all of that work here and living that long here, (what is being asked of us) isn’t right.

It is atrocious. I never heard any Government land selling at that rate. I know $75,000, $100,000, $200,000 and $300,000, but not $700,000. I never heard of it.”

Beverly Myers, 44, has been living in the area for the past 18 years, and is one of those who initially started to develop the community.

She said even the downpayment is too high for her as a janitor and mother of five.

According to the single parent woman, she had two children attending school.

“When we come, we had to chop and build and full up the land. All we want now is for someone to come and help us with this price at the back here. They call us to the meeting and they say that the first payment is $350,000,” the woman told Guyana Times.

The single parent janitor and mother of five says it is almost impossible for them to make that payment, since she had two children attending school.

One resident related that she had moved to the land and erected a shack on a plot of land.

“I had a sheet and trampoline around the small shack. I did not even have anything to cover at first.”

The woman said she began by clearing the land and planting. Now she has a two-story house, but is still hoping for electricity and water.

Meanwhile, this newspaper was told that some of the councillors who would have been part of the decision-making body on the $700,000 cost for a 48-foot by 75-foot house lot have approved house lots for themselves just a stone’s throw away at $100,000 for 150-foot by 50-foot plots.

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thursdAY, september 6, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, September 6 – a night retraction at 01:30h and a day retraction from 14:30h-16:00h and Friday, September 7 – 02:30h and a day retraction from 14:30h-16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Thursday, September 6 – 13:55h-15:25h and Friday, September 7 – 14:55h-16:25h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Light cloudy skies in the morning are expected to give way to sunny intervals in the afternoon, while clear skies can be expected in the evening. Temperatures will range between 21 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: South to East South-easterly and East Northeasterly between 1.78 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 13:57h reaching a maximum height of 2.38 metres.

Low Tide: 07:21h and 19:50h reaching minimum heights of 0.76 metre and 0.84 metre respectively.

WEDNESDAY, september 5, 2018

LOTTERY NUMBERS

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14 Bonus Ball

DAILY MILLIONS

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Lost $47B Gold Board revenues could have cushioned sugar industry – Jagdeo

A

s the downsizing of the sugar industry continues to take effect in several communities, particularly those in rural areas across the country, people in civil society and those who hold high offices in politics in Guyana continue to criticise Government for the move.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, is one such individual, who feels Government made a rash decision to downsize, without considering how their action would have affected thousands of households that depended on the industry for a daily income.

Jagdeo told a recent conference that focused on how the industry could be salvaged, that some $47 billion was lost to a company by the Guyana Gold Board, which could have been used instead to resuscitate the industry and bring it back to a state of viability.

The industry saw over 7000 sugar workers being retrenched in 2017.

The former Head of State reasoned that although the Government’s continuing argument is that it lost billions each year due to the mismanagement of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), those monies could have been better utilised.

But besides that, Jagdeo contends that Government can find the money to invest in the sector if it wants to. “We can find the money now to afford it,” he told the conference.

According to Jagdeo, the debt figure for GuySuCo that has been repeatedly cited as $77 billion is incorrect. He explained that a significant part of the money was for long-term debt, personal liability and the Guyana Revenue Authority.

He said based on his calculations, the only real short-term debt faced by the industry was somewhere around $10 billion.

Jagdeo feels that was manageable and Government could have worked to ensure that that was fixed, and that the industry was sustained.

Having been criticised for the Skeldon Sugar Modernisation Project, which did not deliver on its objectives, Jagdeo said the fault lies with the company that was hired to oversee the implementation of the project-Booker Tate.

He said they simply did not deliver.

“The company failed Government by not giving enough value for the consultancy service it paid for,” he added.

Nevertheless, he said that

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

the purpose of that project was to bring some greater level of employment safety to persons in the industry.

He had been quoted in various events, stating that the project was aimed at keeping “sugar alive.”

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary also called out Government for the secret manner in which they are going about planning for the industry. He said sugar workers must be properly consulted and brought up to date with what is happening in the industry. He said thousands were caught by surprise over the retrenchment.

He outlined that in Guyana, sugar is not a company, but an industry, hence Government needs to be more thoughtful when making decisions about the industry. “No viable decision can be made without a feasibility study,” he said, noting that it was a political decision.

Jagdeo has long argued that the sugar industry

could be sustained and can become viable if more attention is placed on fixing the current problems that exists. He recalled that between 1976 and 1996, sugar made a huge contribution to the Treasury and paid for the sugar levy.

“At one time, one fifth of total Government revenues came from the sugar industry. We carried Guyana for a long period and even after that, when the sugar levy was ended in 1996 we then got GuySuCo to continue to make a positive contribution to the industry,” he had noted.

The PPP/Civic General Secretary also pointed out that it was only when there

was a cut in the European Union (EU) prices for sugar, it led to the industry losing $8 billion per annum in revenue. It was at that point that Government had to start looking to begin pumping revenue in the industry.

However, the EU had given Guyana over €100 million as part of the transitional arrangement, which according to Jagdeo, was more than the cost of Skeldon Sugar Factory.

“And so today it is not true that sugar cannot be restored in the future. It’s not true that sugar cannot be profitable. If we work real hard and we look at the multidimensional contributions of sugar to the economy we will through an economic analysis that sugar makes a bigger contribution to Guyana than the subsidy it gets in this difficult period,” he asserted.

Contrary to what is being done with the sugar industry, Jagdeo said the PPP Government ensured that when the bauxite industry needed help, they pumped money into that industry to keep it alive.

He said the same could be done for sugar.

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guyanatimesgy.com

thursdAY, september 6, 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

Regularising minibus operations

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sers of public transportation across the country are trying to adjust to new, increased fares that have been approved for minibus operators. For many, it’s a formidable challenge, given small salaries and the inability to earn extra to cushion the effects. In reality, they have to pay more for transportation at the same income they receive. Since it is a cost they cannot negotiate or avoid, naturally, something will have to give.

To be placed in a situation where something will have to give when everything else may have already been given makes a bad situation worse. While it may not be a priority for them in the context of being preoccupied with their financial predicament, the increased fares don’t bring a change in the unacceptable attitudes of many of the minibus operators.

This has been a sore point over the years, and seems to have worsened despite pleas from the public. Sadly, it’s not just one area of concern, but it’s wide-ranging within the service they provide to commuters and in their interaction with other road users.

Much has been said about the loud and lewd music which all, including school children, are forced to endure on a daily basis.

There is no respite, and any objection by commuters is met with disdain, disrespect, and wanton abuse in many cases. It appears that there is no consideration by these uncaring operators of the fact that they depend on the commuters for their livelihoods.

In a country that is slowly becoming more service-oriented, those who buy are given due importance as competitiveness increases. Maybe the time for competitiveness in public transportation, which many believe has passed, is now. The provision of this service is bread and butter for the operators and many owners; however, safety for road users and the provision of a better service cannot be continually disregarded.

In an age when the wheel is no longer invented, lessons can be leant from some Caribbean countries that have the service regularised. Templates can be borrowed from countries that have both private and Government-operated services. The power of choice not just empowers, in this case commuters, but brings competition that generally redounds to better services.

Of course, for some, there is the argument of preference for what is currently provided by the minibus operators. The bottom line is that they do not speak for everyone. Those who have been shamed for speaking up against loud and profanity-laced music crave a service or system that would bring them much-needed relief. Same for the elderly, same for those with illnesses, and same for those who are harassed and pressured – sometimes physically – into minibuses.

Some commuters, based on knowledge, tend to choose the minibus they wish to travel in, so as to reduce the likelihood of being exposed to the blaring music, and to some extent avoid being subjected to indiscriminate driving. But sometimes circumstance may not allow for this, given urgencies, weather, and other related factors. There is also the scenario of the appearance of a “peaceful” minibus before the journey commences; but afterwards the music booms, trapping commuters. While some would disembark, others may not, for good reasons.

In fairness to operators, some are trying to provide a proper service, have shown respect to commuters, and abide by traffic laws. They would have, over time, highlighted challenges faced, including those from touts. While one expectation would be for them to be more vociferous and advocate for change from within, it appears that the odds are stacked against them. From peer pressure and pressure to meet their daily targets, to influential owners of some minibuses, it is difficult for change to come from within.

Inappropriate modes of dress, running red lights, speeding, not returning change, some drinking while driving, cutting dangerously into the path of other drivers, demanding with their hands out that they must pass or get in front, carrying way in excess of the number of passengers legally allowed, and using roads that are not authorised as per their road service are some of the indiscretions commuters and other road users are forced to endure from many minibus operators.

Importantly, continuous exposure to high-decibel sound is a health risk, and this should be of concern to the relevant authorities with respect to the wellbeing of commuters. This is another front that can be used to bring some order to the situation. The seat-belt law and the law that prohibits smoking in public places are two important initiatives for safeguarding public safety and health that have been implemented.

What prevents a policy decision on loud music in public transportation? What prevents the enactment of other policy decisions to holistically regularise the minibus situation?

Regularisation must be driven by the dire need to raise the standard of service and safety. It must not only be important for the creation of a friendly and caring image to tourists, but fundamentally to Guyanese, who daily toil and make sacrifices here to pay requisites fares.

The overriding consideration must be the welfare of the commuters; and if this is taken on board, much-needed change can be forthcoming without the need for lessons from elsewhere.

St Peter’s Church was originally constructed on December 9, 1827. However, it was replaced by the present structure on June 29, 1855 on St Peter’s Day. It is located in Enterprise on Leguan Island, Essequibo River. The church is considered a Heritage Site by the Islanders and recently had its roof changed among other work (Photo by Subhash Haimraj)

In solidarity with the teachers’ struggle Dear Editor, The GAWU one-day conference, titled “Sugar – too big to fail,” was held on September 04, 2018 at the Grand Coastal Hotel at Le Ressouvenir, East Coast Demerara. As it discussed the plight of the sugar workers, who are now jobless, it also took account of the ongoing struggles of our nation’s teachers, who at this time are seeking improved pay and working conditions.

Several speakers, during their interventions, reflect-

ed on the strike action taken by the teachers at this time. Arising from those discussions, the Conference approved the following resolution in support of the teachers and their protest actions: Whereas the teachers are in the forefront of educating our nation, and whereas the wages they receive cannot sustain them and their families; Whereas this Conference on the future of the sugar industry in Guyana recognises

the need for improvement in the benefits of our teachers, Be it resolved that this Conference calls upon the Government to consider meeting the just demands of the teachers in an effort at ending the strike, or alternatively agree to take the dispute to arbitration.

Moving the resolution was FITUG’s President Carvil Duncan, and it was seconded by GTUC General Secretary Lincoln Lewis, and was fully endorsed by the Conference.

The GAWU also wishes to express its full solidarity with, and support for, our nation’s teachers, who are more than justified in their demands. They, like all workers and Guyanese, are only seeking to live a comfortable and fulfilling life, wherein they can afford the basic necessities.

Sincerely, Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU)

Teachers got their message too late Dear Editor, When this People’s National Congress-led coalition Government came to office, it removed completely the $10,000 cashper-child award given to parents on behalf of their children at school. It was an unconscionable, uncaring and downright low blow dealt to the children of this country; but no one said a word of protest, save the Opposition PPP/C, all others were strangely silent.

They were well in agreement with their party and Government in that move because, as they claim, it was the Government's way of punishing the PPP/C for a political gimmick to get votes.

How asinine that assertion was, but the facts are clear that the parents were

punished for the former Government doing something worthy and caring.

Little did the teachers, who are also daytime parents of our children, realise that their day would soon come, when the demonic side of their Government would be unleashed on them in a “no grant of increases in salaries and benefits”. It was the bare facts of karma hitting them like an avalanche. Teachers were caught flat-footed when the beastly side of their Government was revealed.

When the situation began to sink in that they were not about to get anything from this Government, it was only then that they rose up in condemnation.

Now that the situation reached boiling point. The

teachers are asking for all the support they can get, and from what I gather, the parents are about now coming out in support of the teachers’ cause.

With the support teachers are getting from parents, they should be humbled and thankful for the help they are getting in their time of need, when they needed that supporting shoulder to cry on. I do hope teachers get the stern rebuke message that they deserve, and get the rude awakening that they should have been more sympathetic and understanding of the parents' plight when they were so affected.

But such is the harsh situation in a place called Guyana, where politics clouds the eyes so that even when the situation is more

than obvious, folks turn the blind eye until the problem hits home. At that instance, they want everyone else to lend a helping hand. As the lyrics of the Old Anglican Hymn says, "O come and mourn with me awhile, O come let us mourn ... together." Fit and proper words for the situation at hand.

Guyana is a doomed place with the PNC in Government, and the sooner the masses get the message the better. Sorry the teachers got theirs so late, but as the saying goes, "better late than never."

Another day is coming; that is, general elections. I wait to see their response to that litmus test also.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

thursdAY, september 6, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

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News

East Bank Berbice road project set for year-end completion

A

s the $1.2 billion East Bank Berbice (EBB) road project is nearing completion, 2.1 kilometres of the first layer of paved asphalt surface of the planned five kilometres has been completed.

Resident Engineer, Joel Tucker told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that this covers the stretch of road from Everton to Edinburgh and the section in Islington. The remaining 2.9 kilometres of asphalt surface will commence shortly.

Tucker said despite challenges with the May/June rains, the exercise which commenced in August 2017, will be completed by the end of this year.

“Presently, we’re 50 per cent in terms of asphalt placed. It was difficult for us to place our sub-base during rainy weather, so now that the rains have eased up, we’ve begun most of our subbase work in the Glasgow and Heathburn area,” Tucker explained.

Some 1.9 kilometres of the base layer and the final layer of asphalt are slated

Everton Village in August.

This multimillion-dollar venture is being executed by the Public Infrastructure Ministry’s Special Project

Works ongoing on a culvert at Glasgow

for completion in Glasgow.

Preparations are underway to begin the final layer of asphalt in the Edinburgh, Everton and Islington areas shortly.

Construction of the culvert at Baptiste Turn, Edinburgh is finished and another at Glasgow is approximately 90 per cent

Some of the LED lights installed along a roadway at Everton, EBB

complete. The remaining structures to be done are the bridges at Gay Park, Edinburgh and recently-added Everton.

“We’re now driving piles for the bridge at the Everton location and that is scheduled to be completed at the end of November. It’s possible that we’ll complete the

roadworks as scheduled but we may not complete all the structures before the end of the year,” the resident engineer underlined.

The safety features such as guardrails and road signage will also be completed.

Meanwhile, the removal of utilities is almost completed with some minor Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) utilities remaining.

Additionally, a total of 120 light-emitting diodes (LED) roadway lighting fixtures were installed between Stanleytown and

Unit utilising its own equipment and employing residents from the EBB area.

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Foundation

Reading together:

F

ifty years ago, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) officially dubbed September 8 as International Literacy Day in order to raise global awareness and promote literacy. This year’s theme is “Reading the Past, Writing the Future,” and UNESCO is celebrating this important day with conferences and activities around the world.

For activities a little closer to home, here are four ways to celebrate International Literacy Day: 1. Get educated!

According to the International Literacy Association, around 12 per cent of people in the world are considered illiterate – that translates to roughly 781 million people!

One of the first steps to combat illiteracy is to stay informed. Have students do their own research and share their findings.

2. Read aloud!

A study conducted by the Kids and Family Reading Report found that in most instances, parents don’t read aloud to kids after kids turn six years old, but kids still wanted their parents to read aloud to them. Find a book – Sherlock Sam or Laser Moose and Rabbit Boy – as the study also showed that “makes me laugh” was the top characteristic kids looked for and read it together as a class.

3. Book drives!

A book drive (or a book exchange) is an excellent way to raise money for libraries or literacy after-school programmes! School Library Journal details how to create a popup library that can be modified based on the needs of each school or organisation.

However, for a little smaller activity, try a classroom book swap! Have each student bring in his or her favourite book and trade with a classmate.

4. Write letters!

Literacy isn’t just about being able to read – it includes writing, too! With the 2016 International Literacy Day theme in mind, have students write a letter to their future

self. ReadWriteThink.org has an excellent Letter Generator to help teach kids about the letter writing process. For an added activity, wait until the end of the school year to hand back the letters.

Communication, especially through reading and writing, empowers and connects people across the globe. Celebrate International Literacy Day with one (or all!) of the activities listed above – or spend some quality time curled up with a good book.

Countdown to World Literacy Day – today we begin with comics In honour of the upcoming big day, let’s start the reading train with something all kids love… comics!

Comics for Kids blog is a place to celebrate comics. For kids. Two of the most vibrant and fun-loving things on this planet rolled into one. Getting kids into reading isn’t easy, especially for reluctant readers, but there’s no better solution than introducing that child to the magical world of comics!

What better way to celebrate this newfound love or a revival of an old one with going back to the basics, with a series called Comics 101. Today’s post is a rundown of all the ways comics are awesome for kids. Drum roll, please…

Ask the experts: Comics are as cool as classics The Eisner Awards (basically the Oscars for comics) have been highlighting the most innovative and impactful work in the comics genre since 1988, and several of the categories honour books for young readers.

There’s also an Eisner Graphic Novel Grant for Libraries, which provide support to graphic novel services and programmes in libraries.

The American Library Association can back that up, too. They gave graphic novels their own stage at ALA’s annual conference and have recognised their incredible literary merit with the Printz Award (twice!). And that’s not even going into the Geisel Award winners, a few National Book Award finalists, and oh, did we mention the Pulitzer? That’s

right, the Pulitzer Prize, arguably the highest recognition to which a written work could aspire (besides a perfect five-star-rating on Goodreads) has been won by a graphic novel. Not too shabby!

Kids Like them! They really, really like them!

When given a choice, kids – especially boys and reluctant readers – gravitate more and more toward the comics format over traditional. In fact, kids’ graphic novels sales went up 24 per cent in 2016. This may in part be due to what has been dubbed the “Raina Telgemeier Effect.” Maybe you’ve heard of Raina Telgemeier. She’s kind of a comics rock star, and she’s getting a whole new generation of kids hooked on reading.

Raina, whose name literally means “queen,” joins author/illustrator powerhouses like Diary of a Wimpy Kid’s Jeff Kinney in defining a graphic novel genre of realistic fiction that kids just devour. "Comics are good for so many different kinds of readers," Raina Telgemeier (the literal queen) told NPR. "Kids who have never finished a book on their own before can pick up a graphic novel and be done in an hour and feel empowered, that they've never had that experience before.

They finished something."

Comics are good for libraries The numbers speak for themselves: When libraries add a comics/graphic novel section to their collections, library usage goes up a whopping average of 82 per cent.

A comics/graphic novel section boosts other sections’ circulation by an extra 30 per cent.

“As a librarian you cannot get more bang for your buck than graphic novels,” says Christian Zabriskie, New York City librarian and founder of Urban Librarians Unite. “They circulate like mad, reach across generations, and drive circulation wherever they go.”

Long story short, comics are a great way to get kids to love reading. And when you instil a love of reading, you put them on a path to success, in the classroom, and in life.

(Excerpt from www.ampkids.com)

L

ike all children, your child will learn and develop, yet she will likely develop more slowly than other children her age. Reading aloud and talking about the story and the pictures will help your child improve her vocabulary and help teach grammar. Here are some other tips to help your child enjoy books and reading.

Infants and toddlers Helping your child love books You'll find sharing books together is a great way to bond with your son or daughter and help your child's development at the same time. Give your child a great gift that will last for life – the love of books.

When your child reads to you or names objects on the page, she will get added practice to improve her memory and her spoken language skills. As your child grows, talk to her occupational therapist and teachers about ways reading and word-matching games can help improve her reading skills.

Tips for reading with your infant or toddler Each time you read to your child, you are helping her brain to develop. Reading to your child helps her understand that there are words and pictures on the page. So – you've planted the seed to reading that will stay with your child throughout her life.

Try reading for a few minutes at a time at first. Then build up the time you read together. Your child will soon see reading time as fun time and learning time!

Here are some things you can try: * Buy books or borrow books from the library that have thick, sturdy pages. * Find books that have rhymes. Clap your hands and help your baby clap along to the rhythm of the words. * Find books that teach everyday things, such as colours, shapes, numbers, and letters. * Read aloud. Talk about the pictures and read the text.

Help your toddler point to objects you name in the book.

Preschool and school-age children Remember, when you read to your child often and combine reading time with cuddle and play time, your child will link books with fun times together.

Here are some things you can try: * Borrow books from the library on topics that can strengthen your child's daily living skills, such as books about bedtime or going to the dentist. Also, pick books about things your child enjoys, such as animals. * Read aloud and talk about the pictures. Ask your child to name objects or read aloud. * Praise your child's efforts at reading! * Find books that have buttons to press that make sounds, and buy audio books. (Excerpt from readingrocket.org)

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thursdAY, september 6, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Oil sector

GCCI concerned about being sidelined in favour of foreign companies …wants consultation before T&T MoU signing

GCCI President Deodat Indar

T

he Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) said it wants to be consulted first before the Government of Guyana moves ahead with signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, as this could possibly open the flood gates for foreign companies to take over the oil industry.

This was the expressed view of President of the GCCI, Deodat Indar, who told a news conference on Wednesday that Guyanese businesses are already being sidestepped and instead contracts have been awarded to foreign-based companies to benefit from the local oil sector. But the GCCI wants the local Private Sector to get its “piece of the pie.”

“We don’t have a policy, we don’t have any legislation for local content (policy) but yet we are going and do these MoUs. I think that they should wait. I’m asking Government to hold on this. Let the Private Sector

see what the verbiage is in this, so that we would know it would not be adverse to us,” he said.

It was recently reported that a MoU on energy cooperation between Guyana and Trinidad is expected to be signed in the coming weeks. Since 2016, discussions commenced between Guyana and Trinidad on a MoU under which T&T would provide various forms of support to the oil and gas sector in Guyana.

As such, Indaar revealed that the GCCI has put together its own draft local content legislation/policy which has been dispatched to both the Government and the Opposition. This document was sent to President David Granger, Business Minister Dominic Gaskin, Attorney General Basil Williams as well as Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo.

As part of that proposal, it said Guyanese companies must have 51 per cent ownership, the holding of board meetings must be in Guyana, 70 per cent of the staff must be Guyanese and its head office must be located in Guyana.

“We are Guyanese taxpayers and we believe that we should be given first consideration. That is what our (draft) legislation has inside. Not first preference. It does not go against any established law, no Competition Act or World Trade Organisation rules,” he said, while noting that there is now greater need for a Local Content Policy.

Indar lamented over the fact that several of GCCI members had submitted expressions of interest and

GCCI Senior Vice President Nicholas Boyer

most of them to date have not received a response. The GCCI, he said, hopes that the Government accepts the document in good faith and puts mechanisms in place so that foreign companies are legally obligated to purchase locally.

Meanwhile, GCCI Senior Vice President, Nicholas Boyer, who has responsibility for petroleum said the Government’s draft policy does not provide a clear understanding of the definition of a local company, nor does it include reporting mechanisms to ensure the operators are actually purchasing from the local economy.

The GCCI’s draft legislation proposes a more concise definition of Guyanese citizens and companies, he said. Boyer also warned that with the absence of a strong policy and legal framework, then it could affect the chance of Guyanese business having a fair chance at this sector.

He said it could also result in companies skipping joint ventures and partnerships with Guyanese com-

panies. But according to the GCCI Vice PREsident, joint ventures and partnerships allow for transfer of technology, information and the growth of capacity in Guyana.

He also cited an issue where the twin-island republic was called upon to scrap legislation that prevents foreign honey, to transition to that island and other countries. This archaic law has seen in the past, Guyanese honey being seized.

The GCCI has guaranteed that Guyanese businesses have the capacity to

supply high quality services and goods to oil companies coming here. This include a whole host of services including: logistics, catering, and freight forwarding, among others.

As ExxonMobil prepares to officially commence production in 2020, there is much preparatory work currently ongoing, which requires services tailored to the specific needs of the industry.

The draft local content policy has been criticised in recent months for lacking provisions which would safeguard against exploita-

tion by companies, especially since there have been intensified reports of the local companies being bypassed for contracts and services with foreign companies being favoured.

The document does not cater for issues such as how to avoid procurement fraud, conflict of interest and favouritism, among others.

Business Minister Dominic Gaskin has said that the second review of the local content policy is expected to be completed by the first quarter of next year.

(Samuel Sukhnandan)

8 news

thursdAY, september 6, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

IN THE COURTS

Double-murder convict gets 18 years for wounding F

orty-nine-year-old William Light, who is already spending 47 years behind bars for killing two persons during a rampage at Charlestown, Georgetown, was handed another 18 years for

wounding two others in the October 26, 2010 Russell Street, Georgetown attack.

He appeared before High Court Justice Brassington Reynolds unrepresented on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to two

separate counts of maliciously wounding Sean DeSouza and Rajesh Persaud.

Justice Reynolds ordered that the two sentences run concurrently for Light. He is mentally

challenged and is a psychiatric patient, his probation report revealed.

When the man went berserk almost eight years ago, Cedric Blackman and Ann Cham-A-Koon were killed.

Accused knife-wielding thief remanded

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lleged knife-wielding thief Kevin Adams was on Wednesday remanded to prison by Georgetown Magistrate Leron Daly on a robbery charge alleging that on September 3, 2018, at Houston Access

Road, East Bank Demerara, he robbed Renard Khan of his mobile phone worth $40,000.

It is also alleged that, during the robbery, Adams used a knife to attack the victim.

Adams denied the allega-

tion, but on the matter of antecedents, Police Prosecutor Sanj Singh, in his submission to the court, informed that Adams was previously convicted for a similar offence.

The prosecutor also stated that Adams led the Police and

the victim to a location where he had hidden the phone.

After hearing the prosecutor’s submissions, the magistrate remanded Adams to prison, and set the case to continue on October 3.

Magistrate remands accused thief

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ultiple offender Romel Bollers of Agricola, Greater Georgetown was on Wednesday remanded to prison on a simple larceny charge by Georgetown Magistrate Leron Daly, before whom he appeared to answer an allegation that he snatched Tanya Drakes’s gold chain and pendant on August 22, 2018 at Agricola, Greater Georgetown.

Bollers denied the allegation, but according to the prosecutor, the virtual complainant was standing on the Agricola Public Road when Bollers approached her, snatched the chain and made good his escape.

Bollers’ having already served three years’ jail for robbery-under-arms, the prosecution’s submissions

were upheld and he was remanded to prison until October 10.

The run-ins that Bollers had with Police date back to September 11, 2012, when Agricola youth Shaquille Grant was shot and killed

by Police ranks. At that time, Bollers had claimed that neither he nor any of his friends had been armed when Police opened fire on them.

During Policeman Terrence Wallace’s trial in 2015, Bollers, who was by then incarcerated, testified and rejected suggestions that he had pulled out a gun and shot at the Policemen.

The Police ranks had said that that act was what had propelled them to return fire, leaving Bollers’ friend Shaquille Grant

dead. Policeman Wallace was later freed of the charge.

Bollers was behind bars during that time, having been sentenced

by Magistrate Daly, who was then serving at the Providence Court, to three years’ jail for armed robbery.

He had been placed on $100,000 bail by ex-Magistrate Leslie Sobers prior to being convicted. However, based on the prosecution’s evidence, the court accepted that on December 3, 2012, Bollers robbed Amrita Bacchus of two cellular phones valued $185,000 while being armed with an ice pick.

After paying his debt to society, Bollers had another encounter with the law in

January 2017, when he was alleged to have robbed two Policemen. However, when he appeared before city Magistrate Annette Singh, he outright denied the robbery charges.

Guyana Times reported that the first charge alleged that the defendant, on December 9, 2016, at East La Penitence Market, robbed Ian George of one car key and alarm valued $25,000.

The second charge alleged that Bollers robbed Elvis Parkinson of one cellphone valued $165,000, one wallet valued $5000, and $20,000 in cash at the same location. On that occasion, however, he was allegedly armed with a gun.

He had also been charged for robbing Gray Jordon of a cellphone valued $110,000, one wallet valued $5000, and $11,000 in cash while allegedly armed with a gun.

Bollers has been remanded to prison, and will be arraigned in court again on January 10, 2019.

Imposter…

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…in culture ne of the sad legacies of our British colonial history is we try to imitate them in all manner of ways – knowing fully well we don’t have the slightest inkling about the substance of what we’re doing. The late, great VS Naipaul railed time and again about the “Mimic Man” – not only in the Third World, but across the colonies of the various European Empires. And yet we wonder why folks from those countries snicker at our affectations – especially when we take ourselves so seriously.

The protagonist in the Mimic Men – Ranjit who decides to call himself “Ralph”, for instance – is struck when sees some Roman homes from Pompeii and Herculaneum in a picture book. He then decides to build one for himself in his West Indian island!! Where, of course, it sticks out like a third leg!! The mimicry is taken to absurd heights (or depths!) with even the Britain clothes he affects. Even more incongruously than the Roman House in the Tropics, they’re donned with meticulous care – even as the sweat rolls down Ralph’s neck in tiny rivulets!!

And we arrive at the latest act of mimicry by Tacuma Ogunseye who once again took up his pen like Don Quixote of yore, who’d pick up his lance to foray into battle against windmills. He insisted they were ferocious giants to be defeated on behalf of his folks. Ogunseye unnervingly addressed both President Granger as “Comrade” but your Eyewitness wasn’t sure it was from a collegial or communist perspective, but it did sound a tad too familiar!

The ferocious giants Ogunseye invoked this time were the purported issues of “self hate” and “cultural blindness” in the African Guyanese community! Can you believe this? Hinds had earlier made this claim which President Granger soundly rebutted. The problem is, both Hinds and Ogunseye are simply mimicking rhetoric from the US, which has replaced Britain as our standard for imitation.

Because of the continued dread condition of African Americans on account of their minority status there, one can understand their point.

But in Guyana?? Jeez!! We’ve had a whole Black Power Revolution in the sixties combined with Burnham ruling for 28 years where he vowed to make the small man the real man, and Ogunseye is still bitching and moaning?? What’s this nonsense that Guyanese Africans not asserting they’re “Africans” as a sign of self-hate?? Is Ogunseye saying our self-confident Prime Minister Nagamootoo also suffers from self-hate because he said he wasn’t “Indian”?

And what’s this “historic disconnect that Diaspora Africans have in relation to African culture as it existed prior to slavery.”

Does he think Africa remained in a time warp?? Wake up Mimic Man!! …with apology Keith Scott’s the Junior Minister in charge of the Department of labour within the Ministry of Social Protection. Makes you think of those Russian Babushka dolls, where there are smaller ones within each, in a seemingly infinite regression, doesn’t it?!! Anyhow Scott got his position – and his $700,000 monthly salary and commensurate perks – because he represents his oneman party the NFA, which is a member of the “five-party” coalition that’s called APNU. Now Scott, while addressing some kids at a bursary awards ceremony of the GPSCCU, denounced the striking teachers as “selfish and uncaring” for striking for higher wages. Folks wondered if he was smoking something, since him being a Govt negotiator was the reason why the teachers refused him as “conciliator” and demanded arbitration!!

But Scott knows what he was doing – ‘cause he knows who’s buttering his bread!! He’s beholden to Granger, who’d just doled out some “tough love” to his supporters at BV. Scott was just sucking up to his boss, by imitating him!! …on refugees We just hosted the largest Congressional Delegation (CODEL) in the history of Guyana to brief them on our response to the refugee influx from Venezuela’s collapse.

So why didn’t Greenidge join the 11-country meet asking for aid to deal with the refugees.

Did CODEL promise us something?

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

9 President attends CSME Sub-Committee Meeting in Barbados News

thursdAY, september 6, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

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s teachers continue a countrywide strike in demand for a 40 per cent salary increase, President David Granger has travelled to Barbados where he participated in the Ninth Meeting of the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) on Wednesday.

The meeting, which was held in Bridgetown, was convened to discuss and make decisions which are aimed at hastening

the movement towards a single market and economy within the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

The Sub- Committee, of which President Granger is a member, was chaired by recently elected Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley.

The meeting saw dis-

cussions on a wide range of CSME-related issues, including the role of the private sector and labour in the CSME, facilitation of travel, the free movement of persons, contingent rights, and the proposed establishment of single registration for companies.

Vice President and

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge; Guyana’s Ambassador to Caricom, Charlene Phoenix; and Senior Foreign Service Officer within the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Sherwyn Naughton, accompanied President Granger to the meeting.

President Granger shares a light moment with Secretary General of Caricom, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, and Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness

Linden Hospital Management Committee reconstituted

the Nurses Association Sub-Region 2, the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), the Linden Cancer Society, the religious community, and the People's Progressive Party, whose members have not yet been named.

Minister Volda Lawrence along with Dr Farouk Riyasat (at right) and Chairman of the Committee, Mortimer Mingo

P

ublic Health Minister Volda Lawrence on Wednesday officiated at the reconstitution of the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) Management Committee, which consists of a total of 15 members.

In addressing members of the committee, the minister shared her vision and expectations, and noted that the committee is expected to assist in the alleviation of issues which plague the institution.

"We have been attempting to address many issues using the Band-Aid methodology, and that is not how I manage things. I expect that there will be reports, and we'll be able to analyze those reports and make interventions very quickly,” the minister said. She added that there have been deficiencies from both the ministry and from Region 10, which have been recognised and are being addressed.

The minister further said she is aware there are high expectations of the Public Health Ministry, but urged staff to work within their means and utilise what is available.

"I want to say to the Committee that I expect that you would reach outside of Government to try to alleviate some of the issues which confront the health sector at the Linden Hospital Complex", she said, even as she acknowledged that the Public Health Ministry does not have the physical capacity to, and cannot, do it alone.

She urged Committee members to ensure they operate in a transparent manner, and that there is accountability and respect for

the law.

"Let us zero in on the issues, and let us look for ways in which we can alleviate those issues, and alleviate (them) in a long-term fashion…," she said.

Chairman of the Committee, Mortimer Mingo, in his remarks, thanked the Public Health Minister for reposing confidence and trust in him to lead the management team.

CEO of the Linden Hospital Complex, Dr Riyasat, who also made brief remarks, thanked the minister for officiating at the reconstitution of the Committee, and pointed out the importance of having guidance in the management of the Linden Hospital Complex.

He said the presence of the Committee would go a long way in achieving the hospital's vision.

In the Region for only three days, the minister said she would like to have more frequent and closer interaction with the hospital's staff. Following this assignment, she conducted a tour of the hospital, including its Maternity Ward, Intensive Care Unit, and other departments, where she interacted with staff. She also met with nurses in Region 10.

The members of the committee include Councillor and educator Denise Belgrave, LHC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Farouk Riyasat, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) Health Officer Dr Pansy Armstrong, former matron Naomi Cox, technician Patrick Hudson, and representatives from the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), the Linden Mayor and Town Council (LMTC),

President David Granger in discussion with Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, as Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge listens attentively

10 news GTUC supports arbitration call to end teachers’ salary impasse thursdAY, september 6, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

...accuses Govt of “talking past” teachers

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s the nationwide teachers’ strike continued into the fourth day since the official reopening of school, the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) has expressed support for the Guyana Teachers Union’s (GTU’s) call for arbitration, and has called on the wider society to support the teachers in their struggle for better wages.

On Wednesday, the GTUC said its concerns have grown that the two sides – the Education Ministry and the GTU –would remain steadfast in their respective positions. The GTUC has in fact said the almost threeyear impasse between the two sides “requires admittance”, noting that the stalemate does not spell well for the industrial relations environment and teachers’ morale.

“The nation is witnessing Government talking past the teachers and not with the teachers. This lends to the impression that the profession is not worthy of respect, perhaps seen as a lower rank in the order of things...

Let us show mutual respect.

Instead, teachers are hearing about Government’s positions through the media, as though direct communication is no longer seen as necessary or important,” the GTUC pointed out, even as it deemed this a disturbing development for labour relations.

The GTUC is at the same time calling for more dialogue with Government ministers, some of whom, the GTUC has said, seem to have “no desire for consultation or communication” with established organisations that have constitution-

GTUC General Secretary, Lincoln Lewis

al roles. GTUC observed, too, that Article 147 of the Guyana Constitution protects the right to strike and freedom of association.

The union pointed out that teachers are not a homogenous group, and they should not be reduced to being lumped into political

camps, which is not in keeping with social cohesion.

GTUC said it is satisfied that the teachers’ struggle is in tandem with the forerunners of the GTU and the Trade Union Movement, which earlier shaped much of the freedoms and benefits we enjoy today.

“GTUC is conscious that the stubbornness on the Government’s part not to engage the union affects students as well as their parents/guardians, and has the potential to disrupt other services in society...the education system also plays a custodial role for our children, and many families are able to engage in meaningful employment as their children attend school,” the union said.

GTUC said, too, that it is disappointed in Government’s earlier attempt to resolve the impasse by first ordering the teachers back to the negotiation table. The union said that, from all observations, Government does not appear willing to negotiate in good faith.

“Even before the strike was started, Government

telegraphed its value and respect for teachers by declaring its intent to employ scab labour. The use of this is an attempt to weaken the strike while ignoring the option of negotiating in good faith. The Minister of Education said this form of labour is being offered the benefit of $1000 to top up their cellphones, a consideration that was never given the teachers,” the union said.

In an interview with Guyana Times in August, a former Education Minister under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government, Dr Henry Jeffrey, supported the call for arbitration. The teachers’ strike commenced on August 27 during preparation period for the new school term.

GAWU training sugar workers for community mobilising

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ome 30 sugar workers are currently being trained by the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Unions (GAWU) to mobilise community members as the union tries to reposition itself within the restructuring process of the sugar industry. This is to enable the union to become more involved in the operations of the sugar sector, to the benefit of the workers therein.

This educational project, a collaboration between GAWU and Canada’s largest private sector trade union, Unifor, will see a total of 125 members in the sugar industry being trained as “organisers”, to mobilise support not only in their workplace, but in communities as well.

Among those who will undergo training are 60 GuySuCo workers from

Some of the participants of the GAWU/UNIFOR Educational Project at the launch on Wednesday

the three remaining estates – Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt. Training has commenced with approximately 30 of these GuySuCo workers. The Educational Project will be implement-

ed in phases via two courses.

The current course has commenced, and will run until Saturday.

Speaking at the project launch on Wednesday, GAWU President, Komal

Chand, pointed out that given Government’s position on the sugar industry, it is even more vital now to be alert of, and involved in, the decision-making process.

He referred to State Minister Joseph Harmon previously saying there is a buyer for all the estates but then recently maintaining that the three operational estates would remain stateowned. Moreover, Chand reminded that Government had closed the four estates because of poor performance, but in its expressions of interest advertisement for the Enmore (East Demerara) Estate, said that estate was a good facility, with 80 per cent of the land prepared to accommodate mechanical harvesters, up-to-date packaging plant that will allow value-added sugar, and a capable workforce. These are all good things said of the estate, yet the nation was told, just over a year ago, that these estates were a liability.

On this note, Chand urged the workers to take advantage of the training exercise.

“It is a challenging moment, and that is why we

want you to be real organisers for not the union only, but for yourself and your fellow workers. We want you to spend the next four days, until Saturday, trying to follow all the advice and teachings you get. It will not be a oneway; it will not be a monologue, it will be a dialogue, and you will have the opportunity to be able to speak and digest as much as possible, because we can’t afford to be what we were in the past; we can’t afford to be passive and not being able to address issues that we are supposed to,” he asserted.

The GAWU President went on to remind sugar workers that the union is not just the hierarchy, but its existence and strength lies in the active involvement of its membership.

This was also reiterated by Unifor President Jarry Dias, who posited that the strength of a union comes from its members and from mobilisation. “This week is about training, equipping you with the confidence of going out there to mobilise members in communities,” he told the gathering at the project launch held at GAWU’s Head Office in Kingston.

The President of the Canadian trade union, which has a membership of some 315,000 members from 20 different industries, spoke of the need for workers to not sit back and accept Government’s decisions, but to equip themselves to fight back for their rights.

“This is about you speaking to your members, our members. This is about you speaking to the communities; this is about us mobilising within the communities; because there is one thing that governments understand, and the only thing they un-

derstand is power, or the loss of it.

“Governments take positions frequently because they think they can, and because they don’t think there is going to be a push back.

But clearly, the whole issue of training 125 coordinators, community activists, is really about how do we take (back) our country and how do we take back our jobs, and that happens when you force a political agenda. That’s what happens when the labour movement is strong,” the trade unionist stressed.

Dias, born to Guyanese parents, said his union could not have sat quietly and watched what was happening to sugar workers here without doing everything it could to help. UNIFOR’s investment in this training programme is a continuation of collaboration first initiated back in the mid-1990s, which was the Canadian trade union funding research and communications units within GAWU. On Tuesday, the Unifor President was one of the feature speakers of a oneday conference titled “Sugar – too big to fail” hosted by GAWU and sponsored by the Canadian trade union. Dias, in addressing those at the opening of the conference, called on sugar workers and union leaders to “fight back”, saying that they should not take the road of past “least resistance.”

Meanwhile, among the other speakers at Wednesday’s launch of the GAWU/UNIFOR Educational Project was General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), Lincoln Lewis, who urged the GuySuCo workers to take advantage of this opportunity.

11

News

thursdAY, september 6, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

‘Support group’ for parents with special needs children

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wenty-two parents with special needs children benefited from a one-day ‘support group’ workshop, geared towards providing moral and mental health support.

This initiative, held on Wednesday at Cara Lodge, was hosted in observance of World Physical Therapy Day 2018 under the theme, “Physical therapy and mental health”, which focusses on the role of physical therapy and physical activity in mental health.

The workshop is a collaborative effort between the Public Health Ministry and the Guyana Physiotherapy Association, the Department of Public Information (DPI)

parents to discuss their experiences and others who are facing similar circumstances.

Dr Mangar said the workshop largely targeted parents with children who have microcephaly. This is a condition in which the brain does not develop properly resulting in an unusually small head. It is highly unlikely

reported.

Director, Disability and Rehabilitation Services at the Ministry, Dr Ariane Mangar told DPI that the

department recognises the challenges parents with special needs children face. This, she said, led the Ministry to provide an avenue for the

Mayor of New Amsterdam, Winifred Heywood

and pedicure treatments; compliments of students pursuing cosmetology at the Vrymens Erven Training Centre.

Mayor Heywood further added that as part of

at the New Amsterdam Town Hall and on Friday an inter-department domino tournament is expected to be hosted. She also disclosed that a brunch will be held on September 21, and the mon-

Senior citizens receiving manicures from cosmetology students of the Vrymens Erven Training Centre

owners and stakeholders in New Amsterdam to fund the initiative.

“Our senior citizens look forward to it and it’s a pleasure providing for them.

This organisation will continue to work towards meeting the needs of the citizens of New Amsterdam,” Heywood reiterated.

The Mayor thanked the New Amsterdam Prison Service for providing barbering services for the elderly. The senior folks also received skin care, manicure

there is a rehabilitation centre in Georgetown and that we should come. So, we took his advice and now we are here… It is going to help us a great deal in coping with our child and assist with bring her up like any other child.”

World Physical Therapy Day is observed on September 8 and is an opportunity for physiothera-

Director, Disability and Rehabilitation Services of the Public Health Ministry, Dr Ariane Mangar

200 pensioners benefit from feeding programme S ome 200 pensioners who turned up at the New Amsterdam Post Office on Monday last to receive their monthly pensions were treated to a delicious early morning meal by the New Amsterdam Mayor and Town Council.

The Mayor of New Amsterdam, Winifred Heywood, told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the feeding programme is an ongoing initiative by the municipality’s social committee; the meals and services were prepared to target more pensioners as part of the town’s anniversary celebrations.

Heywood said while this month’s outreach was executed solely by the municipality, they have collaborated before with business

ally. So, today we are providing that necessary emotional support.”

It was highlighted by Dr Mangar that the Health Ministry has recorded 20 cases of children living with microcephaly in Guyana.

Parents welcomed the programme, explaining it will assist them to cope with and better understand ways

the town’s anniversary activities, on Wednesday, a church service will be held

ies garnered will go towards offsetting expenses for other feeding programmes.

Some of the parents at the support group workshop

that development thereafter could be normal.

“Having a disabled child is a hard task to cope with daily. It can be challenging, both financially and emotion-

to care for their children.

One of the parents, Elliot Daniels, in an invited comment said he spoke to a friend about caring for his child, “He told me that

pists from across the globe to raise awareness about the crucial contribution the profession makes to keeping people well, mobile and independent.

12 news

thursdAY, september 6, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

“Unfit, disrespectful” Education Minister must go – GTU …second round of conciliation talks scheduled for today …MoE to present “revised position” ent at Wednesday’s protest should be evident that the Minister’s statements are “packed with lies to sugar coat what the reality is.”

No conciliation

Some of the teachers in Region 10 who were a part of Wednesday’s protest

By Davina Ramdass, Andrew Carmichael, Utamu Belle and Mohanlall Seulall

T

here was much hype at the Education Ministry’s Brickdam office, where several teachers again lined the roadway, as the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) called for Education Minister Nicolette Henry to be removed from office as she was labelled “disrespectful and unfit” for the of-

Coretta McDonald.

She explained that it seems as if the Minister is unconcerned about her teachers and their living conditions, even as she highlighted the fact that since the GTU presented its proposal to the Ministry, it has not made an offer, with regards to what it can provide at this time.

“We don’t get the impression that our Minister was representing her teachers,

ment that is up for discussion and I don’t know why the Minister can’t understand that… we submitted a proposal, it was for the Ministry of Education to come to us now with a counter proposal and we have not yet received one”.

It was on that note that the General Secretary reminded that the Union is not demanding a 40 per cent increase, as was previously reported, as they are now

Essequibo teachers protesting

because if the Minister was serious about education, she would have been making full representation to her colleagues at Cabinet to cater for education,” McDonald pointed out.

She went on to say that she remains unsure of whether or not the Minister is ‘serious’ about education, owing to its slow approach to address the issue. “GTU submitted a proposal. A proposal says that it’s a docu-

Teachers from Berbice during Wednesday's protest

ciliation process due to the Minister’s statement. On Tuesday however, a remorseful Scott issued an apology to the teachers.

In a release originating from the Ministry of the Presidency, Scott was quoted expressing regret for the statements.

“Revised position”

The Education Minister is expected to present its “revised position” at today’s conciliation talks with the GTU, in an effort to call off the nationwide strike and protests.

GTU had rejected Government’s request for teachers to agree to a debunching payoff of $200 million for 2018/19. The President of the Union, Mark Lyte, said the Union similarly rejected the $700 million cap that was placed on salary increases which was for 2018 only. Government also wants the clothing allowance to remain at $8000, a figure which Lyte said was given in 2011.

Minister’s removal

As upset teachers continued to chant slogans on

The organised picketers on Brickdam braving the weather to call for increased wages

Berbice teachers picketing for salary increases

fice, during day three of the countrywide strike.

“We are calling for the President to remove her from that position because she is not fit to be there… the Education Minister is very disrespectful, that’s what its saying to us and we are going to call for the President to remove her from office because we don’t feel comfortable having her there. Put her somewhere else,” expressed the General Secretary of the Union,

The GTU is firm on the decision it took to not attend conciliation talks with the Education Ministry and the Social Cohesion Ministry’s Labour Department as was related to this newspaper by McDonald, due to trust issue.

Her statement comes at a time where thousands of teachers remain on strike, thereby affecting the learning generation.

The Chief Labour Officer, Charles Ogle on Wednesday issued an invitation to the two parties at loggerheads.

The meeting, which is expected to be convened in the Boardroom of the Labour Department at 13:30h is a rescheduled one, due to the no-show of the GTU at the previous session on August 30.

The GTU had said they received little notice of that

ready to accept a ‘substantial’ amount.

In response to a question she said she is not worried about the teachers losing their jobs or being replaced since that cannot be done.

The GTU representative explained that although the Ministry is currently on the hunt for volunteer teachers and have gone on a hiring spree, “It is the right of the teacher we have out here to take industrial action and this by no means will cause our teachers to lose their jobs.”

McDonald also expressed her views on the Minister, who she claims is peddling fake information in the media. According to her, the Education Minister would have told reporters at a press conference held on Monday evening that a mere 10 per cent of teachers were not present in school, which therefore implies that their strike has no severe effect.

The union activist told Guyana Times that the number of teachers pres-

event.

The Union has since noted that its position to not attend the meeting remains the same, especially since the mediator, Minister Keith Scott, was recently quoted in the media referring to striking teachers as “uncaring” and “selfish”.

The executives of the GTU have since expressed no-confidence in the con-

This was related to this newspaper on Wednesday by a reliable source at the Ministry. According to the source, Henry would have said, “We are trusting that the Guyana Teacher’ Union will be in attendance at that meeting so that we will have an opportunity at that meeting to present what would be the revised position from both parties.”

In this snap, the rank was now exiting his vehicle to conduct checks at Aurora, Essequibo Coast school

the streets in various parts of the country, quite a few have supported the Union in its call for the Education Minister to be removed from her post.

A male secondary school teacher said, “I saw the President shake up the Police Force, he needs to shake up the Ministries too because some of them are not doing their jobs. They have this condescending attitude towards their teachers”.

He complained that while Ministers are out enjoying ‘benefits’, teachers and other public servants continue to squeeze their way through their expenses.

Nicole Edwards, who teaches at Vryheild’s Lust Primary said, “Teachers certainly don’t want to be out here today. We certainly would like to be back in the classroom… she (Minister Henry) should take some introspect and look carefully at how she is doing the job of (a) Minister and ensure that she does it a little better”.

Turn to page 15

13

THURsdAY, september 6, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

An aerial view of day three’s protesters in Georgetown

GTU General Secretary Coretta McDonald boldly held her placard as she rallied up her members

Teachers from New Amsterdam picketing for increased wages

This teacher sought to point out what “selfish” teachers actually mean at the Georgetown protest

Berbice teachers during Wednesday's protest

Linden teachers shouting slogans during day three of the protest

Teachers in front of the Anna Regina Secondary School

A section of Georgetown’s hyped protesters

A teacher in Berbice protesting

One of the many teachers who protested in Berbice

A section of the protesting teachers in Linden

Due to no teachers being present in schools, these Region This photograph shows a Policeman visiting a Two students were sent home and were waiting for the Aurora, Essequibo Coast school heavy rainfall to cease

14 news

thursdAY, september 6, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Stabroek Wharf vendors to be relocated next Friday

S

tabroek Wharf vendors who will have to relocate their businesses because of the partial collapse of the structure will be taking up positions within the barricaded Route 42 bus park in the Stabroek Market Square as of next Friday.

This decision taken by the Georgetown City Council was reportedly communicated to the vendors sometime last week via notice.

According to the document seen by this publication, an inspection was conducted two weeks ago by Chief City Engineer Colvern Venture, who inked in his report that the sixth section of the wharf was uninhabitable and unsuitable to accommodate vending activities.

The vendors were also thus notified: “Failure to remove from the said stelling when stipulated will result in lawful measures being

The dilapidated roof

Wednesday visited the area which has been identified for the relocation, works were in progress to prepare the area for the vendors. This included the erection of concrete structures to demarcate the zones for operation.

occupying the wharf both during the day and at night, making it unsafe for vendors to house their goods.

Moreover, the vendor said, the presence of vagrants at the wharf further degrades the aesthetics of

that, cause you get a set of junkie and all kinda things happening at the back here.

So is good if they can do the

works and get we back here in a better state,” the vendor expressed.

It was reported since June 2016 that Town Clerk Royston King had declared the commencement of works after the Council had received word from the Public Infrastructure Ministry to go ahead with the project.

Nevertheless, in November of 2017, the works were still pending, and this publication was informed that to facilitate rehabilitation of the wharf, vendors would be relocated to the west of the Parliament Building following the removal of the Island Snackette and Pizzeria.

According to City Hall, the expectation was to transfer vendors there by the end of

November 2017.

At that time, the budget for the complete refurbishment of the wharf was pegged at some $400 million.

After the repairs, the section of the market which faces the Demerara River would be converted into a mall, inclusive of a boardwalk and entertainment areas. If the ideas are approved by the vendors, they would be required to pay a larger sum of money to rent sections of the new building.

Over the years, more than 300 vendors were situated at the wharf, but the number dwindled following insecurities posed by the deteriorating structure.

(Rupadai Seenaraine)

1 month later

GWI still working to activate Port Kaituma well

…after mercury was found in waterway

A section of the unsafe flooring of the wharf

employed to ensure your [the vendors’] compliance.”

Further, vendors were reminded that continued occupation of the wharf could prove detrimental; thus their compliance is essential.

When Guyana Times on

One of the vendors told this publication that they had, for many months, waited for action to be taken to fix the wharf, and are hoping that works would be completed in a timely manner.

He added that vagrants are

the shopping area, and customers are afraid to venture into the area.

“It good that we just got to wait a couple more days till we get to go out there, cause they say is next week on the paper; but I hope is

GWI engineers examining the Port Kaituma well

A

fter almost four weeks, the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) announced its plans to reactivate a well in Port Kaituma, Region One (Barima-Waini) to provide a stable supply of water to residents, as it was related that those works have not yet been completed.

This information was relayed by GWI’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Leanna Bradshaw who indicated that the works are still

in progress for the reactivation.

These works were necessary after the presence of mercury was detected in the main source of water for residents – the Kaituma River.

Samples were taken from different sections and sent to the Kaizen Environmental Services Laboratory in Trinidad and Tobago.

As such, the first option was to drill a well in the area after it was realised that the main well at Turn Basin was

not functioning. However, an inspection by engineers discovered a well at Citrus Grove, Port Kaituma, which had been out of operation for a number of years.

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

Furthermore, plans were also ongoing for the installation of additional storage tanks at the well site and the rehabilitation of another tank in the region. With this in place, the storage capacity is expected to increase to serve the entire community. The tanks will be connected to a distribution network that will be run to each household.

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

news

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thursdAY, september 6, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

GUYTIE must become a signature event – Business Minister

…lauds Private Sector for support

W

ith just a few days to spare until the Guyana Trade and Investment Exhibition (GUYTIE), the Business Ministry is hoping for it to be a signature event which they can improve in the years to come.

Business Minister Dominic Gaskin made these remarks at the Marriott Hotel on Wednesday, where he addressed a gathering of sponsors, who are supporting the exhibition.

While highlighting that the outcomes of this event are still unknown, he noted that the coordinators and other related bodies will work to eliminate the negatives and strengthen the positives.

“This is the inaugural event, and no one can prevent the outcomes. We have a stated set of objectives which we intend to meet in this event and as we proceed, we will see what went wrong and what went right and how we can improve it. It must get bigger and bigger and must become a

visit Guyana to view local Guyanese products and establish partnerships with manufacturers by interacting with the local enter-

Body found at NA still unidentified Business Minister Dominic Gaskin (centre) with the partnering stakeholders and sponsors

signature event, not just in Guyana but the entire Caribbean. That’s how we’ll like it to evolve,” Gaskin said.

The exhibition is intended to be a pilot event to link local producers with international companies, whch are interested in the services being offered. Gaskin is confident that the Ministry, with the help of its partners, will be able to hold the event on an annual basis.

“That’s what this event is all about. It’s a pilot even so to speak. We intend to hold

GUYTIE on a regular basis and we tend to continuously improve the outcome of the event,” the Minister said.

He later acknowledged the role of the Private Sector, adding that the Ministry’s service to the sector is their sole responsibility.

“Without the Private Sector, there would be no Ministry of Business. We exist purely to serve the Private Sector and in doing so, we see outcomes that benefit the Guyanese economy and by extension, the Guyanese people and citi-

zens.”

Some of the sponsors include ExxonMobil, Massy Industries, Digicel, GTT, Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) and Banks DIH. Inputs were also extended by the Canadian High Commission and the United States embassy in Guyana.

The exhibition will be held at the Marriott Hotel from September 19-22. On the last day of the expo, September 22, the event will be opened to the public.

Presently, 30 foreign companies are registered to

“Unfit, disrespectful” Education...

A female primary school teacher explained that she feels as though the Ministry and Government at large are ignoring the pleas of the teachers. “The school term has started and I thought that things would have been resolved because for me I believe it was absolutely important for it to be resolved by last Monday. It’s now three days and we aren’t hearing anything from the Government, so I feel like we’re being ignored.

Apparently we aren’t important enough,” she expounded.

Parents support

Realising that managing children is not an easy task, several parents have since voiced their support for teachers to be adequately remunerated, since educators took to the streets in an effort to achieve increased salaries.

Although some parents support their call, the two determined parties have left the country’s children in limbo, as many schools remain locked or empty.

Maria Singh who turned out to Wednesday’s protest said, “I have two boys going to school and I agree with it that they (teachers) should have their money increased. I don’t agree that they stay away from school, they should wait until things improve or till they have an agreement with the Government because they are affecting the children.

If the Ministry doesn’t work faste, then they will hold the

prises. The countries involved include Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Haiti, India, Korea, Barbados, Suriname, Canada and Cuba.

children back from learning”.

Police intervention

While it may be necessary and even mandated for Police Officers to be present at picket exercises, this newspaper understands that Police Officers have allegedly been visiting schools in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), to check for teachers, who decided not to show up.

On Monday evening, the Education Ministry met with the Divisional Commanders for a “debriefing session” according to the subject Minister.

She explained to media operatives, “It wasn’t a meeting with Police Officers it was a debriefing session to get a sense from all of the stakeholders what occurred today (Monday) in the field and given that they would have provided some service to support the operation they were part of the meeting”.

Guyana Times spoke with one of the Police Commanders, who indicated that ranks in that Division have been monitoring picketing exercises in his Division but opted not to say for the others.

Several calls made by this newspaper to the Commander of G Division (Essequibo coast-Islands), went unanswered, although the ranks were reportedly visiting schools in his Division.

Linden strike action

Teachers from across Linden and other parts of Region 10 (Upper Demerara-

Berbice) took to the streets once again as day three of the countrywide strike action for increased salaries and other benefits continued on Wednesday.

This time around, the teachers opted to sing hymns while marching through the streets of Linden, just before stopping in front of the Regional Department of Education on Republic Avenue, Linden for a prayer session. The teachers noted that they will not be moved and vowed to continue with strike action if the Ministry does not come up with a solution.

A teacher, who had suffered a devastating fire at her home recently, while addressing the gathering in front of the Education Department noted that she was in solidarity with other teachers for more than one reason, as she accused the Education Ministry of lacking empathy.

“I have given my entire life to teaching... I would have experienced a drastic and devastating fire whereby I would have lost everything... I was asking myself, what kind of people are we dealing with? To date, the Ministry of Education has not come forward and offered me any assistance, after I would have offered my life to this profession.

Not one person would have come forward and assisted me in any way possible...

Teachers, I stand with you in solidarity for more than one cause,” she noted.

T

he Guyana Police Force (GPF) is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the body of a male which was found last

month in New Amsterdam, Berbice, Region Six (East Corentyne-Berbice).

The deceased was discovered on August 20, 2018, on the corner of the road at Main Street, New Amsterdam. The body has since been stored at the Arokium Funeral Home and no one has come forward to identify it.

The Police is awaiting identification of the body by a relative before a post-mortem examination is done to determine the cause of death.

Anyone recognising the deceased is asked to contact the Police and/or the relatives.

Meanwhile, the body remains at the Lot 30 Philadelphia Street, New Amsterdam, funeral home.

From page 12

Essequibo Coast

In Region Two, over 600 teachers joined the protest action on Wednesday morning as they continued their quest for better wages. This newspaper has been told that children at one secondary school were being supervised by a farmer.

Teachers started the protest at the Department of Education in Cotton Field, Essequibo Coast, braving the heavy rain while shouting slogans such as “No money, no work, five per cent can’t work”, “No money, no sports” and “We are backing GTU, no money, no education month activities, no money, no school”.

According to GTU Regional Vice President, Carmel Williams, the protest will continue until Government decides to meet the union’s proposal.

Meanwhile, a student of the Anna Regina Multilateral School said when the teachers joined the protest on Tuesday, the Department of Education in its bid to keep the children in school, brought a former teacher from his rice field to teach at the school with his farm clothing covered in mud and dirt.

The child claimed that the students were afraid to be in the school’s three-storied building under his supervision, but the Department ordered the gate closed. For some it was similar to a hostage situation. Parents have since expressed fear in sending their children to school.

Berbice

Teachers in Berbice, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) continued protesting on Wednesday, with two demonstrations even as several schools on the Corentyne were left without teachers.

In New Amsterdam, more than 200 teachers representing both East and West Canje, New Amsterdam and the East Bank of Berbice braved the inclement weather and converged outside of the Department of Education building at Philadelphia Street.

The teachers sang songs and chanted, demonstrating that they will not back off until the Government listens to them. Schools in East Canje recorded as low as 15 per cent student population. The teacher population at the secondary schools in New Amsterdam was just below 50 per cent.

However, on the Corentyne, the situation was different with the Kildonan Primary having no teachers.

When Guyana Times visited, there were also no teachers in school. A similar situation existed at Corriverton Primary.

The student population at Skeldon Primary was about below 20, while at the Number 58 Primary, the school doors were closed.

At Manchester Secondary, only a handful of teachers are supporting the strike. Many of the teachers have said that they have loans to pay and cannot afford to strike since their sal-

aries will be cut.

McGowan Primary was hard hit by the strike, with eight of the 18 teachers present.

At Port Mourant Primary, two of the 16 teachers were on strike on Wednesday but only 60 of the 410 students were present, while at the JC Chandisingh Secondary, 16 of the 40 teachers were present and of the 600 students who attend the school, only 90 were present.

Meanwhile, the teachers from the Lower and Centre Corentyne and some from the Upper Corentyne converged at the Rose Hall Primary tarmac before they marched around the town and Port Mourant.

At that school there were four of the 18 teachers present and only 29 on the 491 students present.

As the teachers marched holding placards and chanting, many onlookers threw their support behind the protesting teachers, making comments which suggest they were disgusted with the way the Government has been handling the situation.

A few parents also marched with the teachers and they moved through the town.

Meanwhile, the teachers on the Upper Corentyne are planning to take to the streets on Friday as the impasse between the Guyana Teachers’ Union and the Education Ministry continues.

16

guyanatimesgy.com

thursdAY, september 6, 2018

Regional

Outcry from Israel after Paraguay moves T&T PM to meet trade its Jerusalem embassy back to Tel Aviv unions on Petrotrin

P

araguay has reversed a decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem after just three months, prompting anger from Israel which responded by shuttering its embassy in Asunción and recalling its ambassador.

The South American country announced in May that it would follow Donald Trump’s lead by relocating the mission to the holy city, all of which Israel claims as its capital even as Palestinians and most world powers argue its status remains under dispute.

Former president Horacio Cartes personally inaugurated the new diplomatic site. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said at the time that Paraguay, the third

The former president Horacio Cartes, left, and the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in Jerusalem in July 2016

country after the United States and Guatemala to make the move, had taken a “bold stance in international affairs”.

However, Paraguay’s new president, Mario Abdo Benítez, who took office last month, reviewed the choice

and his Foreign Minister told reporters on Wednesday that the decision had been changed.

“Paraguay wants to contribute to an intensification of regional diplomatic efforts to achieve a broad, fair and lasting peace in the

Middle East,” Luis Alberto Castiglioni said. Shortly after, Netanyahu’s office responded by saying it will close its Paraguay embassy and recall its ambassador for consultations. “Israel views with great severity the unusual decision by Paraguay that will strain the ties between the countries,” a brief statement said.

The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, had previously called for Latin American countries not to move their embassies. His foreign minister, Riyad al-Maliki, pushed the freshly installed Paraguay administration to reverse its decision, according to a statement from his office which announced “a new Palestinian diplomatic achievement”. (Excerpt from The

Guardian)

US warns of regional crisis if Nicaragua unrest goes on

T

he United States on Wednesday called on Nicaragua to release all detained students and political prisoners, declaring the country’s five months of civil unrest a threat to the region’s security.

More than 300 people have been killed and 2000 injured in crackdowns

by Nicaraguan police and armed groups in protests that began in April over an abortive plan by leftist President Daniel Ortega’s government to reduce wel-

fare benefits.

The protests soon escalated into broader opposition against Ortega, who has been in office since 2007. He also served a term as president during the 1980s when he was a notable Cold War antagonist of the United States during Nicaragua’s civil war.

In a speech before the United Nations Security Council, US Ambassador Nikki Haley said that if the situation in Nicaragua continued to worsen, it could

cause a spike in migrants fleeing into neighbouring countries.

“When human rights are denied, the violence and instability that follow spill over borders,” she said, comparing Nicaragua to Venezuela, which has seen more than 1.6 million people leave since 2015, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR. Nicaragua’s government rejected Haley’s contention.

Still, the representative for neighbouring Costa Rica said that the country had

seen a “significant increase” in requests for asylum from Nicaraguans since the protests began: a total of 12,830 in the first eight months of the year.

The UN Security Council is charged with maintaining international peace and security.

Representatives from Russia, Bolivia and Venezuela backed the Nicaraguan government in arguing that the situation in the country was not undermining the region’s stability. (Excerpt from Reuters)

plan tomorrow

T

rinidad Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley is moving to stave off action by the trade union movement to shut down the country on Friday by agreeing to meet with them at 15:00h today. One day after the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) delivered a letter to the PM seeking a meeting to discuss the OWTU’s alternatives to the Petrotrin refinery shutdown, Rowley agreed on Tuesday.

Commenting on the PM’s acceptance of a meeting with them, Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union President general Ancel Roget told the T&T Guardian that if the Government fails to meet the demand to rescind the decision, “we are very, very serious about what will happen. It will not be pleasant.”

He said the trade union movement will be mobilising citizens across the entire country in preparation for what is to come.

Roget said after being told by Petrotrin last week of the planned shutdown of

the refinery, they were due to meet again and were prepared to meet on Monday but the meet­ing was not convened. Now, he said they had received a request to meet on Friday, “because Friday is a day of rest and reflection they trying to meet, but we already set a whole programme for Friday.”

He said the union is prepared to meet with Petrotrin “tomorrow, Thursday, Saturday or next Monday, but why Friday?”

He said members of JTUM, NATUC and FITUN are all united. “The miscalculation which Rowley made is believing that the disunity which he thought he saw would prevail while he runs through the line down the centre and score. That will not be allowed to happen at all,” Roget said.

Petrotrin officials told the T&T Guardian that managers of the State oil company had been meeting with staff seeking to re­ as­ sure them that things were not all bleak and coun­selling had start­ ed for work­ ers.

(Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Jamaica Govt to announce measures to address plastic pollution at G7 meeting

Barbados Prime Minister says Region must collaborate to attract investment

B

arbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley has called for greater cooperation and collaboration, if Caribbean nations are to attract investment opportunities and be economically stable.

Her comments came on Tuesday as she delivered remarks at the opening of the Caribbean Community’s Sixth Special Meeting of the Council for Finance and Planning (COFAP) in Barbados.

Noting that Caribbean nations had to find ways “to build a common community investment policy”, she added that for almost a decade, the region had been in

Prime Minister Mia Mottley at Tuesday’s Sixth Special Meeting of the Council for Finance and Planning in Barbados

the “wilderness” of not being able to settle some critical initiatives, and called for a financial services architecture to be implemented by way of

treaty arrangements to rectify these financial challenges.

Noting that the COFAP meeting would seek to address fundamental issues

about the competitiveness of the Caricom Single Market, in relation to how regional economies functioned, she added: “If we are to carry the Single Market to the next level, then these issues have to have some advancement made in terms of the capital markets of our region.”

Prime Minister Mottley pointed out that it was absolutely critical that regional leaders enhanced the ability of citizens to be able to access credit and to bring true expression to improving their well-being “by putting a framework in place that protects the individual citizen, as well as the financial institution”. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Latin American states to accept Venezuela expired papers

E

leven Latin American countries say that they have agreed to allow Venezuelans leaving their homeland to enter their countries even if their travel documents have expired.

More than 2.3 million Venezuelans have fled the country’s hyperinflation and severe shortages. But many do not have valid passports because renewing them can take years. The move will come as

a relief to those who say they were trapped in Venezuela due to their lack of papers.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has repeatedly mocked those who leave, saying they “fall for propaganda only to leave and clean toilets in Miami”. The announcement was made after a two-day meeting of migration officials from Latin America in the Ecuadorean capital, Quito.

Eleven of the countries represented signed a joint declaration in which they also called on the Venezuelan government to speed up the process of issuing passports.

Venezuelans have long complained about how difficult it is to get hold of passports and other official documents such as birth and marriage certificates and ID cards.

Many have reported being asked for bribes up to

US$1000 (£780) for a passport which could rise to US$5000 if the applicant had urgent reasons to leave, such as wanting to visit a sick family member abroad.

The countries which will allow Venezuelans to enter with expired papers are: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

M

inister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation Daryl Vaz, says the Jamaican Government will announce measures to address plastic pollution at a meeting of G7 Environment, Energy and Oceans Ministers in Canada later this month.

Speaking at the opening of a regional environmental workshop today, he said the actions to be undertaken are aimed at making the environment cleaner and healthier for Jamaicans.

Minister Vaz first announced the Government’s intention to prohibit the use of single-use plastic bags in the retail trade in May. Under the policy, Jamaicans will need to use reusable bags when they go to the supermarket or wholesalers.

The three-day workshop for the Second Technical Meeting of the Caribbean Working Group on Environmental Indicators of the Latin American and Caribbean Initiative for Sustainable Development (ILAC) will run until

Thursday.

It provides an opportunity for stakeholders from various participating countries to share experiences and work collaboratively in the production of environmental information that supports decision-making across the region.

The meeting will look at advances made and innovations to come; and will include thematic sessions on cross-cutting resources such as Environmental Information Systems and State of the Environment Reports, as well as specific issues that focus on waste management, ocean monitoring and disaster-risk reduction.

The objectives are to strengthen regional capacity in data-gathering, processing and communication of environmental indicators; review progress towards the ILAC core set of multipurpose environmental indicators for the Caribbean; and co-create effective ways to communicate environmental information to support decision-making and public policy. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

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thursdAY, september 6, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

Around the World

Donald Trump denies discussing Afghan journalists among at least 22 killed assassination of Syria's Assad in twin blasts in Shiite area of Kabul

A

U

S President Donald Trump has denied assertions by prominent journalist Bob Woodward in his new book that he ordered the assassination of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Trump said the idea was "never even discussed" with defence officials. Defence Secretary James Mattis has also denied words attributed to him in Woodward's book.

The book Fear: Trump in the White House depicts a chaotic administration in a "nervous breakdown of executive power". Trump has already condemned the new work as a "con on the public".

In the book, senior aides are quoted as saying they hid sensitive documents to prevent Trump signing them and as calling him an "idiot" and a "liar".

Woodward is a widely respected, veteran journalist who helped expose President Richard Nixon's role in the Watergate scandal in the 1970s. A day after extracts of the book were published

"Let's [expletive] kill him! Let's go in. Let's kill the [expletive] lot of them," Trump is reported to have told Mattis

in the Washington Post, another daily the New York Times posted an opinion piece attributed to an unnamed senior White House official saying that the root of the administration's problems was Trump's amorality.

The official said many Trump appointees had vowed to thwart the President's "more misguided impulses".

Later in the day, Trump told a meeting of US sheriffs the "gutless editorial" in the

"failing New York Times" was a "disgrace". His spokeswoman, Sarah Sanders, said in a statement about the unnamed writer: "This coward should do the right thing and resign."

The book says Trump had ordered the Pentagon to arrange the assassination of the Syrian President after a chemical attack on civilians in April 2017 that was blamed on the Syrian Government. (Excerpt from BBC

t least two local journalists and 20 other civilians were killed in twin blasts in a Shiite-dominated section of Afghanistan’s capital on Wednesday, officials said.

The attacks, part of a string of deadly strikes in Kabul in recent months, intensify concerns about deteriorating security in the city as the fragile US-backed Government bickers over power.

In the first attack in Kabul’s Dasht-e Barchi area, a suicide bomber fatally shot a guard of a gym at its gate and then blew himself up inside the facility, where spectators were watching a wrestling match.

Nasrat Rahimi, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said 20 people lost their lives in the attack. As Police and residents evacuated the casualties, a second explosion, possibly a car bombing, occurred some distance away.

NAI, an Afghan group that promotes open media, said two local journalists were killed and four others were wounded in the second blast.

Tolo News, an Afghan televi-

An injured man is brought to a hospital after a deadly attack in a Shiite-dominated area of Kabul on September 5

sion network, confirmed that two of its reporters had lost their lives in the attack.

One of them had appeared on live television to report the attack on the gym.

The pattern of back-toback attacks is a familiar one in Kabul. In April, eight Afghan journalists were killed when a second blast occurred at the site of an explosion in a high-security zone that houses embassies.

Waheed Majroh, a spokesman for the Public Health

Ministry, said 70 people were wounded in Wednesday’s attacks. Some of them were in critical condition, he said.

Hundreds of Shiites have been killed in Kabul and elsewhere in Afghanistan in recent years in attacks reminiscent of the brutal raids conducted by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. On Wednesday, police cordoned off the site of the attacks as ambulances and fire trucks rushed to the scene. (Excerpt from

The Washington Post)

News)

China-Africa summit: Xi denies money Japanese homes engulfed in landslide being spent on vanity projects after powerful quake hits Hokkaido C

A

powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.7 on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido caused a landslide that engulfed houses early on Thursday, injuring and trapping a number of people and cutting power in several areas.

A landslide along a long ridge in the rural town of Atsumi could be seen in aerial footage from public broadcaster NHK. Some 10 people had been taken to hospital with injuries, one of them serious, it said.

There were widespread power outages and blocked roads, NHK said, but no early reports of deaths. A man suffered cardiac arrest after fall-

ing down the stairs, local media reported.

The quake, which struck at 03:08h (1808 GMT on Wednesday) posed no tsunami risk, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. The US Geological Survey said it struck some 68 km (42 miles) southeast of Sapporo, Hokkaido’s main city.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, arriving at his office before 06:00h, told reporters his Government had set up a command centre to coordinate relief and rescue.

His voice sounding haggard, Abe said saving lives was his Government’s top priority.

The Tomari Nuclear

Power Station suffered a power outage but was cooling its fuel rods safely with emergency power, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga. Operator Hokkaido Electric Power Co (9509.T) reported no radiation irregularities at the plant, which has been shut since shortly after a massive 2011 earthquake, Suga told a news conference.

A row of houses could be seen slanting at odd angles, leaning against one another in one town, while roof tiles and water covered floors at New Chitose Airport. Many schools were closed, and some 2.95 million homes were without power, NHK said. (Excerpt

from Reuters)

India stepmother arrested for 'ordering' gang rape of girl, 9

P

olice have arrested six people in connection with the gang rape and murder of a nineyear-old girl in Indianadministered Kashmir.

Officials said the girl's stepmother told her son, 14, and three others to rape the victim in her presence.

They said the girl's body was found on Sunday in a jungle in Baramulla district.

She was tortured and her body was burnt with acid, they added.

The stepmother was allegedly upset as the girl was her father's favourite. Police told BBC Urdu that the girl had been missing for 10 days

before they found her body.

"It was found that the stepmother had been nursing a grudge against the second wife of her husband, and her children," the NDTV news website quoted senior police officer Mir Imtiyaz Hussain as saying.

Hussain said the girl was killed with an axe after the gang rape. He said one of the accused, a 19-year-old man, mutilated her body.

This is the second deadly rape in Indian-administered Kashmir in recent months.

In April, an eight-year-old Muslim girl from Kathua district was gang raped and murdered. It prompted na-

tional outrage after two ministers from the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attended a rally in support of the accused men, who are Hindu.

Scrutiny of sexual violence has grown in India since the 2012 gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a bus in the capital Delhi.

The crime sparked days of protests and forced the government to introduce tougher anti-rape laws, including the death penalty.

However, attacks against women and children continue to be reported across the country. (Excerpt from BBC News)

hina does not invest in "vanity projects" in Africa and is helping the continent build its infrastructure, President Xi Jinping has said. He pledged an extra US$60 billion (£42 billion) for the continent's development, as he opened a summit with African leaders in Beijing to boost relations.

China is the single largest bilateral financier of infrastructure in Africa. But critics warn that African nations have been going into unsustainable levels of debt with the Asian giant.

Xi admitted there was a

need to look at the commercial viability of some projects and make cooperation more viable. "China's cooperation with Africa is clearly targeted at the major bottlenecks to development," he told business leaders ahead of the opening of the two-day summit. "Resources for our cooperation are not to be spent on any vanity projects but in places where they count the most."

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomed China's growing involvement on the continent, saying he did not agree that a "new colonialism is taking hold in Africa as

our detractors would have us believe".

All African nations are represented at the summit, except for the tiny kingdom of eSwatini, formerly known as Swaziland. It is the only African state to maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

China's Government does not allow countries to have official ties with both itself and Taiwan, which Beijing considers its own territory.

Addressing leaders in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Xi said the US$60 billion would be made up of both aid and loans. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Australia signs declaration saying climate change 'single greatest threat' to Pacific

C

limate change is the single greatest security threat to the Pacific, and all countries must meet their commitments under the Paris climate agreement, the 18 countries of the Pacific Islands Forum said on Wednesday.

The first assertion of the strongly worded Boe Declaration says all Pacific nations, including Australia, “reaffirm that climate change remains the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and wellbeing of the peoples of the Pacific, and our commitment to progress the implementation of the Paris agreement.

Leaders of the Forum Islands countries also called for the US to return to the Paris agreement and the commitments it made under President Barack Obama.

The Boe Declaration said the security challenges being faced by Pacific nations were broader and more complex than in previous gener-

Leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum in Nauru. They issued a strongly worded statement on climate change

ations. The forum committed its members to addressing humanitarian assistance, environmental and resource security, transnational crime and cybersecurity.

Australia will work with regional security agencies to establish a Pacific Fusion Centre to better share intelligence and target threats including illegal fishing, drug trafficking and other cross-border crimes.

But the forthright declaration on climate is awkward politically for Australia, with its new prime minister, Scott Morrison, apparently at odds with his own government’s

Energy Security Board over whether Australia will meet its Paris targets of a 26% reduction in emissions from 2005 levels.

The Government does not have any emissions reductions policies in place to achieve the target. Morrison told a radio programme on Wednesday that “the business-as-usual model gets us there [meeting the Paris targets] in a canter”.

The Australian government’s apparent ambivalence towards a low-emissions climate policy has disquieted its Pacific neighbours. (Excerpt from

The Guardian)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

thursdAY, september 6, 2018

ARCHIE

You need a break. Make plans to do something with (March 21- a loved one. Nurture importApril 19) ant relationships and be open to suggestions that will bring you closer to someone special.

ARIES

A change may be what you TAURUS think you need, but acting on (April 20- impulse will be emotionally May 20) costly. Listen to good advice before you jump into unfamiliar territory.

dilbert

Spend more time taking GEMINI (May 21- care of your needs. Updating June 20) your look or doing physical activities that will help you feel and look good will be rewarding. Romance is on the rise.

Channel emotional energy into something that will make (June 21- you happy. Don’t waste time July 22) on anyone who is negative or unwilling to bend or compromise. Follow your heart and do something creative.

CANCER

Peanuts

Making changes at home LEO may be tempting, but don’t (July 23- go overboard. Overspending Aug. 22) will add to your stress, but physical modifications you can make yourself will satisfy you.

Get together with people VIRGO you find inspiring. Learn from (Aug. 23an expert and make changSept. 22) es at home that will improve your lifestyle. Take the initiative and get things done.

Calvin and Hobbes

Don’t run yourself ragLIBRA (Sept. 23- ged trying to keep everyOct. 23) one else happy. Your efforts will backfire, and you’ll be blamed for interfering. Do your own thing, and pamper yourself for a change.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

TODAY’S WORD – BEGUILING (BEGUILING:bih-GILE-ing: Deceiving; deluding.)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

Average mark 22 words Time limit 35 minutes Can you find 31 or more words in BEGUILING? The list will be published tomorrow.

YESTERDAY’S WORD – SABOTAGE sabot saga sage sago sate seat sego seta stab stag stage abase

abate abet agate base baste bate beast beat begot besot best beta

boast boat oast toga togs gate goat goes east

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

Concentrate on the modSCORPIO ifications you want to make (Oct. 24at home or work. A change Nov. 22) to the way you earn your living should also help stabilize your financial situation.

solution for last published puzzle

Say little and do a lot.

Look over your investments and any financial ties you have. It’s important to fully understand what others expect of you.

Carry out changes at home CAPRICORN (Dec. 22- that will make your life easier Jan. 19) and bring you peace of mind.

Discuss your plans with anyone who could be affected by your choices.

A physical improvement AQUARIUS will boost your confidence.

(Jan. 20- Don’t let anyone coax you Feb. 19) into something that is out of your price range or not good for you.

Impulsive behavior can PISCES (Feb. 20- lead to problems. Don’t be too March 20) eager to commit to something or someone before you know the full scope of what will be expected of you. Ask questions.

thursdAY, september 6, 2018

19

Cadogan continues to excel in Solo U-19 league T

eenager Abosaide Cadogan is on a stellar streak as she continues to steer her team to victory in the Guyana Hockey Board’s developmental leagues.

This time around, it was the Under-19 teams which put their skills to the test.

After a scintillating matchup, in which she netted six goals to lead her team to a 6-0 win over Woodpecker Hikers, Cadogan returned with a similar zest to shine in yet another match.

This time, in the Solo Girls Under-19 division, Cadogan’s team, the Bingo Spartans, completed an impressive team effort to thrash the GCC Her-ricanes.

Starting the matchup on the attack from the first whistle, Alana Cheung was the first player to score a goal.

Abosaide Cadogan came later to the party with four

ute. However, K i z i a

Abosaide Cadogan (left) controlling the possession in her encounter

goals of her own. And as if to add salt to the wound, the Bingo Spartans produced another rain of goals when Sarah Klantky completed her hat-trick in the 25th, 27th and 37th minutes,

whilst Paige Fernandes, Makeda Harding and Madison Fernandes contributed on a piece to the enormous 11-0 score, causing the Spartans to convincingly win the encounter.

The other female match saw Saint Joseph coming up against Saint Stanislaus.

Saint Joseph was the first team to get off the mark with a goal from Carolyn Deane early on in the 8th min-

Chinian fought hard to equalise for her Saints team in the next half.

Despite playing their hearts out, neither team was able to edge past the other, leaving the score locked at 1-1 at the end of their allotted time.

Over in the male category, Old Fort took on the Joseph Warriors in a scintillating back-and-forth game.

The 4th minute saw the goal from Daniel Baldeo being recorded first for the Joseph Warriors. Joseph went up by another goal eight minutes later, and one minute after that, Nandalall Persaud got his cut of the pie. A goal from Old Fort came from Omar Hopkinson in the 20th, but Joseph Warriors were one step ahead, netting another soon

after. Their fifth goal came from Brandon Abrahams.

Despite, Rafael Robertson finding the back of the net for Old Fort in the 38th minute, it was not enough to match Joseph’s prowess in their 5-2 win.

The other matchup saw North Ruimveldt Multilateral and Hikers being paired. Thanks to Shamere Garnette, North Ruimveldt were up by two by the second half, as the team continued to play a great hand at both offence and defence. Baraka Garnette and Tivesarid Garnette chipped in later on in the game to bring the score to 4-0, sealing the victory for North Ruimveldt.

Regal too much for ECCC Bargain Supermarket T20…

3 teams taste victory Narine Masters – Tropical Springs inundate Wellman E

Part of the action in the ongoing softball tournament

T

he Permaul’s Trading/ Khan’s Trading/Back to Eden/Trophy Stall Softball Tournament continued last Sunday with a double-header played at the Malteenoes Cricket Club Ground in Thomas Lands, Georgetown.

Organised by the Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA), the tournament saw Regal Masters battle Narine Masters, and Tropical Springs take on Wellman in

intense battles. In the first game, Regal Masters defeated Narine Masters, toppling them for 83 all out within 9.3 of the allotted 20 overs.

Bowling for Regal Masters were Tyrone Sanasie, who claimed 3-29; Mahendra Hardyal, who claimed 3-21; and Parsram Persaud, who claimed 3-12.

Replying to the target, Regal made 86-1 in 9.3 of their allotted 20 overs, with Mahesh Chunilall scoring 35 not out and David

Harper securing 16. They thus recorded an easy victory over there competitors.

The second match saw Tropical Springs defeating Wellman by a whopping 91 runs, the Springs literally swamping the Wellmen with their effervescence.

Sent in to bat first, Tropical Springs recorded a towering 168-9 in 20 overs, which proved too challenging for Wellman.

Khemraj Dindial scored 34, Suraj Budhu 34, and Ron Alli 30; while Sheldon Perch picked up 2-23 and Wayne Jones 2-26.

Wellman was apparently not well enough to chase down this massive total, and were bowled out for 77 in 17 overs. Nandram Samlall, with 24, was the only Wellman to register a substantial score.

Rudy Myers of the Tropical Springs was too much to handle, tormenting the Wellmen with a miserly spell of 3-8. He was well supported by K Dindial with 2-25.

The tournament is being played in the Masters over-50, Masters Over-45 and Female Open categories. It is heading for an exciting finish within the coming weeks.

nmore, Enterprise ‘A’ and Lusignan recorded victories in the East Coast Cricket Committee Bargain Supermarket T20 played on Sunday last.

In the first matchup of the day, fans saw Enmore defeat Golden Grove.

Enmore won the toss and decided to bat first, posting 163 for 9 in their allotted 20 overs. Brian Sattaur top-scored with 48, and Amir Khan and Chris Surat chipped in with (37) and (27) respectively, while O Gardener and Richie Woolford grabbed two wickets apiece.

In reply to this mammoth total, Golden Grove crumbled to a meagre 44 all out, with Khan ripping through the batting with figures of 4 for 12. He was well supported by Rudolph Singh, who took 2 for 6 from 4 overs.

In the day’s second encounter, Enterprise ‘A’ overcame Better Hope ‘B’ by 6 wickets. Winning the toss and electing to bowl, Enterprise ‘A’ destroyed Better Hope ‘B’ by demolishing their batting lineup for 56 all out. R Singh and Clive Rampersaud scored 15 each, while Kamesh

Amir Khan

Kamesh Yadram

Yadram captured 4-10 and Pradesh Balkishun 2-7.

In reply, Enterprise reached 57-4, with Yadram scoring 16 to lead the way.

Playing on their home ground, Lusignan, who batted first, defeated Paradise by 19 runs, despite posting 112 for 9 from 16 overs due to inclement weather. Kumar Bishundyal topscored with 27, and was well supported by Tameshwar Motiram, who scored 24.

Jermaine Martin bagged 3 for 21, while W Ramsammy took 2 for 16.

A valiant effort from Paradise could only manage 93 for 8 in 16 overs, with Q Douglas top-scoring with 24. Jason Heyliger took 3 for 28 and Kumar Bishundyal claimed 2 for 14.

Lusignan ‘B’ bested the Ogle cricket team at Ogle by 10 runs. Batting first, Lusignan ‘B’ managed 1179, with Marvin Persaud scoring 28 and Azad Mohamed 24. Andrew Samaroo and Andrew Gomes grabbed two wickets apiece.

In reply, Ogle were restricted to 107-8, with Samaroo making 31 and A Sinclair contributing 21.

Navin Persaud and Imran Khan took 2 each for the opposition.

The competition continues this Sunday at Lusignan, ECD. Lusignan ‘A’ will face Enterprise ‘A’, and Lusignan ‘B’ will take on Enmore. Better Hope will tackle hosts Strathavon at 13:00hrs in the other scheduled match.

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GUYANATIMESgy.COM

thursdAY, september 6, 2018

Elizabeth Styles Under-21 semis on this weekend

T

he Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) has committed to hosting over twenty cricket tournaments in 2018. Thus it will, over the course of this weekend, be hosting the semifinals of the Elizabeth Styles Under-21 Cricket Tournament.

During this week alone, the BCB has hosted the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club Patron’s Fund 10/10 First Division; Upper Corentyne Magic Moments 20/20, and the New York Business Group Under-19 tournaments.

Albion will play Young Warriors in a playoff match at the Rose Hall, Canje Ground on Saturday, with the winner going on to play Blairmont Community Centre in the semifinals

on Sunday at the Albion Ground. Albion i s spearheaded by

Kelvin Umroa, Karran Arjpaul, Ritesh U m r o a , A n t o n i a February, J o s h u a Harrichand and Ramesh Kassinauth.

Young Warriors are led by national player Alex Algoo, Trevon Stanislaus, Gevon Schultz, Ricardo Ramdehol, Jerron France and Junior Doraway.

Blairmont, which recently defeated Albion at the Under-19 level, is headed by Nigel Deodat, Seon Glasgow, Marvin Prashad and Javed Karim.

Tucber Park will depend heavily on Brandon Corlette, G a r f i e l d B e n j a m i n , Malcolm Mickle, Leon Swammy and Steve Deonarine to create an upset against powerhouse Rose Hall Town, which include numerous Berbice and Guyana play-

Hero CPL: Ingram joins TKR

ers, among whom are Sylus Tyndall, Kevin Sinclair, Junior Sinclair, Kevlon Anderson, Keith Simpson, Mahendra Gopilall, Chanderpaul Govindan, Jonathan Rampersaud and Jeremy Sandia.

The final is scheduled for next weekend at a venue to be decided by the Board.

The vibrant Berbice Cricket Board has already completed the finals of the 2018 Under-15 finals, while finals for Under-17 and Under-19 levels will be played shortly. The tournament is being sponsored

by Elizabeth Styles of the United States of America.

The Cosmetics brand is very popular in Guyana, with Bissan Trading being one of its distributors locally.

Former India seamer RP S Singh retires

E

xactly 13 years after making his international debut in an ODI against Zimbabwe on September 4 in Harare, former India leftarm seamer RP Singh has announced his retirement from all cricket. The 32-year old played 82 matches across formats for India between 2005 and 2011.

“Today as I hang [up] my boots and call it a day I wish to remember and give thanks to each and everyone who made this journey possible,” RP Singh posted on Twitter.

“Even as I write this, there are conflicting emotions inside me. No matter how much one prepares for this day, there is no easy way to bid goodbye.

But somewhere inside there is a voice that tells you - it’s time.

And that for me is today.”

Extracting steep bounce thanks to his height, and at his best finding late swing into the right-handers, RP Singh made a handful of important contributions across his 14Test career. He bagged the Player-of-the-Match award on

his debut against Pakistan in Faisalabad in January 2006, after claiming five wickets on a flat deck in a draw. He played a key role in India’s Test series win in England in 2007, getting onto the Lord’s honours boards in the process, and picked up six wickets in their Test victory in Perth in January 2008.

The highs were intermittent, though, and he was left out after the home series against South Africa in 2008. He didn’t play a single Test for the next three years, until a surprise recall, when he was holidaying in Miami, to join India’s squad for the fourth Test against England at The Oval in 2011. He toiled away for 34 wicketless overs in England’s only innings, in what turned out to be his final Test.

RP Singh was the joint second-highest wicket-taker (12 wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of 6.33) in India’s run to the World T20 title in 2007. Two years later, he topped the wicket charts in the IPL (23 wickets in 16 matches at an economy rate of

RP Singh

6.98) and led Deccan Chargers to the title.

In first-class cricket RP Singh took 301 wickets in 94 matches at an average of 30.57, of which 209 came in the Ranji Trophy. He missed Uttar Pradesh’s triumphant Ranji Trophy season in 200506, but got his hands on the trophy late in his career when he was part of the Gujarat side that won the tournament in

Mbappe given 3-match ban for Nimes shove

Kylian Mbappe

P

aris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe has been given a threematch ban after being shown a red card for pushing Nimes player Teji Savanier on Saturday.

PSG won the match 4-2, but it was marred late on by Mbappe’s first Ligue 1 dismissal, as he grew frustrated with some rough treatment.

The France international darted beyond Savanier on the break, before being cynically scythed down.

Mbappe reacted by running over to the Nimes man and

pushing him to the ground, w i t h

both m e n s u b s e quently sent from the field.

The young attacker will miss Ligue 1 games against Saint-Etienne, Rennes and Reims.

Savanier has been given a five-match ban for his dismissal. (Sportsmax)

2016-17. He took four wickets in the final against Mumbai, which turned out to be his last competitive game. (ESPNCricinfo)

outh Africa’s Colin Ingram has been called up as a late addition to the 2018 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Ingram will replace Chris Lynn of the Trinbago Knight Riders, who returns to Australia. Ingram has played 31 ODIs and 9 T20Is for the Proteas, and has also played in the T20 Blast, Big Bash, and Pakistan Super League.

The former Proteas batsman will join the Knight Riders ahead of their match against Guyana Amazon Warriors on September 9 at Providence Stadium, Guyana.

“Colin Ingram is a proven performer, and an outstanding T20 player who will add fire power to the top order, and (is) a useful bowling option as well. We are delight-

ed to have him join Team TKR for the conclusion of CPL 2018,” Venky Mysore, Director of Trinbago Knight Riders, told the CPL official website.

Tabraiz Shamsi is the other Proteas drafted recently to the CPL, replacing Australia’s Tom Cooper for the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. Shamsi has played for the Patriots for the previous three CPL seasons, finishing the 2017 tournament with 11 wickets at an average of 20.27.

The Proteas spinner has played two Tests, 10 ODIs, and six T20Is for his country.

The top four teams from the group stages will proceed to the knockout phase of the tournament, with the final taking place on September 16 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.

US Open 2018…

Osaka wins to reach 1st Grand Slam semi

N

aomi Osaka reached her first Grand Slam semifinal with a dominant victory over Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko a t

the US Open.

The 20-year-old dropped just two games winning 6-1 6-1 against her unseeded opponent in 58 minutes.

She becomes the first Japanese woman to reach a Grand Slam semi-final since Kimiko Date at Wimbledon in 1996.

“I was freaking out inside,” Osaka said. “My entire body was shaking, so I’m glad I was able to play well.”

The Japanese player also explained, during her on-court interview, why

she did not celebrate after the winning point.

“The other time I cried a little bit [after the win over Aryna Sabalenka] and there was a lot of people making fun of me,” the Indian Wells champion said.

Both Osaka and Tsurenko were competing in their first Slam quarterfinal but the Ukrainian failed to settle and looked physically drained on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Osaka, who is regarded as one of the best young players in the game, broke in Tsurenko’s first service game and powered to the first set in 26 minutes before racing into a 4-0 lead in the second set.

Tsurenko then held serve and brought up three break points in the following game but failed to convert and double-faulted twice in the final game to hand Osaka victory.

The Ukrainian said that poor health meant she was not in peak condition for the match.

“I just woke up with a viral illness or whatever it is,” the 29-year-old said. “I don’t know what happened, but my throat is not well. I’m not breathing well.”

Osaka will play American Madison Keys or Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro in the last four.

(BBC Sport)

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he Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) will be launching its historic Brian Ramphal Double Wicket Tournament for Berbice First Division Teams, thereby continuing to break new ground with the hosting of record cricket tournaments in the Ancient County.

Twelve pairs drawn from ten clubs are set to be participating in the tournament, which would have close to $150,000 in prizes and trophies up for the taking.

Overseas-based Guyanese Brian Ramphal is sponsoring the tournament as part of his million-dollar contribution to Berbice Cricket for 2018.

The participating clubs are Blairmont; West Berbice; Police; Rose Hall, Canje; Tucber Park; Albion; Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club (RHTYSC); Port Mourant; U p p e r Corentyne; and Skeldon. Clubs were mandated to provide three names each for the entire tournament, but Rose Hall Town and Albion would provide

two pairs each, while the others have a pair each.

Each game should consist of four overs per side, to be bowled in twenty minutes. The two players shall bowl two overs each, while only two players shall be allowed off the 30 yards for the first two overs, and a maximum of five for the remaining overs of an innings.

Each pair would be supported by six fielders provided by their clubs. The fielders shall be attired in whites while the pair would wear their coloured first division uniform.

All no balls shall be a free hit, while both batsmen would have to be dismissed for an innings to be closed before the completion of the four overs.

Matches start at 16:15 hours.

GCA fixtures postponed T

he currently ongoing GCA cricket matches that were scheduled to take place on Saturday September 8, and Sunday September 9, 2018 have been postponed.

These fixtures include one semi-final match of the GISE Star Party Rental and Trophy Stall tournament between UG Trojans and the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC), and the other such match between Police and GNIC. The matches cannot be played because the Eve Leary Sport Complex Ground is not properly prepared, and no ground is currently available; thus the postponement has been inevitable until the coming week.

All other matches in the Noble House Seafoods and V Net Under-13 tournament, slated for Saturday and Sunday, are also to be rescheduled.

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AB de Villiers will play in IPL 2019

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fter news that Ashish Nehra and Gary Kirsten will be part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) coaching leadership team for IPL 2019, there is more good news for RCB fans. This comes courtesy of the confirmation that AB de Villiers will feature for RCB in the next edition of the IPL. There were doubts about whether he would take part or not following his sudden retirement from international cricket earlier this year but RCB chairman Sanjeev Churiwala confirmed that he will be available for the franchise that he has played for since 2011 for the upcoming edition of the IPL. “De Villiers will be available for RCB. We have stated our intentions on this matter in the past as well,” Sanjeev Churiwala said.

AB de Villiers had previously confirmed that he will continue to play in the IPL “for a few years” and the news from RCB chairman will come as music to the fans of the IPL side, who are still waiting for their maiden IPL triumph. Although the former South African captain started his IPL journey with Delhi Daredevils, it is with the Royal Challengers Bangalore that he has earned a reputation of being one of the most explosive batsmen in the world.

Since moving to RCB in 2011, the 34-year-old has been incredibly consistent and is currently the third-highest run-getter for the side, behind only Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle. Overall, he has nearly 4,000 runs in the IPL at an ave r age of almost 40 and a strike rate in excess of 150 with three centuries and 28 fifties.

According to reports, the 34-yearo l d has also expressed interest in taking part in the fourth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). If he does take part, it will be his maiden appearance in the tournament and might serve as ide- al preparation ahead of next year’s IPL. (Sportskeeda)

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thursdAY, september 6, 2018

Golden Jags, Bajan Tridents champing at the bit for today’s encounter B

oth the Guyanese and Barbadian national football teams have expressed eagerness and readiness to get the CONCACAF Nations League started, as both see it as their next step on the long road to World Cup qualification.

With neither team being intimidated by the opposition, and with each team predicting they will emerge victorious, football fans are in for an exciting, exhilarating, and no-holds-barred clash at the Leonora Track and Field facility when the Golden Jaguars and the Bajan Tridents collide to-

Golden Jaguars Captain Samuel Cox shakes it out with Bajan Tridents’ player Hayden Holligan

of young players. Everybody is excited and optimistic for tomorrow’s fixture against Barbados.”

The Bajans, however, are certainly fancying their chances of being able to whip the Guyana side on their own turf and in front of their own Guyanese fans.

They probably even think this feat can be achieved on any day in any Guyanese calendar.

Technical Director of the Bajan Tridents, Ahmed Mohamed, revealed that the team has been banded together most of the time, and only three players (inclusive of the goalkeeper) are over-

Barbadian team Manager Martin Newton, Technical Director Mohamed Ahmed, and Player Hayden Holligan

day in an encounter that can have only one winner.

Speaking at a press briefing yesterday afternoon ahead of today’s encounter, newly appointed Golden Jaguars Coach Michael Johnson said he is positive, not only about the match, but about Guyana’s future in football.

“What you’ll see tomor-

row is a team that’s confident. This team is a very, very good team; it’s a team that has a lot of attacking flare, a lot of players that I believe if you release the shackles off, they could be a real threat. So I’m excited about tomorrow; but not only tomorrow, I’m excited about the long-term future,” Johnson has said.

On a similar train of

ter two years ago.

“Despite we have not beaten Guyana, we still have 8 or 10 players that played in that match we drew against you back in Barbados. So despite the fact that we have a young team, it’s full of experience,” Newton said.

When challenged about the 19 period that Barbados has not been able to defeat Guyana, Technical Director Ahmed Mohamed boldly stated that he is here to change that.

“That was yesterday!

We’re talking from today, and today is a different day.

enough matches to be adequately prepared and ready for the league.

“That team that I have brings enough experience to deliver (a win) tomorrow night (today),” Mohamed predicted.

The highly anticipated clash will go down at the Leonora Track and Field Facility from 19hrs this evening.

Golden Jaguars Head Coach Michael Johnson, Assistant Coach Paul Williams, Captain Samuel Cox and Neil Danns

thought, Captain of the local team, Samuel Cox, spoke on how well the team has come to know each other owing to several training opportunities.

“Our preparations have gone well thus far. We’ve had two solid weeks in Brazil, and the last four days have gone well. Of course we’ve got a nice blend of players now; we’ve got a good crop

seas players.

Noting that the Tridents have played countries such as Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and St. Kitts in preparation for the League, Team Manager Martin Newton hinted at the possibility that the Bajans may also be familiar with the way the Guyanese team plays, because of their last encoun-

The reason why I’m here is to change that, so we will see that tomorrow night.

We are ready for you guys.

Something will happen, and something will change,” he declared.

The Technical Director went on to disclose that the Tridents have been training together for the past two years, and have played

Guyana has been grouped with Barbados, Turks and Caicos Islands, French Guiana and Belize, and will play host to Barbados and Belize in September 2018 and March 2019 respectively; while Turks and Caicos Islands and French Guiana will host Guyana in October and November 2018.

Woodpecker continues to show loyalty

Maria Samaroo (right), representative of Woodpecker Trophies and Sports, handing over the 4th place accolade to Three Peat Promotions’ representative Loreann Baptiste

A

ll the sponsors associated with the 2nd annual Guinness 'Cage' Street ball Championship have come on board in terms of delivering on their com-

mitments as the tournament approaches its final leg on Friday, September 7.

Woodpecker Trophies and Sports, of Fourth Street,

Alberttown, Georgetown, have also continued their loyal support of this tournament by providing the fourth place trophy.

At a simple presentation ceremony held at the company’s Alberttown location, Woodpecker Trophies and Sports delivered as expected.

Loreann Baptiste, representative of the Three Peat organisation, has said the promotional group is grateful for the continuous support of Woodpecker Trophies and Sports, and the company’s gesture will help make the tournament a success. Baptiste also said the company has been very supportive of the country’s sporting culture, and the coordinators of this tournament are striving to achieve a similar status on these local shores.

This tournament has b e e n dubbed “East Coast versus the Rest”. It is currently being contested at the Haslington Market Tarmac.

The semi-final matchups will see home side Uprising taking on Broad Street, and the experienced side Sparta Boss

going head-to-head with Leopold Street.

The victors of each match will face off in the finale, while the losers will play in the third-place playoff.

Among the other entities in support of the event, and for whom the organisers are very appreciative, are: Banks DIH under its Guinness and Power Wine brands; Clarks footwear giants Chetsons; E- Networks Inc; KSM Investments; Yhip’s Bakery; Brass, Aluminum & Cast Iron Foundry [BACIF]; Ray’s Auto Sales; Insurance Brokers Guyana Limited [IGBL]; Y.K. Investments; Trophy Stall; Express Shipping;

Woodpecker Products; National Sports Commission; ‘C’ Division of the Guyana Police Force; Jai Signs & Auto Designs; Gaming Authority; Julius Variety Store; T&J Bookstore; and C & C Prestigious Styles.

guyanatimesgy.com

thursdAY, september 6, 2018

23

Hero Caribbean Premier League 2018…

TKR takes top spot with win over Warriors T

rinbago Knight Riders surged to the top of the Hero Caribbean Premier League point standings with a 67-run victory

over the Guyana Amazon Warriors on Wednesday evening in Trinidad.

Meeting for the first time this season, Warriors deColin Munro

cided to have a bowl with their toss victory and were able to restrict a rampaging TKR to 170 – 7. However, they botched the chase and crumbled to 103 all out in the presence of a packed Queen’s Park Oval.

The Twin Island Republic celebrated all night as Warriors’ poor shot selection was no match for the disciplined attack of the opposition.

It started all wrong for the Warriors, losing Luke Ronchi to another bad lbw decision by the umpire for no score. Chadwick Walton’s (4) woes continued after he presented an irresponsible shot to Khary Pierre and was bowled to put his side under even more pressure.

Shimron Hetmyer made 11 before he hit one down the throat of Colin Munro at deep mid-wicket off Ali Khan. GAW were now 21 – 3 and TKR already smelling victory with the crumbling of the top order.

Wickets continued falling as Cameron Delport (2), Chris Green (2) and Sohail Tanvir (0) made no impact with the bat while Jason Mohammed (27) fought to keep the inevita-

ble from an early arrival.

The Mohammed-resistance lasted only 27-balls; and another Warriors batsman was out, caught. At that time, GAW were 57-7.

While Roshon Primus contributed some consolation hitting down the order with an unbeaten 36, Rayad Emrit (2), Romario Shepherd (10) and Imran Tahir (0) were all exposed and eventually dismissed.

Ali Khan led with 3 – 22 while Fawad Ahmed, Pierre and the skipper had two wickets each for 20, 21 and 22, respectively. Narine accounted for the other wicket.

The Warriors had an all access pass to the Munro show as he continued his magnificent form this season, further cementing himself as the tournament’s highest run getter with 436.

He was able to score at 360 degrees to record his fifth 50 of the season, the highest score of the lot and the backbone of the Knight Riders’ innings, contributing more than 50 percent of the total.

Dwayne Bravo reacts to a catch being taken

Brendon McCullum

Shimron Hetmyer catches Brendon McCullum

SCOREBOARD Trinbago Knight Riders Innings (20 overs maximum) C Munro c Green b Shepherd 90 CA Lynn c Walton b Sohail Tanvir 0 D Ramdin † c Imran Tahir b Green 39 BB McCullum c Hetmyer b Shepherd 2 DM Bravo b Shepherd 9 DJ Bravo (c) not out 12 JPR Scantlebury-Searles b Sohail Tanvir 8 SP Narine c Primus b Sohail Tanvir 0 Extras: (lb 4, w 6) 10 TOTAL:(20 Overs, RR: 8.5) 170-7 Did not bat: Fawad Ahmed, K Pierre, Ali Khan Fall of wickets: 1-1 (CA Lynn, 0.5 ov), 2-136 (D Ramdin, 15.4 ov), 3-140 (C Munro, 16.2 ov), 4-140 (BB McCullum, 16.4 ov), 5-150 (DM Bravo, 18.1 ov), 6-170 (JPR Scantlebury-Searles, 19.5 ov), 7-170 (SP Narine, 19.6 ov) BOWLING: Sohail Tanvir (4-0-273), CJ Green (4-0-20-1), Imran Tahir (4-0-27-0), RS Primus (2-0-23-0), RR Emrit (3-0-400), R Shepherd (3-0-29-3) Guyana Amazon Warriors Innings (target: 171 runs from 20 overs)

CAK Walton b Pierre 4 L Ronchi † lbw b Ali Khan 0 SO Hetmyer c Munro b Ali Khan 11 JN Mohammed c Narine b DJ Bravo 27 CS Delport c & b Narine 2 CJ Green c McCullum b Pierre 2 Sohail Tanvir c Searles b DJ Bravo 0 RS Primus not out 36 RR Emrit (c) c Searles b Fawad Ahmed 2 R Shepherd b Fawad Ahmed 10 Imran Tahir c McCullum b Ali Khan 0 Extras (lb 3, w 6) 9 TOTAL all out (17.4 Overs, RR: 5.83) 103 Fall of wickets: 1-3 (L Ronchi, 0.4 ov), 2-17 (CAK Walton, 2.3 ov), 3-21 (SO Hetmyer, 3.2 ov), 4-33 (CS Delport, 5.1 ov), 5-42 (CJ Green, 6.5 ov), 6-48 (Sohail Tanvir, 9.3 ov), 7-57 (JN Mohammed, 11.6 ov), 8-74 (RR Emrit, 14.2 ov), 9-94 (R Shepherd, 16.5 ov), 10-103 (Imran Tahir, 17.4 ov) BOWLING: Ali Khan (2.4 -0-223), SP Narine (4-0-15-1), K Pierre (4 -0-21-2), DJ Bravo (3-0-222), Fawad Ahmed (4-0-20-2)

Romario Shepherd

The Queen’s Park Oval was silenced early on when Amazon Warriors struck first through Tanvir who removed Chris Lynn without scoring on the fifth ball of the night, taking TKR to 1 – 1.

However, Guyana was not prepared for the response which came in the form of a 135-run second wicket partnership between Denesh Ramdin and Munro.

The pair was completely on top and dominated the opposition’s bowling line up.

Ramdin was able to score at a bit over a run-a-ball for his 39 that had four fours and a maximum. Munro (90) on the other hand was the attacker, slapping ten fours and fours sixes from 56 deliveries.

Ramdin held out to Imran Tahir on the long on boundary, with the score on 136, off a Chris Greendelivery then Munro toed one from Romario Shepherd and was caught by Green comfortably, running in from the long on boundary.

Two balls later, Shepherd gave the Guyanese support contingent more to cheer about with the removal of the dangerous Brendon McCullum (2) who scooped one to a diving Hetmyer at deep cover. TKR were suddenly 140-4 with 3.2 overs to go.

TKR were well on track for another score above 180 but were set back when Shepherd got Dwayne Bravo (9) to drag one back on to his stumps. The other Bravo, Darren, was left not out on 12 which included a six and a four while Javon Searles (8) was bowled by Tanvir and Narine was caught at long-on off the innings’ final delivery, also bowled by Tanvir.

Tanvir ended with 3-27 while Shepherd had 3 – 29 and Green 1 – 20.

The two sides will meet again when Guyana hosts TKR on September 9 at the Providence National Stadium.

thursdAY, september 6, 2018

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Hero Caribbean Premier League 2018…

TKR takes top spot with win over Warriors Page 23

Golden Jags, Bajan Tridents champing at the bit for today’s encounter Page 22

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