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Guyana could become agriculture powerhouse – Chilean Ambassador Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Saturday, September 9, 2017

Issue No. 3327

Govt's actions illustrate callous disregard for Indigenous peoples – Jagdeo guyanatimesgy.com

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Aviation P14 sector riddled with deficiencies – stakeholder

…decries lack of search and rescue, weather reports, navigational aids

Page 9

Assassination claim

CoI exposes serious deficiencies in GPF – President Page 3

Private Sector demands formal spending plan for oil money

Page 9

Govt must tap Treasury to help disaster victims P7 at home – Opposition

Cop charged for threatening to kill P10 girlfriend Guyana to P13 provide medical assistance to Venezuelans …as WHO/PAHO urge precaution against measles outbreak

Berbice man remanded for illegal gun, P7 ammo GPF continues effort to reduce road fatalities – Traffic Chief

At the launching of the Regional, Agricultural and Commercial initiative, which was hosted at Ramada Princess Hotel, President David Granger seemed very interested in these delicious coconut biscuits which were produced by Ruth Shuman. The initiative is geared towards showcasing and promoting local businesses, particularly those which are involved in agro-processing. Looking on is Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan

Parking meter fiasco

Town Clerk’s opinion makes no sense – Chase Green Page 13

…accidents reduced by 22%, deaths by 20%

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CPG officer, son charged with wounding P11

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saturDAY, september 9, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

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saturDAY, september 9, 2017 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, September 9 – 05:30h-07:00h and Sunday, September 10 – 05:30h-07:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, September 9 – 06:10h-07:40h and Sunday, September 10 – 06:55h-08:25h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Light rain showers with sunny intervals can be expected throughout the day, with clear skies in the evening.

Temperatures are expected to range between 26 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to East South-easterly and East Northeasterly to between 3.12 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 06:23h and 18:40h reaching maximum heights of 2.80 metres and 2.79 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 12:15h reaching A minimum height of 0.46 metres.

WEDNESDAY, september 6, 2017

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resident David Granger on Friday said the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the alleged assassination plot against him has exposed serious deficiencies and weaknesses in the Guyana Police Force (GPF), which will have to be corrected. While making it clear that the CoI is not meant to be a “witchhunt”, the Head of State said work has to be done to ensure that the law enforcement agency is more professional and efficient in the execution of its duties and responsibilities.

Speaking to media operatives on the sidelines of the Launch of the DemeraraMahaica (Region Four) Regional Agricultural and Commercial Exhibition (RACE) at the Ramada Princess Hotel, the President said while Cabinet has not deliberated on the contents of the report as yet, its findings point to some critical areas, which will need to be addressed as part of security sector reform. “[The Commission] made some very strong recommendations. Even persons who have been following the dayto-day reports would have realised that there has been a significant lapse in professionalism at the high levels

of the Guyana Police Force, so these are matters of concern. It has brought to light some serious deficiencies and I am very confident that the work Mr Russell Combe is doing will point to ways in which we can correct the deficiencies. The important thing is to ensure that we get information so that we can correct the fault. It is not a witch-hunt. We are trying to make the law enforcement agencies more efficient,” he is quoted by the Ministry of the Presidency as saying.

Combe is a British security expert, who is an Advisor to President Granger as part of the United Kingdom’s US$4.7 billion Security Sector Reform (SSR) Programme.

On March 29, 2017, Andriff Gillard reported to the Police that his friend and neighbour, Nizam Khan, offered him $7 million to assassinate the President.

He said the offer was made during a conversation between Khan and himself after he approached Khan to borrow $6 million to purchase a property.

According to Gillard, the conversation was between himself and Khan with no one in earshot. However, Leon Baldeo – one of the

President David Granger

accuser’s friends had told the CoI that he was offered $50,000 on March 26 to corroborate Gillard’s story by saying he was present when the conversation took place.

The CoI sought to inquire into persons, places, times, circumstances and events by and through which allegations and reports came to be made of an intention to assassinate the President; investigate the full range of the actions and responses of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to the reports and the extent to which such actions were conducted or executed with due diligence; determine whether any person, and in particular, officers of the GPF had information before

and after reports were made of a plan to assassinate the President and whether any such officers communicated that information to a superior authority.

Commissioners also recorded and reported on what official action was taken on the basis of the information received and whether there was due diligence by the officers of the GPF in the investigation of the plan to assassinate the President and determine whether there was failure, neglect or omission to thoroughly and properly investigate the plan to assassinate the President and determine whether such failure or omission was intentional.

The Commissioners sought to also determine the blameworthiness for the failure or neglect of officers or persons involved in the investigation and recommend action to be taken against persons found to be blameworthy. They will also recommend steps that can be taken to prevent the recurrence of such incident and identify systemic issues, if any, in the GPF’s competence to investigate matters of this nature.

The final report has since been handed over to Government.

GPF continues effort to reduce road fatalities – Traffic Chief

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DAILY MILLIONS 8 13 14 15 16 9

CoI exposes serious deficiencies in GPF – President P

…accidents reduced by 22%, deaths by 20%

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2017

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Assassination claim

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he Guyana Police Force, through its Traffic Department, continues to embark on a number of efforts in order to reduce the alarming rates of accidents and deaths while promoting safety consciousness on the country’s roadways.

Stemming from this mission, 26 ranks on Friday graduated from a remedial training programing which sought to enhance their capacity to better enforce the Traffic Laws of Guyana. This is according to Traffic Chief Dion Moore during a graduation ceremony hosted at the Traffic Headquarters, in Kingston.

“We have recognized that there is a need for training, especially in the Traffic Department, to boost the level of discipline, tolerance and professionalism displayed by traffic ranks,” the Traffic Chief told ranks.

“Over a period, we have recognised that many of our traffic ranks, in their deportment, you would see a lot of things that are not pleasing; in the approach and way in which they communicate with members of the public, there are several complaints of them being improper, or at times unprofessional,” the Traffic

Traffic Chief Dion Moore, along with other officials of the GPF, joined the 26 ranks at the graduation ceremony of the remedial training programme

Chief continued.

Moore went on to say that despite their recent inductions into the Guyana Police Force, such trainings are necessary to ensure the ranks carry out their responsibilities in a manner which will best benefit the country.

On that note, the Traffic Chief outlined the various ways in which the newly trained ranks would have benefited from the two weeks’ programme.

As such, he pointed out that even though they would have graduated from Police Training School, “there is still need for them to have a specialized training, in which we at Traffic Headquarters recognize

that there is need for them to have proper traffic directional signals, communicate with members of the public, be able to identify offences, and (be acquainted with the) procedures in terms of addressing how the offences are to be adhered.”

The ceremony on Friday

comes one week less than a year since the Traffic Department embarked on the “Safe Way” approach, which was established to address the alarming number of road fatalities recorded, especially in recent years. turn to page 15

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saturday, September 9, 2017

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, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

What’s next for “Dreamers”?

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n what could be regarded as a massive blow to the immigrant community in the United States, the Donald Trump Administration earlier this week announced that it has scrapped an immigration programme designed to protect young undocumented immigrants, also referred to as “Dreamers”.

The policy, widely known as DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) programme, was introduced by then President Barrack Obama in 2012. The programme was mainly designed to protect young illegal immigrants in the US from deportation, and provide temporary permits for work and study. The policy was created after acknowledgment that these young people had largely been raised in the US, and the policy was seen as a way to remove immigration enforcement attention from "low priority" individuals with good behaviour.

As expected, thousands of persons hoping to make the ‘American dream’ a reality took advantage of the programme from the time it was introduced five years ago, as they saw it as a means of eventually achieving US citizenship.

In order to qualify for DACA, applicants under the age of 30 submitted personal information to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). They had to go through an FBI background check and have a clean criminal record, and either be in school, recently graduated, or have been honourably discharged from the military. In exchange, the US Government agreed to "defer" any action on their immigration status for a period of two years.

Now that the present Government has taken a hardline approach to immigration issues, many of those who have benefited and are benefiting from the DACA programme are scared as to what lies ahead with regards to their future status in the country. The Government has said that, with immediate effect, no first-time applications for the programme will be considered. However, existing recipients will not be affected for at least six months.

In announcing its decision, the Trump Administration said: "Such an open-ended circumvention of immigration laws was an unconstitutional exercise of authority by the executive branch”. It added that the effect of “this unilateral executive amnesty among other things contributed to a surge of minors at the southern border that yielded terrible humanitarian consequences. It also denied jobs to hundreds of thousands of Americans by allowing those same illegal aliens to take those jobs”.

However, as expected, the announcement was met with much opposition from both within and outside Trump’s own party. According to the New York Times, Democrats and some Republicans, business executives, college presidents and immigration activists condemned the move as a coldhearted and shortsighted effort that was unfair to young immigrants and could harm the economy.

On his part, President Obama condemned the move as "cruel", saying, “they were brought to this country by their parents, sometimes even as infants. They may not know a country besides ours. They may not even know a language besides English. They often have no idea they're undocumented until they apply for a job, or college, or a driver's licence... Kicking them out won't lower the unemployment rate, or lighten anyone's taxes, or raise anybody's wages.” It is well known that Trump campaigned on a narrow, anti-immigrant and American nationalistic agenda; and it was bought by a majority of American voters.

Caribbean nationals, including Guyanese, are among the millions of illegal immigrants living in the US, and they were anxiously waiting for the time when they could have their status regularised. For many of these immigrants, there is a lot of uncertainties regarding their future. It is still unclear as to how this issue will unfold in the coming months.

Congress now has up to six months to find a legislative alternative. There is a likelihood of Congress being unable to hammer out a new comprehensive immigration policy, and beneficiaries could be at a risk of deportation. Then there is the option of taking the matter to court, as we have seen in previous cases. Also, some experts suggest that DACA could be replaced by new legislation, where current beneficiaries remain protected.

However the situation unfolds, at the moment, there is great fear and anxiety among “Dreamers”, as their immigration status could be changed with very short notice.

These children of Indigenous heritage look at an elaborate painting at the Castellani House, National Gallery of Art, where homage to pioneer promoter of Indigenous art and craft, Sr Theresa La Rose, RSM is being paid (Carl Croker photo)

With restructuring, sugar industry can be saved Dear Editor, One thing’s for certain: media coverage of the sugar issue is not where it ought to be at this time, and many of the experts I have spoken to have advised me it has much to do with sugar being seen as a rural issue when the media houses are all based in Georgetown. I am humbly calling on the media houses to spend some more time reporting on the sugar issues in the villages of Demerara and Berbice.

But that issue aside, one of the greatest betrayals of our people has taken place over the past two years under Dr Clive Thomas, and I speak directly to the way the sugar industry is being managed under this Granger regime. All humans suffer from dreams, but when politicians like Thomas proceed along a road that sells "false hope" to the poor and the working class rather than practical realities, nothing good can come from such evil. The sugar industry suffered under the poor leadership of Errol Hanoman, then Paul Bhim, and then Raj Singh, all under the PPP. But what is worse is how the intensification of the suffocation was allowed to happen again under Hanoman during this PNC-led regime. These actions by the Granger regime can be compared to "turning the sword in the wound" in some sort of fatalistic game

similar to what the narco-traffickers do to their enemies.

Is the sugar belt the enemy of the Granger regime? This damage done over the past two years under Thomas and Hanoman is unpardonable. When one reads of the false hope in an article published on September 7, 2017 in the State Media, one can only find words to the effect that the senior leadership in the industry has done a poor job of executing the solutions for the industry.

In summary, Thomas and Hanoman have taken the industry backwards, But Thomas is proud to pronounce on "promised financing" from the Government of Guyana for diversification works. But why could not the money for this financing be funnelled into an ethanol plant at Wales, rather than a harebrained rice project at the same estate?

We hear of capital investment to clean up the image of Enmore to make it more marketable for privatization. But why could not those sums of money be pumped into the field, factory and packaging plant along with an initiative to conduct a heavy marketing push to make the Demerara Gold the sugar of choice at every coffee table across the Caribbean and even in Starbucks?

We hear of new money

being pumped into NICIL to help with the privatization of Skeldon, but yet these boys could not explore joint venture opportunities to fix the factory once and for all with the Indians, build a sugar refinery and a new state-of-theart Wharf at Corriverton to make Berbice profitable as the producer of refined sugar for the Caribbean.

You see, for years on the sugar belt, it has always been about the personal vested interest of a few, rather than the industry’s vested interest; and that is why it has failed. That is why I can never accept one word from Donald Ramotar on the sugar belt, and that is why I can never accept one word today from Clive Thomas. They are both discredited on the sugar issue.

But even with the destruction caused by Thomas and Hanoman today, I still remain convinced that, with much restructuring, the sugar belt can be saved. But the message has to be elevated to the front pages of the media and into the cabinet meetings. That is why it is extremely important that GAWU ramp up its activism across the sugar belt and in Georgetown to bring this issue to the decision-making table for further deliberations.

I have personally built a turnaround model in 2015, and have even revised it

earlier this year after seeing the 2016 draft financial from GuySuCo. From that model, once it is resourced within 5 years, GuySuCo can be cash-neutral; and without shutting down factories. The solution has always been moving upstream to value-added sugar-related products like ethanol, alcohol, refined sugar, agro energy and packaged sugar. Raw-sugar production in Guyana is dead, but value-added sugar-related products is very much alive.

If you observed, Hanoman has done nothing in the last 2 years to move the sugar industry up the value chain. It is as if the plan all along was to destroy asset value in the sugar belt.

Let me make it absolutely clear to all investors who think they want to join the Granger regime in raping the assets of GuySuCo: I have been assured that all of those signed agreements will be reviewed, and if found unfair to the industry, will be reversed and annulled post-2020.

Until the Guyanese people get a fair chance to develop what their fore-parents toiled for in slavery (Afro-Guyanese) and indentureship (Other Groups), those assets will not be allowed to be liquidated.

Regards, Sase Singh

Expedite appointment of GECOM chair Dear Editor, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo submitted his list of six nominees to President Granger for selection of one to be appointed as Chairman of the Guyana Election Commission (GECOM). The

President should move with haste in making the appointment, since all of the nominees are fully qualified and ‘fit and proper’ to head GECOM. The business of the elections body has been left at a standstill since last February. That is more than

six months, with a lot of work remaining in planning and organising for the next local government elections, due in 2019, and the general elections in 2020. This is enough reason to appoint a chair now.

There is no justifiable

reason to further delay the appointment. The President wanted someone who is a judge or qualified to be a judge. The Chief Justice has chimed in, saying the six nominees or an appointee does not have to be a judge. turn to page 5

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saturday, September 9, 2017

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

Anna Correia needs to get acquainted with relevant laws and court procedure

Dear Editor, Red Thread believes that sexual offences against women and children (the entire range, from sexual harassment to rape) is a pervasive problem which needs concerted attention across all the many differences that we live with. We are therefore very disappointed that, with all that could be said about Mr Carl Parker’s conduct, Guyana Times writer Anna Correia found it necessary, in her column of September 3, 2017, to create fictions or alternative facts about what she had been told by the complainant (not victim) in the case against Mr Parker.

Here is what Ms Correia reports: “...It must be noted that both Parker and the victim are members of the Peoples National Congress, the party which dominates the Coalition Government, and that efforts were made by the party to hush the matter.

“When the victim refused to remain silent, she was eventually summoned to Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally’s office. According to the victim, Ally invited a leader of the Red Thread organisation to the meeting, without serving the victim prior notice. Interestingly, Ally proceeded to meet with the member of Red Thread behind closed doors – a meeting to which the victim was not privy. It was only after this that she received the victim separately in her office and dismissed the matter, without providing guidance or assistance as should a Minister of Social Protection. The victim returned to Lethem where the case is being tried. However, the Lethem Court has ordered that the victim procure the services of a lawyer to represent her for the upcoming

September 6th hearing, without which the case will have to be dropped. The victim doesn’t have the resources to fund her defense, and calls for legal assistance on her behalf were unsuccessful. ” A brief account of our actual engagement in this matter follows: Red Thread contacted the complainant with the offer of support before Parker was charged. The complainant had previously written the leadership of her political party to report his assault, and it was this report to which Minister Amna Ally responded (albeit late in the day). The complainant welcomed our offer to accompany her to the meeting with the Minister, who had certainly not invited us to meet.

Minister Ally, in the presence of the complainant, insisted that she needed to speak with her alone, and that the complainant needed no support, since she was an adult. It was in this circumstance that the complainant agreed with my proposal that I should speak with the Minster to state Red Thread’s concerns about the influences which could be brought to bear on the complainant.

Red Thread has been totally supportive of the complainant throughout the process, from her reporting to the police to the present court hearing. We have also raised our concerns about Mr Parker’s apparently favoured status with the Ministry in letters to the newspapers which have been published.

We are also deeply concerned that, in her zeal to call Carl Parker to account, Ms Correia has insulted and impugned the professionalism of the magistrate, while saying that her source is the complainant. Red Thread has

been advised that the complainant has been in touch with Ms Correia, asking that she correct the statements which she has “put in the complainant’s mouth”. We urge Ms Correia to follow up with her.

Red Thread welcomes Ms Correia’s advocacy against the sexual assault of women (hopefully, there will be other cases which she will champion in her column), but we urge that she get better acquainted with the relevant laws and court procedure.

This kind of information would have saved her the error of writing that the complainant needs “to fund her defense”, and “to procure the services of a lawyer to represent her.”

The complainant is not accused of any crime, so needs neither funding for a defence nor legal representation. It is always true that if a complainant is unhappy about the police prosecutor in her case, an application can be made to the Director of Public Prosecutions to have a trained lawyer prosecute instead. The complainant in this case has made such an application.

There is much work to be done to hold sexual predators to account, and to ensure that politics and status are not used to shelter them from the law. Red Thread has, across the last several political administrations, worked with others with the aim of holding high-status party offenders to account. This is the first time we know of that court proceedings relating to a sexual offence are ongoing against a prominent official of a ruling administration.

Sincerely, Karen de Souza For Red Thread

Overstaffing at M&CC

Dear Editor, The recent comment by the Town Clerk of Georgetown in the media: that City Hall is not overstaffed but under-resourced, is preposterous, pathetic, and a poor attempt at being clever. The definition of overstaffing is having more employees than are needed.

Simply put, if the vector control staff are without spray cans and without insecticide for years now, then they are under-resourced; and overstaffed, as they have no work to do yet have to be paid for doing nothing.

If the mechanics are not issued tools or provided with mechanical spares for eons, then they can’t provide maintenance and repairs to municipal vehicles and are rendered impotent; and therefore the workshop must be considered under-resourced and overstaffed, unless they bring their own tools to work and procure the necessary spares

out of their own pockets.

And such an extrapolation can be done in each section and department of the Council. Are the nurses not having vaccines? Are carpenters and masons without tools and building materials to fix bridges etc?

But an even more glaring refutation of the Town Clerk’s endeavour at a nifty rejoinder to the reporter’s question about overstaffing at the Council was his failure to explain how the willy-nilly contracting out of municipal services, such as weeding of parapets and drains, whilst maintaining their own gang; cleaning of the cemetery, whilst maintaining their own cemetery workers; running of electrical wiring in the City Constabulary Training Center by their special contractor, whilst maintaining their own electricians, does not lead to redundancy and overstaffing.

But finally, could the Town

Clerk explain how it is possible for a city as poorly run as Georgetown to have so many departments, so many managers, and so many support staff?

There are cities much larger than Georgetown, and municipalities that provide a much better quality and greater amount of municipal services to the citizenry in the Caribbean that don’t have three assistant and deputy town clerks, that don’t have seven engineers, an entire public relations department with a ton of staffers, that don’t have their senior officials protected by bodyguards and attended to by personal assistants, chauffeurs and a retinue of other attendants.

Under-resourcing is not the real problem at the Council, it is nepotism, cronyism, and favouritism.

Best regards, Sambu Jacobus

Expedite appointment of GECOM...

The population at large also agrees with the Chief Justice in an opinion poll I conducted earlier this year.

At any rate, Jagdeo has nominated a former Judge in his list.

As the language said, any fit or proper person can serve as Chair. Indeed, none of the Chairs of GECOM had been a judge, thus any fit or proper person who is not a judge or not qualified to be a judge, or not a lawyer, can be Chair of GECOM. All of the nominees submitted by Jagdeo in his three different lists of six were/ are all qualified to serve as Chair. Some were/are judges, or qualified to be judges; and some are respected lawyers.

All 18 nominees are out-

standing characters who would have done an exceptional job in guaranteeing free and fair elections. One was certain the President would have appointed Lawrence Lachmansingh or Attorneyat-Law Christopher Ram, men of integrity; or one of the other great Guyanese. Chris Ram campaigned for the coalition in 2011 and 2015, and Lachmansingh served as an election observer in several elections that benefited the coalition. One could not get a reasonable explanation for their rejection.

On the current list of nominees, retired Major General Joseph Singh is a former Chair of GECOM. He is the most qualified to be Chair, given his prior experience at

from page 4

the commission. In all likelihood, he would be the appointee, though the others would also do an exceptional job -- Attorneys-at-Law Teni Housty and Sanjeev Datadin; former Magistrate Krishnadat Persaud; Aviator and businesswoman Annette Arjoon-Martins; and Pastor Onesi La Fleur.

President Granger would be hard put to reject Joe Singh or a former judge or a lawyer; and outside of these nominees, a more qualified person to serve as Chair would be almost impossible to find. The President should expedite the appointment from the latest list.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

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Foundation

15 simple ways to boost your child’s

Continued from Friday

reading confidence

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or children who struggle with reading, opening a book or reading in front of their peers in class can be an incredibly daunting experience.

Reading confidence matters.

Developing reading proficiency is essential for achieving overall success in school, and children who shy away from reading are likely to encounter even greater obstacles in the future. To nurture a child’s self-esteem it’s important for parents to be patient and encouraging. Here are some simple ways to boost your child’s reading confidence and put them on the right path towards a lifelong love of reading.

1. Appreciate the sweat and tears.

Struggling with reading can be both mentally and emotionally exhausting for a child. Make it clear that you acknowledge their effort when they try.

2. Give them control. Visit a bookstore or library and let them choose their own books. Allow them to choose where to read and at what time in the day. Give your child some freedom and space to figure out what works best for them.

3. Bond. Laugh together. Pause and talk about the pictures. Forget about reading practice and focus more on enjoying the quality time together. Sooner or later, they’ll start associating reading with positive things.

4. Make a game out of i. There are so many fun reading games you can play with your child every single day to build up their confidence. Online reading pro-

guyanatimesgy.com

grams like Reading Eggs give children the opportunity to progress at their own pace with the aid of bright animations, high-level interactivity and motivating rewards.

5. Talk excitedly about books.

Show your child how fun it is to read by talking enthusiastically about books every day. Ask questions about books you’ve read together and discuss the parts you liked best.

6. Make it relevant. Demonstrate the usefulness of reading by making it as relevant as possible. Going to a natural history museum? Read a book about animals. Baking a delicious cake? Read the ingredients you need from a recipe.

7. Don’t push too hard. Challenging your child every now and then is great, but if your child wants to read the same book for the twentieth time, allow it. Let them feel proud about reading a book from cover to cover without needing your help. This is important for building their confidence.

8. Do paired reading every day. It should go without saying, but reading together every day is one of the most helpful ways you can build your child’s confidence. Take turns reading each page or give them one word in each line to read.

9. Give privacy. Allow your child some alone time to read without any fear of judgement. They won’t have to worry about taking too long to finish a line or getting stuck on a word.

10. Read to the family dog or cat.

Companion animals make the perfect audience and eliminate the fear of being judged. If you don’t have an animal at home, your child can read to a younger sibling or even to their toys.

11. Show them that struggle is normal. Don’t fret over hiding your own weaknesses, in fact, letting your child see you get stuck on certain words will help them understand that struggle is normal, even for grownups.

12. Don’t overcorrect. Resist the temptation to correct small mistakes.

Remember, the overall goal is to build confidence. There will be plenty of opportunities to work on accuracy and fluency later.

13. Praise. No matter what level your child is at, remind yourself how far they’ve come, even if they’ve made relatively small progress. Praise constantly.

It will encourage them to keep improving.

14. Write your own books together.

Home-made books are a fantastic way to build your child’s fluency. After all, reading a familiar story is great fun! Start with a few words, some drawings or photos on each page, and a simple title, like Sarah’s First Trip to the Beach.

15. Look beyond books. Building your child’s reading confidence doesn’t have to come from books. Comics, video games, trading cards, board games, shopping lists, cereal boxes – you name it – are all things your child can read to build up their self-esteem. (blog.readingeggs.com)

K

Kindergarten (age 5) ids usually begin to: recognise and produce words that rhyme match some spoken and written words write some letters, numbers, and words recognise some familiar words predict what will happen next in a story identify initial, final, and medial (middle) sounds in short words (for example, sit, sun) d e c o d e simple words i n

isolation (the word with definition) and in context (using the word in a sentence) retell the main idea, identify details (who, what, when, where, why, how), and arrange story events in sequence

to:

First and Second Grade (ages 6–7) Kids usually begin

read familiar stories sound out or decode unfamiliar words use pictures and context to figure out unfamiliar words use some common punctuation and capitalisation in writing self-correct when they make a mistake while reading aloud show comprehension of a story through drawings write by organising details into a logical sequence with a beginning, middle, and end Second and Third Grade (ages 7–8)

Kids usually begin to: read longer books independently read aloud with proper emphasis and expressionuse context and pictures to help identify unfamiliar words understand the concept of paragraphs and begin to apply it in writing correctly use punctuation correctly spell many words write notes, like phone messages and email e n j o y

games like word searches use new words, phrases, or figures of speech that they've heard revise their own writing to create and illustrate stories Fourth Through Eighth Grade (ages 9–13) Kids usually begin to: explore and understand different kinds of texts, like biographies, poetry, and fiction understand and explore expository, narrative, and persuasive text read to extract specific information, such as from a science book identify parts of speech and devices like similes and metaphors correctly identify major elements of stories, like time, place, plot, problem, and resolution read and write on a specific topic for fun, and understand what style is needed analyse texts for meaning (Excerpt from Kidshealth.org)

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saturDay, September 9, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Govt must tap Treasury to help natural Berbice man remanded for illegal disaster victims at home – Jagdeo gun, ammo O pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has said his party is in full support of Government’s commitment to assist in a technical manner those ravaged by Hurricane Irma – the strongest such weather phenomenon to batter the islands in the Caribbean Sea – but at the same time, the Administration must not lose sight of the people of Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), who would have also suffered at the hands of recent natural disasters.

Addressing members of the local press corps at his Church Street, Georgetown office on Thursday, the Oposition Leader said: “Guyana should do all it can to help the victims of this devastating natural event,” even as he reminded of the assistance provided to Haiti when it suffered from a massive earthquake that completely destroyed sections of that island’s infrastructure.

On that occasion, Guyana was recognised as the biggest contributor to the relief efforts on a per capita basis.

On Thursday, Jagdeo was adamant: “We also at home must do the same, so I call on the Government once again to assist the people in Region Eight in particular, because of the remote nature of that region, the devastation with which they suffered, and the loss of infrastructure and crops and livestock and hous-

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

ing stocks.”

The Opposition Leader said the recent ravages to affect the remote administrative region will have an adverse impact, and not just

Parliament to seek more supplementary funds that we will support, so that they can continue to support those communities for a while in the future... If they do not, then we will have people in our own country suffering because of lack of help.”

He used the opportunity to lash out at the position adopted by Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan when he was questioned on the relief efforts envisaged

by Government. Bulkan at the time had ruled out the topic of compensation being offered to the victims.

Jagdeo was adamant that the views of the minister and that of the citizenry did not coincide, since he said, “Our people want help extended to Guyanese, and to foreign-

“If they do not, then we will have people in our own country suffering” – Jagdeo in the short term. In fact, Jagdeo said the opposition People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) is in fact supportive of the Government going to the National Assembly in order to secure additional financial resources to affect those affected locally.

“We have asked the Government to come to

ers and people around the Caribbean wherever people suffer these consequences.”

He did seek to make it clear that the PPP/C is supportive of all national efforts to support those affected by the ongoing hurricanes in the Atlantic belt.

The Opposition Leader did use the occasion to speak to the need for Caribbean Community (Caricom) coun-

tries to take a bigger role in voicing demands over the effects of Climate Change and mitigation efforts.

Speaking to the recent challenges, Jagdeo said there has been observed systemic losses where housing stocks in some of the small islands have been damaged, and the fact that it will take a long time for those islands most affected to rebuild.

“Science has been on the side that (says) increasingly, we are going to see the impact of these weather-related incidents on vulnerable regions of the world because of climate change.”

Named ‘Champion of the Earth’ in 2009, Jagdeo said, ‘We have to collectively strengthen our fight to ensure that the progress made in this regard to mitigate some of these consequences, to make sure the progress is not lost because of narrow-minded global policies at this time.”

He was adamant this is a position that should be held high by the Caribbean States and their leaders, saying, “The issue of the impact of climate change has to become the priority of the region, because of its potential for devastation.”

According to Jagdeo, “Our regional governments have to be at the forefront of advocacy. That is a priority for all of us and our foreign policies.”

P

olice in Berbice arrested 38-year-old Ryan Sauers at his home in the Berbice riverine community of De Velde after he was found in possession of a single-barrel 12-gauge shotgun and two live matching cartridges.

Charged on Friday and arraigned before New Amsterdam Magistrate Alex Moore, Sauers denied the charges of unlawful possession and was remanded until October 4.

The charges stemmed

from Sauers threatening his mother during a heated argument on Wednesday, while pointing a gun at her.

An alert neighbour responded and successfully disarmed the irate Sauers.

The unlicensed firearm and the cartridges were promptly handed over to the police.

An additional charge in respect of the threats will be instituted when the defendant makes his second court appearance next month.

8

saturday, September 9, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

The beat goes on…

I

…on Parking Meters t’s not a coincidence that the current City Council came into being on April 1st 2016 - April Fool’s Day. But it was the people of Georgetown who were made into fools. And the PNC Gang of Four -including the Mayor and Town Clerk, who ran the show -- had a good laugh. They had to have been working on the parking Meter scam for a while -since they cancelled one signed in the 90s -- and they now felt sure their ship had come in. Six weeks later, on May 13, they signed the (in)famous contract with Smart City Solutions (SCS), and the rest is (the fetid) history that won’t go away.

The City Council, by a vote of 13 to 12, just voted to RENEGOTIATE the contract, and not scrap it!! The contract -- which obviously is a spawn of Freddie Kruger -- lives on!! It didn’t die when the AG’s office declared it was “unconscionable” -- one that’s so one-sided it’s unfair to one party, and therefore unenforceable under law. It didn’t die when the Finance Ministry separately concurred. It didn’t die when it was pointed out that the Council never authorised the Mayor to sign such a contract, as is required by the by-laws - and so void ab initio.

And if you think Trotman’s stonewalling on the Exxon oil contract was bad, the Mayor made him look like he’s playing tiddlywinks when you think what she did to the rest of her Council - on whose behalf she purportedly signed!! They could only LOOK at the contract in a sealed room in the presence of one of the Gang of Four, and weren’t permitted to make notes, much less copies! The Government asked for the contract to be suspended -- as did the courts, after being petitioned by a citizen. The latter ordered the present “re-evaluation” by the City Council, after it was re-examined by a Committee. Meanwhile, protests were being conducted weekly against City Hall by a horde of enraged town denizens organised as a “Movement Against Parking Meters (MAPM)”.

The contract lived on.

MAPM had insisted the contract be scrapped and not renegotiated, as has now been voted on by the Council. But there are those that would want to know how a contract that was void from its inception could now be “renegotiated”. As one Councillor asked, how could 13 of her fellow councillors approve such a patently illegal act?

But we know the answer to that, don’t we dear readers? Money might not be the root of ALL evils.

But it certainly is at the root of THIS Parking Meter contract!! …for Warriors Well, they do say all good things must come to an end…and the Warriors’ late sprint for the top rung of the ladder came to an end Thursday night. As you, dear readers, would know (since your Eyewitness wears his heart on his sleeve), he was certain they’d whup the Trinis. But it was not to be. We can all speculate as to the reasons why: the sparse crowds as opposed to the jam-packed stadium they’re used to? That WAS more than a bit unsettling for your pumped-up Eyewitness!

But he did begin to have some doubts when the boys got bogged down in the first ten overs. Where was the free flowing hitting at the top with wickets in hand? Tanvir, after all, like Narine, is a pinch hitter, and with that role it’s always gonna be hit or miss.

And when you miss, that’s it! The captain or coach should’ve ordered more intensity from the others.

As it was, Primus was the hero in the penultimate over - but squandered his halo with his drop of Munro. …with oil contretemps The five (furtive) Ministers didn’t tell anyone they were jetting off to Texas, much less they were jetted off by Exxon! Now inquiring minds want to know whether they also got a “freck”!!

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

News

9

saturDAY, september 9, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Govt's actions illustrate Private Sector demands formal spending plan for oil money callous disregard for Indigenous peoples – Jagdeo G

F

ormer President Bharrat Jagdeo has chided President David Granger and Government ministers over their lacklustre approach towards Guyana’s first people and the Heritage Month celebrations currently underway.

Speaking at his Church Street Office, the Opposition Leader drew specific reference to the President and his minister’s approach and treatment of this grouping of Guyanese, as was evident during the hosting of the National Toshaos Conference (NTC).

President Granger was also a no show on the opening night of the Heritage Month activities, with subject minister Sidney Allicock simply declaring that the Head of State was “busy.”

Speaking with members of the local media corps during a press engagement, Jagdeo said, “We hope that we are not going to be subjected to platitudes again from Government of Guyana about how much they care for Amerindian people in speeches this month, when the practice in the past two years is one that could lead to the dispossession of Amerindians of their lands and a loss of welfare in their communities.”

Jagdeo was adamant the PPP/C and the Amerindian peoples were not looking to hear commonplace jargon and rhetoric from the administration about their love affair with peoples of the hinterland.

According to Jagdeo, the current administration “has a lot of ministers who do very little during the day... Look at the callous disregard they had for the Amerindian People; the Minister said they can only meet with the Amerindian from 6 to 8pm when the Toshaos conference was going on.”

He quipped that Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan was too busing hunting criminals during the day.

The former president recalled that during his tenure as Head of State, he attended the NTC and sat for two full days during the course of those meetings, in addition to having the ministers present “working with people, listening

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo

to their concerns.”

He juxtaposed his administration’s approach to that of the coalition APNU/ AFC (A Partnership for National Unity, Alliance for Change) Administration.

“In this case, we had a speech from the President right at the beginning. (He was) supposed to go the last day, (but) didn’t even show up. It is total disregard for people; and then you question why they are concerned.”

Speaking to the recently concluded NTC, Jagdeo surmised that many left the capital city “without being any clearer as to the Government’s position, or in fact leaving with more trepidation about the Government’s position on these issues.”

He drew reference to the Commission of Inquiry set up by President Granger to look into land ownership, “and the position taken

by Government in this regard.”

Jagdeo observed, too, that despite the Amerindian land component of the CoI being put on pause, “the damage is already done, because the Government unilaterally put in place the terms of reference without consultations.”

He posited that Government has also publicly endorsed some of the “more extreme positions that could become a wedge between Amerindians of Guyana and other races, particularly AfroGuyanese; and we must fight this.”

The Opposition Leader also surmised that with the

CoI proceeding as it is, “it is raising more worry in the minds of the people as to where it will end, and how much more divisive it will be, not just between AfroGuyanese and Amerindian, but Afro Guyanese and Indo-Guyanese now.”

He reminded, too, that the PPP would adamantly oppose any attempts to take away any benefits afforded to Amerindians through proposed amendments to the Amerindian Act. “We have seen Eric Phillips before the CoI saying that the Amerindian Act of 2006 was an act of reparation.”

Jagdeo reminded that the Amerindian Act of 2006 did not give any lands to that section of the Guyanese population—a notion being peddled by Phillips—but rather outlined a process by which Amerindians can access land. He recalled, too, the now infamous statements by Minister Keith Scott, wherein he called Amerindians avaricious (greedy), and had said too that subsurface rights had been afforded to Amerindians as a result of the act; and as a result, they should not benefit from sub-surface rights.

“Any attempts to take away sub-surface rights from indigenous people will again be opposed,” according to the opposition leader.

He was critical too of Government’s approach to the use of money earned under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and Guyana’s pact with the Kingdom of Norway, which led to sums being set aside for the land titling programme for Amerindians.

“A significant part was set aside for the titling activities; that has practically stalled.” He reminded too that monies had been placed in an Amerindian Development Fund but Government has since been cherry picking with its use of funds that had already been set aside.

Jagdeo is adamant the money is there, and that Government must, instead of dragging its feet, accelerate the process.

uyana’s Private Sector representative bodies want Government to open up and tell the nation precisely how it intends to use its earnings from the imminent oil inflows in 2020.

This was the view expressed by President of the Georgetown Chambers of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Deodat Indar, during a brief interaction with journalists on the sidelines of a stakeholder engagement on Thursday at the Marriott Hotel.

The GCCI president told journalists that the private sector umbrella body is in fact looking forward to a National Conversation on the issue.

“We need to have a sit down just as we did with Local Content Policy...to ensure that the policy we have, the Guyanese people are part of that design,” according to the GCCI president.

While expressing a level of optimism that this will in fact be the approach of Government, Indar noted that while he believes there are good intentions for the industry, there are still a number of issues to be addressed.

He said the approach with regard the development of a Local Content Policy is welcomed, but there are also a host of other issues that need to be addressed ahead of oil production in 2020.

He drew specific reference to the finalisation of the Petroleum Laws and the establishment of the long awaited Sovereign Wealth Fund, in addition to a wellthought-out programme or policy for the spending of the oil revenues.

“Most importantly, we need to have some docu-

President of the Georgetown Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Deodat Indar

ment, some policy, to say what we doing with the money that we receive from Exxon(Mobil)” Indar said.

“Where are we going to spend this money? ...we need to go into more details where we spend the money for capacity development in Guyana,” he posited.

He was adamant there is a dire need for the capacity building of national institutions in addition to the massive upgrade of services, including in the security, infrastructure, health, education and security fronts.

Public consultations As it relates to establishment of the Sovereign Wealth Fund, substantive Minister Raphael Trotman had earlier in the year committed to public consultations with regard to the money to be set aside from the revenues earned from the country’s extractive industry, including the emerging oil and gas sector. To

date, no such consultation has obtained.

At the time, Minister Trotman had told stakeholders during a consultation exercise on the petroleum laws, “It’s hopefully not necessarily going to be passed this year into Act, but the intention is that, later this year, it will be brought to the public for examination, scrutiny, and improvement.”

According to a missive released earlier this year by the Government’s Department of Public Information, a Sovereign Wealth Fund is envisioned to be a state-owned investment fund that is made up of surpluses from official foreign currency operations, proceeds of privatisations, governmental transfer payments, fiscal surpluses, and/ or receipts resulting from resource exports.

These sums of money can be used for investment purposes, to benefit the country’s economy and citizens.

Guyana’s SWF Bill was drafted by the Commonwealth Secretariat with input from the Government, and was presented to the minister last December, according to that department.

Trotman had announced that the proposed Bill to give effect to the fund is fashioned after international model, namely Norway.

Trotman had recently told the National Assembly that it is the Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, who will be formally presenting the proposed Bill to the National Assembly.

The National Assembly will emerge from its annual recess next month, at which time the 65 Member legislative arm of Government will resume working.

10 news

saturday, September 9, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Trio charged for stealing rum, other items

T

hree men appeared before City Magistrate Judy Latchman and were all made to answer for having stolen items in their possession.

Steve Singh, 24, of Lot 7 Riverview, Ruimveldt, Georgetown; Linton Trotman, 23, of Guyhoc Park, Georgetown; and Reyas Trotman, 27, of Lot 193 Middle Road, Georgetown, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and denied the charge read to them.

The charge alleged that on September 5, 2017, at Sheriff Street, Georgetown, they had in their possession 12 stat fans, two cameras, one jigsaw and two bottles of rum suspected to be stolen or unlawfully obtained.

According to Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves, the trio who were all occupants of motorcar PVV 2662 was stopped and checked by ranks. When questioned as to where they obtained the items seen in the vehicle, they could not provide an answer and as such, they were arrested and charged.

Gonsalves had no bail objections and bail was grant-

ed in the sum of $50,000. The defendants are expected to return to court on September 29.

However, Singh who is a father of three, also had another charge read to him, which alleged that between August 17 and 18, 2017, at Regent Road, Bourda, Georgetown and while being in the company of others, he attempted to break and enter Two J’s General Store; property of June Johnson.

According to Gonsalves, the Virtual Complainant (VC) secured her premises but returned to discover that her locks were tampered with.

CCTV footage at the property showed the defendant along with others attempting to break into the store and as such he was arrested and charged.

His representing Attorney, Sonia Parag, made a successful bail application on the grounds that her client had a previous brush with the law but attended each scheduled court proceeding.

Bail was granted in the sum of $60,000 and Singh will next appear in court on September 29.

Cuban deported for overstaying

A

62-year-old Cuban woman was on Friday deported after she appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts charged for overstaying in Guyana.

Helena Maria Medina appeared before City Magistrate Judy Latchman and admitted that she indeed overstayed in Guyana, decrying the economic situation in her homeland forced her to commit the offence.

The prosecution contended that between June 21 and September 4, 2017, at Georgetown, Medina failed to comply with conditions subject to which a permit has been granted; that is to say, she overstayed in Guyana.

Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves revealed the facts which showed that the defendant overstayed for a onemonth period.

On the day the accused was ar-

rested, she was travelling in a route 94 minibus which was stopped and inspected by Police ranks.

When her passport was checked, it was discovered that she had been overstaying in Guyana and as such she was arrested and charged.

According to Medina, she came to Guyana to seek work as the situation in her home country is unbearable.

She begged Magistrate Latchman to make an exception in her case and not to deport her, as she is also a twotime cancer survivor.

However, Magistrate Latchman fined her $50,000 or a default of 14 days imprisonment. She was ordered to be escorted to the nearest airport where she is to be immediately deported

Cop charged for threatening to kill girlfriend

A

Policeman attached to the Ruimveldt Police Station was on Friday hauled before City Magistrate Judy Latchman charged for threatening to kill his girlfriend.

Randy Martin, 36, of West Ruimveldt, Georgetown denied all charges brought against him when he made his appearance at the

Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The first charge read that between April 1-18, 2017, at South Ruimveldt Park, Georgetown, he unlawfully assaulted Cassandra Wickham.

He was also charged for assaulting Wickham at the Georgetown seawall on April 17, 2017.

The final charge against him alleged that

he used threatening language against Wickham between April 1-13, 2017.

The court was informed by Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves that the defendant and Virtual Complainant (VC) share a relationship, which was reportedly abusive.

The court was told that the Policeman reportedly armed himself with a firearm and threatened to kill

the VC. He allegedly forced himself on her and kissed her during the reported assault, the court was told.

The matter was reported by the VC, and as such, the Policeman was arrested and charged.

Martin was granted bail in the sum of $90,000 and is scheduled to make his next court appearance on September 29.

Narco possession lands man in court

A

man appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Friday and vehemently denied that cocaine allegedly found in his possession belonged to him.

According to Quacy Moore, on September 7, 2017, at Bourda, Georgetown, the one gram of cocaine allegedly discovered by Police on his person was “planted” on him.

Moore told City

Magistrate Judy Latchman that on the day of the discovery, he was in the vicinity of Bourda when he was approached and searched by ranks that were on patrol.

He claimed that he was arrested without cause, however, while on his way to the Alberttown Police Station, he was shown the cocaine and told that the drug was found in his pocket which led to the present

charge.

Moore revealed that when he was first searched, there were a number of persons present that can attest to his story.

Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves told Magistrate Latchman that the analyst report in the matter would be available in two months.

As such, she granted bail in the sum of $30,000.

The case will continue on September 29.

news

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saturDAY, september 9, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Guyana could become agriculture powerhouse – Chilean Ambassador …pledges technical assistance support

G

uyana has the elements to become a powerhouse for self-sustenance and could fulfil the agricultural needs of the Caribbean region and beyond according to the Chilean Ambassador, Claudio RojasRachel.

“We are of the view that Guyana has all the elements to become a powerhouse for self-sustain and sustain the entire Caribbean region in all agricultural needs. There is vast land, excellent soil quality, water resources and then the challenge is related with technical capacity, innovation and engineering and in that process we are of the view that there is ample space for Chile to assist Guyana in terms of production capacity. We have to be sensitive in terms of globalisation that all trades have to be standardised, we need to secure food security for bigger population. We see an opportunity for Guyana there,” he said.

Ambassador Rojas-Rachel made these comments at the closing of a workshop organised by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) in collaboration with the Chilean Government. The project was aimed at strengthening the functioning of the national Codex structure in Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Lucia and Suriname.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission is the central

Codex Procedural Manual and the Codex Strategic Plan being handed over to Business Minister Dominic Gaskin by CCLAC Representative Michel Leporati, as Agriculture Minister Noel Holder and another official look on

part of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme and was established by FAO and WHO to protect consumer health and protect fair practices in food. The Codex Alimentarius, often referred to as the “food code”, has become the global reference point for consumers, food producers and processors, national food control agencies and the international food trade.

The code has an enormous impact on the thinking of food producers and processors as well as on the awareness of the consumers. Its influence extends to every continent, and its contribution to the protection of public health and fair practices in the food trade is immeasurable, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) houses Guyana’s Codex con-

tact point, which serves as the critical link between the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) and the National Codex Committee (NCC).

Through Codex Guyana has been provided with the opportunity to attend several CAC forums and develop its Codex standards, which addresses food safety issues across borders and reduces technical trade barriers. Codex standards provides guidelines for food hygiene, the limits for food additives, residues for pesticides and veterinary drugs among other contaminants. Guyana has been a member of Codex since 1970 and the National Codex Committee was resuscitated in March of 2014.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Noel Holder said Government is grateful for the support from the Chilean Government and the IICA.

He said over the years, the National Codex steering committee has encountered difficulties adding that since its resuscitation in 2014, the committee has been functioning well.

“While the workshop would have discussed and delivered strategic methods for strengthening the national Codex structure of Guyana it is also a stepping stone to ensuring that quality and safe food is available to consumers,” Minister Holder said.

He added that agriculture plays a significant role in the development of Guyana and they are mandated to ensure the country is food secure, adding that the Ministry has embarked on a more structured mechanism to ensure food safety and security.

Moreover, Business Minister Dominic Gaskin said the development of stan-

dards needs more emphasis and that quality and quantity should be measured. He also advised that businesses know their markets.

“The development and use of standards is driven by the need to do business, standards can improve the quality of products by specifying certain requirements which have to be met in order to sell it, to import it or to export it.

Harmonised standards can create a level playing field in which good and services

can be traded internationally,” he said. “This aspect of standards need more emphasis and that our regulatory and trade facilitation agencies must have among their key performance indicators some measure of the quantity and quality of their output as facilitators of business,” Minister Gaskin added. The Codex Procedural Manual and the Codex Strategic Plan was handed over to the Ministers of Agriculture and Business at the event.

CPG officer, son charged with wounding

T

he Community Policing Group (CPG) member on the East Bank of Berbice who was at the centre of an investigation into the stabbing of a fellow villager has been granted bail for allegedly wounding a sugar worker.

Hearlall Seenarine of Edinburgh, East Bank Berbice appeared on Friday before New Amsterdam Magistrate Alex Moore charged with unlawful wounding.

The CPG member and his teenage son reportedly wounded Basdeo Sadhadeo at Edinburgh on September 2.

Meanwhile, Sadhadeo was also arraigned on a separate charge, alleging that he wounded Seenarine.

Each of these three men was placed on $20,000 bail, and

the matters have been set for recall on October 17.

Reports are that the CPG member had allegedly taken the law into his own hands and lashed Sadhadeo in his head with a beer mug, smashing it in the process as he reacted to a report that the VC had allegedly exchanged a $1000 note that a young man had at the time and replaced it with a counterfeit $1000 bill.

That incident allegedly occurred two months prior to the wounding.

Sadhadeo had related that after he was hit several times by the CPG officer, he retaliated and the two were involved in an exchange of punches before the teenage son of the CPG member arrived and began to stab him. (Andrew Carmichael)

12 news

saturDAY, september 9, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

La Parfaite Harmonie Health Centre

Junior Health Minister meets officials, visits facility … as region hurriedly rectifies problems

BY SHEMUEL FANFAIR

F

ollowing a series of reports highlighted in Guyana Times about the deplorable environment and conditions at the La Parfaite Harmonie Health Centre, Minster within the Public Health Ministry, Dr Karen Cummings, led a team of officials to Region Three (Essequibo-Islands-WestDemerara) on Thursday.

Regional officials and the Minister engaged in an hourlong meeting at the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) which included Hospital Administrator Sanjah Persaud and Warehouse Manager at the Public Health Ministry’s Materials Management Unit (MMU), Sihouette Craig.

The regional officers present were Deputy Regional Executive Officer (DREO) Jennifer Ferreira-Dougall, Medical Superintendent and Acting Regional Health Officer, Dr Bibi Jabar and Inter Ministerial Sector Coordinator, Seechan.

At the meeting, Dr Cummings called of the Region Three officials to explain the region’s mecha-

Minister Karen Cummings touring the facility

nisms for bush clearing at health centres and problems associated with timely drug procurement at those facilities. She heard that often times, requests to MMU are only made by health centres when the supply of drugs is finished and that weeding is done at the facilities every three months.

“We don’t want bushes growing, we must be proactive [rather than] reactive and if three months is too long, maybe we can [weed] twice in a quarter because it’s health; we can get vector bourne diseases,” Minister Cummings underscored.

DREO responds

The DREO in explaining the process, told the Minister that the Regional Health

Officer, who is on vacation leave, would normally visit the health centres in the region. Commending his work, Ferreira-Dougall added that under the RHO’s watch, contracts were given out for bush clearing works and refuted reports that the La Parfaite Harmonie Health Centre was weeded since last year.

“Maintenance for the health centres comes from the RHO. The Parfaite Harmonie Health Centre was weeded as late as June but somebody said to the papers that it was not weeded since November;

BEFORE

The cleared trench near the health centre

AFTER

Weeding wonders: Bush cleared at the La Parfaite Harmonie Health Centre

that’s not true. Dr Jabar can show you that the contract was awarded for $242,000 [for some of the health centres].

The thing is that the RHO normally would visit those health centres and then bring the information to the region and we will ask them to get an estimate and since I’m here since April, a number of health centres were cleaned since June,” she clarified.

Dr Cummings however urged for more efficient operations at the region’s medical centres. “We really want to step [the weeding] up to twice [per quarter]. Especially if money is there, we don’t it

to go back into the consolidated fund,” the junior Public Health Minister stressed.

Drug shortages

Acting Regional Health Officer, Dr Jabar informed the Minister that there are concerns with feedback between medical facilities and the MMU. It was noted that once the Warehouse Manager is not present, requests are not being fulfilled. Craig however indicated that there is a Warehouse Supervisor who can sign off on the requests.

Dr Jabar expressed that the there is need for a regional procurement officer to oversee requests for drug purchas-

es which can reduce the drug shortages at health centres in the region.

Who has responsibility?

The health centres and health posts are supposed to be managed by the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) system and it was explained that the closest NDC to Parfaite Harmonie is the Malgretout NDC. However, the Parfaite Harmonie community has been incorporated into the NDC system which meant that its health centre is managed by the regional administration. continued on page 16

news

13

saturDAY, september 9, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Parking meter fiasco

Town Clerk’s opinion makes no sense – Chase Green

Guyana to provide medical assistance to Venezuelans …as WHO/PAHO urge precaution against measles outbreak

Minister of State Joseph Harmon

Mayor Patricia Chase Green

Town Clerk Royston King

ollowing the decision to have the controversial Parking Meter Contract renegotiated with Smart City Solutions (SCS), Mayor Patricia Chase Green said Town Clerk Royston King’s statement that the negotiating committee overstepped its mandate remains just his opinion and does not influence the work of the Council or its decision.

At Thursday’s extraordinary Council Meeting, the report of the negotiating committee was debated and a vote was taken. Thirteen members of the Council voted for a renegotiated contract with SCS, while five voted to scrap it and seven voted to wait until the completion of court proceedings.

M&CC had entered into a contract with Smart City Solutions Inc on May 13, 2016, for parking meters to be implemented in Georgetown. The Parking Meter Committee was established on April 26, 2017, one month after Minister Bulkan suspended the paid parking initiative. Its members consist of Malcolm Ferreira (Chairman), Roopnarine Persaud, Noelle Chow-Chee (VC), Ivelaw Henry, Trichria Richards, Carlyle Goring, and Heston Bostwick.

The Committee’s Terms of Reference (ToR) was drafted and voted upon by the majority of members of the M&CC. The ToR provides the Committee with the authority to “engage with all stakeholders within the parameters of the framework agreed upon by the Council, Cabinet and Smart City Solutions (SCSI) to seek to determine what terms of the Agreement can and should be negotiated to bring the contract in harmony with the desires of the Council, Central Government, SCSI and the citizenry.

The life of the Parking Meter Re-negotiation Committee ended when it submitted its final report and finding to the Mayor of Georgetown on August 2, 2017, and later circulated to all Councilors.

It was the end of the debate when King said that the negotiating team, headed by Councilor Malcolm Ferreira, overstepped its mandate during its consul-

tation period. This statement riled Ferreira up who fought in vain to defend his work.

“That was the Town Clerk’s view and I would have said the Council adopted the report in its entirety and if the Council adopted the report as it was presented. Going back to whatever the Town Clerk thought makes no sense,” she said.

“We accepted the report as it was presented and the Town Clerk’s role in this is to ensure that the records are taken and decisions are being recorded, advice given when necessary so if the Council adopted the report in its entirety that is the way the Council would have addressed the report,” she added.

On the contrary, Chase Green said she felt that the Committee would have fulfilled its mandate and congratulated them on the work completed.

At Thursday’s meeting, Councillor Gregory Fraser of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) colluded with Alliance For Change Councillor Sherod Duncan and Deputy Mayor Lionel Jaikarran, along with the People’s Progressive Party’s Councillors Khame Sharma and Bisham Kuppen to scrap the contract.

Councillors Heston Bostwick, Carolyn Caesar, Noelle Chow-Chee, Oscar Clarke, Welton Clarke, Yvonne Fergusson, Junior Garrett, Winston Harding, Ivelaw Henry, Tricia Richards, James Daniels, Monica Thomas and Patricia Chase Green all voted to have the contract renegotiated; while Councillors Malcolm Ferreira, Carlyle Goring, Andrea Marks, Alfred Mentore, Akeem Peter, Phillip Smith and Sophia Whyte voted to await the outcome of the pending legal proceedings.

The Council at its next Statutory Meeting on Monday will deal with the way forward. A letter has to be written to the Communities Minister asking for extension of more time of the suspension of the parking meters. However, the new negotiating team is mandated to have at least two members of the public.

(Lakhram Bhagirat)

F

D

espite frosty relations currently existing between Guyana and Venezuela, Guyana is ensuring that Venezuelans dealing with outbreaks of diseases in their own country are able to access treatment in Guyana.

This announcement was made by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, during a post cabinet press briefing on Thursday.

Harmon disclosed that the matter came up during the last cabinet meeting, and Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence informed the cabinet of a recent outbreak of measles in Venezuela.

The information the minister provided to cabinet, Harmon related, came from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO). It is understood that the measles’ outbreak occurred in the eastern Venezuelan state of Bolivar, which borders Guyana along Region One (Barima/Waini) and Region Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni). “(They) have alerted member states of the risk of the outbreak occurring from imported measles cases, and have advised that Guyana

The state of Bolivar, bordering Regions One and Seven

ensure a high level of surveillance and adopt adequate vaccination measures to prevent the spread of the virus,” he related.

“It was also reported that Venezuelan nationals were crossing the border into Guyana, especially at Region One, to seek medical treatment for malaria. Our last report was that there were at least 368 cases of malaria (reported) by our national health authorities in Region One, and the Venezuelan citizens who sought treatment were treated,” Harmon continued.

Considering this to be part of Guyana’s international humanitarian contributions, Harmon related that instructions were given for the Public Health Ministry to assist all comers. This assistance, he said, would en-

compass both Venezuelans and Guyanese who are living in the Spanish-speaking country.

There have been persistent reports of a shortage of basic services in Venezuela. This includes health services, due to a troubled economy and unrest that has gripped the nation.

Relations between Guyana and Venezuela have worsened ever since oil giant ExxonMobil announced in 2015 that it had found oil in Guyana.

Venezuela has staunchly been against oil exploration in Guyana’s Stabroek Block, where multiple oil deposits were found by ExxonMobil.

In fact, Venezuela’s National Assembly had approved an agreement to reject the oil exploration activ-

ities in March 2017.

Venezuela, with almost 40 times the population of Guyana and a territory that is several times bigger, claimed, in 1968, the entire territorial sea of Guyana by means of the Leoni Decree, which has never been withdrawn.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appointed a new envoy to resolve the border controversy between Venezuela and Guyana. He has said he is ready to turn to the International Court of Justice to settle the issue if there is not substantial movement in that direction by end 2017.

Dag Halvor Nylander of Norway has been appointed to help broker a settlement until the end of 2017, with a strengthened mandate of mediation.

Advocacy group meets MPs to discuss marijuana legislation

SMART steering committee member Nicole Cole hands over a copy of “SMART’s Reform Proposals” to Member of Parliament Michael Carrington

M

embers of the steering committee of the Society of Marijuana Advocates for Reform and Treatment (SMART), along with members of the Guyana Rastafari Council met with Members of Parliament (MPs) Michael Carrington and Audwin Rutherford on

September 5, 2017, at the Alliance For Change’s (AFC) party headquarters in Kitty, Georgetown, to discuss matters relating to marijuana reform legislation.

MP Carrington gave a comprehensive overview of the efforts to bring new legislation to the National Assembly to amend the

"Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Act 1988" (NDPA) of Guyana, including amendments to Section 4 to decriminalise the use of small amounts of marijuana; amendments to Section 5 to increase the stipulated amount for possession from 15 grams to 55 grams and amendments to Section

12 to prevent persons from being sentenced for possessing or smoking a utensil intended for narcotics use. Additionally, he expressed confidence that the Amendment Bill will be tabled soon in the National Assembly.

SMART outlined its mission and objectives and presented its list of reform proposals to the MPs and signalled its intention to work with all stakeholders to bring about reform of the current legal regime governing the use of marijuana.

SMART is an advocacy group that aims to increase public awareness and consciousness to facilitate reform of marijuana laws to allow for personal use of small amounts of marijuana and to advocate for the establishment of adequate therapeutic rehabilitation programmes for marijuana addicts.

14 news

saturDAY, september 9, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Aviation sector riddled with deficiencies – stakeholder …decries lack of search and rescue, weather reports, navigational aids

T

he Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has implemented a temporary ban on some interior shuttle flights while it tries to come to grips with rising aircraft accidents, but a notable stakeholder in the aviation sector has some insider information on the problems in the sector, and has offered this publication a slew of his own recommendations on how to treat with the rising accidents.

Captain Gerry Gouveia, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Roraima Airways, in a letter to Director General of the GCAA, Egbert Fields, said some of the structural and operational deficiencies being faced by pilots daily include the lack of accurate, relevant weather reports and the paucity of search-andrescue operations.

In the letter, a copy of

which was seen by this newspaper, Gouveia also decried the absence of air traffic control to help aircraft avoid mid-air collisions beyond a 75-mile radius of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).

Gouveia related that the recent accidents to have hit the aviation sector can be categorised as accidents during the landing phase, the takeoff phase, and the descent phase. He noted that these accidents garnered concern from the general public, the Government, stakeholders, and the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).

It is the GCAA’s response to the accidents -- which has caused the ban on shuttle flights -- that Gouveia has issues with, and he has accordingly criticised.

“I have been on public record as saying that the sus-

while waiting for manuals to be written to outline what is generally already being done on a daily basis by pilots as they shuttle food and supplies to remote areas on the mountains”, he detailed.

Current situation

Late Pilot, Major Colin Martin

pension order for shuttle operations was a knee-jerk reaction to what I believe is a much more substantial series of issues that need a more comprehensive and detailed review and actions to fix,” he related.

“The people in the hinterland will be facing undue and unnecessary hardships

Pointing to the low percentage of overall accidents and deaths on a yearly basis, he noted that the aviation sector is currently at a high safety level.

He also lauded the system of compliance checks employed by the GCAA, local maintenance organisations, and the number of welltrained pilots.

However, the aviation specialist went on to detail the challenges and institutional deficiencies which those in the industry face on a regular basis.

He described these operational and safety challenges as contributory factors to the current problems in the industry.

“Due to the lack, and at times inadequate, institutional state systems to support a growing aviation sector, suitably qualified pilots flying perfectly safe planes must often rely on local knowledge through years of flying experience and extraordinary human skills to complete flights daily into our hinterland,” Gouveia revealed.

“This reality exposes the pilots to the (dangers) that exist in the local aviation landscape, which is plagued by high mountains, high trees, and short runways with poor surface conditions,” he related. “(There is a) lack of security and management systems on hinterland runways; poor runway surface conditions; lack of search-and-rescue, inadequate lessons from past accident investigations, and non-existent navigational aids outside the 75 miles radius.”

He said that flights are usually dispatched with in-

Late Pilot Imran Khan

sufficient or inadequate data of the en-route weather and the expected winds. More specifically, he noted, they do not have the details of weather systems at the destination and forecast weather at the alternate runways.

Pilots

Turning his attention to the pilots themselves, Gouveia related that they have been making daily reports of highly unusual and unexpected weather conditions. He noted that pilots fly unassisted through vast airspace beyond the 75-mile radius of CJIA depend primarily on their own radio contact with other planes in order to avoid mid-air collisions.

Gouveia was critical of the lack of an established national search-and-rescue system and, more particularly, the lack of an adequately equipped helicopter which would impact their capacity to carry out these operations.

Recommendations

He made a number of recommendations.

These include that the GCAA mandate the use of highend moving map Global Positioning System (GPS) in every plane, and that pilots be equipped with a secondary back-up GPS. “Establish flight corridors for every route into the hinterland runways using agreed-on GPS waypoints.

Establish procedures using GPS waypoints to assist pi-

lots in maintaining stabilized flight and stabilized approaches to all runways,” Gouveia continued.

He also advocated that aircraft be equipped with the Automatic Dependent Broadcast Surveillance (ADBS) tracking systems. He urged that the ADSB systems be fast-tracked to completion, and be always operational and functioning.

Gouveia recommended that spot trackers be installed on every aircraft operating in Guyana; and that each local airline must have the ability to track and flight follow their aircraft moment by moment.

“Ensure that air traffic control services are deployed at specific geographic locations beyond the 75mile radius of CJIA, such as at Kaieteur Falls, Port Kaituma and Lethem, to mitigate against mid-air collisions and thereby improve aviation safety in this rapidly expanding sector”, he recommended.

Gouveia said the authorities should, without delay, move to boost Guyana’s national rescue capability by acquiring an appropriate/ suitable helicopter to execute timely and safe extractions from the jungle if the need arises.

Gouveia’s recommendations come after the recent occurrence of several fatal and non-fatal accidents.

On July 25, Captain Collin Martin, a retired Guyana Defence Force Major, was piloting a Roraima Airways aircraft when it crashed, killing him almost instantly. Martin perished after the BrittenNorman Islander aircraft he was operating crashed on landing at Eteringbang.

Captain Imran Khan, 41, of Essequibo Coast, Region Two, lost his life when the Cessna 206 aircraft which he was flying from Chi-Chi to Mahdia went down late last month. He had been attached to Air Services Limited.

news

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saturDAY, september 9, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Govt, Opposition express solidarity with hurricane Irma victims

I

n a rare display of unity, the coalition Government and the political opposition People’s Progressive Party have expressed solidarity with the hurricane-ravaged islands in the Caribbean.

In addition, Government has reiterated its pledge to offer assistance. According to the Government in a release on Friday, the news of the destruction caused by Hurricane Irma to Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, St Kitts and Nevis, St Bart’s, Saint Martin and the British Virgin Islands was received with deep sadness and concern.

“The Government and people of Guyana extend our sympathy to the families and governments of those who have lost their lives, those who have been injured, and those affected by the disruptions and damage to infrastructure and property caused by the storm”, the Government’s release detailed.

According to the statement, the Government of Guyana stands in solidarity with the affected countries, and remains ready to offer support, whether financial or otherwise, to those in

Hurricane Irma

need.

Meanwhile, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) also extended its sympathies to the leaders and people in the Caribbean nations who were affected by the hurricane.

In addition, it sympathized with those still in the path of Hurricane Irma.

“Our Party remains profoundly saddened by the loss of lives and extensive damage which this massive storm has inflicted. The PPP is aware of the devastating impact, loss, and inconvenience our Caribbean brothers and sisters are forced to endure once again.”

The party also expressed concern about the welfare of Guyanese residing in the af-

GPF continues...

Even since the launch of this initiative, the Force has seen a slight decrease in accidents, as well as deaths resulting from those cases.

In fact, this year projects a 22% decrease in the number of road accidents, which is paired with a 20% decrease in deaths. This gives a sum of 65 accidents within the past year with a total of 72 deaths.

At this time last year, there was a frightening total of 89 road accidents, from which 96 lives were lost.

However, despite the

from page 3

minor improvement, the Traffic Chief has indicated that his Department will not rest until fatalities are reduced to zero.

With that in mind, Moore conveyed, “Today, we can safely say that “Operation Safe Way” (did) bear us some amount of fruit. It is not pleasing, but it is a great achievement, and we are looking forward for the continued support from the members of the public to further reduce accidents and deaths by the end of this year.”

fected islands and other areas that could possibly be in Irma’s path, including parts of Florida.

“Our thoughts are with them and their relatives.

The PPP sincerely hopes that the rebuilding process will be swift, and extends best wishes for a smooth and successful implementation of all emergency interventions, both infrastructural and humanitarian.

“Our party wishes to assure our Caribbean brothers and sisters that it stands with them in this, their time of tragedy,” the party added.

With category five winds and rain, Irma is one of the most powerful hurricanes every recorded over the Atlantic Ocean.

It has completely devastated Barbuda, and affected jurisdictions such as St Maarten, St Bart’s, St Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat,

Aerial footage from the Dutch Defence Ministry revealed the extent of the devastation in Sint-Maarten

Anguilla, Turks and Caicos, and the British Virgin Islands.

The United States National Hurricane Center had predicted that Irma is likely to remain at catego-

ry four or five for the next day or two, while it passes to the north of The Dominican Republic and Haiti as it heads in the direction of The Bahamas and Florida in the United States.

16 news

saturDAY, september 9, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Cabinet approves Govt probing alleged collusion appointments of between Police, Brazilians new diplomats Illegal aircraft

O

ne month after an illegal Brazilregistered aircraft was discovered in Guyana’s hinterland, the Government has said that it is now actively investigating collusion between police and persons that may be connected to the illegal Brazilregistered aircraft.

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, told media operatives on Thursday that information the Government has received suggests that there was some level of collusion. “That information we take very seriously, and it will inform the way in which we deal with the actual deployment of ranks in these areas,” he said.

When questioned as to whether he can confirm that law enforcement officials were paid to cover up this transaction, Harmon said he does not have that information, but could only speak about what he heard from the ground, and that is there may be some possibility of collusion.

A contractor and a businessman who are both based in Lethem were, two weeks ago, taken into Police custody, where they were questioned and released. A heavy-duty piece of equipment believed to have been used in constructing the illegal airstrip had been seized by police.

Speaking on whether there is need for drones to assist law enforcement with air surveillance, Harmon said the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) would soon be equipped with drones to help monitor Guyana’s air space.

He explained that provision

would be made in the 2018 National Budget for this to happen.

He suggested that the purchase of drones would provide more accurate readings when compared to the commercial craft. Harmon, a former senior GDF official, said the drones would allow the security forces to cover greater ground, which may lead to a reduced number of troops on the ground.

“It also gives you coverage of areas that are inaccessible otherwise, and so the use of drones, I can say,

tigators from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Guyana Police Force, the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit and the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority were deployed from Georgetown to the area to conduct investigations, and they were able to determine that the registration number was bogus.

Moreover, investigators had discovered, during interviews with nearby residents, that the abandoned aircraft had been sighted circling the area on numerous occasions in the past.

The partially hidden illegal aircraft found at Yupukari, Region Nine

‘Yes, we are actively considering,’ and we have some proposals that have been made to us,” he said.

He explained that a number of companies were expected to dispatch representatives to Guyana to outline the quality and type of drones that they were offering.

On September 13, after receiving reports from residents, a Joint Services patrol discovered the illegal twin-engine Cessna aircraft with United States registration number N-767-Z hidden just off the Yupukari Airstrip.

Subsequently, inves-

Additionally, a number of the residents shared information they deemed as “suspicious activity”, including the presence of motorcycles or ATVs frequently at midnight in the area.

It was later confirmed that the aircraft had a leak in the fuel tank. This, investigators believe, may have caused the aircraft to land in Guyana. Nevertheless, the aircraft was repaired and flown to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA). Investigations had determined the plane to be registered in Colombia.

It was reported, too, that one of the local law enforce-

ment agencies was aware of the aircraft at least three weeks before the disclosure was made. It was reported that the security officials were monitoring the aircraft to see if anyone would return to salvage it.

To this end, President David Granger had established a one-man Commission of Inquiry (CoI) to probe the discovery of the illegal aircraft. Retired Brigadier Edward Collins was given the task to investigate, examine, advise and report on all the circumstances under which the foreign aircraft had entered the country.

Following the probe, it was reported that two GDF officers were fingered in the report, which found that one of the officers had abandoned his post when he was asked to stake out the area where the plane was found, and was also accused of tampering with the scene of the investigation, as well as physically assaulting civilians at the scene who wanted to report the aircraft’s discovery.

However, the GDF immediately rejected the reports, saying, “The Force therefore takes this opportunity to caution that newspapers exercise due diligence and social responsibility when crafting headlines of this nature. These misleading headlines tend to give the impression of ranks being directly involved in illegal activities.”

And the Police have also denied any of its officers had any connections with the illegal aircraft.

Junior Health Minister meets officials...

Bushes cleared in time for visit

Guyana Times was told of undesirable washroom facilities, problems with access to water and a bushy compound. Upon the Minister’s visit to the Parfaite Harmonie facility on Thursday, the bush and drainage networks were completely cleared.

Minister Cummings gave an undertaken to ensure that the problems at the facility are addressed.

“The Ministry of Public Health’s mantra is to make sure we have healthy people and healthy communities.

The doctor at the Parfaite Health Centre would need a pharmacy assistant. We have made a note of that and we are hoping to address that very soon,” she noted. She also stated that she is pleased with the operations at the centre but cautioned that there is still room for improvement.

“There are gaps that need to be addressed but we are working assiduously to ensure that everybody enjoys the good life and that health takes up in rightful place,” she stressed.

Meanwhile, the DREO asserted that work in the region will continue, suggesting that more attention will be paid the regional medical facilities.

“We will be visiting the health centres in Region Three so that we [would not] be refuting statements that are not 100 per cent true. Region Three will not stop at anything for any papers writing, the Minister is here and she can vouch for that, FerreiraDougall expressed.

She noted that the problems at the Parfaite Health Centre will be rectified by early next week.

Conditions

Minister Cummings had expressed disappointment over the problems that were unearthed at the centre. When this publication revisited the facility on Wednesday, it was observed that the bushes on the southern side, beyond the fence were cleared and

by Thursday, the yard was completely cleared.

In addition, the standpipe was repaired with pipes being connected to the build-

ing. The residents and patients accessing services at the La Parfaite Harmonie Health Centre had complained bitterly about the condition of the washroom facilities, water access and the general bushy compound. Patients berated the level of healthcare they were receiving, saying the members of staff were never on time and when they did arrive to work, they had taken at least one hour before they had begun attending to patients. When this publication had visited the healthcare facility on Tuesday, it was observed that the grass in the yard was overgrown, measuring as high as approximately three feet in some areas. The washroom stall had door and the toilet did not flush. In addition to a bushy compound, there was also garbage at the back of the yard that was poorly disposed of. Also, there were no garbage bins in the compound while the water tank and trestle were surrounded by bushy vegetation, with no water flowing through the standpipe in the front of the yard. By Thursday’s visit,

from page 12

the majority of these problems were rectified, following reports carried in this newspaper.

C

abinet has approved the appointments of a number of new senior diplomats posted to Guyana.

According to a public missive issued by the Ministry of the Presidency, Reuben Rahming, Non-Resident High Commissioner-designate of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, will be replacing Picewell Forbes.

Prior to this appointment, Ambassador Rahming served in a number of positions in both the public and private sectors. Most recently, he was Principal of BFMS Ltd & Epiphany Transit in New Providence, The Bahamas.

Before then, the Ambassadordesignate was the Executive Manager of the Sheraton Grand Hotel on Paradise Island in The Bahamas.

The Ministry of the Presidency’s missive also highlighted that Narciso Reinaldo Armador Socorro, Resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary-designate of the Republic of Cuba to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, will be replacing Ambassador Julio Cesar Gonzales Marchante.

Ambassador Socorro has spent decades working within the fields of tourism, education and diplomacy.

Most recently, Ambassador Socorro has served as Coordinator of the Group of Analysis of the Press, Communication and Image Division of the Ministry of Foreign Relations.

Cabinet has also approved the appointment of David Solomania, Non-Resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiarydesignate of Georgia to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. Ambassadordesignate Solomania will replace Otar Berdzenishvili.

Solomania has had a long career within Georgia’s

Foreign Ministry, and has served in several positions in overseas Missions.

Neville Melvin Gertze, has been appointed NonResident High Commissionerdesignate of the Republic of Namibia to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

Gertze has held a long career in diplomacy. Currently, he serves as Ambassador to the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Namibia to the United Nations in New York, United States of America.

Cabinet also approved the appointment of Reverend Fortunatus Nwachukwu to Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See-designate to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

He was ordained a priest on June 17, 1984 with incardination in the Diocese of Aba, Nigeria. He previously served in Apostolic NunciaturesHoly See Embassies in Ghana, Paraguay, Algeria, at the UN Offices and Specialized Institutions in Geneva, and at the Secretariat of State at the Vatican-Section of Relation with States.

Cabinet has also approved the appointment of Guyanese national Vivienne Alleyene as the Honorary Consuldesignate of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Alleyene has resided in St. Kitts and Nevis for over 24 years, and has had an extensive career in law. She is currently an Attorney-at-Law of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in St. Kitts and Nevis. The appointment of Alleyene is expected to promote trade and further the development of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Since 2015, the Consulate of Guyana in Barbados has been servicing the needs of Guyanese nationals living in the twin islands.

saturDAY, september 9, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

Triple threat!

H

urricane Irma was Thursday night pummeling the Turks and Caicos islands as it continued its trail of destruction across the Caribbean where at least 10 deaths have so far been recorded.

Forecasters say the Category 5 hurricane has top sustained winds of 175 mph (280 kph) and is expected to remain powerful for the next couple of days. Late yester-

day, Irma was centred about 55 miles (85 kilometres) west-southwest of Grand Turk Island and is moving west-northwest at 16 mph (26 kph).

In the Atlantic, Category 3 Hurricane Jose is moving toward the northern Leeward Islands. Jose has maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kph) and is moving west-northwest at 18 mph (30 kph). The storm was about

540 miles (870 kilometres) east of the Lesser Antilles.

Meanwhile, US Air Force hurricane hunter aircraft were yesterday on the way to investigate Hurricane Katia in the Gulf of Mexico.

Katia was stationary about 190 miles (310 kilometres) north-northeast of Veracruz, Mexico, and forecasters didn't expect much movement overnight. It has top winds of 80 mph (130 kph). (Jamaica Observer)

17

Around the World

Rohingya crisis: Exodus swells 'as 270,000 flee Myanmar'

A

bout 270,000 Rohingya Muslims have sought shelter in Bangladesh since violence erupted in Myanmar two weeks ago, the UN says.

A spokeswoman said the jump – up from 164,000 on Thursday – was because new pockets of people had been found.

She called the figure "so alarming" and said urgent action was needed to address the situation in Myanmar. Those fleeing say Myanmar's military are burning their villages and attacking them. The violence began on August 25 when Rohingya militants attacked Police posts in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state.

Rohingya residents – a stateless mostly Muslim minority in a Buddhistmajority nation – say the military and Rakhine Buddhists responded with a brutal campaign against

Rohingya families have been making difficult and dangerous journeys to get to Bangladesh

them. Myanmar rejects this, saying its military is fighting against Rohingya militants.

For two weeks, Rohingya families have been streaming north across the Bangladesh border. Vivian Tan, a spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency UNHCR, said the latest surge in numbers "does not necessarily reflect fresh arrivals within the past 24 hours but that

we have identified more people in different areas that we were not aware of before".

Existing refugee camps are full and people who had crossed the border were setting up shelters "on the roads or whatever empty space they could find", she said. They were "exhausted, hungry and desperate for shelter", a UNHCR briefing note said. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Iranian journalist loses eye 'after 2 accused in Canada 'honour cancer was left untreated in jail'

killing' case face extradition

C

anada's Supreme Court has paved the way for the extradition of two Canadians facing charges related to their alleged role in an "honour killing".

Malkit Kaur Sidhu and Subjit Singh Badesha have been fighting extradition to India. They are accused of orchestrating the murder in 2000 of Jaswinder "Jassi" Sidhu in Punjab.

The highest court has restored surrender orders for the two accused.

In 2014, Canada's then federal Justice Minister ordered their surrenders after receiving assurances from India regarding their treatment if incarcerated.

In its unanimous decision released on Friday, Supreme Court set aside a 2016 British Columbia appellate court decision that struck down the orders over concerns the two could be

Malkit Kaur Sidhu and Subjit Singh Badesha (right photo) are accused of planning the attack on the young couple

subjected to violence, torture or neglect while incarcerated in India. Sidhu, Jassi's mother, and Badesha, her uncle, deny any involvement in her death. Both are elderly and have a number of health conditions.

The alleged murder of Jassi, a young IndianCanadian woman, was over a clandestine marriage to a man her family considered unsuitable.

Sidhu secretly mar-

ried Mithu Sidhu, a rickshaw driver, instead of the wealthy, older man her family reportedly preferred. She fled to India to reunite with her husband a few months after her family learned of the marriage. Soon after, the couple were attacked while on a motor scooter.

Mithu was badly beaten while the body of Jassi, with her throat cut, was found in a ditch the next day. (Excerpt

from BBC News)

Hurricane Jose: 'Barely habitable' Barbuda residents flee

T

he entire population of Barbuda, the small Caribbean island devastated by Hurricane Irma, has been evacuated as a second powerful storm, Hurricane Jose, is expected to hit the region on Saturday.

The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, said Barbuda had been left "barely habitable" with 95 per cent of its building structures destroyed by Irma.

The BBC's Laura Bicker? arrived on the island on Friday, sharing images that show the impact of the storm.

She described the aftermath as "truly horrendous", with "barely a building left untouched".

But more devastation is feared to be on its way as Jose follows Irma's path across the Atlantic. Browne ordered the emergency evacuation of everyone on Barbuda – around 1600 people – after Hurricane Jose was upgraded to a category four storm on Friday.

Speaking to the BBC, the first international broadcaster to enter Barbuda since Irma swept through the territory, Browne said that the

intention was to transfer all residents to neighbouring Antigua.

"The objective this morning is to ensure we get every single resident off Barbuda.

We cannot afford a situation in which Barbuda is hit by yet another hurricane in these kind of conditions," he said.

He urged any "defiant residents" of Barbuda to evacuate to Antigua, which he said was "the responsible thing to do". Boats and at least one helicopter have now managed to get anyone who wanted to leave off the island. (Excerpt from BBC News)

A

prominent Iranian journalist has lost an eye and part of his face due to a sinus cancer that activists say was left untreated while he was kept in jail.

Alireza Rajaee, a former political editor of a number of banned Iranian reformist newspapers, spent four years in prison after being convicted of “acting against the national security” and “propaganda against the state” – vague charges used against dozens of journalists in recent years.

The 54-year-old was released in October 2015 and

soon diagnosed with cancer, which spread to his jaw, right eye and the roof of his mouth.

He has received six rounds of chemotherapy and laser eye therapy sessions.

Activists said his pleas for treatment had been repeatedly ignored when he was in prison. Pictures of the journalist in a hospital bed with the right half of his face covered by a dressing sparked outrage on social media.

Another picture showed his face with a skin graft.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemned the Iranian

authorities’ handling of Rajaee’s case, saying in a statement published on Friday that the country’s judiciary was responsible for “the complications that have arisen due to the lack of treatment”. The IFJ’s secretary general, Anthony Bellanger, expressed concerns about other journalists still in jail, including Ehsan Mazandarani.

“This level of negligence from the authorities, intentional or otherwise, is completely unacceptable, and constitutes a grave violation of human rights,” he said. (Excerpt from The

Guardian)

Mexico earthquake kills at least 58 and sparks mass evacuations

T

he strongest earthquake to hit Mexico in a century has left at least 58 people dead, toppling houses, damaging hospitals and government offices, and sparking mass evacuations.

The magnitude 8.1 quake struck off the country’s southern Pacific coast, 100 miles (165km) west of the state of Chiapas just before midnight on Thursday local time.

All the deaths were in three neighbouring states clustered round the epicentre. In Oaxaca, 45 people died, in Chiapas 10, and in Tabasco three people lost their lives, the head of Mexico’s civil protection agency, Luis Felipe Puentes, said.

Chiapas’s governor, Manuel Velasco, said 12 had died in Chiapas, which would bring the total to 60.

Velasco called on people living near the coast to leave their houses as a protective measure. “There is damage

View of damaged hotel 'Ane Centro' after the 8.2 magnitude earthquake in Matias Romero, Oaxaca, Mexico on September 8, 2017

to hospitals that have lost energy,” he said. “Homes, schools and hospitals have been damaged.”

The Tabasco governor, Arturo Núñez, said two dead in his state were children.

One died after a wall collapsed and the other, a baby, died in a children’s hospital after a power cut stopped electricity to its ventilator.

On Friday morning, Mexico’s president, Enrique

Peña Nieto, tweeted: “Sadly, there are reports that people have died. My deepest condolences to their families.”

The president said at least a million people had been left without electricity after the quake, but power had since been restored to 800,000 of them. He urged people to be vigilant and to check gas supplies as well as walls and columns. (Excerpt from

The Guardian)

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guyanatimesgy.com

saturDAY, september 9, 2017

ARCHIE

ARIES

Discipline and hard work

(March 21- will help you accomplish April 19) your personal goals. Making

a physical change or updating your look will boost your confidence. Romance is in the stars.

Physical activity will help

TAURUS ease stress. A level-headed de(April 20- cision will be necessary when May 20) dealing with a lifestyle change.

dilbert

Re-evaluate your relationships with others and walk away from anyone who is a bad influence.

Make a commitment to do GEMINI (May 21- your very best and help the June 20) people you care about most.

Romance is encouraged and will help tighten your relationship with someone special.

(June 21July 22)

Walk away from anyone who is a bad influence or untrustworthy. Bailing someone out of a fix will be costly and could ruin your relationship.

Stick close to home.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Good times will bring you closer to the people you care about most. Don’t be shy; say what’s on your mind and express your long-term goals.

CANCER

Peanuts

Calvin and Hobbes

Collaborate with individuVIRGO als you find inspiring in order (Aug. 23to come up with an idea that Sept. 22) can help you out financially.

Clear a workspace at home designated to a moneymaking endeavor.

Making travel plans, getLIBRA (Sept. 23- ting involved in something that Oct. 23) excites you or nurturing an important relationship should be on your agenda. A commitment will lead to new beginnings.

Romance is encouraged.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

TODAY’S WORD — CAPUCHINS

Don’t allow a fast talker to SAGITTARIUS coax you into something you (Nov. 23- don’t want to do. Emotional Dec. 21) pressure should be handled firmly. Don’t be afraid to say no. Follow your own path.

(CAPUCHINS: KAP-yoo-chins: Long-tailed monkeys of Central and South America.)

Average mark 25 words Time limit 45 minutes Can you find 40 or more words in CAPUCHINS? The list will be published Monday.

YESTERDAY’S WORD — ELUSORY euro lore lory lose loser louse lousy lues lure lyre

lyse user sloe slue slur slyer sole sore sorely soul

sour sourly suer sure surely surly ours rely role rose

rosy roue rouse rule ruse yore your yours yule

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

Stick close to home and SCORPIO protect what you have. Walk (Oct. 24away from unpredictable inNov. 22) dividuals displaying excessive behaviour. The simpler your lifestyle is, the easier it will be to control.

solution for Last Published Puzzle

Don’t push, or someone CAPRICORN will push back. Err on the (Dec. 22- side of caution and check Jan. 19) facts, even the ones that seem solid. A simple blunder can lead to an unfortunate mistake.

Make love a priority. Set AQUARIUS the stage for a romantic date (Jan. 20- or take time to reassure someFeb. 19) one of how much you care. A professional change looks promising. A commitment can be made.

Reconnecting with peoPISCES (Feb. 20- ple from your past or getMarch 20) ting back to basics or things you used to enjoy doing will change the way you move forward. Actions speak louder than words.

saturDAY, september 9, 2017

19

Retired Oscar De La Hoya says he could knock out Conor McGregor in 2 rounds E

ven though Floyd Mayweather vs.

Conor McGregor is in the past, that doesn’t mean that Oscar De La Hoya isn’t done trashing the superfight.

The CEO of Golden Boy Promotions appeared on radio station Hot 97 in New York to promote the Sept.

16 bout between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin, but couldn’t resist taking more shots at the fight that he has consistently called a “farce.”

It didn’t take long for De La Hoya to go on the offensive and call out Mayweather-McGregor for being a disgrace to the sweet science.

“I was pissed because Mayweather knows better than that,” De La Hoya said while comparing the quality of the two fights. “He’s one of the best boxers on the planet today that we’ve had in the past several years. But, come on, knock

the guy out in two or three rounds! Don’t carry him for 10 rounds!”

De La Hoya even went so far as to suggest that he could finish McGregor today if he stepped in the ring as the 44-year-old retired version of himself.

“Yeah,” De La Hoya responded when asked if he could beat Conor McGregor in a boxing match today with proper training. “It can’t go more than two rounds.”

He also suggested that it was convenient that Mayweather attempted to bet on himself to win in the 10th round, which is reason enough to believe that Mayweather carried his overmatched opponent. For the record, Mayweather attempted to place a $400,000 betthat he would win the fight in under 9.5 rounds and not specifically in the 10th. Nevertheless, De La Hoya’s assault wouldn’t let up.

Although, he ex-

Oscar De La Hoya

pressed that he respected Mayweather’s ability, De La Hoya believes that his selection of opponents is the reason why he won’t recognize him as the greatest boxer of all time.

“My question is this: when was Mayweather in a 50-50 fight?” De La Hoya asked while suggesting that just about

all of Mayweather’s opponents were either well past their prime (Mosley, Cotto, Pacquiao) or didn’t have the experience (Canelo) to present a real challenge.

“That’s my critique. Is he the best boxer we’ve had in recent years? Yeah. He’s obviously not the best. I think he would be top 10 of all time [but not top 5].” (Yahoo Sports)

FIFA opens Williams choked, proceedings says Wilander against E England's Alli

E

ngland midfielder Dele Alli will face disciplinary proceedings from FIFA due to a gesture he made during the World Cup qualifying victory over Slovakia at Wembley on Monday.

Gareth Southgate's side closed to within two points of a place at Russia 2018 with a 2-1 comeback win, thanks to goals from Eric Dier and Marcus Rashford.

In the 77th minute of the match, Alli failed to earn a free-kick after going down under a challenge from Slovakia defender Martin Skrtel.

Television pictures showed the 21-year-old raising his middle finger after the incident, with referee Clement Turpin initially thought to be the object of his frustration.

However, Alli later claimed the gesture was aimed towards England right-back and former Tottenham team-mate Kyle Walker.

A FIFA spokesperson said: "We can confirm that disciplinary proceedings have been opened following this incident. Please understand we cannot comment further at this stage." (SportsMax)

xpectations were so high for Venus Williams that the seven-time grand slam champion choked in her U.S. Open semi-final against fellow American Sloane Stephens on Thursday, according to former world number one Mats Wilander.

The 37-year-old Williams reached two major finals this season but Stephens denied her a third in a 6-1 0-6 7-5 victory on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“Venus looked a little bit nervous, she looked a little bit nervous in the Wimbledon final too, which is understandable at 37 years old because you’re not going to have many more chances,” Wilander, in Flushing Meadows as an analyst for Eurosport, said in his daily chat with Reuters.

The Swede said Stephens’s playing style had everything to bother the ninth seed, who grew more frustrated as the match went on.

“The match-up is bad for her because Stephens gets everything back in play, she’s so fast and shots that usually are winners for her, she has to hit again and hit again and it’s not real-

ly Venus’s strength,” said Wilander.

“She likes to hit a couple or three shots and then the rally is over.”

That was rarely the case against Stephens, whose defense eventually made the difference, with Williams missing several volleys.

“Today she was forced to come to the net and you can tell she’s not that natural to come and finish off points but it was a great effort to come back after losing the first set,” Wilander said.

If Williams had won, it would have been the first time since 2002 that she had played in three grand slam finals in a year, but Wilander said it was obvious her passion for the game was still at sky-high levels.

“She was in three finals in 2002, she could have done it 15 years later. Her passion for tennis is just through the roof. It’s Roger Federer level,” said Wilander.

“She should have won the match but she’s had so much success in her career and when you keep pushing the envelope and keep playing, things turn around and you’re not going to have the same success at some point.”

(Reuters)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

saturDAY, september 9, 2017

McGrath, Walsh, Anderson and the top 5 wicket-taking seamers

McGrath's average of 21.64 is the best of any of the sport's top 12 leading wicket-takers.

Courney Walsh (West Indies) - 519

E

James Anderson

ngland's James Anderson achieved a rare feat when he took the wicket of West Indies batsman Kraigg Brathwaite at Lord's on Friday.

In bringing up his 500th wicket in Test matches, James Anderson joined an elite club. The England star became only the third seamer to achieve the feat and one of just six bowlers in total. Anderson accounted for West Indies batsman Kraigg Brathwaite as he fittingly reached the landmark at Lord's on Friday.

Here we take a look at how Anderson stacks up against the five most prolif-

ic wicket-taking pacemen in Test cricket history.

Glenn Mcgrath (Australia) - 563

Line and length – McGrath had a command of the basics of seam bowling like nobody before or since. His pace alone may not have been enough to frighten batsmen, but his sheer consistency and unmatched tactical nous were enough to unsettle even the very best. He brought up his 500th wicket in 111 Tests, with the landmark scalp coming at Lord's, where Marcus Trescothick was the victim, edging to the slips.

The first man to reach the 500-wicket mark in Tests, Walsh enjoyed a phenomenal 17-year career at the highest level. His newball partnership with Curtly Ambrose ranks among the most devastating in cricket history, while Walsh was also able to shine for West Indies either side of his fellow quick's 98 Tests.

Renowned for his ability to bowl long spells, the tall and pacy Jamaican remained a potent threat beyond his 38th birthday, claiming 25 wickets in his final series against South Africa.

James Anderson (England) - 500

Anderson's England career can effectively be split into two parts. After enjoying a rapid rise to prominence as a youngster, his early years in international cricket were blighted by inconsistency, attempts to

remodel his action and injury troubles. However, for the past decade, Anderson has led his country's attack with distinction, his development into one of the most skilled bowlers in the world earning deserved praise. He became England's record wicket-taker in April 2015, surpassing Ian Botham, and has continued to thrive thereafter.

It was Hadlee who Kapil replaced as Test cricket's most prolific wicket-taker in 1994. Another all-rounder whose most consistent work came with the ball, Hadlee shouldered immense responsibility as New Zealand's

standout bowler and rose to the challenge time and time again. Viewed by many as the complete fast bowler, his strike-rate of 50.8 is superior to the seven players who have taken more Test scalps. (SportsMax)

Kapil Dev (India) - 434

One of four great all-rounders whose careers overlapped, along with Botham, Imran Khan and Richard Hadlee, Kapil was particularly effective with the ball. His tally of 434 wickets - primarily gained through a mastery of accuracy and swing - has not come under threat from any other Indian seamer. Kapil's career highlight came in 1983, when he led India to a shock World Cup triumph at Lord's. His all-round talents saw him named Wisden's Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002.

Richard Hadlee (New Zealand) - 431

Courtney Walsh

Guinness Cage Indoor Competition

Sparta Boss among group stage casualties, quarter-finals begin tonight

By Michelangelo Jacobus

T

he final round of group stage matches in the Guinness/ Three Peat Cage Indoor competition was played on Thursday evening at the

National Gymnasium and fans were in for a treat as there were several surprises on the night.

No one was prepared to see Sparta Boss frustrated and ultimately dumped out of the competition at the

hands of North Ruimveldt.

Some would say they flattered to deceive with a win on Tuesday but contrived to lose 2-0 on Thursday.

Scoring for North Ruimveldt was Travis Grant in the 2nd min-

Action between Leopold Street (yellow) and Champion Boys (black)

ute while Gerald Grittens sealed the win in the 11th minute.

Earlier in the night Pike Street and Mocha were the benefactors of walkovers when their opponents Showstoppers and Tiger Bay failed to show up.

The Ol Skool Ballers, a team that has been a revelation in the tournament thus far, continued their fine form as they beat Albouystown-B by two goals to nil with Joel McGarrell and Darrell Quallis scoring a goal apiece in the 14th and 16th minutes respectively.

Leopold Street ensured

qualification for the quarter-finals with a 3-0 defeat of Champion Boys off the back of an Okeene Fraser Hat-trick in the 4th, 6th and 12th minutes.

Jamal Pedro netted a first half brace in the 3rd and 4th minutes to help West front Road-Gold is Money win 2-0 over Hustlers and qualify for a quarter-final spot in the process.

MBK All-Stars run in the tournament came to an end as Back Circle routed them 4-0 with a hat-trick from Runnel Gordon in the 7th, 12th and 13th minutes while Selwyn Williams also scored in the 3rd minute.

Despite losing to Albouystown A 2-1 on penalty kicks, Future Stars also progressed to the quarter-finals.

Eight teams will now battle for semi-final spots tonight at the National Gymnasium beginning from 20:00hrs with Ol Skool Ballers taking on Albouystown A. The fixture for tonight is: Ol Skool Ballers vs Albouystown-A-20:00hrs Mocha vs Leopold Street20:45hrs Back Circle vs Gold is Money-21:30hrs North Ruimveldt vs Future Stars-22:15hrs

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21

The Northern Rangers will be aiming to clinch a spot in the finals of Corona Beer Invitational tournament

By Michelangelo Jacobus

H

aving gone unbeaten thus far in the Corona Beer Invitational football tournament, the Northern Rangers are in contention to win a competition for the first time in five years.

The last time the Rangers were in a semi-final, the year was 2013, and midfielder Anthony Sancho is of the opinion that his team has what it takes to go all the way.

“Training, hard work and experience are some of the things that we have on our side, we are not a well-known team so our unbeaten run is something special to us, this tournament (Corona Beer Invitational) is good for us, it is good for football” the lanky midfielder revealed.

In addition the fact that the team is now being coached by a professional in Jermain Dennard further bolsters the side’s chances.

While Sancho has been phenomenal as an attacking midfielder he pointed out that teammates such as winger Sunil Logan, Stephon Reynolds and Kwame Holder have

all put in hard work and great performances throughout the tournament.

Ahead of Sunday’s semi-final where they will be facing GFC (Georgetown Football Club), Sancho is backing his team’s experience as they aim to come out on top.

“The team is working together nicely and the guys are all contributing to our performances, GFC is a young side and we have some experienced players who have been there and done that, we are aiming to win this competition and that is our ultimate goal”.

The semi-finals of the Corona Beer Invitational tournament will be played on Sunday evening at the GFC ground with the Northern Rangers taking on GFC at 19:00hrs while Western Tigers who are also unbeaten will take on Police FC at 21:00hrs.

The four remaining teams are playing for a first place prize of one million dollars and championship trophy while second to fourth will pocket $400,000, $200,000 and $100,000 respectively and the corresponding accolades.

uyana Amazon Warriors captain Ryad Emrit admits a surprise bowling tactic by the Trinbago Knight Riders was unsettling but ultimately did not cause the team to lose the second Caribbean Premier League (CPL) qualifier on Thursday.

The Knight Riders secured a six-wicket win over the Warriors and with it a spot in the CPL final against the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots on Saturday. The Warriors who defeated the Tallawahs in the previous round, possessed two of the league most in-form batsmen in Chadwick Walton and Luke Ronchi, but the duo seemed held in check

by Bravo’s opening gambit which saw seven different bowlers used for the first eight overs.

Pushed on the back foot early on Ronchi who made a blistering 70 from 33 in the previous match and Walton the tournament’s leading scorer were dismissed for 37 and 23 respectively. Ronsford Beaton ended with figures of two for 30, with Narine claiming 2 for 21.

Despite that, however, Emrit is convinced that the team had enough runs on the board to win the encounter.

“We didn’t get a chance to line up with any bowler and that worked in their favour but I still thought that 159 was a good score to defend but our dropped catches didn’t help us,” Emrit said.

“It’s probably one of our

Ryad Emrit

worst nights in the field, our fielding definitely wasn’t up to par, but that’s how it goes we will have our bad days and we will have to put it behind us, unfortunately, it was in the semifinals,” he added. (SportsMax)

Minister Norton reaffirms support for football in Guyana – visits Goal Keeping Seminar

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“

M

y reason for being here today is to let you know that I’m along with you, I’m onboard.” Those were the words of Minister of Social Cohesion with Responsibility for Youth, Sport and Culture, Hon. Dr. George Norton during his visit to the participants of the FIFA-facilitated Goal Keeping Programme on Thursday.

The Minister, who is an avid football fan, made the visit to the course’s venue, Guyana Fire Service Training Facility, Leonora, West Coast Demerara.

In brief remarks, Minister Norton lauded the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) for hosting the programme while commending the participants.

“I wish to congratulate you for being here today, for being exposed to this kind of information and making the full use of it. This kind of activity can only do well for football in Guyana and for all of you. What I like most of all is that I was informed that you were taken from across the country, excellent, that’s the way it has got to go. Secondly, I was proud to know that football is no longer a male sport, congratulations,” the Minister said.

Dr. Norton underscored the importance of the goalkeeper, urged the participants to foster teamwork to achieve success and reinforced his commitment to the sport of football: “I have an open-door policy; let me get your ideas. Dialogue / communication is the best way to do it. I don’t know it all and I want to help, so, if there’s anything that I can do as Minister of Sport to help you to continue to go, I am saying this to you with no uncertainty, I will do my best.”

The five-day programme, which seeks to build capacity among the national coaches, concluded on Friday and was facilitated by Claine Anthony Plummer, FIFA’s Goalkeeping Instructor.

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

saturDAY, september 9, 2017

Guyana NRA 150th Anniversary/WIFBSC C/ships

Team training continues ahead of Long and Short Range title defence

W

est Indies F u l l b o r e Shooting Council (WIFBSC) Long and Short Range defending champions, Guyana, will be aiming to retain their titles when they host this year’s championships which forms part of the Guyana National Rifle Association (GuyanaNRA) 150th Anniversary celebrations from October 9-15.

Fullbore Captain Mahendra Persaud who has sat at the helm of this nation’s dominance throughout the region has disclosed that Team practice will continue to be the focus of the region’s marksmen leading up to next month’s competition which will see participation from Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Australia, Great Britain, Canada, USA, Scotland, Wales and the Falkland Islands.

The last Team practice session took place on Sunday last at the Timehri Rifle Range and Persaud informed that the scores recorded were impressive and augers well for the upcoming 150th champion-

Local shooters are currently getting ready for the upcoming competition

ships.

Persaud and countryman Lennox Braithwaite recently returned from competing at the Canadian National Championships, their participation being partly funded by the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA).

The duo recorded some impressive scores Persaud reported while both also recorded four possibles each while notching scores of one off that is 49 and 74.

Persaud’s four possibles were - 75:7 in the Army and Navy shoot where he won the silver medal with

this shoot losing out on the Gold by a single V. He shot 50:6 in the Macdougal 300 meters, 50:4 at the Macdougal 500 yards and 50:4 at the Beckett 300 meter.

Braithwaite’s possible’s were 50:5 in the Macdougal 500 yards, 50:5 in the Brick 600 yards. In the Gibson 600 yards he shot 50:8 and 50:5 in the Hayhurst 500yards.

Persaud also had scores of 74:8 at the Long Range Challenge 1, 74:8 in the Ottawa Regiment, 74:11 at the LR Challenge 3, 49:7 in the Gooderham 500, 49:5 in

4 matches commence today

– GCA2-Day 1st & 2nd division Competitions

T

wo teams will open their campaign in the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA)/ GISE/ Star Party Rental/ Trophy Stall First Division Two Competition from today at two venues in the city.

Guyana Defence Force (GDF) team and University of Guyana are the teams who will be making their first appearance for the season against Transport Sports Club (TSC) and Gandhi Youth Organisation (GYO) respectively.

TSC and GYO played to a draw in their first round clash at the Everest Cricket Club Ground at

Carifesta Avenue after a seesaw battle.

They will be looking for their first outright win over the next two days to improve point standings in the early stages of the tournament.

In the GDF versus TSC clash, the venue is the military base at Camp Ayanganna while GYO and UG will meet at Malteenoes Sports Club ground.

Both matches are scheduled to get underway at 9:30h.

Andre Hurry and Cyril Garnath will be the standing officials in the TSC and GDF bout while Ravishwar Latif and Hortence Isaacs are set to do the umpiring duties in the match between GYO and UG. Meanwhile, in the Noble House Seafoods Second Division Two- Day Competition there will be two matches.

Powerhouse Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) will hosts minnows Diplomats Sports Club with Joseph Jeffrey and Flemroy Lambert taking up umpiring duties.

In the other match Everest will visit GYO with Abena Parker and Linden Matthew in charge of officiating.

Both matches are slated to commence at 10:30h.

Some of the nation’s top and emerging players are expected to feature in the match.

the Gooderham 600, 49:7 in the Tilton 300m, 49:9 at the Beckett 800m, 49:3 in the Brick 600, 49:5 in the Gibson 600 and 74:4 in the Gatineau 900 meters.

Braithwaite’s one off scores recorded were 49:5 in the President’s 600 yards, 49:5 at the Macdougal 300 meter and 49:3 in the Tilton 300 meter.

The Captain also informed that Braithwaite, who did a course on re-loading ammunition a few year ago did the reloading of ammunition alongside a

former Guyana top marksman, Paul Archer who now resides in Toronto, Canada for the shooters to save on cost and to improve on accuracy.

“The reloads turned out to be fantastic and once done properly will improve accuracy and keep the cost of ammunition down.

Reloading of target quality ammunition is being done by shooters from all over the world from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and South Africa, hence their dominance of target rifle shooting.”

“It is however not being done in the Caribbean as yet. It brings the cost of shooting down by 50% where one round of factory made ammunition could cost as much as USD $1.50 to $2.00.”

Participation in Canada Persaud informed forms part of the duo’s training for the Commonwealth Games next year in the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

“We plan to go to the CSF in Australia immediately after our 150th since it is an exact course of fire as the CG 2018 and shot on the same range. Most of the other Countries will be there having a test run.

This was part of our training programme which was submitted to GOA, two years ago.”

Five shooters were initially shortlisted by the GuyanaNRA but it has now been whittled down to Persaud and Braithwaite who would have been this nation’s reps at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, two year ago.

At those games, the duo placed 6th in the pair’s event finishing 5 points off the bronze medal.

guyanatimesgy.com

saturDAY, september 9, 2017

23

What went wrong for the Amazon Warriors in 2017?

Asks Akeem Greene

T

he gala Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has rolled on for five years now and one of the most consistent teams in the six-franchise tournament – Guyana Amazon Warriors- still manage to be left empty-handed with regards to hoisting the coveted trophy in jubilation.

The bridesmaid and flower girl experience of the team can be aligned to a combination of factors, none more impactful than situational awareness and flexibility. All of which of which will be examined.

draft. Factually, the current model of the draft is too rigid and does not allow for flexibility in bids for various players since many rounds have an assigned salary cap.

Squad composition

At the players’ draft in March , the Squad comprising : Sohail Tanveer, Martin Guptill, Chadwick Walton, Veerasammy Permaul, Roshon Primus, Gajanand Singh, Assad Fudadin, Keon Joseph, Chris Lynn, Rayad Emrit, Rashid Khan, Jason Mohammed, Steven Taylor, Steven Jacobs, Steven Katwaroo, Mohammed Ali Khan, Shimron Hetmyer was selected.

For varying reasons, Chris Lynn, Shimron Hetmyer, Martin Guptill were replaced by Babar Azam, Keemo Paul and Luke Ronchi respectively.

Some of those replacements made an immediate impact while the others’ worth has to materialize.

With the team having a déjà vu regarding their loss to Trinbago Knight Riders on Thursday evening in the second qualifier- the same occurred in 2015- many fans took to social media to express their displeasure in the performance while some praised and expressed optimism for CPL 2018.

The opinions went from faults of players to the selection at t h e

Rayad Emrit performed well under pressure

Master blaster!

Chadwick Walton improved as batman as the season progressed

It essentially means, certain calibre of players will always be picked from the pool at the various intervals.

In addition, there is order in which teams are allowed to choose players and Warriors did have first pick this year.

The concern during the draft selection would stem from presumably not havi n g the captain’s input. Most teams would have their captains, who are mostly appointed prior to the start of the season. They are visible whether it be by tele-conferencing or phone calls, giving inputs as who they would want in the squad.

On paper, most Warriors’ Squad lacked the world renowned power-hitters but that by no way has stopped them from qualifying for all five play-offs and reaching the final on three occasions. It is a marvel that came up short once again, why? A finisher was lacking. Too often when batting, the late order surge lacked. All-rounders Roshon Primus and Keemo Paul, who are both under 23 years attempted to play that role and had success to some degree. But essentially there was a need to have an experienced hitter.

Sticking to the script

If there is one flaw with the team, it was being rigid in their way of executing and in Twenty20 cricket such an approach will always come back to haunt. The

rigidity was obvious in the batting which was the seesaw of their season. Only two batsmen, opener Chadwick Walton (458 runs) and Jason Mohammed (292) are in the top-ten of the tournament.

The next best batsman was Luke Ronchi with 172 runs, who played just four matches.

After the top faded, the middle or the tail did not wag consistently. It was one reason they faulted at the start of the season. Let’s remember the matches against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots (in Florida) and Jamaica Tallawahs (Providence) which their batting practically gifted to the opposition after being in positions of certain victory.

A shock came in the crucial home match against Barbados Tridents where all-rounder Sohail Tanveer (he has one of the fastest 50s in CPL history) was promoted to open the batting, he made 16. Next match he smashed 38 but then his scores went 7,0,7 and 8.

Should they have kept him at that top? The reasons seemed sound, extend the batting line-up and pinch early runs. Knight Riders are doing the same with Sunil Narine who consistently failed. There is a gamble in it but Warriors were certainly not on the winning end.

Given Ronchi’s ominous form, he would have been much better served taking up first strike. The same contention was made by numerous Television commentators. With Azam’s exit Singh, Mohamed or even Fudadin could have been pushed to the number three position to simply play the anchor role. There still was Steven Taylor in the squad.

Apart from Walton and Ronchi, there was a lack of intensity by the batters at the crease. The calculated approach of leaving it for the final four overs often looked the plan. Going shot gun from the start was a gamble the Warriors never took.

Fielding

During the second Qualifier , Collin Munro, whose only scores of substance this season came against the Warriors was dropped twice early in his innings. He was ended with an unbeaten 57 and was deemed man-of-the match.

If those chances were taken, it would have placed the home side under immense pressure.

Mohammed was certainly the standout in the outfield, taking some difficult catches. Other members of the team were guilty of flooring simple chance and far from impressive fielding.

Captaincy

Martin Guptill was appointed the captain for

the second season but yet again he had to leave the tournament prematurely.

Unfortunately, this occasion his father passed away.

It was a season that the New Zealander would not want to remember. He was far from the fluent cricketer the world has known him to be and the lacked confidence, which might have creeped into his captaincy – a role that is quite new to him. After Guptill departed last year, Rayad Emrit took up the mantle and led the Warriors into the finals.

The Trinidadian-born knows of most of his teammates from the numerous years of regional cricket and employed an attacking approach with field settings and bowling changes. Taken up the post yet again with Warriors needed two wins to make the play-offs, he delivered the goods. His form with the ball continues to be impressive and can hit a long ball. Looking ahead, the player must be considered to be the full time captain since it can give management and early start to planning their season with the aim of building a squad that will ultimately deliver the prize.

More so, given Emrit’s lack of presence in West

Indies colours, him having to leave for international duties would be a highly unlikely factor.

Immaculate bowling

If there was one area, the team scored full marks in was their bowling. Tanveer with 17 wickets leads the charts followed by Emrit (15) and leg-spinning sensation Rashid Khan (14).

Khan who took the only hattrick this season, kept an economy rate of 5.82. The trio kept the shackles on the opposition and were the most pleasing sight about the team. The support from Primus, Veerasammy Permaul and Steven Jacobs and Paul also added to the strength in the department.

Heading to pitches in Jamaica and St Lucia and even the one at the Brian Lara Stadium, the extra pace of Keon Joseph would have been useful, Joseph offered the extra ‘bite’ with the ball in conditions that would have assisted his trade.

Many of the loyal

fans would still be hurting and wondering when they will get to boast of winning the title. For now it will have to be a time of reflection and doing clinical post-mortem to begin rebuilding towards 2018.

Rashid Khan was a huge revelation for the Warriors this season

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2017

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