Sunday Times August 11, 2019

LOOK INSIDE !

Nationwide coverage coverage from from the the best best news news team team in in Guyana Guyana Nationwide Issue No. 4012 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON BEACON OF OF TRUTH TRUTH THE

Sunday, AUGUST 11 , 2019

PRICE

Constitutionally-mandated elections/H2H

Claims and Objections easiest way to move forward – Opposition Leader Page 3

American Airlines plane forced to abort flight

…makes U-turn to CJIA …passengers describe “horrifying” experience as plane loses cabin pressure mid-air

$120 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

ECLAC report projects increased P9 tax collection in Guyana …expected to be major driver of public revenues for 2019

Albion workers strike

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Govt continues to pretend sugar workers “don’t exist” – former Agri Minister P13

Region 1 fuel prices on the rise again P17 …Chairman slams Govt for not addressing issue

Much-needed road works: After continuous complaints about the surface of Vlissengen Road, much-needed road works are being carried out at the junction of Vlissengen Road in the vicinity of Thomas Lands (DPI photo)

Fire destroys G Division Commander’s home, vehicles Page 12

Teen girls rush to Police for help …alleged mom “allows” men Page 10 to have sex with them …medical staff refuse to conduct examinations due to lice in girls’ hair

Over 215 P8 youngsters graduate from "Code Camp" 2019

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SUnDAY, august 11, 2019 | guyanatimesGY.com

Constitutionally-mandated elections/H2H

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

Sunday, August 11 – 02:00h-03:30h and 14:30h-16:00h and Monday, August 12 – 03:00h - 04:30h and 14:30h – 16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Sunday, August 11 – 13:50h-15:20h and Monday, August 12 – 14:45h -16:15h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Light rain showers are expected during the morning hours. These conditions will continue into the afternoon and evening with intervals of sunshine. Clear skies will prevail later at night.

Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to Southerly between 1.78 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 01:00h and 13:43h reaching maximum heights of 2.25 metres and 2.18 metres.

Low Tide: 07:10h and 19:32h reaching minimum heights of 0.94 metre and 1.04 metres.

saturday, AUGUST 10, 2019

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FREE TICKET

16 Bonus Ball

DAILY MILLIONS

LUCKY 3

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Afternoon Draw

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Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

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he path forward is clear for any unbiased Guyanese to see, according to Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, who stressed the need for a Claims and Objections exercise to be immediately commenced, as a time tested means of producing a voters’ list to allow for elections to be held within the constitutionally mandated timeframe.

At his last news conference, he said, “Claims and Objections is [a] tested method. The easiest way to move forward is to use Claims and Objections….it is what we can do in a short time and it is not alien to the GECOM Secretariat”.

He underscored the fact that there is a deadline for General and Regional Elections to be held in Guyana – that is by September 18, 2019.

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) made clear that the three-month election clock started on June 18, 2018, when it ruled that the No-Confidence Motion was validly and successfully passed – a final ruling after months of legal challenges. GECOM was also named by the CCJ in its consequential orders and the Court made it clear that GECOM must comply with the Constitution.

Referring to a work plan produced by the GECOM Secretariat in March 2019 – one that has not been disavowed – he said two viable options were advanced in March 2019 – Claims and Objections, running for 119 days to result in an Official List of Electors and a new national House-to-House Registration, running for 290 days.

H2H Registration

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Claims and Objections easiest way to move forward – Opposition Leader

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The House-to-House Registration option, he explained, if adjusted for delays, will move Guyana long past the three-month election deadline – to sometime in February 2020 – just to arrive at a new National Register of Registrants. He pointed out that the field exercise alone will be completed on October 20, 2019 – one month after the constitutional deadline for elections to be held.

According to him, the last House-to-House Registration, done under different circumstances, took almost two years to be completed and still ended with some flaws that were identified. As such, he reasoned that the February 2020 end date may very likely have to be extended further.

He added too that Guyanese will have to wait until 2020 to get back to the position we are currently at – that is, having a valid National Register of Registrants.

The Opposition Leader

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

pointed out too that the move to House-to-House Registration was done on the basis of the secretary gazetted June 11, 2019, order which was overtaken by the June 18, 2019, ruling of the CCJ, as well as its consequential orders issued on July 12, 2019.

Jagdeo lamented the fact that in addition to pushing Guyana months past the constitutional deadline for elections to be held, Houseto-House Registration will result in the de-registration of countless numbers of Guyanese – Guyanese students who are studying abroad and Guyanese working overseas and persons in the hinterland who are not at their place of abode at the time GECOM officers visit, among others – and it is currently the subject of a court challenge. Guyana’s Constitution only requires that to be registered as a voter, you must be a Guyanese and are 18 years and older. There is no residency requirement.

The Opposition Leader pointed out that the legal challenge to Houseto-House Registration be-

fore the High Court could end up all the way to the Caribbean Court of Justice.

He charged that if Houseto-House Registration goes forward, and an election is held on a voters’ list generated through that process, that election could be invalidated if the CCJ rules that the House-to-House Registration, as currently being done, is unconstitutional.

Jagdeo said too that currently, a major stakeholder, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), was not invited and is not participating in the ongoing Houseto-House Registration.

“Why go a route that will create more problems for [the] country? Why go a route that is vastly inferior and will take longer?” he questioned.

No complaints

Currently, Guyana has a National Register of Registrants – which is used to produce a Preliminary List of Voters that is then finalised as the Official Voters’ List to be used at elections. The current National Register of Registrants has not expired.

Jagdeo stated that there were also no complaints about the National Register of Registrants by GECOM’s Commissioners or the former GECOM Chairman, who was illegally appointed

by President David Granger.

The Opposition Leader stated that the very National Register of Registrants was used for the recently concluded Local Government Elections and the voters’ list, not the National Register of Registrants, only expired on April 30, 2019 – weeks after the March 21, 2019, deadline when the CCJ said elections should have been held by.

He noted that the only argument being made to justify House-to-House Registration by the APNU/ AFC coalition is that the voters’ list is bloated and young people are not registered. Jagdeo dubbed these as weak arguments. He noted that any such matter can be addressed through a Claims and Objections exercise.

For these reasons, Jagdeo stressed that there must be a move to Claims and Objections.

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

Support new GECOM Chair towards timely elections

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s Guyana careens towards another constitutional crisis, three encouraging things happened this week. First, Dr George Norton, a senior PNC Member of Parliament and a minister, speaking on behalf of APNU/AFC, stated APNU/ AFC will give consideration to a possible decision by GECOM to halt House-to-House (H2H) Registration. Second, President Granger met with GECOM, with his media people telegraphing that the President might be considering an imminent date for elections. The President did meet with GECOM, but no date was proposed. Third, the President met with the Leader of the Opposition and they will meet again next week.

While suspicion is rife that George Norton’s recent statement that APNU/AFC will give consideration to GECOM’s possible halting of H2H Registration was intended as a warning to the GECOM Chair not to move in that direction, it is also possible it could be a softening, leaving it up to the Chair, giving her space to do her job. We should all hope this is the case.

If Dr Norton’s statement truly was intended to provide space for the GECOM Chair to make a decision based on the constitutionally-mandated election, this would be a good thing. After all, elections are due by September 18— as Carl Greenidge, two weeks ago, agreed. Retired Justice Claudette Singh rightfully stated at her swearing-in event that she will make her decisions and judgements based entirely on the law and entirely guided by the Constitution and the Judiciary. Dr Norton’s statement, therefore, could be a recognition that should the GECOM Chair base her decision on the law, then the H2H Registration becomes non-viable and must end. This would be a major breakthrough. It would signal a seismic change for APNU/AFC. For one, this would mean APNU/AFC has withdrawn the onus it placed on GECOM to determine the date for elections. Before this, APNU/AFC wrongly promoted the idea that the election date is solely the responsibility of GECOM. This position meant the President recklessly abdicated his presidential duty to name a date for elections.

Now, with a new legally-appointed Chair, could it be that Dr Norton is signalling to the GECOM Chair that she has the space and freedom to base her decision purely on the law and circumstances, and not be constrained by the need to please any political stakeholder? We are hopeful this is the case. It is the responsibility of the President to name a date within a constitutionally-mandated timeframe. At this time, that date must be on or before September 18. It is the responsibility of GECOM to ensure credible elections within that timeframe.

GECOM’s present H2H Registration is in contravention of that constitutionally-mandated elections timeline. The new Chair has responsibly indicated she is obligated to adhere to the Constitution and the law. In that case, she has no alternative but to support the legally available mechanism to have a list available for elections within the constitutional timeline, presently by September 18. That legally available option is a Claims and Objections period; even the Chief Elections Officer has conceded that. With Claims and Objections, elections are possible within the constitutionally-mandated three months.

H2H Registration will not permit elections by September 18— it will extend the time unreasonably way beyond this date.

Even as Dr Norton was making that encouraging statement, the President followed up with a meeting with GECOM and with the Opposition Leader. Before the GECOM meeting, the President’s media people telegraphed his intention to recommend a December date for elections. That did not happen with the GECOM meeting. It appears that the meeting between the President and the Opposition Leader provided encouraging signals, although very little has been said.

After a protracted period of stubbornness, APNU/AFC appears to be confronting reality and softening, if we pause suspicion for a little. There is now acceptance that there was a valid No-Confidence Motion that triggered an election by March 21; that a new three-month countdown started in June, and will end by September 18. Although the President has indicated the Cabinet will not resign, and he has not formally dissolved the Parliament, Dr Norton’s statement and the President’s meetings with GECOM and the Opposition Leader provide the country with a moment of optimism. We would want to think our posture of optimism is not wishful thinking.

Yemenis buy sweets and nuts at a market in the capital Sanaa, as Muslims prepare to celebrate Eid al-Adha (CNN photo)

Roger Khan never said he was fighting crime on behalf of PPP Govt

Dear Editor: Mr Roger Khan will be home soon. He may wish to confirm claims made by the Hon. Attorney General (AG) that Mr Khan publicized a crime-fighting role on behalf of a past PPP regime, as reported on August 7, 2019 online (see Govt takes aim at Roger Khan before he returns, Demerara Waves) and in the Chronicle (see AG ties Guyana’s bloody history to the PPP).

The AG reportedly said, “Khan himself had confessed in a full page advertisement in the local newspapers about this,” which mirrors a statement in the Chronicle that “…the drug-trafficker had stated publicly in an advertisement in local newspapers that he had been fighting crime on behalf of the Bharrat Jagdeo-led government.”

Having written extensively about crime between the 2001 and 2006 elections, I do not recall any such advertised claim. Indeed, as editor of the Guyana Under Siege website during those years, I posted one of Mr. Khan’s advertisements online which still exists today.

With Mr Khan away, the PNC had over a decade to sell its manufactured version of what happened: the PPP killed people but the PNC were angels. This is why the President tries to

gloss over or downplay the period by ridiculously calling it the “Troubles.” The truth, explained below, is that there was an attempt on the life of the then PPP regime.

But Mr Khan publicly offered to attend any PNC-PPP inquiry to explain his crime-fighting role (see Roger Khan ready to tell any inquiry about anti-crime role, SN 05/17/2006). The AG needs to explain why the PNC never summoned Mr. Khan or why the Granger Administration failed to produce evidence to show unquestionably that Mr Khan was a PPP state actor.

After all, it is public knowledge that former PPP Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon (also the Secretary to the Defence Board) publicly denied any PPP link with Mr. Khan and crime fighting (see Govt. never engaged Roger Khan, KM 05/19/2006).

If, as the AG seemingly has inferred, state security was delegated to drug lords, including Mr. Khan, then perhaps such were the situations, if at all, due to law enforcement itself having become compromised while the PNC Opposition was tinkering with the Constitution. Indeed, on March 31, 2006 in one of his advertisement (see KN) Mr. Khan said: “Myself and the Commissioner of Police

were close personal friends for over four (4) years.” The AG missed this part of the advertisement, because this former lawman is now a Government minister.

The AG knows that the PPP excesses he complains about have their genesis in the Forbes Burnham era.

Death squad is a product of the Forbes Burnham era, not Bharrat Jagdeo’s. The AG is right to criticize the PPP given that its minister (Sash Sawh) was killed and nothing was done about it.

But this kind of disrespect for the State began with Burnham, whose minister (Vincent Teekah) was killed on October 24, 1979, and nothing was done either.

Mr Khan may be accused of aiding the police with critical intelligence to combat crime or even appearing to be sympathetic to the then democratically elected regime, but the AG is wrong to suggest that Mr. Khan held himself out to be a PPP crime-fighting state actor.

More importantly, what Mr Khan said in 2006 was that the Opposition PNC, with friends in the GDF and GPF and elsewhere were destabilizing the country to overthrow the Jagdeo regime or force a power-sharing regime on the electorate.

The public needs to understand this reality. The PNC is incapable of win-

ing an election on its own despite over fifty years of electoral contests. Thus, alternative methods to acquire power must be used.

This was attempted in 2001. Here is what the former US Ambassador, Mr Ronald Godard, said about the 2001 elections and election observer groups, during a 2004 interview for the Foreign Affairs Oral History Project.

“We would meet on a weekly basis coordinating our activities and we worked with the electoral tribunal very closely. They had a very highly respected civil servant, he had been the commander of their armed forces…

But, inevitably there were issues, and again there was no question about who won the election… It was the Indo Guyanese party. And there was demonstration and rioting, burning of buildings by the Afro Guyanese, and that finally sort of dampened down…

There’s a minority sector in their national assembly from the opposition.

They would frequently walk out to try to discredit the legislative power doing stuff they have to do. What they were after I think was shared power, but what they really wanted was power.”

Sincerely, Rakesh Rampertab

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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

Ship of State Opposition Leader praised careening towards Dear Editor, Few politicians have the courage, capacity and ability of Bharrat Jagdeo; people shower praises on his leadership against the Government for early elections. “He is we boy”, they say. There is virtually no comparison to Jagdeo on either side of the political divide. There is hardly any charismatic alternative in the Opposition PPP save one who is engaged in the legal battle for constitutionalism. That is the overwhelming view of people around the country as the Opposition Leader carries the struggle for constitutional rule and early elections.

As almost everyone noted in a survey I am conducting on varied issues, other political leaders would have abandoned this intractable struggle long ago; it is a tough fight with insurmountable challenges. But Jagdeo has stayed the course, and for this, the party’s supporters, and even some on the other side, are most grateful. Even his critics and some within the party who oppose him lauded his fight for elections. They themselves recognise they lack the skills and acumen to lead a struggle the way he does.

As people commented, the man has the mettle to lead a fight for adherence to the Constitution and democratic governance. There is hardly any Opposition to his strate-

gy to get early elections.

The Caribbean Court of Justice ruled almost two months ago that elections must be held, in accordance with the Constitution; the Constitution dictates elections be held within three months of a successful passage of a No-Confidence Motion. The motion was passed on December 21. A court challenge put a pause on the date. The pause ended on June 12 with the final verdict of the CCJ; the pause was lifted on that date. However, the body that is responsible for holding the elections says it is not ready.

From December to now, some seven months later, preparations for elections have barely started. The President says he will not call elections until GECOM says it is ready. The CONSTITUTION says the President fixes a date and GECOM will advise if that date is practical. The Opposition Leader is carrying the struggle like no other to enforce the verdict of the court for early elections.

Other Opposition figures from outside the party have also joined in the battle for respect of the Constitution.

People (party supporters and some on the other side) love Jagdeo; anyone who does not accept this fact is fooling themselves and they lauded his leadership. As people noted, Jagdeo has inherited a leadership (General

Secretary of the PPP) some four years ago just after the party was reeling from “two defeats” in general elections.

They say the party was perhaps at its worst position when he took over the mantle. Jagdeo has worked conscientiously to restore the party’s shattered stocks like when he was President. He carried the party to two landslide victories in local elections. Whether he can lead the party to victory in general elections is too early to tell as the focus right now is on an election date.

Will the struggle by Jagdeo and others for constitutionally due elections pay off? All legal scholars are unanimous that elections must be held. The overwhelming view among the population at large is elections must, should, and will be held as per the Constitution. But as the President stated a few days ago, GECOM has to advise him when it is ready so he can announce a date. That announcement from the GECOM Chair could come soon after Chief Justice George’s ruling on August 14. The CJ herself is also likely to reiterate the view and order elections.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram (On the ground among voters)

A colossal waste of time

Dear Editor, One recent meeting was described as “a colossal waste of time”.

The most recent round of meeting between the two main political players can also be described thus. Why? There has not been anything new emanating or emerging from the meeting. No compromises or brokered agreements in arriving at a consensus. Not even a glimmer of hope.

Both sides hold firm and steadfast to their respective

views, opinions and interpretations of the Constitution and court rulings. The caretaker President and Cabinet maintain they will not resign, while the Opposition maintains it will not return to Parliament among other numerous stated positions on both sides.

So what we have?

Continued stalemate…a photo op and another day gone.

It must be wondered if these "colossal waste of time” meetings are for the benefit of the international commu-

nity.

Sincerely, Shamshun Mohamed

undemocratic iceberg Dear Editor, We are 232 days on from the passage of the NoConfidence Motion; we have missed our first constitutionally mandated deadline for elections on March 21 and are now 39 days from the advent of a usurper Executive and the end of constitutional rule of law. Sadly, much like the musicians on the Titanic, APNU/AFC’s band of supporters, apologists and appeasers keep on playing as the ship of State careens towards the undemocratic iceberg, threatening all the citizens of our dear land with dire consequences.

It is unnerving to witness perfectly normal people behaving unhinged in defence of ‘straw men’ being used as the APNU/AFC lifeboats. While I can understand that questions such as ‘what constitutes a majority of 65?’ can be raised, I cannot fathom that a few minutes with a pencil and paper would not lead all but village idiots to the correct answer. Similarly, the other issues raised in defiance of the No-Confidence Motion and questioning its validity could have been easily discerned by reading the relevant Articles of the Constitution.

The Judges of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) were restrained in their cruelty and mocking of our Attorney General and others appearing for the Government and its actors, nevertheless, the insults were there, diplomatically couched with a threadbare veil. At the end of it all, we were told to go read our

Constitution where the relevant Articles were clear, and yet it seems, there are those unwilling to comprehend and may well have us return to the CCJ for more punishment to the national psyche.

I shudder at the thought of what would be said of the ‘Guyanese’ intellect.

The Gold Board man, GHK Lall, is the latest to prostrate himself under the David G bus. Lall was taken to task by one of his former students via the letter columns after he suggested that “the entire collection of qualified voter information through registration (barring the objections period) could – should – occupy six weeks or less” This poppycock is not based on anything factual, GECOM has provided a work plan that includes House-to-House Registration, which would see a possible election mid2020 if all goes well. That a former student should have to provide factual evidence to counter a fallacious argument presented by a teacher must be humiliating for GHK, but, it would seem, some have lost all sense of honour and dignity in pursuit of perks and privileges. GHK Lall has brought himself low in the esteem of many with this attempt to pass off presumptive nonsense as serious thought.

‘The gold in them dar hills’ must be more than a soul is worth.

Editor, Guyana has a credible National Register of Registrants (NRR), that is a fact. A Preliminary List

of Electors (PLE) can be extracted within hours from the NRR, this is a fact. A Claims and Objections exercise can and will allow all eligible voters to be placed on the Official List of Electors (OLE), this is a fact. A credible election can be held in Guyana in a short time following the production of a PLE, a period of Claims and Objections and the provision of an OLE thereafter, this is a fact. In 2015, US Charge d’Affaires Bryan Hunt said: “the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has provided everyone with more than sufficient opportunity to review the preliminary list, raise concerns about it, issue objections to inclusion of names, and the objections that did come were credibly dealt with” (SN 26.4.2015).

Any argument that an election based on a yet-to-becreated NRR Database will be more credible is fallacious, to add that it can be done promptly as mandated by our Constitution is downright dishonest.

We are not yet beyond the pale of constitutional rule, President Granger needs to be advised by sober men, not swayed by charlatans who are clinging to power and perks. President Granger must act quickly before the ship hits the iceberg and all is lost, for the band played until the end, they never got into the lifeboats, they perished along with their captain.

Respectfully, Robin Singh

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Foundation

A parent’s guide to screen-free activities for kids

By Monica Foley, MEd

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eens in the United States are spending nearly nine hours a day using a digital device, according to a study conducted by Common Sense Media. For children between the ages of 8 and 12, the average screen time use is nearly six hours per day.

As a parent, you want your kids to have access to the technology they need to succeed in school and prepare for successful careers. However, you also want them to lead balanced lives and appreciate the value of healthy and enriching offline activities.

Encouraging the moderate use of media gives your children more opportunities for interactions and experiences that are essential for healthy development. Take a look at the benefits of disconnecting from digital devices and ideas for what to do when you’re offline.

Benefits of screen-free activities Shape up

Too much time sitting in front of screens increases the risk of obesity. Give your children a head start on making exercise a regular part of their routine.

Sleep well

Bright screens and mental stimulation interfere with quality rest and sleep. Set a curfew that electronic devices are turned off at least

two hours before bedtime.

Promote learning

Digital devices can deliver excellent educational content, but a steady diet of empty entertainment or texting can distract from studying. Help your child keep their mind on their schoolwork.

Manage behaviour issues

Using media wisely helps prevent aggression, substance abuse, and other risky activities. It also promotes the development of essential social and communication skills.

Save money

Maybe you have trouble affording the latest devices. Countless inexpensive activities teach kids how to value relationships and creativity rather than material possessions.

Ideas for screen-free indoor activities: Make music

Your kids probably know how to stream music, but can they play an instrument or sing? Introduce them to the joys of expressing themselves through music.

Do crafts

Collect household items or visit an art supply store, so you have supplies on hand to do arts and crafts a n y time. Practise

making origami animals or holiday ornaments.

Play board games

Pull out your old favourites or shop for new versions. Spend an evening with Monopoly as a family instead of watching a movie.

Put on a play

Create your own productions. Turn a large cardboard box into a puppet theatre. Read a play out loud with each family member taking a different role.

Cook dinner

Prepare meals together. Even small children can rinse fruit or tear up salad greens.

Ideas for screen-free outdoor activities: Go for a walk

Make it a habit to take a walk around the neighbourhood after dinner. Walking is a gentle form of exercise your children will be able to do anywhere with no special equipment needed.

ety, stock up on other simple toys such as hula hoops and jump ropes.

Plant a garden

Grow your own vegetables and flowers. Gardening teaches your kids where food comes from and how to work with others.

Take a dip

Having an in-ground pool isn’t the only way to enjoy the water. Let your kids run or ride their bikes while you spray a hose around them.

Visit the library

Libraries are a community gathering place. In addition to bringing home books, check out the calendar for special events.

Camp out

Pick a campground that suits your idea of roughing it or sleep in your backyard. Toast marshmallows and tell ghost stories. In this digital age, your kids are bound to be surrounded by computers, smartphones, and televisions. Show them that it’s possible to have fun without any screens involved, and carve out boundaries to keep the overuse of technology from interfering with healthy development. (childdevelopmentinfo.com)

Toss a Frisbee

A Frisbee makes it fun to move around – even your dog can master the rules. For more vari-

C

ollecting helps to preserve objects for the future. By studying objects from the past, we can learn about the people who used them and how they lived. Historian and collector Teodoro Vidal learnt about many things from studying objects, including the history of Puerto Rican carnivals! In the future, people will look at the objects that we use every day to learn about us.

When you start your own collection, keep these questions in mind.

What kind of things do you like?

What kinds of things go together?

You can collect all kinds of things. Objects do not have to be expensive or rare to be collected. Do you enjoy sports? Do you like to read? Do you play a musical instrument?

One of the great things about collecting is learning more about your interests. If you are interested in baseball, collecting baseball cards helps you learn about your favourite players. You can collect things important to your family, and create a family history museum! The possibilities are endless!

Objects in a collection usually go together in some way.

For example, you could start a “stuffed animals” collection, and collect all different types of stuffed animals. You could also start a “Stars and Stripes” collection and collect all sorts of things related to the American flag.

After you have chosen a collecting theme, think about what objects best fit into your collection. How will they be similar to each other? Different? Big? Small? As the collector, you get to decide!

Collecting tips:

Light: Don’t store materials in direct sunlight.

Temperature: Don’t let your objects get too hot or too cold. Store them in a closet, not in a basement, attic, or garage.

Air pollution: Keep dust off your objects. Don’t exhibit your objects near the kitchen or fireplace.

Insects: Store your objects away from places bugs live, like kitchens and damp places. (amhistory.si.edu)

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SUnDAY, AUGUST 11, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

American Airlines plane forced to abort flight

…makes U-turn to CJIA …passengers describe “horrifying” experience as plane loses cabin pressure mid-air soned from the aircraft or a pilot will simply circle a given area, in order to get rid of fuel, reduce the weight of the plane and facilitate a smooth landing.

Issues

A line of disaffected AA passengers at CJIA in the wee hours of Saturday morning as they await word from ticket agents on the next step

J

ust days after an American Airlines flight had to be diverted because of runway issues at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), another flight had to abort its transit after encountering technical difficulties in mid-air.

This publication understands that the American Airlines (AA) flight left CJIA on Friday at about midnight on its way to Miami. However, the flight experienced a drop in cabin pressure, leaving some passengers severely affected.

One passenger, who spoke to this publication on the condition of anonymity, described the experience as a horrifying one.

“When the cabin pressure issue developed, the pilot advised us that we’re

going to travel to Trinidad and that (Piarco) is large enough to accommodate an easy landing with the amount of fuel we had,” the passenger explained.

According to the passenger, when that information was communicated to dispatch, they said he should return to Georgetown. “But in his effort to get back here, he calculated that he would not have been able to burn enough fuel, so we were in the air for a while.

It was extremely hot while in there. They offered water and ice, but it was a very horrifying experience. Lots of prayers were said”.

Meanwhile, another passenger interviewed by this newspaper related that the airplane’s cabin started to really heat up at approximately 10,000 feet in

the air. She noted that the original plan was to divert from their direct pathway to Miami, to Trinidad.

“From the time it took off, I knew something was wrong. As we started ascending and we reached 10,000 feet, it started getting hot. The pilot said we’re going to go to Trinidad and get it fixed. I looked at my map and realised that we were turning back and coming back to Guyana”.

“But we didn’t just come back to Guyana. We had to burn the fuel. To land with all that weight and bags, we had to burn the fuel. So we were circling and circling for two hours. For me, I’m happy we got safely on the ground”.

In cases of emergencies, this publication understands that fuel can be jetti-

It was only on Thursday that another American Airlines flight was forced to divert from originally landing at CJIA, going all the way to Trinidad to land.

According to reports, CJIA’s lighting system for its runway experienced a failure, forcing the airport to deploy temporary lights.

A senior airport official had explained to Guyana Times that the runway light cables are usually ran underground but because of the ongoing extension works, temporary cables are being used. These, it was noted, were run to the extreme ends of the runway.

“That is just a temporary arrangement but when the runway is extended fully, (the cables) will go back down underground as it would normally be. The temporary cable got loose, it got slack and that caused the lights to go off physi-

cally and we had to use the portable lights,” the official said.

Nevertheless, the airport management assured in the missive on Friday that the portable runway lights that were used complied with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.

This allowed for the departure of the Suriname Airways flight shortly after midnight and the arrival of Caribbean Airlines flight BW 605 from Port of Spain around 02:12h on Friday.

However, Thursday night’s incoming American Airlines flight was diverted to Trinidad, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded in Piarco International Airport in Port-of-Spain and at the airport in Guyana.

Passengers who were on the diverted flight com-

plained of being left at the Trinidad airport for hours with little to no word from the flight crew or airline representatives. The same plights were experienced by passengers scheduled to depart Guyana with that same flight.

“I can’t comment on the decision taken by American Airlines (to divert) but our runway was operational,” the official contended.

CJIA has since assured that the main runway lighting system has since been repaired for operations.

According to the official, measures were also put in place to prevent a reoccurrence of Thursday’s incident.

Meanwhile, efforts by this newspaper to obtain a comment from American Airlines on the issues with their aircraft were futile.

8 news

SUnDAY, AUGUST 11, 2019 | guyanatimesGY.com

Over 215 youngsters graduate from “Code Camp” 2019

…as another batch of participants awarded

S

Some of the Georgetown participants during an active programming class

ome 215 youths in Guyana have so far graduated from the Public Telecommunications Ministry’s “Code Camp 2019”, as these computer coding and programming courses were held in Regions Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara) , Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and Ten (Upper DemeraraBerbice).

This was disclosed by Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes during a simple graduation ceremony on Saturday,

which saw 25 youngsters from Georgetown receiving certificates of achievements and other special awards for their participation in the six-month programme.

Minister Hughes, in delivering opening remarks at the event, underscored that through the Ministry’s vision of embracing technology, this project was launched with the aim of training youths the basic skills in Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

“At the Ministry of Public Telecommunications

and the Government itself, realised that in Guyana, we need to embrace technology more… so we’ve started this exacted plan and an important element of that plan is ensuring that we train our young people to be able to use technology…. by the end of this afternoon, we would’ve had 215 young people that graduated just this weekend from this programme,” the Minister stated.

On this note, the Minister charged the graduates to use their newly-developed skills and with fur-

ther training, contribute to transforming Guyana into a more technologically advanced country.

“Guyana is depending on all you young people to change this country and we have this new fabulous opportunity. Our vision is that we would be able to provide better services to the people and citizens of Guyana using technology. Young people that have the skills have a tremendous opportunity to provide services; you are naturally equipped, you young people understand the technology,” she asserted.

During the six-month period, the participants were exposed to writing code, as well as the introductory steps to computer programming, web design and some robotics. Coding is the introduction to writing and creating websites, ICT apps, and designing video games among others.

These coding camps are designed to expose and introduce young people to the world of technology, and cater for participants between the ages of 10 and 16 years.

No end in sight…

A

…for elections

nd here we were taught that courts were established to settle conflict and differences and deliver justice to the wronged party!! But on this NCM fiasco, we’ve now learnt that they can be used to drag out conflict to such an extent that the party initiating the conflict becomes the victor by default. And the wronged party is left holding wood! This usually happens when folks who have no regard for the rule of law and its conventions are involved. They misuse the rules of the court to wage a guerrilla war to subvert justice from being done.

The PNC has now said they’ll be appealing the Chief Justice’s ruling on the legality of the H2H brought by one of the plaintiffs in her first ruling on the NCM. The latter case went to the Appellate Court on plea of the PNC and then the CCJ – and the H2H was introduced as a delaying tactic to subvert the spirit and letter of Art 106 (6) and (7). That the Cabinet and President SHALL resign immediately and elections be held within 3 months.

So if the CJ doesn’t rule in their favour of H2H, and the PNC goes the appeal route in will come the Appellate Court on the PNC’s second plea and then onto the CCJ in a never-ending merry-go-round!! In the meantime, the bases of the two parties are becoming increasingly polarised and testy. So it’s quite possible that the PNC might not take that road – but the one more travelled by them over the years: violence by their street forces in Georgetown.

Right now, the latter are so stirred up by the “perfidy” of the PPP, AG Basil Williams blurted out to the diplomatic corps and the business community that mayhem will be almost certainly be unleashed on the PPP’s constituency’s bodies and businesses. This warning would’ve almost certainly been noticed by Justice George, so will she factor in the “societal” impact of her decision to trump the legal imperatives?? It would’ve also been heard by Justice (retired) Claudette Singh from her new perch as GECOM Chair. Will the threat also have a chilling effect on her??

The Opposition Leader has gone the extra mile in heeding the CCJ’s advice for the political stakeholders to show some integrity and reach consensus on the way forward. He met Granger and not only reached agreement on the GECOM Chair, but met him again on his elections intransigence.

However, the PNC’s threat to appeal an adverse court decision on H2H – or engage in violent protests in 1997 – does not demonstrate them being possessed in the slightest degree of that quality.

Brute force and ignorance time?

…for Cabinet v Government status

David Granger and his PNC cohorts have been playing the fool on Article 106 (6) – contra posing the “President and Cabinet” – which has to resign after the NCM’s passing— and Art 106 (7) which says the “government” continues until a new one in sworn in after elections.

Some say they’re linguistically challenged – as they were mathematically with their “63 not the majority of 65”!

But your Eyewitness wouldn’t have any truck with that!

Having participated in crafting that Article, the PNC knows as well as anyone else that we’re following hundreds of years of tradition in the parliamentary tradition of Britain. The Cabinet and President/Prime Minister resigning “immediately” all have to do with the fact that elections follow as soon as possible – almost always less than three months.

On March 28, 1979, the Labour Govt of James Callahan was defeated by a NCM… he immediately resigned; Parliament was dissolved on April 7, and elections held on May 3!!

Therefore, there’s no “vacuum” in Government – which doesn’t skip a beat!!

…for rains

When he was a callow youth, your Eyewitness learnt that while we never had a summer, the mid-year rainy season was in “May-June”.

So why in August, the raindrops keep falling on his head?

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

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SUnDAY, august 11, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

ECLAC report projects increased tax collection in Guyana ...expected to be major driver of public revenues for 2019

A

t a time when sections of society have already been complaining about the tax burden, a report into economic conditions in the Caribbean, Latin America and particularly Guyana, has found that tax collection is projected to be on the rise.

According to the Economic Commission of Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) report of 2019, public revenues in the Caribbean are expected to continue to rise in 2019. However, this increase will be at a slower pace in 2018, from 27 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2018 to 27.7 per cent this year.

According to the report, this GDP point percentage increase will be because of higher tax and non-tax rev-

enues. According to the report, countries including Guyana, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago will see an increase of more than one per cent of the GDP point in

2019.

Providing a breakdown of Guyana’s taxes from 2017 to 2018, the report found that the total tax burden increased to 28.8 per cent of the GDP in 2018, up from

26.1 per cent. Direct taxes for 2018 showed a marginal increase to 10.8 per cent of GDP, while indirect taxes increased from 13.6 per cent to 15.0 per cent of the GDP. turn to page 11

10 news Teen girls rush to Police for help SUnDAY, august 11, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

…alleged mom “allows” men to have sex with them …medical staff refuse to conduct examinations because of lice in girls’ hair

By Kristen Macklingam

T

wo teenage sisters, who escaped the confines of their East Coast Demerara (ECD) home after their mother allegedly brought several men home to have sex with them, rushed into a Police station and told officers of their horrific life. The girls are now in the custody of the State.

A source told this publication that the two teens, ages 13 and 14, ran out of the house where they lived with their mother, and sought help at a nearby Police station.

When contacted on Saturday, Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) Director Ann Greene confirmed that the two girls are indeed in the custody of the State and are receiving the necessary care and medical treatment required.

She explained that when she was notified about the matter on Friday evening, she immediately arranged transportation for the sisters to be taken from the Police station on the ECD to a safe house.

According to Greene, she instructed that the Police needed to take the girls’

mother into custody while the children visited the hospital to undergo medical examinations.

However, it was not smooth sailing for the girls since the doctors on duty could not attend to them immediately because of their physical state of neglect and their hair were filled with lice.

“They said they are not touching the head and we (CCPA) had to go look after this. We had to bring them back to the office, the CCPA officers and myself had to find a barber, and we had to cut off all these girls’ hair.

When we are done, my staff had to burn everything, the scissors used, even up to clothes, everything we had to burn because of the lice”.

Greene stated that by the time the CCPA officers had finished and returned to the hospital with the teenagers, the medical services could not have been provided then, because working hours were over in that department of the hospital.

“Today (Saturday), they have gone back because we got to get treatment for these girls, we have got to get them examined, all kinds of thing. We have got

to get medicals for these children. It is gross neglect and if a mother allows men to come and have sex with them, it could be trafficking in persons. So we got to call in the trafficking team”.

Guyana Times understands that the sisters were sent to school.

The CCPA Director said that the official reports by the children could not be taken at the Police station when they rushed there for help because the first priority was getting the children into a safe place where they could be cared for and obtain medical treatment.

However, the statements are expected to be lodged formally at the Police station soon.

“We will carry them back Tuesday to the Police and they will give the statements what they have to give. But they could not do the statements on Friday with all that was happen-

ing…the doctors could not even look at them. We need a lot more support. We will get the children to tell the story but we first got to get to look after them first…I have got to get medical help for them immediately, get them safe”.

Meanwhile, C Division

Claims and Objections...

GECOM has said that a Claims and Objections exercise will: 1. Allow any eligible Guyanese who has reached the age of 18 years old to be registered if their name is not on the voters’ list.

2. Allow any eligible Guyanese to get a transfer from one voting district to another, in the event that they changed their place of residence.

3. Allow any eligible Guyanese to do a name change.

4. Allow for the removal of a dead person from the voters’ list.

5. Allow for objections to be made to the name of someone not eligible to be on the voters’ list.

Notably, despite these facts, Granger is holding on to the line that the voters’ list is flawed – bloated by some 200,000. This is a position that has been publicly rejected by the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, on July 23, 2019. When asked

to comment on Granger’s assertion that the voters’ list is bloated by about 200,000 names, Lowenfield, on July 23, 2019, said, “You are saying my list is bloated….bloat is not a word I would affix to it [the list].” The Chief Elections Officer also stated that Granger’s claims are based on speculation. Lowenfield said, “It’s speculative. I will want to do an exercise to determine that amount and that exercise can be done,” he said.

UNDP position

Further, the Report of the United Nations (UN) Electoral Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) – May 7-11, 2018 – made clear that a voters’ list will not have more credibility.

The report said: “It is the view of the NAM that there is no certainty that a new voters’ list will have more credibility than the current list and that stakeholders will trust it more.

Furthermore, any list created close to the elections will

Commander (East Coast Demerara) Senior Superintendent Calvin Brutus, when contacted by this newspaper on Saturday, stated that the mother of the two girls is presently in Police custody as investigations into the matter continue.

FROM PAGE 3

likely be criticised as politically motivated.”

Reason must prevail

The Opposition Leader added that moving forward, reason must prevail. He said, “If the President listens, he would understand that House-to-House Registration will not allow for compliance with the Constitution or the ruling and orders of the CCJ….the concerns he had raised about the voters’ list can be addressed by a Claims and Objections period. “…if the President is interested in credible election, then work with us…it doesn’t matter which part of the political divide you are on, it is plain pure logic. This is where our arguments are, logic.”

Despite the continued calls by the parliamentary Opposition, the Granger-led Government has not significantly changed its position on the way forward – even as Guyana is weeks away from the September 18, 2019, deadline.

11 ECLAC report projects increased...

NEWS

SUnDAY, august 11, 2019 | guyanatimesGY.com from page 9

Pragmatic multiracial politics

O

nce again, we’re witnessing frantic handwringing at the expressions of racial cleavages – even in our youths – during the present electoral mobilisation. And this is in the face of the APNU implicitly admitting it was African/ Mixed-dominated and coalescing with the AFC’s supposedly “Indian” representation, after the PPP/C’s decades-long “Civic” component, to create “multi-racial” entities.

But what is a “multiracial” party/entity? Is it one in which the leaders are drawn from all or most of the various racial/ethnic blocs constituting our polity? Is it one that has members drawn from all those groups? Do the proportions have to roughly mirror their composition or will any assorted agglomeration do? Or does it mean the interests of all the groups must be expressly articulated and represented?

Should those interests be should be subsumed under some notion of a “national” interest? Who defines that Ravi Dev “national” interest? And so on.

In Guyana, all parties before ROAR insisted they were “multiracial” by taking special pains to recruit individuals from all the major race groups in their executive and courting voters from across the racial/ethnic spectrum. They constructed “national” manifestos. Yet when elections came around, most people invariably voted for one of the two major parties which were firmly identified with, specific ethnic bloc – the PPP with Indian-Guyanese and the PNC with African-Guyanese. This even occurred with the carefully crafted “multiracial” AFC in 2006, which has now been reduced to “dead meat”.

So, where did these “multiracial parties” go wrong?

The question harks back to the root of what constitutes “representation” in our “representative democracy”. The favoured answer, by both Liberals and Marxists, was the “representation of ideas”. That is, once the interests of the group are articulated, then anyone could “speak” for the group. By constructing “national” platforms in personnel and content, both the PPP and the PNC (now with the AFC) claimed to be capable of speaking for “all”. Yet, based on what has transpired before and since 2015, it is obvious the people were getting “ethnic” signals for the fissures to be as pronounced as they are today.

So how do we arrive at “multiracial” politics that can represent all the groups to their satisfaction? First, there has to be acceptance that “multiracial” parties are supposed to only be way-stations to “multiracial” governments. We can look at what took place in the present APNU/AFC coalition for some clues why this failed. From the onset, the PNC – strongly supported by the WPA elements in APNU – gave strong representation to their traditional African-Guyanese base – politically, socially, culturally and economically. The AFC, however, at no time made representations on behalf of the Indian-Guyanese they had brought over to tip the elections for their coalition. A clear opportunity presented itself when the Government went against the advice of their own CoI and shuttered four sugar estates and put 7000 workers on the bread lines. The AFC not only stood mute but supported the unilateral move.

A multiracial/multi-ethnic entity must explicitly articulate the interests of the several constituent groups it purports to represent. This could be done, as by the Democratic Party in the US, by having specific “caucuses” for African and Hispanic voters that explicitly represent “their” people. There is no shame in this approach or apologies to be made. It is now conceded that in addition to the old “representation of ideas”, there is the need for “representation by presence”, especially for those who have been excluded or have experienced unique defining experiences. Can’t we at least go this far in Guyana?

After the AFC’s experience with the PNC, the PPP— which had insisted there must be “trust” generated between itself and the PNC before they would consider working out a modus vivendi with them on any joint governance— can now say “We told you so!” as they work furiously to broaden their representation in other groups. But they should not repeat the mistake of its Civic experiment, lest they again be accused of tokenism. “Representation by presence” by its operation, has its own liberating potential when done openly.

We have to work with the material we have. Politics has to be pragmatic, in the philosophical sense of the word. Ethnic politics does not only arise because of the manipulation of ethnic elites, it survives because it is entwined with the identities and self-worth of the constituent groups. It will not go away.

It had been reported in the 2018 End of Year outcome report that the Government collected $198.5 billion in tax revenue for last year. While this amounts to a large chunk of Government revenue, the reality is that it is below the 2019 budget projections.

According to the report, the $198.5 billion is a decline of $1.0 billion or 0.5 per cent below the revised projection in Budget 2019. It noted that in 2018, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) remitted $117.5 billion or 59.2 per cent of tax revenue collections.

This, the report says, reflects higher remissions for companies and businesses. Meanwhile, non-tax revenue increased by $0.8 billion, 4.8 per cent above the $17.4 billion projected in Budget 2019. Government deficit was marginally smaller than expected, the report shows.

“The Central Government recorded a fiscal deficit of $27.3 billion in 2018, or 3.4 per cent of GDP, smaller than the projected deficit of $31.2 billion, or 3.9 per cent of GDP, projected in the 2019 Budget,” the report states.

“The smaller than anticipated deficit was due to lower capital and current expenditures. Tax and non-tax revenue collections in 2018 were $216.7 billion, 0.1 per cent below the projection in Budget 2019.”

In September of last year, GRA Commissioner General Godfrey Statia had disclosed that billions of dollars were collected as of the end of August through the imposition of a tax amnesty.

According to Statia at the time, the GRA had managed to collect over $5 billion so far and this figure may increase. Statia also reminded that this was the last extension that will be granted to the amnesty, while encouraging defaulters to pay.

The tax amnesty worked by allow-

ing taxpayers who file and pay all principal taxes on or before June 30, 2018, to have all their interest and penalties waived, while those who filed and paid all principal taxes between July 1, 2018, and September 30, 2018, would have 50 per cent of interest and penalties waived.

At the end of the previous amnesty, which ended in June 2018, it was announced that $3 billion was raked in, but this number had subsequently climbed. The final amnesty ended on September 30 last year.

12 news

SUnDAY, august 11, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Fire destroys G Division Commander’s home, vehicles

A

n early morning fire on Saturday destroyed the West Coast Demerara (WCD) home and vehicles of a newly-appointed Police Commander attached to G Division (Essequibo Coast and Islands), Crystal Robinson.

Robinson, in an interview with this publication

on Saturday morning, explained that she was at the Police Pageant at the National Cultural Centre when she received a call about 12:30h informing her of the fire.

She explained that by the time she reached her two-storey Lot 154 Back Street, Stewartville, WCD, home, it was already com-

pletely engulfed in flames.

Fire fighters, who arrived at the scene late, were also unable to save anything from the blaze.

Robinson told this publication that she lived in that home for 51 years with her parents and other relatives. Luckily, none of the five occupants were at home at the time of the

The burnt home of the Police Commander

fire.

According to her, a neighbour observed flames in the garage of the house and contacted the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) who took some time before showing up at the scene.

“When I got here, then is when they start. They (firemen) said they had some problems. The first fire tender stick in some mud, the second came without water and when the third one came I don’t know what happened with them but when I came the building was flat.

They were pumping water from the trench,” the Commander said.

So far, the Commander said visits have been made to her by at least three dif-

Commander Crystal Robinson

ferent sets of investigators who told her “the experts” would have to be called in

to conduct some tests to determine the cause of the fire, since this is yet to be confirmed.

Robinson said that three vehicles including PMM 7862, PSS 1387 and PVV 2106 were destroyed by the fire.

“My next move is I have to live and move forward.

I asked them cause I need to get the rubbles off so that I can go back to the NDC to see to start building something to live but I was advised to wait,” she told this publication The female Commander was only recently appointed. She took over control of the Division from Commander Khali Pareshram.

news

13

SUnDAY, august 11, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Albion workers strike

Govt continues to pretend sugar workers “don’t exist”– former Agri Minister

G

uyana’s sugar industry, like those in other parts of the world, has its difficulties but sugar remains an important part of the country’s economic and social welfare infrastructure.

This is according to Former Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, who on Saturday stated that this

loan burden they placed on the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

The people of Guyana are totally in the dark [about] what happened to the money, while more than a billion dollars have been paid in interest. It is sheer idiocy to downsize or to close sugar.”

He added that at present, both the sugar indus-

“The Minister of Agriculture is silent, paying no heed, the Minister of Business, perhaps, is unaware he should have an interest in these workers, not only is Albion Sugar Estate an important business entity, but the village economy with its small businesses…usually grounding to a halt when sugar workers are off the job. The Minister with responsibility for Labour is in “la la” land. The President could care less” – Former Agri Minister vital industry still has a critical role to play in solidifying the country’s status as a “high middle-income, middle-development” country.

However, the actions and non-actions by the APNU/AFC Government in its treatment towards the flailing sugar industry and the rights of sugar workers, particularly in Berbice, are clear indications that the administration does not consider them to be of any importance, he said.

According to the former Agriculture Minister, the current Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, proudly declared the diversification of the sugar industry is on hold.

“We have heard nothing more about the privatisation of the closed sugar estates. They have said nothing about the $30 billion

try and the sugar workers across Guyana are “under siege” and that while the sugar workers attached to the Albion Sugar Estate, Berbice, are on strike action, the APNU/AFC Government continues to pretend that these workers do not exist.

“The Minister of Agriculture is silent, paying no heed, the Minister of Business, perhaps, is unaware he should have an interest in these workers, not only is Albion Sugar Estate an important business entity, but the village economy with its small businesses…usually grounding to a halt when sugar workers are off the job. The Minister with responsibility for Labour is in “la la” land. The President could care less. Ramsammy noted.

The former Agriculture

Minister pointed out that the Albion sugar workers, like their counterparts at the Blairmont and Uitvlugt sugar estates, have had their wages frozen since 2014.

“After more than four years, under APNU/AFC, sugar workers have not had any wage increase, none for 2015, none for 2016, none for 2017, none for 2018 and none so far for 2019. Once before, under Forbes Burnham, in the 1980s, sugar workers had their wages frozen.

For the period 1992 to end 2014, under the PPP, sugar workers received an annual wage increase every single year, it is, therefore, not a surprise that these sugar workers are agitated and taking action to highlight their plight.”

He also alluded to the fact that the five-year frozen wage increase is not the only issue that is negatively affecting sugar workers, specifically in the case of those employed at the Albion Sugar Estate, they

Some of the hundreds of workers employed at the Albion Sugar Estate, Berbice, who downed their tools since Thursday to protest for wage increases after five years of “frozen wages”

are upset over the “arbitrary” increase in the weekly target from 2100 tonnes to 2140 tonnes.

Dr Ramsammy further stated that the frozen wage increase and the erosion in other benefits for sugar workers across the country come amidst upcoming general elections when these workers are expectant of hearing promises “like the ones they heard before the 2015 election”.

He pointed out the now-infamous promise that sugar workers deserved a 20 per cent annual increase in wages and benefits, the lowering of targets for production bonuses etc.

None of these promises, he added, were kept, but even more egregious and insulting is that these workers have been deprived the annual increases and production target bonus they were used to. “There was

the promise that no estate would be closed, yet four of the seven estates were brutally closed, bringing untold poverty to those communities.”

He added that the downsizing of GuySuCo from seven operating factories to just three and the downsizing of the employee pool by more than 7000 workers were clearly the beginning of a process to close sugar in its entirety in Guyana.

14 news

SUnDAY, august 11, 2019| guyanatimesgy.com

Drug abuse resistance education EPA bringing hazardous waste effective – Police Commander under control …cites lower report of students using drugs in Region 10 schools

A

lthough Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) has been identified as one of the leading regions in relation to the highest rates of child sexual abuse and also a “hotspot” for marijuana cultivation, reports of children obtaining and using illicit substances are low.

This is according to Commander of E Division (Linden-Kwakwani), Senior Superintendent Linden Lord.

He recently told Guyana

Times that while alarming reports had surfaced between last year and June 2019 about the prevalence of children being involved in the use of illicit substances at schools, the region is no longer plagued with such high cases.

“You might get a report now and then but so far no amount that is alarming or high or frequent. We don’t have the amount of reports coming in,” the Commander said.

Commander Lord ex-

plained that the possibility exists that a child or even a few may come into contact with marijuana in light of Region 10, specifically Linden, being a well-known area for cannabis cultivation.

However, he stated that the police officers in the Division have been doing much work at the school level to ensure that students are properly educated on the harmful effects of using any illicit or illegal substance.

I

mproper waste management is a significant issue in Guyana that is engaging the attention of the EPA. In fact, 14% of new and recurring complaints received between June and July 2019 were related to improper waste management. From time to time, complaints are received related to solid and liquid waste being disposed of in sensitive environments such as creeks and rivers, thus, compromising the health of those ecosystems and the people who use them. An even greater area of concern is the safe management of hazardous waste.

Commander of E Division (Linden-Kwakwani), Senior Superintendent Linden Lord

“We have the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) programme which we introduced in schools and it is a continuous programme that is still ongoing. So I have persons [Police ranks] who would go to schools and talk to the children as it relates to the effects of using marijuana among other illicit substances. This has been very effective, in my view, and helps the children to become more aware about this topic.”

In September 2018, there were major concerns over reports of the growing trend of students using drugs and Assistant Chief Education Officer (Primary), Owen Pollard had explained that since 2014, training programmes were developed and coordinated through the Education Ministry’s Schools’ Health and Welfare Unit.

These programmes allowed welfare officers to be trained in drug prevention strategies and saw parents being educated on coping skills for dealing with children who have been affected by drug use and children are also being sensitised about the dangers of drug use.

At that time, Pollard also said that the Education Ministry had stepped up its surveillance and its education efforts through the establishment of a task force that includes enforcement agencies like the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU).

Meanwhile, in October 2018, acting Head of CANU, Lesley Ramlall said that in the school system, there has been a decrease in the use of cigarettes, cannabis, cocaine and alcohol by children. However, he had noted that from 2017, there was an increase in the use of synthetic drugs.

He had explained that the danger in using synthetic drugs in Guyana is that they are made in makeshift labs under unregulated conditions which affect the consistency of potency in each dose.

Hazardous Waste Regulations and the Basel Convention The EPA, under the Environmental Protection Act, Chapter 20:05, laws of Guyana, and the Environmental Protection (Hazardous Waste Management) Regulations 2000, is mandated to oversee the management of hazardous waste. Guyana is also a signatory to the Basel Convention on the control of trans-boundary movement of hazardous wastes and their disposal, and the EPA is the national focal point in the country for the Convention.

This means the EPA will be the lead agency in coordinating national actions in Guyana towards meeting the obligations under the Convention.

Notice of Activity – getting authorised According to the Hazardous Waste Management Regulations, anyone who operates or proposes to operate a facility that generates, transports, treats, stores or disposes of hazardous waste, is required to submit a Notification of Activity and an application to the Agency for an Environmental Authorisation. The Notice of Activity will inform the Agency of the nature of the activities at the facility and will aid in guiding its decision on whether or not Environmental Authorisation is required. Application forms for Environmental Authorisation are available on the Agency’s website and at our Georgetown and Berbice offices.

Here’s what should be submitted in the Notice: * Name, address, e-mail, telephone number and fax number of the applicant * Generators of the waste and the site of generation * Disposer of the waste and size of disposal * Designation and physical description of the waste and its composition and information on the special handling requirements including emergency provisions in case of accident * Types of packaging envisaged (eg bulk, drummed, etc) for storage, accumulation etc * Estimated quantity weight and volume * Process by which waste is generated * Information concerning the contract between the transporter, disposer as the case may be * Information relating to insurance Offences and penalties Notifying the Agency of your plans to generate, store, handle or dispose of hazardous waste is the first step in the right direction.

It is an offence to store, treat, transport, dispose of in an open dump, import hazardous waste or cause contamination from such waste, with penalties ranging from $30, 000 to $2, 000, 000 and imprisonment up to five years. Penalties may be doubled in the case of corporate bodies.

Challenges and the way forward Some of the key challenges have been insufficient data of quantities and streams of hazardous waste generated in Guyana and the provision of suitable disposal sites for hazardous waste. Interim recommendations include the exportation, neutralisation and safe storage of such waste as guided by the Agency until a suitable approved disposal site can be determined.

Currently, the Agency is working towards strengthening compliance, assistance and enforcement for the safe handling, storage and disposal of hazardous waste at medical facilities such as hospitals and health centres, pharmacies, mortuaries, funeral homes and parlours. The activities at these facilities may result in the generation, accumulation, storage and disposal of hazardous waste such as bodily fluids, body tissues, non-anatomical waste infected with communicable diseases, sharps and effluents. As such, depending on the nature of the said activities, the facilities may require Environmental Authorisation from the EPA. Further, a waste management steering committee was formed between the EPA and Communities Ministry to address waste related matters and to assess controlled dumpsites across Guyana to determine suitability for the development of engineered landfill sites; regularise waste collectors and operators in the ten administrative regions; and to strengthen collaboration between the two agencies for environmentally sound waste management throughout the country.

You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O ECEA Programme, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail. com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

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SUnDAY, august 11, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Guyanese economy shrunk by US$3B or 95% of real GDP (2018) during 2015-2018 relative 2011-2014 – with the exclusion of gold, private investment, public consumption, other exports from the equation

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he analyses presented in the previous weeks’ series of articles focused particularly on an examination of government expenditure over the last four years, compared to the previous four years. It examined private investment and consumption, as well and the performance of the major productive sectors.

The findings of which were quite troubling had it not been for oil discovery since 2015. Government revenue increased exponentially and so did government expenditure on consumption. Government expenditure in capital projects and public investment have actually declined, while the major productive sectors, except for gold and other exports, contracted by about US$2.1 billion (GY$430 billion) – relative to the four years period 2011-2014.

As such, it can be said that had it not been for oil discovery in 2015, today our economy would have been in serious trouble, especially since the Bank of Guyana (BoG) has been struggling to meet its international reserve target or three months of import cover since the last quarter of 2017. This is in fact the main reason why it has had to sell off its gold reserve and has been buying up foreign exchange (FX) from the private FX market (commercial banks) since 2017. The BoG has had cause to buy up about US$300M to prop up its reserves to date. Thankfully, the FX in the commercial banks has not been depleted and that is largely because of oil & gas related activities where there is a continuous inflow of FX coming into the system, and it is helping to maintain some stability. Bearing in mind that the BoG has never had cause over the last ten years or so, prior to 2017, to buy up FX from the commercial banks. It has, in fact, always enjoyed a net sales position to the commercial banks.

The findings of these analyses altogether suggest, rather strongly, that oil & gas related activities and gold have been miraculously keeping the economy afloat since 2015 to this day.

If the world market price for gold collapses tomorrow, then the economy would be in serious trouble. What we have witnessed over the last four years is an egregious pattern of excessive and reckless spending on consumption goods, thereby, increasing Govt recurrent expenditure, wastage of resources, bloated public sector, at the expense of shrinking the economy vis-a-vis, the major traditional productive sectors and private consumption. Overall, the economy has shrunk by $182 billion (US$840 million) if one were to take the growth rates in gold and private investments out of the equation – given the argument that private investments were driven largely by oil and gas related activities; while noting that the total losses in exports (except gold & other exports), public investments and private consumption combined amounted to whopping $647 billion or US$3 billion. In other words, the economy has shrunk in this context by 95 per cent of real GDP.

Guyana does not need oil to transform its economy. The one single deterrent making our economy more competitive is the cost of energy. If we deal with the energy problem by pursing hydropower that was on the table a very long time ago, Guyana would have been able to significantly reduce the cost of energy, which will help to transform the economy into an industrialised economy driven by innovation and technology. Guyana has vast arable land, which can produce food to supply the entire Caribbean. If we deal with the energy problem, we will solve most of competitiveness challenges of firms, whereby, firms would able to benefit from improved economies of scale. Secondly, pursue with the road linking Brazil and Guyana, this will facilitate a multiplier effect in terms of commerce and the creation of new industries, and thirdly, the need for a deepwater port as was expounded in previous articles. Moreover, Guyana has a huge human capital deficit problem according to statistics in the most recent labour force survey. Therefore, whatever national competitive strategy is develop must address our human capital problem which is largely two dimensional – that is, the quality of education delivered, and skills and training needed, in fact our education system needs a complete overhaul. Finally, there is a need to examine the political institutional frameworks, how to improve them and ensure that they are working more efficiently, with the aim of reducing the barrage of red tapes that drives up the cost of doing business in Guyana.

(For comments, questions and responses on articles featured in this column, readers can reach the author at jbinsights@outlook.com).

16 news

SUnDAY, AUGUST 11, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Youth parliamentarians take charge of democratic undertakings

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he second session of this year’s Youth Parliament continued on Saturday within the Chambers of the National Assembly, where participants were given a charge by the Speaker, Dr Barton Scotland to exercise good leadership qualities.

This is the fifth annual Youth Parliament – featuring students from secondary schools, New Opportunity Corps and the University of Guyana – with the students

assuming the roles of officials from the highest decision-making body of the country.

Procedures commenced with the youths, some of whom were visibly nervous, as their mentors peered on from the sidelines. Some were placed as Government MPs, while others situated antithetical as the parliamentary Opposition.

The Speaker sought the opportunity to remind this year’s participants that A glimpse of the 2019 youth parliamentarians

decisions of the House affect the entire country. As such, the wellbeing of all Guyanese must be accounted for when advocating for passage of the respective bills.

Nevertheless, he also posited that citizens have a right to be involved in the decision-making procedures and to be aware of current matters in their country. It is in this effect that the Youth Parliament programme was established to sensitise the younger population.

“I think many persons see Parliament that is different from the rest of the country but in fact, what happens here affects the whole country. Many people either stay away either because they feel that it does not concern them or they can’t become involved in it…Parliament carries out the business of the country, which includes you and me.

You have a right to take an interest,” Dr Scotland remarked.

Throughout the programme, a detailed guideline will be provided on how parliamentary proce-

Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland

dures are undertaken, the passage of bills and motions, and most importantly, the role of Members of Parliament (MPs).

Dr Scotland reminded that topics debated this year are trending issues in Guyana and the input of the young minds is crucial.

He said to the participants, “The topics which will be debated this year are topics which will enable you to express a view on current issues because that is what we hope always; to keep you fixed and focused on current issues. You will find that the subjects which

are to be debated are subjects which are of interest now.”

Debates will surround the sovereign wealth fund, migration policy, single-use plastics, amendments of the Constitution and copyright law.

Meanwhile, the Speaker also took the opportunity to encourage the young minds to continue striving after failures.

“The fact that we fall short of what we should do, does not mean that we should stop doing what us right. What will happen after many tries is that you succeed and you’ll be surprised at yourself.”

Until its conclusion on August 17, these young participants will be mentored by a few former youth parliamentarians to develop their leadership qualities.

Apart from two days of intense debates, they will be given a chance to visit public buildings and learn the ropes of public speaking.

While prizes will be awarded to students, special recognition will be given to the best debater.

news

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SUnDAY, AUGUST 11, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Parents can be charged for attempting to halt child sex offence probes …Police, parent/guardian cannot stop investigations – CCPA Director

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nce a child sexual abuse matter is reported to relevant authorities, neither the police nor the parent of that minor can stop that investigation.

This is according to Director of the Child Care and Protection Agency, Ann Greene, who told Guyana Times during a telephone interview on Saturday that by law, Police ranks are mandated to proceed with an investigation in such a regard, and then obtain legal advice on the way forward.

The CCPA Director added that under the Sexual Offences Act, a parent or guardian cannot stop an investigation or try to stop it at any police station. “The Child Protection Act says if the police are investigating a report they need to get the Child Care people involved because we have to look at the care of the child, so together we will be involved in the investigation,” Greene said.

The CCPA Director warned that under the Sexual Offences Act, if a parent tries to prohibit an investigation from being conducted, then that parent can also face charges.

She made reference to a particular case that officers attached to the CCPA in Region Three are presently pursuing in which a teacher allegedly had sexual relations with a teenage student.

The mother of the child reportedly visited the police station which is handling this investigation to indicate that she was “dropping charges” against the

CCPA Director Ann Greene

teacher. However, according to Greene, if this is what transpired then it would not make a difference since the matter has to be investigated and will not be swept under the rug.

“That mother might or could be charged as an accessory because parents cannot stop an investigation. If the police are putting up a case, they could put up that the parent is reluctant but the case still has to go up to the DPP. It should go up to the DPP who will give advice if there is enough evidence to charge the perpetrator.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Commander of D Division (West Bank DemeraraEast Bank Essequibo), Dion Moore, when contacted by this publication, confirmed that ranks did not and will not be halting the probe into the particular case.

He explained that investigations, particularly those involving sexual abuse of a minor, have to be thoroughly investigated and that there are legal steps which need to be followed.

According to Moore, all police ranks are aware of this, and reiterated that the case in question is still ac-

tive.

“Based on what I know; the matter is still under investigation. I do not know of any dropping of this matter.

The matters have to go before the court or get advice as the case may need. The police do not take it upon themselves to drop any matter,” he stated.

Two weeks ago, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Resident Representative to Guyana, Sylvie Fouet stated that data retrieved from a mixed survey throughout Guyana

by UNICEF revealed that over 75 per cent of the children interviewed reported that they experienced some form of abuse in their lives.

This survey was conducted in various communities and households across the country and according to statistics, between 20 and 30 per cent of these children and youths have been subjected to some form of sexual violence.

She had emphasised that no one person or agency could create a safe environment for the country’s children and youths and as such, all hands should be on deck to change social norms and cultural silence on the issue of child sexual abuse in Guyana.

Meanwhile, acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette CummingsEdwards had pointed out prior to the establishment of the Sexual Offences Court in Georgetown (2017) and in Berbice, there was a very low conviction rate and low reporting of sexual abuse cases.

She explained that in

Region 1 fuel prices on the rise again …Chairman slams Govt for not addressing issue

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egion One (BarimaWaini) has been battling with constant fuel shortages in the past which resulted in skyrocketing prices. Recently, the issue returned and many fear that the problem will worsen.

These were the sentiments shared by Regional Chairman Brentol Ashley, who told this publication that the price for one barrel of gasoline is currently on the rise again, and the value for one barrel is more than twice the standard cost.

In the past, Region One was serviced with fuel from Venezuela after being granted permission by the relevant authorities to transport across the border. The practice, which was legal up to the Pomeroon River mouth in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), decreased after the country was hit with mass economic crisis.

While the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) had also made recommendations to Government to have an immediate relaxation on the $5000 taxation imposed on fuel by the Guyana

Region One Chairman Brentnol Ashley

Revenue Authority (GRA) tax on all fuel, no action was taken. As such, Ashley called out Government for not remedying the monthslong situation.

“It is going back up.

Some places are $6500 per gallon. A drum of gas is between $48,000 to $50,000 now because the issue still continues in Venezuela.

The Government is still collecting $5000 tax for a barrel of fuel and with the recently instituted embargo on Venezuela, you’ll see that will become much more of a problem. The Government

has not made any intervention to alleviate the situation,” the Regional Chairman explained.

Two months ago, the prices were as high as $70,000 per barrel and $8000 per gallon since businesses were hiring boats to transport fuel from Charity into Mabaruma. This was over three times the actual cost of $20,000 per drum and was having harsher consequences on communities in the Matarkai District.

Prices for services like transportation in the region had tripled and major projects were suspended as a result of the limited fuel supply in the district.

During that time, requests were made for the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) and other authorities to look into the ships that are coming to Waini point and purchasing unmarked fuel. The filled drums were then shipped to Georgetown, Bartica and Suriname, causing local dealers to be disadvantaged. Further, it recommended that the State-owned GuyOil supply the region with petrol.

some cases, victims may believe that they would be subjected to harsh environments, and are reluctant to pursue the act of seeking justice for the crime commit-

ted against them.

However, Justice Cummings-Edwards reminded that the aim of the Sexual Offences Court is to ensure that the environment

is conducive to victims and support services are offered.

Quite soon, she said, another such court will be established in Suddie, Essequibo.

(Kristen Macklingam)

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SUnDAY, AUGUST 11, 2019

guyanatimesgy.com

Around the World

Venezuela Govt backs out of Kashmir curfew eased for Eid al-Adha, queues at stores and ATMs talks after new US sanctions

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T

he Venezuela government has withdrawn from talks with the opposition to protest the decision by the United States to impose new sanctions on the Maduro government earlier this week.

Last week, Norway said representatives of the Venezuelan government and the opposition would continue to hold talks here in an effort to find a solution to the economic and political crisis in the South American country.

“The parties have reiterated their willingness to advance in the search for an agreed upon and constitutional solution,” Norway’s Foreign Ministry said then.

Norway has been acting as a mediator to end the political crisis that has gripped the South American country ever since Opposition Leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president and received the backing of several western countries led by the United States.

President Nicolas Maduro, who has the backing of Cuba, China and Russia, was sworn into of-

Opposition Leader Juan Guaido, who declared himself interim President and President Nicolas Maduro

fice for a second consecutive term earlier this year and has rebuked Guaido’s attempt at unseating him.

But the Trump administration earlier this week announced that it was freezing the US assets of the Venezuelans government.

“We Venezuelans have watched with profound indignation how the chief of the opposition, Juan Guaido, celebrates, promotes and supports these harmful actions against our nation’s sovereignty and our peoples’ most basic human rights,” the government said in a statement.

The statement stopped

short of stating that Caracas would abandon the talks, adding it would “review the mechanisms of this process to ensure its continuation is truly effective and harmonious with the interests of the people”.

Maduro said that while he favours dialogue, he will not stand by idly as his opponents cheer on punitive measures by Washington that he believes will worsen hardships in the country.

“Under these conditions, no,” he said promising to lead a “counteroffensive” from the constitutional assembly to “bring justice to the sellouts and traitors.”

esidents of Indianadministered Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar formed long queues outside cash machines and food stores as Indian authorities briefly eased a crippling curfew now into its seventh day to let the Muslim-majority region prepare for the Eid al-Adha festival.

The indefinite 24-hour curfew - imposed as part of an unprecedented lockdown following the revocation of the special status of the disputed Himalayan region was relaxed on Saturday.

However, communications lines, including landline phones and internet, remained down, with residents saying they were not able to reach their loved ones during the Eid al-Adha and Hajj pilgrimage.

The curfew was also relaxed on Friday for weekly prayers in parts of Srinagar.

Hundreds of residents protested following the prayers, during which some were hurt when Police fired tear

Kashmiris crowd around an official to use a phone at a Government office (Devjyot Ghoshal/Reuters)

gas and pellet guns.

Baseer Khan, a top administrative official, said on Saturday that essential commodities including food, grains and meat will be delivered to different parts of the region by Sunday.

Meanwhile, huge numbers of troops remained on the streets, a day after security forces used tear gas to break up a demonstration of thousands of people

against the Government’s move to revoke Kashmir’s autonomy.

The Eid al-Adha festival on Monday, which marks the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, looms as the next big test for the week-old Indian lockdown in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, where the Government has ended decades-old rights to property and jobs for local Kashmiris. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Prison escapee caught during J’Ouvert party Probe widens as T&T Minister remains in custody A T

he criminal investigation against Public Administration Minister Marlene McDonald and her companion widened on Friday as police investigators have unearthed new information.

This as the chorus for her removal as a senior Cabinet minister gained momentum.

McDonald, the MP for Portof-Spain South and a deputy political leader of the ruling PNM, and Michael Carew were arrested after police swooped down on their Valley View, Maracas/ St Joseph home early Thursday.

Defence attorney Pamela Elder told members of the media last night (Friday) that her client will remain in police custody until the interviews with Carew are completed today (Saturday).

She said McDonald became incensed by some of the questions which she considered offensive.

Police officers led McDonald out of the building while the media was speaking to her attorney. McDonald stumbled on the steps and they ushered her into a waiting SUV. Long-time supporter Christine Levia, also known as Twiggy, was outside the building and shouted at the police to let “her minister” go home.

Police began questioning McDonald and Carew on Thursday evening at the

(CMC)

Public Administration Minister Marlene McDonald

St Joseph Police Station and that process continued for most of yesterday as McDonald and Carew were taken to the head office of the Professional Standards Bureau, at Matco Building, in Port-of-Spain at about 08:00h.

McDonald and Carew will remain in police custody until investigators seek advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions on whether there was sufficient evidence to support the possibility of criminal charges.

Suspects are usually detained for 48 hours and released if police cannot gather enough evidence to file charges but that period can be extended in some circumstances.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley told Guardian Media that he would await the outcome of the police investiga-

tion before making any decision. He said he did not intend to speculate as he was not an “impatient person.”

McDonald had twice been fired as a government minister by Rowley over allegations of misconduct — once when she recommended state housing for Carew as Minister of Housing in 2016 and after she invited a reputed gang leader to her swearing-in as a government minister at President’s House in 2017.

Rowley had re-appointed her to his Cabinet after the Integrity Commission had cleared McDonald in relation to the claims that she influenced the award of funds to the Calabar Foundation linked to her husband and defended his decision even though a police investigation into the same matter had not been completed. (T&T

Guardian)

fter two days on the run, prison escapee Dillon Clarke has been recaptured during J’Ouvert celebrations in Arima on Saturday.

Clarke, 34 of Mt Zion Road, Maturita Village, Arima was held by officers along Hollis Avenue during the street party.

Clarke escaped from the Golden Grove Prison, Arouca on August 8, while out on an agricultural project with other inmates.

Police and prison authorities had searched several areas at Arouca, Trincity, Oropune, Piarco and Maloney since Clarke’s escape on Thursday but he managed to elude capture.

Clarke was reportedly working on the agricultural project near the prison grounds when he bolted.

Prison officials said inmates selected to participate in the agricultural projects are those who had already served more than half of their sentence, following which they are assessed and interviewed before they are enrolled in the programme.

Clarke was sentenced in December 2018 to 24-months imprisonment after being convicted on charges of malicious damage.

He was expected to be released from prison in April 2020.

Following his recapture, Clarke is expected to be

Prisoner Dillon Clarke after he was arrested by Police officers during J’Ouvert celebration in Arima on Saturday

charged with escaping lawful custody and will appear before an Arima magistrate on Monday. (T&T Guardian)

Typhoon Lekima: 22 dead and a million evacuated in China

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t least 22 people have been killed and more than a million forced from their homes as Typhoon Lekima hit China, according to State media.

Officials said the deaths were caused by a landslide triggered by the storm. Ten others have been reported missing.

Lekima made landfall in the early hours of Saturday in Wenling, between Taiwan and China’s financial capital Shanghai.

The storm was initially designated a “super typhoon”, but weakened slightly before landfall.

The fatal landslide happened in Wenzhou, near where the storm made landfall, State media said. It occurred after a barrier lake - or natural dam - formed, pooling water from the heavy rains before collapsing.

Lekima is now slowly winding its way north through the Zhejiang province, and is expected to hit Shanghai, which has a population of more than 20 million.

Emergency crews have battled to save stranded motorists from floods and searched for survivors in the

rubble of damaged buildings. Fallen trees and power cuts are widespread.

Authorities have cancelled more than 1000 flights and cancelled train services in preparation for the storm.

The storm is expected to weaken further by the time it reaches the city, but will still bring a high risk of dangerous flooding.

It is the ninth typhoon of the year, Xinhua news said but the strongest storm seen in years. It was initially given China’s highest level of weather warning but was later downgraded to an “orange” level. (Excerpt from BBC News)

sunDAY, august 11, 2019

19

Serena Williams bests Naomi Osaka in Rogers Cup rematch of US Open final S

erena Williams advanced to the Rogers Cup semi-finals on Friday night by beating soon-to-be-top-ranked Naomi Osaka of Japan 6-3, 6-4 at breezy York University.

Playing her first event since losing the Wimbledon final, Williams faced Osaka for the first time since losing to her last year in the US Open final.

“I know her game a little bit more, so that’s a little easier. I’m just overall a little bit better,” Williams said. “I know her game.

I watch her a lot. I knew what I need to do to hopefully try to get a win today, and it helped a little bit.

“I go into every match thinking I can do it, but sometimes that doesn’t happen”, Williams said.

Williams will face Czech qualifier Marie Bouzkova on

Saturday. Bouzkova was leading No 2 to No 1 on Monday when fourth-seeded Simona Halep the new ranking is announced. of Romania 6-4 when the “I’m not really mad at this,” Wimbledon champion Osaka said. “I don’t think it was up retired because of a left Achilles problem. and down; I think I played pretty The 37-year-old Williams, ranked 10th well, and she just and seeded eighth, played amazing, won the event in which that’s what 2001, 2011 and she does.

2013 – all in “I just feel like (in) the Toronto – and has a tournaentire match ment-record I was a bit 33 victories too defensive.

I in 37 matches. She won the last of her 72 singles titles in the 2017 Australian Open.

Osaka Serena Williams beat Naomi Osaka in their first will go from meeting since last year’s US Open final

know that can’t be helped when I’m playing against her.”

In the afternoon, Bianca Andreescu became the first Canadian Rogers Cup semi-finalist since 1979 when she overcame a groin injury to beat third-seeded Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic 6-0, 2-6, 6-4.

Andreescu will face American Sofia Kenin, a 7-6 (2), 6-4 winner over sixth-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.

The 19-yearold Andreescu, from nearby Mississauga, is returning from a right-shoulder injury that sidelined her since the French

Open in May. She won in Indian Wells in March for her first WTA Tour title.

“In the third set, I told myself, ‘Go big or go home’,” Andreescu said. “Literally go home; my home is like two minutes from here. I just went out there and I never gave up, because it’s not over until it’s over.”

Andreescu has played her fourth consecutive three-set match. She needed a medical timeout in the second set for treatment of the groin injury.

“It’s not easy, that’s for sure,” Andreescu said. “Right now, I’m just really happy my mind and my body are holding up. My team, too, I’m so sorry, guys, for putting you through all of that.”

The 20-year-old American Sofia Kenin upset top-ranked Ashleigh Barty in the first round.

(Excerpted from The Guardian)

Late Kane double helps Tottenham fight back to beat Villa H

arry Kane scored two late goals as Tottenham came from behind to beat newly-promoted Aston Villa.

John McGinn’s beautifully composed finish, after Tyrone Mings’ long ball forward caught out the Spurs’ defence, put Dean Smith’s side ahead.

Tottenham were sluggish for long periods, before their new £53.8m club-record signing Tanguy Ndombele equalised from outside the penalty area, moments after new Villa keeper Tom Heaton had denied Davinson Sanchez with a flying save.

With four minutes remaining, Kane’s emphatic finish from 10 yards put the hosts ahead, before the England captain sealed the points from the edge of the penalty area.

They were Kane’s first goals at the Tottenham Hotspurs’ Stadium, which opened in April.

Despite the score, this was far from a straightforward victory for last season’s Champions League runners-up.

Tottenham were sluggish for long periods, and were heading for a surprise defeat before scoring three times in the final 17 minutes, after substitute Christian Eriksen injected some much needed energy into the attack.

Despite failing to sign Argentine forward Paulo Dybala, the Spurs have been strengthened significantly this summer in an attempt to improve on last season’s fourth place. But they started in similar fashion to their lacklustre form at the end of the 2018-19 season, when they won just one of their last five domestic games.

Harry Pochettino was missKane

ing several important players because of injury and fitness, including Dele Alli, Son Heung-min, and new additions Ryan Sessegnon and Giovani lo Celso.

The team lacked invention and sharpness, before Ndombele equalised after Villa failed to clear their lines following Heaton’s save to keep out Sanchez.

Suddenly, Spurs had confidence and momentum; and Kane, who had never scored in August until last season, made sure of the points by scoring twice in the final four minutes. He made it 2-1 after Jack Grealish, a Spurs transfer target 12 months ago, lost possession; and then wrapped it up with a clinical finish which left Villa crestfallen.

It was hardly vintage Spurs, but at least they are up and running before next Saturday’s visit to champions Manchester City.

For long periods, Villa were good value for at least a point. In the end, the team that finished fifth in the Championship table last season were handed a cruel reminder of the realities of Premier League football.

Tottenham only managed one shot on target in the first half, but by the end of the 90 minutes, they had produced 31 efforts in total - 10 of which were blocked as Villa defended

heroically for long spells.

Having been absent from the top flight for three years, Villa quickly made up for lost time by scoring with their first shot to stun the Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium.

McGinn kept his cool to slot past Hugo Lloris, after Moussa Sissoko and Danny Rose failed to get a challenge in on the Scotland midfielder.

Spurs were a shadow of the team that beat Manchester City and Ajax on the way to last season’s Champions League final,

and Villa had opportunities to extend their advantage.

New signing Trezeguet created space for an opening, but could not finish; while Grealish also had a chance, before Tottenham turned the game on its head in the closing stages.

Despite defeat, Smith will be positive about the next nine months. His side played with freedom and a spirit which suggests they are capable of holding their own at this level. (Excerpted from BBC. COM)

Neymar to miss Nimes clash amid “advanced” talks over PSG future N eymar will not play in Paris SaintGermain’s Ligue 1 opener against Nimes, due to an injury, according to head coach Thomas Tuchel. Sporting director Leonardo has said talks over the forward’s future are “more advanced than before”.

The Brazil international is the subject of media speculation linking him with a move away from the Ligue 1 champions, with a return to Barcelona reportedly in the offing; while long-term suitors Real Madrid are also said to be in the running.

Barca head coach Ernesto Valverde was coy on the issue, saying only “we’ll see what happens” when asked about the prospect of bringing the 27-year-old back to Camp Nou. Leonardo indicated that a resolution over Neymar’s future is not far away, telling reporters: “Talks are more advanced than before, but no agreement. We will see what happens; everybody needs the future to be defined.”

With Neymar’s future still unclear, Tuchel confirmed the Brazil international is not available for the champions’ first league game. “Neymar did not finish [Saturday’s] training. It is not possible that he plays to-

morrow,” he said. “It is my job to be coach.

He is in an individual training phase, in and out of collective sessions. He is still a little injured. He took a knock today and did not do a full week.”

Should Neymar leave PSG, Kylian Mbappe will pick up the mantle as the club’s leading light - a role he already arguably occupies.

Tuchel was asked about his relationship with the World Cup-winning France international, whom he said would start alongside Edinson Cavani against Nimes.

“Our relationship is good,” Tuchel said of Mbappe. “Yes, he is a star, but I do not think about him that way. I am always trying to find ways to get him to score. He wants responsibility, he is ready and he is mature.”

Adding a final word on transfers at the end of a rumour-laden close-season, Tuchel said he was eager to turn his attention to matters on the pitch. “I do not want to think about [transfers] too much,” said Tuchel.

“I will lose my mind. I am focused on my team and the guys we have here. They need my energy and attention. We will decide if things happen.”

(Excerpted from sportsmax)

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sunDAY, august 11, 2019

Banks DIH, MovieTowne now major sponsors for Guyana Cup 2019 T

hrough their ultra-popular Banks Beer brand, food and beverage giants Banks DIH Limited have last Friday signed on as a major sponsor of the Guyana Cup 2019, the 13th horse racing extravaganza to be staged by the Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee (JJTRC).

Banks DIH Limited have been regular supporters of past editions of this prestigious event through their Banks Beer brand, but during the simple but significant signing ceremony done a t their Thirst Park location, their Communications Manager Troy Peters expressed the company’s pleasure at being on board this event once again.

Signing on for the first time ever, Movie Towne Mall, as a new business, took a bold step to support the ever growing sport of horse-racing in Guyana; and organisers of the event, the Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee (JJTRC), in a release to the media, have expressed gratitude for all the support thus far received.

Guyana Cup 2019, the 13th staging of an extraordinary horseracing extravaganza, gallops off in exactly one week -- on August 18th -- at the Rising Sun Turf Club at Rising Sun Village on the West Coast of Berbice (45 minutes’ travel from G/t); and is expected to be one of the biggest events, if not the biggest event, in the history of this type of competition.

There are more than US$50,000 cash in prize money up for grabs on race day, and a mega mega-concert featuring eight international artistes has been planned for after the horse-racing event.

The Guyana Cup will feature an eight-race programme. The details of the races and prize money on offer are listed below:

DIH

The championship trophy is displayed at the Banks office by Sports Director Christopher Jones and others

– C Class and Lower feature race over a distance of one mile – $2 million – Three-year-old Guyana-bred – $1 million – G3 and Lower – $400,000 – L3 and Lower (open to non-winners from T&T) – $350,000 – Two-year-old Guyana-bred – $300,000.

– J3 and Lower over seven furlongs – $300,000.

– L Class for colts –$250,000 – L Class ‘Philly’ and Mare – $250,000 Some of the top animals expected to be on show come race day are: Just Call Me Bass, Crown the King (Jamaica), Doublin Fashion (USA), Chameli (Jamaica), Safara (Jamaica), Southern Express (T&T), Silver & Things (T&T), Sitarr (T&T), Kentucky Woman (T&T), Super Easy (T&T) and She’s a Princess.

BCB to mark 80th anniversary in September

…month-long celebrations planned, Special Mortimer George book to be launched

F

ounded by a group of Berbicians on September 20, 1939 to administer cricket in the Ancient County, the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) would, this year September, be celebrating its 80th anniversary; and that entire month has been dedicated by the BCB to observing this historic occasion with a range of activities.

This current board of BCB Executives, under the astute leadership of its President, Hilbert Foster, is in the process of identifying and organising the activities that would constitute this month-long period of celebration.

Hilbert Foster had spearheaded the BCB’s 70th and 75th anniversary celebrations respectively in 2009 and 2014, and is again heading the Organising Committee that would so do in 2019. Included in this Committee are BCB Administrator Angela Haniff, Assistant Secretary Ameer Rahaman, Treasurer Dr. Cecil Beharry, and Executive Member Winston Smith.

Foster has disclosed that the Organising Committee is working to make this 80th anniversary celebration a grand occasion. He has also disclosed the following: The month-long celebration would be held under the theme, “Reflecting on a rich legacy - 80 not out”. The BCB, he said, has, over the 80 years of its existence, produced 19 Test cricketers for the West Indies, including one female; while hundreds have gone on to play for Guyana and the West Indies at the Under-15, Under-19, Female and ‘A’ levels.

The 19 Test players alluded to are: John Trim, Rohan Kanhai, Ivan Madray, Basil Butcher, Joe Solomon, Roy Fredericks, Alvin Kallicharran, Leonard Baichan, Clayton Lambert,

be launched, and would be sold for $2500. per copy. BCB employee Ruthel Henry would benefit from a donation made from proceeds of the sale of the book towards construction of her home.

The BCB would also be unveiling updated versions of its Under-19 and Senior Berbice AllTime teams.

Former Berbice player and Journalist, Sean Devers, is also spearheading a programme that would name the Berbice

BCB President Hilbert Foster

Sew Shivnarine, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Narsingh Deonarine, Assad Fudadin, Brandon Bess, Veerasammy Permaul, Devandra Bishoo, Shimron Hetmyer and Candacy Atkins.

Other Berbicians, like Milton Pydana, Royston Crandon, Esuan Crandon, Shemaine Campbelle, Tremayne Smartt, Erva Giddings, Subrina Munroe, Derick Kallicharran, Andre Percival, Leslaine Lambert, Sudesh Dhaniram, Deonarine Persaud, Gajanand Singh, Richard Ramdeen, Hemnarine Chattergoon, Jonathan Foo, Gudakesh Motie and Anthony Bramble, among others, have represented the Caribbean at different levels.

The BCB also holds the record for hosting the first-ever One-Day International match to have been played in the West Indies -- in 1977.

The month-long celebration would include a religious service involving all three major religions in Guyana. Television

programmes, educational competitions, youth-coaching programmes, donations to clubs and junior cricketers, distribution of food hampers to families living under less fortunate circumstances, honouring of retired cricketers, ‘Tribute to a Hero’ programme, and launching of the BCB’s firstever Youth Information Booklet are among other activities planned.

The educational competition, to be organised

by Asst Secretary Ameer Rahaman, would constitute an essay competition for secondary schools, spelling bee competition for primary schools, and an art (drawing) competition for nursery schools.

The highlight of the 80th Anniversary celebration activities would be a massive restoration project for the BCB Office as it strives to improve its services to the general public.

A special 256-page book on the History of Berbice Cricket, written by former BCB Secretary Mortimer George, would also

‘Greatest Player’ at the Under-15, Under-17, Under-19, Female, ODI, Test and 20/20 levels.

The greatest cricketer to have been produced by Berbice, Rohan Kanhai, would also be honoured during these celebrations. Among the other officials and players who would be honoured are: Deonarine Persaud, Clayton Lambert, Leslaine Lambert, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Sudesh Dhaniram, Orvin Mangru, Carl Moore,

Keith Foster, Manohar Pooran, Andre Percival, Anil Beharry and Angela Haniff.

Clubs across Berbice are also each encouraged to make a positive difference in the life of a less fortunate family, and to send to the Berbice Cricket Board photos along with a brief report in this regard. The winner of this programme would receive a special prize from the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS, and the BCB.

Supreme Ventures are official betting partners of 1320 Heat I

Bet Supreme is the latest entity to sponsor the highly anticipated ‘1320 Heat’ International Drag Race Meet organised by the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC).

Billed for the South Dakota Drag Strip on August 25th, the event promises to be a spectacle for both fans and racers.

IBet Supreme Representative Dustani Barrow acknowledged this, saying that the company is more than happy to support the venture.

“We’ll (IBet Supreme) see you at the drags,” he said when handing over the company’s contribution.

GMR&SC President, Rameez Mohamed, told the media he is pleased to have a company like IBet Supreme on board the event.

“We cannot thank these guys enough for coming on board with this venture. We want them, as a sport betting company, to see the potential that motorsport has in their line of work,” Mohamed declared.

A contingent of racers from Trinidad and Tobago has been confirmed to participate, while racers from Suriname have also shown interest in participating, depending on when the Guyana/ Suriname ferry again becomes operational.

Other sponsors of this event include DEL CO ICE, R. Kissoon Contracting, Deryck Jaisingh Trucking Service and Machinery Rentals,

Dustani Barrow of IBet Supreme (left) handing over his company’s contribution to GMR&SC representative Cheryl Gonsalves

Mohamed’s Enterprise, BM Soat, Prem Electrical, E-Networks, Trans-Pacific Auto Sales, Cyril’s Taxi, Blue Spring Water, Choke Gas Station, Miracle Optical, Tropical Shipping, and Hand-in-Hand Insurance Company.

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Guinness National Championships tournament…

21

Four teams book semi-final spots

S

parta Boss, Gold is Money, Brothers United and Melanie ‘B’ have each played their way into the semifinals of the Guinness National Championships following Friday evening’s games played at the Jubilee Park tarmac.

In the first round of play, 16 of the best teams from Georgetown, Linden, Berbice, Bartica, and the East and West coasts of Demerara put their skills to the test in a quest to be recognised as the best street football team in the country.

Paradise ‘A’ opened the night’s proceedings with a 6-2 drubbing of Up Top Bosses. Teon Stewart (7th, 9th), Quincy Adams (4th, 14th) and Teshawn Gordon (19th) were the marksmen for Paradise. Gideon Payne struck a Guinness Goal for Up Top Bosses in the 18th minute, and that was counted as 2 goals.

All it took was a Ryan Seales goal (12th minute) for Melanie ‘B’ to needle Showstoppers; as did Brothers United’s 15th

minute goal from Andrew Murray needle Sophia.

Moses Gittens’s 23rd minute goal for Albuoystown was also enough to needle Ballers Empire.

Sparta Boss were dominant in their encounter against Beacons, winning 3-0 by way of goals from Gregory Richardson (GG18th) and Ryan Hackett (9th).

Leopold Street dispatched High Rollers with a 2-0 victory through a Guinness Goal from Omallo Williams in the 25th; while Broad Street sent Trafalgar packing with a win by the same margin. Akeem Sam was the man with the golden boot for Broad Street, scoring in the 3rd and 8th minutes.

In the final game of the round, Gold is Money arrested the Police team and gave them a 3-0 thumping.

Randolph Wagner netted a brace with goals in the 8th and 15th, while Jermin Junior added another in the 13th for their 3.

Gold is Money remained unblemished in the quarterfinal, as they defeat-

A snippet of the ‘Greatest of the Streets’ action

ed Paradise ‘A’ 3-0. Once again, Randolph Wagner (5th) found the back of the net, and his teammate Hubert Pedro pushed the core to 3 with a Guinness Goal in the 19th.

A Guinness Goal from Alex Murray caused Brothers United to cruise into the semifinal with a 2-0

victory over Leopold Street, while the other encounters went done to penalties.

At the penalty mark, Melanie ‘B’ registered a lone strike to advance ahead of Albouystown, while Sparta Boss edged out Broad Street 3-2.

Sparta Boss was scheduled to take on Brothers

United in the semifinals, while Gold is Money and Melanie ‘B’ were slated to have a face-off.

The semifinal matches and the grand finale were expected to be played last night (August 10) at the Jubilee Park in Georgetown, but the results were not available up to press time.

Guyana Chess Federation (GCF)

Jordanian Sports Academy sports Farley intends to clinic heads into 2nd successive week take GCF to the –other clinics to be held in Linden and Berbice

By Timothy Jaikarran

T

he Jordanian Sports Academy (JSA) sports clinic, in its second week since being launched on July 29, is still flourishing, and persons are still coming on board.

The clinic, catering for children between the ages of 5 and 16, is being held at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) Ground from Monday to Friday between the hours of 9am and 1pm.

In a sit-down with founder of the academy, Rawle Jordan, a question was asked about his thoughts concerning the clinic’s launching, and Jordan’s reply was: “This is our inaugural football clinic in Guyana, and the reception has been better than we expected. The clinic is in its second week, and new students are signing up even though we are underway. The academy’s main focus is on enhancing the body and the mind, so it’s very important to encourage healthy eating and overall wellness.

“Healthy eating should be a national priority. An unhealthy or sick population will lead to a strain on the health-care system and the Government’s pocket. As a nation, we need to take the necessary precautions to prevent non-communicable

next level

By Timothy Jaikarran

T

The chess action heads into the second week

diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, mental illnesses, chronic respiratory diseases, high blood pressure and cancer.

“According to a study released by the World Economic Forum, the global cost of five noncommunicable diseases will reach over US$47 trillion in the next 20 years. This is staggering, so we at JSA want to play a part, to educate the public and take steps from early to help eradicate such illnesses.”

Jordan opined that Government should focus more on setting up recreational facilities, which would assist with developing communities and promoting better family life. He also said the future is bright for the JSA, and has expressed

appreciation for the support being received from the Guyanese public.

Jordan has related that, within a few weeks, the academy intends to embark on a boxing and chess clinic in Linden, working alongside national boxer Shawn Corbin.

The academy is also launching a cricket clinic in the Berbice area.Jordan notes there is no resource greater than the human resource, and he said the JSA intends to expand its potential and soar. He also said he believes that a healthy body exhibits confidence and is able to be more productive, which would result in a healthy population and increased production level.

The JSA sessions will culminate on August 23, 2019.

he Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) has recently concluded its annual general elections, and former Vice President Frankie Farley has now been elected GCF President, having defeated incumbent GCF President James Bond by 13 votes to his eight.

In an exclusive interview with Guyana Times Sport Farley had this to say: “As the new (GCF) president, I have been given a great opportunity to revolutionise the playing of this game in Guyana and to create Grandmaster incubators. It is my hope to create a Guyanese GM by the year 2022. From my standpoint, the key to revolutionising chess in Guyana is the integration of chess into the school curriculum in all 10 regions of Guyana.

“In terms of moulding the minds of these young individuals, I plan on having the parents of kids involved in the process of policy development and implementation.”

Farley said the GCF vision is to enhance the lives of all Guyanese by increasing the playing of chess, wherein the appreciation of the value of time, concentration, evaluation, patience, and calculated risktaking are paramount to

success.

The GCF, he said, intends to focus on continually enhancing the attractiveness of the game to youths by creating a brand that embodies creativity, competitiveness and allure. The strategy to be employed would seek to establish the game foremost in the minds of youths, and, as a priority, will seek to increase the number of female players.

It is essential, he said, that in the execution of this strategy, every effort is made to avoid the game being perceived to be elitist. In fact, it is necessary for success of the strategy that it is viewed as a pastime that can be enjoyed by all, starting at the grassroots.

In order to achieve this, the GCF intends to implement chess-playing in schools; formulate initiatives to foster the formation of clubs; increase women’s participation in the playing of chess; start grassroots programmes in regard to the playing of chess; develop an interest in this game in hinterland regions, and facilitate diaspora participation in the promotion of chess locally.

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guyanatimesgy.com

SUnDAY, august 11, 2019

“Waiting for that call a long time”, says new Test recruit Cornwall

By Brandon Corlette

I

t takes a lot of mental strength to do what Rahkeem Cornwall does: performing on a consistent basis around all those surrounding critics.

Speaking with Guyana Times Sport in an exclusive interview, the West Indies new Test recruit revealed that this call-up gives him a good feeling. Cornwall is in the 13-member squad that will play India from August 22.

“I was waiting for that call a long time now, and it has officially come. It’s a nice feeling just to have to go out there and do what I do”, Cornwall explained.

The 26-year-old off-spin-

ning all-rounder has signalled his intention to do what is right on a consistent basis. “Well, basically, I just back myself, do the right things over and over, try and be consistent in what I am doing, and the result will take care of itself”, Cornwall told this reporter.

Cornwall is regarded as one of the better off-spinners in the entire Caribbean. He lived up to that expectation in the 2018/2019 Regional 4-Day Tournament when he finished the series as the leading wicket-taker with 54 wickets taken in 9 matches.

He has been a constant member of West Indies ‘A’ teams, and has played against different nations and recorded supreme performances.

His most recent ‘A’ team tour was against India ‘A’, against whom he scored two half-centuries in two matches and grabbed four wickets.

Cornwall explained that that series was a learning curve. “It was a next step towards international level, playing against India ‘A’ amongst players with Test experience. It was a good way to test my skill”, he said.

With West Indies Cricket in the hunt for a Test spinner, Cornwall may fill that void, being the off-spinner who offers a lot with the bat and having played 55 First Class matches in which he recorded 13 half-centuries and one century.

Cornwall’s bowling record is a supreme standout,

his having bagged 260 wickets, inclusive of 17 five-wicket hauls and two ten-wicket hauls. Cornwall has an average of 23.90, an economy rate of 2.86, and a best bowling figure of 8-108. His best First Class match haul is 12-205, while he took one 10-wicket haul against Guyana Jaguars at the National Stadium at Providence.

Cornwall has said he is not setting himself any main goals, but would be looking to see how the Test system works. “I just want to go there, prove myself and do well, and make sure I put up a good showing in my first series,” he explained.

This big-hitting all-rounder would also be playing for the St Lucia Stars

Cornwall has one first class century

in the Hero Caribbean Premier League 2019.

Shedding some light on that CPL tournament, Cornwall explained that he would be aiming to perform well in the Regional showpiece, since there is a World T20 tournament for Australia in the following year.

“Once you perform at CPL you will be eligible, you will give the selectors something to think about”, Cornwall explained.

This humble cricketer is expressing gratitude to all who have supported him in his journey thus far.

His gratitude goes out to The Almighty, his parents, Coach Kenny Benjamin, and every other individual.

Jefford X Classic set Everest Masters set to to commence today tackle Belle Vue Seniors

– sponsors make event more lucrative

S

lated to be host under the theme ‘Celebration of Athletic Excellence in Guyana’, the mining town of Linden will come alive today with the staging of the highly anticipated Jefford X Classic at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground in Region 10.

This event has some of the top sponsors on board to reward the athletes and even the supporters. Each event carries a total purse of $80,000, with the winner carrying home $40,000, second place $25,000, and third place $15,000, each with memorabilia medals.

A total of $2 million will be handed out directly to the athletes by the time staging of this event is culminated.

In addition, the champion male and female athletes will benefit from $25,000 worth of Under Armour sports gear and $25,000 cash, along with trophies. The top three finishers in both the schoolboys’ and schoolgirls’ 150m races would each take home hampers and medals; and10 gate prizes will be up for grabs by patrons of the meet.

Andrews Supermarket will sponsor the Female Javelin event, while Jai Signs will sponsor the Male Javelin event.

In a previous interview with this publication, Edison Jefford, organiser of the Jefford X Classic, said the event is geared to be a celebration of athletics and athletes

in Guyana, and athletes must accordingly be the biggest winners on the day; hence the prizes have been lucratively structured to be the most ever awarded at a single athletics meet in Guyana.

Thus the event will be one to remember, as the day’s action promises to keep all attention fully engaged as events unfold from start to finish.

This track-and-field event will see participation from several of Guyana’s most popular athletes. Every notable Guyanese athlete has competed at these Classics, with most holding meet records, including Brenessa Thompson and Winston George.

The event will get underway at 12:00h and admission is $1,000 for adults and $500 for children.

This meet is coordinated in accordance with International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) rules, and is sanctioned by the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG).

The event has garnered the support of the National Sports Commission, ANSA McAL Trading, ExxonMobil, DeSinco Trading under its Swiss Brand, Antarctic Maintenance and Repairs, YK Investments Pawn Shop, Jude Bike Shop, Power Producers Distributors Inc, Magnum, Mohamed’s Enterprise, the NSC, Urban Life, Heineken, Lucozade, Andrews Supermarket and many others.

Brendon McCullum takes charge of Trinbago Knight Riders

F

ormer New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum will be the next head coach of the Trinbago Knight Riders when the new season begins in just over a month.

McCullum, who retired from all forms of cricket earlier this week, will also join the Kolkata Knight Riders as assistant coach. He was to play for the Glasgow Giants in the Euro T20 Slam at the end of August, but announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in the middle of the Global T20 Canada League last week.

McCullum may have still wanted to play in the Euro T20 Slam, but

had to put that off because the CPL begins on September 5, creating a clash for the new head coach.

“I owe it to myself and the teams I represent to close that chapter, rather than just plough on regardless of what I know to be true,” McCullum wrote on Instagram.

“In T20 cricket, I’ve enjoyed so many varied challenges I can leave the game knowing I left no stone unturned,” he said. (Excerpted from Sportsmax)

Brendon McCullum

in epic showdown

R

The Everest Masters

iveting action continues tomorrow at the Everest Cricket Club on Camp Road when the Everest Masters take on the Belle Vue Senior Team in what is expected to be an epic cricket showdown.

The action commences at 12:00 hrs, and Everest will attempt to maintain their unbeaten 1-nil streak against these opponents. The last time the two teams met, Everest Masters dominated the encounter, posting a brilliant 154-5 in their allotted overs.

In reply Belle Vue could amass only 143-9 in their 20 overs, thus handing Everest their first win. This year, the event will be a 25-overs-perside affair. Despite the encounter being a friendly, Belle Vue will be looking to up the stakes against their opponents and bag a win. That win make the Masters tied 1-1 with Belle Vue and there would be need for a third encounter to decide the true champions.

The Everest Masters would be in need of a win, as despite defeating Belle Vue in 2018, they lost their most recent game to the West Demerara Mavericks. A win would mean a boost in confidence for the seasoned team, but with the legendary Shiv Chanderpaul batting

for the Masters, Belle Vue would have to have an ace up their sleeve if they are to win this match.

However, since the match is being played on the home turf of the Masters, the advantage would favour Everest. But as of recent, with the inclement weather pattern, the match can be swayed in favour of any team. it is expected that the team winning the toss and batting first would win this encounter.

The Everest Team is comprised as follows: Rajesh Singh, Sahadeo Hardaiow, Saheed Mohamed, Hemraj Garbarran, Shiv Chanderpaul, Basil Persaud, Ronald Jaisingh, Anand Persaud, Anwar Rahaman, Ravi Narayan, Ucil Armstrong, Bisham Singh, Joseph Perry and Nadir Baksh.

The Belle Vue Seniors Team is comprised as follows: Krishna Singh, Sham Persaud, Mohammed Abid Haniff, Randy Ramrup, Dwyane Daymon, Steve Mahadeo, Safraz Baksh, Ajula Bowman, Jake Rambarose, Selwin Rogers, Michael Persaud, and Satesh Singh.

The winner’s trophy is sponsored by the Rockaway Group of New York, while the manof-the-match trophy is sponsored by Trophy Stall.

guyanatimesgy.com

sunDAY, august 11, 2019

Blairmont CCC cricket camp set for Monday

St Lucia Stars to change owners for 2019 season T

he Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise known as the St. Lucia Stars is expected to be under new ownership for the 2019 season of the Hero Caribbean Premiere League, following termination of the participation agreement between CPL Limited and Royal Sports Club, LLC, the entity that operated the St Lucia Stars franchise.

According to a release from CPL, that termination has disallowed the Royal Sports Club, LLC from operating a team to compete in the Caribbean Premier League tournament, and the St Lucia Stars would not be participating in the 2019 Caribbean Premier League, which be-

gins on 4 September 2019.

However, CPL Limited further disclosed it is currently in process of establishing and operating a new franchise to participate in the 2019 Caribbean Premier League. This new entity would be based in St Lucia; thus it is likely that the St. Luciab a s e d team will have a new name.

Additional information a b o u t the new franchise would be revealed as announced by the CPL Limited.

Shabeer Baksh stands with some of the youngsters of Blairmont Community Centre Cricket Club

T

he Blairmont Centre Cricket Club (BCCC) will be hosting a cricket camp from Monday, August 12 to August 25, 2019, at the Blairmont Community Centre Ground. The sessions will be held from 14:00h to 17:00h daily. The theme for the camp is “OPTIONS FOR YOUTHS”.

The camp seeks to attract youngsters from ages 10 to 16 years residing within Ithaca, West Bank Demerara, to Abary, West Coast Berbice.

Talent identification is considered an important assignment for the BCCC, with the specific task of recognising talent at a very early age.

The coaching session will have both indoor and outdoor components where the participants will be taken through their paces by a team of experienced and qualified coaches. The youngsters will be taught the finer points of the game including batting, bowling, fielding, catching, wicketkeeping

and throwing among other skills.

Lectures will be held by qualified individuals on topics inter-related with cricket such as health, career opportunities, leadership, social ills and other discipline of a sportsperson.

Former and Current West Indies players are expected to make presentation. Camp Coordinator, Shabeer Baksh (628-6767) pointed out that camp/ clinic has been part of the membership drive at the club over the last nine years.

Some of the young talented players to have emerged from the club since then and have gone on to represent Berbice, the President X1 or Guyana at the junior level are Seon Glasgow, Javed Karim, Nigel Deodat, Marvan Prashad, Kevon Jawahir, Derick Narine, Parmanand Ramdhan, Devishwari Prashad, Rameshwar Somwaru, Zameer Nazir among many others.

India resume their search for No 4 in Chris Gayle’s 300th ODI

Chris Gayle

T

he paradox of the Indian ODI team is that they have a top three that are the envy of the world.

Conversely, the strength of the top order has meant that opportunities for the middle order are more scarce.

Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli have been so successful for so long that the middle order hasn’t been tested.

Moreover, the frequent chopping and changing has meant that the No.4 spot, which has been a position yet to be nailed down, has still not gone to a set claimant.

KL Rahul had started at No. 4 in the World Cup, before moving up to open in the absence of Dhawan, but didn’t find a place in the XI for the first ODI. Rishabh Pant has batted at No. 4 in his last five ODIs, but with Shreyas Iyer also in the mix now, it could be a more natural fit to have him at 4 and Pant at 5.

Iyer had a good showing with the India ‘A’ side, and apart from him, Manish Pandey is also in the fray.

Iyer played the first ODI of the series, but the rain didn’t allow India to bat, as only 13 overs of play were possible in Guyana. But as the caravan moves to Trinidad for the second (and the third) ODI, it will be interesting to see what India’s plans are.

West Indies, on the other hand, will be looking to

23

big hitters, which was lacking during the World Cup. Their real rebuilding, though, will only start once Gayle says goodbye, and either John Campbell or Shai Hope partners with Evin Lewis at the top of the order.

Form guide West Indies: WLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)

Shreyas Iyer

pitch in the first ODI. His 4 off 31 in the series opener was his slowest ODI innings, when he has faced at least 25 balls.

Sunday will present another opportunity for Shreyas Iyer to push his case forward as a solution to India’s No. 4 problem. While he batted at No. 3 - Pandey took the No. 4 spot - in the ‘A’ team series last month, Iyer scored 187 runs from four innings at an average

With hardly any play possible in the series opener, the teams didn’t really get to test their chosen XI. Barring fitness issues, both sides are likely to be unchanged.

West Indies XI: (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Shai Hope (wk), 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Roston Chase, 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Fabian Allen, 9 Carlos Brathwaite, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Sheldon Cottrell

Pitch and conditions Since the start of 2010, spinners have fared better at the Queen’s Park Oval, averaging 27.40 as compared to the fast bowlers’ 31.12.

Four out of the last five ODIs here have been affected by rain, and while it poured down on the eve of the match as well, the forecast for Sunday is clear. It’s likely to be partly cloudy with temperatures hovering around 25 degrees Centigrade.

Stats and trivia Sunday’s match will be Gayle’s 300th ODI. He will overtake Brian Lara as the most capped West Indies player in the format.

Gayle at 10,397 runs, is also nine runs away from overtaking Lara’s tally of 10,405 ODI runs, the most by a West Indies batsman.

Kuldeep Yadav has taken 94 wickets in 52 ODIs. He has three more games to break Mohammed Shami’s record of being the fastest Indian to reach the 100-wicket mark.

Team India

make Chris Gayle’s 300th ODI a perfect outing. With the series effectively reduced to two ODIs, whoever wins this game will be assured of not losing the series. With the inclusion of Roston Chase in the side, West Indies are looking for someone to provide stability amid their

Kuldeep Yadav.

India: LWWLW Who other than Chris Gayle? After a below-par World Cup, the big Jamaican found some form with scores of 122 not out and 94 in the Global T20 Canada, but struggled on a two-paced

of 62.33. After not getting a chance in the T20I series and a washout in the first ODI, he will be looking forward to carrying his good form at international level as well.

Team news

India XI: (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk) 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11

Quotes “Personally, I am not thinking about batting only at No. 4. I want to be someone who is very flexible, batting at any number.”

Shreyas Iyer is not bothered about his batting position(Cricinfo)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 11, 2019

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

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Pg 23

India resume their search for

No 4 in Chris Gayle’s 300th ODI

CPL terminates contract with St Lucia Stars franchise holder Pg 23

Pg 20

Banks DIH, MovieTowne now major sponsors for Guyana Cup 2019

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August 11, 2019

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Page 14

2 Sunday Times Magazine

AUGUST 11, 2019

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Feature

“Social work is certainly not easy,” says Nerissa Semple

F

inding a career path which suits our desire and gives us purpose may be difficult but certainly not impossible.

Being able to make a difference in someone’s life and changing the perspective of someone may be challenging, but the feeling after doing so is overwhelming.

Have you ever wondered what happened to those persons who have been abused or attempted suicide or children who are neglected?

N e r i s s a Teshana Semple, the 26-year-old Probation and Social Services Officer who is currently employed by the Social Protection Ministry at the Wellington Probation Office, had a few challenges in life when it came to finding a career which best suited her. She is trying to change the stereotype that social work is easy and to bring respect and more recognition of the contribution and positive impact social work has on individuals and society.

Nerissa grew up like any other normal child in the countryside; making ornaments with mud, learning to swim in the trench behind her home, going to the backdam to check rice fields and pick fruits and vegetables. She enjoyed receiving gifts for her birthdays and at Christmas, playing outdoor games on the streets until it was dark and having no expenses as a child.

She was an active member at the local church in the village until she attended the University of Guyana as she was raised in a Christian family.

Her education journey began at the No 8 Nursery School and she then attended the Latchmansingh Primary School, where she wrote the Common Entrance Examination (now revamped as the National Grade Six Assessment) and was awarded a place at the New Amsterdam Multilateral School. There she completed her secondary education by writing the Caribbean Education Certificate Examinations with passes in the nine subjects she sat.

Nerissa was eager to work after completing secondary school, but did not gain employment, so she began attending computer classes at Brazillo’s Learning Center, from where she graduated with A+ in Microsoft Word and Excel and Internet Browsing. After still being unable to get a job, she considered attending the University of Guyana.

“I thought of what I love and what I wanted to do as an individual to positively impact the lives of others and I went to my older sister who told me that social work is it,” Nerissa shared.

After learning of the various serious issues that plague the lives of children and how these cases were being handled, Nerissa was moved

to pursue a career in the helping profession, because she loves helping others, especially the vulnerable and the less fortunate.

“Social work best suits my desire,” she stated.

At the age of 23, Nerissa graduated from the University of Guyana with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Work with a 3.0 GPA. “Two days after my graduation, I started working as a Probation and Social Services Officer within the Ministry of Social Protection. I feel social work is one of the best professions in the world. I think the field of social work is being perceived as one for older women. I recall while attending the University of Guyana and persons asking what’s my major and I would reply with a bright smile ‘social work’ and they would respond like ‘that easy program, why you didn’t do this or that?’ I think social work should be treated with more respect and recognition in Guyana. As social workers, we risk our lives to help others and it’s not taken seriously by those in higher authority for us to get risk allowance and so on,” Nerissa stated.

She shared that one of her favourite memories as a social worker was rebuilding hope in someone who attempted suicide.

“One of the most interesting experiences I’ve had while in this field was to have a first-hand glimpse of the living conditions of persons who are in dire need of help and that made me humble myself even more. It motivated me to continue in this field, because I believe that there are always persons who desire my help and so I can’t quit until my work is complete,” she explained.

Whenever Nerissa feels overwhelmed by her workload, she would simply do something she loves or an activity she has not done in a while, such as going shopping, eating ice cream or barbecue wings, spending time with kids and talking to persons of positive influence.

She stated that her ultimate goal as a social worker is doing what is best for her client within her reach without causing harm to anyone and always doing so with an open mind.

“Knowing my abilities and the benefits persons in need of it stand to gain gives me the drive and influences me to continue in my field of work. I would like to say to anyone thinking to join this field to join only if you love this profession, because there is only so m u c h you can do and t h e s y s t e m is challenging at times,” she declared.

AUGUST 11, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine

“Social work is beyond a career, it’s a lifestyle,”

3

Feature

Says Lauristian Choy

By Lakhram Bhagirat

I

n every profession, some people go above the call of duty to ensure that they are performing at the best of their abilities.

They do that because they love what they do and their profession has become a part of them. They do not look for a pat on the back or the compliments, rather they go above and beyond because they really want to make a difference in their field.

Going above and beyond has become the norm in Lauristan Choy’s life ever since he became a social worker. Not a day has passed that he does not feel grateful to be able to make a difference in the lives of those he encounters.

Choy is currently employed with the Social Protection Ministry's Child Care and Protection Agency as the acting Senior Probation and Social Service Officer for Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice). Coming from humble beginnings, Choy knows what it means to have very little and this ignited a spark in him from a very young age to be more aware of the fabric of society.

He always envisioned himself in a field where he is able to make a difference and help those he can. Hard work and perseverance are vital ingredients in the 31-yearold’s life.

A product of one of the lowest junior secondary schools in the New Amsterdam-Canje District -- the Canje Secondary School, Choy has proved that it is not where you come from but the path you create on your quest for success that matters. He took his future in his hands and shaped it the way he wanted. He had a purpose, identified his goals a n d t h e n began the gruelling work of achieving those g o a l s .

The road to his current position has not been a paved one nor was the ride a smooth one rather it was a road laced with potholes. Nevertheless, he dodged, swerved and conquered.

After he left secondary school, Choy went to the New Amsterdam Technical Institute where he earned Diplomas in Computer Science and Business Studies and was also the first valedictorian of the institution back in 2006. From here, his thirst for knowledge just skyrocketed and he knew he was destined for bigger things.

On that quest, he enrolled at the University of Guyana– Berbice and read for a Diploma in Public Management. At that time, he was employed by the Regional Administration and felt that public management was his calling. As life would have it, in 2011 some three months before his final exam for his Diploma, Choy was attacked and severely beaten by a group of gunmen. They took away his laptop with all his research and information for the courses he was taking at

the time.

Battered and bruised, Choy did not give up. He brushed himself off and went at it and eventually graduated.

However, through his volunteering efforts within his community and various Non-Governmental Organisations, the desire to help people became too hard for him to ignore. He went back to UG and this time read for his Diploma in Social Work and graduated as the Best Graduating Student.

“After completing my Diploma in Social Work, my place of work did not grant me permission to continue studying for my degree. I was devastated, but did not allow such to derail my purpose. I decided to continue my studies. I had to attend classes after 4:30 (16:30h) which posed several problems for me. I reached to classes late every day and my small salary was deducted for the days I took to conduct fieldwork for the courses which were mandatory,” he related.

In 2017, he graduated with his degree and was the best graduating student in Social Work

once again. He also gained the University of Guyana-Berbice Campus Director’s award for the graduating student who exemplified leadership within the University.

After gaining employment at the Social Protection Ministry as a Probation and Social Service Officer-Child Protection, Choy began feeling at home.

“I love children. I love the innocence that they bring and the ability to be carefree and

creative, and to know that persons are violating these precious souls made me want to do something about addressing that.

Hence, I applied for the post of Child Protection Officer, a job that I have loved from day one; I do not feel like I am at work. I am happy to know that through my work I can help to make someone else’s life better,” he declared.

“Social work for me is beyond a career: it’s a lifestyle. The simple principle that governs this profession is built on social justice. We are all human beings at different levels in our lives, and, therefore, we must not see ourselves greater than each other.”

As a young per-

son, Choy believes that social work practice in Guyana is evolving and the standard is being lifted, especially with the Social Worker Code of Ethics, which outlines the professional framework of the profession. He notes that the field provides you with the opportunity to see the other side that is constantly hidden and it is a field that should not be taken lightly.

“Like doctors, we have to be very careful how we address a person’s issues; if not handled professionally, we can damage someone’s life. Sadly, globally, the field of social work is not perceived as important as medi-

cal practitioners. The treatment that social workers receive can be described as second class. Social workers work beyond the call of duty and most times, neglect their families in the process only to receive insults from persons including other professionals, having poor working conditions, high case loads and meagre salaries,” he laments.

When one thinks of going above and beyond the call of duty, just listening to some of the experiences that Choy had in the field would show how much he cares about his profession. For him, social work is not just a job, rather it is part of his being -his purpose. He has gotten muddy, trekked through the bushes, crossed planks across trenches, was verbally abused and even intercepted by armed Venezuelan rebels while executing his duties.

“I remember in 2018. I was given the assignment to accompany a group to the Amerindian Village Ereku, Region Seven.

This was my first time in an interior location; I enjoyed interacting with the residents. It was after one of our meetings: the group were returning to Eteringbang opposite the Venezuelan border on the Cuyuni River when the boat we were in was intercepted by one of

Venezuela's r e b el groups called the Sentacatas who had high-power weapons.

I was scared but remained calm. Luckily in our boat, there were three Guyana Defence Force officers who ensured we reached safely back to shore,” Chou recounted.

Social work is a multifaceted profession which allows one to serve in different capacities and for Choy, the end goal is to specialise in the areas of children and youth as a Social Development Specialist.

When asked what advice he has for persons wanting to join the social work field, Choy says: “Firstly, understand why you want to be in this profession. Being a social worker is not a gloried job, it gets dirty, challenging and it speaks to your moral compass. If your desire is to make money, then social work is not for you, you will find that we spend more money than we receive.”

For now, Choy continues to do transformational things in his quest to ensure that social justice is delivered.

4

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Feature

S

ocial workers witness things and are part of people’s lives on a daily basis. They are trained to practice empathy and quite often feel the same as the people they serve. They carry the heavy burden of putting aside their values and assessing every situation uniquely.

While some may view social work as “easy”, social workers quite often go above and beyond the call of duty. They often neglect their families and relationships, because they are constantly on call. They have to ensure that whenever a situation arises, they are available to deal with that situation to bring some relief to the parties.

It is this act of serving humanity that led Otiffie Greene to the field. She has been working with the Child Care and Protection Agency for over seven years and amassed a wealth of knowledge when it comes to

dealing with social issues.

She has had her fair share of social issues as a child and young adult, so she uses these experiences and knowledge gained to assess and deal with issues as they arise.

The 29-year-old is a product of the hinterland since she hails from the rural community of Ituni, which is some 36 miles from the mining town of Linden. She notes that the days spent there have helped shape her into the social worker that she is today: “Those memories are also shadowed with playful laughter and grief after losing my eldest brother when I was six years old. You may want to be asking yourself 'what a six-year-old really know about death and griev-

ing?' Well, enough to tell you that my family was never the same after that experience. My mother was never the same. She became excessively overprotective especially with my younger brother.”

Burdened by grief, Greene’s mother who was a nurse-midwife at the time began keeping her children close. She was a strong advocate for education and ensured that it was the top priority for her children.

Greene and her siblings attended the lone nurseryprimary school in the village and after sitting the Common Entrance Exams, she was awarded a place at the Berbice High School in Region Six. “Due to financial challenges, many children were unable to attend high school after completing the Grade Six Assessment. If they did, most often financial challenges tend to override their quest for high school educa-

tion, and oftentimes resulted in school dropouts. My mother vowed that my siblings and I would never meet that fate. So the planning for me to attend High School began approximately two years before I even wrote the Grade Six Assessment or Common Entrance as it was known then.”

She was awarded a hinterland scholarship to President’s College, but instead, her family decided that she and a relative were going to move to Fyrish Village in Berbice, so she could gain her education there. The sacrifice saw her family being split into two for the first time. Her grandmother took on the role of mothering her through high school while her mother stayed back with her younger siblings so they could have completed their education in Ituni.

“Leaving my entire world back at the only place I knew as home was hard. I struggled at first to fit in. Life was quite different on the coast, but I ensured that I persevered if not for anything else, it was for the struggle and sacrifices of my mother and grandmother. After successfully passing eight subjects at the CSEC level, I graduated from the Berbice High School, and subsequently sought employment, as a means to support my future academic journey, since financial support was difficult to gain from my immediate family,” Greene explained.

She gained employment as a preschool teacher and was actively involved in various activities and community development projects which provided her with several opportunities for advancement.

She was pushed to achieve all she set out to and she took the world as her canvas and began painting the life she wanted.

In 2010, she started to

read for her Diploma in Social Work at the University of Guyana Berbice Campus and after she graduated, she gained employment with the Social Protection Ministry and remains there today.

“September of the same year (2013), I returned to the University of Guyana and completed the Bachelor of Science in Social Work. My quest to continually improve professionally and academically resulted in numerous training opportunities, both local and overseas, bin Early Childhood Development, working with families, child abuse, counselling, addiction and the family among many others. In addition, I would have recently completed a certificate in Early Childhood Development.”

When she first entered the field of social work, the major challenge was to prove that a young person could function in the field. Her maturity was questioned because of her age,but that did not deter her.

“As a young person, I feel that social work is fulfilling, it provides many opportunities to address social ills in society as well as a vehicle to positively enhance the lives of children, families, and communities. It’s a vessel to strengthen social stability, something we will all benefit from in the long run. It may not be viable immediately, but trust me it's impactful, for this generation and many more to come, " Greene noted.

“Social work is 24/7. It never ends. You’re always thinking of a way to help people even when you’re on vacation for instance or your services are sometimes needed beyond the 4:30 (16:30h) workday. This happens many times. Your commitment and dedication to the job are oftentimes tested during these times.”

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AUGUST 11, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine 5

Feature

By Lakhram Bhagirat

S

omeone once said that we must never underestimate the pain of a person because everyone is fighting some form of internal battle. It may be the biggest mistake to judge someone just because they seem like they have their life together and they are happy, since some people are well skilled in hiding their emotions.

For Juniour Anthony Blair, he knows what it is to suppress his emotions.

He knows what it is to be at your breaking point after all has failed. He even knows what it is to attempt to take your own life after you feel that your world is falling apart. But, perhaps most importantly, he knows how to pick himself up and use his talents for a better purpose.

Blair has always had the knack for helping people out and making sure that they are comfortable; though he never saw it, he was destined for the field of social work. At a young age, Blair attempted suicide because he felt ashamed and lost.

While a Fifth Form student at the Skeldon High School, Blair had big plans for his life. His paternal grandmother was in the process of sponsoring his father so that the family could move to the United States to live. Armed with the prospects of migrating before CSEC, Blair made no preparations for the exams, but life had other plans for him.

In the blink of an eye, his grandmother passed away causing his life plans to come to a halt.

“So I didn’t get to write CSEC because I was guaranteed that I would have left before the exam period.

About a year and a half later, I became depressed after my grandmother had passed away during the course of the sponsorship and me not taking the opportunity to sit my CSEC. I became so depressed that I started to isolate myself from my former classmates because of feeling disappointed and somewhat shamed. I once tried to commit suicide because of how I felt at that time,” Blair said.

However, he got the help he needed and started to pick his life back up. He went on to the Critchlow Labour College and the Business Academy in Corriverton, Berbice to pursue his CSEC qualifications. After gaining his CSEC passes, Blair continued the quest for further knowledge, which took him to the University of Guyana, Berbice Campus, where he is a final-year Social Work Degree student. He has also since acquired a Diploma in Public Management from UG. “Social work helps me to be a rounded person in the sense that it provides me with privileged opportunities that help shape my personality and test my capabilities as a person. As such, it does not offer many monetary rewards, but it creates a lifetime of memories. I am

privileged to be given the opportunities to make a difference in someone’s life and mine as well,” he explained.

Backtracking to his childhood, the 31-year-old said at the age of 12 he joined the Skeldon Estate Community Centre Cricket Club as an Under-15 player. He went on to play for Berbice at the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 levels with the likes of Veerasammy Permaul, Richard Ramdeen, Gajanand Singh, Maxwell Georgeson, Steven Latcha, and Brandon Best.

Many thought that he would pursue a career in cricket, but to their surprise, he found his calling and it was social work. Through his many struggles and the constant teasing about his choice of profession, he has persevered.

“The field of social work is most times perceived to be less important to many other persons who are not directly involved and those who for some reason are naïve about the importance of the role of social work and its relative functions. I remember when I first started UGBC I was mocked by other males for choosing social work, because to them it was a soft course or in their words ‘the weakest course the University offers and only females should do the course because it’s not a masculine field'.

“I paid them no mind, because I know for a fact that social work can be applied to any job field given the two common components, which

are a human resource and the organisational system which deals with policies and practice. These two components are key to effective service delivery hence the need for social work. I can say confidently that social work is one of the toughest courses being offered at UG because it makes or breaks

any individual regardless of gender, ethnicity, age or status and I am proud to be a social worker.”

Blair is in the field of social work to gain knowledge and secure the future of the youths. He notes that now with his training and knowledge, he is better equipped to serve the needs of his com-

munity and further afield.

“The field of social work is a real soul-searching experience and it provides opportunities to make a real impact in the life of others as well as in your own life.

Let’s break the gender barrier attached to the field of social work. We welcome more males on board.”

6 Sunday Times Magazine

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Feature

I

n 1999, in its resolution 54/120, the General Assembly endorsed the recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth (Lisbon, 8-12 August 1998) that 12 August be declared International Youth Day. The Assembly recommended that public information activities be organized to support the Day as a way to promote better awareness of the World Programme of Action for Youth, adopted by the General Assembly in 1995 (resolution 50/81).

International Youth Day is commemorated every year on 12 August.

The Focal Point on Youth selects a theme for the day often with input from youth organizations and members of the UN InterAgency Network in Youth development.

It also organizes a commemoration of the Day at United Nations Headquarters in New York. The Programme encourages youth around the world to organize activities to raise awareness about the situation of youth in their country.

The theme of International Youth Day 2019, “Transforming education”, highlights efforts to make education more relevant, equitable and inclusive for all youth, including efforts by youth themselves.

Rooted in Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong

ing progress across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals, be it poverty eradication, good health, gender equality, decent work and growth, reduced inequalities, action on climate or building peaceful societies. Education should lead to effective learning out-

comes, with the content of school curricula and pedagogy being fit for purpose, not only for the 4th industrial revolution and the future of work and life, but also for the opportunities and challenges that rapidly changing social contexts bring. (United Nations)

We go through the school day wondering why we are here We feel like no one understands us Sometimes the teachers give us something to fear This results us getting kicked out of class.

learning opportunities for all” – International Youth Day 2019 will examine how Governments, young people and youth-led and youth-focused organiza-

tions, as well as other stakeholders, are transforming education and how these efforts are contributing to the achievement the 2030 Agenda for

Sustainable Development.

Statistics remind us that significant transformations are still required to make education systems more inclusive and accessible: (1) Only 10% of people have completed upper secondary education in low income countries; (2) 40 % of the global population is not taught in a language they speak or fully understand; and (3) over 75 % of secondary school age refugees are out of school. In addition, indigenous youth, young people with disabilities, young women, young people belonging to vulnerable groups or in vulnerable situations, etc. are facing additional challenges to access education that respects their diverse needs and abilities as well as reflects and embraces their unique realities and identities.

Making education more relevant, equitable and inclusive is crucial to achieving sustainable development.

Education is a ‘development multiplier’ in that it plays a pivotal role in accelerat-

We camouflage our true feelings so we don’t let anyone in We beat each other up because we don’t truly love We want someone to show us the way, we want it to end.

We give up, we no longer look for help from above So we die or get locked up cause we have no hope People tell us we’re never going to be anything.

We kill ourselves by smoking dope While feeling insecure and helpless We will make you an offer, help us with our internal issues And we’ll be the best student you ever had.

Let us cry out our feelings give us tissues And together we can achieve greatness and success.

Anonymous

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AUGUST 11, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine 7

Feature

B

eing a social worker is an often challenging yet rewarding career. Social workers help people solve and cope with problems in their everyday lives and seek to improve the quality of life for individuals and to effect system-wide change through the pursuit of social justice.

Just like other helping professions such as nursing and teaching, social work seeks to help people overcome some of life’s most difficult challenges.

Trying every day to make a difference in people’s lives is 27-yearold David Schultz, a Probation and Social Services Officer who works with the Social Protection Ministry's Probation Department in Region Two. David’s first choice of career was not social work but business. Before he applied to further his studies at the University of Guyana, he had an encounter with former Assistant Commissioner of Police, Clinton Conway that changed his life and as a result, David chose social work as his career path.

“I always felt like social work chose me and not the other way around.

I really didn’t face any challenges getting into the field of social work as I had all three of my study choices accepted by the University of Guyana and I choose social work above all,” he noted.

Born in the ancient county of Berbice in the small but vibrant village of Edderton on the West Coast, David is the last of

six children for his hardworking parents. His parents had the challenge of providing for six children, ensuring that they had what was necessary growing up even though at times they did not always get what they wanted.

“As a child, I attended the Cotton Tree Primary School and after writing the Common Entrance Exams, I gained a place at the Bush Lot Secondary School.

During these times, I struggled miserably; nevertheless, my father always encouraged me to do my best in everything. After writing the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Exams I gained five subjects including Mathematics and English.”

David claims that social work changed his life, and he loves and enjoys being a social worker.

“To make a difference in someone’s life can make you feel amazing, because you know you made an impact, a change in a person’s life and they are way better off now than they were before thus making the world a better place.

“Social work changed my life. It is a life-changing field that gives caregivers the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives especially those going through a crisis. I love and enjoy being a social worker; at the end of the day personally, it feels good knowing that I made a difference in someone’s life, and as a result of what I did, someone is better off,” David stated.

Social workers usually deal with neglect, abuse, domestic violence, men-

tal health, behavioural and emotional issues and these are factors which contribute to social problems in Guyana and every other place in the world.

David Shultz is one of those many persons who make a change every day in this world to make it a safe environment.

Helping individuals who are vulnerable to social problems is what social workers do but yet many people do not understand or have knowledge of the contribution social workers make daily to society and this results in them being often undervalued.

The most interesting experience David has had in the field of social work was when he was able to help and empower a woman who had been experiencing domestic violence for years and as a result, his intervention made a difference and she is doing much better now.

“Working as a social worker can be very demanding at times, as it requires caregivers to put that client’s needs above their at times; as a result of this, many stressors may arise from work.

Personally, I usually spend as much time as possible to irrigate my life every day, to avoid the heaviness that may arise from work that can overwhelm me. I love walking and enjoying nature, and being socially active helps as all help me in dealing stressors as well.”

For David, at the end of the day, all he wants is for people to be happy and united despite their differences.

“My advice for anyone

entering the profession as a social worker is to do it, because you love it and is passionate about creating change in society.

It’s not always about the money, but the feeling you get knowing you made a difference in someone’s life.”

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Feature

The Buxton/ Friendship Museum, Archive and Culture Centre

– as organisers looking to attract wider population, tourists

From left; Museum founder Keith Easton and President of the Museum’s Board of Directors, Ronald Willabus

By Jarryl Bryan

H

aving been founded in 1840, the East Coast village of Buxton is a treasure trove of history. And the Buxton/ Friendship Museum, Archive and Culture Centre that was opened a year ago to preserve this history is thriving, with its organisers looking to attract even more visitors.

In an interview with this publication on Sunday, the museum’s founder, Keith Easton, laid out a vision for where he wants this museum to go over the next few years. Easton’s vision includes seeking to attract visitors not only from around Guyana but also tourists looking to explore Guyana’s rich history.

“This is our one-year anniversary and we’re proud of what we have accomplished in one year, in terms of our opening of our museum, the community, school children visiting, our collaboration with the University of Guyana and its students,” Easton explained.

“Right now we are trying to make sure the public and more visitors, more

Guyanese and the general public at large know about the museum. We don’t want it to be only a Buxton museum. We want it to be nationally and internationally recognised so that when people come to the airport, they will say we want to go to Buxton.”

Easton noted that the museum, which is situated on Company Road, has been strongly supported by villagers over the past year. He noted that they have over 200 documented visits. And according to Easton, the number of persons who visited the museum but did not sign the visitor logs could greatly increase this number.

“We have had over 200 visitors, but it could have been closer to 400 because not many people signed in. Over 200 signed in… it is opened Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays,” Easton explained while adding that they are working towards having it opened full time.

“For any museum to exist, especially a village museum, it’s a unique museum,” he continued. “And its three things in one. It’s a

museum, it’s an archive and it’s a cultural centre. So we have to recognise our employees. We have a young lady by the name of Tomieka Headley, who is the assistant admin. We have broth-

of a museum administrator.

According to the founder, no one has submitted an application for the position and in any case, funds are an issue for the museum.

He explained that as

the United States-based Friends of the Villagers museum group has had to be integrally involved in the running of the museum. In fact, it is this group that facilitated the museum’s opening and is behind the anniversary dinner, which was held Sunday evening at Tipperary Hall.

Artefacts

er Ras Escarrie Campbell, who is an assistant.”

However, Easton explained that they are in need

such, he has had to step up and act as the curator for the museum. In addition, he noted that the Board and

Meanwhile, President of the Museum’s Board of Directors, Ronald Willabus explained that the museum exhibits include old typewriters, sewing machines and vintage military/paratrooper apparel worn by villagers that date back several decades. Their oldest artefact, according to Easton, is a piano dating back to over 100 years ago.

“Persons would have donated very old items. The piano is over 120 years old.

And you can still hit a few keys. Lots of our younger folks learned music on it. We had persons in the village who would have taught music way back. One of those persons owned it until they died,” Willabus explained.

“It was handed over to a

family friend, who had it for 30 years. They wanted to get rid of it. We said no, you cannot destroy an artefact like that. So we got it, brushed it up a bit. No spraying over.

We wanted it to look like it always looked.”

Meanwhile, Easton noted that they are working towards educating the next generation of Buxtonians about the importance of preserving their history. These youngsters, he noted, are exposed to camps and programmes designed to equip them to one day oversee the museum.

“We have a youth group in the organisation, who will be the inheritors of the museum. Young people who we are educating and sending to various camps to educate them more about the museum,” Easton said.

“We are trying for the next exhibition to be about miners and pork knockers in the village. Because the history of the village and the country as a whole was built a lot on pork knockers and their contributions. And we have a lot of stories about the pork knockers,” he added.

guyanatimesgy.com

AUGUST 11, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine

9

Feature

A

dictionary might say that health is the state of being free from illness or injury. But others think it is more.

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) says health is more than the absence of disease.

“Health is a state of physical, mental, and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity,” it says. It is the key to living a productive and satisfying life.

Path to improved health You can break down the concept of health into different categories. These could include physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral health. There are things any person can do to stay healthy in these areas.

But as a young person, there are some things you should pay special attention to.

Physical health – Taking care of your body Exercise regularly.

Teens should be physically active at least 60 minutes of every day.

Eat a healthy diet.

Healthy eating is an important part of your growth and development. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, a variety of protein foods, and low-fat dairy products.

Maintain a healthy weight. Children and teenagers with obesity are more likely to have obesity as an adult. They are also at higher risk for other chronic illnesses, depression, and bullying.

Get enough sleep. Most teens need between 9 and 9 ½ hours of sleep every night.

Many average only 7 hours.

Sleep has a strong effect on your ability to concentrate and do well at school.

Keep up with vaccinations. Get a flu shot every year. If you haven’t gotten the HPV vaccine, ask your parents and doctor about it.

It can prevent you from getting HPV and some kinds of cancer, including cervical cancer.

Brush and floss your teeth.

Make it a

habit n o w , and prevent tooth and gum problems in adulthood.

Don’t listen to loud music. This can damage your hearing for the rest of your life.

Mental health – Taking care of your mind Learn ways to manage stress. You can’t avoid stress, so you need to learn how to manage it. This will help you stay calm and be able to function in stressful situations.

Develop a good balance between school, work, and social life.

Don’t try to take on too much. Limit your activities to the most important ones and give those 100%.

Overextending yourself can lead to stress, frustration, or exhaustion.

Emotional health – Taking care of your feelings

Know the signs of mental illness.

These include:

• anxiety • depression • excessive tiredness • loss of self-esteem • loss of interest in things you used to like • loss of appetite • weight gain or loss

• O u t - o f - c h a r a c t e r personality changes.

Pay attention to your moods and feelings. Don’t assume your negative thoughts or feelings are just part of being a teenager. If you’re worried about something, ask for help.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. If you can’t talk to your parents, talk to a favorite teacher or counselor at school.

Find an adult you can trust.

If you’re feeling really sad or are thinking about harming yourself, get help right away.

Accept yourself. If you feel like you have low selfesteem or a poor body image, talk to someone about it. Even just talking to a friend can help.

Behavioral health – Taking care of your safety through your behaviors Avoid substance use or abuse. This includes alcohol, street drugs, other people’s prescription drugs, and any type of tobacco product.

Avoid violence. Stay away from situations where violence or fighting may cause you to be physically injured.

Practice abstinence (no sex) or safe sex. If you have sex, always use condoms to help avoid sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

If you are a sexually active girl, talk to your doctor about contraceptives. If you can’t use contraceptives, use condoms for birth control.

Things to consider

Will the habits I have now really make a difference when I’m older?

Yes; 65% of all deaths in adults are caused by heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

In many cases, these diseases are preventable. Many of the behaviors that cause these diseases begin at a young age. For example,

teens who use tobacco are more likely to have heart disease, cancer, or stroke in adulthood.

At my age, what should I especially be concerned about?

The top killers of teenagers and young adults are car accidents, unintentional injury, homicide, and suicide. Cancer and heart disease are uncommon, but can affect you at this age.

Unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections can harm your health.

They can also cause you social and personal problems.

Do young men have dif-

ferent health risks than young women?

Yes. Young men don’t wear seat belts as often as young women do. They’re also more likely to carry weapons, get into physical fights, use smokeless tobacco or marijuana, drink alcohol heavily, and have more sexual partners. On the other hand, young women have some special risks. They try to commit suicide more often. They also try to lose weight in harmful ways more often than young men.

Should I talk to my doctor if I’m worried about my health or my body?

Yes. It’s important to talk to your doctor if you have any concerns about your health or your body.

Your doctor is there to help you.

Questions to ask your doctor

1. What steps can I take to stay healthy?

2. Am I at risk for any illnesses or diseases?

3. I’m worried about a specific part of my life. What should I do?

4. I can’t talk to my parents or teachers about my problems. Who can I talk to?

10 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

AUGUST 11, 2019

Preserving our literary heritage

(Extract of an interview with Eric Huntley and Michelle Asantewa, Georgetown, Guyana, 2019. Eric Huntley cofounded with his now deceased wife, Jessica, the Bogle-L’ouverture Press, of which its first publication was ‘Groundings with my brothers’ by Walter Rodney. Asantewa’s first novel is ‘Something buried in the Yard’ and she founded a Way Wive Wordz Publisher.)

P

P The media produces a lot of literature every single day. But it is ironic that this very media allows little space, pays little attention to books, literature, literary matters. And it bothers me so let’s take advantage of this space to blow our own trumpets, as it were. Let’s talk about our work, how we got to where we are, our formative days, things that influence us like the books we read, the role of the writer, why we write, and importantly why we publish, etc, etc.

Let’s start with you Michelle: why the media pays so little attention to literary matters?

MA One of the reasons could be that the media has to attend to things more of an immediate and urgent nature while literature suggests something that it is intellectual, something you have to get your head around – I will now have to read and study and think. The media we have access to don’t necessarily promote the appre-

ciation of art and literature.

PP Then we need to educate the media.

Uncle Eric?

EH You have asked a question that I have often pondered on in the sense of the amount of literature produced and say if tomorrow there is no printed matter, would it matter.

The most important purpose of literature is to somehow direct people’s mind to where there are at, from where they came, with the possibility of where they want to go to and in the end, change the situation and make it a better world.

We came from an oral tradition where people’s stories were told by word of mouth. One of the benefits our literature is that it is a printed matter and in a sense permanent whether it helps change the world is another matter.

PP We’ll get to that when we talk about the role of the writer.

We [three] are Guyanese, let’s have some groundings – formative days in Guyana.

MA I was born in Regent Street, so my mum tells me.

I lived there until two and a bit, I believe, then we moved to Linden where I have my greatest remembrance.

But my family is from Berbice – the S…, the D…., the B…., every time I men-

tion their names I am calling them ancestrally. Others were from across the river – Uitvlugt and those places.

When I left Linden, I went to the UK so I have a small formative time in Guyana. But I do the return journey to Guyana as often as possible.

But I think of myself as from the country – Berbice that’s where my heart and soul feel rooted to because in the summer holidays we use to go to Seafield #42 Village and I still have the memory of smell of the village life, I love the smell mud, the cow dung, the smell of my grandparents, the taste of the metemgee…

PP You’re invoking the ancestors; we’d have to pour them a libation.

MA This is a libation, actually, because they are the ones that bring me back, I feel the vibrations of my ancestors when I come here, and this is like homage to them - I have to go back to that village and inhale [it] even for a minute.

PP Uncle Eric?

EH I was born in Kitty, Pike Street, Kitty. One of the developments in my life was that moved from place to place – we lived in several different places, more or less about half a dozen – Princes Street, Bent Street twice, Regent Street, New Amsterdam, I was in a sense, living like a gypsy.

I lived in London for about sixty years and lived

in many places there. This was like a pattern in my life.

But the groundings I have had growing up in Guyana including my introduction to politics and the political life of the country all took place here; I got my baptism in every sense of the word while living here so I owe a great deal of gratitude to the teachers who taught me, church, comrades whom I worked with in the People’s Progressive Party – Eusi Kwayana in Buxton, Martin Stevenson, Martin Carter… so that’s the kind of journey I carry with me.

PP A lot has happened since moving from Guyana to the UK, where are we now, Michelle?

MA I have been writing all my life like most people, but for the past twenty years my writing has been focus and conscientious….

PP What do you mean focus and conscientious?

MA Focus and conscientious mean that at some point you tell yourself you can write and start writing.

But I was always writing even before the essays for my studies I was writing stories at school every day and telling them to friends in a serial. But I would call myself a writer until much later having been influenced by the likes of Toni Morrison, and a whole lot of African Caribbean writers. Yes, you have stories you want to tell whether you want

to or not…my first novel, ‘Something Buried in the Yard’ was part of my PhD and the reason why I did this was because I wanted to explore Kumfa – Guyanese Cumfa, African Guyanese derive practice that I didn’t find in the literature available to me so I had to write it…working from a quotation of Toni Morrison ‘If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, you must be the one to write it’. …

Now you come to publishing: publishing is a business. Now who is going to value you and take the risk and publish it…the upshot, I publish it myself…that was the beginning of Way Wive Wordz [Publisher].

PP Uncle Eric, BogleL’Ouverture.

EH I suppose every body’s journey is a different journey. I remember my parents whenever they found us playing outside they would tell us to get a book and read. But they were hardly any books around at that time in the 1930s and 40s; you had the slate in fact and not a book.

It so happens one of the first things I did in that area [reading/writing/publishing] is to import books from the States…

PP Wow, that’s great.

EH …working in New Amsterdam as a messenger to the …. Messenger, I be-

gan to import pocket books from the States for twenty-five cents each. Then I graduated to publishing a newspaper for the post office workers union when I was working in Buxton. I spent my month’s salary to buy a Gestetner machine from Bookers which was seized by the police and army when they arrived in 1956/57….

But to fast forward the story of books and publishing, it took Jessica and myself until 1969 when Walter Rodney was banned from returning to Jamaica …we took his speeches which we published as ‘Groundings with my brothers’ so that was the beginning… so from importing books, to publishing a journal for the post office workers to printing and publishing ‘Thunder’ – the PPP weekly newspaper to ‘Groundings with my brothers’ was a tremendous leap….

Responses to this author please telephone 226-0065 of email: oraltradition2002@ yahoo.com

guyanatimesgy.com

AUGUST 11, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine 11

Home & Cooking

Home Décor

Mutton Biryani Recipe

Ingredients • 1/2 kg Mutton • Basmati Rice 2 Cups • Few flakes garlic • 3 tsp Coriander powder • Dried coconut • 1 Inch stick cinnamon • 3 Green chillies • 1 tsp Chilli powder • 1 Cup onion • 1 Inch piece ginger • 1 tsp Poppy seeds • 3 Cloves, peppercorns and cardamoms • 1 Cup curd / yogurt • 1/2 Cup onion • 2 Bay leaf • 8 tbsp oil • Salt to taste

Welcome the Wastebasket

Instructions 1. Clean the meat and cut into pieces. Soak the meat in curd 2. Roast cardamom, cinnamon, peppercorns and powder cloves. Make powder. Grind ginger, red chillies, green chillies, half the onions, garlic and copra. Now heat fat in a pan. Add chopped onions and ground spices. Fry until onions turn golden brown. Now add meat and fry well. Add poppy seed powder.

3. Add salt and remaining curd. Cook till meat becomes tender. Add powdered spices to it and remove from the flame.

4. Chop remaining onions. Fry them in fat in a separate pan. Add cloves and bay leaf. Fry for few minutes and add rice. Fry for another few minutes. Put salt to taste and add 4 cups water. Remove from the flame when rice gets cooked and no moisture is left.

5. Arrange a part of cooked rice in a pan and sprinkle saffron water over it. Place the meat over it and cover with rice layer once again. Garnish with fried onions and nuts.

Arabic Paratha Recipe

Ingredients • Minced meat fried with

desired spices • Tomatoes finely chopped.

• Coriander leaves chopped.

• Mint leaves chopped.

• Green Chillies chopped.

• Black pepper.

• Eggs.

• Onions finely chopped.

For Dough.

• 21/2 cups Flour • Milk 3/4 cup.

• Salt to taste.

• Ghee.

Instructions Knead flour, salt and milk and keep for 1/2 hour. Make medium pairas from the dough. Roll out into medium sized square parathas. In the center of each paratha put fried meat, tomatoes, coriander & mint leaves, green chillies and onion . Pour 1 beaten egg onto this filling in the paratha,

Tips for Maintaining an Organized Living Room

sprinkle black pepper on it and fold the paratha from both sides to form a rectangle shape.

Slightly fold the shorter edges too. It should be sealed completely. Shallow fry on medium flame. When it swells up, that shows the egg is cooked from inside. It should be golden on both sides. Serve hot with spicy chutney.

If trash tends to accumulate in the family room, adding a wastebasket might cut down on clutter. Few family rooms actually have a wastebasket in them; they're not attractive and they can smell.

Counteract this by choosing a can that fits your room's decor. If you know food will be thrown away here, get one with a lid and some deodorizing trash bags.

Keep Flat Surfaces Clutter-free Papers, books, brochures and magazines tend to accumulate on flat surfaces all around the house, and the family room is no different. In fact, the family room is often more cluttered because it's a central gathering place in the house.

Make a quick sweep of all flat surfaces by piling papers in a bin, then sorting and purging as necessary. Take a vow, and get your family to follow it, to put papers in files rather than on the coffee table.

Grow Your Houseplants

Sirnee

Ingredients • 2 eggs • 1 lb. sugar (2 level cups) • 1 12oz can evaporated milk • 2 tsp. essence (mixed or vanilla) • 1 lb. butter • 10 whole cloves • 1-2 cinnamon sticks • 6 cardamom pods • 1 lb. all-purpose flour (3 1/3 level cups) • 1 tsp. ground cardamom • ½ tsp. nutmeg • Cherries (optional) • Raisins (optional) • Chopped walnuts or raw peanuts

(optional) • *cherries/raisins/nuts can use an

eyeball measure, it’s just mainly what

you prefer

Directions 1. Combine raisins, nuts, and cherries. Set

aside. In a separate bowl, beat eggs,

evaporated milk, sugar, and essence. Whisk

until sugar has dissolved. Set aside.

2. On low heat, in a flat-bottom pot, melt

butter. Add cloves, cinnamon sticks, and

whole cardamom. Once butter is melted,

add flour and continuously stir for 7 to 10

minutes. *This process is like making a roux!

It is the most taxing part of the entire

procedure, gotta keep stirring so as to

3.

4.

not burn the mixture. Keep stirring until the ‘roux’ becomes more paste-like and loose (somewhat resembles curds), then add ground cardamom and nutmeg and give it a stir for even combining. *At this point, the mixture looks slightly golden brown. This is another way to know you’ve completed this step.)

Turn heat to High and pour in egg-milk mixture. Continue the stir! As you do, the mixture will look lumpy but the milk will evaporate and the mixture will smooth out and homogenize. Add cherryraisin-nut mixture and stir vigorously for 1-2 minutes.

The sirnee is done when you notice it pulling away from the sides of the pan.

You can then transfer it from the heat to serving dish. (Alicia’s Pepperpot)

It can be a jungle in the family room if you have a green thumb. Organize your plants with a cute plant stand or several decorative pots. The type of houseplants you have will determine where you'll place them in the room, so keep that in mind when looking for a stand.

12 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

AUGUST 11, 2019

Puzzles

89 In poor taste 90 Ocean's motions 91 "A Boy Named --" 92 Shore indentation 93 Egg parts 94 Freeway cloggers 95 Whale's diet 97 Autumn mo.

98 Make dirty 99 End 100 Start walking 101 Hot rum drink 103 WWW addresses 104 Blissful spot 105 Hold the title to 106 Twig-and-mud homes 108 Did footnotes 110 Pillbox or bowler 111 Sneak attack 114 Board game pair 115 Particles 117 Grassy square 120 Barney Rubble, to

Fred Flintstone 121 Pedro's aunt 123 Hitch -- -125 Kind of vaudeville 127 Inner self 129 Cheese portion 131 Rodeo gear 133 Lessen the courage of 134 The slow lane 135 Notifies 136 Pay homage 137 Jones or Kelly 138 Nevada lake 139 To date (2 wds.)

140 Makes smooth 141 Restaurant patron

ACROSS

1 Evening gown fabric 6 Cohort of Sneezy 11 "Destry Rides --" 16 Monastery dweller 21 Aileron locale 22 Use Artgum 23 Locale of Margaret Mead study 24 Fencer's move 25 React to a funny joke 26 Cut gemstone feature 27 Murphy's Law word 28 Traffic no-no (hyph.)

29 Not there yet 31 Violinist -- Stern 33 Mach 1 exceeder 35 Primary color 36 Sock part 37 Europe-Asia divider 38 Jason's ship 39 Flood barriers 41 Hot time in Quebec 42 Verse 44 Madrid's Louvre 46 Lodestones 51 Binds up 52 Indy winner A.J. -53 Slow pitches 57 Cooks' attire 58 Smaller than mini 59 Tractor preceders 60 Strike out 61 Thin wedges 62 Well-known 63 Heroic tales 64 Alaskan town 66 Feel under par 67 More cunning 68 Search high and low 69 Oscar-winning Meryl 70 Casually 72 Piltdown Man, e.g.

73 Windy City airport 74 Jogs the memory 75 Listens to 77 Marlins' city 78 Conduits 79 Guaranteed 82 Bankrolls 83 Printer's option 84 "Macbeth" trio 88 Get ready (2 wds.)

DOWN

1 Divide 2 Bowie's last stand 3 Gray-brown 4 He wrote "Picnic" 5 Indira's father 6 Overcomes 7 Apollo's priestess 8 Treaties 9 Language suffix 10 Sherpa's sighting 11 Teeming 12 Home annex

KATHLEEN SAXE

WORD GAME TODAY'S WORD -- WREAKED (WREAKED: REEKD: Brought about; caused.)

Average mark 21 words Time limit 30 minutes Can you find 28 or more words in WREAKED? TODAY'S WORD -- WREAKED

wade wader wake ward ware weak weaker wear weed week

were wreak rake read reed reek eared eked ewer awed

dare dark dear deer drake draw drawee drew

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" are not allowed, but "bake" and "baking" are admissible. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

13 Former oil giant 14 Type of microscope 15 Badgers 16 Like some piecrusts 17 Groove 18 Desensitize 19 See eye to eye 20 Tears to pieces 30 Stews over 32 Authority (hyph.)

34 Ribs, slangily 40 Remote control button 42 Kitchen gadget 43 Collies do it 44 Kind of explorer 45 Blended whiskeys 46 Kenyan tribe 47 Plant parasite 48 Cook outdoors 49 -- de guerre 50 USN rank 51 It "keeps on ticking" 52 Bach opus 54 Regularly 55 Half- -- idea 56 Ginger cookies 58 Chichen Itza builders

59 Native New Zealander 62 Boxer -- Patterson 63 Defrauds 64 Bill, briefly 65 Kind of potato 67 Woolly mammals 68 Of ill repute 69 Minority groups 71 -- kidding!

73 Moo companions 74 Viking letters 76 Champagne word 77 Oozy 78 Extinct birds 79 Winery process 80 Monsieur, in Madrid 81 Cannon boom 82 Takes a spill 83 Be accepted (2 wds.)

85 Whisper on stage 86 Beach scavengers 87 Graf rival 89 Knells 90 Fixed the piano 93 Tentlike dwelling 94 Helper 95 Some bout enders

96 Hwys.

98 Raw fish dish 99 Honored in style 100 Utter, as devastation 102 Veld grazer 105 Walks the beat 107 Manor 108 Hem in 109 Most aloof 110 Accommodated 111 In reserve 112 Craze 113 "Bounty" captain 114 Every morning 115 Peer Gynt creator 116 Marsh grass 117 Short and thick 118 Weight unit 119 Prevent 122 Whodunit terrier 124 Wapitis 126 Mystery writer -- Paretsky 128 Electrical unit 130 "-- Girls" 132 Wheel buy (2 wds.)

See Solution on page 14

guyanatimesgy.com

august 11, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine 13

F

acebook has lost a federal appeal in a lawsuit over facial recognition data, setting the company up to face a massive damages payment over its privacy practices.

In 2015, Facebook was sued under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, which requires companies to make a public policy before collecting and storing biometric data, including faces scans, and to lay out how the data will be stored. Facebook has used the technology in its Tag Suggestions feature, which determines whether a photo includes a user’s friends.

The plaintiffs brought suit, arguing that Facebook had failed to meet the requirements of the law.

When a lower court certified the suit as a class action, Facebook appealed, arguing that the plaintiffs had failed to show concrete inju-

ry, and that the lower court overstepped its power by certifying the class.

In the 3–0 decisionon Thursday,

the appeals court disagreed with the company. “We conclude that the development of a face template using facial-recognition technology without consent (as alleged here) invades an individual’s private affairs and concrete interests,” the court wrote in its decision, sending it back to the lower court for further proceedings.

The stakes are potentially high for Facebook. The Illinois law allows for payments of $1,000 or $5,000 per violation, depending on the severity of the violation. As Reuters reports, the class could potentially include millions of Facebook users, meaning the company could one day be forced to pay billions of dollars in damages, if it ultimately loses the case.

“We plan to seek further review of the decision,” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement.

“We have always disclosed our use of face recognition technology and that people can turn it on or off at any time.” The company will seek further review from the full court of appeals, according to the spokesperson, and could take the case to the Supreme Court.

Civil liberties groups have supported the suit, and the American Civil Liberties Union cheered today’s ruling. “This decision is a strong recognition of the dangers of unfettered use of face surveillance technology,” ACLU staff attorney Nathan Freed Wessler said in a statement.(The Verge)

Samsung confirms Galaxy Note 10 won’t work with its Gear VR headset

S

amsung’s just-announced Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus are “not compatible” with Gear VR, the company’s virtual reality headset that works only with a phone slotted in front of the lenses, Samsung confirms to The Verge following an earlier report by tech analyst Anshel Sag. The decision to shut off support for its headset on its newest flagship phones casts doubt on the future of both the Gear VR and other headsets that use phones as their screen and processor, as standalone devices with built-in displays like the Oculus Quest are on the rise. ”We remain committed to innovating in VR and AR to deliver incredible new experiences to our consumers,” Samsung tells The Verge.

A

pple is finally rewarding security researchers for finding security flaws in macOS. At the Black Hat conference on Thursday, Apple announced that it is greatly expanding its existing bug bounty program to include macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and iCloud. It will include rewards of up to $1 million for a zero-click, full chain kernel code execution attack.

While Apple originally started paying iOS bounties three years ago, researchers have only been paid for ones found in Apple’s mobile operating system. macOS was never included, and it’s led to a number of security researchers pushing the company to change course. Apple is now expanding its bug bounty program far behind just iOS. iCloud, iOS, tvOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and macOS will now be covered. Apple is now opening its bug bounty program to all researchers and the payout is increasing beyond the current $200,000 maximum. The very maximum is a $1 million payout for iOS vulnerabilities that let attackers control a phone without any user interaction.

The updated bug bounty program could help convince more security researchers to report vulnerabilities to Apple.

Earlier this year, a security researcher detailed a macOS flaw, but refused to submit it to Apple until the company pays researchers for Mac security flaws.

Security researchers have been reluctant to help Apple with its security, though. Apple now offers up to $1 million to security researchers who discover iOS vulnerabilities and report them, but these bugs are often way more valuable to sell on the black market. (The Verge)

Samsung didn’t mention Gear VR once during its Unpacked event, and it hasn’t updated the headset since 2017. The most recent phones to support it were all four of the Galaxy S10 phone models announced in February, but only via an adapter. (The same was true of last year’s Galaxy Note

9.) The Gear VR still has a product page on Samsung’s store, but it doesn’t seem to be available for purchase there anymore. You can still purchase it on Amazon for $99.99.

Despite Samsung’s decision, Gear VR may still have life ahead of it. The device was bundled with previ-

ous Samsung phones, is still compatible with many older models of Samsung phones, and is used as a tool to showcase VR at events like film festivals.

Until standalone headsets drop in price, Gear VR remains one of the lowestcost ways to bring VR into classrooms and events beyond the DIY efforts like Google Cardboard. It’s also still receiving app updates and new releases alongside newer models.

But with Gear VR not being compatible with Samsung’s newest flagship phone, and with Google announcing in May that the Pixel 3A wouldn’t support Android’s built-in Daydream platform, it’s hard not to think that phone-based VR may be on the decline. (The Verge)

S

wagtron, the company that excels at showing up at the top of your Amazon search results, is expanding its lineup of electric bikes with a new non-folding model called the EB12. The South Bend, Indianabased company is mostly known for its compact folding bikes as well as electric scooters and hoverboards, so the inclusion of a lightweight city bike is a sign of growing demand for a range of electric models.

The EB12 looks like a standard pedal bike, save for the 270Wh battery strapped to the rear rack. It’s a design choice that tends to make some e-bike aficionados, say “ew.”

The rear wheel contains a 250watt motor that, along with the battery, allows for a top range of 28 miles (45 km). Riders can engage the motor either by twisting the throttle in the handlebar or by pedaling. The bike can hit a throttle-only top speed of 16 mph (26 km/h), so, theoretically, it can achieve faster speeds in pedalassist mode. It comes with a 7-speed

Shimano drivetrain, which allows riders to shift gears as they ride.

Notwithstanding the rear-rack battery, the EB12 cuts a nice profile. The entire bike weighs just 39.4 pounds (17.8 kg), which is extremely lightweight compared to other ebikes.

Swagtron says it will sell the

EB12 for $999.99, which is quite the steal. Of course, all of Swagtron’s products retail for pretty affordable prices, which is likely why the company does so well on Amazon.

But you won’t find this bike there, because the EB12 will be offered exclusively through BestBuy.com. (The Verge)

14 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

AUGUST 11, 2019

Bollywood/Hollywood

A

ctor Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli are currently in West Indies where Virat is leading India in a series against the West Indies. On Wednesday, the couple ventured out during a break and have shared pictures on social media.

Virat shared a picture with Anushka from their lunch outing on his Instagram stories and captioned it, “top meal with my lovely.”

The couple look excited to have found a desi Indian food outlet and can be seen grinning in the picture. Virat,

H

e has momentum on his side with five back-to-back hits, and going by his upcoming line up of films, there is no stopping for Ayushmann Khurrana. And to everyone’s envy, the poster boy of content cinema has four interesting projects under his belt, which he hopes would deliver maximum entertainment to his audiences.

Be it the entertainer Dream Girl in which he will

I

be shown as someone with a special ability of talking in female voice, Bala that deals with premature balding in men or Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan where he will be championing the issue of gay relationships in India, the 34-year-old is continuing picking subjects that are quirky.

Another film, Gulabo Sitabo reunites him with his Vicky Donor (2012) director, Shoojit Sircar and

ggy Azalea is finally opening up about the mental health retreat that got her back on her feet.

Last year, the “Sally Walker” rapper revealed that her management team staged an intervention and suggested she seek professional help so she could jump back into her music career better than ever.

After resisting, she gave in and attended a facility in Arizona.

The 29-year-old artist spent two weeks opening up to a therapist, talking about everything from her childhood to control issues to resisting criticism, like “not being able to separate well-intended criticism from trolling.”

She also explored the difficulties of launching into the public eye so quickly at such a young age.

Azalea said that ultimately when it came down to it, she was emotionally exhausted and needed that time to reflect and recuperate. (Page Six)

he’ll get to share screen space with Amitabh Bachchan.

“All these four films will present me in absolutely different avatars that no one has ever seen me play.

I’m actually supremely excited about doing such different films because they push me in different directions.

I’m relishing the challenge they have posed,” shares Ayushmann.

(Hindustan Times)

“A

dressed in casuals and a cap points out to a board that read ‘Shanta’s - The Puri Shop’ while Anushka is all smiles to the camera and looks stunning in a tee and denim shorts.

Anushka, too, shared pictures from the city, showing placards of ‘Have a nice day’ placed in the parking zone and captioned it, “Have twice a nice day or night!”

Anushka recently opened up about her married life in an interview to Filmfare.

Talking about how they sometimes see off and pick each

mass public shaming, with millions of people saying you are quote-unquote canceled, is a very isolating experience,” the 29-year-old singer said in a new interview with Vogue. “When you say someone is canceled, it’s not a TV show. It’s a human being.

You’re sending mass amounts of messaging to this person to either shut up, disappear, or it could also be perceived as, ‘Kill yourself.'”

Swift said she dealt with the backlash — which occurred after Kardashian posted a video of her seemingly approving lyrics about her in West’s song “Famous” — by writing new songs.

“I knew immediately I needed to make music about it because I knew it was the only way I could survive it,” she said. “It was the only way I could preserve my mental health and also tell the story of what it’s like to go through something so humiliating.”

Her mood continued to spiral when people called her out for not being vocal during the 2016 election.

“The summer before that election, all people were saying was, ‘she’s calculated.

She’s manipulative. She’s not what she seems. She’s a

other at the airport, Anushka had said, ”Those are the moments you steal when you lead lives that are so demanding.

For that, your priorities have to be set. I’m never going to be like, ‘Oh please spend more time with me at the cost of your work’. No, please do your work. He’s the same with me. When you respect each other’s work and your own, there’s respect in the marriage.”

Anushka had earlier accompanied Virat to the UK for the Cricket World Cup.

(Hindustan Times)

snake. She’s a liar.’ These are the same exact insults people were hurling at Hillary.

Would I be an endorsement or would I be a liability? Look, snakes of a feather flock together. Look, the two lying women. The two nasty women,” Swift said. “Literally millions of people were telling me to disappear. So I disappeared.” Swift has come a long way from the snake ideology and the feeling that she

needs to hide as she prepares to release her new album, “Lover,” on Aug. 23.

“There are so many ways in which this album feels like a new beginning,” she said of the record, which includes hits like “You Need to Calm Down” and “The Archer.”

“This album is really a love letter to love, in all of its maddening, passionate, exciting, enchanting, horrific, tragic, wonderful glory.” (Page Six)

Crossword Solution

guyanatimesgy.com

AUGUST 11, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine 15

16 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

august 11, 2019

Fun Times

Archie

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

Don’t jeopardize your reputation, important relationships or position for something that isn’t worth your while.

Giving in to a temptation could seriously upend your life.

GEMINI

Home and family improvements can be made.

A personal pick-me-up will boost your ego and make you feel good about your appearance. Romance is in the stars.

(MAY 28June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Dilbert

Stop, think and make a calculated decision. An opportunity is within reach.

Knowing the score will help you negotiate to get what you want. Celebrate with a loved one.

An unusual encounter will spark your imagination and encourage you to start something new. Don’t overspend; take one step at a time and keep your expenses minimal.

Slow build, maximum gain.

If you learn to say no, you will accomplish your goals. You have plenty going for you, and given the time and effort, you will excel.

Celebrate your achievements with a loved one.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Indulge yourself in something enjoyable but also sensible. If you ask someone to join you, it will change the dynamics of the relationship and spawn big plans.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Take pride in your appearance. A healthy diet and plenty of exercise will make you feel good and could prompt a loved one to follow suit. Romance is highlighted.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Peanuts

You’ll offend or be offended if you get into an argument with someone who doesn’t share your beliefs.

Choose not to engage in a no-win situation that could damage the relationship.

SAGITTARIUS Do what works best for you. If someone tries to per(Nov. 23suade you to do things differDec. 21) ently or invest in something risky, have enough courage to say no. Romance is featured.

Calvin and Hobbes

Discuss your plans with CAPRICORN someone close to you. An in(Dec. 22vestment offer won’t turn Jan. 19) out as planned. Don’t get involved in a joint endeavor or overspend to win someone’s favor.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20Mar. 20)

Impulse is the enemy.

Don’t let anyone railroad you into a risky venture.

Spend more time with a loved one. A romantic adventure doesn’t have to be costly.

Stand up for the little guy who can’t fend for himself. What you do to help people will change the way others view you.