Sunday Times November 10, 2019

Nationwide coverage coverage from from the the best best news news team team in in Guyana Guyana Nationwide Issue No. 4103 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON BEACON OF OF TRUTH TRUTH THE

Sunday, November 10, 2019

PRICE

Irfaan Ali flays Govt for lack of economic vision, policies to boost Private Sector growth

$120 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Security guard killed in Timehri hit-and-run P12

Page 3

…tells Govt not to be ungrateful to Private Sector

GPA disappointed over President’s approval of conditional boycott of media

GECOM yet to decide on use of H2H data P7

Page 10

…as PPP slams duplicity of Govt on State ads, fairness & impartiality Taking away lands from fired sugar workers

Company admits to negotiating lease long before partner’s incorporation NYC Guyanese man kills wife in murder-suicide Page 7

Page 16

Scouts marching into the opening ceremony of the Scouts Association of Guyana's National Camp on Saturday, where they were implored by President David Granger to prepare themselves to become the protectors of Guyana’s patrimony (Ministry of the Presidency photo)

P14 Bandits caught, beaten by Essequibo Coast residents

Cocaine, P11 ecstasy pills unearthed during Police raid

Linden money changer P17 robbed SC backs P18 Ram temple in Ayodhya, gives Muslims nearly twice disputed land for mosque

2

SUnDAY, november 10, 2019 | guyanatimesGY.com

news

3

SUnDAY, november 10, 2019 | guyanatimesGY.com

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

Sunday, November 10 – 03:00h – 04:30h and 14:30h – 16:00h and Monday, November 11 – 03:30h – 05:00h and 14:30h – 16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Sunday, November 10 – 15:00h – 16:30h and Monday, November 11 – 15:25h – 16:55h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Irfaan Ali flays Govt for lack of economic vision, policies to boost Private Sector growth …tells Govt not to be ungrateful to Private Sector

Sunny conditions are expected throughout the day. There will be clear skies at night.

Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

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

High Tide: 08:51h and 21:12h reaching minimum heights of 0.69 metre and 0.60 metre.

Low Tide: 02:00h and 14:18h reaching minimum heights of 0.87 metre and 1.10 metres.

President David Granger

PPP Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali

P

saturday, november 9, 2019

residential candidate for the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr Irfaan Ali on Friday laid into the Government for its lack of a clear economic vision and policies, noting the importance of facilitating the growth of a robust and competitive Private Sector.

Ali was at the time making an appearance on a local radio programme, where he was asked about complaints from the Private Sector about being muscled out from the oil sector by foreign companies.

LOTTERY NUMBERS D

11 13 16

19 23 28

FREE TICKET

18 Bonus Ball

DAILY MILLIONS

10 14 17 18 22 5

8

4

Afternoon Draw

3

5

Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

01

05

09

11

PAY DAY

13 14 17 SUPER PAY DAY

friday, october 4, 2019

03 08 13 14 15

inar on how to do business in Guyana? Can you imagine this is allowed, that someone is telling us that we’re not good enough to do brokerage service, so brokerage service has to go out to a foreign company?

Those are basic things.”

“This has happened because we are not paying attention to these things.

The Government has to facilitate the growth and development of the Private Sector. Government has to facilitate the advancement of the Private Sector and a process through which they can become competitive, but the Private Sector has to stand up against injustices coming their way.”

Ali also spoke about the

Speaking out

LUCKY 3

6

playing an integral part in the economy. He noted the responsibility the Government has towards the Private Sector and the wider economic implications.

“We had a Private Sector that committed itself to Guyana before this newfound wealth. We had a Private Sector that worked with our people in ensuring that we weathered great storms, whether it was the great floods or the global financial crisis. And we cannot be ungrateful to that Private Sector.”

“We have a responsibility in ensuring that the local Private Sector is equipped and provided with the framework and incentives that would make them competitive and give them a fighting chance against those that are coming in now, unlike what is happening now,” Dr Ali added.

03 05 08 12 20

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

According to the presidential candidate, Government, in fact, has a responsibility to lay out a comprehensive and well-articulated strategy for facilitating the growth and increased competitiveness of the economy and the Private Sector… something the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS) has been criticised for lacking.

“We can’t be indecisive on major transformational projects. Today we want this, tomorrow we don’t want that. We have said the deepwater harbuor is coming. The Private Sector has to understand it is coming, where is it going to be located, where is it going to be connected to, so they can invest in the opportunities surrounding the investment. In terms of logistics, business and so on.”

The former Minister of Housing and Tourism reminded that long before oil was discovered in Guyana, the Private Sector was

Ali reminded of the recently held Trinidad and Tobago Energy Chamber's Safety Forum in Guyana, which sidelined the local Private Sector Commission (PSC). But Ali noted that the Private Sector also has a role to speak up and advocate against measures that are counterproductive.

“Can you imagine, we have a non-national Private Sector body, coming here and hosting a sem-

Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) concept, which he noted is used around the world as a way for the Government to partner with the Private Sector on large, transformational projects. While the premise

is good, however, he spoke of some things that must be catered for.

“Developed countries have a lot of models built around BOOT. That process itself has to be scrutinised. It has to have layers in terms of transparency and accountability. Recently, a white paper was laid in Parliament on public-private partnerships.”

“And if you go through that paper, you will see that it is built in a way where the political system has total control. From identifying who the investors are, to tendering and awarding who will get the contract,” he said, adding that this can facilitate corruption.

While Guyana heads closer to first oil, concern has been expressed about the large number of foreigners grabbing up local opportunities. Only recently, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) had noted the rampant displacement of local companies by the Trinis.

In a statement, GCCI President Nicholas Boyer had said that companies from Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) are coming into Guyana with deeper pockets than their local counterparts. These companies, Boyer had noted, use their greater access to capital to outcompete locals.

4

guyanatimesgy.com

SUnDAY, november 10, 2019

Views 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

The voters’ list must be fixed

T

he Chair of GECOM, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, held her first press conference and focused on the state of readiness of the voters’ list for the general elections which are due on March 2, 2020 –less than four months away. For a country with only ¾ of a million citizens, the comments exposed severe weaknesses in the registration system in which a process of “continuous registration” was initiated since 2001 and supplemented in 2005. This was supposed to produce an Official List of Electors (OLE) such that general elections could be held within three months of an announcement, as mandated by the Constitution. The system provided for citizens who reached 14 years of age to be added to the created Registrants (NRR) and for those who died to be removed.

In 2008, a House-to-House Registration exercise was conducted to update the NRR from which the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE), comprising all registrants eighteen years and over, was extracted. Following the procedures, the PLE was subjected to a Claims (to add names) and Objections (to remove names) process to finally produce the OLE. There were several subsequent C&O cycles. In 2015, the Local Government Elections (LGE) was held with no objections by any of the participating parties with the OLE containing 570,708 names.

But President Granger, under pressure from the NCM constitutional requirement, upheld by the CCJ on June 18 that elections must be held within three months, claimed that the list was “bloated by 200,000 names”.

The GECOM CEO, in charge of the responsible Secretariat, declared that he was unaware of that figure and elections could be held with the then extant list. But pursuant to a secret decision by the illegally appointed GECOM James Patterson, GECOM Secretariat yet decided to conduct House-to-House Registration from July 20 in order to “sanitise” the list.

And it is this exercise, clearly intended to address Granger’s delaying ploy, which opened the can of worms still roiling the political climate. The H2H exercise was halted by the new GECOM Chair with 370,000 names collected in the absence of PPP scrutineers after the Court decided that a new NRR would unconstitutionally remove registrants via an implicit residence requirement.

Rather than dumping those names, the new Chair decided to code and compare them with the NRR names in two tranches.

The first tranche of 179,000 names produced 29,000 unmatched names. These putatively “new additions” were posted at Registration Centres to be “scrutinised”. If the second tranche of 191,000 names produces a comparable metric, another 31,000 names would be added and the list would now be increased to 630,000 names before the C&O data are factored in. The PNC has been unable to identify their claimed 200,000 “bloating”. However, there has been no decision by GECOM on these “new” names and their fate hangs like the Sword of Damocles, over the hope of credible elections.

Another spanner was thrown into the works with the announcement of “uncollected ID cards”, boiling down to some 19,000 persons registered since 2008. The GECOM Chair decided to circulate these names in yesterday’s national newspapers in addition to sending notices to the recorded addresses. The registrants were informed to show up at GECOM registration offices to be “verify” their existence by producing passports or birth certificates.

Addressing fears that these persons disenfranchised, she announced that the names of those who did not uplift their IDs by December 2 would be extracted from the OLE and listed in a supplementary addendum. If these persons attempt to vote, they will be required to produce other forms of ID such as passports.

While the Chair’s decisions may appear to be reasonable measures to facilitate a “cleaner list” to address caretaker President Granger’s “bloating” claims, there are valid fears they may become grounds for challenging the results of the general elections, as was the case with the Parliamentary agreement to used ID cards in the 1997 elections.

The OLE must be fixed to constitutional satisfaction.

As part of its annual school outreach programme, a team from the Iwokrama International Centre visited students of the Kingston, Tutorial and Dolphin High Schools and the Ptolemy Reid Centre this past week. In photo, students of the Ptolemy Reid Centre share a photo moment with officials from Iwokrama following a lecture to enlighten students about Guyana’s rich biodiversity and how they can play a part in protecting it

Celebration of Prophet Muhammad’s life should be used to strengthen our will to follow His example – CIOG President In the name of Allah (SWT), The Merciful, The Compassionate

O

Allah bless our beloved Muhammad, the light of lights, the secret of secrets, the antidote for depression and the key to the door of ease. Muhammad the selected one, and upon his family, the pure ones, as much as the bounties of Allah and His blessings.

Asalaamu-AlaikumWaRahmatullahiWaBarakatuh.

May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah (SWT) be with you all.

Hadhrat Ubayy ibn Ka`bRadiyalláhu Anhu relates: I said, “O Messenger of Allah, I send much blessings on you. What proportion of my dua should I devote to you?”

He said, “As much as you like.” I said, “A quarter?” He said, “As much as you like, and if you increased, it would only be better for you.” I said, “Then a half?” He said, “As much as you like and if you increased, then it would only be better for you.” I said, “Then two thirds?” He said, “As much as you like and if you increased, it would only be better for you.” I said, “I’ll devote all of my Dua to sending blessings on you.”

RasululláhSallalláhuAlayhiWasallam said, “In that case, it will suffice you from your worries and your sins will be forgiven.” ~ Tirmidhi My brothers and sisters in Islam and humanity, on this most auspicious occasion of observing the birth and life of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘AlaihiwaSallam), I extend to you on behalf of the Central Islamic Organization of Guyana greetings on the Mawlid. I pray that Allah (SWT) continue to bless us and accept all our devotion and service. Ameen.

Perhaps the greatest mercy that Allah (SWT) bestowed upon humanity was sending His Blessed Messenger Muhammad (SAWS). God Almighty describes His best Creation thus: And you are of the highest standard of character (Quran 68:4) The Prophet’s (SAWS) character was of such high moral excellence that Allah (SWT), himself, mentioned its greatness. The Prophet (SAWS) was destined to be the best human being ever to live on Earth— the most virtuous, the most patient, the most loving,

the most courteous, the most merciful among men, the best to his wives, the best to his friends, the best to his family, the most honest, the most trustworthy, and so much more that even his enemies testified to it. We are reminded in many narrations that when the Prophet (SAWS) was born the thrones of kings shook, palaces crumbled, idols in the Kabaa fell, and fire that was worshipped extinguished.

The Prophet (SAWS) was of such a high and sublime character that, after years of persecution, he marched triumphantly into the city of his birth at the head of the largest army ever assembled in Arabian history. With his head bowed in humility, he declared a general amnesty and granted war criminals refuge. The Prophet’s (SAWS) magnanimity was so powerful that it led to a mass conversion among the citizens of Makkah. Even Abu Sufyan, his archenemy, embraced the religion of Islam. In the months that followed, almost all of Arabia dispatched representatives to swear allegiance to the Prophet (SAWS) and to enter into the faith of Islam.

During a period of twenty-three years, Muhammad (SAWS), Peace be upon Him, had succeeded in uniting a feuding people trapped in cycles of violence into one people with a sense of destiny and a mission that would transform the world. He (SAWS) elevated the low, and he lowered the elevated that they might meet in that middle place known as brotherhood.

He (SAWS) infused in them a love of learning, unleashing a creative power that would lead to some of the most extraordinary scientific breakthroughs in human history. The spirituality he (SAWS) inspired in his people led to the construction of seven hundred mosques in the Spanish city of Cordoba in the West, and restoration of Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem in the East. In its precincts, his followers built the Dome of the Rock (Qubbat al-Sakhra), as a testimony to the oneness of God. The Prophet (SAWS) died on the same day he was born, in the same house he had lived in for ten years in Madinah, on a small bed made of leath-

er stuffed with palm fibres, in the arms of his beloved wife Aisha (RA). His dying words were, “Treat your women well, and do not oppress your servants, the prayer, the prayer, don’t be neglectful of the prayer. O God, my highest companion, my highest companion.”

The occasion of celebrating the birth and life of our Master and Guide Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) should be used to strengthen our will to follow His (SAWS) example. We oftentimes pride ourselves on the strictness of our adherence to the way of this blessed Messenger (SAWS) in various aspects of our lives. However, are we emulating Him by trying to be merciful to our fellow man? If we aren’t, we should understand that our adherence to His Sunnah is wanting.

Would the Prophet (SAWS) approve if he witnessed division amongst us that is tearing us apart? Let us practice mercy on issues where differences are valid and avoid harsh words and work together in accordance with our sacred law. O mankind, truly we have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that you may recognize one another (Quran 49:13). If we follow our creator’s directive to learn about, appreciate and respect each other, we will replace ignorance and prejudice with understanding, sensitivity, mutual respect and unity.

We should remember that our love for the Prophet (SAWS) will be a means of our being with Him (SAWS) Inshallah. Let us spend these days in increased Salawat upon the Prophet (SAWS), his family, and pray for all of Humanity. Let us repent to Allah (SWT) and renew our commitment to following the Laws of Allah (SWT) by following the middle way; the way of Rasoolullah (SAWS).

I ask Allah (SWT) to bless all of you and join us in praising our Beloved Prophet (SAWS) O Allah, bless our Master Muhammad, who opened what was closed and sealed what was before. He makes the truth victorious by the truth and he is the turn to page 6

guyanatimesgy.com

SUnDAY, november 10, 2019

5

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

Betrayal of Walter Rodney falls at the feet of “his trusted comrades” Dear Editor, The WPA’s response on November 8, 2019, to the November 1, 2019 Stabroek News article “Pat Rodney calls again on Government to make CoI report on Walter Rodney public” is a sad indication of the depths to which that party has sunk.

In fact, this release is a classic example of Shakespeare’s Hamlet – “the lady doth protest too much, methinks”. The WPA’s protestations of its loyalty to Dr Walter Rodney at this stage on the eve of elections mask the truth. And what is the truth? This party, which emerged as a result of and in response to the dark days of rigged elections and the PNC authoritative and repressive Government, led by one of Guyana’s most brilliant minds, Dr Walter Rodney, has stooped shamelessly to apologise and cover-up for the PNC-dominated APNU/ AFC coalition it is in bed with.

The depths to which the WPA has sunk are so deep that its release never mentioned that the February 2016 Commission of Inquiry Report into the Death of Dr Walter Rodney (appointed by President Ramotar on June 13, 2012) was debated in the National Assembly on August 5, 2016, only after I, on behalf of the PPP/C parliamentarians brought two motions, one to force the Government to table the report and another to call for the report to be adopted and its recommendations implemented. The latter was de-

feated by all of the 33 APNU/ AFC coalition Members of Parliament inclusive of the WPA Minister Dr Rupert Roopnaraine.

The WPA’s attempt to cast aspersions on the PPP leaders and PPP/C successive administrations is but a cheap shot. Firstly, l can personally vouch for Dr Cheddi Jagan and the PPP leaders who had the greatest respect for Dr Walter Rodney, both at the many meetings between the two parties and the two leaders as well as on public platforms where both Dr Jagan and Dr Rodney spoke. The image of Dr Cheddi Jagan and Dr Walter Rodney leading thousands of Guyanese, Indian and Black and other races, from Buxton to Kitty, to the beat of the sounds of the Tassa and African drums, demanding free and fair elections and return to democracy, drove terror into the hearts of the Burnham regime. This was the first mass popular demonstrations of ethnic and political unity since the early 1950s.

The release omitted the findings of the report that it was Burnham and the PNC Government who were responsible for the death of Dr Walter Rodney. Paragraph Number 7. 37 stated “He [WR] could only have been killed in what we find to be a State-organised assassination with the knowledge of Prime Minister Burnham..” and paragraph Number 7.39 “ we conclude that Prime Minister Burnham knew of the plan and was part of the

conspiracy to assassinate Dr Walter Rodney”.

Long before 2012, the PPP had attempted to have a Commission of Inquiry. l tabled a motion in the Ninth Parliament calling for a Commission of Inquiry into the assassination of Dr Walter Rodney in 2005. It must be recalled that the WPA’s MP, Sheila Holder heavily amended the motion and objected to the word “assassination” as it was prejudicial and with the support of the PNC/R, succeeded in negativising the motion. Dr Roopnaraine was present that day.

It was the WPA that was responsible in the first place for there not being an inquiry. However, it was not the defeat of the motion that halted the promised inquiry. It was the failure of the WPA to develop the terms of reference for the inquiry that eventually brought an end to a process that was initiated during the 25th anniversary of the historian’s assassination. Dr Roopnaraine was the interlocutor between President Jagdeo and the Rodney family. Later, it was learnt that he had misrepresented the wishes of the family in this appointed role.

In 2013, Mrs Rodney approached President Ramotar without any interlocutor and the commitment was made to establish an International Commission of Inquiry. The Terms of Reference were agreed to by the family and the Commission was appointed on June 13, 2013, 33 years after Dr Rodney’s as-

sassination. Mr Granger was opposed to the Commission and on assumption of office abruptly brought it a premature end in December 2015.

Lawrence Rodney in a letter to the editor of Stabroek News wrote on September 30, 2016, following the defeat of the 2016 motion in the National Assembly, that “…during the decade after the historic 25th anniversary programme in JuneJuly 2005 in Guyana, the Working People’s Alliance leadership, whilst affirming its ‘Rodneyite’ credentials had cultivated a back-toback relationship of collaborating with the PNC bureaucracy”.

The WPA believed that had it proceeded with the TORs with President Jagdeo it would have jeopardised its chances of being part of the Big Tent that was emerging in talks with the PNC and the newly formed AFC. By 2011 elections, the APNU was formed including the WPA; this time it was forced to make a confession that the party had been stockpiling arms just prior to Rodney’s death. This was a most shameless betrayal, and all for one seat within the APNU. The April 15, 2016 WPA statement in response to the submission of the CoI’s report to President Granger in February 2016 is a pathetic whimper. The WPA was reduced to dissecting the procedures of the Commission and delivering the views of the Head of State. “The Head of State, Hon David Granger,

who had the benefit of possession of the report has registered the Presidential disaffirmation of the report, it appears without prior consultation with his coalition partners. It remains to be seen whether on further consideration he will modify his severely critical position or even it remains immutable, he may help to create an environment accommodating differences so that we can rescue something positive out of it.”

Of course Granger and the APNU/AFC did not change their position and the evidence lies in the Parliament’s Hansard, and, the fact that the report is still not publicly posted on any Government website nor on the Parliament’s website, nor has any of the recommendations been considered (hence Mrs Rodney’s public statement).

Now three years after the defeat of the motion “the WPA intends to engage with the President on this issue.

For the WPA the matter of Rodney’s assassination is unfinished business.”

Ironically the WPA release refers to Rodney’s 1979 proposals for a “Government of National Unity and Reconstruction” and links this concept to justify their presence with the PNC dominated APNU/AFC coalition, “We see the APNU and the APNU/AFC as avenues to a genuine Government of National Unity and Reconstruction… the WPA has recommitted to the coalition as a matter of nation-

al duty”.

Isn’t it ironic that the attempt of the six-party Patriotic Coalition for Democracy between 19901991 to move from a broadbased political alliance for free and fair elections to an electoral alliance was defeated by the WPA’s reluctance to support Dr Cheddi Jagan and the PPP as the presidential candidate because of his ideology and race? At least the six parties in the PCD could verily claim to have sizeable constituencies, unlike the APNU/AFC coalition, leaving out the PNC, which is comprised of 4 shell parties and one dying party.

The objective of this release is to win back many supporters of Dr Walter Rodney, in particular those overseas where there is great love and respect for this outstanding scholar and fighter, to recoup disgruntled supporters of the WPA and the coalition, and, to thusly enhance the WPA’s bargaining power within the PNCdominated coalition. This, too, will fail.

The WPA’s behaviour is like that of Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, who believed that “a little water” would cleanse her conscience.

The betrayal of Walter Rodney falls at the feet of “his trusted comrades” and that stain cannot be wiped out no matter how much WPA leaders protest otherwise.

Yours faithfully, Gail Teixeira

Granger Govt has been digging a hole and calling it progress Dear Editor, Bloomberg’s truth is not Guyana’s, the business news corporation is looking at oil production figures and projected earnings with a focus on how those will impact profitability and share prices of the oil companies. This is Bloomberg’s market; Bloomberg delivers business and markets news, data, analysis, and video to the world, featuring stories from Businessweek and Bloomberg News. The figures quoted for Guyana’s growth are not carefully studied with every factor considered before release, a forecast of 86 per cent growth in Guyana’s economy is an error that has no consequence for Bloomberg, but would be consequential in extremis for Guyanese if we accept these figures without interrogation.

Those touting an 86 per cent growth rate is mistakenly conflating revenue with growth, it is false, as most of this revenue will accrue to the oil com-

panies, and only about 12 per cent of those revenues will flow into Guyana’s coffers. Guyanese have to ask how this growth translates into local prosperity. Hess boasts of massive tax-free profits, of the utopian cash cow that Guyana has become for them, what can Guyanese boast of? Our Government continues to stumble from one fiasco to the next. The Local Content Policy is in its fourth draft and still a far way off legislative reality and companies are working to expedite contractual agreements to capitalise on the Granger Administration’s legendary incompetence.

Guyana is expected to earn US$200 million from oil in 2020, our 2018 GDP was $3.610 million, and this represents a 5.5 per cent increase. There are other factors to consider such as new Foreign Direct Investment or if ExxonMobil’s purchase of local goods and services increases dramatically, the cost of border security will

increase and create drag.

It is not a simple calculation of oil revenue equals automatic growth. There is also the major factor of who wins the 2020 Election and is charged with administering the government and economy.

The PPP inherited a bankrupt treasury and a GDP of US$538 million in 1992, with a debt service ratio of 153 per cent and left in 2015 with GDP of US$3.197 million and a debt service ratio of 40 per cent. Electricity generation moved from 25MW to 158MW, the Berbice River was bridged, sporting venues such as the Athletics centre at Lenora, the Aquatic Centre and the National Cricket Stadium were delivered to the people, The Marriot Hotel was completed and the CJIA expansion was started, sadly the Amaila falls hydroelectric project was thwarted by the APNU/AFC who were then in Opposition.

APNU/AFC, in contrast,

inherited US$968 million in the treasury and a GDP of US$3.197 million, significantly, eleven days into office, they were buoyed with the announcement of a major commercial oil discovery offshore. In four and a half years, APNU/AFC reduced the reserves to US$485 million, with an overdraft of US$321 million ($69 billion) when this is cleared, our reserves will be US$164 million. APNU/AFC grew the GDP to US$ 3610 million, or $80 billion by levying 200 new taxes on the populace.

The oil companies and satellite service companies have walked onto our shores and set up shop, there has been no significant growth from these companies as they have been given lavish tax and duty concessions, and because there has been a massive reduction in the workforce. Growth of 3.5 per cent and the reduction of reserves by 83 per cent after the discovery of oil is indisputable evidence of incompetence. David Granger

touts 32 school buses to transport a population of 170,000 schoolchildren as an achievement.

The figures above provide a broad overview of administrative performance; I will use the issue of job creation to illustrate the choice facing the electorate in 2020. David Granger recently visited Linden and promised to create 150 new jobs in the next five years; Granger made no mention of the 88 jobs lost due to his Administration’s closure of the call centre in September of 2015. Given that Granger failed to deliver even one of the promises made on his “11-point plan” for Linden, the residents have much to think about. Irfaan Ali has outlined a detailed plan to provide over 50,000 jobs, in his own words “a conservative figure”, they include restoration and enhancement of the Community Service Officer programme within the Indigenous villages; jobs from the construction of 10,000 plus

homes per year; large construction projects such as bridging the Corentyne River and the Amaila Falls Hydro; restarting the sugar industry and other largescale agricultural ventures, a programme of revitalisation of the mining and logging industries is envisioned, and, of course, the oil and gas service sector.

The PPP has an enviable record of 85 per cent delivery of promises outlined in its manifestos.

The Granger Administration has been digging a hole and calling it progress, the deeper they dig, the more progress is claimed; the numbers and facts do not lie as much as Bloomberg’s applies to global corporations, these apply to our shores. Guyana is not traded on any stock exchange, if it was, the prudent and wise advice would be to dump APNU/AFC and buy PPP with alacrity.

Respectfully, Robin Singh

6

guyanatimesgy.com

SUnDAY, november 10, 2019

MessagesYouman nabi Apply Prophet Muhammad’s message Youman Nabi presents to collectively work towards a an opportune moment for reflection, introspection – PPP prosperous country – Irfaan Ali

Y

ouman Nabi is very sacred to Muslims across the world since both the birth and death anniversaries of Islam’s Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) are observed. It is also a time when they would gather in worship and reflection on the exemplary life and teachings of their Holy Prophet.

On the observance of this auspicious occasion of Youman Nabi, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) takes this opportunity to extend best wishes to all Guyanese, particularly the

Muslim communities here in Guyana and across the Diaspora.

Like all of our national religious observances, the significance of Youman Nabi offers many pertinent lessons in humility, contentment, respect and love among mankind.

The PPP firmly believes that the messages offer guidance and if heeded, will help forge a collective effort to aid in the universal realisation of peace, togetherness, forgiveness and tolerance. The oc-

casion, therefore, presents an opportune moment for reflection and introspection.

A s o u r Muslim brothers and sisters congregate across our dear country in observance of this auspicious occasion, our Party extends greetings and for much success for the various activities planned.

Guyanese can benefit from Prophet Muhammad’s legacy –PNC

T

he People’s National Congress Reform extends Youman Nabi greetings to our Muslim brothers and sisters and to all Guyanese.

Youman Nabi is a celebration of the birth anniversary of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam.

The day is marked by sermons, recitation of litanies, honouring of religious dignitaries, gift-giving, and

a feast. The occasion also serves as a reminder that whatever trials and tribulations we face, the prophet of God faced even greater and, yet, he never allowed anger and hatred to determine his actions.

We, in Guyana, can benefit from the legacy by using it as an instrument, not only for promoting understanding among our various ethnic, religious and social groups, but also, and more

importantly, for bringing a healing towel to dilemmas and challenges which affect the nation as we usher in our 50th year as a Republic.

As we all celebrate Youman Nabi 2019, we need to recommit ourselves to the achievement of the ideals of a truly multicultural, multiethnic and multi-religious society where there is unity in diversity.

Happy Youman Nabi to all Guyanese!

A

s we celebrate the life of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessing upon him, all of us can reflect on his teachings and way of life.

His belief in peace and service to all humanity without prejudgement continues to be relevant in our soci-

ety and the world. Prophet Muhammad’s lesson included equality, justice, fairness and accountable leadership.

He lived his life with great humility and purpose. His work sought to improve the condition of life and the creation of a society and world that is just. So, as we cele-

brate his life, let us do so in reflection of what he would have taught and apply it to our own lives as we seek, collectively, to work towards a prosperous country in which there is equity, unity, social justice and a better standard of life for all.

Prophet Muhammad’s exemplary life should be contemplated by all Guyanese – Granger

I

extend greetings to all Guyanese but, especially, to the Islamic community on the sacred occasion of Youman Nabi.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad’s (On whom be Peace) birth is commemorated on the occasion of Youman Nabi. It is a day when Muslims and non-Muslims recall his life and labours and reflect on his total obedience to God as evinced in his ideals, teachings and service to human-

ity.

The Holy Prophet (On whom be Peace) taught by example. He preached mutual understanding and respect. He showed compassion, kindness and love towards others. These virtues strengthen human relations and foster happy households, happy families and happy communities.

The Holy Prophet’s (On whom be Peace) exemplary life of working together to build a gentler more ge-

nial world – terised by the of compasa n d grace and i n

characvalues sion

which differences are respected – should be contemplated by all Guyanese, on this sacred day.

May we all take example from the life of Prophet Muhammad – GAWU

T

he Guyana Agricultural and General Workers

Union (GAWU) is pleased to extend to all Guyana, but, especially to all Muslim brothers and sisters, joyous greetings on the occasion of Youman Nabi. On this special day, Muslims commemorate the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad ( O n Whom Be Peace).

The Holy Prophet (On Whom Be Peace) holds a revered and esteemed place in the lives of Muslims and in the faith of Islam.

The Prophet’s teachings and his example continue to inspire and influence the lives of all his committed followers worldwide.

The growth of Islam in recent times attests to the continued significance of the teachings of this great religion and the tremendous impact the Holy Prophet

Mohammed has had in distilling its truths and virtues to humanity.

As Muslims throughout Guyana observe Youman Nabi – The day of the Prophet –we wish to encourage them to reflect deeply and pro- foundly on his teachings and be i n spired by his humanitarian example, the quintessence of which is engraved with courage, humility, kindness, and charity.

M a y we all take example from the life of the Holy Prophet!

May we all aspire to live our own lives with the same wholesome practices and devotion as did the Prophet Mohamed (On Whom Be Peace).

Celebration of Prophet...

from page 4

guide to Your Straight Path. And bless his Household as it befits his immense stature and splendour.

Oh Allah! Bestow Your Mercy and Blessings upon Muhammad whenever he is remembered, and bestow Your Mercy and Blessings upon Muhammad whenever he is not remembered.

May the Peace and Blessing of the Most Merciful be upon each and everyone one.

Wa-Alaikumus-Salaam WaRahmatullahiWaBarakaatuh.

Shahabudeen Ahmad, CIOG President

news

GECOM yet to decide on use of H2H data

T

he seven-member Elections Commission is still to ascertain how the data obtained during the scrapped House-to-House (H2H) Registration will be factored into current preparations for next year’s March 2 General and Regional Elections.

“We are still deliberating at the Commission level in relation to the use of data from the House-to-House. A decision would be made shortly,” Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice Claudette Singh, told reporters at her first press conference on Friday.

The controversial Houseto-House exercise had commenced on July 20 but many persons had boycotted out of concern about the credibility of the exercise.

Despite the passage of the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against the coalition government in December 2018, which, according to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), was validly passaged and, thus, triggered early elections, GECOM went ahead with the H2H Registration.

However, the exercise was carried out with only the ruling party scrutinising the enumerators, as the PPP Opposition was not even invited to participate.

The H2H was then challenged in the High Court and acting Chief Justice Roxane George subsequently ruled on August 14 that GECOM cannot deregister persons from the voters’ list unless they are dead or otherwise disqualified under Article 159 (2), (3) and (4) of the Constitution. The registration exercise sought to replace the existing National Register of Registrants Database (NRRDB) with a new database using new data gathered.

This brought an abrupt end to the exercise on August 31 after Justice Singh took office at the helm of GECOM.

GECOM Chair Retired Justice Claudette Singh

By its conclusion, the H2H had collected some 370,000 registrations.

The seven-member Commission has been at loggerhead over the merging of the H2H data with the voters’ list.

However, the GECOM Chair explained on Friday that while the Chief Justice ruled that the Commission cannot remove names from the list, she did rule that the H2H exercise was lawful and not unconstitutional. Justice Singh said the data obtained during the exercise was lawful and as such, it was sent for cross-matching by the international digital security company, Gemalto, to filter for duplicate registrations against the NRR database.

The data was sent in two batches – the first being 180,000 registrations which were completed and returned.

Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield revealed at the press conference that approximately 179,082 transactions were received. Of that, 150,000 were duplicates (that is, persons who were already on the NRR but re-registered during the H2H) and new registrants amounted to 29,082.

GECOM is expected to receive the second set of data shortly. “…The entire exercise of cross-matching seeks to ensure that there is only one

me and one you in our database as we go forward,” the Chief Elections Officer noted.

According to Lowenfield, this is important to ensure that there is a credible list for the upcoming polls.

As part of this process, the H2H data was put up for public scrutiny while the Claims and Objections (C&O) period was ongoing.

The Claims leg wrapped up on Monday last and the Objections will conclude in the coming week.

It was explained that the list was posted so that the electorate could verify that their data was correctly recorded. In cases where there were errors, the registration officials were guided accordingly to deal with those changes.

However, even with these steps taken, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo contended at his press conference on Thursday last that not only is the data obtained during the exercise unverified, but there is also no clarity given as to how it will be used.

“There’s been no instruction as to what to do with the House-to-House data.

Everybody was going in to check the PLE (Preliminary List of Electors) and do the Claims and Objections…

Even the [GECOM] Commissioners were not told what to do with the Houseto-House data. They were just posted up out at the registration centres without any explanation to the Commissioners, to the public, to the staff or no statutory order underpinning their existence and how they can be used…” he pointed out.

The Opposition Leader reiterated that this unverified data should not be used for any merging, otherwise it could contaminate the voters’ list.

“The data is bad, really bad… This will only contaminate the voters’ list and therefore the merger cannot be done,” Jagdeo contended.

7

SUnDAY, november 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Taking away lands from fired sugar workers

Company admits to negotiating lease long before partner’s incorporation …as confusion swirls over who holds lease

A

fter promising fired Wales Sugar Estate workers to make lands available to them in order for them to be self-sufficient, a huge part of the estate has been leased out for coconut farming under questionable negotiations.Incidentally, Extra Virgin Coconut Products (EVCP) and Amazonia Expert Services Incorporated (AESI), two companies who recently received 680 acres of land, have admitted that EVCP negotiated the lease long before the latter company even existed.

This would raise questions over the role being played by the new company and what plans could have convinced the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to sign the lease. It also contradicts earlier statements in the press.

“The Amazonia Expert Services Inc (AESI), a company registered under the Laws of Guyana, and launched on Monday, November 4, 2019, and the Extra Virgin Coconut Products (EVCP) wish to clarify an erroneous report which stated that a lease was consummated between the twomonth-old company, AESI, and the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited,” the partners said in a statement.

“The companies wish to state clearly that the lease was negotiated and consummated between EVCP, which was registered on November 12, 2015, and NICIL, for approximately 680 acres of land at the closed Wales Sugar Estate, West Demerara, to es-

tablish a coconut production and processing facility,” they added.

The older company also insisted that it has been involved in previous agricultural initiatives, specifically in the coconut sector. According to the company, it is known to State organisations related to the sector.“EVCP has been involved in two previous initiatives related to the coconut sector in Guyana and is known to the relevant institutions, including the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (NGMC).”“The lease, which had been under negotiation for nearly two years, was settled in the fourth quarter of 2018 and signed on February 1, 2019.”

It was recently reported in sections of the media that the land, part of the now closed Wales Sugar Estate, was leased to the partners for them to enter the coconut industry. According to principal at AESI, Dr Arlington Chesney, the company wants the land to process coconut water, as well as dried and grated coconut, for the Dominican market.

“We have been given a lease for the land and we are in the process of getting a lease for the processing facility,” Chesney, who was identified in the media as part of AESI and not EVCP, had said on the sidelines of an event a few days ago.

Back in 2017, Government had announced plans to close the Enmore and Rose Hall Sugar Estates, sell the Skeldon Sugar Factory, reduce the annual production of

sugar, and take on the responsibility of managing the drainage and irrigation services offered by GuySuCo. Subsequently, in November of that year, GuySuCo announced plans to retrench 2500 workers by the end of that year. Amid much criticism, over 7000 were retrenched, with some having to fight for the severance they were legally entitled to.

Government then established the Special Purpose Unit (SPU) under the National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited (NICIL) to take over the divestment of GuySuCo’s assets that were earmarked for sale.

The SPU then recruited PricewaterhouseCoopers to conduct a valuation of the assets to be privatised and divested. It is understood, however, that with the Government in a caretaker status after losing a No-Confidence Motion last year that the process has been suspended.

With Wales Estate also being closed, and some workers being given the option of transferring to Uitvlugt, there has been much interest in the land left behind, particularly for farmers. In fact, earlier this year, land from the Wales Sugar Estate was snapped up by local and overseas farmers and over a thousand acres of that land was put under rice cultivation.

In 2017, almost a year after the estate was closed down, the Government had claimed that decision to offer the land to the fired workers was to have them employed in feasible alternative ventures.

8

SUnDAY, november 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Riding…

C

…with the hounds aretaker President David Granger, in a vain attempt to cover up his DPI withholding State ads to punish the private media, claimed he was really “supportive” of a free press. They quoted a statement of his from 2016: “Independent media act as watchdogs of the Government.

They promote transparency by ensuring that information is provided to the public on the work of the Government”.

Your Eyewitness won’t rehearse the hypocrisy of that claim but contrapose the state of journalism in the free press versus the State press – the Chronicle – which is the remnant of the free press which Burnham had nationalised back in the day during his communist foray. We’ll check which of the two practices “fairer” journalism is.

The MotP announced the standard: “Fairness and balance are the hallmarks of good journalism. Fairness, in a journalistic context, entails accurate reportage and examining every possible angle and perspective. Selectively using parts of quotes and information to frame a story presents a false and misleading account to readers on that particular issue or person”. They say, “Those in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones”, and if we pick up any edition of the Chronic, the hypocrisy of Granger’s “fairness” criticism of the free press will just jump out on you.

Let’s examine its Friday edition front-page headlines – the day of the MotP’s homily. The banner across the page quotes Finance Minister Jordan, “SALARY HIKE SOON”.

Then there’s one quoting the leader of the LJP, “PPP abused, exploited Toshaos”; another emphasising that the President is “An advocate for professional, free press”.

The front page pic was of Granger with schoolchildren at President’s College promising them, “Guyana belongs to you”. Not a word about the Chair of GECOM and the Opposition Leader’s pronouncing of the voters’ list – an issue that has transfixed the country – on the same day Granger was at President’s College. Nor about 2000 sugar workers on strike at Albion.

Rather than quoting from any academic sources on journalism – which Granger seems to have forgotten from his days as a Hubert Humphry Fellow – your Eyewitness will cite the everyman’s source: Wiki on the dangers of a state-owned media to fair journalism. It posits: “Within countries that have high levels of government interference in the media, it may use the state press for propaganda purposes: to promote the regime in a favourable light, to vilify opposition to the government by launching smear campaigns, giving skewed coverage to opposition views, or act as a mouthpiece to advocate a regime’s ideology”.

Hasn’t that single Chronic front page a) promoted the regime in a favourable light? b) vilified the opposition? c) given skewed/no coverage to the opposition and d) pushed the regime’s ideology?

The Govt should get out of the media business!!! …and running with the hares There is a discussion going on in some quarters about the “value” of the AFC to the PNC going forward into the next elections. “Value”, of course, is a subjective term – which was conclusively proven by the AFC when it insisted it was still “owed” the PM spot on the PNC coalition ticket!!

Imagine Nagamootoo and Ramjattan are lawyers and are making this demand from an agreement (Cummingsburg) that is expired and they’re supposed to be re-negotiating!!

Which part of “re-negotiating” they don’t get??

Everything starts sui generis, baby!! And it’s a whole different ballgame from 2011. Then, the PNC wanted “multiracial” credentials, which the AFC had with their 10% in the Indian community. Now? That formulation’s been evaporated like dry ice in the sun!! Ironically, more by the PNC’s actions against that community than anything else!

You’d think the PNC was torpedoing the AFC’s chances!!

The new “multiracial” is Indigenous, baby!! …Trotman’s folly You think Trotman boasting about getting 50% of profits from the Stabroek oil block – which was 50% of the 25% left after 75% expenses, which is 12.5% -- was bad??

Guyana has to pay the oil company’s taxes: 27.5% of 12.5%. Another 3.44% gone leaving us with 9%!!!

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

9

SUnDAY, november 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

10 news

SUnDAY, november 10, 2019 | guyanatimesGY.com

GPA disappointed over President’s approval of conditional boycott of media …as PPP slams Govt’s duplicity on State ads, fairness, impartiality

T

he Guyana Press Association (GPA) has come out in criticism of recent statements made by President David Granger, in which he said that State ads should be given to media houses based on fairness and balance.

In a statement on Saturday, the GPA expressed disappointment in the President’s statements. The President’s statement was made during an interview on a local radio programme. However, this did not go down well with members of the media fraternity in Guyana.“The gist of the President’s remarks appears to be that the allocation of paid State advertising is contingent upon favourable coverage of his administration,” GPA said, adding that Granger’s statements do not differ from previous problems the association encountered. According to the GPA, it has always been the body’s position, which is in keeping with international thinking on this matter, that State advertising should neither be employed as a form of reward nor as punishment for perceived media transgressions.While Granger did say on the radio programme that State ads should be given to media houses based on fairness, in the same breath, he contradicted himself by saying that he did not support the withholding of State ads.

“President Granger said he does not support the withholding of ads and the GPA en-

ment. It denied that the President was seeking “favourable” coverage for his Government while continuing to call for “fair” coverage.

Duplicity

President David Granger

courages the Government to examine how all media houses can benefit from such ads,” the Press Association said.

“In this very critical time in Guyana, when all should be informed, media houses ought to be reminded of their need to provide the truth and fact-based journalism. Editorial activism has its place but citizens’ right to be informed must always triumph,” it added.

Mere hours after the GPA released its statement on the issue, Ministry of the Presidency called for the Association to retract its state-

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP), in a statement on its social media, also called the President out by claiming that his calls for fair coverage run counter to content put out by the State media. According to the Party, such content is anything but fair.

“The recent statement by the Ministry of the Presidency, attacking the Guyana Press Association over its comments about the withholding of State advertisements from the private media houses, exposes the hypocrisy of the APNU/AFC coalition,” the PPP said.

The PPP noted that while the David Granger-led coalition insists that the placement of State advertisements should be based on fair coverage, it continues to use the State media – the Guyana Chronicle, the Department of Public Information (DPI) and national radio stations – as its propaganda arm.

The issue of sections of the media being deprived of State ads raised its ugly head after complaints were made by Guyana Times and Stabroek news. In the case of this publication, advertisements generated through DPI reached an all-time low by the end of October.

GPA President Nazima Raghubir

In fact, in the month of September, this newspaper only received one ad from the DPI and none in October.

This issue of declining ads from the DPI, through which many of the State’s ads pass, was raised in a letter sent to the Director of DPI, Imran Khan, by this publication. The letter, dated October 23, 2019, outlined that since an earlier letter in August 2019 regarding outstanding balances owed to Guyana Times, the number of ads that were once received from the DPI is no longer forthcoming.

NEWS

11

SUnDAY, november 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Cocaine, ecstasy pills unearthed during Police raid

Discourse on P race and racism

W

ith elections imminent, “race” has inevitably taken centre stage. In Guyana, the concept of “race” is a legacy of European rule. And it is not coincidental that its modern usage is bound up with the history of the West Indies: “race” and “African slavery” are modern twins, as are “White” and “Black” as racial categories.

The early civilisations such as Greek, African and Indian, etc, did not distinguish so much on physical characteristics, as on cultural characteristics of peoples. For instance, outsiders were “Barbarians” to Greeks. When Europeans first encountered Africans, the latter’s physical characteristics were not evaluated negatively even though they obviously had to be aware of those characteristics.

“Race” was a key concept formulated during the Renaissance and was used as one of many hegemonic elements to convince the groups they encountered Ravi Dev and subjugated in their explorations, starting with Africans, to accept their subordinate condition. After all, the “inferior races” were being done a favour as the White man laboured mightily to lift up his "burden". The paradigmatic use of racism, of course, was used to justify the enslavement of Africans, after the Spanish clerics purported to discover vestiges of a soul in the Amerindians (after they died off like flies and proved unwilling to labour for the Europeans) as so possibly capable of receiving salvation. The Africans were adjudged to be beyond this pale.

A classification, we must always remember, is an analytic tool. In itself, distinguishing between individuals on physical or other criteria is not a problem – but becomes one when we make a social evaluation on the physical characteristics. By the 19th century, the European classificatory schemes of science were imbued with the evolutionary paradigm proposed by Darwin in "the origin of species". This presumed a hierarchical ordering of phenomena and objects from the atoms of Mendelev to the races of man in a great “chain of being”, where the African was at the bottom.At its logical conclusion, it was used to justify the extermination of whole civilisations since, if evolutionary theory showed that only the "fittest" survived, maybe it was the duty of the self-selected fittest to move the process along. While conquerors have always concluded that the conquered were in some way inferior, it was the first time the rationale for the inferiority was given as physical characteristics. This invidious notion of race still survives in Guyana, deeply embedded in all of our European enlightenment-centric education that deepened the Renaissance concepts. It is this usage that must be eradicated.

This racist discourse encompassed all other non-white groups as the colonial expansion spread exponentially and is the beginning of “racism” in the modern sense of the word. Indians, for instance, were “wogs” to the British – indistinguishable in its import from the “N” word. Race and racism were born as inseparable twins: racism could never be disjuncture from race (in the sense that the latter could merely be a neutral descriptive term). It is for this reason I have preferred to distinguish humans on the basis of their cultural characteristics or ethnicity, which is fluid and contextual.

To maintain consistency with their definition of themselves as the superior group, the Europeans in Guyana performed all sorts of semantic gymnastics on “race”. Terms such as “Caucasian” – used by the British in other contexts – were jettisoned since it could have lumped them with the Portuguese and, the horror of horrors, the Indians! The Portuguese were not even classified by the geographical term “European” by the British colonials since this would have signalled the commonality of race.

The hegemonic European paradigm continues to oppress all non-White groups, to one degree or another in Guyana.

Not in the sense that we were merely scorned by the Whites but were oppressed by being forced to accept subservient, inferior, internalised roles. This negative evaluation coupled with discrimination and oppression constitutes “racism”. We all deploy absorbed European prejudices and their terminologies to evaluate each other – as that UG student demonstrated.

Happens every day with most of us, let us not be hypocrites.

But while he was “racist” in his views – judging Africans socially by their physical characteristics; he could not exhibit “racism” by our usage. He did not have the power to oppress African Guyanese. On the other hand, the PNC coalition government has persistently discriminated against IndianGuyanese based on their race, to dominate them.

This is racism in action but has not been denounced across the board.

olice in Region One (Barima-Waini) unearthed a quantity of cocaine, cannabis and ecstasy pills during a raid of a business premises. According to reports, acting on intelligence gathered, ranks swooped down on the home/business premises in Arakaka, North West District, and conducted a search. During the search, 565 grams of suspected cannabis, 4.4 grams of suspected cocaine and a

Some of the drugs and ecstasy pills found during the raid

quantity of pills suspected to be ecstasy and molly were found. A 26-year-old suspect was taken into custody and is being processed for court.

12 news

SUnDAY, november 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Security guard killed in Timehri hit-and-run A

54-year-old security guard was struck and killed along the Timehri Public Road, East Bank Demerara, on Friday evening, just as he was about to purchase a few items from a nearby shop.

Following the accident, the driver of the vehicle immediately fled the scene.

Dead is Harrichan Ramsundar of Fifth Street, Patentia, West Bank Demerara.

Police reports are that the incident occurred at about 19:00h. The unidentified vehicle was proceeding north along the western car-

riageway of the roadway at a fast rate. According to Police, the left side of the vehicle would have collided with Ramsundar, who was walking south along the western carriageway.

Upon impact, the security guard sustained multiple injuries about his body and head. The vehicle drove away. He was taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre in an unconscious condition

but subsequently died.

His son, Handesh Ramsundar, told Guyana

Times that both of them lived together in Timehri to be closer to their jobs and would return home at inter-

vals.

On the said evening, his father left home at about 18:30h to purchase bread and eggs from a shop, located just a few metres away from where the incident occurred. The 22-year-old said he became suspicious when his father did not return and moments later, neighbours informed him of the incident.

As he made his way over to the scene, his father was lying at the corner of the roadway and the vehicle was

Dead: Harrichan Ramsundar

nowhere in sight.

The man’s sister, Saitree Bacchus, was at their Patentia home, where she later indicated that the dead man was the sole breadwinner for some of his children and grandchildren. He had promised to return by

Christmas to spend the holiday with them.

“This is very hurtful for us. He promised the grandchildren and his daughters that Christmas he would come and bring toys and so for them,” she shared.

The inconsolable woman bemoaned the fact that the driver of the vehicle fled the scene, instead of rendering assistance which could’ve saved his life.

“He just left him there.

They didn’t even stop and pick he up and take him to the hospital and see if he could live. It is sad to know that these drivers hitting down people and leaving them on the road.”

Police have since launched an investigation.

No arrests have been made.

13

SUnDAY, november 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com20

14 NEWS

SUnDAY, november 10, 2019| guyanatimesgy.com

Bandits caught, beaten by Essequibo Coast residents

T

wo masked bandits, who attacked and robbed a hot dog vendor on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), received a sound trashing after they were caught by residents.

Reports are the men, armed with knives, attacked hot dog vendor, Jonathan Banarsee, pop-

ularly known as “Saki” at about 21:00h on Friday night while he was selling along the roadside next to Shawn's Mini Mart in Cotton Field, Essequibo Coast.

According to Banarsee, the two masked men pounced on him and demanded that he hand over all his money. He said that both men were armed with knives. He said that the men took away about $200,000 in cash and valuables and ordered him to lie flat on the roadway.

However, the vendor said that he instead made a dash from the bandits and began screaming for help.

The staff and customers, who were at the Shawn’s Mini Mart, heard the man’s screams and responded. As the bandits ran away, residents were hot in pursuit and they were eventually cornered.

Connecting the environment through GIS

G

IS Day will be celebrated on November 13, 2019, where persons are encouraged to share their passions and inspire the world with GIS. Moreover, 2019 marks 20 years— a significant milestone in celebration of GIS Day and the vital role it plays in connecting the world.

What is GIS? A “Geographic Information System (GIS)” is an integrated system of computer hardware, software, skilled and unskilled users (people), methods and spatial (Geographic) and nonspatial (attribute) data. Further, GIS allows for people to view data as maps, rather than columns of numbers; making it easier to read and understand.

The hotdog stand that Jonathan Banarsee, popularly known as “Saki” operates

The angry crowd trashed the men before calling the Police and handed them over to law enforcement ranks.

According to the vendor, this is the second time for the year he was robbed. On the previous occasion, he was attacked at his home by a lone bandit after he was finished selling.

On that occasion, he said

that he believed that he was followed by the bandit who held him at knifepoint as he entered his yard.

Meanwhile, Police have since arrested the driver of a 212 Toyota motorcar, who is believed to have transported the men and were waiting on them a short distance away. Police are continuing their investigation.

How is GIS data collected? o Digitising (the process of tracing GIS data directly on the screen) o LiDAR (images) o Drones o Global Positioning S (EPA mostly use this format) o Satellites (remote sensing) How is data stored in GIS? Geographic data is stored in two models: Raster or Vector.

Why is GIS important? o Informs decision-making o Provides accurate data location o Increase efficiencies o Can reduce the cost of services o Coherent management of resources o Improves communication o Vital for accurate record-keeping What can GIS do? o Input data o Manipulate data o Manage data o Provide guidance for query & analysis of data o Visualisation of information/data Types of datasets captured through GIS technology o Land cover o Climate o Ecosystems o Energy o Infrastructure o Marine resources o Biodiversity o Research o Health o Demographics o Manufacturing/Industries o Education Data we map at the EPA o Complaints hotspot mapping o Environmental inspections o Biodiversity research conducted o Water sampling locations o Disease outbreaks o Oil wells and drill sites o Identifying potential and suitable landfill sites o Mapping coastal change and trends Other benefits of GIS GIS can boost Inter-agency collaboration via o Reducing overlaps and redundancies o Providing updated datasets o More data = more information o Cost efficient because of data sharing mechanisms Important points to note about GIS: o It is fata driven (must be a priority) o Accurate information is necessary for accurate outputs o Inspection data submitted after each visit (must be a priority) 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.

news

15

SUnDAY, november 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Women urged to recognise intrinsic value before “dressing up”

I

How Guyana can maximise its value from the oil and gas industry through local content

n order to understand how Guyana can maximise its value from the oil and gas industry, we first have to understand the value chain of the industry. To this end, the value chain of the industry is divided into three sectors as follows: 1. The Upstream Sector 2. The Midstream Sector 3. The Downstream Sector The Upstream Sector: this sector includes activities such as geological surveys, mining and drilling. In other words, this sector includes all activities that are categorised either as exploration activities or production activities.

The Midstream Sector: includes activities such as storage, transportation (pipelines, rail and trucking). The Midstream Sector centres on moving the oil or gas products from the production sites or oil fields to the market and further to the consumers. This sector essentially connects the Upstream Sector to the Downstream Sectors.

The industry uses different modes of transportation to move oil and gas products such as pipeline and pipeline networks, rails and trucks for land transportation, and barge and tanker for maritime transportation.

Hence, notable examples of midstream players are pipeline transport companies, trucking and hauling companies, shipping companies, and terminal developers and operators, among others.

Other midstream activities include storage of oil and gas products, delivery from fields to processing plants and further down to distributors and consumers, and trading and marketing of wholesale oil and gas products, as well as raw oil and gas products.

The Downstream Sector: includes distribution and retail outlets and all activities revolving around the refining of crude oil and the processing and purification of natural gas, as well as the selling and distribution of final oil and gas products such as jet fuel, gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and liquefied natural gas, among others. Other examples of final oil and gas products produced under downstream activities include lubricants, waxes, asphalt, and plastics, as well as other petrochemicals such as olefins, aromatics, methanol, formaldehyde, methane, ethane, propane, and butane.

Value maximisation through local content While it is true that there will be limited employment opportunities for Guyanese nationals in the upstream industry, largely because oil and gas, in general, is a highly-sophisticated industry and Guyana lacks the experience, there are things that Guyanese can benefit from through the value chain nonetheless. For example, logistics and brokerage services, transportation services and shipping.

Through local content, targets need to be identified in terms of what percentage of services oil companies should seek to contract out to local players. For instance, there are Trinidad companies in Guyana operating logistics and trucking services to service the industry, while Guyana can provide these services through local players. Unless there is a set target to the extent of 30% or 50% of these types of services that will be awarded to indigenous companies, Guyana will not be able to maximise local content.

In the Midstream Sector, there is a need for collaboration between private investments and the public to invest in the infrastructure such as the storage facilities and ports in order to accommodate the offshore operations. If enough of these types of investments are not coordinated and pursued, then these types of services will be transferred to neighbouring Trinidad where these facilities and infrastructure are in place.

Value can also be maximised through capacity building and technology transfer and again, targets need to be set and monitored, and the mechanism in place to facilitate this. In Ghana, for example, through local content, oil companies were mandated to set up a Local Content Fund for the purpose of local businesses being able to access financing at concessionary rates for capacity building. The bigger pie Indigenous companies can obtain, would mean more job creation through expansion and wealth maximisation through higher incomes.

Services such as welding and fabrication, and logistics, local players need to form synergies in order to build their capacity and share resources, and by doing so, enhances their competitiveness against the foreign players in the industry competing for similar services that can be done by locals.

Natural gas seems to be ignored in the national dialogue.

Consideration for the use of natural gas, if proven to be sufficient quantities to come onshore, can facilitate an industrialisation plan for Guyana which would be aimed at reducing the cost of energy, and of course the by-products of natural gas. This is how Trinidad, for example, is very competitive because natural gas is part of their energy mix. Finally, on the downstream side, we have to reconsider the feasibility of a refinery. There are modular refineries that are more economical to build, that would cost about US$300M-US$500M. If Guyana invests in a modular refinery with a production capacity of 30,000 BPD, this would be enough to satisfy local consumption which is around 14-18k barrels per day, which will also save a hefty import bill of over US$500 million on fuel annually, and the excess can be exported to the region, which will also bring in more foreign exchange.

By: JC Bhagwandin, MSc Email: jbbankingadvice@gmail.com (The author is an experienced Macro-finance and Research Analyst and a Senior Lecturer of BBA/MBA programmes at Texila American University, University of Bedfordshire and the Association of Business Executives (ABE) programmes in Guyana. The discussions and analyses presented are exclusively his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper nor the institutions he is affiliated with.)

W

omen were encouraged by First Lady Sandra Granger that in striving to achieve their highest potential, their first focus should be knowing their inherent value which will build confidence and not just their outward appearances.

These comments were made by the First Lady in her feature address at the Junshazyna’s (JSZ) World of Fashion’s one-day Fashion Stylist and Makeover Seminar at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre (ACCC), Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara.

Addressing the participants of the event, Granger lured that a woman’s pleasure is to look good and feel even better.

“But I wish to suggest we women look and feel our best when we know our value. We need first to recognise our intrinsic value – that special something that

makes each one of us special and unique, with our own God-given talents, secure in the knowledge that no one else on earth can occupy this space at this time before we can become truly confident.

Then, we can think of how we grow that value so that we can achieve our highest potential,” she said.

Meanwhile, she applauded the JSZ Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Junette Stuart for envisioning and systematising the seminar, one she described as a tall but highly commendable order.

The main objectives of the seminar were to educate women on how to identify clothing styles for their body shapes, professional dress ethics and proper application of makeup based on skin tone. Additionally, it was a fundraiser for the bar on the professional dress in Guyana through training and mentoring.

Further, the First Lady

First Lady Sandra Granger addressing the gathering at the Junshazyna’s (JSZ) World of Fashion Stylist and Makeover Seminar

stated “as we discover the power of knowing how to dress, as we put on the amour of success through the offerings of this seminar, let us nourish the lamp within us so that we recognise and relish our worth as human beings and as strong, self-confident daughters, sisters, aunts, wives, mothers and grandmothers”.

During an interactive session, the First Lady reminisced on her personal struggles with dress codes, which were implemented

by Government institutions.

She recounted that those codes outlined what was deemed to be acceptable attire for female visitors and she then questioned the origin of those guidelines.

16 news

SUnDAY, november 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

NYC Guyanese man kills wife in murder-suicide

A

Guyanese couple, who got married in July, are now dead following an apparent murder-suicide in Queens, New York, on Friday night.

Dead are 27-yearold Donne Dojoy called Rehanna, and her 33-yearold husband, Dinhwar Budhidat.

According to the New York Daily News, at about 20:00h, law enforcement officers found Dojoy’s body with multiple stab wounds in her husband’s first-floor apartment on Albert Road near Whitelaw Street in Ozone Park.

Cops later found the man

NYPD officers emerge from the marsh at 83rd Ave and 165th Street in Spring Creek Park in Queens with the body of a man who stabbed his wife (New York Post photo)

hanging from a tree about 1 1/2 miles away in Spring Creek Park, south of the Belt Parkway.

The New York Daily

News reported that a hysterical family member alerted cops of the murder after Budhidat sent her a text saying he had killed his wife

Dinhwar Budhidat and Donne Dojoy in happier times (New York Post photo)

and was going to kill himself.

“He texted me he killed her. He didn’t tell me how.

Why me? Why’d he have to text me that? He’s such a damn coward,” the family member said. “Why’d he have to do that to the poor girl?” the relative questioned.

“The text, it was along the lines of ‘I killed her. I left her in the apartment and

I’m gonna go kill myself‚‘” said Yogindra Toolaram, one of Budhidat’s cousins.

“I got a phone call from my cousin who got the text,” he said. “She called me in a panic and we both rushed over here…Every relationship has problems,” said Toolaram. “I just didn’t think the problems would be big enough to result in such violence.”

The suspect and victim

were wed in July 2019.

Meanwhile, New York Post reported that Budhidat was arrested in August for strangling Dojoy.

The New York Post also reported Dojoy’s relatives as saying that Budhidat was insanely jealous of his wife’s love for Bollywood megastar Hrithik Roshan.

“She told me when she was at home watching a movie or listening to a song [with Roshan in it] he would ask her to take it off because he would get so jealous,” said Mala Ramdhani, 52, a karaoke singer at Gemini’s Ultra Lounge in Ozone Park, where Dojoy tended bar.

According to New York Post, on her last day alive, Friday, Dojoy — who had moved out two weeks prior — agreed to stop by their old Ozone Park apartment, on Albert Road, to watch a movie and “chill” with Budhidat before her evening bartending shift, said Andel Rodney, 29, a chef at the lounge.

news

17

SUnDAY, november 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Region 6 RDC reshuffles Linden money changer robbed Regional Tender Board T A

decision to replace a Councillor on the Regional Tender Board did not go down well with some members of the Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) Regional Democratic Council (RDC). In fact, Regional Chairman David Armogan expressed concern saying that something was amiss.

The decision was made known through correspondence from the Regional Executive Officer (REO) Kim Williams-Stephens to the RDC. In the correspondence, the REO quoted Section 19:02 of the National Procurement Act indicating that Councillor Zamal Hussain was removed from the Regional Tender Board.

According to the correspondence, it was the Regional Administration which made the decision to have Hussain removed.

However, when the RDC met on Thursday, Regional Chairman David Armogan expressed concern. He noted that the RDC did not have any such discussion and asked the RDC to assist with the interpretation of the term “Regional Administration” as stated in the law.

It was Husain who sought to bring about some clarity on the terminology.

Quoting Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan, Hussain said the REO is the accounting officer of the region who also functions as the clerk for the RDC. Going back to the law

as stated, Hussain argued that it clearly says that, “The Regional Administration must appoint two persons. It did not say the Regional Administrator,” he told the House.

“For example, the Granger Administration or the Jagdeo Administration. So, when the Act says the ‘Regional Administration’ it does not mean the REO. The REO is a creature of this law.”

According to the law, the National Tender Board will appoint three members on the Regional Board and the Regional Administration will select the other two persons to make up the five-person Tender Board.

Hussain reminded the REO that of the three persons appointed by the National Tender Board, he is one of them.

“So, the Regional Administration is not the REO who has to select the other two persons, it is the RDC. According to Bulkan, the supreme organ of Local Government is the RDC and not the REO. The work ‘administrator’ is different from the word ‘administration’,” Hussain pointed out.

Both Hussain and Phillip Rose were selected by the RDC to be on the Regional Tender Board along with the three persons appointed by the National Tender Board.

Both Rose and Hussain were removed as members of the Regional Tender Board and Rose was sub-

sequently reselected to serve on the Board.

Meanwhile, the correspondence did not say who had replaced Hussain on the Board. However, Rose has since resigned from the Tender Board, saying that the process in placing him there was undemocratic. He noted that it was the RDC that has the authority to appoint him and not the REO. Hussain went a bit further, saying that it would not ensure transparency if the Chairperson of the Tender Board chose two persons of his or her choice to serve on the Board when the Board consists of five persons.

“What scrutiny will you get?” he questioned.

Hussain said he is of the opinion that the reason for removing him and for the REO to select two persons of her choice was so that contracts can be given out to “friends and family”.

However, the REO held out that what was done was in accordance with the law and advised the RDC to seek clarity but the Chairman pushed to have the decision reversed.

A proposal was then put to the floor to have both Rose and Hussain join the other three coalition members on the Regional Tender Board.

The proposal was passed with no one objecting.

However, it is the National Tender Board that has the final say.

wo gunmen on Saturday evening robbed a Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) money changer.

Reports are at about 18:30h, money changer, Balram Bridgelall called “Peter” was walking towards his Wismar Housing Scheme, Linden home when the two men dressed in dark clothing – one clad in a hoodie and the other wearing a cloth across his mouth – pounced on him.

This newspaper was told that the 60-year-old man had just arrived at Wismar, where he exited a car at a popular wash bay and began walking towards his home when the incident occurred.

Reports are the man was about to enter his yard when he was confronted by the perpetrators, who pointed guns

to his chest and demanded that he hand over his money and valuables. Bridgelall hesitated to hand over his valuables and the gunmen discharged one round each into the air. In fear for his life, the money changer, who operates at the Mackenzie Market in Linden, handed over his bag containing $700,000 and a Nokia cellphone valued $45,000.

The gunmen then made ood their escape on foot by going north into Green Valley. No one was injured during the ordeal. Police who visited the scene recovered two 9mm shells. Several persons in the area were questioned in relation to the incident, however, no arrests have been made. Police have launched an investigation.

18 news

SUnDAY, november 10, 2019 | guyanatimesGY.com

Over $2M up for grabs in Sol SC backs Ram temple in Ayodhya, Guyana Christmas promotion gives Muslims nearly twice

Sales Executive, Retail of Sol Guyana, Renee ArmstrongJoseph along with employees of Shell Gas Station during the launching of the Christmas promotion

T

o make Christmas more of a winning season for its customers, Sol Guyana Incorporated has launched its “Win all your Christmas needs with Shell” promotion, which will see motor vehicle owners having a chance to win cash and prizes totalling over $2 million.

The end of year promotion which was launched on Friday is expected to run

from November 8, 2019, to December 20, 2019.

Customers who spend $3000 on fuel at any Shell Gas Station will receive a coupon for a chance to win the second prize of $500,000, the third prize of $250,000 or the grand prize of $1,000,000 this Christmas.

The promotion will also offer “festive Fridays”, with weekly draws for one month of free groceries, a month’s

free fuel, $30,000, Sol cooking gas and Christmas gifts.

Additionally, persons can visit any Shell service station during their happy hour, spend $5000 on fuel and get additional chances to win free groceries, fuel and cash, according to Sales Executive, Retail of Sol Guyana, Renee Armstrong-Joseph.

“Spend three thousand dollars during this promotion you’d get a chance to win one million dollars, $500,000, $250,000 and lots, lots more and if you don’t get a chance to win the grand prize…just drive into our station during our happy hour, you spend five thousand dollars and you get a chance to win one month groceries, one month fuel, $30,000 cash,” she briefly explained.

Meanwhile, ArmstrongJoseph, who was joined by radio personality, Curtis Armstrong, also known as DJ Casual, reminded that the promotion is aimed at enriching Guyana, and making this Christmas a rewarding one.

Marriott hosts customer appreciation cocktail

G

Some of the guests who were part of the customer appreciation cocktail

uyana Marriott’s annual customer appreciation events kicked off on November 4 and concluded on Saturday with patrons receiving prizes and being entertained at a cocktail event.

According to the Marriott, the event is a yearly occurrence that is celebrated globally at all Marriott franchises around the world. To cater and

give back to customers, loyal customers received prizes such as hotel stays, dinners, brunch certificates, a stay at the prestigious JW Marriott Cancun, and – partnering with American Airlines— a flight to Cancun for two persons.

This tradition began 25 years ago and is said to be a pillar of Marriott’s culture.

Themed “All white”, the

event at Guyana Marriott was held at the poolside where the guests indulged in food, cocktails, music and a live violin performance by a young Guyanese artist.

At the event, the Executive committee of the hotel, headed by the General Manager, Eduardo Reple, thanked all the customers for their business in his opening speech.

Correction G uyana Times on November 8, 2019, inadvertently published that the Energy Department

engaged civil bodies on Guyana’s Green Strategy when in fact it was the Environment Department

that hosted the event.

We do apologise for any inconvenience such an error may have caused.

disputed land for mosque

S

ettling a fractious issue that goes back more than a century, the Supreme Court in a historic verdict on Saturday backed the construction of a Ram temple by a trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya, and ruled that an alternative fiveacre plot must be found for a mosque in the Hindu holy town.

Delivering a unanimous judgement on a case that has long polarised the country and frayed the secular tapestry of Indian society, a five-Judge bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said the faith of Hindus that Lord Ram was born at the site was undisputed, and he is symbolically the owner of the land.

Yet, it is also clear that the destruction of the 16th century three-domed structure by Hindu kar sevaks, who want to build a Ram temple there, was a wrong that "must be remedied," the ruling said.

The judgement was widely welcomed by Hindu politicians and groups, while the Muslim leadership said they will accept the verdict, even though they described it as flawed. Still, they called for peace and calm, and leaders across the political spectrum noted that it was now time to move on.

"Whether it is devotion to Ram or Rahim, now is time for everybody to strengthen devotion to India," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet.

The dispute over the site of Babri Masjid, a threedomed mosque built by or at the behest of Moghul emperor Babur, dates back centuries with Hindus contending that the invading Muslim armies had razed an existing Ram temple to erect the mosque.

However, it turned into a legal dispute in 1885 when a mahant went to court seeking permission to build a canopy outside the mosque. The plea was dismissed. In December 1949, unidentified miscre-

ants spirited an idol of Lord Ram into the mosque. The structure was destroyed by a large mob of kar sevaks on December 6, 1992.

The demolition triggered nationwide Hindu-Muslim riots, more so in north India and Mumbai, which left many hundreds dead.

Subsequently, Muslim extremists angered by the demolition and the riots, carried out a series of bombings in Mumbai on March 12, 1993, which left hundreds dead.

"The Constitution must ensure that a wrong committed must be remedied. Justice would not prevail if the Court were to overlook the entitlement of the Muslims who have been deprived of the structure of the mosque through means which should not have been employed in a secular nation committed to the rule of law," the judgement said.

To remedy that wrong, the court asked the Government to allot a five-acre plot in a "prominent" location in the holy town of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh for constructing a new mosque.

The disputed 2.77-acre plot will, for now, remain with a Central Government receiver, who will hand it over to a Government-created trust that must be created within three months. The trust will be tasked with the construction of the temple.

The judgement said it is not concerned with faith and belief, and instead treated the case as a title dispute over land between three parties -- the Sunni Muslim Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara, a Hindu group, and the symbolic Lord Rama designated as Ram Lalla Virajman.

"The dispute is over immovable property. The court does not decide title on the basis of faith or belief but on the basis of evidence," the judgement said, delivered at the end of a marathon 40day hearing-- the second-longest in the history of the apex court.

Justice Gogoi is due to retire on November 17.

"On the balance of probabilities, there is clear evidence to indicate that the worship by the Hindus in the outer courtyard" has continued unimpeded even before 1857 when the British annexed Oudh region. "The Muslims have offered no evidence to indicate that they were in exclusive possession" of the mosque before 1857, it said.

"The faith of the Hindus that Lord Ram was born at the demolished structure is undisputed," it added.

The verdict in the politically-sensitive Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case, one of the most important and most anticipated judgements in India's history, runs into 1045 pages. The apex court bench also comprised Justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer.

There were no reports of violence or unrest from Ayodhya, where a massive Police Force was deployed, or any other part of the country.

The verdict was pronounced on 14 appeals filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land in Ayodhya be partitioned equally among the three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and 'Ram Lalla'.

The bench said the high court wrongly decided the title suit by resorting to partitioning of the disputed land in three parts.

"The disputed site was Government land in the revenue records," the court said adding," The fact that there lay a temple beneath the destroyed structure has been established by the Archaeological Survey of India(ASI) and the underlying structure was not an Islamic structure." (Excerpt from the Pioneer)

19 Youth Enhancement 10/10 Cricket set for today T sunday, november 10, 2019

he third edition of the Youth Enhancement 10/10 Cricket tournament is set for staging today at the Number 56 Village Community Center Ground on the Corentyne Coast in East Berbice.

The first edition was staged in May and the second in August.

The eight teams set to compete in this tournament are: Letter Kenny, Union, East Berbice Community Policing Group (CPG), Number 55 Village, Number 57 Village, Number 59 Village, Number 64 Village and Unstoppable.

Tournament Organiser Gobin Harbhajan, the Prime Minister’s Region 6 Representative, has said the idea is not just to play a cricket match, but to support youth enhancement in the community. He said that, moving around, he has heard of a number of young

people committing suicide, and has encountered a number of them with idle time, who get themselves involved in alcohol drinking and using illegal drugs.

“Making a start and taking the lead will help the youths to use their spare time to do something constructive,” Harbhajan said.

“My objective, as the PM’s Regional Rep. and RDC Counsellor, is to do something about the situation, because too many youths and adults have idle time, and we have so many abandoned playgrounds all over.”

Since the first tournament was held, several villagers have been asking for a repeat, and the business community has contacted him to indicate their interest in supporting similar initiatives.

“They have been encouraging me to continue with my drive, and they are will-

guyanatimesgy.com

ing to sponsor trophies and so on, to ensure that the idea grows and becomes successful,” Harbhajan revealed.

The sponsors of this initiative include; Suraj Ishwardiyal also called ‘Stanley’ of Number 64 Village, Dhankumar Bhowan called ‘Vishal’ of the USA, Shirley’s Supermarket of Number 58 Village, Sita’s Lumber Yard of Crabwood Creek and Nand Persaud Group of Companies.

“We have many NGOs in Guyana that just sit back, waiting for something to happen. With the high suicide rate and prevalence of illegal drugs, I believe my ides will make a huge impact in ensuring that youths make wise use of their spare time,” Harbhajan has said.

Admission to today’s event, which will be played on a knockout basis, is free.

The first game is expected to bowl off at 10:00h.

Some of the trophies up for grabs at today’s tournament

Fed Cup: Ashleigh Barty Kyle Lowry suffers fractured thumb in Raptors' hails “perfect match” as Australia draw win over Pelicans

K

yle Lowry suffered a fractured thumb and Serge Ibaka sustained an ankle injury in the Toronto Raptors' 122104 road win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Friday's victory, secured after a superb 44-point showing from inform Pascal Siakam that matched his career high, came at a cost for the defending NBA champions, who moved to 6-2 for the season.

X-rays confirmed Lowry, 33, suffered a small fracture in his left thumb when he was attempting to steal the ball from Pelicans center Derrick Favors in the first quarter.

The injury is unrelat-

ed to the surgery he had on the same thumb in the offseason and he will now see a hand specialist in Los Angeles on Saturday.

"It felt weird from the rip," said five-time All-Star Lowry, who initially tried to play on after the injury before leaving the game midway through the second quarter.

"I kept playing through it and kept playing through it. Originally, we thought it was something in the nail bed because the nail bed turned black and blue. It's a little more serious than a nail bed. I'll be fine."

Ibaka was in a walking boot after the game having suffered a severely sprained ankle as he contested a lay-

up from Brandon Ingram – who led the Pelicans with 27 points - late in the second quarter. He was visibly in pain as he lay on the court.

Head coach Nick Nurse said: "I didn't see what happened but the report is it is pretty bad."

The Raptors, who have impressed so far without the departed Kawhi Leonard, are now set to be shorthanded as they travel to take on the Los Angeles Lakers (7-1) on Sunday.

Injuries to the two regulars will lead to an even greater reliance on manof-the-moment Siakam and Lowry said of his teammate: "He is evolving into a superstar." (Sportsmaxx)

level against France

W

orld number one Ashleigh Barty hailed her "perfect match" in beating Caroline Garcia 6-0 6-0 to draw

Barty, who won the WTA Finals event last week.

"I think that's probably the best tennis match I've ever played in my life. And

what a place to do it! This is incredible.

"I'm so happy to be back here in Perth. I started my year here, so it's a hell of a

Barty took just 56 minutes to beat Garcia

Australia level in the Fed Cup final against France.

France had taken the lead when Kristina Mladenovic swept aside Ajla Tomljanovic 6-1 6-1 in Perth.

But Barty thrashed world number 45 Garcia in 56 minutes to even up the scores after Saturday's rubbers.

"I couldn't have asked for a more perfect match," said

way to finish it off too."

Barty will face French number one and world number 40 Mladenovic in Sunday's opening rubber before Garcia is scheduled to face world number 51 Tomljanovic.

The fifth and final rubber - if needed - will be a doubles match in which Barty is set to team up with Samantha Stosur. (BBC. COM)

20

guyanatimesGY.com

sunDAY, november 10, 2019

GFF extraordinary congress, elections…

Forde gets 2nd term at helm of Guyana football W

ith his slate running unopposed, Wayne Forde will serve a second term as President of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) following elections held at the GFF’s extraordinary congress yesterday morning.

This extraordinary congress, which raised many eyebrows and fuelled controversy in other sections of the media, was hosted on Saturday at the Pegasus Hotel.

The election saw only one slate contesting – the one being led by Forde –and that slate was re-elected with only one change being made to the executive committee.

Those returned to office are as follows: Julian Lovell, First Vice President (1stVP); Rawlston Adams, Second Vice President (2ndVP); Thandi McAllister, Third Vice President (3rdVP).

Executive Committee members returned to office are: Dion Inniss, Magzene Stewart, Rayan Farias, Carmel Williams; and newly elected member Terrence

Mitchell, who replaces Keith O’Jeer.

In the days leading up to the congress, many had asked questions regarding the legality of the elections being conducted.

After the elections, those qualms were put to rest by CONCACAF’s Chief Director of Member Associations, Marco Leal, who noted that the need for elections at an extraordinary congress is fully in compliance with FIFA rules. He also explained that current FIFA President Gianni Infantino was elected at an extraordinary congress.

“Just to inform you, in accordance (with) the statutes: First, there is no prohibition to host an election at an extraordinary congress. In fact, there’s a specific part in the statute of the extraordinary congress which speaks of elections at an extraordinary congress. So it is in conformity with the statute,” the CONCACAF representative detailed. ”Second, the (GFF) is supposed to hold their ordinary congress in May of the year.

GSCL/Prime Minister’s T20 Cup III…

Mr. Forde’s slate was selected four years ago in November, so holding the election in May of this year would have stolen many valuable months from his mandate. So it makes logical sense to hold the election later in the year, when his term is over,” he said.

In the spotlight once again, two-time President Forde shared some of his plans for his next tenure as GFF boss. While plans have been made to complete the National Training Center, the president disclosed that the new executive are focused on maintaining a tight budget.

“But, going into 2020, we’ve established a balanced budget, and it would be my job and the job of the board to hold the operation of the secretariat accountable to that budget. So we believe (that) in 2020 we will have a more stable financial situation, because we will not engage in some of the over-ambitious projects that we may have

engaged in in 2018 and 2019,” Forde noted.

Another issue on the GFF agenda is the hosting of tournaments within the member associations. Forde has promised that the member associations will be held accountable if they fail to meet their mandate.

“For the first six months of my tenure, we will be making investments finance-wise, capacity-wise and resource-wise, to help our members get to the level of organizing football within their jurisdiction.

Thereafter, we will hold our members accountable to the constitution of their jurisdiction, because each member of the GFF has a constitutional obligation to organize football, and we have been very accommodating to the challenges they’re experiencing,” the re-elected GFF Boss has affirmed.

(Jemima Holmes)

3-match, 30-over U-17 series…

Grill Masters, Regal All Stars Bacchus Bulls draw level with declared joint Open champions Wakenaam Cricket Team ꟷ Regal teams make clean sweep of titles in 2019 tournament

T

he third edition of the annual Prime Minister’s Twenty20 Softball Cup (PM T20 Cup) tournament concluded on Sunday, November 3, at the Everest Cricket Club ground, but questions continue to swirl over the result of the Open final, which ended prematurely.

The Legends and the Masters finals were played during the day, but the highly anticipated Open final between the Grill Masters of Berbice and Regal All Stars of Campbellville was scheduled to begin at 18:00h under artificial lights. Both teams were, however, hesitant to begin play under the eight floodlights, because two were alternating on and off while the others were just inadequate for the large outfield.

Nevertheless, being strongly encouraged by the mammoth crowd of spectators, the teams decided to begin the game, more so since the possibility of a reserve day was a difficult consideration for the hosts, the Georgetown Softball Cricket League Inc. (GSCL).

The Open final was eventually called off because of inadequate lighting, but at that stage, Grill Masters were 67-0 from seven overs, after Regal All Stars had won the toss and had invited Grill Masters to take first strike.

At the presentation ceremony following culmination of this tournament, host Inderjeet

Regal All Stars have won their first PM T20 Cup this year

Persaud told the audience, including acting Prime Minister the honourable Khemraj Ramjattan, that the teams were given two options: share the title, or return another day to have the match played solely in natural daylight.

However, up to the time when spectators left the venue, the teams had not agreed on a decision.

The GSCL issued a media release on Wednesday, November 13, declaring Grill Masters and Regal All Stars joint champions.

As such, the two teams would share the title and the prize money equally.

The GSCL release stated that: After more than 48 hours had passed since the match had ended abruptly; and after the teams had still not decided on the way forward; and since the GSCL had concluded that it was logistically challenging to replay the game another day, the best decision was for the teams to share the title and the prize money equally. Each of the two teams would be

considered the champion, and each would get G$300,000 for the win.

The GSCL has said that the three-day tournament -- in which 26 teams had participated and a total of 48 games had been played – had been well executed; and apart from the issue of lights on the final night, the tournament was a success.

The organizers are pledging that, unless the floodlight mechanism achieves a high standard of reliability, all future tournaments would be played only in daylight.

The result of the Open final therefore means that Regal teams have made a clean sweep of the titles this year. In the Legends Over50 categories, Regal Legends were crowned the first ever champions, since this is a new category that was introduced this year; while in the Masters’ category, Regal Masters took their third consecutive championship with an easy victory over Wellman Masters in the final.

The victorious Bacchus Bulls cricket team

A

ction in the second game of the threematch, 30-over under-17 cricket series -played between the Bacchus Bulls cricket team of Affiance, Essequibo Coast (Region Two) and the up-and-coming Wakenaam Cricket Team (Region Three) at the Wakenaam Community Centre Ground -- has resulted in the Bulls drawing level with the Wakenaam team after this second and equally thrilling 30-over match had been played.

Winning the toss and batting first, the Bulls compiled 200 for 6 in their 30 overs, with captain Sheldon Charles leading from the front in scoring 63 (3x6,4x4). He smashed the ball to every part of the ground as he showed his class and aggression when that show was most needed.

After his wicket had fallen, Nazeer Mohamed unleashed his natural aggression on the Wakenaam bowlers to leave them bewildered as he amassed 62 runs that consisted of eight sixes and three fours.

Then Govindra Tulsie contributed 38 (4x4).

Bowling for Wakenaam, R. Devon, S.

Mohandas & S. Toshal each picked up two wickets.

Responding to the mammoth total set before them, the Wakenaam team were bowled out for 115 in 21 overs, despite the Bulls giving away 25 extras.

Maintaining a solid line and length, the Bulls were so able to restrict the Wakenaam side that only D. Hansrajh with 43 (5x6,1x4) and R. Atkinson with 11 were able to offer any resistance.

Unable to form any worthwhile partnership to hold their innings together, the Wakenaam side succumbed to a panic attack and were bowled out for that paltry score.

Bowling for the Bulls, leg-spinner Kayshav Deonarine grabbed 3 for 15, while Sheldon Charles, Nazeer Mohamed and Raphael David each picked up two wickets.

The Bulls winning this second 30-over match means that a lively third game would characterize the final encounter of this series. That game is set for play at the Imam Bacchus Ground at Affiance, Essequibo Coast at a time to be announced later.

sunday, november 10, 2019

guyanatimesgy.com

21

Smalta Pee Wee Girls 11-and-Under…

CLASSIFIED ADS North Georgetown, St Stephen’s FOR SALE Left Hand Drive Toyota Corolla $380,000 neg. 680-3863 3 Caterpillar (326 D2L) Excavators for Sale, 2 Hyundai (300LC-95) Escalators for Sale. Escalator hours: 4,000 – 6,000 Hours. Price from: $18m - $22m (negotiable). Contact: 691-0131. Address: Opposite Massy Stores in Providence.

For sale as is, 2006 Nissan Bluebird Sylphy, $1.2M call 651-9620.

LAND FOR SALE

VACANCIES

Vacancy exists for one (1) Sales Supervisor. Must have experience in managing Sales personnel, implementing Sales strategies and delegating tasks and duties. Send C.Vs / applications to email: innovationsamericamng@gmail.com Vacancy exists for Salesman/ Saleswomen to work at Innovations America. Experience in Sales (Plumbing, Electrical and Hardware) is a necessity. Send application/C.Vs to email: innovationsamericamng@gmail.com

TRANSPORTED HOUSELOTS SARAH JOANNA EAST BANK DEMERARA # 673-9231 / 216-4063/ 685-5476

property for sale For Sale: 1 Greenheart Wooden Building Only. $230,000 price negotiable. Call: 501-3706/ 652-7454 Lot 90x90 excellent location at EBD, convenience, security and plenty privacy 12.5M. Has 2 family older house. WhatsApp 592-6013232 Property for Sale: 2 Huge Land

by Street Corner/ Public Road in Grove EBD. 2 Story Building on 1 Land and Bond on the other land, 100 x 99 or 9,940 Square Feet.

Ideal for Supermarket/ Hardware Store etc. For further info, Call: 694-6606.

TO LET For Rent: 2 Story Concrete House for Rental in residential gated community in Georgetown.

5 Bedrooms A/C, 5 Complete Bathroom, Hot and Cold Water, Backup Generator, Large Yard Space, 2 Living Room A/C, Office, 4 Patio, 2 Car Garage. Call Tel: 6946606 (serious enquires only) FOR RENT BY OWNER. 8000 sq ft of warehouse/office space on the BV (Beterverwagting) Public Rd, East Coast Demerara. Multiple air-conditioned offices. USD $4500 NEGOTIABLE. Call or Whatsapp 592-610-6580 To Rent: 1 Fully Furnished 2 Bedroom Apartment (Mosquito Screen, Wifi, Hot and Cold Shower, Security Camera , A.C). 154 Regent Oronoque St. G/Town.Call: 501-3706/ 652-7454

VACANCIES Handyman to assist with yard work, etc. $3,000 per day - 680-3863 Pump Attendant - 680-3863 Store Helper - 624-0033 • Lorry Driver/Salesman, • Van Driver/ Salesman. *Must have sound secondary education *Ages between 25-40 years. Call: 617-1809 Bill Payment Clerk - 624-0033 Driver for Water delivery - 680-3863 Porter for Water delivery - 680-3863 1 Live in Maid. Preferably Cuban or Venezuelan National. Salary: $80,000 Tel.: 639-2037 Sales Representative. 5 Subjects C.X.C, Good communication skills, Experience. MIMA Décor, 8th Sheriff Street. mimadecoro6@gmail.com.

226-0176.

Office Assistant. Proficient in Excel, 2 Years Experience minimum ,Knowledge of NIS/PAYE/PAYROLL. Apply to MIMA Décor, 8th Sheriff Street. mimadecor12@gmail.com.

226-0176

N

orth Georgetown Primary got off to a ripping start in the Smalta Pee Wee Girls’ 11and- Under Football competition when action in that tournament commenced at the Ministry of Education Ground on Carifesta Avenue yesterday morning.

The tournament was officially opened in the presence of its coordinators, Petra Organization, and contained a colourful and spirited march past.

“This is the platform for you to showcase your talents and skills. We are going to experience your strengths and weaknesses, but I assure you that, by the end of the tournament, those weaknesses will become strengths. I implore you to make use of the opportunities to meet friends, build relationships and play

Martha Chance completes a successful penalty

a good game,” Petra’s Jackie Boodie urged the young girls.

When the action began, Smith’s Memorial edged past St. Margaret’s in a 1-0 affair.

Fiona Gibbs tucked the ball into the back of the net in the 6th minute of the first half for the only goal of the game.

Another 1-0 encounter saw Redeemer Primary defeating Tucville Primary.

Timairra Reynolds scored

South/Central T20 Cricket…

7 teams record notable victories

spirituality & ASTROLOGY Are you having trouble with Health, Money/Love Life and Domestic Problems. Removal of Obstacles of any kind. Then I can help. Call / WhatsApp : 671-8919.

win big on opening day

Carlos Yhap blasts century in rainshortened match

NOT RECEIVING YOUR DAILY & SUNDAY

COPIES OF THE

GUYANA TIMES

in your area?

Contact our

Circulation Department on

Phone: 223-7230 EXT: 55

A

ction in the South/Central T/20 Cricket on the Essequibo Coast continued with Cotton Field Strikers, Reliance Hustlers, Bacchus Bulls, Affiance Sports Club, Rising Stars, Aurora Knight Riders and United Warriors recorded notable victories.

At Reliance Ground (Reliance Derby), Cotton Field Strikers won via the Duckworth Lewis method against the Rebels. Batting first, Cotton Field posted 200 for 3 in 15 overs (due to rain). Carlos Yhap hammered 101 not-out (10x6,5x4) and Rajiv Kissoon 44 not-out (2x6,3x4). Rebels were 38 for 3 when the rain came.

Earlier, at the same venue, Reliance Derby, Reliance Hustlers defeated Reliance Sports Club by 28 runs. Winning the toss and batting first, Reliance Hustlers made 117 for 6 in 15 overs (due to rain).

Mark Austin made 25 (2x6,2x4) and Trevis Simon 20 (2x6, 1x4).

Bowing for Reliance Sports were Elroy Stephaney with 3 for 12 and Prem Persaud with 2 for 23.

In reply Reliance Sports posted 89 all out in 15 overs, with Elroy Stephaney making 18 and Rakesh Doodnauth 14. Abdul Nadir bagged 3 for 11, and Trevis Simon 3 for 14.

At Imam Bacchus Ground: Bacchus Bulls defeated Queenstown Sports Club by 10 wickets. Winning the toss and batting first, Queenstown made 96 for 9 in 20 overs. Mahesh Itwaru made 21 (2x4) and Ameed Ally 17. Extras accounted for 25.

Bowling for Bacchus Bulls Neiland Codogan claimed 3 for 14, Sheldon Charles 3 for 22 and Punraj Singh 2 for 22. Bacchus Bulls raced to their total, scoring 100 without loss in 7.4 overs. Wayne Osborne made 48 not-out (2x6,8x4) and Parmesh Parsotam made 41 not-out (7x4).

At Affiance Ground: Home team Affiance Sports Club defeated NOC by 14 runs. Winning the toss and batting first, Affiance made 143 for 7 in 20 overs. Sanjay Rajkumar made 80 not-out (6x6, 5x4) and Hemant Boodnie Singh made 22 (2x6,1x4). Bowling for NOC, Joel Fortune took 4 for 22, while Anthony and Akenie Adams each took a wicket.

NOC could muster only 129 in 19 overs, with Anthony Adams scoring 51 (3x6,2x4), Joel Fortune 22 (1x6,2x4) and Akinie Adams 15 (2x4). Bowling for Affiance Sports, Himant Boodnie Singh took 4 for 25 and Amit Persaud took 2 for 30.

At Golden Fleece Ground, United Warriors defeated home team Golden Fleece by 88 runs. Winning the toss and batting first, United Warriors scored 181 all out in 19.3 overs, with Captain Sydney Richards making 71 (5x6,8x4), SV Dusrajh 22 (2x6,2x4), and S. Boucher 18 (1x6,3x4).

Bowling for Golden Fleece, L. Surujpaul took 3 for 36, and S. Horilall and R. Roberts each contributed 2 wickets. Golden Fleece could score only 93 all out in 16.2 overs, with L. Surujpaul making 20 (1x6,3x4) and Nandkishore 15 (1x6,1x4).

Bowling for United Warriors, S. Boucher took 4 for 11, and R. Persaud & S. Anthony each took 2 wickets.

At Pomona Ground: (Match 1): Rising Stars defeated Crown X1 by 8 wickets in a game reduced to 15 overs because of rain. Inserted to bat, Crown X1 made 103 for 9 in 15 overs, with Ramnarine Ragobar scoring 25 (2x4), N. Ally 20 (1x6,1x4) and Tamesh Deonarine 15 (2x4).

Bowling for Rising Stars, Rohan Ramdhanie took 3 for 33, and Otis Roberts, Ricardo Peters, Corty Jones and Latchman Rohit each took a wicket. Rising Stars posted 105 for 2, with National Under-15 player Marvin Dindayal making 43 not-out (6x4) and Ricardo Peters 19 (1x6,1x4).

At Pomona Ground: (Match2): Aurora Knight Riders got a walk over from GT Warriors.

just before the first-half whistle went in the 20th to secure her teams close win.

St Stephen’s Primary trounced Marian Academy 3-0 when they met for their first encounter. Blessing Thompson opened the scoring in the 2nd minute of play, and St Stephens held on to their advantage into the second half. Then Caitlyn La Rose extended the margin with a brace of goals in the 24th and 29th minutes for the 3-0 victory.

In what was probably the most exhilarating game of the day, North Georgetown schooled F. E. Pollard with a 7-0 win. Martha Chance led the pack with a helmet trick, and her team mates contributed singles to achieve the mammoth tally.

Jasmine Burke netted the first in the 3rd and Bianca Skekel added her name to the score sheet in the 5th. An infraction inside the box al-

lowed North Georgetown to take a penalty kick, which was taken by Chance, who connected it cleanly to begin her string of goals. Kendra Moore (11) and Chance (12) netted back-to-back goals to push the score to 5-0 by the half.

In the second half, Chance scored in the 25th and 28th for the resounding win.

Defending champions West Ruimveldt met their match in the encounter with Genesis Primary, and fought hard to register a win. That, however, was not to be, as regulation time expired with the scores deadlocked, resulting in a draw.

Other results for the day saw South Ruimveldt Primary gaining a walkover instead of facing Timehri Primary. The Girls’ Pee Wee action will continue next Saturday, November 16.

(Jemima Holmes)

Enterprise Busta T20 festival set for significant return on November 16

Chanderpaul Tickaram receiving sponsorship cheque from Busta’s Raymond Govinda

T

he Enterprise Cricket Club, home of Bhaskar Yadram and Rajendra Chandrika, among other East Coast sensations, will host the 10th edition of their T20 final.

On Friday last, Busta renewed sponsorship of the East Coast-based cricket club, with the tournament set to commence from November 16, weather permitting.

At the launch, Secretary of the Enterprise Busta Sports Club, Chanderpaul Tickaram, thanked the entire Busta company and declared that, for over 13 years, this cricket club has been partnering with the Guyana Beverages Company under its Busta Brand for the development of youths.

“Through the vision of past Presidents, this blossoms into reality for the cricketers”, Tickaram.

This T20 festival will feature 16 teams across the East Coast. Teams interested should contact Tickaram on 614 -4444 or Vishaul on 641-4171.

Tickaram said that players are given a chance to show their talent, and the likes of Zaheer Mohamed, Kavita and Kamesh Yadram, along with Chandrika and Bhaskar have emerged.

Despite the politics involved in sport, Tickaram said, he and Enterprise SC would continue to see youths develop.

“We have also been involved with the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports ‘Say Yes to Education, Life, Sports and Say No to Drugs and Negative activities’ initiative, and we will continue this year”, Tickaram added.

22

guyanatimesgy.comom

SUnDAY, november 10, 2019

2019 Colonial Medical Insurance Regional Super50 Cup…

Red Force cruise to 6-wicket win over Jaguars T

rinidad and Tobago Red Force made it two wins in as many matches this season of the Colonial Medical Insurance Regional Super50 Cup when they defeated Guyana Jaguars by six wickets at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

Chasing Jaguars’188 for victory in 43 overs, Red Force ended victorious on 191-4 in 36 overs, complements of Tion Webster’s 87.

Earlier, Guyana Jaguars had managed 187-9 in their allotted 43 overs. Jonathan Foo, who is batting all the way at number seven, top-scored with 36 from 31 balls, including two sixes and two fours. Ramaal Lewis was run out for 28, while Raymon Reifer (26) shared a 49-run partnership with Foo. After the rain break at 11-1, when Jaguars lost Tagenarine Chanderpaul for seven, it was Christopher Barnwell who gained promotion at number three post the

rain interval.

Barnwell managed 24 from 51 balls, while skipper Leon Johnson scored 22 and Chandrapaul Hemraj scored 21 in an ordinary batting display from the Jaguars.

Bowling for the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, right-arm fast bowler Anderson Phillip had 4-44 in nine overs of good pace.

Yannick Ottley and Jason Mohamed had one wicket each for the Red Force.

In reply, Red Force openers Tion Webster and Jeremy Solozano pounced on the Jaguars bowlers, adding 124 runs for the opening partnership in 18.1 overs. Solozano, who scored a century in the opening round, was the first one dismissed, for 39, when he was caught by Hemraj off Verasammy Permaul.

Webster slammed three sixes and 11 fours in his knock of 87 from 60 balls, before he found Barnwell off Lewis.

The third Red Force wicket fell when West Indies out-of-favour batsman Kyle Hope, the older of the Hope brothers, ran past one for four off the bowling of Permaul, and Kemol Savory’s sharp glove work had him heading back to the pavilion. An assured Darren Bravo and Jason Mohamed took Red Force across the line to end on 1914 in 36 overs. Mohamed ended on 28 and Bravo scored an unbeaten 26. Jaguars will meet USA on Monday November 11 from 13:30h at the Queen’s Park Oval in their third match of the tournament.

Veerasammy Permaul picked up two quick wickets

GBA reveals CBC contingent

Ramaal Lewis had a blitz with the bat, and had good returns with the ball

Pollard praises Pooran for mature batting K

ireon Pollard has done what former West Indies white-ball captain Jason Holder failed to do: lead West Indies to a win in a bilateral series for the first time in five years.

The West Indies have wrapped up the One Day International (ODI) series against Afghanistan in Lucknow, India with one match to spare.

After the win, Captain Pollard expressed his satisfaction with Nicholas Pooran’s efforts.

Nicholas Pooran, the Guyana Amazon Warriors player who hails from Trinidad, had impressed at the ICC Cricket World Cup, and has shown a great amount of maturity.

Speaking to Cricket West Indies media, Pollard said Pooran’s player-of-the-match innings of 67 was a special one.

“It’s not surprising by Pooran’s results, because of the work he put on the field. He has not played many games, but has shown that level of maturity”, Pollard disclosed.

He added that the first four or five West Indies batsmen are set to bat long, but

T

he Guyana Amateur Boxing Association has announced the squad of pugilists that would represent Guyana at the Caribbean Boxing Championship in Guyana?s bid to retain the title.

The Championships will be hosted from December 4- 9 in Trinidad and Tobago, and will see over 20 Guyanese pugilists participating. While the boxers have been selected, the presence of powerhouse fighters Keevin Allicock, Desmond Amsterdam, Colin Lewis and Dennis ?The Menace?

Thomas will depend on availability.

The coaches accompanying the Guyanese contingent are Terrence Poole Ms, Sebert Blake, Steele Crawford and Joseph Murray.

The complete list of boxers is as follows:

1. Mark Crawford: lightweight, 60kg 2.Richard Howard: bantamweight,56kg 3.Abiola Jackman: welterweight,69kg 4.Alex Butcher: jnr welterweight,63kg Kieron Pollard

Pooran’s role is about changing that tempo and clearing the boundary as well.

“He came in and got his eyes in, and he stayed there to the end. And we ask that one guy get that big fifty for us, and he did it”, Pollard explained.

The left-handed Pooran has played 15 matches for the West Indies and has scored 514 runs at an average of 46.72. Pooran has one century, notched up at the ICC Cricket World Cup, and three half-centuries in his blooming career. (Brandon Corlette)

5.Emanuel Pompey: middleweight,75kg 6.Patrick Harvey: jnr lightweight,60kg 7. Kevon Mullin: welterweight,69kg 8. Alesha Jackman Elites Junior Flyweight: 49kg 1.Quacy Abrams: champion 2.Richard Subratee: runner-up Flyweight: 52kg 3. Seon Griffith Bantamweight:56kg

4. Jullius Kesney: champion 5. Asheer Al Azeem: runner-up Featherweight:57kg 6. Keevin Allicock: Champion 7.Teusimar Peters: runner-up

Lightweight:60kg 8.Delroy Fordyce: runner-up 9. Shemar Halley:on standby Lightweight:63kg 10. Colin Lewis: champion 11. Dewani Lampkin: runner-up Junior welterweight:64kg 12.Orlando Grenville

Welterweight:69kg 13.Kevin Mckenzie: champion 14 Cranston Mcallister: runner-up Middleweight:75kg 15.Desmond Amsterdam: champion 16. Aluko bess: runner-up Light heavyweight: 17.Dennis thomas: champion 18. Markember Pierre: runner-up

Heavyweight:91kg 19. Daren France: champion 20.Omar Sukhdeo: runner-up

Super heavyweight:91+kg 21. Kevin Hunte: champion 22. Anthonio Williams: runner-up 23.Steven Chan: stand-by

guyanatimesgy.com

sunDAY, november 10, 2019

23

West Indies win 1st ODI series in 5 years W

est Indies overcame a spirited Afghanistan fight fuelled by Najibullah Zadran’s half-century to win their first ODI series since August 2014. The key architects of their win in the second ODI were Nicholas Pooran and Roston Chase the former leading an excellent lower-order rally to make 67 while the off-spinning all-rounder nicked out Afghanistan’s top order in a superb spell of 3 for 30 to put the brakes on their scoring, eventually resulting in a 47-run win.

Afghanistan would rue a number of missed opportunities, not least of all the double-strike following a sixth-wicket stand of 68 between Najibullah and Mohammad Nabi.

Then, to turn the scales, Sheldon Cottrell had Najibullah nicking behind for 56 while attempting a slash. Needing 70 off 66 at that stage, leg-spinner Hayden Walsh had Nabi lbw next ball to extinguish any hopes of an Afghanistan rearguard.

Walsh, who was introduced only in the 29th over, seemingly because Afghanistan had two set left-handers, finished with 3 for 36, including the final wicket to seal victory when Sharafuddin Ashraf holed out to Shimron Hetmyer at deep midwicket.

The match was a throwback in a sense to the ‘90s.

West Indies went in with a slow and steady approach, looking to launch later. The risk with that approach is it puts immense pressure on the lower order to score quickly from the outset. On challenging surfaces like the one at the Ekana Stadium, where Afghanistan played four spinners and West Indies two, it becomes a bigger challenge. Fortunately, West Indies found a savior in Pooran, who negotiated Rashid Khan’s threat with great caution, before taking apart the bowlers in the death, putting a high value on riskfree shots initially, before seamlessly bringing out the big hits, the last 10 overs producing 86 runs to lift West Indies to 247 for 9.

In the chase, Afghanistan stuttered, recovered, and played rash shots like the one Hazratullah Zazai did to hole out at long-on, and Asghar Afghan, the experienced former captain, heaved one to deep midwicket when the need of the hour was consolidation.

Rahmat Shah looked in control, and overcame a short-ball barrage from Jason Holder to keep the runs chugging along. While he wasn’t quite as comfortable while pulling or hooking, his cuts and punches square of the wicket were a visual treat, but his dismissal against the run of play threatened to blow the lid off.

Sent back after a terrible mix-up with Alikhil, he was inches short of the crease when Pollard swooped in from mid-on to fire a throw to Alzarri Joseph, who removed the bails at the non-striker’s end.

Alikhil a n d

Najibullah hung in there. The escalating asking rate that went past six; not a bother, and with the knowledge that Nabi was still to come, they kept picking the ones and twos as they looked to take the game deep.

Najibullah’s half-century was an innings of two contrasts - watchful early on, until he decided he had to take on the train of spin by reverse sweeping his way, sometimes even against the turn, to boundaries. He reached his half-century by drilling Holder through extra cover, and swatting him over long-on in the same over to give West Indies a brief flutter until the 38th over, before he fell.

As comprehensive a s the

Evin Lewis

Rashid sneaked past his bat with a ripping googly to trap him lbw.

Lewis was out in the next over, leaving Chase and Hetmyer with a steep task.

Hetmyer played an uncharacteristic knock, shelving the slogs and the temptation to look for release shots when things didn’t go his way, but that was only until he got to 34. After lofting Nabi inside-out over longoff for six, he flat-batted the next ball straight to long-on to once again waste another opportunity. That it came off the last ball of Nabi’s spell

made it that much more unacceptable from West Indies’ point of view.Pollard walked in needing to stay alive till the death overs, but he was foxed by left-arm spinner Sharafuddin Ashraf, reaching out to lob a simple return catch. On many other nights, it could’ve led to a proper meltdown and the difference between victory and defeat. Fortunately, West Indies had Pooran’s lower order rally to thank for lifting them to a total that proved just beyond Afghanistan’s reach.

(Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD Team West Indies

win seemed in the end, it wouldn’t tell you the entire story. West Indies struggled with the bat, strangulated by a succession of fast darts and fizzy turns. They played out as many as 143 dots till the 36th over, before deciding the only way out was to attack. It could’ve well cost them, if not for Pooran’s rescue act.

Early on, Shai Hope and Ewin Lewis decided to take it slow and set a launchpad by accumulating 98 in 24.4 overs for the first wicket.

Naveen-ul-Haq, the only seamer in the XI, struggled for lengths and was smacked for four boundaries by Hope in his first two overs, until Rashid turned to spin. A pulsating start soon turned into a solid one, before the innings failed to move out of second gear.

From time-totime, Lewis produced the odd

boundary. He sat on his left leg and looked to stay back, and when the spinners erred, it helped him take full toll by either pulling or sweeping.

Hope, meanwhile, got bogged down.

After motoring to 18 off 18, he managed all of 13 off his next 33 deliveries against Afghanistan’s s p i n n e r s .

However, he was to contend with more spin, which

Nicholas Pooran

brought more caution, which eventually had him when

West Indies Innings SD Hope † lbw b Rashid Khan 43 E Lewis b Javed Ahmadi 54 SO Hetmyer c Javed Ahmadi b Mohammad Nabi 34 RL Chase b Mujeeb Ur Rahman 9 N Pooran c Sharafuddin Ashraf b Naveen-ul-Haq 67 KA Pollard (c) c & b Sharafuddin Ashraf 3 JO Holder run out (Mujeeb Ur Rahman/†Ikram Alikhil) 9 R Shepherd c Sharafuddin Ashraf b Naveen-ul-Haq 6 AS Joseph not out 1 HR Walsh c Rashid Khan b Naveenul-Haq 4 Extras 17 (lb 6, w 11) TOTAL 247/9 (50 Overs, RR: 4.94) Fall of wickets: 1-98 (Shai Hope, 24.4 ov), 2-106 (Evin Lewis, 25.6 ov), 3-137 (Roston Chase, 34.3 ov), 4-156 (Shimron Hetmyer, 37.6 ov), 5-160 (Kieron Pollard, 39.3 ov), 6-182 (Jason Holder, 43.1 ov), 7-232 (Romario Shepherd, 47.5 ov), 8-242 (Nicholas Pooran, 49.2 ov), 9-247 (Hayden Walsh, 49.6 ov)

Afghanistan Innings (target: 248 runs from 50 overs) Hazratullah Zazai c Cottrell b Cha se 23 Javed Ahmadi c & b Cottrell 0 Rahmat Shah run out (Pollard/ Joseph) 33 Ikram Alikhil † c Holder b Chase 19 Asghar Afghan c Lewis b Chase 3 Najibullah Zadran c Pooran b Cottrell 56 Mohammad Nabi lbw b Walsh 32 Rashid Khan (c) st Pooran b Walsh 2 Sharafuddin Ashraf c Hetmyer b Wal sh 13 Mujeeb Ur Rahman c Shepherd b Cottrell 0 Naveen-ul-Haq not out 8 Extras 11 (lb 8, nb 1, w 2) TOTAL 200 all out (45.4 Overs, RR: 4.37) Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Javed Ahmadi, 0.5 ov), 2-54 (Rahmat Shah, 13.6 ov), 3-61 (Hazratullah Zazai, 14.4 ov), 4-79 (Asghar Afghan, 18.2 ov), 5-109 (Ikram Alikhil, 26.6 ov), 6-177 (Najibullah Zadran, 38.6 ov), 7-177 (Mohammad Nabi, 39.1 ov), 8-184 (Rashid Khan, 41.5 ov), 9-185 (Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 42.3 ov), 10200 (Sharafuddin Ashraf, 45.4 ov)

BOWLING Mujeeb Ur Rahman Naveen-ul-Haq Sharafuddin Ashraf Mohammad Nabi Rashid Khan Javed Ahmadi

BOWLING SS Cottrell JO Holder RL Chase AS Joseph R Shepherd KA Pollard HR Walsh

O 10 9 9 10 10 2

M 1 0 1 2 0 0

R 52 60 37 37 45 10

W 1 3 1 1 1 1

O M R W 9 0 29 3 10 1 52 0 10 0 30 3 6 0 22 0 3 0 22 0 1 0 1 0 6.4 0 36 3

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

GFF extraordinary congress, elections…

Page 23

Page 20

West Indies Forde gets 2nd term at helm win 1st ODI series in 5 years of Guyana football 2019 Colonial Medical Insurance Regional Super50 Cup…

Smalta Girls’ Pee Wee Pg 21

Pg 22

Red Force cruise to 6-wicket win over Jaguars big on opening day GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, NEWS HOTLINE: 231-8063 EDITORIAL: 223-7230, 223-7231, 231-0544, 225-7761 SPORT: sport@guyanatimesgy.com SALES AND MARKETING: 231-8064 - lezas@guyanatimesgy.com - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC.

November 10, 2019

TIMES BOLLYWOOD:

Page 14

Ranveer Singh says Deepika Padukone asked why he hides his serious side FREE DISTRIBUTION

STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

10 Sunday Times Magazine

november 10 2019

guyanatimesgy.com

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 10, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine 11

Recipes

Two-Bean Sloppy Joes Inspiring Living Room Decorating Ideas

INGREDIENTS • 1 can each black-eyed peas and red

kidney beans • 1 1/2 cup marinara sauce • 1 can no-salt-added diced tomatoes

in juice • 1/2 cup each frozen cut green beans

and chopped green bell pepper • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce • 2 tsp red-wine vinegar • 1 1/2 tsp chili powder • 4 hamburger rolls

Whether it's a complete overhaul or a quick refresh, spice up the family's favorite room with these pro tips.

Colorful Light Fixture Update an unattractive, outdated light fixture with a few coats of paint, round bulbs and pom-pom fringe for a whimsical touch. Strong colors overhead pull together the room's eclectic vibe.

Tilted Mirror

For a laid-back look on your mantel, rest a sturdy style against the wall – no hammering required.

DIRECTIONS Bean Mixture: Bring all ingredients to a boil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, partially cover skillet and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes until green pepper is tender. Spoon onto roll bottoms; replace tops.

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Shells

INGREDIENTS • 1 cup low-sodium cottage cheese • 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese or Parmesan • 2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest • 4 oz mozzarella, coarsely grated (about 1 1/4 cup) • 1 10-oz. pkg frozen broccoli, thawed, squeezed of excess moisture and chopped • 1 cup baby spinach, roughly chopped • 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped • 3 cups marinara sauce • 16 large shells, uncooked • Green salad, for serving

Lush Leaves

Fill any underused nook or corner with a big, ol' houseplant and it can instantly become the personality-packed focal point of the room. Tuck the pot in a cute basket for an extra punch.

Slate and Copper

Mix metallic accents (we see you, adorable end table) with traditional wood pieces for added depth to your living room decor.

DIRECTIONS 1. In a large bowl, combine the cottage cheese, Romano, lemon zest, and

1⁄2 cup mozzarella; fold in the broccoli, spinach and parsley.

2. In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine 2 cups marinara and 1⁄2

cup water. Fill the shells with the cottage cheese mixture (about 3

tablespoons per shell), using the side of the spoon to push and pack

in the filling. Place the filled shells in the slow cooker, then spoon the

remaining cup of sauce on top. Sprinkle with the remaining

mozzarella and cook, covered, on low until the shells are tender, 2 to

2 1⁄2 hours.

3. Spoon on to plates and serve with a green salad, if desired.

Cheesy Stuffed Peppers with White Beans INGREDIENTS • 4 bell peppers • 2 tbsp. olive oil • Kosher salt and pepper • 1 large onion • 3 cloves garlic • 1 package fresh spinach • 1 can small white beans • 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice • 4 oz. part-skim mozzarella • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (1 oz) • 1 cup marinara sauce DIRECTIONS 1. Heat broiler. Cut the peppers in half through the stem and discard

the seeds. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the peppers with 1 Tbsp

oil and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper. Arrange cut-side down and

broil for 3 minutes. Turn and broil until beginning to soften, 3

minutes more. Pour off any accumulated liquid. Reduce the oven

temperature to 425°F. 2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining Tbsp oil in a large skillet over

medium heat. Add the onion and cook, covered, stirring

occasionally, until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook

for 1 minute.

3. Add the spinach and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper to the skillet

and cook, tossing, until beginning to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove

from heat and fold in the beans and lemon juice, then the

mozzarella and Parmesan.

4. Spread the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13-in. baking

dish. Dividing evenly, fill the peppers with the bean mixture (about

1/2 cup each), then place on top of the sauce in the baking dish.

Bake until the peppers are tender and the cheese has melted, 4 to

6 minutes.

Velvet Sofa

Make the living room feel airer (and infinitely bigger) by replacing a bulky sectional with pretty seating.

Besides, what feels more luxe than velvet?

Navy Walls

Give beige a break.

Dramatic hues can drench a large living room, like this inky wallpaper. The deep blue provides a surprisingly neutral backdrop.

Chic Storage

Need space, stat? Swap boring shelving for more decorative options, then load up on fabric boxes or baskets to hide an overflow of knick knacks.

12 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 10, 2019

Puzzles

ACROSS 1 6 10 15 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 32 34 36 37 40 41 42 44 48 49 50 53 55 56 58 59 61 63 64 65 66 67 69 70 71 74 75 78 81 82 83 84 86 87 89 93 94 95 96 97

Lifeboat hoist Tarzan's transport Pop up Beauty's companion Protein-building acid Interlaced Finds a tenant Dragon puppet Cow's feet Emmy or Oscar Twitter Lariat Fragrant shrub Martial art Good seance holder (2 wds.)

Sturdy envelope Seize forcibly Tribute in verse Hobgoblin USN rank Blond shade Mineral find Yawn-provoking Formal vote Sticky fruit "Who loves ya, --" Newsstand Guanabara Bay port Garage squirter Pay-stub acronym Flakes off Local movie theaters Like some prospects Wahine's welcome Felt grateful Take back Voice mail unit "Tres --, monsieur!"

Vitality Be gloomy Speaker pro -Robert Urich TV role Longest lasting Honor society letter Seafood choice Nth deg.

Refs' cousins Was in front Boss Utter delight Grant foe "Fret" and "worry" (abbr.)

Hearth fuel Bohemian Vast

100 102 103 104 108 109 110 111 112 113 115 116 117 118 120 121 123 124 125 127 129 131 136 138 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

For some time Wee parasite Night watchman Where pews are Prepare shrimp Bat's navigation system Joule fractions Gerbil or chipmunk "Ulalume" poet Light incense to Pretend to be Outlaw Non-creepy creeper Margarita rim Taiga denizen Hot tub Links goal Deep black "Norma --" Fishing net "Amadeus" subject Moves to rap The best dishes Down the road Half diameters Perch Alpha opposite Enter traffic Model's need Gambling game Solitude enjoyer Extreme edge No rocket scientist Welles or Bean To be, to Brutus Davis of "Evening Shade" Author Roald -Pierre's "Mine!"

Baroque instr.

Disgrace Puccini opera Alphabet five Trump ex Brain, maybe Provide capital Foot parts Discuss some more Clumsy Ladder rung Glimpse from afar Tired of it all "Forgot" a letter Jai -In -- (as found) Dogsled pullers

KATHLEEN SAXE

WORD GAME TODAY'S WORD -- HAMSTER (HAMSTER HAM-ster: A Eurasian rodent often kept as a pet.)

Average mark 55 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 62 or more words in HAMSTER? TODAY'S WORD -- HAMSTER

hare harem harm hart haste hate hater hear heart heat hers ahem arms aster mare marsh

mart maser mash masher mast master mate math meat mesa mesh same sate seam sear seat

seta sham shame share shear smart smear star stare steam stem stream tame tamer tare team

tear term them therm tram trash tsar earth east rase rash rate ream rest

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.

21 31 33 35 37 38 39 42 43 45 46 47 49 50 51 52 53 54 57 58 59 60 62 64 66 68 69

Kind of hours Family members Herr's refusal Starfish arm TGIF party request Maurice's eye Freighter hazard Apply gold leaf Selene's sister In a suave manner Mortgage, e.g.

Going around in circles Like some furs Library sect.

Joint problems Moo companion Nancy Drew author Mournful tolls Checked in Afire, in a restaurant Sharp ends Wool sources Police sch.

Between ports Examine a case again Walked purposefully Fasten a rope

71 72 73 76 77 79 80 82 85 88 90 91 92 94 98 99 100 101 102 103 105 106 107 109 111 114 115

Dashboard info Gloating cry Wind toy Tinker with Kings and queens Upper house mem.

NFL scores Spiny cactus Beowulf's drink Mattress part Mutinied ship Tijuana Ms. Not mine A whole lot Hamster's digs Barge -- -Deadly snakes Cowboy shout Mindy's boarder Earth, in combos Leaf's rib Begrudge Charon's river Note before la -- avis Lockbox document Poor review

116 119 121 122 123 124 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 137 139 140 141

Rummage sale Teaches an animal Deals with (2 wds.)

Engine part Wild silk Not us Go fly -- --!

Kilt wearers Quebec school Demeanors Stallone role Carpet nail Hit the ceiling First orchard?

Guthrie of folk music Koh-i- -- diamond Med. plans Goddess of strife Hindu god of fire Hockey feint

See Solution on page 14

guyanatimesgy.com

november 10, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine 13

Fashion

14 Sunday Times Magazine A

ctor Ranveer Singh is known for his quirky and fun persona but his wife and actor Deepika Padukone knows there is more to him than meets the eye. In a recent interview with Vogue magazine, Ranveer revealed that he is actually an intense and serious person and even Deepika wonders why he hides that side from the world.

Asked about his bold style, Ranveer said, “I was brought up by strong women. My soul is feminine.” He added, “I know I can be a very intense person. A serious person. A while ago, my wife asked me why I hide this side of myself. I had no answer for her then.”

Ranveer, however, added that he loves ‘being the clown’. “But I am also that person I project. I enjoy wearing those clothes. I enjoy being stupid and being the clown. I can laugh at myself.”

Deepika and Ranveer

got married in November last year in Italy’s Lake Como.

They dated for seven years before tying the knot in a very private ceremony. Before that, they worked together in four films--Ram-Leela, Bajirao Mastani, Padmaavat and Finding Fanny.

The couple will soon be seen together in Kabir Khan’s ‘83. The film is based on India’s first cricket World Cup victory in 1983. Ranveer plays former team captain Kapil Dev while Deepika plays his wife Romi. 83 also features Tahir Raj Bhasin, Ammy Virk, Hardy Sandhu, and Chirag Patil among others. The film is co-produced by Reliance Entertainment, Phantom Films and Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment.

Ranveer will also be seen in Karan Johar’s Takht and

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 10, 2019

I

Jayeshbhai Jordaar.

Deepika, meanwhile, will be first seen in Meghna Gulzar’s Chhapaak, which releases on January 10.

Deepika plays an acid attack survivor in the film, which also stars actor Vikrant Massey. She also has the Mahabharata movie, in which she plays Draupadi. It will release on Diwali 2021. (Hindustan Times)

t is hard to imagine the Munna Bhai series (2003 and 2007) without Circuit. And undoubtedly, the credit to make this character a household name goes to Arshad Warsi. The actor, who won the hearts of the audiences with his comic timing and dialogue delivery, has clearly carved a niche for himself in the industry and especially in the genre of comedy.

Even though Arshad has been a part of the industry for almost three decades now, things took a turn for the good in the recent years.

Ever since his portrayal of Circuit in Munna Bhai MBBS (2003), he has done a number of films, but almost all of them in the same genre — comedy.

Ask him if he was at any point nervous of being typecast, and he says, “No body offers me anything apart from comedy. I have been here in the industry for a

while now and I really don’t care of being typecast. I am going on and on and I won’t stop. It really doesn’t matter to me.”

He further adds that actors should not be worried about being typecast, but about their acting skills. “I think an actor should have a problem only if he/she doesn’t know how to act. If you know how to act, you should never worry about being typecast. As long as they are casting you it’s fine,” he says.

Arshad, who has been a part of multi starrer movies too, will be next seen in Anees Bazmee’s Pagalpanti.

The Golmaal (2008) actor says that he loves working with and ensemble cast.

What does he think of the current state of comedy in Bollywood? He says, “I am sorry to say this, but it has become worse. There are very few writers who write original comedy. Most

W

hat is it that drives the multitalented superstar Lady Gaga to keep reinventing herself to entertain the masses?

“I have a responsibility to the world,” the Grammy and Oscar winner tells Oprah Winfrey in the December issue of Elle magazine. “I recognized very early on that my impact was to help liberate people through kindness.”

The 33-year-old entertainer also opened up about her struggles with mental health, adding, “I kept going, and that kid out there or even that adult out there… I want them to know that they can keep going.” (Page Six)

of them source it straight from the internet, which is just sad. Besides, I feel comedy has become very ‘chichori’. That is another aspect which I wish wasn’t like that. You should write more intelligent comedy. I wish we had done better. Instead of working harder, we have become very convenient.”

(Hindustan Times)

guyanatimesgy.com

november 10, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine 15

Tech

X

iaomi unveiled the CC9 Pro, the first phone to use the 108-megapixel image sensor the company co-developed with Samsung. The CC9 Pro won’t be sold outside of China, but on Wednesday Xiaomi announced that a near-identical phone called the Mi Note 10 will.

The Mi Note 10 was revealed in Spain and will likely make it to the UK, other European countries, and India. There doesn’t appear to be any difference in the hardware, but as you’d expect the Note 10 will run MIUI atop Google-approved Android, with the CC9 Pro using Xiaomi’s own apps and services in China.

Xiaomi often gives its products different names and release schedules around the world — just look at the saga of the ex-

A

mazon’s truly wireless Echo Buds earbuds are excellent for their $130 price, to the point that they were the elephant in the room when we reviewed Apple’s new AirPods Pro. And they managed that resounding feat without one of their biggest rumored features — the ability to double as a fitness tracker and measure the calories you’ve burned.

But don’t rule out fitness tracking just yet, because CNBC and The Verge both

cellent but confusing Mi 9T/ Redmi K20/Redmi K20 Pro/ Mi 9T Pro lineup. This time the two phones are at least being announced within a day of each other.

Here are the key specs, as a reminder: • Q u a l c o m m Snapdragon 730G processor • 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage • Five rear cameras: 108-megapixel f/1.69 wide, 12-megapixel f/2 2x telephoto, 5-megapixel f/2 5x telephoto, 20-megapixel f/2.2 ultrawide, and 2-megapixel macro • 32-megapixel selfie camera • 6.47-inch curved OLED screen with integrated fingerprint sensor • 5,260mAh battery with 30W fast charger included • USB-C and head-

spotted a new “Fitness” tab in the Echo Buds section of the Alexa app.

It’s not clear how well the Echo Buds would work as a fitness tracking device.

They’re advertised as “exercise ready” with IPX4 water and sweat resistance, but many modern fitness trackers and smartwatches use heart rate monitors to improve their accuracy beyond what simple accelerometers can estimate. The Echo Buds don’t appear to have a heart rate monitor built in.

(The Verge)

phone jack The Mi Note 10 won’t be quite as fast as flagships running a Snapdragon 855 — the Redmi K20 Pro included — but otherwise it sounds like a pretty compelling phone, and we’re certainly looking forward to checking out the camera.

While the CC9 Pro starts at around $400 in China, the Mi Note 10 will be priced at 549 euros. It’s not clear exactly when and where the Mi Note 10 will be available, though. (The Verge)

16 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 10, 2019

Fun Times

Archie

ARIES (March 21April 19)

Explore what life has to offer. Check out a place you might like to live, or research the possibility of picking up more skills or education. Make love a priority.

Emotional matters will TAURUS push you to make a change.

(April 20- Before you jump into someMay 20) thing, consider the possible results of your actions. Be smart and do what’s right.

Personal gain should be GEMINI your intent. Whether it’s a (MAY 28- physical, emotional or relaJune 20) tionship change you make, ensure that your motives are just and your plan is feasible.

Talks will lead to unusual opportunities. Relationships (June 21- should be at the forefront of July 22) any decision you make. Work well with others to encourage success and a bright future.

CANCER

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Dilbert

Peanuts

Take care of your health and well-being. If you look and feel your best, you will excel.

Plan something special with a loved one. Don’t make impulsive decisions or purchases.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Participate in something you believe in and make a difference. A personal problem you face at home or with someone close to you should be handled carefully. Don’t judge others.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Taking a day trip or attending a reunion is favored.

Don’t let jealousy set in if someone brags about his or her successes. Be proud of who you are.

Don’t turn down an opporSCORPIO (Oct. 24- tunity to show someone what Nov. 22) you have to offer. Update your resume, add to your qualifications and make your dreams come true. Celebrate with a loved one.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

Calvin and Hobbes

Open your door to friends and family. Make improvements to your home and to meaningful relationships.

Take advantage of an opportunity to collaborate with someone and make a difference to your community.

Emotions will surface, causing distress and anger if you don’t approve of what someone else does. Give others space. Keep the peace, do your own thing and excel.

Follow the rules, do AQUARIUS what’s best for you and avoid (Jan. 20- meddling in other people’s Feb. 19) affairs. Refuse to let anyone lure you into a debate that could upset you and its audience Look for a good investPISCES (Feb. 20- ment or a better way to save, Mar. 20) or make a change that will help you cut corners. Take better care of your health by limiting decadent behavior.

2 Sunday Times Magazine

NOVEMBER 10, 2019

guyanatimesgy.com

Feature

16 Days of Activism

T

he 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that kicks off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day. It was started by activists at the inaugural Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991 and continues to be coordinated each year by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership. It is used as an organizing strategy by individuals and organizations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.

In support of this civil society initiative, under the leadership of the UN SecretaryGeneral, António Guterres, the United Nations SecretaryGeneral’s UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women campaign (UNiTE campaign) calls for global actions to increase awareness, galvanize advocacy efforts, and share knowledge and innovations

against Gender-Based Violence, from 25 November to 10 December, under the theme, “Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands against Rape!”

While the names, times and contexts may differ, women and girls universally experience rape, sexual violence, and abuse, in times of peace or war.

Rape is rooted in a complex set of patriarchal beliefs, power, and control that continue to create a social environment in which sexual violence is pervasive and normalized. Exact numbers of rape and sexual assaults are notoriously difficult to confirm due to frequent latitude and impunity for perpetrators, stigma towards survivors, and their subsequent silence.

In recent years, the voices of survivors and activists, through campaigns such as #MeToo, #TimesUp, #Niunamenos, #NotOneMore, #BalanceTonPorc, and others, have put the spotlight on the issue of sexual violence and have reached a crescendo that cannot be silenced or ignored anymore.

That is why, under the umbrella of UN Women’s Generation Equality campaign that marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the UNiTE Campaign is calling on people from all walks of life to learn more and take a stand against the pervasive rape culture that surrounds us.

2019

In 2019, the UNiTE campaign will mark the 16 Days of Activism

Main principles of UNiTE advocacy:

1. Honour and acknowledge women’s movements and their leadership in 16 Days of Activism in preventing and ending violence against women and girls.

2. ‘Leave No One Behind’: apply a human rights-based approach and focus attention on the most underserved and disadvantaged groups of women and girls in efforts to prevent and end violence against women and girls.

3. Survivor-centred: take a respectful and ‘do no harm’ approach to the telling and retelling of survivor stories, only with their permission and under the conditions which they have agreed to. This principle is vital for the engagement of survivor advocates in activism.

All UNiTE partners must ensure that survivor advocates’ rights, safety, dignity and confidentiality are upheld.

4. Multi-sectoral: everyone in society has an important role to play in ending violence against women and girls, and we all must work together across sectors to address the various aspects of violence against women and girls.

Broader Umbrella

Next year, 2020 will see an important milestone for the issue of gender equality and work on preventing and ending violence against women and girls, 25 years of the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action.

The 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing marked a significant turning point for the global agenda for gender equality. The Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action, adopted unanimously by 189 Member States at this conference, is today an agenda for women’s empowerment and it is considered the key global policy document on gender equality. It sets strategic objectives and actions for the advancement of women and the achievement of gender equality in 12 critical areas of concern: Women and poverty, Education and training of women, Women and health, Violence against women, Women and armed conflict, Women and the economy, Women in power and decision-making, Institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women, Human rights of women, Women and the media, Women and the environment and the girl-child.

On the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, UN Women’s “Generation Equality: Realizing women’s rights for an equal future” campaign demands equal pay, equal sharing of unpaid care and domestic work, an end to sexual harassment and violence against women and girls, health care services that respond to their needs, and their equal participation in political life and in decision-making in all areas of life.

The UNiTE Campaign will align its advocacy activities with the broader umbrella of the Generation Equality campaign to support broader advocacy for gender equality with its specific lens on preventing and ending violence against women and girls. (UN Women)

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 10, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine

3

Feature

By Lakhram Bhagirat

D

omestic violence has been an epidemic in Guyana for a number of years, but very few strides have been made in combating the scourge. Every day, there are reports of women s u f - fering at the hands of men who promised to love and care for them.

In her young life, Vashti Mahase has had two relationships and both of those relationships could be considered as outside of the norm. Vashti’s story came to the fore earlier this year when it was reported that she was severely chopped by her reputed husband after serving him with a restraining order.

Vashti’s life has always been filled with challenges and, according to her, they have somewhat shaped her path. She grew up in the village of Good Hope on the East Coast of Demerara with her six siblings and single mother Zorina Mahase. Being the youngest child did not mean that she was spoiled or showered with privileges, rather she, like the rest of her siblings, felt what it was like to live below the poverty line.

Their mother worked hard to ensure that there was food on the table and clothes to cover their backs, but their education had to suffer to facilitate that. Vashti only attended school until she was in Grade Six and she came out, because the family could not have afforded it.

“I had a rough time growing up, because my mother was a single parent, but she was trying for me. I went to the Lusignan Primary School, but when I was in Grade Six, I had to come out because of my mother’s situation; she did not have money to continue to send

me to school, so I come out,” the now 22-year-old recounts.

While she was out of school, Vashti became social and at the age of 15, she began her first real relationship. That relationship would result in two children, but the amount of suffering she would eventually endure was overwhelming. She had moved in with her lover when she was 17 years old and at first, everything was fine.

She knew that her lover had a mean streak, but never thought that she would become the target of that aggressiveness. The first few months of their new common-law relationship was everything she could have dreamt of, but soon her world would become grey.

It started with mean words which later transformed into actions and it was then she knew that she was in trouble. So, after enduring endless nights of beatings, verbal assault and financial abuse,

V a s h t i decided that enough was enough and she packed her bags, took her children and left.

“He was always abusive and used to punish me for money and food and all kind of things. He used to accuse me of cheating and all kind of things. He would sit down just so and then fly in a passion and want to beat and cuss me. I never get no peace. One day he beat me so bad that I could not take it anymore, and I just leave and walk out. I went back to my mother house and I was living there with my children.”

After she walked out on the father of her children, Vashti thought she had another opportunity at starting over. She did exactly that.

Shortly after, a neighbour realised that she was back home with her parents and seized the opportunity to arrange a marriage. The woman went to Vashti’s mother with the idea of getting her settled with her single brother, Fazil Oosman which would later turn out to be a train wreck of a relationship.

“This lady lived two houses away from my mother in Good Hope and one day she come home and tell my mother that her brother looking for somebody to settle down with. She said that how he got two children, but when me mother find out, she realise that he had more than two children,” she said.

Nevertheless, the ball was placed in Vashti’s court and she chose to embark on a new journey with Oosman since he seemed like a person who was capable of building a life with her. She moved out from Good Hope and went to Lima Dam, Mahaica to live with Oosman.

There, she was isolated from her family and it seemed like déjà vu’ all over again.

“He used to live good at first, but then he never used to treat me children them right. He always used to beat them and don’t want give them food on time and everything else.”

The maltreatment of Vashti’s children pushed her over the edge and she began retaliating. However, Oosman did not give up and went as far as falsifying a report to the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) against Vashti that resulted in her children being taken away.

The children were returned to their father’s custody much to Vashti’s dismay. Their father had no interest in their well-being which meant that she would have to visit them often to ensure that they were taken care of.

One day as she was preparing to go and visit her children, Oosman was in a foul mood and intensified his antics to prevent Vashti from going. But she was having none of his attitude and in the end, called her mother to rescue her.

Before her mother could have gotten there, Oosman took a cutlass and broadsided her resulting in visible marks and intense pain. She was rescued and returned to her mother’s house, where she decided once again to end another relationship because of the abuse.

Oosman continued to call Vashti and threatened her life. So, she decided to make a report to the Police as well as visit the Social Protection Ministry’s Welfare Office.

“I went to the welfare and they give me two paper. One to take to Vigilance Police Station and one to Mahaica Police Station and when I go to serve him the restraining order on 22nd February, they told me to go back the 24th to serve and when I go to serve he, that is when he chop me up.

“I went there with a female Police and he wasn’t around and he mom call him and told him that a Police Officer is there to carry the protection order against him. He come with a bicycle and while she (the officer) was reading it out, he started to cuss up and I just turn away from him and when I turn away from him, my friend scream ‘run’ and I couldn’t even get chance to run and there was [when] he started to chop me up in front of the Police,” she remembers.

The years of abuse never prepared her for that day and Vashti said it was perhaps the most horrifying experience of her life. She was chopped 15 times and her wrist was broken.

After he chopped her, Oosman escaped, but was later apprehended and charged with attempted murder.

He is currently on bail and Vashti fears for her life. Nevertheless, she is trying to pick up the pieces and recover.

4

Sunday Times Magazine

NOVEMBER 10,2019

guyanatimesgy.com

Feature

By Lakhram Bhagirat

T

he World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 1 in every 3 women will experience some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime. This number is staggering and calls for a comprehensive plan of action in addressing the global epidemic.

However, as conversations surrounding domestic violence roar on, one woman, Camille Cox is using her status as a former victim to reach out and empower other women who are in situations where they are subjected to violence at the hands of their partners.

WHO reports that violence against women is a major public health problem, and global estimates indicate that about 1 in 3 or 35 per cent of women worldwide has experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.

“Globally, as many as 38 per cent of murders of women are committed by a male intimate partner. Violence can negatively affect women’s physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health, and may increase the risk of acquiring HIV in some settings. There is evidence that advocacy and empowerment counselling interventions, as well as home visitations, are promising in preventing or reducing intimate partner violence against women.

Situations of conflict, post-conflict and displacement may exacerbate existing violence, such as by intimate partners, as well as/and non-partner sexual violence, and may also lead to new forms of violence against women,” WHO said in a November 2017 fact sheet.

Knowing these facts, coupled with her experiences, Camille started the Silence Hides Violence Foundation (SHVF) to empower particularly women to become independent. The Foundation not only caters for women it focuses on all victims of abuse and children as well.

Though relatively new in its formation, SHVF has always been a dream for Camille since she wanted to use her experiences as a victim of both physical and sexual violence to help change the world.

Going back to her formative years, Camille grew up in Plaisance on the East Coast of Demerara and has always had a promising future. While a student at the Cummings Lodge Secondary School, she was an athlete. One day when she was training on the seawalls, she was violated.

“I was 16 when I went one afternoon to train on the seawall and I was raped by someone who knows me. Nothing came out of that, because at that time it was taboo to discuss such and to bring it out in the open. I was injured and my legs got broken in the process and that was it. It was never discussed in the family,” she remembers.

“I felt disgusted. I felt worthless because I was a virgin at the time and I processed it and got over all by myself. I didn’t go to any counselling or anything like that and it did affect me until after I got my kids. I used to remember it and cry even when I was in my 30s. I used to rethink and then say I shouldn’t listen to my parents, but now that person is dead,” she added.

At 21, Camille moved to New Amsterdam where she continues to live to date. There, she met the father of her son and although they did not live together, he was a controlling man.

“One day he slapped me and he said he was sorry about it. My eyes were swollen and my parents asked me what happened and I gave the usual excuse: I got stung by a maribunta (wasp) and he was very apologetic and whatever. He took me out and so on, but then he did it again and when he did it again, then was when I said to myself ‘this is it, this is the end of it’.”

It got messy because her child’s father hit her with such force that her mouth was filled with blood. She retaliated by connecting an ashtray to his eyes.

The couple then parted ways and it was then she decided to channel her experiences towards helping those who need it. The idea was there for a while, but it came to fruition in July when she officially launched SHVF. “Persons are suffering and they are doing it in silence because they have nowhere to turn to. Yes, you have the Help and Shelter and various organisations, but do they listen?

Do they help the victim in the aftermath? Do they help the victim?”

“I find most persons after being abused, they have nobody to talk to. Persons need to have someone to listen to them. Some persons just want somebody to listen. We help to gain employment, support for their kids, and that is our goals,” she explained.

Camille intends to continue providing relief to those in need.

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 10, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine 5

Feature

By Lakhram Bhagirat

J

ust over a week ago, on October 29, Malenie Pierre and her 15-yearold son were sitting in the Juvenile Court as Magistrate Dylon Bess delivered what they think is a proverbial slap in the face of justice.

Magistrate Bess sentenced the two boys who punctured Pierre’s son’s lungs with a pair of scissors to two years for their crime, but instantaneously suspended that sentence and left his bench while the victim sobbed as he realised that justice was not served.

“When I saw my son there in that courtroom and he broke down after he heard that these boys got a suspended sentence, I was angry. The justice system failed us and I feel like I have failed my son as a parent. I am so angry I do not want to talk about it,” Malenie remembers.

On February 28, a group of four boys who are believed to be part of a gang ambushed Shemuel Pierre as he was sheltering from the rain at Prospect on the East Bank of Demerara. Shemuel, a student of Covent Garden Secondary School, was stabbed twice to the chest region by the group of boys who were brought there by one of his school colleagues.

In order to understand the events that led to that fateful day, one has to go back to February 27 when a student in a lower class than Shemuel began bullying him. The student is reported as an aggressor and would often bully students because he was covered by immunity because of his close association to the Guyana Police Force.

On February 27, he crossed paths with Shemuel, but before a physical confrontation could have occurred, a teacher escorted Shemuel to a bus and sent him home. Feeling as if that encounter was in the past, Shemuel returned to school the following day and the day went by smoothly until school was dismissed to facilitate a Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) meeting.

As he was making his way out of the street which housed his school, the rain began falling forcing him to seek shelter at a nearby shop.

While at the shop, he was ambushed by his assailant from the previous day, but the startling difference was that his bully was accompanied by three other boys.

The quartet that attacked Shemuel is believed to be part of a school gang that operates in the area. Despite being outnumbered, Shemuel retaliated when his attackers pounced on him. However, he was beaten to the ground, held in a vice by one of them, and stabbed twice by another two while they continued beating him.

It is unclear whether anyone came to his rescue while he was being attacked, but shortly after, one of his teachers noticed the commotion and upon checking, found her student on the ground struggling to breathe.

Quick action resulted in him being taken to the Diamond hospital for emergency treatment only to be told that he was fine and would be sent home.

By that time, his family had been summoned and arrived at the institution; they realised that Shemuel was in no condition to go home rather he seemed as though he needed emergency medical assistance. They offered to take him to a private institution only to be told by ranks from the Providence Police Station that he would be taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital instead. When he ar- rived at the Georgetown Public Hospital, it was discovered that both of his lungs were punctured and he would require emergency surgery to repair the rapidly deteriorating organs.

He would go on to spend five days in the hospital, but that was the least of his worries. After being discharged, a few days later, he revisited the hospital for a check-up and was given the medical stamp of approval.

“That night when we came home from the hospital, we had to rush him back to a private hospital (name provided) because dark blood was gushing out of the wound and he was in pain.

The doctors there told me that they (GPHC) took out the tube too early and not all the blood drain out and that he may have to do another surgery. But they said they will treat him first and see how it goes. They treated him and he got better, but you see how I could have lost my son?” Malenie lamented.

To date, Shemuel is still in pain and has not fully recovered.

Failed justice When Shemuel was attacked, the teacher who rendered assistance visited the Grove Police Station to report the incident, but was referred to the Providence Station, since they had jurisdiction over the matter. The report was made and Shemuel provided the names of his attackers to the Police.

However, the family was not prepared for the reluctance on the part of ranks at Providence when it came to the investigation. They visited the station on a daily basis to get updates only to be met with rudeness from the ranks there and no update.

When Shemuel was readmitted to the hospital, his mother decided that enough was enough

and began taking steps to get answers. She first visited the A Division Headquarters at Brickdam and reported her distress, but that still did not impact the non-movement of the investigation. Answers came only after Malenie met with then Crime Chief Lyndon Alves and he began looking into the case.

That was almost two months after the initial report was made. Meanwhile, Shemuel was out of school and his attackers roamed the area, threatening his friends into silence.

Following Alves’s questioning, Providence ranks apprehended two of the attackers and both admitted to stabbing Shemuel. They were charged and placed before the courts.

“From the time they read the charge, I was angry. They charged these boys with unlawful wounding and both of my son’s lungs were punctured. We think that it should be attempted murder, because that is what they tried to do. These two boys are brothers and they have other cases before the court,” Malenie said.

The case came to a conclusion on Tuesday last, but it was a verdict the family was not prepared for.

“I was so mad when he read that charges and suspended it. I say if they get their two years, let them go and spend it and think about what they did. Because a lot of youths have been doing things and walking free. The two boys have matters before the court and the one that confessed. Both of his lungs were punctured and they had to do emergency surgery to reconstruct the puncture, but they charged the boys with wounding instead of attempted murder. That was the first thing that get me angry because they put unlawful wounding and both of my son’s lungs were punctured – both!”

Shemuel was in court on the day the verdict was read. At no point in time, his attackers expressed genuine remorse and when he heard the verdict, all his walls came crashing down. He broke down and sobbed while his infuriated mother watched him helplessly.

That day, Malenie said she felt as though the justice system was not designed for justice, because more emphasis was placed on the attackers as opposed to the victim. The attackers, according to her, got the royal treatment since they are back on the streets with very little obligations and they have been receiving counselling among other benefits.

Meanwhile, her son, the victim, is yet to receive the promised counselling to help deal with the trauma of being brutally stabbed.

“Like I left stupid after he suspended the sentence. I went up to the Prosecutor and asked if that was the decision and then I start talking because it had over 20 Police in the room. I said this is not fair, those could never be fair to me and my child. Even if he got his two-year sentence, then why he suspended it? And then afterwards, the counsellor and Prosecutor telling me that the justice system did not fail me. It actually failed me, especially my son, because my son started crying. He started to cry. I waited eight months to get some sort of satisfaction or justice.”

The family is yet to decide their next move in their quest for justice, but is contemplating an appeal of the suspended sentence.

6 Sunday Times Magazine

november 10, 2019

guyanatimesgy.com

Feature

Preserving our literary heritage by Petamber Persaud.

O

ne hundred years ago Cy Grant was born in a little-known village of Beterverwating, in the colony of British Guiana, on the outskirt of the British Empire, going on to attract the attention of the Empire when he became ‘the first black face to be regularly seen on British television’.

That was some achievement and honour for at that time in Britain all the cards were stacked against minorities.

Eventually, he would make the world his stage and on this stage he would use all the apps available to him at the time to entertain and to fight against discrimination and social injustices.

Cy Grant would go on to gain respect of his colleagues and skeptics when at the top of his game in the BBC’s daily topical programme, ‘The Tonight Show’, he would quit to avoid being typecast.

Although stereotyping was the bane of blacks in Britain, Grant showed what mettle he was made of by rolling with the punches, as it were, creating openings to exploit.

He would go on to do more in similar vein by setting up multicultural festivals across the country hoping to open eyes and hearts, bringing about change, adding colour to the cut and dried black and white canvas. He created different methods to battle discrimination and in social injustices; his messages readily absorbed whether he was preaching through calypso, folksong or drama.

Cy Grant would go on to attract a lot of attention as he wore many hats during his remarkable life as an actor, musician, poet, writer, social and rights activists. He even attracted the wrath of the enemy when he was shot down and taken as a prisoner of war in Germany while serving as a Flight Lieutenant Navigator in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A versatile artist, Grant’s work was never done and he basked in his work as an actor, poet and writer.

As a writer, he produced seminal works like ‘Ring of Steel: Pan Sound and Symbol’ which ‘discusses the history, science and musicology of the steelpan’, ‘Rivers of Time: Collected Poems’ which ‘documents Grant's poetical journey through life and considers the influences that have contributed to his understanding of himself and the world’ and ‘Blackness & the Dreaming Soul - A Sense of Belonging: Multiculturalism and the Western Paradigm’.

Guyana was always a part of him having lived for about one third of his life in its two major cities - Georgetown and New Amsterdam, both places hotbeds of religion, culture and literature. And his home was his nursery for it is said that his father was a Moravian minister and his mother was a music teacher. It was here music seeped into his blood and it was here where he learned to play the guitar, one of the instruments which he used to conquer the world. Grant was adventurous and he soon outgrew Guyana, heading off to fight for the mother country, a country that was hostile to him, a country that was hostile to minorities.

He tried to return to his homeland but his calling was in Britain from where he could do the greatest good for the greatest number.

Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo. com What’s Happening: • Under production is the 2020 edition of The Guyana Annual magazine, see FB or contact Danielle Swain at Guyenterprise for details.

• Under production is an anthology of poems on oil (in Guyana), contact me for details.

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 10, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine 7

Feature

I

slam is one of the main religions practiced around the world. The teachings of Islam are comprised of both faith and duty. From time to time messengers were sent with the teachings of Islam only for their people and their time, mankind has since tampered with those previous revelations (Torah, Gospel etc), and the message of those respective prophets has been perverted, leaving behind much confusion and hearsay.

As a result, God has sent the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as His last messenger to mankind. This implies that he must come with a complete and clear guidance, and a clear proof, for all humanity and all times till the Last Day. Otherwise the message is void. Also, the message must be confirming the previous messengers of before. The revelation, guidance, and miracle he received is the Quran.

Youman Nabi or

Mawlid al-Nabi is a celebration of the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad (on whom be peace). The day is fixed at the 12th day of the month of Rabi al-Awwal in the Muslim calendar. Muhammad was born about A. D. 570 and died in A. D. 632. During his life, he established Islam as a religion and, in doing so, replaced tribal loyalty with equality among all Muslims. The work of Mohamed (OWBP) stressed that no one is better than another on the basis of wealth, race or status. What matters most is obedience to the laws of Islam.

Related to piety is the concept of deen, which signifies a way of life; how people relate to each other, to families and to other Muslims.

At a critical point in his life, Muhammad received a vision of the angel Gabriel who called him into service as a prophet. He later received a second vision of Gabriel who told him to “magnify thy Lord.” Muhammad then began to preach publicly in Mecca where he had lived for many years. Many people were receptive to his message but others ridiculed him. Because of the opposition of many citizens of Mecca and threats against him, Muhammad fled to Yathrib in A. D. 622.

This journey of nearly 200 miles is known as the Hegira and is so important that the Muslim calendar begins with the year of the Hegira.

Youman Nabi or Mawlid al-Nabi is not an extravagant celebration it includes recitation of the Glorious Quran, Sermons being done at Masjids and a time of feasting with family and friends.

Some Muslims refuse to participate in this observance, feeling it is an innovation which places too much emphasis on the human Prophet and distracts from the true divine source of revelation. Other Muslims view this festival as a means to teach their communities about the Prophet Muhammad’s way of life, which all Muslims seek to emulate.

Throughout the world, there are a variety of expressions for the observance of the birth of the Prophet: some celebrations take place simply in private homes; other Muslims decorate their local masjid with lights and hold large festive gatherings.

Celebrations of Mawlid al-Nabi include sharing food, attending lectures, participating in marches, and reading the

Qur’an and devotional poetry. In some countries, such as Pakistan, the entire month of Rabi’ al-Awwal is observed as the Prophet’s “birth month.”

In Singapore, the observance of Mawlid al-Nabi is a one-day festival which often includes special “birthday parties” for poor children and orphans in addition to the regular prayers and lectures in local masajid. Azhar Square in Cairo is the site of one of the largest celebrations, with over two million Muslims in attendance.

In 1994, the First International Mawlid al-Nabi Conference was held in Chicago, Illinois, organized by the Peoria-based Naqshbandiya Foundation for Islamic Education (NFIE). At the conference, shaykhs and scholars from around the world argued for both the religious precedence and cultural importance of the celebration of the birth of the Prophet. (Excerpts from Pluralism Project – Harvard University)

8 Sunday Times Magazine

november 10, 2019

guyanatimesgy.com

Feature

Supporting Indigenous peoples to restore the balance between wildlife and food security

“T

here used to be a lot of wildlife here in my father’s and grandfather’s time: deer, tapir, capybara and peccaries,” explains Asaph, a traditional hunter from the Wapishana indigenous tribe in the Rupununi region of Guyana. “There are still some animals in the Kanuku Mountains, but they are harder to find.”

Wild meat and fish are important sources of protein and nutrients for Asaph and his family.

According to Asaph, in the past, hunting levels were sustainable. There was a balance between the number of animals hunted for food and natural wildlife reproduction rates.

This equilibrium is now under threat, he argues, due to uncontrolled fires, expanding village populations, the construction of new roads and commercial hunting.

To help boost wildlife populations, Asaph is now the vice president of his local conservation group and a wildlife ranger.

“We are trying to conserve this area so that the wildlife will come back.” This will allow him to carry on hunting and feeding his children. “We are trying to educate the youth about conservation,” he emphasises, “so that they know what is good for the environment and the community.”

Millions of indigenous and rural people depend on wild meat for their food and income, particularly in the tropical and subtropical regions of South America, Africa and Asia. The demand for wild meat is also growing in towns and cities where it is consumed as a luxury or by tradition. Hunting wildlife for food is now recognised as a major driver of biodiversity loss. Recent studies estimate that 285 mammal species are threatened with extinction due specifically to this type of hunting. If hunting and fishing for wild species are not contained within sustainable levels, then wildlife populations will decline and rural communities will suffer rising levels of food insecurity.

There is an urgent need to find solutions that achieve both sustainable development goals and wildlife conservation. A consortium of international partners, led by FAO,

launched the Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme in 2017. This programme works together with 13 countries, including Guyana, to return hunting

Conservation is important for biodiversity and food security in the Rupununi Region of Guyana. ©FAO/David MansellMoullin

of more resilient species to sustainable levels, reduce urban demand for wild meat and develop alternative sources of affordable and appetising food for rural communities. In many of these countries, there is also a need to revise and improve hunting laws and land tenure systems, which tend to be ambiguous and poorly enforced.

In Guyana, the SWM Programme is working closely with Asaph and other indigenous hunters and conservationists. The aim is to build upon existing community-led projects to maintain healthy fish and mammal populations. After only a year, the programme in the Rupununi region of Guyana has revised a regional fisheries management plan, completed part of an ongoing wildlife census using camera traps, prepared an ecotourism work plan and supported activities with the regional tourism agency, and assessed the potential for livestock development. The hope is that these examples will be replicated elsewhere in Guyana and abroad.

“I would like to see the deer coming back and populating this region again, as they did many years ago,” says Asaph.

“Conservation is the key,” he emphasises.

The SWM Programme is an African, Caribbean and Pacific initiative, funded by the European Union. A dynamic consortium of partners that includes FAO, the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Wildlife Conservation Society and the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development is implementing it. In Guyana, the activities are being carried out by the Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission in coordination with CIFOR. The SWM Programme is working to return the balance between food security and conservation. This is necessary to create a sustainable, #ZeroHunger (Food and Agriculture Organization)

guyanatimesgy.com

november 10, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine

9

Health

you more prone to developing bronchitis.

Complications

Although a single episode of bronchitis usually isn't cause for concern, it can lead to pneumonia in some people. Repeated bouts of bronchitis, however, may mean that you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Prevention

To reduce your risk of bronchitis, follow these tips: • Avoid cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke increases your risk of chronic bronchitis.

• Get vaccinated. Many cases of acute bronchitis result from influenza, a

virus. Getting a yearly flu vaccine can help protect you from getting the flu.

You may also want to consider vaccination that protects against some types

of pneumonia.

• Wash your hands. To reduce your risk of catching a viral infection, wash your

hands frequently and get in the habit of using alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

• Wear a surgical mask. If you have COPD, you might consider wearing a face

mask at work if you're exposed to dust or fumes, and when you're going to be

among crowds, such as while traveling.

Diagnosis

B

ronchitis is an inflammation of the lining of your bronchial tubes, which carry air to and from your lungs. People who have bronchitis often cough up thickened mucus, which can be discolored. Bronchitis may be either acute or chronic.

Often developing from a cold or other respiratory infection, acute bronchitis is very common.

Chronic bronchitis, a more serious condition, is a constant irritation or inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes, often due to smoking.

Acute bronchitis, also called a chest cold, usually improves within a week to 10 days without lasting effects, although the cough may linger for weeks.

However, if you have repeated bouts of bronchitis, you may have chronic bronchitis, which requires medical attention. Chronic bronchitis is one of the conditions included in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Symptoms

For either acute bronchitis or chronic bronchitis, signs and symptoms may include: • Cough • Production of mucus (sputum), which can be clear, white, yellowish-gray or

green in color — rarely, it may be streaked with blood • Fatigue • Shortness of breath • Slight fever and chills • Chest discomfort If you have acute bronchitis, you might have cold symptoms, such as a mild headache or body aches.

While these symptoms usually improve in about a week, you may have a nagging cough that lingers for several weeks.

Chronic bronchitis is defined as a productive cough that lasts at least three months, with recurring bouts occurring for at least two consecutive years.

If you have chronic bronchitis, you're likely to have periods when your cough or other symptoms worsen. At those times, you may have an acute infection on top of chronic bronchitis.

Causes

Acute bronchitis is usually caused by viruses, typically the same viruses that cause colds and flu (influenza). Antibiotics don't kill viruses, so this type of medication isn't useful in most cases of bronchitis.

The most common cause of chronic bronchitis is cigarette smoking. Air pollution and dust or toxic gases in the environment or workplace also can contribute to the condition.

Risk factors

Factors that increase your risk of bronchitis include: • Cigarette smoke. People who smoke or who live with a smoker are at higher risk

of both acute bronchitis and chronic bronchitis.

• Low resistance. This may result from another acute illness, such as a cold, or

from a chronic condition that compromises your immune system. Older adults,

infants and young children have greater vulnerability to infection.

• Exposure to irritants on the job. Your risk of developing bronchitis is greater if

you work around certain lung irritants, such as grains or textiles, or are exposed

to chemical fumes.

• Gastric reflux. Repeated bouts of severe heartburn can irritate your throat and make

During the first few days of illness, it can be difficult to distinguish the signs and symptoms of bronchitis from those of a common cold. During the physical exam, your doctor will use a stethoscope to listen closely to your lungs as you breathe.

In some cases, your doctor may suggest the following tests: • Chest X-ray. A chest X-ray can help determine if

you have pneumonia or another condition that may

explain your cough. This is especially

important if you ever were or

currently are a smoker.

• Sputum tests. Sputum is the mucus that you cough up from your lungs. It can

be tested to see if you have illnesses that could be helped by antibiotics. Sputum

can also be tested for signs of allergies.

• Pulmonary function test. During a pulmonary function test, you blow into a device

called a spirometer, which measures how much air your lungs can hold and how quickly you can get air out of your lungs. This test checks for signs of asthma or emphysema. (Mayo Clinic)