Sunday Times November 17, 2019

Nationwide coverage coverage from from the the best best news news team team in in Guyana Guyana Nationwide Issue No. 4110 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON BEACON OF OF TRUTH TRUTH THE

Sunday, November 17, 2019

PRICE

Wales Sugar Estate lands

“We feel neglected”

$120 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

THAG calls for ban on P2 wildlife trade

– retrenched sugar workers

…disheartened after “outsiders” granted 100 acres of land …and none to them as promised See story on Page 3

Former Chief Justice Ian Chang dies “We cannot allow ourselves to fall victim to corruption” – UG valedictorian Page 7

Page 16

…history created as 2 valedictorians attain perfect score

PPP to launch elections P13 manifesto in January Mangroves must be P18 replanted to prevent future flooding – Mahaicony residents

Majority P8 of serious crimes occurred in Region 4 – Crime Chief Domestic P9 worker busted with over 4lbs ganja A section of the 1985 students who graduated from the University of Guyana on Saturday at the institution’s 53rd Convocation

Unsubstantiated objections

Page 9

GECOM dismisses APNU/AFC attempts to remove 13,000 voters in Region 5

T&T company demands $84M in payments from GuyOil P18

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news

SUnDAY, november 17, 2019 | guyanatimesGY.com

THAG calls for ban on wildlife trade

P

resident of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Mitra Ramkumar has called for a ban on wildlife trade and the commercial use of wild meat.

Ramkumar made the call at the launching of the “Explore Guyana” 2020 Magazine on Friday at MovieTowne, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown.

According to Ramkumar, this is not the first time THAG has called for a ban on the trade and commercial use of wild meat. He said that himself and members of the tourism organisation have used all public avenues to reiterate the call.

“We cannot proudly call ourselves the number one eco-tourism destination if we involve ourselves in unsustainable practices and immorality,” he said.

Meanwhile, Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), Brian Mullis explained that Guyana has become one of the “hottest and upcoming” travel destinations since 2019, and people are coming to these shores not only because of the new oil sector.

“It’s because of Guyana’s long-standing sustainability agenda which is increasingly becoming important in an age of over-tourism, flying change and climate change”,

continued success... this has led to a lot of positive outcomes in a relatively short amount of time.”

Explore Guyana

GTA Director Brian Mullis, THAG President Mitra Ramkumar, THAG Executive Director Treina Butts unveiling magazine cover

he said.

Mullis vocalised that even though we are deemed the best travel destination, Guyana must make necessary adjustments to improve

as a country and to maintain that status.

“We have to maintain a focus on collaboration and continuous improvements.

Partnership is the key to our

The cover of Explore Guyana 2020 features the Iwokarma rainforests, an idea that came after a thorough thought of climate change, preservation of the environment, sustainable development and the landscape of Guyana’s rainforests.

Giving a background on why the rainforest was chosen, publisher of the magazine, Lokesh Singh explained that in 1989, with the world under pressure talking about climate change and the pro-

tection of the environment and the demolishing of the forests of the world, Guyana committed one million acres of pristine rainforests to be the Iwokarma rainforest reserve.

He further explained that the 22nd edition of the magazine was also created with the thought in mind that it is usually said that the company would always feature a bird or waterfall. However, this year they strived to do something different.

Meanwhile, the new edition featured four Guyanese personalities on its pages with major events and festivals of Guyana for each month of the year.

news

Wales Sugar Estate lands

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

Sunday, November 17 – 05:30h – 07:00h and Monday, November 18 – 09:00h – 10:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Sunday, November 17 – 07:30h – 09:00h and Monday, November 18 – 08:25h – 09:55h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Expect sunshine with intervals of light rain showers during the day. There will also be light rain showers at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

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

High Tide: 07:26h and 18:40h reaching maximum heights of 2.42 metres and 2.50 metres.

Low Tide: 24:56h and 13:12h reaching minimum heights of 0.60 metre and 0.85 metre.

“We feel neglected” – retrenched sugar workers

…disheartened after “outsiders” granted 100 acres of land …and none to them as promised

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losing the estates was one of the most tragic news for workers across the sugar belt who were planning to continue the tradition of serving the decades-old industry and then retiring.

Back in 2017 when their income was snatched, workers of the Wales Sugar Estate were promised by the APNU/AFC coalition government that lands from the estate will be given to them to engage in farming and other agricultural activities to earn a living.

Two years later, these lands were never distributed to the sugar workers and hundreds of acres have now been leased to private persons and recently, 700 acres for coconut cultivation and processing.

Coast of Demerara and even though he wanted to, his job profile was redundant.

For this, he, along with many others, applied for a piece of property to forge a new living. Despite making numerous enquiries, the information could not be provided on other aspects of this arrangement but only the application was collected.

“They said that they would share the land to the cane cutters them, [so] that they could do farming and maintain the family and children. We apply and we didn’t get. They get us going all over to find out. We ask them what would be the rental for this land and nobody don’t know. Nothing they couldn’t tell we but we still apply and hope that land would come through,” he recalled.

“Chotoo” (only name) is another worker who is still waiting on land that was promised to him by the Government

glected because we supposed to get the first opportunity for the land because all my grandparents and father turn the soil for this estate and we have no benefit to get. Things very rough here”.

Meanwhile, another former worker identified as “Chotoo” (only name), indi-

The closed Wales Sugar Estate now sits silently

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SUnDAY, november 17, 2019 | guyanatimesGY.com

The Wales Estate on the West Bank of Demerara was one of four – namely Enmore in Demerara, and Rose Hall and Skeldon in Berbice— which were closed under the current administration, leaving thousands jobless.

When this newspaper visited the community on Saturday, the retrenched sugar workers said that they are still struggling to find jobs, awaiting the promise that they would be granted the plantation lands as was assured. Some said that they were disappointed and dismissed the possibility that they would ever get land after hearing that a large portion was already given away.

Alec Paul Singh had given 39 years of his life to the industry. He explained to Guyana Times that the only option was to join the Uitvlugt Estate, located miles away on the West

According to the former estate worker, he was planning on planting crops, since it was a stone’s throw away from his Vriesland house – a village beyond Patentia which overlooks acres of land once planted with sugarcane by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

Disheartened, he shared the opinion that sugar workers are being neglected while the lands are distributed to “outsiders”.

“This land, me could go over and plant garden and come across. They then telling we that we got to go to another place, 10 miles from here. We don’t have transportation. The land give away to outsiders instead of giving it to sugar workers.

Sugar workers getting nothing under this Government because they not helping anybody,” Singh vocalised.

He added, “We feel ne-

cated that many other persons were given portions of the estate lands for various reasons while villagers in the community should have been given first preference.

His son, who was also employed at the Wales Estate, recently managed to find a job in security after waiting many months. Apart from their severance package, the elderly man shared that they were not assisted in any other manner. Those who were rendered jobless continued to search for employment in the community and other parts of the country.

“The estate close down.

They said they would give the land but eventually when you look at it, other people start to plant and now we hearing that they next to plant coconut. The people get nothing. If you close it down, you supposed to give the people some sort of benefit. They

Retrenched worker Alec Singh hoped to acquire lands for planting

work for years in the sugar industry. People deh all over the place looking for a job,” he discussed.

With Wales Estate being closed, there had 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-based 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.

Then in November 2018, almost two years after the closure, $2.4 billion was finally approved in the National Assembly for severance to dismissed sugar workers.

Extra Virgin Coconut Products (EVCP) and Amazonia Expert Services Incorporated (AESI) are the two companies who received 680 acres of land from the Estate’s assets. However, a statement emanating from the companies admitted that EVCP negotiated the lease long before the AESI was created.

“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 establish a coconut production and processing facility…

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,” EVCP said.

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guyanatimesgy.com

SUnDAY, november 17, 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

Congratulations

Refuse to live a lie

T

he dictatorship that Burnham created did not creep up on the Guyanese people in the dead of the night but was constructed, brick by brick, in the brightness of day. It started when he decided in 1967 that he would rig the 1968 elections. His junior coalition partner, Peter D’Aguiar of the United Force, had protested Burnham’s unilateral actions, especially to subvert the Ministry of Finance, headed by himself. Deciding he would not become the PNC’s handmaiden to destroy democracy, D’Aguiar left the Government in late 1967 and denounced Burnham’s incipient manipulation of the electoral system.

Over the last four and a half years, we have seen the present leader of the PNC, David Granger – a Burnham protégé who had helped construct the first dictatorship – act in the same high-handed and unilateral fashion vis-àvis his partners in his APNU coalition and in government, the AFC. Early in his administration, Granger also signalled his intention to subvert and control the electoral system to ensure he was returned to power. However, unlike D’Aguiar, the leader of the other mini parties in APNU and the AFC refused to confront Granger on his unconstitutional moves, such as unilaterally appointing the Chair of GECOM. In fact, the leader of the AFC, Khemraj Ramjattan, boasted that he had advised Granger to make the illegal appointment.

Another action disturbing D’Aguiar was the PNC’s insistence on employing only PNC members and not those best qualified for the job. D’Aguiar, who had built a large and successful business conglomerate, protested this was the surest way to ruin the country but to no avail. In the present, the PNC has not only reverted to this insidious practice, but its Chairperson openly boasted: “The only friends I got is PNC so the only people I gon give wuk to is PNC”. Sadly, the AFC did not denounce Lawrence’s statement but its Chair, Raphael Trotman, excused it on the grounds that it was “made in the aftermath of the hotly contested LGE” and he had “known and worked closely with (her) for 25 years and has never shown racial or political partisanship”.

It is, therefore, clear that the Guyanese people cannot expect a repetition of D’Aguiar’s principled stance from the AFC. On Monday, they will accept the PNC crumbs and support the coalition into the next elections. But all hope is not lost and was exemplified by the action of Cleveland Hamilton, Deputy Lord Mayor of Georgetown, and a strong supporter of the PNC in 1967. He denounced the PNC’s new ruling elite for the bigotry, corruption, nepotism and favouritism in high places. On bribery, he said: “It is all over the place, and is fast becoming a national scandal. . . . Every citizen’s position is in peril where he may not justly achieve what is bargained for, where he pays far more than he ought, and where even his rights may be delayed or even denied altogether. The harm done in any situation in which bribery, corruption, nepotism and favouritism assume national proportions and is a way of life from top-down, can never be calculated”.

Unfortunately, Hamilton’s stance was taken up by the ordinary supporters who bought the PNC’s argument that if they did not support its policies, the PPP would take office and would “enslave” them. And the dictatorship became entrenched and eventually consumed all. Granger is using the identical lie today and seems to be eliciting the same stolid response. However, by 1977, as the dictatorship deepened its draconian rule, over in Czechoslovakia where a totalitarian regime had been in place since the end of WWI, one playwright, Vaclav Havel, decided he would do what Hamilton had done: speak truth to power.

He said: “If the main pillar of the system is living a lie, then it is not surprising that the fundamental threat to it is living the truth”.

Let us follow Havel and refuse to live the PNC lie so that Guyana can become truly democratic with governments chosen on their performance.

Guyana Times and Evening News senior journalist Jarryl Bryan receives his Diploma in Communications from Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Dr Edward Greene on Saturday at UG’s Convocation. Congratulations Mr Bryan from the management and staff of Guyana Times and Evening News (Dexter Ceres photo) guyanatimesgy.com

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

GECOM continues to bungle with ID cards!

Dear Editor, In response to GECOM’s Claims and Objections held over the last three months, hundreds of persons made applications at GECOM offices around the country for changes to and replacements of lost identification (ID) cards. The feedback provided confirms that they are getting the royal run-around in uplifting the new ID cards. Albeit the existing period of preparations for General and Regional Elections, the Secretariat continues the saga of unreliable response which contributed to many persons not uplifting the ID cards over the years.

The GECOM procedure necessitated the thousands of applicants who went and completed their transactions to support their requested Claims on the application forms, with properly authenticated reputable Justices of the Peace stamps of affirmation. The attending staff at these offices informed applicants that GECOM would call them within two to three weeks, for them to uplift their ID cards. The GECOM Secretariat has failed once again to deliver many ID cards in a timely manner after they duped persons to register and promise them new ID cards.

Over the past months since the successful passing of the No-Confidence Motion on December 21, 2018, the challenge for a delivery of free and fair elections by GECOM has been facing its strongest test.

The Chief Elections Officer, who has functional responsibility for the Secretariat, adopted a posture of a ‘yes man’ to the whims and fancy to the Government Commissioners.

Mr Lowenfield has undertaken contemptuous actions to the rulings of the highest judicial institutions including the Caribbean Court of Justice.

Included are the PNC/ APNU Commissioners’ deliberate illegal advocacy for

the removal of the names of registered persons who have not uplifted ID cards from the Official List of Voters.

Additionally, the commencement of the House-to-House (H2H) Registration in the absence of a Chairman of GECOM, which now creates a nest of disputable circumstances with persons on that list.

Whenever a cycle of House-to-House (H2H) Registration is undertaken, the intent is for the preparation of a new Register of Registrants and the discarding of all other registers. The undertaking of such an exercise was irrational given the legally used mechanism for the upkeep of the National Register of Registrants with which there were no major issues. It means that at the end of the process, GECOM would issue all registrants new ID cards.

Guyanese are thankful for the halting of the process by newly appointed Chairman, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, which obviously would have taken years, and created another unconstitutional milieu. Citizens are now demanding the strongest sanctioning and investigation of the affront created under the hands of Mr Lowenfield, regarding accountability for the millions of dollars spent on the controversial/truncated H2H Registration. Further, our people are again having to spend hard-earned money to visit GECOM, and they are being pushed around without receiving their ID cards.

Obviously, all the talks and discussions on the controversial, truncated, unverified so-called results of the H2H Registration is now a matter of serious concerns.

Clearly, it came because of the sinister orchestration between the PNC, their agent, the unfit unilaterally appointed Patterson and questionable Keith Lowenfield.

The Claims and Objections time is over, and a big part

of the questionable/truncated H2H Registration list is not being cross-matched and issued to the political parties.

It is more serious that the second big half of the controversial H2H has not yet been posted up. Further, Guyanese are patiently awaiting the GECOM supplementary list, after the just-completed Claims and Objections.

It is, therefore, imperative that GECOM moves to swiftly and forthwith, produce the Revised List of Electors.

Practically, the publication of the list of registered persons from the truncated H2H without their previous ID card number where applicable is a total waste of money and time. All it did was to facilitate the delay of the overdue National and Regional Elections. We, therefore, ask the question; when will GECOM issue ID cards to all those persons who they took information from and promised ID cards? Moreover, what type of ID cards will GECOM issue?

Citizens should recall that GECOM expended millions of dollars on cameras and on equipment to produce ID cards and apparently, they are doing nothing to improve efficacy. With GECOM’s automated system, ID cards’ changes and issues should have been possible within one day providing the necessary counter checks are in place.

Again, because of GECOM’s demonstrated incompetence under Keith Lowenfield’s watch, thousands of persons are awaiting their promised ID cards. Madam Justice Claudette Singh, you must assertively deal with the new ID card scenario that is unfolding.

I wish to remind Mr Vincent Alexander that the ID cards that were not collected, the residents were all verified by GECOM, in conjunction with scrutineers from the major political parties before the preparation of the ID cards. This is contrary

to Lowenfield’s partisan H2H in which he did not invite scrutineers from the PPP/C. Further, Alexander must know that GECOM does not have to adjust their directory, but they have to update their Register of Registrants.

As this nation awaits the results of the thousands of names sent overseas by GECOM for cross-matching after the truncated H2H Registration, a clear case for setting aside all aspects of everything done during that H2H registration emerge. Careful scrutiny of the ‘part-information’ political parties received is quite a revelation. Spelling mistakes, wrong addresses, duplications, and worst of all, hundreds of persons who registered during the controversial H2H, correctly corrected their registered position during the Claims and Objections as they sought transfers, newly registered and did other transactions.

Therefore, there are people whose names were not on the PLE and their names are on the truncated H2H list. It would be unthinkable for GECOM to utilise the H2H information and place the same in the Revised List of Electors because the H2H Registration remains unverified. Clearly, GECOM has to say how the cross-matching will eliminate these issues including persons who have changed their names and applied for new ID cards.

The Secretariat needs to pronounce on all these matters and stop the bungling.

GECOM is in a colossal dilemma all because of Lowenfield and the determination of Mr Granger and his cabal Commissioners to postpone and delay elections, in which the APNU/AFC are afraid to contest.

Sincerely, Neil Kumar

guyanatimesgy.com

SUnDAY, november 17, 2019

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

20,000 are being fattened for slaughter should Govt regain power Dear Editor, In my letter captioned, “Why is it that this Government can only ‘dig holes’ without filling any?”, I brought to fore the fact that this Government, over a four-year period, has mostly taxed the Guyanese public to the tune of $1047 trillion dollars in order to satiate its hunger for wasteful spending and its huge appetite for corruption.

However, I must now add that this Grangerled Government was not happy with that humongous amount of money at their disposal, they had to rape the various reserves and plunge its account at the Bank of Guyana to an all-time high overdraft of more than $69 billion at the end of October! And from all appearances, this is climbing! In one month the Government had drawn down over $3.5 billion. It is illuminating to note that when this Government assumed Office, the public deposits at the Bank of Guyana was $10.4 billion, a positive balance. It was not in the

red! This overdraft abuse started in 2015 and by the end of that year, it was $2.3 billion; at the end of 2016 it was $21.3 billion; at the end of 2017 it was $25.7 billion and at the end of 2018 it had dramatically jumped to $57.2 billion! It must be noted that the Bank of Guyana is the Government’s Bank and it holds monies for Central Government and State-owned enterprises so this account is at the mercy of this greedy Government.

At this rate of rapacious devouring of money, we can expect this to meet $100 billion by Christmas since the Government is bent on giving ‘baksheesh’ to gain votes. Billions are also spent on electioneering ‘outreaches’ and monies are now being flung in all direction to beg supporters who became disgruntled and impoverished after 4 years of steeply rising costs of living!

This avaricious coalition cannot bear to see money. They were not contented with the misuse and abuse of the Bank of Guyana overdraft, they descended on the

International Reserve which quickly dwindled from US$652 million to US$528 million; the Gold Reserve from $25,012 billion to $620 million; the Contingency Reserves from $4.332 billion to $2.356 billion. It is observed that the depletion of these reserves accelerated rapidly after the successful No-Confidence Motion on December 21, 2019. It was an insane haste to fill their pockets. It is shocking to note that the total depletion of these reserves amounts to approximately $133 billion! If this is added to the four-year budgetary allocations of $1047 trillion then it will amount to $1180 trillion dollars. In this year alone the depletion of the reserves would have amounted to more than $14 billion. This shows this coalition’s voracious appetite for squandering and misappropriating our hard-earned revenues.

The old PNC has returned with a vengeance, they had to quench 23 years of acute money-thirst!

Can you imagine that having squandered near-

Vishnu Bisram’s utter nonsense, should know better Dear Editor, This letter is a response to a letter by Vishnu Bisram in another paper. For someone capable of doing a smarter analysis, Dr Vishnu Bisram’s article, “Granger nullified no-confidence vote (NCV),” in a November 15 letter, is utter nonsense.

Bisram said Granger is politically savvy; Guyanese feel the coalition won the December 21 No-Confidence Motion; the Opposition has been outfoxed, outwitted, and outsmarted every step of the way; President Granger and his Government played their card as a winner; they had effective, shrewd advisors that nullified the effects of the NCM; the coalition lost the battle but won the war; the NCM did not remove it from office and it continues to function as a normal Government; the Govt has not been defeated.

Long before the NCV, the PPP had demolished the PNC by beating them by 25,000 and 45,000 votes in 2016 and 2018 Local Government Elections.

The PPP/Jagdeo strategy brought back into the PPP’s fold those who strayed and voted PNC in 2015. Then the PPP won the NCV that left the PNC in turmoil and stunned beyond their wildest imagination (remember them hollering, “No Charrandas, no!”). It made them so stupid that after they initially accepted their defeat and promised to follow the Constitution, they started arguing with much zeal their “PNC math” that 33 was not a majority in a 65-member Parliament, although that’s how they got into Government and passed bills for four years.

Granger started to give his own interpretations of the Constitution and dubbed the CJ’s ruling as her own “interpretations”. Does Bisram

think this makes the PNC smarter and Guyanese think they are a “winner?”

This made them a bunch of clowns and a laughing stock of Caricom and the world.

What the NCV showed is that the PNC should never ever be trusted again, and allowed to get into power, as it would not keep its pre-election promises, or follow the Constitution. The PNC’s behaviour shows rigging, cheating, staying in power by any means necessary, and bullyism are in their DNA – you can never change the nature of the PNC. Burnhamism is alive and well. In its first stint, the PNC was an entirely illegal Government that stayed through riggeritis.

In its barely legal second stint (they won by one vote in Region Eight and no recount was held, and the PPP’s election petition was never heard), the constitutional language is that the Government was “defeated” and “Cabinet shall resign.”

That the PNC refused to give up and call elections within 90 days, and continues as if it is not illegal, is not that Granger/PNC is smarter than the PPP, it is that the PNC has always been and will always be bullies, because it controls the State apparatus of military, GECOM, some elements in the Judiciary, and has Government employees that will do its bidding to help them stay in power.

Their own AFC MP voted against them, the Speaker ruled against them (asking “What kind of thing is that,” when Volda asked for a timeout), the Chief Justice ruled against them, the CCJ ruled against them; the international community, Bar Association, churches and civic society condemned them for their shenanigans and delaying tactics in refus-

ing to name a GECOM Chair and date for new elections.

Now, Granger is still to dissolve Parliament. Before the CCJ ruling, the PNC said the Cabinet had resigned and they were now a “plenary”. After the CCJ ruled against them, they now still call themselves a “Cabinet,” although the Constitution says they are defeated, and the Cabinet shall resign.

That the PNC is still in power shows the maturity of the PPP in restraining themselves, putting the national interest first, and not engaging in ongoing agitation to remove them from office.

The PPP has patience knowing the PNC will be solidly defeated like all the indicators show. What the PNC has done in its intransigence, is to make Guyanese ask the litmus test question, which party is more likely to adhere to the Constitution – the PPP or the PNC? The record shows the PNC rigged for 28 years, the PPP voluntarily shortened their terms twice for peace’s sake, and now although the PNC has been defeated in the NCV, it has rigged an extra 15 months in office. The contrast between the PPP and PNC is clear that the PPP is the better of the two.

So Bisram’s letter is a bunch of bull. Granger’s security entourage is now larger than his audiences, and they continue to exceed their authority in their “caretaker” status. But as Walter Rodney said, “this act in itself shall not delay their day of judgment.” The PNC is morbidly afraid of new elections since they know their days are numbered. Mr Bisram, you should know better, that the Guyanese people are not that stupid to think the PNC is a winner.

Sincerely, Jerry Singh

ly 1.2 trillion dollars, this Government is now talking about ‘downsizing’ the public service? Just a few days ago the Finance Minister spoke about how 15,000 to 20,000 workers in the public service are placing a heavy burden on the Treasury and that was the reason they cannot receive better wages and salaries. He said all of this being cognisant that the wage and salary increases were catered for in the 2019 Budget which was supported by the Opposition.

Then having set the stage to display a dismal outlook, in came the President in his role of the ‘saviour’ announcing to the nation, wage and salary increases for public servants retroactive from January 1 and tax-free. The timing was perfect for electioneering purposes.

So much money was squandered yet the sugar workers receive nothing! I have no problem with an increase in wages and salaries to public servants but why is it that the sugar workers have not been the recipients of such benevolent propitia-

tion? Is it because they are perceived to be supporters of the PPP and public servants are perceived to be supporters of this Government? The entire GuySuCo had employed around 16,000 persons and 7000 were sent packing. If the public service is bloated by more than 15,000 workers then why are these being treated differently? Ramjattan was quick to point out that it was because of the subsidies to GuySuCo that his Government cannot afford to pay public servants any increase in wages and salaries and embark on infrastructural works. Whilst his erstwhile ‘buddy’ Nagamootoo had said that the sugar workers were ‘raping’ the treasury and the monies were going down a ‘dark hole’. Now a whole new economic strategy is unfolding!

Can these guys account for the humongous amount of monies wasted?

I want to warn the public servants whom Jordan spoke about, that it is Christmas time and 20,000 geese are being fattened for

the slaughter should the coalition regain power by its trademark rigging modus.

We should not be fooled again! The increase in public servants’ wages and salaries will be deemed to be unsustainable at a later date, not unlike the sugar workers scenario and again there will be mass dismissal and exodus. It should be recalled that the sugar workers were promised 20 per cent increase during the campaign trail in 2015 and then they became expendables, until now they have not been given a dollar increase and 7000 of them were thrown under the bus. I am sure that a similar fate awaits the public servants should the coalition get back into Government. Jordan has already laid the groundwork for the 20,000 public servants to be given the boots since they will become expendables as well. This is simply the modus operandi of this PNC-dominated Government!

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

Fake news usually starts with fake social media profiles

Dear Editor, Fake news is usually started by fake social media profiles, then picked up by paid bloggers, trolls and unsuspecting dupes. APNU/ AFC Member of Parliament, Jermaine Figueira may fall into the latter category, but his sharing of patently false information that the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo had “warned public servant, that the tax-free and retroactive salary increases” would be reversed if the PPP were victorious in the March 2020 Elections, takes campaigning to an all-time low in Guyana. Figueira posted “Don’t know who’s responsible for this information, but with this guy anything is possible” as the caption for fake news image. This image had been exposed as false hours earlier as it surfaced during Jagdeo’s weekly press conference. The exposure of fake news does not give APNU/AFC operatives cause for pause; the thoroughly discredited claim of 400 ‘black youth’ killed continues to live on in their narrative. For those interested in the truth of what exactly Bharrat Jagdeo said the PPP intends to reverse following a victory, continue reading.

The PPP will reverse the grants of massive swathes of State lands to APNU/AFC cronies, thousands of acres of prime lands given out including areas earmarked for deep-water harbours and new wharves. Then there is the clandestine sale of State lands and GuySuCo assets

by NICIL and its secret projects unit (SPU) that have been making deals with unscrupulous individuals and businesses who are willing to deal with an unconstitutional Government, these deals require the signature of a legally situated Minister of Finance to be valid. These lands are needed to develop the urgently needed 50,000 low-cost house lots for the people of Guyana. Mining lands taken by Ministers and their relatives have to be reversed so that small miners can get a place to work. Reversal of every one of these agreements entered into and signed since December 21, 2018, is not just a promise, it’s a fact!

The illegal spending of billions on APNU/AFC campaign events, thinly disguised as “outreaches” will be examined to ascertain what level of personal labiality has been incurred by the profligate spending on these events. Surcharges to pensions and liens will be applied in the instances where culpability exists.

This is a promise to ensure that the lessons of accountability and consequence are learned and remembered by all Guyanese. They had their ‘nice time’, now they must pay back every dime.

Winston Jordan also made a promise in a speech on November 9, 2019: “If you really want to downsize Government, you are talking about another fifteen [thousand] to twenty thousand workers to really make that saving to pay

those who will remain…” on Nov 13, David Granger announced that public servants’ salaries had increased by 9 per cent. The timing of both pronouncements cannot be a coincidence; the end is nigh for many if this ‘caring’ Government is re-elected. Thousands of workers in the sugar industry may well recall when Granger campaigned on a pro-agriculture platform in 2015 “No sugar estate will be closed”.

Granger chose to defy the findings of his CoI and close Wales in 2016, followed

by Enmore, Rose Hall and Skeldon in 2017. These two can only be trusted to do the ‘wrong’ things.

The PPP has consistently promised to reverse the 200 ‘hardship’ taxes that have caused the cost of living to skyrocket, making local businesses uncompetitive while providing an increase of 80 billion dollars to the Treasury, all of which has been spent with very little of substance to show for the hard-earned dollars paid to the GRA. Righting the ‘wrongs’ of the Granger Administration is a promise that will be kept!

The populace must be ever vigilant against ‘fake news’, seek to confirm before reposting and always from credible sources. The charlatans are out in force; vigilance and information literacy is your greatest defence against their mischievous agenda.

Respectfully, Robin Singh

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Foundation

By Rebecca Schrag Hershberg, PhD

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client recently came into my office with dark circles under her eyes; she has an intense fulltime job and two young children, so those circles weren’t surprising. On this particular day, though, she looked more worn out than usual. After collapsing onto my couch, she recounted an epic struggle she’d had with her toddler the night before around bath time.

Her little guy had refused to get in the tub for over two hours, until my client had basically, in her words, “thrown him in the tub”, through the tears and screams – of all parties involved. After (of course) empathising, I asked what I thought was a relatively straightforward question: “What stopped you from just skipping the bath?”

My client looked up, and I watched her eyes well with tears. “Wait,” she said incredulously. “I’m allowed to give in?”

“Of course you are, Mama. Of course, you are.”

I sat with my client as she cried – some mix of relief, exhaustion, and regret –and wondered how it was she’d gotten the idea that she absolutely had to get her son in the bath no matter what, that giving in to his wishes would have signalled, as she later explained, “a surrender”, “a huge parenting fail”, and an action that would have a horrible and irreversible impact on her child for years to come.

Wow, that’s a lot of pressure.

How did we get here?

When it comes to parenting, there has been a widespread emphasis on the importance of “consistency” in both the research literature and the popular media – and for good reason. Decades of research show that consistent parenting is a hallmark characteristic of a secure parent-child attachment, which has been linked to a host of positive outcomes for children.

These findings are echoed in behavioural treatment research. Rewards and consequences – often used to shape children’s behaviour in these paradigms –are found to be most effective when administered in a consistent, predictable way.

Consistency, therefore, is a concept that gets bandied about as critical when it comes to good parenting.

So what’s the problem?

The problem is how the term, and concept, of consistency has been misapplied to parenting in real life and misinterpreted by well-intentioned, devoted parents everywhere.

Consistency is not a synonym for perfection. A consistent parent is not one who is perfectly consistent, who never, ever breaks from the expected structure to be, well, human.

The mom who gives in to her kids’ demands on occasion to preserve her sanity, and the dad who at times chooses his battles to keep household calm a priority, are not laying the groundwork for an insecure parent-child attachment (associated with a range of negative outcomes for kids). Rather, these negative outcomes grow out of an ongoing pattern of inconsistency, of parent-child interactions largely charac-

terised by unpredictability.

The idea that children do best when adults “say what they mean and mean what they say” is undoubtedly true.

But that doesn’t mean that those same adults can never, ever change their minds, lest they ruin their children forever. In other words, “giving in” doesn’t have to represent a “surrender”. Rather, it can be just one simple decision at one moment in time – in a sea of decisions that we, as parents, make every day, all day long.

How do we know when giving in is OK?

Spoiler alert: We don’t. Or at least, we don’t know in any surefire, proven-by-algorithm way. What we do know is that it’s worth trending toward consistency. And that there’s some leeway.

We can stop feeling ashamed of the moments when we give in, be a bit more gentle with ourselves. We can recognise that if we are spinning obsessively in our minds –“Do I give in? Do I not give in? What’s the right answer here?” – our number-one task is to pause. Breathe. There is no “right answer” per se. There’s just something you do. And then something you do next, depending on how that goes. And then something you do after that.

A quick personal story here. One night, when my older son was about three years old, he called me into his room about 3:15 am to request (read: demand) more ice in his water. I said no and intended to hold firm on this, given the absurdity of the request. But then he started melting down, half asleep, and I was concerned he’d wake up his baby brother in the next room.

I was also exhausted and had a really busy schedule the following day. And so I caved. Except that, because I had made an intentional decision after consciously pausing to weigh the various factors at play, it didn’t actually feel like caving. And so I said exactly that: “OK, I changed my mind.

I am going to get more ice for your water because it’s really important to me that we both go back to sleep.”

What do we say when we give in?

Just as I did with my son in the example above, I always recommend that if (and when) you give in to your child, you’re transparent and take ownership of it, so that your child knows that it was not his or her behaviour that led to the outcome.

The jury’s o u t as to when they actually understand that piece, but it feels good – and i s good practice –to say it anyway. Think about it: “I am choosing to change my mind, and here’s why” is a much more empowering sentiment to express than “Fine, you win, I give up!” It also has the bonus effect of modelling thoughtful problem-solving, so there’s that.

My son didn’t call me in again the next night to address his predawn beverage temperature concerns, but I was aware that he might and was prepared to handle the consequences. It was one choice point. I chose a path. That’s all you can do.

The parent-child connection always comes first

Not only is never, ever giving in an impossible goal in the real world of parenting, but also continuing to strive for that kind of a spotless record can – and will –take a real toll on your relationship with your child and the fun you’re able to have together.

Which brings me back to my client. She still has the dark circles under her eyes (because life), but they’ve lightened a bit since she has begun to practise pausing. Most of the time, she holds her ground, and sometimes she doesn’t.

She’s learnt not to sweat each and every bath (pun intended). She’s also enjoying her little ones a whole lot more, which has led to a stronger parent-child connection. And that, every bit of science will tell you, is what matters most. (psychologytoday.com)

Positive reinforcement

O

ne of the easiest ways to remember positive reinforcement is to think of it as something being added. By thinking of it in these terms, you may find it easier to identify real-world examples of positive reinforcement.

Sometimes positive reinforcement occurs quite naturally. For example, when you hold the door open for someone you might receive praise and a thank you. That affirmation serves as positive reinforcement and may make it more likely that you will hold the door open for people again in the future.

In other cases, someone might choose to use positive reinforcement very deliberately in order to train and maintain a specific behaviour. An animal trainer, for example, might reward a dog with a treat after the animal shakes the trainer's hand and pauses for a count of five.

Examples of positive reinforcement

There are many examples of positive reinforcement in action. Consider the following examples: After you execute a turn during a dancing lesson, your instructor shouts out, "Great job!"

At work, you exceed this month's sales quota, so your boss gives you a bonus.

For your psychology class, you watch a video about the human brain and write a paper about what you learned.

Your instructor gives you 20 extra credit points for your work.

Can you identify the positive reinforcement in each of these examples? The instructor offering praise, the employer giving a bonus, and the teacher providing bonus points are all positive reinforcers. In each of these situations, the reinforcement is an additional stimulus occurring after the behaviour that increases the likelihood that the behaviour will occur again in the future.

An important thing to note is that positive reinforcement is not always a good thing, particularly when it reinforces misbehaviour.

In this case, the better solution would be to use positive reinforcement when the child is displaying good behaviour.

Instead of rewarding the misbehaviour, the parents would want to wait until the child is behaving well and then reward that good behaviour with praise, treats, or even a toy.

There are many different types of reinforcers that can be used to increase behaviours, but it is important to note that the type of reinforcer used depends on upon the individual and the situation. While gold stars and tokens might be very effective reinforcement for a second-grader, they are not going to have the same effect on a high school or college student. (verywellmind.com)

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SUnDAY, november 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Former Chief Justice Ian Chang dies F

ormer Chief Justice Ian Chang on Saturday lost his battle with cancer and died at the Dr Balwant Singh Hospital. The former Judge, who served in the capacity of acting chief Justice for 15 years, was surrounded by family and friends.

Justice Singh went off on annual leave in December 2015 ahead of his February 2016 retirement.

Justice Chang presided over some highly-controversial constitutional cases in Guyana.

Additionally, Justice Chang had presided over the presidential term limit case.

The constitutional challenge case was led by Georgetown resident Cedric Richardson in February 2015 and sought the court’s interpretation on the National Assembly’s changes to Article 90 as it related to four restraints on the freedom of choice by citizens at national elections.

In that case, he had ruled that the presidential term limit was unconstitutional since sovereignty resides in the people and not in the Parliament as it does in Britain; as such, certain fundamental clauses in the Constitution that serve to define its substantive nature can only be altered by a referendum of the people.

Justice Chang had outlined that the “purported alteration of Article 90 by Act No 17 of 2001, in substance and effect, undoubtedly diminishes the democratic rights of the electorate in electing a person of their own choice as President, by excluding from presidential candidature: (1) Citizens of Guyana not resident in Guyana on

Nomination Day (2) Citizens of Guyana resident in Guyana on Nomination Day but who have not been contin uously resident in Guyana for seven years prior to that date (3) Citizens of Guyana by registration (4) Citizens of Guyana who have served for two terms as President The case, which was led

by Attorneys Emily Dodson and Shawn Allicock, on behalf of Cedric Richardson, argued that Act 17 of 2001, which was passed by a twothird majority in the National Assembly, unconstitutionally curtails and restricts his sovereign and democratic rights and freedom as a qualified elector to elect specific persons of their choice as President of Guyana.

Richardson had contended that the limit was unconstitutional and illegal. He sought the court’s interpretation to determine whether the amendment with referendum should not have been held, instead of the two-third majority in the National Assembly having the powers to decide to limit the number of terms.

Justice Chang’s ruling was appealed by then-Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman and current Attorney General Basil Williams. Justice Chang’s ruling was upheld in Guyana’s Court of Appeal but was overturned by the Caribbean Court of Justice.

Another constitutional case over which Justice Chang presided was the challenge filed by four Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) advocates.

The legal challenge arose

with the several Articles of the Constitution stated and must be declared void for that inconsistency. Another famous and impacting case that Justice Chang was called upon to preside over

Former Chief Justice Ian Chang

after four transgender persons were detained, convicted, and fined by a city Magistrate after their February 2009 arrest in Georgetown. The transgender persons filed an appeal of their conviction.

After they appealed the law banning their mode of dress, Justice Ian, in September 2013, said that while the act of cross-dressing was not a crime in itself, for an “improper purpose”, it constitutes an offence. That ruling was also appealed at Guyana’s Appeal Court but their case was similarly dismissed.

Some years later, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruled in favour of the cross-dressing appeal. The Court ruled that “a law in Guyana, which makes it a criminal offence for a man or a woman to appear in a public place while dressed in clothing of the opposite sex for an ‘improper purpose’, is unconstitutional. The law, Section 153(1) (xlvii) of the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act, is to be struck from the laws of Guyana”.

It was also outlined that the “highly undemocratic section” is inconsistent

was the constitutional challenge that persons who were on a political party’s list of national candidates cannot sit in the National Assembly as non-elected members. In that particular case, Justice

Chang’s ruling prevented Citizenship Minister Winston Felix and Minister within the Social Protection Ministry Keith Scott from sitting in the National Assembly as technocrats.

8 news

SUnDAY, november 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Majority of serious crimes occurred in Region 4 – Crime Chief The genesis…

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ore than 68 per cent of the serious crimes that occurred this year were recorded in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) with 2235 cases being reported throughout the country between January 1 and October 31, 2019. This fig-

ure represents a decrease with 2292 cases recorded last year for the corresponding period.

This is according to acting Crime Chief, Senior Superintendent Michael Kingston, who stated that a whopping 41.3 per cent of the total serious crimes took

Serious crimes as per region in Guyana for 2019

place in the Georgetown Sub-Division of Region Four alone.

He noted that Region Four Sub-Division (C) East Coast Demerara has recorded 14.6 per cent of serious crimes followed closely by Region Four Sub-Division (B) East Bank Demerara with 12.8 per cent.

“Followed by the other Divisions, Region Five (5.7 per cent), Region Two (3.1 per cent), Region Six with 6.4 per cent and we are very minimal in Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine.”

Kingston elaborated that as it relates to the total serious crimes as per month for the year 2019 from January 1, the GPF recorded 254 crimes of this nature in the first month of the year but saw a reduction to 240 in February.

The figures fluctuated for the following months.

“March we were able to reduce serious crimes to 213. In April and May

I Acting Crime Chief, Senior Superintendent Michael Kingston

we went up by 230 and then within the June-July period we were able to come down to 199, in August we went up by 204 and in September we made a huge jump to 257.

In that jump, we recognised that there was a balloon effect in some areas and as result we went back to the drawing board almost immediately through our intelligence apparatus. And we were able to reduce it to 208 in the month of October,” the acting Crime Chief said.

Spike in murders and larceny

However, despite the overall figure for 2019 displaying a reduction in serious crimes in comparison to statistics from last year, there was a notable spike in murders and larceny from the person categories.

This year saw a 35.7 per cent increase with 114 murder cases in comparison to 2018’s 84 cases.

Meanwhile, with 159 cases of larceny from the person in 2019, there was a 31.4 per cent increase when compared to last year’s record of 121 cases of this nature countrywide.

As it relates to robbery under arms where instruments were used instead of firearms, in 2018 there were 202 reports. This year, to date, there have been 257 occurrences, a 27.2 per cent spike.

Additionally, burglary crimes have risen by 7.9 per cent with 164 cases reported for 2019 thus far when compared to the 152 cases last year.

…of the corruption magine Hamilton Green complaining about “corruption” in the “bureaucracy”!!! It’s like Hitler complaining about the lower number of Jews in Germany!! Reminding us that he’d been around since the 1950s, he complained: “… our society, as from the closing years of the 20th century, has become so corrupted that in many areas, things don’t happen unless some bureaucrat receives a ‘small piece’”.

Now while Guyanese would fervently agree with Green, there are two significant gaps in his assessment: his refusal to not mention the “big ones” in Government and the origin of the corruption to begin with. On the first, he ignores the old Guyanese folk wisdom: “the fish starts to stink from the head” and on the second, he studiously locates the start of the corruption “from the closing years of the 20th century”, rather than from the moment the PNC slid into power in 1964 on its corrupt Faustian bargain with international forces that wanted the PPP out!

The British had used the bureaucracy to rule over the colony and had insisted on incorruptibility and efficiency into its membership. It would’ve been unheard of for a colonial bureaucrat to risk his civil servant status by accepting a “small piece”!! Burnham changed all of that, not because he wanted bureaucrats to be corrupt and inefficient, but because these were the inevitable outcome of the changes he initiated as he established his dictatorship!! They were unintended consequences but no less potent.

He achieved control of the bureaucracy through a process of “politicisation and de-bureaucratisation”: Weberian criteria of bureaucratic development such as objectivity, precision and continuity, discretion and qualification for office were abandoned. Through the doctrine of “party paramountcy”, the Orwellian titled “Office of the General Secretary of the PNC and the Ministry of the National Development” (OGSPNCMND) oversaw the ideological “purity” of bureaucratic training and performance. It was “jobs for the boys”! Political loyalty became the sole criterion for measuring competence, suitability for hiring or for making recommendations.

A “party bureaucracy” was developed parallel but superior to the state bureaucracy at every level and they assumed many state functions, especially in reference to hiring and firing. State employees were monitored for adherence to Burnham’s line; dismissals accompanied transgressions. Multiple hierarchies of bureaucracies were created, which were granted overlapping jurisdictions— creating bureaucratic infighting.

By the time the economy collapsed, the demoralised bureaucrats could only survive on their “small piece” extorted from the hapless populace. Corruption had become power and absolute corruption was absolute power at all levels of Government!!

And this has never been rooted out: the PPP feared riots and reprisals and Granger’s return brought back the Burnhamite subversion of the bureaucracy.

Remember the Volda Principle?? …of AFC as PNC’s doormat Once again, the AFC’s threatening to go “solo” at the polls if their demands on the PM candidate and number of Ministries aren’t met by the PNC by Monday. The last time they made similar threats for the Local Government Elections, the PNC called their bluff and they were left in their nakedness for all and sundry to see!! It wasn’t a pretty sight…not being able to win a single constituency and even losing in Ramjattan and Nagamootoo’s own home villages!!

So, dear readers, pay no heed to the AFC’s fulminations, they’re holding the weakest hand possible. All their cards are Jokers!! How can the PNC take Ramjattan seriously when, since 2015, he’d been bending over forwards just to please them?? It was the AFC’s plan to close sugar?? It was Ramjattan who’d proposed the unilateral appointment of Patterson?? What else can the PNC think of them but “worms” when they show no backbones and brownnose so vigorously?

The PNC knows that the AFC has nowhere to go. Hence their hubris!! …of Bolivia’s crisis It doesn’t matter what you call the ouster of Evo Morales in Bolivia; he overreached when he didn’t follow the Constitution and even his supporters came out against him.

They insisted on a return to constitutional rule. Will PNC supporters do less here?

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

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SUnDAY, november 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Unsubstantiated objections

Domestic worker GECOM dismisses APNU/AFC attempts busted with to remove 13,000 voters in Region 5 over 4lbs ganja

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he Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Saturday rejected the objections to over 535 names being on the voters’ list in west Region Five from Abary to Big Baiabu, Mahaica. This reject brings the total number to 13,000 objections that GECOM has dismissed after the unsubstantiated objections were made in Region Five.

Following the public hearing, several persons called for the person/persons who objected to them being on the voters’ list to be charged since no one from the APNU/AFC Government who objected turned up at Mahaicony, where the hearing was con-

that the objector made the objections, do you care to tell us the name of the objector?”

Jaffarally asked.

“Ms Carol Smith Joseph,” Pancham said while noting that Joseph made the objections in her capacity as Deputy Chief Scrutineer for Region Five A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC).

Jaffarally said that it was an act of mischief since Carol Joseph failed to show up at the hearing. He said many of the persons who were being objected were prominent members of the community and even some who GECOM recently trained.

Jaffarally said GECOM

Some of the persons who turned up at the GECOM public hearing after their names were objected to by APNU/AFC officials

ducted.

Only two days prior, objections to 463 names from Moraikobai were rejected by GECOM after the persons turned up at a public hearing to prove that they are alive and resided at the addresses that GECOM had for them.

The list of eligible voters at Moraikobai has 510 names and of that number, 463 were objected to by persons associated with the current administration. The situation was no different at the GECOM Sub-Regional Office at Mahaicony on Saturday morning when returning Officer Laikharam Pancham, in his capacity of Magistrate Designate, threw out the objections.

Deputy Chief Scrutineer for the People’s Progressive Party Fizal Jaffarally, addressing the Court, asked for the Magistrate Designate to provide those who had turned up for the hearing with information which he considered vital.

“You have been saying

should not allow, what he referred to as a criminal offence, to go unpunished.

“Based on the Laws of Guyana, I am humbly requesting that, as the Registration Officer for this district, because of the misleading evidence produced to GECOM that these objectees are perhaps dead, insane, imprisoned or not existing, based on the law, that the Police be informed and an investigation be launched”.

He added that what happened was an abuse of the system for Claims and Objections.

“The purpose for the Claims and Objections exercise is not to disenfranchise any Guyanese”.

The Party’s Deputy Chief Scrutineer told the court that thousands of prominent Guyanese who were objected to, have lived all their lives at one address, some of them businesspersons.

Among those prominent persons, Jaffarally pointed out were rice farmers

and cricket commentator Inderjeet Persaud, who has lived all his life at Mahaicony.

He said the situation placed heavy stress on thousands of persons in Region Five.

“What is appalling is that this objector is unable to face the objectees. She thought that nobody would turn up here. So, based on the law, I am requesting that you, as the presiding Magistrate, inform the Police urgently and be brought in to have an investigation done and if it leads to prosecution, so be it”. Pancham said he did not have the authority to call in the Police but will be passing the information to GECOM for it to decide what course of action it will take.

Meanwhile, in the other Sub-Division between Abary and Ithaca, there were objections to the names of 9900 persons. Those have also been dismissed by GECOM.

A

Deputy Chief Scrutineer for APNU/AFC in Region 5, Carol Smith Joseph, who objected to thousands of names being on the voters’ list but was a no-show at the public hearing on Saturday

Meanwhile, in Region Six, close to 200 names on the voters’ list were objected to but the objections were recalled.

This publication understands that the instructions to make the objections came from senior APNU officials.

48-year-old female domestic worker was on Saturday morning busted with 2.15 kilograms (4.7lbs) of ganja at the Berbice River Bridge.

Reports are at about 07:15h ranks on duty at the police checkpoint located at the Bridge stopped and subsequently searched a hire car in which they found five parcels of ganja which weighed 2.15 kilograms.

According to Police, the domestic worker of High Dam, Agony’s Avenue, New Amsterdam, Berbice, was arrested following the discovery and is being processed for court.

Only on Friday, acting Crime Chief (ag), Senior Superintendent Michael Kingston said that in 2015

The ganja that was found on Saturday morning

there was 851 kilograms 376 grams of cannabis seized by ranks attached to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and in 2019 this figure has been greatly reduced to 551 kilograms 352 grams to date.

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SUnDAY, november 17, 2019 | guyanatimesGY.com

NEWS

11

SUnDAY, november 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

GRPA asks court to quash appointment of RAC Chairman For reconciliation in Guyana

I

n the ongoing debate on the merits and demerits of “ethnic” representation by some of our public intellectuals, those who insist there are specifically “ethnic” concerns and issues that must be articulated and represented are dubbed as “tribalists”. Now I have always been deeply offended when this particular term is used in odium and contrasted with being “nationalist”. Firstly, it connotes the image of societies that have tribes, especially in Africa, as irredeemably backward and violent and need to get on with it to become “modern” and develop into a “state”. But what is the modern “nation” – constructed in Europe – but the “tribe” writ large? And which tribe has been more violent than, for instance, those same nations as they fought their “world wars”?

Witness the survival of European “tribalism” in the Brexit phenomena through the different reactions of the English, Scots, Irish and Welsh, not to mention the about-to-be-expelled Ravi Dev Eastern Europeans.

Rather than condemning the phenomenon, therefore, our elite opinion-makers ought to try to understand the wellsprings of ethnicity and ethnic aspirations especially. The norm of not publicly conceding the pre-eminence of ethnicity in Guyana is one result of the ideological blinders imposed by a Eurocentric scholarship to which most of the opinion-shaping elite still subscribes.

Modern social science developed in a Europe that had already ‘solved’ its ethnic problem by transmuting it from a ‘national’ problem into an international one when they formed more or less ethnically homogenous states. “State” and “nation” were generally synonymous to the early European theorists who focused on economic cleavages rather than ethnic ones, which were peripheral to their reality. The few who did, such as JS Mill, pessimistically concluded that: “Free institutions are next to impossible in a country made up of different nationalities”.

The dominance of ethnicity over class in most multi-ethnic societies does not imply that class is negated; they both exist objectively and subjectively. The two interact dynamically and as to which preponderates depends on the situation and context. The transformation of class and ethnicity from analytic categories into social groups is a contingency that involves the same set of actors, and where the class and ethnic motives may either conflict or reinforce each other. In multi-ethnic, multi-class societies such as Guyana, situations which pose perceived threats to the survival of a group, be it violence or domination by other groups, tend to evoke “ethnic” responses while local economic issues, which pose threats at the individual level, may evoke a “class” reaction.

Ethnicity is particularly susceptible to politicisation since it fulfils the instrumental economic demands of “class” while simultaneously satisfying the affective, emotional, cultural and moral needs of its group members (ethnic interests). In a world of scarce resources and all-pervasive governments, ethnic political entrepreneurs do not find it difficult to persuade fellow group members that their economic interests are better served if their group controls the state. The affirmation of themselves as a people and the economic interest served, mutually reinforce each other.

Ethnicity is based on the perception by a group that it possesses common traits, primarily cultural and ascriptive, and common origins, which, taken together, make them distinctive from other groups. Objectively, when, as in Guyana, the ethnic groups are from different races, the exclusiveness of each group is indisputable as the cultural markers of different religions, mores, and social institutions become reinforced by the disparate racial characteristics of skin colour, hair texture, etc. The cultural basis of ethnicity makes it impossible to compartmentalise from other aspects of life – political, social, and economic. Instead of disappearing, as most had postulated, the opposite has occurred with ethnicity; as the modern man searches for meaning, struggles against atomisation and seeks transcendence. “The ethnic group is the only social institution that defines and accepts persons for what they are and not by what they do.”

Subjectively, the individual’s perception of self and identity is formed in the early years of socialisation, when typically, the ethnic markers themselves become a part of the individual’s identity. In our estimation, therefore, political and other leaders have to acknowledge the legitimacy of ethnic concerns and deal with them objectively rather than pretending that they are distasteful and must be swept under a rug. “Reconciliation” as we understand it, is needed between our ethnic protagonists in Guyana.

T

he Guyana Rice Producers Association (GRPA) is asking the High Court to quash the appointment of the Chairman of the Rice Assessment Committee (RAC) of Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Omadatt Chandan. The GRPA also wants the Court to set aside all decisions taken by the Committee since its establishment.

The Fixed Date Application was filed by Attorney Anil Nandlall and

ings filed against them. Those cases commenced hearing at the Mahaicony Magistrate’s Court on October 8, 2019.

As such, the Association wants the High Court to also issue an Order of Certiorari quashing all those proceedings, by declaring that the cases filed by Chandan under the Rice Farmers (Security of Tenure) Act, Chapter 69:02, against the 20 GRPA members are contrary to law, in excess of jurisdiction, violates the provisions of the Rice

of Tenure) Act, Chapter 69:02, against its members are contrary to law, in excess of jurisdiction, violates the provisions of the Rice Farmers(Security of Tenure Act) Chapter 69:02, are an abuse of power, are illegal, ultra vires, null, void and of no effect, and as such, an Order of Certiorari should be issued, quashing all those proceedings.

The Dharamkumar Seeraj-headed GRPA is also asking for any further or-

RAC Chairman Omadatt Chandan

the matter has been fixed for hearing on December 11, 2019.

In the legal documents seen by Guyana Times, the GRPA is asking the Court to declare that Chandan’s appointment is contrary to law, in excess of jurisdiction, violates the provisions of the Rice Farmers (Security of Tenure Act) Chapter 69:02, is an abuse of power, is in breach of the Constitution of Guyana, is in breach of the principles of natural justice, is illegal, ultra vires, null, void and of no effect, and as such, issue an Order of Certiorari to quash his June 2018 appointment made by the Minister of Agriculture.

The Association is also seeking an Order of Certiorari to quash all the decisions/orders made by Chandan, by having the Court declare that those decisions/orders in proceedings instituted by the Mahaica/Mahaicony/AbaryAgricultural Development Authority (MMA-ADA) – the third named defendant in the proceedings – under the Rice Farmers (Security of Tenure) Act, Chapter 69:02, against 20 of its members are contrary to law, in excess of jurisdiction, violates the provisions of the Rice Farmers(Security of Tenure Act) Chapter 69:02, are an abuse of power, are in breach of the Constitution of Guyana, are in breach of the principles of natural justice, are illegal, ultra vires, null, void and of no effect.

GRPA members Rameshwar Ramdatt, Arjune Persaud, Inshan Bacchus, Ahmad Subhan, Samad Rahim, Afraz Chintaman, Harripaul Baldeo, Rajesh Bissoon, Satyanand Persaud, Anirhu Rachpaul, Gewanram Khaderu, Bibi Salima Raffoodeen, Gopichand Ramjit, Lakeram Persaud, Rahaman Sherreiff, Seznarine, Ramdharie Girdharie, Albert Subhan, Ameer Ullah and Dhansew Sewsankar all had proceed-

Farmers (Security of Tenure Act) Chapter 69:02, are an abuse of power, are illegal, ultra vires, null, void and of no effect.

Further, the GRPA is asking the Court to issue a declaration that all proceedings filed by the MMA-ADA under the Rice Farmers(Security

ders or other reliefs the court deems just, along with costs.

Since last year, Attorney Nandlall, representing the dozens of rice farmers at the Hope Estate who are being taken to court by Government for failing to pay a unilateral increase in land rents, had objected to the composi-

tion of the Rice Assessment Committee that was established to resolve the matter.

Under the Rice Farmers (Security of Tenure) Act, all issues in relation to the recovery of rent of rice lands are governed by the Act, which provides for a Rice Assessment Committee to be the tribunal which determines all issues relating to rice lands. The Act also outlines how the Committee should be constituted and the qualifications of those appointed as members of the Committee. These appointments are made by the Agriculture Minister.

Nandlall argued that the persons who constitute the Committee do not possess the qualifications as prescribed by the Act.

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PPP to launch full elections manifesto in January the age limit on the importation of vehicles, which will take more than $1 million off the current cost of vehicles and, thus, be more affordable for Guyanese. Added to this is the restoration of the Joint Services bonus as well as support for small businesses via grants and interest-free loans to promote en-

PPP Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

he People’s Progressive Party will be formally launching its manifesto for the next year’s March 2 General and Regional Elections sometime in January.

This was revealed by General Secretary of the PPP, Bharrat Jagdeo. However, he told reporters at his weekly press conference on Thursday that before the manifesto launch, the Party will be doing a “soft launch” to share some of its policies and measures.

“We are gonna put out a summary version earlier… I believe sometime next week you will have this. I haven’t decided on the format yet because it’s not the [full] technical version. It will give you a synopsis of our policies in almost every area of government but it’s not the technical version as yet which will be launched in January,” Jagdeo stated.

The General Secretary noted that the “soft launch” is likely to be done at a press conference, which will feature the Party’s Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali, along with a few other key members. Then, at the technical launch in January, there will be presentations explaining PPP’s plans for the various sectors in great detail.

The PPP has already been giving people an insight into its vision and policies for

the future of the country and its people since August. Jagdeo had previously explained that the manifesto is being rolled out in phases.

The first version of the manifesto will be in the form of posters circulating, containing some of the policies the Party plans to institute immediately upon taking office. The second phase will be a more popular version of the manifesto, while the final version will be a detailed technical document.

Already, the PPP has published on its social media accounts several of these posters, outlining the removal of Value-Added Tax (VAT) on key areas such as electricity, water and healthcare. The VAT on farming, mining and forestry equipment will also be reversed, it promises. Also high on the Party’s agenda is the reversal and/or reduction of the over 200 tax measures imposed by the coalition administration, such as on building materials, data and exports.

Another area much emphasis will be placed on is the education sector, which will see 20,000 online scholarships. This will be in addition to plans to offer free university education within its five-year term in office as well as to write outstanding UG loans.

Other areas the PPP plans to address when it gets into office include reducing

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trepreneurship.

The PPP will also roll out an extensive plan on how Guyanese will benefit from the riches expected from the impending oil and gas sector, as well as outline plans for the security sector with clearly defined strategies to tackle the various forms of crimes.

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Climate change is an "emergency" – EU Ambassador T

he overall warming of the earth’s atmosphere and oceans due to climate change should be acknowledged by all humans, since they are the main contributors to this global disaster.

At a recent climate change forum, European Union Ambassador to Guyana, Fernando Ponz Canto shared this position as he regarded the trend as an emergency. Climate change can be defined as a change in global or regional climate patterns, attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels.

“We are talking about climate change but actually we shouldn’t be talking about climate change. We should be talking about a climate emergency. I think this reflects very much, the situation. It is an emergency and it has been treated as such,” he stated.

Given that human activities are primarily responsible for this increased

EU Ambassador to Guyana, Fernando Ponz Canto

warming, the Ambassador indicated that awareness should be spread on how to combat this global issue and the rate of pollution.

“We are the first climate-related donor in the world. This is reflecting our commitment and our awareness, perhaps because we are also responsible for that.

We are one of the main, responsible for climate change.

We have polluted a lot and we are still polluting. If there is something positive about that, it’s that this has made us aware of the need to tackle this problem.”

In recent years, the EU has strongly supported the fight against climate change, with a plan of reducing emissions by 20 per cent. However, it is a difficult undertaking.

“We are committed to a very ambitious per cent of reductions, in terms of emissions but also increasing sustainable energy. We are committed to moving from fossil fuel energies to sustainable, renewable energies that will not contribute to climate change. This is very difficult but we’re happy to do it,” Ponz Canto highlighted.

Research has shown that oceans have warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished and the sea level has risen. From 1901 to 2010, the global average sea level rose by 19 centimetres as oceans expanded due to warming and ice melting.

In 2009, the former Administration had

launched its Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), which aimed at turning Guyana into a state of low carbon emission and sustainable development, while simultaneously combating climate change.

The coalition Administration then introduced the Green State Development Strategy, largely based on the LCDS initiated by the former Government. It is a framework that is supposed to incorporate economic development programmes with strategies to promote the fight against global warming. However, many elements of the new framework have been labelled as flawed.

40 environmental professionals benefit from EIA/ESIA training

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he Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Guianas – Guyana Country Office, and the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment, successfully executed a training workshop on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) during November 5-8, 2019. The workshop, which was facilitated by two experts, Stephen Teeuwen and Peter Nelson from The Netherlands Commission on Environmental Assessment— aimed at building the capacity of environmental regulators to strengthen the administration and review of the EIA/ESIA. Approximately, forty professionals, comprising of 35 EPA staff, along with representatives from the Environmental Assessment Board (EAB) and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) were beneficiaries of the training.

Important components covered during the training included the value of EIA, importance and principles of EIA review, and formulating feedback and permit conditions, amongst others. The training exercise also saw the principles being applied to review some active EIAs engaging the attention of the EPA. Further, the process facilitated review and strengthening of pertinent existing guidelines within the EPA for finalisation.

What is an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)?

EIA— also referred to as Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) — is the evaluation of the environmental and socio-economic impacts likely to raise from a major project. It is the process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made. (IAIA, 1999) What are some areas covered by an EIA? The EIA/ESIA should identify, describe, and evaluate the direct and indirect effects of the proposed project on the environment including: * Human beings * Plants, animals, species, habitat * Soil * Water * Air and climatic factors * Material assets, cultural heritage, and the landscape * Natural resources etc An important component of the EIA is an outline of the main alternatives studied by the developer and an indication of the main reasons for his/her choice, taking into account the environmental factors.

Some projects requiring EIA * Construction of roads, harbours and airfields * Installation for the treatment of wastewater, industrial or domestic waste * Importation of any waste matter whether hazardous or not * The release, use or keeping of any genetically modified organisms * The harvesting and utilisation of forest resources * The extraction and conversion of mineral resources Decision to issue an Environmental Permit A decision by the Agency to issue an Environmental Permit for a project shall be subjected to conditions which are reasonably necessary to protect human health and the environment and each environmental permit shall contain specific terms and conditions.

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

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Understanding the debtto-foreign reserves ratio:

What it means for macroeconomic stability

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eaders would recall that Guyana Times reported recently that Guyana’s external debt-to-foreign reserve ratio is among the highest compared to most countries in the Caribbean and Latin American region. The article was making reference to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) report on the regional economic outlook 2019.

The creation of debt is a natural consequence of economic activity. At any time, some economic entities have income in excess of their current consumption and investment requirements, while other entities are deficient in this regard.

Through the creation of debt, both sets of entities are better able to realise their consumption and output preferences, thus, encouraging economic growth. The creation of debt is premised on the assumption that the debtor will meet the requirements of the debt contract. If the income of the debtor is insufficient, however, or there is lack of sufficient assets to call upon the event of income proving insufficient, debt problems ensue; the stock of debt will be such that the debtor cannot meet its obligations. In such circumstances, the benefits arising from international financial flows – for both creditors and debtors – may not be fully realised. Hence, the need at the country level for good risk management procedures and maintenance of external debt at sustainable levels.

Solvency From a national perspective, solvency can be defined as a country’s ability to discharge its external debt obligations on a continuing basis. In theory, assuming debt can be renewed at maturity; countries are solvent if the present value of net interest payments does not exceed the present value of other current account inflows (primarily export receipts) net of imports. In practice, however, countries stop servicing their debt long before this constraint is reached, at the point where the debt is perceived to be too costly in terms of the country’s economic and social objectives. Thus, the relevant constraint is generally the willingness to pay, rather than the theoretical macroeconomic ability to pay. To establish that a country is solvency of a country, it is not straightforward. Solvency is very much like ‘honesty’. It can never be fully certified.

Now, from looking at the data illustrated in the graphs below, Guyana’s external debt-to-reserves ratio moved from 164 per cent: meaning the level of external debt at that time was 164 % the level of international reserves (greater than the reserves’ balance), to 248% at the end of 2018. Notably, the external debtto-reserves ratio remained well below 190 % through 2009 up until 2014 before increasing above 190% in 2015 to reach 248 per cent in 2018. Moreover, in the second graph, the balance of payment position was included which showed that in 2009 when the external debt was 164% of the reserves, the balance of payment position was in a surplus position, thus, indicating a relatively stronger macroeconomic stability framework. In 2013, the balance of payment recorded a deficit position of US$120 million when the external debt to reserve ratio was 165 per cent before starting to rise rapidly in 2014 at 186% to reach 248 % in 2018 and the balance of payment position recorded its worse deficit position of US$132 million in 2018 during the entire period under review from 2009-2018.

Suffice it to state, henceforth, in 2018, an external debt-toreserve ratio of 247 per cent, the highest in the past decade, compounded by the highest balance of payment position in the past decade, certainly characterises a far weaker macroeconomic stability framework than where Guyana was ten years ago. For ease of reference to the readers, the implication of this was expounded upon in a previous article here https://guyanatimesgy.com/guyanas-macroeconomicstability-framework-continues-to-be-weakened/.

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.)

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“We cannot allow ourselves to fall victim to corruption” – UG valedictorian …history created as 2 valedictorians attain perfect score …as 1985 students graduate

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ineteen hundred and eighty-five (1985) students on Saturday graduated from the University of Guyana (UG) during two separate ceremonies at the institution’s Turkeyen Campus, Greater Georgetown.

After being conferred with degrees and diplomas in their respective study areas, the now new graduates of the University of Guyana (UG) were on Saturday morning urged to take control and ensure that the country and its citizens obtain what they truly deserve from the booming oil and gas sector.

This charge was delivered by one of this year’s valedictorians, Shane Rampartab, during the first of two ceremonies of the University’s 53rd Convocation ceremony.

In addressing students from the faculties of Agriculture and Forestry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Education and Humanities, Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences and the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE), Rampartab took time to acknowledge the reasons behind his success while offering encouraging words to both present and future students of the institution.

Rampartab, who now holds a Bachelor’s Degree in

tional development and the responsibilities set out for them in ensuring this goes in accordance with what society expects.

He added that one should not be overly contented with the country’s present state but rather desire change, which starts with each person especially the younger population.

“We cannot allow ourselves to fall victim to corruption. We cannot fall into the trap of nepotism and favouritism…but I must re-

Police Commissioner Leslie James receiving his Master’s Degree on Saturday night

mind you we cannot afford to be complacent, complacency breeds stagnation.

We are the ones who have to be proponents of change if we want to see a change.

Guyana Times/Evening News senior journalist, Jarryl Bryan receives his Diploma in Communication from Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Dr Edward Greene

Biology, and is the recipient of the President’s Medal, directed part of his fervent speech to his fellow graduates. He reminded of the country’s anticipated na-

noted.

Meanwhile, former United Nations special envoy, Professor John Edward Greene, who was appointed as UG’s new Chancellor, was officially installed during the morning ceremony as the institution’s 10th Honorary Head.

In his remarks, the incoming Chancellor emphasised the need to work with both internal and external stakeholders to build a University that makes a difference locally, regionally

No more promises. No more expectations. We need to be the pioneers of our future…

Remember to hold yourselves accountable for the future of our country,” he

and internationally.

“I know that as Chairman of the Board, I must work in partnership with the Vice Chancellor, currently the management transmission team, I must work together with all stakeholders within and outside the University in building what I call an accountability to the future.

An accountability to the future is understanding what core values of the University are and promoting them.

Enhancing creativity to what I call a new geography of learning and then building a viable and relevant University that makes a difference to our community, nation, region and world.”

His address was complemented by his first duty as Chancellor that is conferring the degrees and diplomas to the graduating class of 2019.

Meanwhile, at the second segment of UG’s 53rd Convocation ceremony held on Saturday afternoon, Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette CummingsEdwards urged the graduands to continue along the path of success and development in their future careers post-University life.

She stated that their achievements on Saturday were because of the dream that each graduand had to ensure that he/she was better equipped with knowledge and education to contribute to both self-development and a better society.

“Your success today demonstrates that you did not put a limit on what

Valedictorian Shane Rampartab

you can do and that is commendable. You had that desire, that passion and energy even, to succeed. It demonstrates the willpower to succeed, that determination, that perseverance which has brought you to this stage today.”

According to Justice Cummings-Edwards, the journeys that each graduand endured would not have been easy since they would have had to face challenges in various forms, but the discipline that they maintained is testimony to the fact that each person can overcome any obstacle as long as they remain focused on their goal(s).

Such qualities are necessary for each graduand in any career or field of work that they would want to now pursue, she added.

Meanwhile, female medical student, Karishma Narain, who graduated on Saturday with a 4.0 Grade Point Average received both the President’s Medal and the Prime Minister’s Medals.

Narain, who is this year’s second valedictorian, in her brief charge to fellow graduands, urged that they continue to equip themselves

Valedictorian Karishman Narain, who received the President’s Medal and the Prime Minister’s Medal

noted that this year’s graduation exercise is historic in many ways.

“The 2019 graduation exercise consists of the largest numbers of graduates from the University of Guyana. It is historic because the fac-

time that the UG is conferring the Master’s degree on a sitting Commissioner of Police.”

Guyana’s Top Cop, Leslie James, received his Master’s Degree award in Public Administration on Saturday

One of seven graduates who successfully completed their Master’s Degree in Social Work, Abigale Jonngaye

ulty with the highest number of graduates comes from the Faculty of Social Sciences with 507 graduates. It is historic because

evening at the UG Turkeyen Campus and Deputy Police Commissioner, Maxine Graham, also graduated.

Guyana Times

A section of the graduates on Saturday night during the 53rd Convocation ceremony at the University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus

with the necessary skills to complement the education they have received and plan on receiving at higher levels in their futures.

Additionally, Registrar of UG, Nigel Gravesande,

the programme with the highest number of graduates is the Diploma of Public Management with 126 students and it is historic because in the history of our convocation it is the first

Senior Journalist, Jarryl Bryan, also graduated with his Diploma in Communications.

(Leah Hernandez and Kristen Macklingham)

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T&T company demands $84M in payments from GuyOil

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rinidad-based Commissiong and Company Limited (CCL) is demanding in excess of $84 million in losses it incurred after the Guyana Oil Company Limited (GuyOil) terminated its contract with the entity for the construction of two storage tanks here.

In a letter dated November 14, 2019, that was sent by Attorney-atLaw Anil Nandlall on behalf of the Trinidadian company, GuyOil’s Company Secretary and Legal Officer, Lissa McTaire-Jones, was informed that they have 14 days to pay the estimated amount of losses in full otherwise, they will face legal proceedings.

The State-owned oil company entered in the contract with CCL on May 24, 2019, for the execution, fabrication and erection of two 10,000-barrel storage tanks at GuyOil Terminal Providence, East Bank Demerara.

However, on October 7, GuyOil prematurely ended the agreements. GuyOil’s Chief Executive Officer, Renatha Exeter, had subsequently explained that the termination of the threepart contract was a decision taken by the company’s Board of Directors after the Trinidadian company failed to put bank guarantees or bonds through a local bank.

She denied claims that it was as a result of a failed bribery attempt to extort money from the Trinidadian company.

But days later, leaked documents revealed that CCL was in fact approached by a senior official from the

State-owned company, who requested money.

According to documents seen by this newspaper, the GuyOil employee informed Commissiong Managing Director, Nirmala Rambharat, that the payments were on behalf of a senior official within the Finance Ministry.

The leaked email shows that Rambharat complained that she “received a call from a woman [name withheld]…she had asked me to pay to her 20 per cent of the contract value before the advance payment could be made. She also indicated this was not for her but for the [name withheld] and she urge me to pay the payment to her and then the advance payments can be made to my company.”

Rambharat refused to make the extra payments, noting in the correspondence that she informed GuyOil that her profit margin was 10 per cent of the contract price and that since the company was new to Guyana, its rates were designed to introduce Guyana to its service.

Commissiong also noted in correspondence with GuyOil’s legal department that the company holds no local collateral. In the correspondence, dated September 11, 2019, the Trinidadian company requested that GuyOil make its advance payments within 14 days so that the project could be started.

“A few days after, the Facilities Manager, Mr Nascimento, sent me an email stating that the advance payment bonds were rejected and I have to produce local bonds. I explained

to him that my company is an international company and has no collateral in Guyana… neither the contract document never stipulated a local bond which is impossible for an international company to do. On Monday GuyOil sent a letter terminating all my contracts with them.”

Moreover, Rambharat revealed in the correspondence that other Trinidadian contractors that provided services to GuyOil confirmed that they paid the GuyOil official 20 per cent of their contract values upon similar request – something which she refused to follow suit with.

As such, the Trinidadian company is now looking to recover the thousands of US dollars it invested in mobilisation efforts to execute the projects.

With the contract between CCL and GuyOil pegged at $110,285,913, the Trinidadian company said the total sum outstanding for the value of the works done at the date of the termination is US$291,055.05 ($60,624,497.94).

Added to this is the estimated loss of profits that the company incurred because of the premature ending of the contract.

“As a result of GuyOil’s termination of the said contract, [CCL] has lost the profits that they would have made if the contract had been performed and this opportunity cost must be considered when tabulating their loss,” the attorney stated in the letter.

On this note, another $23,542,886 was added to the company’s lost profits.

2 jailed on B&E, damage to property charges

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wo men were last week sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment, after appearing before Magistrate Dylon Bess on two separate charges.

Leonard Shaw, 31, of Princes Street, Georgetown, last week appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts charged for breaking and entering and larceny.

Shaw pleaded guilty to the charge which stated that between November 12 and November 13, 2019, at Charlotte and Alexander Streets, Georgetown, he broke and entered the dwelling house of David Coats and stole a toilet bowl valued $27,000 and a receiver sink valued $15,000.

Facts stated that on the day in question, the Virtual Complainant secured his home and retired to bed.

The following morning, Coats awoke to loud noises in his home. Upon inspecting where the noise was coming from, he observed the defendant leaving his home with the items.

Mangroves must be replanted to prevent future flooding – Mahaicony residents

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apid erosion of land due to decreasing mangrove presence has been one of the leading causes of flooding in Mahaicony, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) – a situation that is heightened during the high tides.

Feeling the effect of this, persons within the community are now calling for the authorities to replant this natural barrier and protect the eroding dams.

Speaking with Guyana Times on Friday, one concerned resident, Mahadeo Bindranauth, explained that it is crucial to replace this resource at the earliest. If not, the persistent flooding will continue to affect livestock and farmlands.

“The mangrove is essential to what we do here.

For two years now, we’re seeing a loss and now it gone completely. This used to hold the dam together and then whenever we have these waves coming in, it would break it so people around here would never get the full impact.

Even flooding, the water might raise up a little but we could always handle that and prepare,” he related.

The concerned resident noted that the rushing waves are making their way onto their properties at much ease, creating a devastating effect during every high tide. Adding to that, they are living in fear as to when another flood-

Armed bandits rob city paint store employees

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Jailed: Leonard Shaw

Jailed: Vishnu Sukdeo

A police report was made and Coats was later arrested and charged for the offence.

Magistrate Bess, after listening to the facts, sentenced Shaw to nine months behind bars.

Meanwhile, Vishnu Sukdeo, who also appeared before the said Magistrate, pleaded guilty to a damage to property charge.

The allegation detailed that on November 12, 2019, at Brickdam, Georgetown, he broke a window of an ambulance valued $20,000, prop-

erty of the Ministry of Public Health.

According to facts presented by Police Prosecutor Christopher Morris, the ambulance was parked on the Brickdam Public Road when Sukdeo, whilst passing, took a piece of wood and hit the window multiple times.

He was arrested after a police report was made and further charged for the offence.

Hence, Magistrate Bess sentenced the defendant to nine months’ imprisonment.

mployees attached to a paint establishment located on Water Street, Georgetown, were robbed by three armed bandits on Saturday morning. Reports are that the incident occurred at about 10:00h.

Police reports revealed that four employees were on duty at the city business when the armed bandits attacked them. The bandits relieved them of their cellular phones and an undisclosed sum of cash belonging to the company.

Following the robbery, the men made good their escape in an awaiting motorcar. Police have since launched an investigation.

The mangrove cover has completely deteriorated as erosion continues

ing will be experienced.

Villages along the area have been facing heavy floods this year, due to the decline in mangrove presence to protect the dam.

Now that this important resource is lacking, the natural soil barrier is susceptible to erosion.

“Everybody that living close to the dam are taking precautions but we’re talking about meters of water. If the mangroves are not planted here, we’re looking at a [serious] consequence and people might not be able to live here anymore. Right now the area is like a swamp, all around,” he described.

During last month’s flooding, officials declared that more than 300 acres of rice were destroyed and hundreds of acres were under threat of destruction by saltwater. Apart from the destruction of the rice,

the flooded land became salty and could no longer work for rice production.

It was the third flooding of that magnitude for this year and several villages were affected, including Dantzig, Columbia, Glazier’s Lust and Prospect.

An affected resident, Riyaad Bacchus, had explained to this publication that many farmers were left with no choice but to move their livestock and cattle to higher grounds.

While he would have succeeded in doing so, other persons in the area were not that fortunate as many animals would have drowned, or could not survive in the high waters.

This was as persons were recovering from flooding which occurred four weeks prior at the Dantzig foreshore after a sea defence breach.

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Bangladesh Tour of India…

Mohammed Shami caps seamers’ show, as India win big

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t is not unnatural for batsmen visiting India to feel like they are trapped; for them to spend over after over under pressure, with their edges being beaten and their shots counting for nothing. It is just that most times a spinner would be bowling.

Bangladesh went through a different experience in Indore. For the first time in forever -- okay, it’s actually only since 2001 -- India felt compelled to keep their fast bowlers on for 23 overs straight with the new ball.

And we’re talking about the third and fourth innings of a home Test here. That’s around the time a subcontinent pitch is worn beyond recognition and the ball doesn’t so much turn as create tiny rips in the universe. So what really is the point of being a seamer? “#HoldMyBeer,” said Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma

as they ripped through the opposition to set up victory by an innings and 130 runs.

India’s fast bowlers average 15.82 in 2019, easily the best in the world; and on the third day of this Test, they showcased all the qualities that went into those stats.

Virat Kohli had declared with a lead of 343, a sizable cushion for an attack that is up there with the greatest that have ever played this game; and within the first 14 overs, they created so much excitement that the captain had burnt both reviews.

Bangladesh should have tried to capitalise on that, but they were sorely outmatched here. Shadman Islam, for example, was worked over brilliantly. He spent most of his knock worrying about the outswinger, and with good reason. Ishant was laserfocused on angling the seam away from the left-hander, putting his entire body into

Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma walk tall

his action to keep the slips in play. Then, all of a sudden, he bowled one with his fingers sliding down the right-hand side of the seam. He did that so the ball would hit the deck and wobble into the batsman - a trick James Anderson and Stuart Broad use regularly in England.

Islam was just not ready for something like that. He lost his stumps; and worse, looked up to see the bowler barely even celebrating.

Human beings react to practically everything. A cup of coffee in the morning puts a smile on our faces. Seeing Ishant utterly expressionless made it seem like he had seen that wicket coming from a mile away.

Overall, it was a poor match for the Bangladesh openers. Imrul Kayes totalled 12 runs in two innings, and considering he dropped Mayank Agarwal when he was on 32, his overall contribution to this game was 199 in the negative.

The only visiting player who came out with a little credit was Mushfiqur R a h i m .

Having topscored in the first innings as well, he made an important half-century, replete with his trademark shots: those full-blooded cuts behind

BetVictor Gold Cup at Cheltenham…

Happy Diva (14-1) beats Brelan D’as (20-1) to claim win

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erry Lee’s Happy Diva claimed the BetVictor Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

The eight-year-old 14-1 shot and jockey Richard Patrick were brought down in this race last year, but held on to see off Brelan D’as (20-1) by a neck.

Favourite horse Slate House started badly, but was challenging in a group of four, only to fall at the penultimate fence.

Meanwhile, at Punchestown, Willie Mullins won a 10th Morgiana Hurdle, as 7-1 Saldier beat Petit Mouchoir (16-1) by a length and a half.

In a race expected to provide early clues to the Champion Hurdle at March’s Cheltenham Festival, Mullins had three of the five runners, but his 2-5 favourite Klassical Dream was two and a half lengths back in third.

Happy Diva (centre) negotiated the soft ground to win at Cheltenham

Henry de Bromhead’s Petit Mouchoir, ridden by Rachael Blackmore, led by more than two lengths at halfway, but was reeled in by Saldier, who took the lead jumping the last.

Happy Diva is the first mare to win the coveted Cheltenham race for horses aged four and

over -- first run in 1960 -- since Lady Cricket in 2000.

Lee, who is only the third female trainer to triumph in the race, said: “It’s a tough job, and you do sometimes wonder why you do it, but days like this are what it’s all about.” (BBC. COM)

point, and effortless flicks through midwicket. That he could even play them, though, was because his defence was in good order, and also because Rohit Sharma had dropped him on four.

Mushfiqur showed that once the ball gets older, run-scoring becomes easier.

Bangladesh could have exploited that, if they’d had a better start to their second innings. That should be their primary focus ahead of the day-night Test next week.

One Indian batsman made more runs all by himself than the Bangladesh batsmen could in either innings.

Shami was an equally bright performer, picking up a wicket in his first over on Saturday, and finishing with seven in the game. His biggest strength is that he consistently generates half a bat’s movement - somewhere near the perfect amount to get the edges. All he has to do to maximise that is bowl at the stumps - which he does and make the batsman play which he also does, especially when he goes wide of the crease.

None of India’s fast bowlers look like they need the additional movement the pink ball will offer. They were so good up top that, for the first 19 overs of the Bangladesh innings, the batsmen were not in control of 25% of their shots. That figure did eventually improve, but those early mistakes which lead to a flurry of wickets had already sealed the game. (Excerpted from cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

Bangladesh 1st Innings Shadman Islam c †Saha b I Sharma 6 Imrul Kayes c Rahane b Yadav 6 Mominul Haque (c) b Ashwin 37 Mohammad Mithun lbw b Mohammed Shami 13 Mushfiqur Rahim b Mohammed Shami 43 Mahmudullah b Ashwin 10 Liton Das † c Kohli b I Sharma 21 Mehidy Hasan Miraz lbw b Mohammed Shami 0 Taijul Islam run out (Jadeja/†Saha) 1 Abu Jayed not out 7 Ebadat Hossain b Yadav 2 Extras 4 (lb 3, w 1) TOTAL 150 all out (58.3 Overs, RR: 2.56) Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Imrul Kayes, 5.6 ov), 2-12 (Shadman Islam, 6.6 ov), 3-31 (Mohammad Mithun, 17.6 ov), 4-99 (Mominul Haque, 37.1 ov), 5-115 (Mahmudullah, 45.1 ov), 6-140 (Mushfiqur Rahim, 53.5 ov), 7-140 (Mehidy Hasan, 53.6 ov), 8-140 (Liton Das, 54.1 ov), 9-148 (Taijul Islam, 56.4 ov), 10-150 (Ebadot Hossain, 58.3 ov) BOWLING O M R W I Sharma 12 6 20 2 UT Yadav 14.3 3 47 2 Mohammed Shami 13 5 27 3 R Ashwin 16 1 43 2 RA Jadeja 3 0 10 0 India 1st Innings MA Agarwal c Abu Jayedb Mehidy Hasan Miraz 243 RG Sharma c †Liton Das b Abu Jay ed 6 CA Pujara c sub (Saif Hassan) b Abu Jayed 54 V Kohli (c) lbw b Abu Jayed 0 AM Rahane c Taijul Islam b Abu Jay ed 86 RA Jadeja not out 60 WP Saha † b Ebadat Hossain 12 UT Yadav not out 25 Extras 7 (lb 1, nb 3, w 3) TOTAL 493/6d (114 Overs, RR: 4.32)

Did not bat: R Ashwin, I Sharma, Mohammed Shami Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Rohit Sharma, 7.2 ov), 2-105 (Cheteshwar Pujara, 29.5 ov), 3-119 (Virat Kohli, 31.5 ov), 4-309 (Ajinkya Rahane, 85.4 ov), 5-432 (Mayank Agarwal, 107.3 ov), 6-454 (Wriddhiman Saha, 110.5 ov) BOWLING Ebadat Hossain Abu Jayed Taijul Islam Mehidy Hasan Miraz Mahmudullah

O M R W 31 5 115 1 25 3 108 4 28 4 120 0 27 0 125 1 3 0 24 0

Bangladesh 2nd Innings Shadman Islam b I Sharma 6 Imrul Kayes b Yadav 6 Mominul Haque (c) lbw b Mohammed Shami 7 Mohammad Mithun c Agarwal b Mohammed Shami 18 Mushfiqur Rahim c Pujara b Ashwin 64 Mahmudullah c RG Sharma b Mohammed Shami 15 Liton Das † c & b Ashwin 35 Mehidy Hasan Miraz b Yadav 38 Taijul Islam c †Saha b Mohammed Shami 6 Abu Jayed not out 4 Ebadat Hossain c Yadav b Ashwin 1 Extras 13 (b 2, lb 9, nb 1, w 1) TOTAL 213 all out (69.2 Overs, RR: 3.07) Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Imrul Kayes, 5.1 ov), 2-16 (Shadman Islam, 6.6 ov), 3-37 (Mominul Haque, 12.5 ov), 4-44 (Mohammad Mithun, 14.1 ov), 5-72 (Mahmudullah, 26.3 ov), 6-135 (Liton Das, 39.2 ov), 7-194 (Mehidy Hasan, 54.5 ov), 8-208 (Taijul Islam, 66.3 ov), 9-208 (Mushfiqur Rahim, 67.5 ov), 10-213 (Ebadot Hossain, 69.2 ov) BOWLING O I Sharma 11 UT Yadav 14 Mohammed Shami 16 RA Jadeja 14 R Ashwin 14.2

M R W 3 31 1 1 51 2 7 31 4 2 47 0 6 42 3

Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Roger Federer to reach finale of ATP finals

S

tefanos Tsitsipas beat sixtime champion Roger Federer to reach the finale of the ATP Finals in London.

The Greek Tsitsipas, making his debut at the event at age 21, won 6-3 6-4. Swiss player Federer, 38, was aiming for a record-extending seventh title, but was undone by the nerveless Tsitsipas, just as he was at January’s Australian Open.

The 17-year age gap between the two players is the biggest in the history of the season-ending championships.

With the London crowd heavily in favour of Federer, Tsitsipas played the better tennis, particularly on the big points.

The Greek saved break point in the very first game, before clinching Federer’s opening service game minutes later with a forehand winner.

In total, Federer had six break points in the opening set, but failed to take any as Tsitsipas held firm, and the 20-time Grand Slam champion gifted points with errors. Serving for the set at 5-3, Tsitsipas fought off two of those break points, but saw

six set points of his own come and go in a marathon game, before clinching the opener on his seventh.

Federer’s errors gave his opponent a further early break in the second set, only for the Swiss to finally convert a break point a game later at the 10th attempt.

But after the crowd roared in hope of a comeback, Tsitsipas crunched another forehand winner to seal Federer’s service game.Typically, Federer had two more break points when Tsitsipas served for the match, but the Greek closed out the win with some big deliveries.

Tsitsipas was aged just five when Federer won his first Wimbledon title in 2003. He said it was a “dream come true” for him to beat Federer in London.

“I grew up watching Roger here at the ATP Finals and Wimbledon and other finals,” he said. “I wished one day I could face him, and today I’m here living the dream.

“I remember myself being one of the kids here watching the event, and I could never

picture myself here. But it can happen.”

He was already the youngest player to have recorded wins against Federer, Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, but this victory consolidates his standing as one of the best young players in the game. In his breakthrough year, the world number six reached the Australia Open semi-finals and won two other titles, but is now one win away from the biggest title of his career.

“Today’s victory is probably one of my best moments of the season,” said Tsitsipas, who 12 months ago won the Next Gen Finals - the season-ending event for the best players under 21.

Federer was supreme in beating great rival Novak Djokovic to reach the semi-finals on Thursday, but was well below his best on this occasion, and was left ruing a host of opportunities missed on crucial points.

Defending champion Alexander Zverev and fifth seed Dominic Thiem met later on Saturday for the chance to play Tsitsipas in today’s final.

(Excerpted from BBC.COM)

20

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sunDAY, november 17, 2019

Opportunity there for Windies Women to regroup ꟷ aim to finish series with consolation wins

By Brandon Corlette

the slower pitches. Deepti Sharma, Rhada Yadav and Poonam Yadav have picked up seven, five and three wickets respectively. With two matches remaining in spin- friendly conditions, the Indian spinners will be aiming to fill their boots.

Only West Indies captain Anisa Mohammed, Shakera Selman and Hayley Matthews have picked up two wickets

A

fter losing the T20 International series to India Women, West Indies Women will use the remaining two matches as a yardstick for the upcoming Women’s World T20 in Australia from February 2020.

West Indies Women will meet their India counterparts today, Sunday November 17, from 13:30h at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

West Indies are without dynamic duo Stafanie Taylor and Deandra Dottin, but the current players in the squad who are yet to establish themselves will use the remaining two matches to cement their places in the team for the World T20 in Australia.

Reflecting on the three matches played thus far, West Indies had ordinary performances with the bat.

In the first T20, the Caribbean ladies scored 101, followed by 103. In the third T20I, Windies Women posted 59-9 in 20 overs on a difficult Providence pitch.

Team India have been dominant in the series

Despite losing three wickets chasing 60 runs for victory, which was accomplished in 16.4 overs in the third T20I, India have been flawless in the T20I series. The batting has been led by 15-year-old Shafali Verma. Despite her duck in the third T20I, her 142 runs score remains the most in the series thus far, enjoying a 42run gap from fellow opener Smriti Mandhana (100).

It has been a contrasting

series for West Indies with the bat. Chedean Nation has made 53 runs in three innings, which is the most by a West Indian, followed by Hayley Matthews’ 41. With Stafanie Taylor out of the T20I series, and fresh from a fruitful ODI series against India with 193 runs (the most in the ODI series), the bowling department of West Indies has been minimised as well.

In contrast, India spinners are making the most of

Smalta Girls’ Pee Wee Football Tournament…

North Georgetown, South Ruimveldt dominate

Martha Chance netted a hat-trick for North Georgetown

T

he second day of Round Robin action in the Smalta Girls’ 11 and Under Pee Wee Football tournament was contested under blistering sunshine on Saturday afternoon.

It saw the likes of St. Stephens, Marian Academy, Redeemer Primary, South Ruimveldt and North Georgetown primary registering wins.

In the first encounter of the day, the girls from St. Stephens Primary pulled off the upset of the day when they sneaked past defending champions West Ruimveldt Primary in a 1-0 affair. A foul in the box by a West Ruimveldt player afforded their opponents a kick from the penalty mark, and little De Andra Benjamin did not disappoint the St Stephens side, as she connected it cleanly for the first and only goal of the game.

Marian Academy also pulled off a win by a similar margin when they met with Genesis Primary. Ashley Walton scored in the 5th minute, and thereafter Marian Academy managed to hold off their opponents for a win.

Smith Memorial and Timehri Primary played to a one-all draw when it was their turn to battle. Akeysia Abrams netted first, in the 7th minute, for Smith Memorial, and Angel Bailey later equalized for Timehri in the 23rd. With just a few minutes of play left, neither side could find the winning goal, and as such had to settle for shared points.

It was a walk in the park for South Ruimveldt Primary

as they pulled off a 2-0 victory over St. Margaret’s. Briana Elliot was the first to find the back of the net for South, in the 8th minute; and a few minutes later, Julianna Younge pushed the score to 2-0 with a goal in the 14th. South’s defense held up in the second half to seal the win.

Redeemer Primary also enjoyed victory by a 2-0 margin when they battled FE Pollard.

Leanna Hill was the star of the proceedings, netting a brace in the 9th and 28th minutes for her team’s victory.

North Georgetown Primary continued in fine form, as they pulled off a win by the largest margin for the second week running.

Renee Johnson struck in the 8th for North Georgetown’s first goal. Thereafter, Martha Chance took the lead and went on to score a hat trick. Chance’s first goal came in the 20th, making for a 2-0 score by the half.

In the second, the young lady scored two brilliant goals from outside the box in the 24th and 27th to secure her team’s second win in as many games, 4-0.

South Ruimveldt were in control of their encounter with St Margaret’s (Jemima Holmes photo)

for the Caribbean Women.

With Shabika Gajnabi and Cherry-Ann Fraser in the squad, they are expected to play in at least one of the remaining two matches.

West Indies Women: Anisa Mohammed (C), Shemaine Campbell, Cherry Ann Fraser, Aaliyah Alleyne, Afy Fletcher, Shakera Selman, Hayley Matthews, Chedean Nation, Chinelle Henry, Stacy-Ann

King, Kyshona Knight, Natasha McLean, Shabika Gajnabi and Sheneta Grimmond.India Women: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Punam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Veda Krishnamurthy, Anjua Patil, Shika Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Mansi Joshi, Arundhati Reddy and Taniya Bhatia.

Mohammed’s century propels Red Force to victory over USA

I

n an encounter at the Brian Lara Academy, this time reduced by rain to 30 overs, Jason Mohammed’s shot-filled, fifth List ‘A’ hundred of 101 from 85 balls (two fours and nine sixes), put the Americans to the sword and powered the Red Force home in a 43-run win.

“We batted really well to get to 240-odd in 30 overs.

All round, I think we had a good game despite USA getting 200. The conditions were very difficult, with all the rain, to use the ball”, the 33-year-old former West Indies batsman said after the match.

Mohammed entered the crease with the score on 66/3 in the 12th over, after Darren Bravo (20) was dismissed for his first sub-50 score of the tournament, via leg side keeper catch from the bowling of off-spinner Steven Taylor.

Going into the innings’ final over, Mohammed was on 85 and the score on 222/4. After Odean Smith had faced the first two deliveries, Mohammed smashed slow medium bowler Ian Holland for a boundary and two sixes to bring up his century, to the delight of his teammates and the small crowd present.

“I hadn’t much opportunities in (the) tournament to bat other than the two times. Obviously, in a 30over game that is shortened, and I was out there with 18 overs to go. It wasn’t really a goal of mine (to score a century) although I ended up getting there. It was all about batting as deep as possible into the innings after getting a start.”

The Red Force now lock horns with Windward Volcanoes on Sunday, and Mohammed has reflected on areas the home side can improve on going forward.

“Our batting has been good so far. Bowling at the death has been a bit off, however. Think we have been going for too much runs in that period. We need to sharpen on that and improve on our catching.

Once we do that and have a complete all round performance, we will go far in this tournament,” he predicted.

Marshall scored a brilliant half-century

Mohammed celebrates his century

SCOREBOARD TRINIDAD & TOBAGO Red Force Jeremy Solozano c&b K Gore 12 Tion Webster c N Patel b K Gore 23 Kyle Hope c A Jones b J Singh 47 Darren Bravo c M Patel b S Taylor 20 Jason Mohammed not out 101 Odean Smith not out 31 Imran Khan* Khesan Ottley Anderson Phillip Jon Russ Jagessar Steven Katwaroo+

Extras 0b 2lb 7w 1nb 0pen 10 Provisional Score For Innings 244 Penalties awarded following Innings 0 Total 244 for 4 Bowler O M R W J Singh 6.0 0 52 1 S Netravalkar 4.0- 0 32 0 K Gore 6.0 2 21 2 Nisarg Patel 5.0 0 48 0

USA Xavier Marshall c A Phillip b J Jagessar 53 Monank Patel+ c T Webster b A Phillip 18 Steven Taylor cT Webster b O Smith 1 Aaron Jones b I Khan 16 Ian Holland b I Khan 18 Elmore Hutchinson c D Bravo b I Khan 23 Nisarg Patel not out 31 Karima Gore b K Ottley 19 Jasdeep Singh not out 2 Akshay Homraj Saurabh Netravalkar* Extr 0b 5lb 12w 3nb 0pen 20 Provisional Score For Innings 201

Penalties awarded following Innings 0 Total 201 for 7 Bowler O M R W J R Jagessar 6.0 0 33 1 A Phillip 5.0 0 48 1 O Smith 6.0 0 41 1 K Ottley 5.0 2 16 1 I Khan 6.0 0 38 3 J Mohammed 2.0-0 20 0

sunday, november 17, 2019

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Colonial Medical Insurance Regional Super50 Cup… Beware, Emerging Players…

The Jaguars are prowling “…looking to play aggressive cricket against Emerging Players” ꟷ Coach Crandon

I

n a rain-reduced 42-over encounter at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad & Tobago on Friday last, a classy innings of 93 from veteran Windward Islands Volcanoes and former West Indies opener Devon Smith was overshadowed by the 89 scored

by Chris Barnwell as the Guyana Jaguars triumphed by four wickets in that match.

Barnwell, an explosive right-handed batsman who plays for the famous Demerara Cricket Club in Guyana -- from whence came such legends as Clive “Super Cat” Lloyd; Lance Gibbs, one of the most successful spin bowlers in Test cricket history; and Roger Harper, an off-spinner and hard-hitting middle-order batsman described as a “fabulous fielder” for the West Indies -- compiled his 89 from 84 balls; and this was his ninth half-century at List ‘A’ level.

He guided the chase expertly, featuring firstly in a 77-run second wicket stand with opener Chandrapaul Hemraj, who scored 40 from 42 balls; and then he added another 53 with Jaguars Captain Leon Johnson (34) and all-rounder Raymon

Reifer (45), before he was dismissed with the Jaguars needing only 58 to win in the final 10 overs; which they eventually overhauled.

“It was a fantastic win for us, given the competitive nature of the group so far; especially with the West Indies Emerging (Players) playing some good cricket. It was important for us to win and stay in the fight,” Jaguars’ Coach Esuan Crandon told CWI Media.

“We managed to put together a very good batting display chasing down 250plus in 42 overs, which is not easy. I thought we (played the) innings nicely. Barnwell played a match-winning innings for us, and featured in three key partnerships; and the other guys supported well.

“Last night was a good example of how we want to go about batting as a group,” Coach Crandon declared.

Crandon, who recently coached West Indies ‘A’ Team in the matches against India ‘A’ Team, further explained why the rain interruption didn’t affect the Jaguars’ game plan.

“Not really! (rain and reduced overs didn’t change our tactics) We know that the Windwards have very aggressive players, and we wanted as much overs to play, since they would have been more competitive the shorter the game was reduced,” he disclosed.

The West Indies Emerging Players lead Zone ‘B’ points’ standings, but the battle for the top two places is tight, with all three sides on 12 points.

Crandon shared his thoughts ahead of the Jaguars’ clashing tomorrow with the Emerging Players. He said: “The Emerging Players have probably surprised a lot of people. Probably because the players weren’t selected for their respective franchises, they are playing fearless and smart cricket at the moment. We are not going to be taking them lightly. Luckily, we had opportunity to play them in our first game, and (we) will try to take positives from that win.

“I think we have to be really aggressive against them with bat and ball, and see how it goes from there.”

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Runners-up team Smooth

By Timothy Jaikarran

By Timothy Jaikarran

A

highly anticipated horse meet is being staged today at the (Ryan) Crawford Memorial Turf Club and Sports Facility (CMTCSF) at Alness Village, Corentyne Berbice.

Activities get underway from 13:00 hrs, and some of Guyana’s top horses will be battling for supremacy, which would be lucratively rewarded in this seven-race programme.

In a conversation with Guyana Times Sport, Club President Marcel Crawford Jnr said, “The weather is fine up here, the track is bone dry, and we are expecting an excellent turnout today.

“We have a total of 40 horses which will be competing, such as Miss Olympic, Absolute It, Goodwill Boy, Orion, Up Top Boss, First Prince, Marian, Gold Again, Sunday Silencer (and) Ebong Prince, just to name a few.

So, all in all, we are expecting to run off an excellent event.

“I must let the fans know that we are also in the process of running off our President’s Cup,

which is scheduled for January or February 2020.”

This current meet is expected to produce an abundance of excitement, especially since the stakes have been raised for the event. The feature event of this meet is the Alness Classic, set to be run over a distance of 1400 metres for a winning purse of $500,000 and a trophy.

Another top race, the I & Lower, will have a winner’s purse of $220,000 and a trophy.

Other events listed on the card are as follows: The race for 2-Year-Old horses for a first prize of $200,000 and a trophy. The race for J3 and Lower horses for a winning prize of $150,000 and a trophy. The L1 and Lower race for horses 3 years old and over, for the winner’s prize of $100,000 and a trophy. The L2 and Lower race for horses 3 years old and older for a winner’s prize of $80,000. And the L3 Unclassified race for a winner’s prize of $60,000.

Among the sponsors of this event are Banks DIH (major sponsor), Poonai’s Pharmacy, and the Jumbo Jet companies.

T

he curtains came down on the Rawle Toney/Mackeson 3x3 Basketball Classic on Sunday last at the Burnham Hardcourt. The event saw Pitbull 3.0 emerge champions, having defeated runners-up Smooth. Plaisance Ballers settled for third.

At a simple handover ceremony held at the Fireside Grill, captain of the victorious Pitbull 3.0, Ryan Gullen, said, “We are grateful to win this tournament.

We had an early inclusion of the talented Travis Belgrave to our squad, and everything worked out. The tournament wasn’t too stiff, the only team that gave us a challenge was from Linden, but eventually we came out on top.

“The Rawle Toney/ Mackeson 3x3 Basketball Classic I think… was well put together. It was lovely, and from our hard work we were able to take home the top prize. In terms of next year’s tournament, we have to go and train and get some

of this old rust off. We aren’t getting younger, but we will train hard to give them the necessary challenge to defend our title come 2020.”

In the finale of the tournament, Pitbull showed why they were the best team in the competition when they ran away with the game, defeating Smooth 22-12.

Besides Pitbull 3.0 pocketing a hefty sum of $300,000, Ryan Stephney of Pitbull was named Most Valuable Player and won $25,000 along with the Andrew Ifill Trophy, compliments of FireSide Grill. The runners-up team, Smooth, also pocketed a total of $100,000.

This event has been sponsored by distribution giants ANSA McAL under their Mackeson brand.

They are the tournament’s main sponsors. The Guyana Lottery Company’s Let’s Bet Sports, ‘STUFF’, Slingerz Family Entertainment, the National Sports Commission (NSC) and Trophy Stall are among the many other sponsors.

22

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SUnDAY, november 17, 2019

Afghanistan ride on Janat’s 5-for 11 to level T20I series

A

fghanistan rode on a remarkable performance by Karim Janat to surge to a series-levelling 41-run win against the West Indies in the second T20I on Saturday.

The 21-year-old Janat, brother of Asghar Afghan, came into the XI for his first match on tour. He replaced left-arm quick Fareed Ahmad, walking into his 20th T20I with middling stats. With the bat, he had averaged 13 at just over a run a ball. His bowling average was a none-too-hot 31.66 at a fairly expensive economy rate of 8.76.

The Janat who turned up at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday bore no resemblance to the man to whom those statistics refer. Sent in at No.3, he hit a freewheeling 26 off 18, his highest T20I score. But it was with the ball that he really tore through, taking Afghanistan’s second-best ever T20I figures with 5 for 11 in four overs.

Afghanistan had got what seemed to be a below-par 147 for 7, but thanks to Janat, all West Indies could limp to was 106 for 8, leaving everything to play for in the series decider on Sunday.

Afghanistan’s brisk start

Hazratullah Zazai shed the inhibitions that had made him tentative in the first T20I, going for his shots from the start, and starting things off with a first-ball six flicked disdainfully over square leg. Zazai looted 16 runs off the opening over bowled by Jason Holder, getting Afghanistan off to a flying start. Both openers fell to Kesryck Williams in the fifth over, robbing Afghanistan

SCOREBOARD

Karim Janat celebrates a wicket

of the momentum built up.

But Janat, batting at No.3 for the first time in T20Is, kept the run-rate going with some bold stroke play. He didn’t always connect cleanly, but he was going for his shots, which proved to be a streetsmart ploy to adopt on this particular pitch.

He was out to an iffy decision, the ball looking like it would go down leg, but that was a minor blip in a dream day.

West Indies mix up the pace

Afghanistan were 41 without loss in four overs. In the next 16 overs, they could get only 106 for 7. The pitch for the second T20I didn’t have as much grass as the adjacent one that had been used for the first match.

The first T20I had already shown the value of taking the pace off the ball, a fact that was only accentuated in this game, with a slower surface.

West Indies sussed that well. Led by Williams, who was ably supported by Holder (who gave up only seven runs in his last three

overs), Keemo Paul and Kieron Pollard, the Afghans were strangled in the middle. Forced to create their own pace with nothing on offer from pitch or bowlers, the batsmen succumbed.

Gulbadin Naib’s enterprising 24 off 18 from No.8 gave them some impetus at the very end, and allowed for a total that could give the bowlers something to defend. In the middle, though, from overs 5 to 16, Afghanistan were tied down.

The West Indies bowlers employed a variety of cutters, back of the hand slower balls, and mixed them up with the rare bouncer or normal pace delivery to keep the batsmen wrong-footed for the most part.

Janat destroys West Indies

West Indies had begun the chase playing cautiously, but given that the target wasn’t too steep and they had firepower in the batting, they could afford to do that.

Where the ploy began backfiring was with the batsmen getting dismissed while having eaten up balls. They

had stayed at the crease for a while but still not got set, but the process of playing out overs meant a climbing required rate, which forced them to look for the big shots on a pitch, and against a canny bowler, where you couldn’t pull that off without having gotten some fluency going.

Janat began by trapping Shimron Hetmyer lbw, beaten by a pacier one on the sweep. Evin Lewis, the game-changer in the first T20I, seemed to never find the middle of the bat, and was undone by the need to break free of the shackles.

Janat continued to mix it up against an increasingly edgy Lewis, until he swatted a top-edge to long-on.

Two balls later, Janat got one to go across Sherfane Rutherford, who drove loosely with feet planted, as the ball hit the perfect length and moved the perfect amount to kiss the edge.

It was his next strike that really broke West Indies’ back, and hopes, getting one to jag wickedly into Pollard and catching him on

Afghanistan Innings Hazratullah Zazai c King b Williams 26 Rahmanullah Gurbaz † c Pollard b Williams 15 Karim Janat lbw b Holder 26 Asghar Afghan c †Ramdin b Holder 8 Ibrahim Zadran c Pollard b Paul 11 Najibullah Zadran not out 20 Mohammad Nabi c Williams b Paul 3 Gulbadin Naib lbw b Williams 24 Rashid Khan (c) not out 5 Extras 9 (nb 1, w 8) TOTAL 147/7 (20 Overs, RR: 7.35) Did not bat: Naveen-ulHaq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman Fall of wickets: 1-42 (Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 4.2 ov), 2-42 (Hazratullah Zazai, 4.3 ov), 3-62 (Asghar Afghan, 8.4 ov), 4-77 (Karim Janat, 10.4 ov), 5-88 (Ibrahim Zadran, 12.3 ov), 6-97 (Mohammad Nabi, 14.1 ov), 7-141 (Gulbadin Naib, 19.3 ov) BOWLING JO Holder SS Cottrell KOK Williams KMA Paul HR Walsh KA Pollard

O 4 4 4 4 2 2

M 0 0 0 0 0 0

R 23 45 23 28 18 10

W 2 0 3 2 0 0

the crease, weight neither forward nor back, but pad very much in line with the stumps.

Janat completed his fivefor when he came back in the 18th over with the match all but in the bag, but it was his three-over spell in the middle that dismantled West Indies. Before he came on to bowl, they were on a steady, if slowish, 34 for 1 in seven overs. When he had completed his spell, the score read 55 for 5 in 12 overs.

At the toss, captain

West Indies Innings (target: 148 runs from 20 overs) BA King b Naveen-ul-Haq 12 E Lewis c Ibrahim Zadran b Karim Janat 14 SO Hetmyer lbw b Karim Janat 11 SE Rutherford c †Rahmanullah Gurbaz b Karim Janat 6 KA Pollard (c) lbw b Karim Janat 7 D Ramdin † not out 24 JO Holder st †Rahmanullah Gurbaz b Rashid Khan 13 KMA Paul b Karim Janat 11 HR Walsh c Rashid Khan b Gulbadin Naib 3 KOK Williams not out 0 Extras 5 (lb 1, w 4) TOTAL 106/8 (20 Overs, RR: 5.3) Yet to bat: SS Cottrell Fall of wickets: 1-17 (Brandon King, 3.5 ov), 2-34 (Shimron Hetmyer, 7.2 ov), 3-45 (Evin Lewis, 9.4 ov), 4-45 (Sherfane Rutherford, 9.6 ov), 5-54 (Kieron Pollard, 11.5 ov), 6-69 (Jason Holder, 14.1 ov), 7-89 (Keemo Paul, 17.2 ov), 8-105 (Hayden Walsh, 19.5 ov) BOWLING Mujeeb Ur Rahman Naveen-ul-Haq Mohammad Nabi Karim Janat Rashid Khan Gulbadin Naib

O 3 3 3 4 4 3

M 0 0 0 0 0 0

R W 10 0 19 1 18 0 11 5 25 1 22 1

Rashid Khan had explained his decision to bat first as “trying something different”. It was a somewhat surprising decision, given that dew was expected, and the history of T20 cricket, where the dynamics of utilising resources seem much more efficient when you know exactly how many runs you have to get. The move worked, but the ‘different’ thing that Afghanistan did with maximum impact was bringing Janat into the XI. (cricinfo)

Guyana nail Aruba 4-2!

G

uyana’s Golden Jaguars had the scare of their careers last evening when Aruba sought to exact revenge for the previous loss they had suffered at the hands of Guyana. However, a brace from local hero Trayon Bobb handed the National Football Team three crucial points at the Leonora Track and Field Facility on Friday night.

The Guyanese starting XI comprised of Captain Samuel Cox, goalkeeper Quillian Roberts, Terence Vancooten, Matthew Briggs, Callum Harriott, Daniel Wilson, Kadell Daniel, Keanu Marsh- Brown, Clive Nobrega, Emery Welshman and Trayon Bobb.

Guyana’s nightmare began in the second minute of this encounter, when Aruba caught goalkeeper Quillian Roberts far outside the box, and Glenbert Croes made the most of the unattended goal opportunity to nudge the ball in easily for his team’s first goal.

Now on the offensive, Kadell Daniel stepped up to take a free kick in the 7th, which he placed perfectly. The ball needed only the head of Matthew Briggs to find the back of the net for the equaliser.

However, Guyana was again put in the hot

seat when a controversial foul was called on Daniel Wilson inside the box, making way for an Aruban penalty. Gregor Breinburg placed it perfectly, to give the visitors the lead for the second time.

A brilliant Callum Harriott shot from outside the box in the 44th minute ensured Guyana’s equaliser in this heated encounter, just before the half.

The Golden Jaguars returned to the playing surface in the second half more determined than ever to prevail, as they sought out the leading goal; but they must also be commended for holding off the Arubans, who also were seemingly determined to take the winning three points.

It was here that Trayon Bobb played Guyana’s hero once again, as he netted the tie breaker in the 53rd minute; and, not quite contented with the one-goal lead, outplayed the Aruban goalkeeper Eric Abdul a second time to score his second goal and Guyana’s fourth goal.

The 4-2 victory over Aruba puts Guyana in a great position to qualify for participation in the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament. However, they will now need to defeat Jamaica’s ‘Reggae Boys’ at home on Monday, November 18, to ensure smooth sailing.

Trayon Bobb spurred Guyana’s comeback with a brace

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sunDAY, november 17, 2019

23

Colonial Medical Insurance Regional Super50 Cup…

Brilliant Barnwell bats Jaguars to 4-wicket win over Volcanoes I

n the 2019 staging of the Colonial Medical Insurance Regional Super50 Cup, a consistent Christopher Barnwell continued his prowess with the bat by leading Guyana Jaguars to their third win, and the Windward Islands Volcanoes to a defeat by four wickets with four balls to spare.

It all went down on Friday last at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain, Republic of Trinidad & Tobago.

H e a v y rain-

f a l l caused the match to be reduced to 42 overs per team, and the Volcanoes, asked to bat by the Jaguars, posted a decent 258-5 in their allotment of overs.

Veteran batsman Devon Smith led the charge with a classy 93 scored from 94 balls, which included 10 fours and one six. He was supported by former West Indies captain Emmanuel Stewart, who scored 51 from 52 balls, decorated with three fours and two sixes; and Keron Cottoy added the finishing touches with an unbeaten 28-ball 45, which

included four sixes.

Bowling for the Jaguars, Veerasammy Permaul took 2-34 in nine impressive overs, while Ronsford Beaton, Raymon Reifer and Nial Smith each took one wicket.

In response, Jaguars lost Kemol Savory -- who replaced opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul at the top of the order – when Sherman Lewis de-

Veteran Devon Smith missed out on a century

stroyed his furniture after he had scored only four runs.

Chandrapaul Hemraj, who scored 40, hit

three sixes in his 42-ball innings that lasted for 61 minutes. He added 75 runs with Barnwell for the third wicket.

Captain Leon Johnson, who continues to look good w i t h starts, scored a 33-ball 34 which included four classy boundaries and one six. He added 53 runs with Barnwell.

With his 89, Barnwell took his tally to 229 runs in the tournament, the second highest behind Kieron Powell’s 327 runs.

After Barnwell’s departure at 2014 in 33.2 overs, Reifer’s innings of 45 from 49 ended with Jaguars on 235-6 in 38.2 overs.

Jaguars lost the returning Anthony Bramble for seven at 253-6, but Ramaal Lewis hit the winning run with a six, while Jonathan Foo scored an unbeaten 17 from 21 balls in an eff o r t that won t h e

Veerasammy Permaul continues to produce ‘tight’ bowling

match by four wickets with four balls to spare.

Jaguars, with 12 points, three wins and one loss, will play Group ‘B’ table lead-

ers West Indies Emerging Players on Sunday November 17 from 13:30h at the same venue.

SCOREBOARD Windward Islands Innings DS Smith c Beaton b Permaul 93 D Maloney c †Bramble b Beaton 17 KAR Hodge c Barnwell b Reifer 24 KA Edwards (c) c Johnson b Permaul 0 EWJ Stewart † b Smith 51 KJ Cottoy not out 45 S Shillingford not out 16 Extras 12 (b 1, lb 4, nb 3, w 4) TOTAL 258/5 (42 Overs, RR: 6.14) Did not bat: A Athanaze, B Yadram, SH Lewis, LM Edwards Fall of wickets: 1-36 (Desron Maloney, 5.2 ov), 2-109 (Kavem Hodge, 20.6 ov), 3-110 (Kirk Edwards, 21.6 ov), 4-187 (Devon Smith, 33.6 ov), 5-198 (Emmanuel Stewart, 36.4 ov)

Guyana Innings C Hemraj c KA Edwards b LM Edwards 40 K Savory b Lewis 4 CD Barnwell c †Stewart b Yadram 89 LR Johnson (c) c Yadram b Cottoy 34 RA Reifer run out (LM Edwards) 45 JA Foo not out 17 A Bramble † lbw b Hodge 7 RA Lewis not out 6 Extras 18 (lb 6, w 12) TOTAL 260/6 (41.2 Overs, RR: 6.29) Did not bat: V Permaul, RR Beaton, N Smith Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Kemol Savory, 3.1 ov), 2-83 (Chandrapaul Hemraj, 14.2 ov), 3-136 (Leon Johnson, 22.6 ov), 4-201 (Chris Barnwell, 33.2 ov), 5-236 (Raymon Reifer, 38.2 ov), 6-253 (Anthony Bramble, 40.6 ov)

BOWLING RA Lewis RR Beaton RA Reifer N Smith V Permaul JA Foo C Hemraj

BOWLING O KAR Hodge 8 SH Lewis 9 S Shillingford 7 LM Edwards 5 KJ Cottoy 3 A Athanaze 2 B Yadram 7.2

O 7 7 7 8 9 1 3

M 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

R W 40 0 40 1 53 1 61 1 34 2 10 0 15 0

M 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

R W 39 1 60 1 31 0 36 1 24 1 17 0 47 1

MACORP boosts GFF with $1M T

he Machinery Corporation of Guyana Ltd. (MACORP), in initiating itself as a partner with the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) in the cause of promoting this sport, has donated a whopping million dollars towards this goal; and not even VAR could dispute this welcome development.

This sponsorship cheque was presented to GFF President Wayne Forde by Chief Financial Officer/Human Resources Manager of MACORP, Mrs. Anita Ramprasad, last Thursday afternoon following a brief but significant ceremony chaired by MACORP Trainer Bonard Joseph. The following personnel were present: MACORP Managing Director Guillermo Escarraga and other staff members.

MACORP has declared that, as the only authorised Caterpillar dealer in Guyana, it has always embraced and supported initiatives of development across the board, since its corporate responsibility is helping to mould and build Guyana.

The company has also said it has been following the positive progress of football under the Wayne Forde-led administration of the Guyana Football Federation.

Managing Director Escarraga, in his remarks, declared it a pleasure to host the GFF at a ceremony to officially start what is anticipated to be a long and mutually fruitful relationship.

“We recognise the work that you have done, and that work is what has made us interested in entering this partnership with the Guyana Football Federation.

“We’ve seen the progress that football has been making in Guyana. We’ve seen that, for the first time, you’ve qualified for Gold Cup in the history of the sport in Guyana. This is very remarkable!

And we see a lot of potential in the future of the development of football and we want to be part of it; and this is the first step in this relationship, that we hope continues for the development of the sport.”

Escarraga expressed confidence that, with the leadership of President Forde, Guyana will continue to climb the ladder of development positively in a holistic way.

“MACORP stands behind the Guyana Football Federation in this quest to get to the higher level. We really believe that the potential is there. We’ve seen the talent, we’ve seen the opportunities that this creates for communities, for very young individuals, for our own kids, and for everybody that really wants to use football as something that would help in their careers and getting better in life as a whole.”

A glimpse of the head table at the ceremony including Wayne Forde, Guillermo Escarraga and Anita Ramprasad

Escarraga expressed confidence that the GFF Super 16 Cup ® will be a wonderful experience and event for all to enjoy.

“We’re really excited, because we want to reach out, we want to engage our customers in those regions, and we want everybody to have a good time and to use football as a way of getting together, socialising and having a good time; and at the same time, helping the players to get some important playing time, because at this level, playing time is very important to continue making progress in the right direction.”

Mrs. Ramprasad, in her remarks, said it is indeed an honour for the company to be collaborating with the GFF. She explained why it is important.

“We recently realised that most of what employees know about work is that you come to work, do the job, get paid and you go home; and there’s no real culture beyond that in the workplace. We’ve recently introduced into our organisation a Sport and Recreation Committee because we truly believe that the health and wellness of our employees encompasses what they do, how they take care of their bodies, and how well their minds are prepared to handle challenges. This is where sport comes in.”

Mrs. Ramprasad noted that sporting activities such as football teach employees, youths, and even adults the patience of discipline, commitment, dedication and, most importantly, teamwork.

“Working together for a result that brings you glory and

gratitude. It’s indeed an honourable thing that you are working with our country’s youth and the not-so-young to promote such a sport, because there are so many things that people can do with their time that is not in their best interest. Sports give you so many opportunities to relieve your stress, and as well you can find talent that maybe one day, maybe the next Neymar or Ronaldo…this is where it begins, at this level.”

President Forde, in extending gratitude to MACORP for a timely boost to the sport, and more specifically the GFF Super 16 Cup ®, noted that it is an exciting moment for the GFF to entering into a new relationship/partnership with one of the leading companies in Guyana.

“I am so pleased to hear the values of the company being brought to bear in a sporting activity. For us, football is more than a game. While we look at the global football product and we see an entertainment value that seems to be attracting more emphasis than any other value, in our corner of the world, football is a human development tool.”

The GFF boss said one might be very surprised to know that just a small percentage of the total population of global footballers go on to play the game professionally.

“More than 98% of the people that play the ball, whether through structured programmes or for recreational purposes, will only play that aspect of football. It is the few that are most talented and gifted that we will adore and admire when they weave their talent on the big screen.

“So, much of what we do is to add value to the lives of the people that we bring into our football fraternity.”

Forde, who was given a second four-year mandate by the GFF members to lead the sport, expressed optimism that this new partnership with MACORP would be an enduring one. He said the enormity of the challenges the GFF undertakes daily to develop the game relies heavily on partnerships.

“I am very happy. I’m actually moved by the fact that MACORP sees the GFF in such good light and good stead. I want to give you my assurance and commitment, on behalf of my executive committee and the staff, that we would do everything in our power to deliver a competition worthy of the investment you are making.

“I look forward to a partnership that reciprocates value for both organisations,” he said.

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

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2019

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Pg 23

MACORP boosts GFF with $1M

Colonial Medical Insurance Regional Super50 Cup…

Brilliant Barnwell bats Jaguars to 4-wicket win over Volcanoes

MACORP Chief Financial Officer & Human Resource Manager Anita Ramprasad and GFF President Wayne Forde hold up the ceremonial cheque during the presentation

Pg 22

Guyana nail Aruba 4-2

Smalta Girls’ Pee Wee Football Tournament…

North Georgetown, South Ruimveldt dominate

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 17, 2019

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NOVEMBER 17, 2019

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Feature

R

uby Maria Mingo is living proof that age should never be a barring factor on self-advancement. Mingo is an avid WhatsApp and Facebook user and keeps up with the latest social media trends as she goes about her daily life.

Born November 8, 1919, Mingo celebrated her 100th birthday in fine style with a grandiose celebration at her Haslington North, East Coast Demerara home. She chose to celebrate her remarkable achievement with family and friends.

The high spirited senior citizen is a mother of 11 children, of which eight are alive. She explained that she outlived siblings and her family has a history of enlarged liver. She added that her now-dead sister also lived up to 100 years.

Kicking off the grand celebration, her children, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren and other relatives, some of whom arrived from the United States and Canada, gathered at her Haslington home. On November 9, her life was celebrated accompanied by her family and friends at the Golden Grove Seventh-day Adventist Church on the East Coast of Demerara, where she worships.

Later that same afternoon, she was treated with to a gala dinner at the conical palm-thatched benab – Umana Yana. Meanwhile, the curtains of celebration were then brought down the following day with a monumental birthday night celebration at her residence.

Speaking with the Sunday Times Magazine, Mingo said that she feels okay for a 100-year-old.

However, she is faced with some health issues such as arthritis, circulation of the blood and is unable to see in her left eye.

“That doesn’t stop me, I still exercise in the morning, I walk to the gate and come back….

Sometimes I read without the glasses...I can even thread a needle”, she said.

The centenarian highlighted that she enjoys knitting, fixing puzzles, reading her bible and doing crosswords to pass time. She even added that she can use social media sites such as Facebook and Whatsapp. “ ...yes that is how I talk to my grandchildren overseas, I was even just speaking to my grandson from overseas, he was telling me why he couldn’t come”.

Aunty Ruby, Ms Mingo or “Granny” as persons would normally call her, stated that she grew up in Gibraltar East Berbice. She moved around Guyana and only settled after she got married. Growing up, education played an integral role in her life. Like any child, Mingo remembers spending hours engrossed in games of hopscotch with her friends.

Mingo related that she could not remember her father and does not know what he looks like. However, she was told that he died by drowning when she was still a toddler. Moreover, she said her father’s death did not affect her and her siblings’ punctuality at school. She said her mother ensured that they were always on time for school.

“One thing my mother thought us was to pray she would always make us pray and she always made u s read a Psalm from the bible before going to bed...because of that I read all of the Psalms and I know all of them. My mother even taught us to [be] respectful to everyone, we had to address everybody by Brother or Mister or Miss”, she said.

Meanwhile, she added that of her elder brothers, Cecil and Harold, were forced to leave school early to help support her mother.

She said she wanted to attend the Carnegie School of Home Economics, but her family could not afford it.

At 18 years old, Mingo related that she relocated to Springlands where she lived with her aunt and husband. During that time she was able to get a job in New Amsterdam as domestic help with a Caucasian family.

At the age of 24, she got married to her husband, Wilbert Mingo, and they lived as man and wife for almost 49 years. She related that her husband was a man of integrity and invested in his children’s education. At one point, Mingo remembered being diagnosed with breast cancer but she refused to accept that fate. She explained that she spent six weeks in the hospital and even in her sick state she would visit other patients.

“My son Royston use to say why when I come I don’t see you at your bed. I would get up and go to each bed and pray for that other person on the next bed.”

Furthermore, she added that she is a Canadian citizen, but re-migrated in 2014 because she loves her country. She added that her wish is, when the time comes, to die in her home country.

When asked about her support system, Mingo said her family is her biggest supporter. She added that apart from family, people in the community, neighbours, and her church members would always visit or call her to know how she is faring.

When asked what her secret to living this long is, Mingo stated “God, prayer, and support.

There is also a hymn that encourages me, the name is Trusting Lord Jesus, Trusting in only thee. None of us isn’t perfect, we all make mistakes”.

With her memory intact, Mingo lives alone and can do all her chores on her own. However, family members and helpers would take turns in assisting daily.

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NOVEMBER 17, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine

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Feature

Y

By Utamu Belle

oung, talented Linden deejay Terry Fortune is doing more with his skills than just musically entertaining the crowds. The enterprising young man has developed his deejaying skills into a business for himself, by establishing his very own Marketing Agency.

The young entertainer has proven that you can utilize your talents to become marketable and create employment for yourself and others.

Fortune, who is well- known as “DJ Terry” started deejaying approximately 8 years ago. While this is a passion which he has nurtured and grown to love, he has always been actively involved in community development projects.

Fortune, a former Wisburg Secondary School student. is presently the Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) Road Safety Coordinator of the Fundraising Committee.

In addition to that, he holds a number of other portfolios which includes Public Relations Officer of the Connections Youth Group and Founder and Marketing Manager for his own business - Connections Marketing Agency.

Fortune describes being a deejay as a “God-given talent” since he was born into a family of numerous musicians.

“Since about 2000 I started playing around music.

I always had that passion.

Interacting with international artistes, I would have realized that you can bring something different to entertainment that Guyanese can actually utilize and I just ran with it.

I never stopped. I have my online radio station, my website that we have created,” he told the Sunday Times Magazine.

Fortune explained that ‘Connections’ was a name that his father came up with and is one used on all of his brands.

“We have a sound system named Connections Sounds, we have an online radio station, we have Connections Marketing Agency,” he boasted.

The new Marketing Agency which is located at West Watooka, Wismar was birthed and established in 2016 but officially got up and running approximately 2 months ago.

The agency specializes in graphic design, social media and online marketing, email marketing, branding and design, event marketing, media planning, product packaging, search marketing, web development, and promotional CD’s.

The idea for his business, he explained, came about after he became aware of the need for such an agency in the community. This was to propel to his community to greater heights. Hence, the reason to incorporate his skills.

Fortune noted that his passion for marketing grew in 2005 after he completed a marketing course and decided to broaden his knowledge in Barbados in 2007. He is of the view that that standard marketing is in demand in Guyana. As such, he decided that upon his return home he would move in this direction.

“I see it as a need in Linden because business in the whole, generally need a facility to actually take it to a higher level- to that national level or international level. So, I see the need for it and I just decided that I should just establish my business...We use strategies which could be beneficial to the public.

“As you know, music or entertainment as a whole is something that the world at large grasp on. So, one of our solutions to marketing issues is the use of promotional mixtapes. So, me as a deejay already would do some promotional mixtapes, putting on some of the popular music that the general public would embrace highlights these businesses,” he said.

Having done numerous crash courses both locally and overseas, Fortune has developed his skills and continues to do so. He is using the knowledge of the local music scene to further advance the interests of his clients.

“I learned a lot during my years of being in entertainment, in terms of how to create websites, blogs, promote businesses, how to actually engage the public...engaging companies and putting them on that international platform- that’s my main objective. Linden and Guyana at large have the potential for international businesses,” he posited.

But the young entrepreneur explained that the main challenge for him is people seeing and understanding the potential and objective of the business.

Nevertheless, he plans on expanding its horizons to greater heights.

“I’m aiming to establish it internationally, give everybody on the global market a taste of Connections Marketing Agency. You can promote businesses, artistes, events,” he said.

His advice for young entrepreneurs like himself is to stay focused and optimistic.

“You just have to believe in yourself and try to push for what you believe in. Getting people to understand your dreams is not easy but you have to do you. The challenge is usually execution. When you execute your dream, you don’t need an explanation. People will see it. If they don’t see it they will hear it,” he said.

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Sunday Times Magazine

NOVEMBER 17,2019

guyanatimesgy.com

Feature

By Lakhram Bhagirat

G

ive Another Chance Foundation (GACF) was birthed from the concept of charity begins at home. Though it has been in existence for just over eight years, GACF’s founders have been engaged in charity work for longer than that time.

Miranda Thakur-Deen founded GACF to supplement the work she has been doing throughout Guyana. The non-profit, non-governmental organization has a track record for helping to improve the lives of children across the country.

GACF is committed to providing basic education from pre-school to university, and healthcare to underprivileged children in rural and urban communities. It is the belief of the organisation whether you are addressing healthcare, poverty, population control, unemployment or human rights, there is no better place to start than Give Another Chance Foundation founder, Miranda Thakur-Deen in the corridors of education. According to the GACF Facebook page, the vision is to provide children and young adults with the building blocks for a better future.

With mindfulness and the courage to make a change, the Give Another Chance Foundation has accepted the responsibility to provide children and young adults with the building blocks for a better future. Their main aim is to provide them with the necessary

Emotional intelligence helps you build stronger relationships, succeed at school and work, and achieve your career and personal goals.

It can also help you to connect with your feelings, turn intention into action, and make informed decisions about what matters most to you.

With that in mind, Miranda teamed up with several other organisations as well as experts and held the first EQ walk in Guyana last year. Along with the walk, there was a pop-up festival which attracted over 600 persons.

It was the first time emotional awareness was raised and children were allowed to truly express what they felt inside. They were connected to experts who would go on to address the issues faced by young people.

Riding on the success of the first EQ walk,

Miranda and her team at GACF began outreaches to schools in collaboration with the experts and they have been able to place the spotlight on emotional intelligence.

“We felt that the spotlight needed to be placed on the emotional wellbeing of our children. We have never heard about so we knew we needed to do that. By tacking emotional intelligence we feel that we will tackle mental health because once we have emotionally intelligent children then there will be less suicide and suicidal thoughts,” Miranda said.

“We at GACF are of the opinion that Emotional Intelligence can play a part in curbing mental health and Suicide. As such implementing Social Emotional Learning in the school systems is good for our nation’s children. Pop-Up Festival is all about growing the skills for a better life and a better world. Grow Friendship, Reduce Conflict, Grow Self-Awareness, Reduce Volatility, Grow Connections and Reduce Isolation. We are excited to bring this to you for another year,” Miranda informs.

The pop-up festival runs until noon today.

The POP-UP Festival honours the United Nations “Universal Children’s Day” and “Convention on the Rights of the Child”.

People have worked toward this aim for hundreds of years - and sadly, we are still far from it. In the worst cases, children are growing up in bondage and privation. But even in the best cases, vast numbers of children are growing up with basic rights imperilled -rights to their wellbeing, social and emotional safety, and a chance to build a healthy life.

While many nations are working to protect the most basic rights of physical safety, our world is far from where it needs to be for us to sit back and feel 100 per cent proud of the way our world’s children are treated.

resources and tools to ensure that every child is given the chance to evolve into a productive citizen.

The GACF has persons from various disciplines on its staff. The aim of this is to tackle issues in a number of areas to better equip communities to find long-term solutions to poverty through innovative education and livelihood projects, which empower an individual to earn a livelihood. Its goal is to increase awareness on a range of issues – from healthcare to appropriate social behaviour to understanding one’s rights, and in the process help, persons become better citizens.

The Foundation works on self-reliant projects where its education programmes focus not just on access, but on attainment – ensuring vulnerable children have the right infrastructure, resources, teaching and parental support in order to have a quality education, and go on to lead productive, happy lives. This is complemented by the Foundation’s livelihood programmes that work to create secure incomes. The organisation also helps to improve agricultural practices and market awareness for farming communities.

One of the newest areas the organization started work in is Emotional Intelligence (EQ).

According to PsychCentral, emotional intelligence or referred to as emotional quotient is the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict.

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 17, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine 5

Feature

T

he Guyana Golden Lives Organization (GGLO) is inviting you to join in observing Children’s Grief Awareness Day on November 21, 2019.

As a not-for-profit organization that provides support to bereaved children in Guyana, GGLO will be organizing a series of activities to draw attention to issues involving childhood loss and the need for special support services for bereaved children.

To mark this special day, GGLO invites the members of the public to wear a blue ribbon or item of blue clothing, as this is the colour dedicated to the cause. Photos of employees, volunteers and students in their blue ribbons or clothing may then be sent to GGLO's social media account or email address for publication. They are advising to use the hashtags: #HoldingOnToHope #NewWaysToCope #GGLO #CopeGrowDevelop #Hugs #EverydayHero #CGAD. There has been much media attention on the increasing number of suicides and homicides, particularly, deaths caused by domestic violence, in Guyana.

These reports and statistics, however, seldom give us insight about the trauma that these untimely deaths cause to the children who are left behind. The reality is, that when a parent or loved one dies, children lose a sense of security and safety; the impact is immense and can be carried into adulthood. Additionally, surviving relatives are often left to bear the financial and emotional challenges of caring for a grieving child.

GGLO’s Founder Marva Langevine GGLO’s Vision: To assist in providing comfort and support of all kinds to children across all divides who have suffered bereavement in Guyana.

GGLO’s main objective is, therefore; to promote the rights of widows/widowers and orphans through the provision of support services specifically created to respond to the psychological, emotional and financial distress of children and families recovering from the loss of a parent or loved one. They provide practical support to grieving children and families through mentorship, scholarships and financial assistance. In addition, the Organisation also engage in community advocacy and support research on child bereavement in Guyana. Since its founding, GGLO has supported over thirty bereaved children across Guyana by meeting their diverse needs and are working towards offering assistance to many more families and communities across the country.

They are inviting everyone to join the campaign on November 21, 2019, to show support for the thousands of grieving children in Guyana and contribute to their work in other ways if you are able to do so. The theme is “Be an Everyday Heroin support of grieving children”.

GGLO hopes to collaborate with the NGOs and Department of Youth across the region to create empowerment sessions/ activities to equip young people with the skills to deal with loss. They would be less vulnerable to gangs and other social ills. Through joint efforts, GGLO is hoping they can raise awareness about the need for special care and attention to be given to grieving children. Bereavement is an overwhelming experience for people of all ages but for children, it is especially challenging.

Events for Children's Grief Awareness Month: • Grief Symposium • Grief Awareness 'pop-ups' to share useful resources • National Observance of CGAD by MOE in schools across Guyana • Retreat for the families we work with • Children’s Grief Awareness Day

6 Sunday Times Magazine

november 17, 2019

guyanatimesgy.com

Feature

Preserving our literary Heritage By Petamber Persaud

(Extract of a conversation with Laura Johnston Kohl and Jordan Vilchez, Guyana, March 2018, both are back in Guyana on the 40th anniversary of the Jonestown episode. Kohl has already published one book on Jonestown with another forthcoming while Vilchez is preparing two books for young adults.)

P

P No one book can account for a people’s history. Parts of our history are still stored in diaries and memoires and in foreign archives. However, sometimes we are fortunate to have people who are still alive and in our midst and to whom we can turn to fill in the gaps.

So it is with great satisfaction to meet both of you who are survivors of Jonestown.

Much of what we know about Jonestown came to us in various formats – books, films, social media. But there are missing pieces. I was not there, you were…let’s talk about the healing process.

LJK I lived in Guyana for about two years – one year in Georgetown and I loved every minute of it and then I moved to Jonestown. I travelled back and forth when I moved into Jonestown and I was one of the people who thought I would always live in Guyana – I loved it. I remember once when driving a car on what we called the wrong side of Laura Johnston Kohl in her younger days the road and I remember thinkand most stayed. I was fortunate to also ing that I would not have to remember to drive on the other side because I come out and spend time in some of the outwas never going back to the United States lying areas like Georgetown, Linden and so I can forget all that training; thinking I New Amsterdam and get to know the people would live here forever and have a long life. of Guyana well. For me, coming back here, Jonestown was like a utopia for me – a I wanted to see Jonestown or the area that community of mixed races, there were young was once Jonestown for...perhaps...the last and old, black, white, brown, Asian and ev- time. Something was left unfinished witherything and I wanted that part of me to out having seen it again so I was able to do continue. And when Jim Jones started spi- that and it was very healing in a way I probralling down and falling apart and becom- ably wouldn’t know until I get back home. ing mental ill and drug addicted and all But the other reason is I also wanted to conthe other things going on with him, I still nect with the Guyanese people who had aldid not think the community was at risk, so ways been kind and opened up their hearts after everything happened when 918 peo- to us, every single Guyanese I have met was ple died that day, I went back to the United very friendly and welcoming. And as Laura States traumatized. And it took me twen- said the Guyanese perspective hasn’t been ty years to come out from under that rock taken into account and the damage that – I said something happened on my watch, the incident had on Guyana was large and what was that. I also found out recently that I wanted to acknowledge that. So our trip people who were part of the Holocaust after here has been better than I could have exWWII, many of them took twenty years to pected. People have been really receptive come out and say we have to be vocal so that and the conversations have been rich – I it doesn’t happen again. And so at twenty feel like along with my healing we can all years, I reconnected with the survivors and heal together because the Guyanese people then I wrote my own book, my autobiogra- are victimised as well and together we can go further than just leaving it as this thing phy Jonestown Survivor: An Insider’s Look that happened, what more can we do togethPP When was that published? er to learn from it and be open to creativity LJK 2010.

I wrote about my whole process. I think in ways we haven’t thought of before.

PP Two things: Laura you talked about what I know today, if you are traumatised, the beauty of Guyana and its hold on you, first you have to take care of yourself to get on steady ground. Then you try to include and Jordan you too, and I am happy for that.

The other thing: in my line, I always your community and then you look at the question the text – there is not much coming greater community. And now on the 40th from Guyana except for Eusi Kwayana.... anniversary, as I look at it, I realise that I LJH H e is a good friend of mine. His perhave not heard the Guyanese voice, enough, in the whole review of what happened in spective helped me opened up looking for the the People’s Temple because the kindness Guyanese perspective. He wrote his book A of Guyana allowed us to be supercharged New Look at Jonestown: Dimensions from a and build this enormous community in just Guyanese Perspective and he had asked me three years. So I came back to Guyana to re- to write the foreword. I read the book and connect with the Guyanese voices – answer just loved it...you see when I was healing, I questions and maybe talk about some of talked first about it was me then a little bit the rumours; discuss it more fully – I am a bigger and finally it was the bay area of San teacher, I teach six-graders so when I find a Francisco and California. I didn’t pursue it, I student who has a question, I love to follow didn’t widen it enough. When Eusi wrote his their curiosity. So that’s one of the things we book, he talked a lot about Guyana, he talkare doing by coming back – we are finding ed a lot about things bigger than Guyana – out about the curiosity and reflections from a global perspective of how a rich entity can the people of Guyana who were involved come into a country and have no regulations, with the People’s Temple so intimately espe- restrictions or overview because they seem cially out in the North West District by Port so powerful, donating a lot of money and different efforts in a community. So what Eusi Kaituma. did, he expanded it as wide as it could be; it PP Jordan, your opening thoughts.

JV Well, I came to Guyana when I is not only a Guyana issue, it is not limitwas nineteen, first to Jonestown – every- ed to the Western Hemisphere, it is really a one that came in, first went to Jonestown global issue. So he included rich texts of his-

torians and economists, people who had the perspective and data to prove his point which is saying that Guyana is not alone in having an outside force come in and really wreck havoc. That started me thinking that there must more Guyanese who have opinions but I don’t have much contact with them. So I wrote my book and started doing a blogs on my Facebook page targeting all the people living in Guyana. So I get this rich feedback – thousands of people would look at Jordan Vilchez my blog and hundreds of people would respond: Oh, yes, I saw the Guyanese man shot at the airstrip; a bullet whiz by his leg and injured him or somebody saw a truck leave.

There is so much we haven’t even explored on the surface not even the deeper issues. So we have to start with the surface but even while we were here we had a community meet at Port Kaituma, inviting everyone to ask any question and we I never did know when to shut my mouth, tried to let them know anything was fine. They came – So I guess it’s no shock to feel it smarting against your back 35 or so people came - they handed swing, had all the questions, they But to be honest, I bet it hurt you more, does it sting? brought up the rumours; it was a very friendly, open and Can you feel it in your bones? active and wonderful gatherCopper taste against my tongue, ing that we could look each I’m choking on my own blood, other in the eye and what about that and Jordan or I Does my manic laugh horrify you? would try to explain or agree This Cheshire smile plastered across my face, with them that it was ridicuDo my cheekbones slice your knuckles? lous or whatever...because we have a lot in common – we all saw the madness from one That’s going to leave a bruise, point or the other....

Not that you care, PP One point or the other. Any new information comTwisted my head back by my hair, ing out of that meeting?

My body is peppered in greens, purples, blues, JV There are a lot of ruBut with the way you turn your head down you’d think I mours flying around after all these years – gold, money.... was the one abusing you, LJH Supplies of cement When you wrap your meaty fingers around my windpipe going into Jonestown.... on does it give you pleasure? the roads available at that time; it seems unlikely.

What goes through your mind while you’re holding my life You know, in a period of in your hands? three, we created a communiHow many of my ribs have you cracked upon your feet? ty of three huge dorms, a pavilion, a school, a library, 52 cottages, housing 1,000 peoOnly to lick my thighs later like a treat, ple living in Jonestown.

The makeup of Jonestown One of these days it’ll be my fingers around your neck, was about one third children, And I won’t stop squeezing till your dead, about one third seniors. [The Until then use my body to your hearts content, children] were pretty much in school, or doing gardenThis dangerous dance, ing, or cleaning the greens Like egg shells beneath my soles, we brought in or sowing. And I’m waiting for you to slip on the blood you painstakingly then there was a workforce about one third kept busy draw from me blow by blow, feeding 1,000 people three And in your own sick way you actually love me. meals a day!....

Cement? No time for cement – only rumours....

Convinced the only way to save me is to hurt me, JV This also shows you But I’m not that sick or twisted to believe the words you that without contact, all croke out, kinds of ideas come forth.

Over this long period to time, One day very soon it’ll be you who shouts, people hadn’t the opportunity Ya I never did know when to shut my mouth, to speak to anybody.

So I guess it’s no shock to feel it smarting against your back LJK The Jonestown Institute is the most profound handed swing. source of information....

Responses to this author By telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@yaAnonymous hoo.com

Smart Mouth

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 17, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine 7

Feature

L

akiraj Singh and his three sons have carved out a special niche in the local spice market, and for a very good reason.

They don’t just crunch herbs and spices into bags and churn them out for a quick payback; the Singhs’ approach is much more precise and attentive. They prepare the finest Guyanese spices by using a mix of ingredients that is calibrated to retain a distinctly homemade look, feel, smell and taste. This approach has been extremely effective and is the key to the popularity of Roy’s Quality Spices. Now, their spices are prized by a growing number of loyal customers.

According to Govinda Singh, his father, Lakiraj Singh, stumbled into the spice-making business in the 1990s. Back in the day, country-folk routinely mixed and ground their own spices with their “lorhas” and “sils” – traditional stone implements used in Guyanese kitchens to grind herbs and spices – to add the right burst of flavour. These homemade spices were much sought after

by Guyanese living abroad who no longer had the time, implements or ingredients to make them.

One of Lakiraj’s friends, while preparing to go overseas on vacation, asked him to grind some “masala” and “gheera” to be taken to relatives and friends as gifts. Little did Lakiraj know that his friend’s simple request would be the beginning of a new chapter in his life.

Lakiraj prepared the spices and when his friend returned, he brought great news; the gifts were a big hit. The friend suggested that Lakiraj should prepare spices as a business and Lakiraj agreed to give it a try.

He started small, using his mother’s recipe to prepare a “garam masala” mix and using a hand-mill to grind the ingredients. He also ground some gheera (cumin) – a go-to ingredient for dhal and curry dishes – and he packaged them by hand to retain their enticing aromas. It was hard work, but he loved it.

Govinda recalled his dad putting spices in small transparent plastic packages, sealing them with a candle flame and glueing handwritten labels on them. Then his father took his products to the Suddie/Anna Regina market and waited for sales. His homespun packaging was not ideal, but his products were fresh and their taste hit the spot.

At first, persons raised their eyebrows and examined Lakiraj’s little packets with thoughtful frowns. It was easy to read their minds: Would his dark powders replicate the exotic flavours they had grown up with and loved? A few decided to try and quickly realised that Lakiraj had reproduced the exact taste they would get if they prepared their own spices. Lakiraj soon had a growing market.

Govinda recalled seeing his father build up demand for the products. “Things were slow in the beginning because everyone was doing it themselves. However, we were able to deliver the same taste they liked when they ground it themselves,” he said. Encouraged, Lakiraj started grinding the main spices for curries. These were snapped up.

He became creative in the early 2000s, adding fried-rice and cook-up seasoning mixes.

Govinda remembered that he and his brothers were asked to give feedback about meals

prepared with new blends that Lakiraj was carefully adjusting to get the exact homemade flavour customers craved.

In time, Govinda said, the household got electricity, which they did not have when they started, and they began to grind spices in an electrical processor.

Buyers’ response was overwhelming. Electrical power enabled them to push the business to new heights.

Today, they have 37 different spices on the market and the business now operates a small factory.

The new range of products includes whole spices – such as cinnamon, star anise and mauby bark – and ground single spices such as turmeric, cardamom, ginger and peppercorn. It also includes thoughtful combinations like jerk seasoning, all-purpose seasoning and special blends for chicken, fish, cook-up, fried rice, chowmein and pepperpot. For curries, they now pro- duce a special meat masala and halwa masala.

Most of the ingredients for the spices are bought locally, and Govinda said they want to expand their factory to meet growing demands. But there are major challenges, such as the high cost of imported packaging. Additionally, some customers are reluctant to give up foreign brands, and some local retailers are either reluctant or do not want to sell the local spices in their supermarkets for reasons that are unclear.

Nevertheless, the business supplies many retailers and reaches customers across Guyana.

One of the reasons for the expanded reach is their participation in the country’s first Guyana Trade and Investment Exhibition (GuyTIE) held in 2018. Govinda said this experience helped them to improve their packaging to meet international standards; this included providing more product information. The exposure from GuyTIE also helped them to get into the St Maarten market.

With these gains in mind, Govinda said the business is ready to participate in the GuyTIE 2020 event scheduled for next May with new products and better packages. He and his father care deeply about customer satisfaction and will never sacrifice quality to go after profits. (GuyTIE – Guyana Trade and Investment Exhibition)

8 Sunday Times Magazine

november 17, 2019

guyanatimesgy.com

Feature

An Indentureship Story

By Lakhram Bhagirat

P

ongavanum Munsammy or Auntie Chalma as she is lovingly known was the oldest surviving worker of the Leonora Sugar Estate.

On November 03, 2019, at the age of 92 Auntie Chalma passed away.

In April of 2018, Sunday Times Magazine published Auntie Chalma’s story. In her memory, we share that story once more: Pongavanum Munsammy or Auntie Chalma as she is lovingly known is a 92 year old former estate worker, who even in her old age, enjoys an active life and is dependent on no one. Auntie Chalma came into the spotlight a few years ago when she was honoured as the oldest surviving worker of the Leonora Sugar Estate and since then, she has enjoyed national recognition.

Born on February 17, 1927 to indentured immigrants Andikan and Chinganie at Leonora Pasture, West Coast Demerara, Auntie Chalma remembers growing up in a logie with her two siblings and their parents. When the Sunday Magazine caught up with Auntie Chalma at her Lot 21 Leonora Pasture home, she was sitting on the bridge, over the small gutter, overlookAuntie Chalma and her daughter Golin ing the road and “taking breeze”.

At 91, most elderly people would complain about constant aches, pains and lack of mobility but that is not the case with Auntie Chalma; she is still able to move briskly, tend to her flower garden and make meals for herself. She lives alone and despite her daughter, Golin Singh, living in the same yard Auntie Chalma insists on doing everything for herself, as long as she is able to.

Chatting with Auntie Chalma with our backs to the setting sun and faces caressed by the soft Atlantic breeze, she related how different it was while growing up in the early

1900s. Taking me back to a different era, she beautifully explained how her father and mother were hardworking and respected people within the Indian community and how she and her siblings fought internal battles to prove their how hardworking they were.

Auntie Chalma explained that because of her old age she is unable to hear properly and urged me to speak louder. She began sharing her story even without my prompting.

She explained that while growing up, there was the unmatched level of camaraderie among everyone within the then tiny village of Leonora. “When me bin a lil gyal when anybody got dead here nobody does go wuk. Them does stay home and take care of the dead and same thing with wedding but today everybody ah do dem own thing and nah talk to mattie (one another),” she said Struggles Auntie Chalma’s life, like most people in the early 1900s, was categorized by constant struggles. At 12 years old, during the Great Depression following the First World War, life became so tough that her parents began looking for a suitor for her. It was then she was introduced to the only man she ever loved Munsammy called Tambie. Mere months after they were married and embarked on a new chapter and moved Cane Grove on the East Coast of Demerara.

Tragedy would force Auntie Chalma and Tambie to move back to Leonora after their first born mysteriously died and they were unable to cope. When they returned they set up their life once again and she then birthed six children and now lives to see four generations.

Taking us back to her earlier life, Auntie Chalma says she worked hard to provide for her children. Golin explains

that her mother worked hard and they were able to buy cattle but as life was getting better for them, their life took an unexpected turn.

Tambie became an alcoholic and began selling out their tools and other thing just to get money for him to buy alcohol.

He would soon pass away and Auntie Chalma worked tirelessly to provide for her children.

“Dem days lang time bin hard, everybody bin a wuk and Auntie plant and suhChalma and her best friends not like now.”

Golin explains that her mother enjoys the life she currently lives but adds that she is slowly losing some of the memories she had.

Auntie Chalma begins everyday by waking up at the crack of dawn, picks flowers from her bountiful garden, showers and goes to her altar where she thanks god for every moment she gets. She enjoys practicing Hinduism and goes to Mandir every Sunday morning.

Now Auntie Chalma just takes everyday as it comes and enjoys every moment.

“Ayo young people got to live together more and nah be selfish.”

guyanatimesgy.com

november 17, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine

9

Health

N

arcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder characterized by overwhelming daytime drowsiness and sudden attacks of sleep. People with narcolepsy often find it difficult to stay awake for long periods of time, regardless of the circumstances. Narcolepsy can cause serious disruptions in your daily routine.

Sometimes, narcolepsy can be accompanied by a sudden loss of muscle tone (cataplexy), which can be triggered by strong emotion. Narcolepsy that occurs with cataplexy is called type 1 narcolepsy.

Narcolepsy that occurs without cataplexy is known as type 2 narcolepsy.

Narcolepsy is a chronic condition for which there's no cure. However, medications and lifestyle changes can help you manage the symptoms.

Support from others — family, friends, employers, teachers — can help you cope with narcolepsy.

Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of narcolepsy may worsen for the first few years and then continue for life. They include: • Excessive daytime sleepiness. People

with narcolepsy fall asleep without

warning, anywhere, anytime. For

example, you may be working or

talking with friends and suddenly you

nod off, sleeping for a few minutes up to

a half-hour. When you awaken, you

feel refreshed, but eventually you

get sleepy again.

You may also experience decreased alertness and focus throughout the day. Excessive daytime sleepiness usually is the first symptom to appear and is often the most troublesome, making it difficult for you to concentrate and fully function.

• Sudden loss of muscle tone. This

condition, called cataplexy (KAT-uh plek-see), can cause a number of

physical changes, from slurred speech

to complete weakness of most

muscles, and may last up to a few minutes.

Cataplexy is uncontrollable and is triggered by intense emotions, usually positive ones such as laughter or excitement, but sometimes fear, surprise or anger. For example, when you laugh, your head may droop uncontrollably or your knees may suddenly buckle.

Some people with narcolepsy experience only one or two episodes of cataplexy a year, while others have numerous episodes daily. Not everyone with narcolepsy experiences cataplexy.

• Sleep paralysis. People with narcolepsy often experience a temporary inability

to move or speak while falling asleep or upon waking. These episodes are

usually brief — lasting a few seconds or minutes — but can be frightening. You

may be aware of the condition and have no difficulty recalling it afterward, even

if you had no control over what was happening to you.

This sleep paralysis mimics the type of temporary paralysis that normally occurs

during a period of sleep called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. This temporary

immobility during REM sleep may prevent your body from acting out dream activ ity.

Not everyone with sleep paralysis has narcolepsy, however. Many people without narcolepsy experience some episodes of sleep paralysis.

• Changes in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. REM sleep is typically when

most dreaming happens. REM sleep can occur at any time of the day in people

with narcolepsy. People with narcolepsy often transition quickly to REM sleep,

usually within 15 minutes of falling asleep.

• Hallucinations. These hallucinations are called hypnagogic hallucinations if

they happen as you fall asleep and hypnopompic hallucinations if they occur

upon waking. An example is feeling as if there is a stranger in your bedroom.

These hallucinations may be particularly vivid and frightening because you

may not be fully asleep when you begin dreaming and you experience your

dreams as reality.

Other characteristics

People with narcolepsy may have other sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea — a condition in which breathing starts and stops throughout the night — restless legs syndrome and even insomnia.

Some people with narcolepsy experience automatic behavior during brief episodes of narcolepsy. For example, you may fall asleep while performing a task you normally perform, such as writing, typing or driving, and you continue to perform that task while asleep.

When you awaken, you can't remember what you did, and you probably didn't do it well.

Causes The exact cause of narcolepsy is unknown. People with type 1 narcolepsy have low levels of the chemical hypocretin (hi-poe-KREE-tin). Hypocretin is an important neurochemical in your brain that helps regulate wakefulness and REM sleep.

Hypocretin levels are particularly low in those who experience cataplexy. Exactly what causes the loss of hypocretin-producing cells in the brain isn't known, but experts suspect it's due to an autoimmune reaction.

It's also likely that genetics play a role in the development of narcolepsy. But the risk of a parent passing this disorder to a child is very low — only about 1 percent.

Research also indicates a possible association with exposure to the swine flu (H1N1 flu) virus and a certain form of H1N1 vaccine that's currently administered in Europe, though it's not yet clear why.

Risk factors

There are only a few known risk factors for narcolepsy, including: • Age. Narcolepsy typically begins in people between 10 and 30 years old.

• Family history. Your risk of narcolepsy is 20 to 40 times higher if you have a

family member who has narcolepsy.

•

•

•

•

Complications

Public misunderstanding of the condition. Narcolepsy may cause serious problems for you professionally and personally. Others might see you as lazy or lethargic. Your performance may suffer at school or work.

Interference with intimate relationships. Intense feelings, such as anger or joy, can trigger signs of narcolepsy such as cataplexy, causing affected people to withdraw from emotional interactions.

Physical harm. Sleep attacks may result in physical harm to people with narcolepsy. You're at increased risk of a car accident if you have an attack while driving. Your risk of cuts and burns is greater if you fall asleep while preparing food.

Obesity. People with narcolepsy are more likely to be overweight. The weight gain may be related to a low metabolism.

Diagnosis

Your doctor may make a preliminary diagnosis of narcolepsy based on your excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden loss of muscle tone (cataplexy). After an initial diagnosis, your doctor may refer you to a sleep specialist for further evaluation.

Formal diagnosis requires staying overnight at a sleep center for an in-depth sleep analysis by sleep specialists. Methods of diagnosing narcolepsy and determining its severity include: • Sleep history. Your doctor will ask you for a detailed sleep history. A part of

the history involves filling out the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, which uses a

series of short questions to gauge your degree of sleepiness. For instance, you

indicate on a numbered scale how likely it is that you would doze off in certain

situations, such as sitting down after lunch.

• Sleep records. You may be asked to keep a detailed diary of your sleep pattern for

a week or two, so your doctor can compare how your sleep pattern and alertness

are related.

Often, in addition to this sleep log, the doctor will ask you to wear an actigraph. This device has the look and feel of a wristwatch. It measures periods of activity and rest and provides an indirect measure of how and when you sleep.

• Polysomnography. This test measures a variety of signals during sleep using

electrodes placed on your scalp. For this test, you must spend a night at a

medical facility. The test measures the electrical activity of your brain

(electroencephalogram) and heart (electrocardiogram) and the movement of

your muscles (electromyogram) and eyes (electro-oculogram). It also monitors

your breathing.

• Multiple sleep latency test. This examination measures how long it takes you to

fall asleep during the day. You'll be asked to take four or five naps, each nap

two hours apart. Specialists will observe your sleep patterns. People who have

narcolepsy fall asleep easily and enter into rapid eye movement (REM) sleep quickly.

These tests can also help doctors rule out other possible causes of your signs and symptoms. Other sleep disorders, such as chronic sleep deprivation, the use of sedating medications and sleep apnea, can cause excessive daytime sleepiness.

Treatment

There is no cure for narcolepsy, but medications and lifestyle modifications can help you manage the symptoms. (Mayo Clinic)

10 Sunday Times Magazine Fashion

F

ashion Nova is owned and operated in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, with 5 retail locations throughout Southern California.

They were the #1 most-searched fashion brand on Google in 2018.

They are devoted to delivering the most sought-after, head-turning, up-tothe-moment trends, to anyone, anywhere in the world!

Whether you are the trendsetter, the hustler, the life of the party, the wanderlust, or the social media maven, Fashion Nova will dress you from head-to-toe, as you take the lead in your own FN life.

november 17 2019

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NOVEMBER 17, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine 11

Recipes

BUTTERFLAP

Ingredients • 1 tbsp dry active yeast • 1/4 cup sugar • 1 1/3 cup warm water • 4 cups all purpose flour • 1/4 tsp salt • 4 tbsp butter, melted and cooled • 6-7 tbsp softened butter Instructions 1. In a bowl add warm water, sugar and yeast and stir to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes until the yeast become foamy.

2. Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Add flour, salt and melted butter to the yeast mix and mix to form a dough. Knead dough for about 10 minutes until smooth and no longer sticky.

3. Form dough into a ball and place in large bowl and cover loosely with cling wrap. Place in a warm place and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes. Punch down dough and turn out onto the counter. Knead for about 30 seconds then cut into 12 equal pieces.

4. Form each dough into a ball then roll to form a circle. Spread about 1/2 tsp softened butter on the dough, but not on the edges. Fold in half then spread with butter, then fold in half again for form a rectangle.

5. Gently press the edges together then place on an ungreased baking sheet pan. Repeat and place all the butterflap on the pan about 2 inches apart.

6. Cover loosely with cling wrap in a warm place and allow to rise, about 30 minutes. Remove cling wrap then place in an oven preheated to 375 degrees and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately brush with melted butter. Serve warm. (Jehan Can Cook)

Spaghetti and Meatballs

INGREDIENTS • 1 lb spaghetti • 1 lb ground meat • 1/3 cup bread crumbs • 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving • 1 egg • 2 garlic cloves, minced • Kosher salt • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped • 1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes • 1 bay leaf • Freshly ground black pepper DIRECTIONS 1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain.

2. In a large bowl, combine meat with bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, egg, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes. Mix until just combined then form into 16 balls.

3. In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer meatballs to a plate.

4. Add onion to pot and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Return meatballs to pot and cover. Simmer until sauce has thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.

5. Serve pasta with a healthy scoop of meatballs and sauce. Top with Parmesan before serving.

Oreo four layer dessert

Ingredients • 1 cup all purpose flour • 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans, optional • 1 stick butter, softened • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened • 1 cup powdered sugar • 1 8 oz container whipped topping, divided • 2 3 oz boxes instant chocolate pudding mix • 10-12 Oreos, crushed into small pieces • 3 cups cold milk Topping: • Oreos, crushed • Chocolate chips Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, nuts (if using), and butter until crumbly dough forms.

3. Spread evenly into the bottom of prepared baking pan, using your hands or the back of a spoon to get it evenly distributed. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until dough is set and edges are golden brown. Set on a wire rack to cool.

4. In a medium sized bowl, beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Fold in 1 cup of the whipped topping, then spread over the cooled crust.

5. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the pudding mixes with the cold milk, then stir in the chopped Oreos. Allow to set just slightly, about 2-3 minutes, then spread over the top of the cream cheese layer.

6. Spread the rest of the container of whipped topping over the pudding layer. Chill dessert in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Top with more crushed Oreos and chocolate chips if desired.

Foolproof Decorating Tips Professional home stagers know how to play up your house's strengths, hide its flaws, and make it appealing to just about everyone. Sometimes the smallest things make the greatest impact. It could be the addition of a mirror, a painting, a lamp or even a plant. Maybe you want to soften your walls, brighten a room, or add some warmth to your living space.

Whether you’ve just moved or you’re looking for a quick home pick-me-up, we have some genius interior design tricks straight from the professionals. These tips are so easy, you can do them with little effort and cost. Here are some pro tips for freshening up your home's interior—without breaking the bank.

Paint small rooms in soft, light colors The living room above is a great example of how to maximize a small living space. A room this size has the tendency to seem cramped, but the large windows, light colored walls and strategic use of mirrors reflects the natural light pouring in from the doors and the windows.

Use decorative mirrors to add light As you’ve seen, mirrors are great for making a small space feel larger. For larger rooms or a room with less natural light, placing mirrors directly across from the windows adds instant brightness. Decorative mirrors can also be used in lieu of art to fill empty wall space.

Large or small, mirrors add light and dimension to your living space.

Mix patterns and textures, old and new, expensive and inexpensive Don’t be afraid to mix it up! There’s nothing wrong with placing family heirlooms alongside your modern couch. All good interior decorators will tell you that the key goal for decorating your home is to create a design that reflects who you are, your personality and your style.

Hang a pot rack in your kitchen We spend a lot of time in our kitchen preparing meals and entertaining, so it seems fitting that kitchen spaces deserve some interior design love. One of the best kitchen design tricks that’s functional and beautiful is to add a hanging pot rack.

Go green with houseplants Adding plants to your living space is an inexpensive way to accessorize by adding color and texture. Not only are plants beautiful, they can help clean the air in your house and control humidity. House plants keep your home healthy by absorbing pollutants and removing harmful gases from the air. Plus, they make your home feel more alive!

12 Sunday Times Magazine

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NOVEMBER 17, 2019

Puzzles

ACROSS 1 5 10 15 21 22 23 24 25 26 28 29 31 32 34 35 37 39 40 41 43 45 46 47 49 51 53 57 59 61 62 65 67 70 72 74 75 77 78 80 83 85 86 88 90 92 94 95 97 99 101 103 105 107 109

Not imaginary Burnt out 1987 film "La --" Ushers' beats Italian innkeeper Serviceable On -- -- (winning) Endeavor Platte River tribe They have backbone Wet floor?

Cope Heavy volume Math statement Single-strand molecule Putting on a play Next-door No-fat Jack Marshal Dillon Mournful poems Started a gunfight Cul-de- -James or Ventura Like healthy fur Cut calories Tibet neighbor Dye-yielding plant January, in Jalisco Isolated valley Untrained Lap dog, for short Conductor's stick Eastern range Mark down Novel closer (var.)

35mm cameras Lady's man Loans, to some Twangy, as a voice Permissible Obstacle Wasp's kin She may queen it Owl outburst Local movie houses Clutch Not his or hers Zhivago's beloved Loughlin or Petty Diamonds, slangily Polygraph flunkers Banded quartz Huge, in combos -- monde (society) Tortilla snacks

112 114 118 119 120 122 123 125 126 128 130 132 135 137 139 143 144 146 148 150 151 153 155 156 158 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 27

Mariachi wear Pride (hyph.)

Limburger property Give it a go California fort Surf go-with Homophone for urns Quarry Use steel wool Penicillin source Bubbly drinks Pet shop buy "Kidnapped" monogram Cleopatra's wooer Spiffs up the bathroom "-- en el Rancho Grande" Tartar -Craggy peaks Polar phenomena Form 1040 expert Toughens glass Many August people Carmaker's woe Stuffed corn husk Changed one's mind (hyph.)

-- spumante Tristan's love Hawaii red flower Dalai Lama's city Be rife with Get equal billing Too much interest Emerson opus Whirlpool Motel vacancies Ritzy residence Hardly melodic "Gil Blas" writer Immature Chowed down Earth "Rocket Man" John Considered Happy hour site Trapped like -- -Kin of butterflies Censors Nonwinner (hyph.)

Selling point Big-ticket -Mexican Mrs. Most October births Happenings Imperturbable Five o'clock shadow

KATHLEEN SAXE

WORD GAME TODAY'S WORD -- IMPALES (IMPALES: im-PALES: Pierces with a sharp stake or point.)

Average mark 37 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 52 or more words in IMPALES? impel isle mail male maple meal mesa mesial mile pail pale palm peal pile plasm plea

TODAY'S WORD -- IMPALES plies psalm aisle alms ample apse lame lamp lapis lapse lase leap lime limp lisp email

sail sale same samp sample seal seam semi sepal sepia simple slam slap slim slime slip

smile spam spiel spile

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.

30 33 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 53 54 55 56 58 60 62 63 64 66 68 69 71 73 76 79

Musicians' stints Indy 500 entrant -- Davis of films Monarch's time "Alice" diner owner Future flowers Join metals Yakked Tiny shrimp Salty drop Duffer's goal "Honest" fellow Doze off Traveler's route Kinks' tune Sen. Hatch Cpl. and Sgt. Royalty-payer Sonnet stanza Flat-topped hills Quick bite Grouchy Muppet -- fu Phone trio Liverpool poky "Fatha" Hines Tower over

81 82 84 86 87 89 91 93 96 98 100 102 104 106 108 110 111 113 115 116 117 121 124 126 127 wds.)

129

Nigerian tribe (var.)

PC fixers Dow uptick Sudden gust of wind Avid Very, to Yvette Large aquarium fish Cote sounds -- -- premium Now -- -- it!

Plaintiffs Mounties' org.

Important period School grad Male vocalist Fiesta shout Furtive Make a typo Gift-tag word D-sharp alias Jason's wife "No mas" boxer Roberto Chance to sleep in FICA funds it Fake police ailment (2 Whimsical

131 132 133 134 136 138 140 141 142 144 145 147 149 151 152 154 157 159 160

King's address Acid in milk Border town (2 wds.)

Los --, N.M. Reaches the summit Spicy cuisine Pinpoint Destroyed data Like many nuts Vile smile Yale of Yale Frosh, next year Viscous "Hawkeye" Pierce Boot jingler Health clubs Elev.

Wray of "King Kong" NASA counterpart

See Solution on page 14

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november 17, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine 13

Tech

F

acebook’s iOS app appears to be activating the camera in the background of the app in some situations without a user’s knowledge. However, Facebook tells The Verge that it’s submitting a fix to address these issues to Apple.

There are a couple ways that this has been found to happen. One person found that the camera UI for Facebook Stories briefly appeared behind a video when they flipped their phone from portrait to landscape. Then, when they flipped it back, the app opened directly to the Stories camera.

It was also reported that when you view a photo on the app and just barely drag it down, it’s possible to see an active camera viewfinder on the left side of the screen.

Web designer Joshua Maddux says he could reproduce the issue across five different iPhones, which were all apparently running iOS 13.2.2, but he reportedly couldn’t reproduce it on iPhones running iOS 12.

Facebook, in a statement sent to The Verge, says that this second issue is due to a bug that was inadvertently introduced in an app update released on November 8th and that it’s submitting a fix to Apple. The company also tells us that “we have seen no evidence of photos or videos being uploaded due to this bug.” Additionally, the company tells The Verge that the first issue identified in this article will be addressed by the fix submitted to Apple today as well.

Even though it seems like these issues will be fixed, the fact that users could unexpectedly see the camera viewfinder in the app at all isn’t a good thing. People already worry about the myth that Facebook is listening in to our conversations.

A hidden camera viewfinder in its app, even if it was purely accidental, might stoke fears that the company is secretly recording everything we do. And as you wait for a potential fix to roll out, you might want to revoke the Facebook app’s camera access, just to be safe.

(The Verge)

I

nstagram has launched a new video editing tool in Brazil that copies some of the bestknown features of TikTok. As reported by TechCrunch and Variety, the tool is called Reels and is available on both iOS and Android. There’s no word on whether it will be launched in other countries, but it’s certainly likely if the tool is a success.

With Reels, users can record 15-second videos, adjust their speed, set them to music, or borrow audio from others’ videos — similar to the “Duet” feature in TikTok. They can share them to their stories, send them via DMs, or post them to a new section of Instagram’s Explore tab called Top Reels, where the company is hoping the best clips will go viral.

It seems like a clever way for Instagram to leverage its existing network of users in order to take on TikTok. Facebook has previously tried to clone the app’s success with a standalone product called Lasso but it’s difficult to build a user base from scratch. Instagram previously had great success with this tactic copying Snapchat’s signal Stories feature in 2016.

It’s clear that Instagram is trying to steal TikTok’s thunder, but the company’s director of product management, Robby Stein, told TechCrunch that there was more than one way to skin a cat. “No two products are exactly the same, and at the end of the day sharing video with music is a pretty universal idea we think everyone might be interested in using,” said Stein. “The focus has been on how to make this a unique format for us.”

The Verge previously reported that the new tool might be called Scenes, after a similar feature was spotted by Jane Manchun Wong, a software engineer who’s made a name for herself reverse engineering code from top apps. It now seems Scenes is actually Reels.

We’ve known for a while that Facebook is extremely keen to counter TikTok’s rise. As well as launching Lasso, Mark Zuckerberg revealed the company’s ambitions regarding the Chinese app in audio leaked to The Verge in October. The Facebook CEO indicated then that Instagram would probably have to be enlisted in the fight against the new upstart.

TikTok has “married short-form, immersive video with browse,” said Zuckerberg. “So it’s almost like the Explore Tab that we have on Instagram.”

Now is certainly a good time for TikTok’s competitors to pounce (Google is also reportedly working on its own response). The app has seen huge growth but is facing trouble from regulators, including a US national security review. For TikTok, the clock is ticking. (The Verge)

W

hatsApp co-founder Brian Acton is still behind the idea of deleting Facebook, telling a crowd at Wired’s 25th anniversary summit that while people have to make their own decisions about the social network, he stands by his decision to leave. “If you want to be on Facebook and you want to have ads thrust in front of you, go to town,” he added.

Acton’s original tweet came at the height of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, as the #DeleteFacebook movement swept the nation. The company was reeling from revelations regarding the political consulting firm’s mishandling of user data with the specific intent of influencing the 2016 election, when Acton jumped into the fray.

At the time, Acton had been away from Facebook for more than a year, stepping down in 2017 over a conflict with Mark Zuckerberg regarding WhatsApp’s monetization. He left millions on the table in unvested stock and became a vocal critic of the social network.

Journalist Steven Levy asked Acton why he decided to make his feelings so public. “At the time, there was pressure unfolding against Facebook,” Acton explained. “I was like, maybe it’s time. But then I realized a fatal flaw in Facebook is they don’t have tombstones.

When you disappear, you disappear. So I left my tombstone on Twitter. To my chagrin was a lot more public and visible.”

Acton is hardly the first Facebook executive to speak out against the company after leaving. In 2017, the former head of growth Chamath Palihapitiya made waves with the statement: “we have created tools that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works.”

After leaving the social network, Acton co-founded the Signal Foundation, the nonprofit behind the encrypted messaging app used by journalists and human rights advocates around the world. He remains skeptical about Mark Zuckerberg’s commitment to encryption, however, telling Levy, “if he wants to make it happen, he will. But he has been known to change his mind.”

The company is already facing pressure from politicians who are worried about the national security implications of encrypting Facebook’s many apps. Last month, Attorney General William Barr sent Mark Zuckerberg a letter urging him to pause his plans for encryption, citing national security concerns.

Citing these difficulties, Acton said Zuckerberg is facing an uphill battle. “More power to Facebook if they accomplish it,” he added. “But it’ll be difficult for them to do.” (The Verge)

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NOVEMBER 17, 2019

Bollyollywood

Z

B

ollywood couple Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh’s wedding was nothing short of a fairytale. While they were coy about admitting their relationship before their marriage, post it, they have been setting major couple goals painting the town red as well as social media.

And Deepika says the past one year has been a lot of “fun.”

“Before marriage, we kept it very traditional in a way that we didn’t want to live in with each other and discover each other before we got married. I think we are both quite traditional that way. Discovering aspects about each other and, living with each other has been so much fun,” gushes the 33-year-old.

Their two-day wedding celebrations in Lake Como had two ceremonies – the first was a traditional Konkani Brahmin style wedding on November 14, followed by Anand Karaj the next day.

While their wedding was an elaborate affair which was followed by multiple receptions, the couple is keeping things very low-key family affair for their anniversary celebrations. They will visit Tirupati Balaji temple and the Padmavathi temple on November 14 and then fly to Amritsar to vis-

T

he shoot of Karan Johar’s next production Dostana 2, which was scheduled to take place in Delhi, has been called off due to pollution. According to a report in Bollywood Hungama, the thick blanket of smog made it difficult for the cast and crew. The film stars Kartik Aaryan, Janhvi Kapoor and Lakshya as its three leads.

Reliable sources told the website, “The cast and crew couldn’t breathe. Visibility was so low that the camera couldn’t capture the shots properly. It was a no-win situation. The team decided to disperse until the weather improves.”

It may be recalled that actor Priyanka Chopra too had posted a picture of herself in a face mask and had expressed concern over Delhi pollution last week during the shoot of her next Netflix film, The White Tiger.

On November 9, Kartik shared a picture, announcing the start of shooting of Dostana 2 in Chandigarh.

it the Golden Temple on November 15.

The couple has also been keeping very busy this past one year with their respective work commitments. But Deepika says they have always made sure to make time for each other.

“Yes, we have been extremely busy. We have had our hands full with our professional commitments and it will be like this for a while.

But despite that, whatever time off we get we spend it with one another and we value that and look forward to it,” shares the actor.

The couple , who has worked together in films such as Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013), Bajirao Mastani (2015) and

Dostana 2 is a sequel of hit 2008 film Dostana, starring Priyanka Chopra, John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan as its lead actors.

Before the commencement of the shoot, the actor shared another post on the photo-sharing application where he can be seen seeking blessings from producer Karan Johar. The ace filmmaker can be seen blessing him with good luck. “ Earlier, Janhvi had visited Golden Temple in Amritsar along with the director of the film, Collin D’Cunha, to seek blessings. Clad in blue salwar kameez, the Dhadak star was seen posing with the director and the beautifully illuminated temple as the backdrop.

The film has been written by Navjot Gulati, Sumit Aroraa, Rishabh Sharma and D’Cunha. The original film caused quite a stir among the audience with its unique and humorous plotline and the fact that it dealt with the lesstalked-about subject of homosexuality. (Hindustan Times)

Padmaavat (2018), have taken the collaboration forward after marriage as well. They star together in Kabir Khan’s sports drama ‘83 in which Ranveer plays cricketer Kapil Dev and Deepika plays his wife, Romi Dev. So how has it been working together post marriage? “It wasn’t any different from the earlier times.

We are both so obsessed with our work that on set, we don’t really think about our personal relationship.

All we think about are the character and the nuances of the scenes. When the camera starts rolling, we are actors not husband and wife,” Deepika concludes.

(Hindustan Times)

areen Khan and Anshuman Jha's upcoming release Hum Bhi Akele, Tum Bhi Akele is a mainstream Bollywood film with a gay man and a lesbian woman leading the narrative. The Harish Vyas directorial will have its world premiere at the South Asian International Film Festival.

The film's screening will take place in Manhattan on November 22 as the Friday Night Premiere at the Festival.

On hearing about the premiere, Zareen shared that she is feeling on the top of the world. "I'm feeling on top of the world that we will be premiering in New York.

It’s a film that is very close to my heart and I'm really very excited. I hope everyone

likes it and enjoys it like we have enjoyed making it," she added.The film, which was also one of the ten selected scripts from Asia at the South Asian Film Market (SAFM) in Singapore in November 2018, is scheduled for a Valentine's Day 2020 release in India.

Excited about the premiere, Anshuman said:

"This film discovers and rediscovers the love in friendship. And which better city than the Big Apple, with the worlds largest LGBTQ Population, to premiere this film celebrating the Community. I'm looking forward to the audience reaction there." The festival will take place from November 20 -24. (Hindustan Times)

John Legend named as People’s Sexiest Man Alive

H

e's got an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony, and now John Legend — one of the nicest guys in Hollywood — has been crowned this year's Sexiest Man Alive Introducing … the EGOTSMA. John Legend — a man so talented he became one of only 15 stars to achieve EGOT status last year — is making history yet again: the 40-year-old singer has now been crowned PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive.

After taking home his first Grammy in 2006 with his debut album Get Lifted, the star began a steady ascension to superstar-

dom while using his voice for good. Unabashedly in love with his wife Chrissy Teigen and a doting father to their kids, 31/2-yearold daughter Luna and 18-month-old son Miles, Legend has become one of Hollywood’s biggest stars while remaining as downto-earth as ever.

So it’s no surprise that the Voice coach, whose deluxe edition of A Legendary Christmas is available now, had a mix of emotions when he first heard about his latest title.

“I was excited, but I was a little scared at the same time because it’s a lot of pressure,” the entertainer tells PEOPLE

in this week’s cover story. “Everyone’s going to be picking me apart to see if I’m sexy enough to hold this title. I’m [also] following Idris Elba, which is not fair and is not nice to me!”

Legend is PEOPLE’s 34th Sexiest Man Alive, joining a long list of Hollywood’s hottest, starting with a then-29-yearold Mel Gibson in 1985.

With a buttery voice and unparalleled musical skills, the star — who entered the University of Pennsylvania at just 16 years old — says his mother, Phyllis, a seamstress, was his first and biggest fan.

He was arrested during a Miami-area hip-hop festival in May that was marred by several violent incidents.

R

apper Kodak Black has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to weapons charges stemming from his arrest just before a scheduled concert performance in May. The 22-year-old Black admitted in August that he falsified information on federal forms to buy four fire-

arms from a Miami-area gun shop on two separate occasions.

Black also faces drug, weapons and sexual assault charges in other states.

Black is a Florida native who was born to Haitian American parents as Dieuson Octave and who now goes by the legal name of Bill Kapri.

The rapper is known for songs such as “ZeZe” and “Roll in Peace.” (Page Six)

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november 17, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine 15

16 Sunday Times Magazine

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NOVEMBER 17, 2019

Fun Times

Archie

ARIES (March 21April 19)

Spend time sorting out what you want to do next with someone you trust to offer solid advice. A romantic evening will help alleviate uncertainty.

Time spent at home with TAURUS the people you love will en(April 20- courage better relationships.

May 20) Raising important issues may lead to a heated discussion, but it will also help resolve problems.

Offer to do only what's GEMINI feasible. If someone tries to (MAY 28- guilt you into doing someJune 20) thing you cannot afford or shouldn't do, have enough sense to walk away. Do what's in your best interest.

You have plenty to offer. Get involved in a debate (June 21- that will bring about change.

July 22) Your experience will carry weight, and your articulate way of expressing your views will be impressive.

CANCER

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Dilbert

Peanuts

Don't dwell on what isn't working for you. Get out with friends who share your interests and enjoy what life has to offer. Today is about living in the moment.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

What you have to say will affect the outcome of a situation you face. Stick to a moderate lifestyle and set a good example.

Protect your possessions.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

If you want to change, begin with yourself. Update your appearance, take control of your health and share something special with a loved one. Romance is in the stars.

Absorb information and SCORPIO (Oct. 24- constructively use what you Nov. 22) discover. What you produce will inspire you to explore new possibilities. Creative input will lead to an exciting partnership.

Be careful where you leave SAGITTARIUS your cash or possessions.

(Nov. 23Someone you least expect will Dec. 21) use what you tell them against you. For best results, focus on love and romance.

Calvin and Hobbes

Your emotions will force CAPRICORN you to make a change. Don't (Dec. 22- stop until you are satisfied Jan. 19) with the results you get. A personal change will lead to a professional decision.

Go over important personAQUARIUS al papers, make adjustments (Jan. 20- or update documents that Feb. 19) are about to expire. Do something to improve your health.

Sign up for a program that will encourage personal gain.

Let your intellect take PISCES (Feb. 20- charge, and put your emoMar. 20) tions on the back burner. It's essential to do what's right and to refuse to let outside influences lead you astray.

Moderation is encouraged.