Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

DISTORTION THE TRUTH It is becoming clearer by the day that the leader of the opposition is not only peddling false information to the press, but he is also causing great harm to the PPP with his hypocritical and reckless behaviour. And if the senior leaders of the party do not rein him in, the party could be discredited and its members and supporters will lose confidence in it.

The opposition leader’s endless deviation from the truth and his deceitful and fictitious statements designed to score cheap political points have made him less of a serious leader.

Many believe that as president, he was corrupt, vindictive, wicked and untrustworthy. He is known for his hypocrisy, double standards and propaganda.

His blatant disregard for the truth has prompted his former PPP colleague, now the Minister of Public Security to accuse him of being a consummate liar who lacks integrity and credibility and that his statements should be taken with a pinch of salt.

He has also caught the attention of Kaieteur News satire “Dem Boys Seh” which stated that “Jagdeo wouldn’t know de truth if it slap him in he face”. Then there was the editor in chief’s column: “Is Jagdeo’s memory failing him?”

While the leader of the opposition has criticized the government for not disclosing the Exxon Mobil contract to the public, as President, he did not release many of his contracts to the public. One of those contracts was to China National Technology Import and Export Corporation (CNTIC) in June 2004 to construct a new sugar factory at Skeldon at a cost of US$185million. It was the single biggest investment in the history of Guyana. However, by the time the factory was completed, the cost had skyrocketed to over US$230 million.

The goal was to reduce the cost of sugar production, improve its quality, increase production and reduce operational costs, but the factory was plagued with problems and was never fully operational. It was deemed the most expensive white elephant in the country.

As president, the opposition leader refused to release to the public the contracts of the Marriott Hotel, the Berbice River Bridge, the Specialty Hospital, the construction of the new airport, the Amalia Falls Hydro Project and the US$12.5 Enmore Packaging Plant, the latter deemed another white elephant.

Now, in spite of his hypocrisy, he is bent on deceiving the nation that his government was perfect.

He is delusional, dishonest and hypocritical to say the least. He has accused this government of directly interfering with the operations of the police force, but the Paul Slowe incident shows that it was the Jagdeo regime that was directly involved in the operations of the police force.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Paul Slowe, had seized a firearm belonging to one of Jagdeo’s supporters in Berbice.

Slowe was ordered by the Home Affairs Minister to return the firearm, he refused and was never considered for promotion by Jagdeo.

The opposition has accused several Government ministers for not being transparent about their meeting with Exxon Mobil officials at the company headquarters in Texas, but he has refused to disclose details of his meeting with Exxon Mobil officials in Texas.

Concerning the building of a new Demerara Harbour Bridge, Jagdeo had approved a feasibility study for the Versailles-Houston route which contradicts his recent statement that the government has chosen the new location out of political considerations.

It is absolute rubbish and his propaganda, distortion of the facts coupled with his corrupt practices and hypocrisy are unmatched in the region.

Sunday October 15, 2017

Kaieteur M@ilbox Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com

Guyana has approximately 98% mad people Dear Editor, I am a regular reader of Freddie Kissoon’s articles on Kaieteur News.

Most articles I agree with him and he seems to have a very good point. He is always fair and the only person in Guyana who calls a spade a spade. That should be written on a medal and placed on his chest. After reading Freddie’s articles for so many years and realizing how much madness goes on in Guyana, I would like to explain something to Freddie Kissoon and the rest of Guyanese. The faster you understand and agree with what I’m about to explain to you, the easier your life in Guyana will be.

Guyana has approximately 98% mad people and 2% normal healthy thinking people. Sounds crazy right?

That’s probably because you are in the 98%, sorry don’t feel offended, but enlightened. If you don’t believe me I will prove it to you. Here are some quick fun facts I’ve noticed about Guyana.

There are many cases where small problems are made into a very big issue and similarly many big cases have been resolved with very little effort.

Here is an example and Freddie writes about this many times. We have people who have been caught with very small amounts of marijuana; they are given long jail terms. On the other side of this scenario some people who are caught with marijuana or cocaine in tons are not jailed. So if you want to traffic cocaine or marijuana do it on a large scale, start big, think big or you will be jailed.

Here is another example. When somebody is charged for murder, they are sent to jail. A Certain notorious killer was charged for murder of many persons (not just 1 person, but many).

So what happens next? He is sent to remand. He will never go to jail. He might eventually be sent free after serving so many years on remand. So believe it or not if you kill 1 person you

will be sent to jail. If you kill many, you will be set free.

Here is another example. When people steal a few thousand dollars, they are charged and eventually sent to jail.

On the other hand, when people steal in billions they are set free. For example past and present governments, so if you are considering stealing do not steal anything less than a billion. When a road in Guyana has a hole, the size of a $5 coin, we do not fix it. Of course not!

That would be stupid, right? So what do we do? We wait till it turns big enough for a fishing pond. At this stage it will cost about 5 million to fix. Then it is perfect time to fix it.

So if these things don’t convince you that we are living in a completely mad society where it consists of presidents, ministers, government workers both past and present who are mad. Then it would only be fair to say you also are mad.

John Cooper

Sunday October 15, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Kaieteur M@ilbox

Kaieteur M@ilbox

In constituency voting Anil Nandlall wouldn’t This doctor is endangering the lives of patients “Constitutional Reform Con- need for our constitution to DEAR EDITOR, (1 month) and decided that questionable doctor for a win his seat DEAR EDITOR, Please permit me some space to respond to two letters written by Anil Nandalall on CR. The first “No need for constitutional reform commission by way of ordinary law.”KN july 11th 2017. Anil quite rightly cited that: “The Government was boxed in a corner last February, when a United Nations team visited Guyana to review the state of constitutional reform in the country. The Government was forced to give a commitment to accelerate the process. This was followed by similar intervention from the Carter Center in collaboration with the United Kingdom (UK), in April this year.

“Massa cracked his whip.” “The Coalition could not dither.” Notice Anil’s choice of words, “intervention” and “Massa cracked his whip”. These words are synonymous with dictators and in sync with the PPP. Albeit, the Carter Center was not seen by the PPP as an interventionist in 1992 when they paved the way for the return of democracy to Guyana- the Center was seen more like a knight in shining armor to the PPP then.

Anil then rambles around with article 119 which had created the Standing Committee on Constitutional Reform in 2001 to expose Nagamootoo’s gerrymandering with his

sultative Bill” and finishes with.”The process is going nowhere in the near future.”

Not that Anil or his cohorts in the PPP want CR to go anywhere in the near or distant future.

In his second letter; “Are foreign interest driving the haste for constitutional reform.”Anil begins with, “Our Constitution is the supreme law of our country” and it is “aimed at regulating public affairs and the role and responsibility of public officials and institutions.” Let’s deviate a little from “supreme” to ordinary law. If a citizen is caught smoking a piece of weed-a victimless crime- there is a jail time assigned as penalty. The punishment for a crime is not so much intended for the perpetrator, but to act as a deterrent for others who may contemplate committing a crime of the said nature - penalty induces deterrence -deterrence is the mother of compliance.

How supreme is the supreme law of our country to regulate the role and responsibility of public officials without any penalty for deviation or lack of compliance? Surely, Anil will know better given his complicity in the removal of the Lexus Nexus law books from the AG’s office, unscathed.

Anil acknowledges the

remain “dynamic and under constant review with a view of reform” but he does not see the drastic changes in the last 17 years since the last reform to “precipitate the monumental constitutional reforms which are now being contemplated.

Anil must have been in a coma in July 2015 -after the PPP were voted out of power and Nagamootoo had not lost his honesty at that time and had started talks with the UNDP representatives on CR. How could he not know that foreign help was invited by the PM? How could he not know that the Carter Center had suggested that private candidate should be allowed to contest for the national assembly and the presidency?

He is aware that the British (his feared massa) suggested that we do not have to reinvent the wheel in CR; yet he screams of “monumental constitutional reforms which are now being contemplated”. Despite knowing, Anil does not mention a single word about what the “foreign interest” suggest is needed in our CR in his missives, because he contemplates that he lacks the charisma to win in the constituency in which he lived as a private or PPP sponsored candidate, even if he is given (Continued on page 6)

I’m writing to complain about a certain doctor. I have named him in my orginal letter but asked that this not be reproduced in the published version; I don’t want nthe paper to face a court order.

I do not want to state in which of the ten Regions in Guyana he practices since he is licensed by the Medical Council to do legal abortions.

If I name the region, and he is the only one in that region who is so licensed, then if he disputes this account here, he can sue for libel. I am prepared at this time to say he is not based in Regions, 2, 3, 4.

If the doctor challenges this complaint here, I highly doubt his victim patients will come forward to give testimonies. Nevertheless, I will highlight this issue because I want Kaieteur News to know what is going on in this particular Region with this unconscionably dangerous doctor .

About 8 months ago, my mother in law discovered that she was pregnant

she needed to terminate the baby. Thus she visited t h i s d o c t o r. S h e p a i d $15,000 and supposedly had her abortion done.

Two months after she was still feeling as if she is pregnant so she decided to have an ultrasound done.

To her dismay, the ultrasound showed that she is 3 months pregnant which means that the doctor took her money and didn’t do the abortion or whatever the case is but she was assured that her pregnancy has terminated and that she will still have feelings of pregnancy for a short while.

When my mother-in-law visited her general medical practitioner and related to him what transpired, she was told by that doctor that she is not the first one who has complained about this doctor and his deception.

Again, I highly doubt the general practitioner will testify against this man. Two months ago, a friend of mine has been experiencing intense abdominal pain and visited this

check-up. An ultrasound was done, she was given pain killers, was told that everything was okay. Days after, the pain persisted so she revisited the doctor, again another ultrasound was done and she was told everything was okay.

As the pain intensified, she decided to visit a private hospital.

Upon examination an ultrasound was done, which showed that her appendix was ruptured and started to rot. She was given emergency surgery.

No action was taken against this erring doctor.

My point is that this medical problem was life threatening and this fraudulent doctor could have been the indirect cause of this woman’s demise.

I am asking if Kaieteur News can assign someone like Freddie Kissoon to investigate and do a column that exposes this man. I hope through that column the authorities will act.

This doctor needs to be confronted before patients die Aggrieved daughter-inlaw

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Sunday October 15, 2017

Kaieteur News

Kaieteur M@ilbox

Kaieteur M@ilbox

PM’s Berbice representative challenges PPP on Skeldon factory

Broadcasting Amendment Bill casts a long shadow on press freedom

DEAR EDITOR, Many harsh statements were made in the Press and on Television by both the Opposition and GAWU in relation to my stance on privatization of Guysuco, especially Skeldon Estate. Yet Mr. Jagdeo himself said in the press recently that he was more concerned about the transparency of the privatization process. Even the leader of the Opposition has implicitly accepted the fact that privatization is the way forward for Guysuco. So why is this insane haste to crucify me? What wrongs have I committed?

I am not ringing my own bell and beating my own drum but at the last Berbice Expo and Trade Fair my sterling contribution to Region 6’s social and economic development was highlighted by none other than the President of the Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Mohammed Raffik. He emphasized this fact by stating that, ‘Mr. Harbhajan works harder than any MP in the Region and also commend him for his 58/59 All-weather road proposal and encourage him to continue his good work’.

He did not state that, ‘Harbhajan cannot write grammatically correct letters or use

fancy words in his diction’, NO he simply stated the facts.

I have been receiving thousands of complaints and have been having speedy resolutions through the various government institutions and ministries to many of them, be it floods, droughts, impassable dams, drainage and irrigation issues affecting farmers, sporting events and some serious crimes.

The list is long and never before has an OPM office been established in Berbice to deal with such a varied assortment of social and economic issues. The Representative of the Prime Minister’s Office has been making an invaluable contribution in Berbice.

What has Mr. Zulfikar Mustapha and other MPs done in Region 6? A lot of people don’t even know who are the MPs, they saw them as PPP activists on TV cussing down the Government for everything going wrong in Berbice without realizing that the PPP runs Region 6. They are simply whistling for his supper. How much assistance have they given to victims of the recent floods? Mr Mustapha as an MP should list his achievements at the next TV outing.

Everyone knows that he was an utter failure as the Region 6 Chairman.

But the MP in hiding is the former Head of the Region 6 Health Authority, Mr Vishwa Mahadeo. This man is not visible at all. He is worse than Mustapha. I have never

seen this man writing anything about Guysuco but he once made a special appearance at a GAWU meeting in Skeldon. I would like this man as well to list his achievements other than lambasting the Government at Skeldon.

There are other ‘hardly working MPs in Berbice’ who are collecting their fat salaries which they are getting and enjoying their duty free concessions. These MPs should resign with immediate effect and allow some persons who really care for the progress of Region 6 to take their place.

Recently, I have brought to light the massive inefficiencies at Skeldon factory which have been traced to the willful dumping of cane juice and the falsification of records.

This system was done in the PPP’s era and has remained hidden all the while.

This was caused by the way in which the factory itself was designed and c o n s t r u c t e d . I s G AWU ever aware of this? Is the PPP aware of this? The answer is yes but they cannot expose it because the blame will be placed on the ‘white elephant’ and its masters who brought it into existence.

The MPs in Region 6 should make a field trip to have a first-hand experience of the PPP’s ‘white elephant’ in action. Then they can go on TV and tell the public what they saw. Work for your money gentlemen.

I must congratulate the PPP and GAWU to market me and my office so effectively to make my name a household name in Region 6. Thanks gentlemen.

Mr. Gobin Harbhajan Regional RepresentativeOffice of the Prime Minister

DEAR EDITOR As a legal challenge against the Broadcasting Amendment 2017 awaits a fixed date hearing on November 6 before the Chief Justice in Guyana’s High Court; the Guyana media landscape continues to be beset with rushed approaches to proposed changes. Not least of these changes is the impact on existing broadcasters forced to re-apply to continue broadcasting or face criminal charges if they do not re-apply, but continue to broadcast.

This is within a time period which must be the shortest in broadcasting history around the world. Against a background of significant erosions of press freedom in a country known for its troubled militarized dictatorship past, such incursions and claims of impact on press freedom meet with a very fragile setting, to raise ready alarm. This is to the point where a number of local and international media organisations have expressed more than disquiet over public service broadcasting requirements in the new law alongside the thorny issue of definition and easy slippage into government propaganda category.

The scrutiny brings out these concerns on public service broadcasting along with the likely destructive effect on broadcasting with regard to the fees’ situation, currently legislated to amounts which are punitive. In 2014, ruling on an action by several broadcasters to overturn a fee demand of $2.5M annually, Chief Justice Ian Chang decided this amount was far too high and disproportionate. In his ruling, he noted the ‘imposition was excessive, exorbitant, unreasonable and without economic and other lawful basis.’ The broad-

casters in the court action had submitted the likelihood of facing financial ruin should they be forced to pay 1000% increase in license fees.

In 2017, the broadcasting industry has been legislated into a new arena of fees which goes far beyond 1000% increase and without any meaningful consultation with broadcasters, several of whom asked for a stay on the legislation pending an audience with the Prime Minister and were not granted this audience.

How the legislation has served to astronomically raise fees further comes about through a new zoning 2 approach to restrict broadcasters to set zones, presented as payments for separate fees for each zone. This inadequately captures the situation of zoning when considered, crucially so, in conjunction with plans for digitalisation of the industry and recommendations by the ITU 2015 report.

The report was prepared by International Telecommunications Union (ITU) expert, Andres Navarro, jointly with the National Frequency Management Unit (NMFU). The report, Roadmap for the transition from analogue to digital terrestrial television in Guyana,’’ is currently published by NMFU online. The report noted the implications of ongoing spectrum rights and broadcasting rights to the point where it recommended a freeze date for licenses and for licenses not to be issued long-term to allow for the digital switch-over (Navarro 2015: 67).

The report notes: ‘Guyana is in the transition process to a new broadcast regulation and broadcasters were in the process of renewing (or updating) their licenses with the (Continued on page 7)

In constituency voting Anil Nandlall wouldn’t...

From page 5 the chance to rotate the geographical boundary 360 degrees around his home.

That goes for most of the PPP leaders-they carry too much baggage. Anil in his missive, hilariously pretends to wonder if the reforms sought would seek to remove the protective insulation which clothed the constitutional commissions so that they can actually be directed and influenced by extraneous bodies.”Ludicrous! Anil spoke of two service commissions being stop from doing their duty by the president as a clear violation of the constitution. He spoke of all opposition leaders withholding their submissions of names for the president to appoint personnel to the

two judicial positions since it was made possible since 2001.

He mentioned the 18 names submitted where the constitution had required six for the selection of a GECOM chairman-with no selection as yet by the president. Notwithstanding all the above contradictions, Anil posited; “Does that render the constitution ineffective and unworkable, to justify its reform? I think not.”Yet! In the end he confesses that, “Simple and clear language of the constitution has suddenly become obscure, ambiguous and unequivocal.” You have to be a member of this man’s “fan club” to not see him grinding his own axe.

Rudolph Singh

Sunday October 15, 2017

Kaieteur M@ilbox DEAR EDITOR Thank you for allowing me a space in your newspaper to air my view on the traffic situation in Cornelia New Scheme and how it affects the residents of the scheme, kids and parents of Academy of Excellence.

During the peak hours of 7:15am to 9am and 3:15 to 4:30 pm (5 days per week) vehicles, cyclist and pedestrians jostle for a space on the very narrow main entrance of the scheme. Pedestrians and cyclists are forced to walk and ride into the oncoming path of vehicles because both sides of the road edge are bushy and riddled with huge pot holes. It’s only a matter of time before these pot holes extend to the middle of the

Kaieteur M@ilbox

NDC harassing this small school at Cornelia Ida roads.

A few residents of the scheme took matters into their own hands and made a complaint to the NDC about the traffic build up in front of Academy of Excellence. The NDC chose to issue a warning to the owner of the school that she nor the parents/children is allowed to use the front entrance of the school as that affects the free flow of traffic in and out of the scheme. This NDC now seems to want to flex its muscle on someone who is doing an honest business of educating the nation kids. My questions for the NDC chairman

councilors are as follows: 1) You and your councilors choose to use your power to hamper kids’ freedom and parents’ freedom of using the main road to get to the school with the excuse that the school is causing traffic build up.

Even kids who walk from the public road are forced to take a longer route so that they can use the school’s back gate to access their school. Are those kids causing traffic jams as well? You are forcing parents, teachers and students to use an alternative route that is not pitched with bitumen but is filled with huge craters that

Broadcasting Amendment Bill casts a ...

From page 6 National Broadcasting Act 2011 (see Annex 1) (2015:11).

It adds that ‘National Broadcasting Act of 2011 will be revised and possibly the Telecommunications Act of 2011 also be revised’ (p.12).

The report (2015:1) notes two meetings, the first included ‘one short meeting with broadcasters’, the second included a meeting with a ‘representative group of broadcasters.’

A question remains as to the extent the Broadcasting Amendment 2017 incorporates or has the effect of incorporating recommendations in the ITU report as the likelihood that it serves to address the recommendations in the ITU report by default cannot be easily dis-

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counted. It is a sudden legislation which looks set to impact on broadcasters who have set up infrastructure on the basis of their existing rights, so far unfettered until this sudden imposition of the new law.

In a challenge to the zoning requirements and related issues, already one broadcaster, Freedom Radio Inc., in an action led by the former attorney general, Anil Nandlall, is before the court for relief and seeking to have various sections of the Broadcasting Amendment 2017 struck off.

The broadcaster on the new huge fee increase has noted these will skyrocket to over $7.5M annually in areas it is currently transmitting and which have been newly-

zoned into separate fees under the new legislation. If the fees’ setting discussed at the time of Justice Chang’s ruling, is considered, this appears to be an increase of some 3000%.

The broadcaster in its legal challenge is also claiming constitutional violations in relation to public service requirements and the requisition of airtime (on demand) at any time between 6 am and 10:00pm, as prime time, without any compensation.

3 However, the equally if not more troubling issue with regard to the new legislated zoning requirements and humongous fees for all zones returns to the ITU report.

More in a forthcoming letter Lalan Kumar

turn into a swimming pool when the rains come. Will the NDC take the responsibility if a kid drowns in of those holes?

2. You and your councilors threaten to picket the school and call in the media because as you and your councilors claimed, the school is causing the traffic congestion. If this was a public school, would your threat and actions have been the same? I’m thinking not. Didn’t you and your councilors know from the beginning that that was a private school being established there?

Didn’t you give your approval? What if it wasn’t an approved private school but a government entity or a supermarket, would you have gone and protest the traffic situation?

3. You and your councilors said that if they see any parent park their vehicle on the parapet or a child using the front entrance of the school you will file a court order. Do you or your councilors think you have the God given right to prevent someone from temporarily parking on the parapet (not blocking traffic) or stop a student from trying to use the front entrance of the school? Any school zone whether public or private, there is a temporary build up of traffic when children are trying to get to and from school, so why do you want residents to earn the right to “fly in and out” of the scheme in their vehicle

knowing fully well that area is a school zone?

Why, because none of the councilors’ kids attend that school means that you don’t care about the safety of other people kids?

4. Lastly, why don’t you and your councilors divert your energy into cleaning the parapets of the main roads and fill the huge pot holes so that your residents can walk and ride safely on the main road?

Furthermore, instead of wanting to bring the media to highlight the so called vehicular congestion in front of the school, why not highlight your incompetence in not fixing the many roads in the scheme especially the “dam” that is filled with huge craters at the back of the school, the same “dam” you are forcing the parents and kids of the school to use. Furthermore, please highlight your incompetence in not affixing street lights on the main road that looks like a dark dungeon in the nights.

The few street lights that are outside of the private school were paid for and installed by the administrator of the school and are intended not to only benefit the kids and teachers of the school but resi-

dents of the scheme who have to use the main roadway to reach their homes in the nights. Maybe if you had fixed the “dam” at the back of the school parents and residents of the scheme won’t have been forced to use the main entrance road but could have diverted and use that street as well. Furthermore why not weed the trench that runs parallel to the main road, the trench that is infested with weeds, crocodiles, snakes and God knows what else.

And to a certain councilor who walked into the school’s compound and verbally and explicitly abused the administrator, you have displayed total disrespect for a learning institution, the kids and teacher. As a representative of the residents of Cornelia Ida, I wish not to think of your atrocious and power drunk behaviour during official meetings of the NDC.I wish to invite the NDC to bring in the media so that us parents of students that are attending Academy of Excellence can take the opportunity as well to highlight the state of the road that we are forced to used as well as other complaints against the NDC. Disappointed Cornelia Ida residents

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Sunday October 15, 2017

Sunday October 15, 2017

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Trade agreements between Babbie get skin up Guyana, other states face serious through de gazette implementation challenges - Greenidge Dem boys seh...

Old people always seh de more you watch, de less you see. And de magicians does seh de less you see is better fuh me. And de saying got to be true and Jagdeo had to be a magician because he never want nobody to see or know what he did.

He give away too much things. He give away so much of Guyana Assets that it gun tek several generations and nuff forensic audits to find out what he give away.

Babbie is ee best friend. He seh suh. Dem boys see de drug contracts, de radio, de TV, de newspaper, state lands and so much things that it gun tek de whole year newspaper to name everything Jagdeo give him.

That is why dem boys believe that he holding all dem assets fuh Jagdeo. And dem boys gun go to dem grave believing that.

Just de other day de newspaper report that Babbie get a whole heap of land pun de East Bank. As a matter of fact, de ink fuh de purchase didn’t even dry when he sell it and millions in Uncle Sam money as profit.

Dem boys thought that was all de housing land Jagdeo put in ee name until dem boys read last week Official Gazette.

Dem see that Babbie set up a housing development company name FUTURE DEVELOPERS INTERNATIONAL INC fuh de state land. De same company got a registered office in Queens Atlantic Industrial Estate, Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana. This is de Sanata Complex that Jagdeo also give Babbie.

De gazette seh dem want to mortgage de state land to a bank and dem got a good reason.

SARA going after all dem state assets that went to every Tam, Harry and Joseph, friends and family, party supporters and ass kissers.

Jagdeo de scamp immediately tell Babbie how to tie up de land. He send Babbie to his favourite bank. Suh it seems to dem boys. Dem want people to see how dem bareface and really wrang and strang.

Talk half and hope Bro Clive read de October 7 Gazette.

When Trade Agreements are signed between countries, these are expected to be adhered to and respected. It appears, however, that this is not the case between Guyana and some of its trade partners.

This issue was highlighted by Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge, during the recently concluded Business Summit that was organized by the Private Sector Commission (PSC).

During the business forum, Greenidge focused on trade agreements and how these have had an effect on Guyana’s market.

He spoke extensively about the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) which is meant to be an arrangement between a set of developing countries and a set of developed nations.

It is configured in a way that is not intended to put the developing nations at a disadvantage. There are also certain asymmetrical features to that arrangement.

Greenidge said that the European Union (EU), for example, opens its market.

Guyana does the same.

“But we open ours in part and we only open to them in a phased manner.

Also, for some agricultural products, we don’t open our markets at all. But for some we may open it to them for five years or 25 years. But the EU on the other hand has to open as soon as the process begins and that is what you call asymmetrical.”

Greenidge acknowledged that Guyana is however facing an implementation problem with regards to these types of trade agreements.

He said, “We have issues

with all of our trade agreements. In addition to the EPA you have bilateral and regional agreements one of which is the partial scope agreement with Brazil.”

The Vice President continued, “In the case of the partial scope agreement, we are unable to export a wide array of goods to Brazil but Brazil is able to export a large number of its produce to our market.”

The economist added, “So in all of these trade agreements, agricultural products face tariff and nontariff barriers. That is important because our main products are agriculture based. So we are disadvantaged in the trading area. So to get out of that you have to either

Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge move out of those products or find products that don’t attract that treatment. You have to diversify in other

words.”

The former Finance Minister also noted that a significant number of Guyana’s exports essentially go to five places; CARICOM countries, the United States, Canada, the European Union and Venezuela.

He asserted that the USA accounts for 24 percent while Canada takes 12 percent. Twenty-five p e r c e n t o f t h e n a t i o n ’s exports are absorbed in the CARICOM markets That said, Greenidge was quick to note that this presents an unfavourable situation for Guyana. He said that when exports are concentrated on a narrow range of countries then it presents a more risky trade strategy.

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Sunday October 15, 2017

Queen’s Atlantic land holdings bigger than reported A notice last week in the Official Gazette has raised questions about exactly how many plots of land Queens Atlantic Investments Inc. (QAII) benefitted from.

According to the October 7 Notice of Debenture published in the Official Gazette of Guyana, a company called Future Development International Inc. located in the Industrial Site, Ruimveldt compound of QAII, has a piece of property, over six acres, in the Plantation Pattensen area.

The area is located south of the Railway Embankment, somewhere in the vicinity of Giftland Mall.

Future Development is moving to mortgage the six acres to the Guyana Bank For Trade and Industry (GBTI), hence the notice for any objections.

Representing Future Development is Director, Roopnarine Ramcharitar, and Secretary, Valeri Khan.

The notice would be significant as it was only a few weeks ago that questions were raised over another piece of property at Providence, East Bank Demerara.

Ramcharitar, a top deputy of businessman Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop, was reportedly a key figure whose name appeared on Luxury Realty

…advertises State land to be mortgaged

Another questionable land acquisition: QAII’s Director, Roopnarine ‘Ravi’ Ramcharitar Inc., a company that was granted 28 acres of prime lands.

Ramcharitar not only managed to close a sweetheart land deal with Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) in August 2014, but on the same day, within a space of a few hours, he turned around and under the watchful eyes of the agency, sold it to an overseas buyer.

With the blessings of CH&PA, and without lifting a finger, Roopnarine ‘Ravie’ Ramcharitar made a whopping US$2M ($400M) profit on the spot.

The appearance now of the six acre plot at Pattensen would

raise questions of what else Ramcharitar and by extension, QAII, benefitted from.

Ramroop is the personal friend of former President Bharrat Jagdeo. He is said to have benefitted extensively, from drug contracts, worth billions of dollars, to lands and properties, to tax concessions. Heading the Ministry of Housing in 2014 was former minister, Irfaan Ali. Pattensen is not an ordinary housing area. It is in high demand and once under the control of the controversial National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), which controls Government properties and its sales.

Some of the Pattensen lands were sold under controversial means to a few businessmen. With malls and luxury homes in the area, property prices would have been significant.

It is unclear when Future Development received possession of the land and how much it paid. It was also unclear whether the lands were ever advertised for sale

by NICIL. What is known is that Ramcharitar is reportedly

likely to be investigated for not paying taxes on the hefty profit he made on the sale of the 28 acres at Providence to a New York businessman.

The QAII executive would have sold the land for three times the price he bought it, with the questionable blessings of the then management of the CH&PA. There are no indications that the profit taxes were ever paid over by Ramcharitar to the Guyana Revenue Authority.

QAII’s acquisition of properties has over the years been under question with Industrial Site acquisition of the former Sanata Complex, where the group headquarters is located.

Several plots of East Bank Demerara lands remained undeveloped despite conditions that construction of the infrastructure had to start within six months, in some cases.

The Coalition Government had started moving to repossess some of those lands but ran into legal problems. Ramcharitar’s transactions, while benefitting from a sweetheart deal blessed

by CH&PA, would mirror Brian Tiwarie, owner of BK

International.

Tiwarie’s company, Sunset Lakes Inc, managed to acquire 100 acres of lands not too far from Ramcharitar’s.

However, eight weeks after securing the lands from CH&PA for US$2.2M (approximately $440M), Tiwarie turned around and flipped the company to BaiShanLin for US$8M ($1.6B).

BaiShanLin is a Chinese investor that ran into trouble over its operations here and had its forest lands taken away by the Coalition Government.

BaiShanLin, now facing financial problems, was unable to pay Tiwarie the US$8M it promised and early last year, the businessman took BaiShanLin to court, asking for his balance of US$4M. Tiwarie also demanded back his company Sunset Lakes and wanted the court to forfeit the US$4M that BaiShanLin had advanced him.

There are more than 20,000 applications pending at the CH&PA, with Government announcing plans to build duplexes and apartments for low income families in the short term.

Large swaths of lands behind Republic Park and

Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop Providence have been sold under questionable circumstances to several private developers who were looking to cash in on the booming housing drive between 2010 and 2014.

CH&PA has been promising to go after the private developers for breaching their conditions, including the building of infrastructure like drains and roads.

This past week, CH&PA went to Sophia and demolished several properties which they said were illegal.

The police were forced to halt the exercise after residents protested and the situation became tense.

Sunday October 15, 2017

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Kaieteur News

HPV vaccine to be launched in Bartica Dr. Oneka Scott, during her Health Education interface with parents and girls at the Bartica Secondary School, said that the vaccine is not known to have any effect on sex drive.

Her comment came during the prelude to a planned rol l o u t o f t h e H P V immunization campaign in the hinterland community.

D r. S c o t t o f t h e Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) noted that there is no scientific evidence that the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine increases sexual desire in children or adults.

F u r t h e r, t h e r e i s n o known side effect to hurt anyone.

She said that the objective of the vaccination programme is to promote the health, safety and longevity “of our most important human resource.”

The parents and girls were educated via c o n v e r s a t i o n a n d video presentation. The forum catered for information dissemination to Ministry of Education Heads of Department to take back to the eleven Education districts under their management.

Dr. Scott told the audience that sensitization

came about since research done by MOPH found that cervical cancer among girls is on the increase.

She told the gathering that HPV has over 100 strains and some of these strains cause some serious diseases such as cervical cancer, genital warts and a number of other diseases.

The doctor said that with these facts, it is imperative that actions are taken to ‘nip this in the bud’. Dr. Scott said that it is very important that girls six to 18 be vaccinated urgently.

According to her, while the MOPH will first target girls, it is not to say that boys are forgotten in this effort. She explained that research has shown that boys are least affected than girls but plans are afoot to have boys immunized as well.

She said that the MOPH has to prioritise since the vaccine is costly and it’s only reasonable that the most vulnerable group be targeted first.

This interface was part of the Ministry of E d u c a t i o n ’s e ff o r t s t o support Government’s plan to aid in the eradication of HPV which is on the upsurge in Guyana.

Dr. Oneka Scott educates parents and students about HPV.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday October 15, 2017

Sunday October 15, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Fire Prevention Week…

Fire Prevention Officer calls for amendment to safety laws The need for amendments to the Fire Prevention Act, (FPA) was highlighted during the recent observance of Fire Prevention Week. Chief Fire Prevention Officer, Andrew Holder, said that the Guyana Fire Service has been calling for the Act to be amended to give the Fire Service more power to prosecute negligent persons found responsible for causing fires.

Describing the current legislation as “weak”, Holder said the Act only provides for persons to pay a fine of as low as $25 if found liable for breaching the regulations “The Fire Prevention Act makes provision for the Fire Department, in the first instance, to verbally warn persons found in breach of the safety regulations.

“If they ignore the warning, then we send them a written notice and thereafter place them before the Courts which according to the Act, defaulters are liable to pay as low as a $25 fine which is highly inconsequential.”

Fire Prevention Act, Chapter 22:01 of the Laws of Guyana makes provisions for establishment of a fire safety board. That board was established in 2006.

It comprises members from various private and public sector organizations including the Guyana Fire Service, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards, the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Mayor and City Council, the Central Housing and Planning Authority, the Attorney General’s Chamber, the Ex-firemen Association and the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association.

The fire safety board is tasked with providing recommendations to the Public Security Ministry regarding fire safety/fire prevention issues, endorsing training, prevention and public education activities on fire safety; coordinating the exchange of information among individuals and

organisations interested in fire safety; considering and pronouncing on appeals made by property owners/ occupiers regarding fire prevention and facilitating the participation and support of the private sector and other interested groups in fire prevention and safety.

The Guyana Fire Service is expected to inspect buildings and to make recommendations regarding fire prevention in a written report which it is expected to submit, within a reasonable timeframe to property owner/ occupier.

If the recommendations are not implemented within a stipulated timeframe, the GFS can institute daily monetary penalties for each day of noncompliance against the property owner/occupier after the deadline.

In 2010 the National Assembly recently agreed to increase these fines and the new sums. Owners or occupiers who disagree with the recommendations can appeal them with the Board.

This year, Fire Prevention Week is being held under the theme, “Embrace Fire Safety: Safeguard your Environment to Promote Sustainable Development” The week of activities also commemorated the 60th Anniversary of the Guyana Fire Service.

As part of the activities planned to spread awareness, several routine fire drills were conducted in prominent spaces including the Ministry of Public Infrastructure.

During the week of activities, inspections were also conduct on number of building.

Following the inspection, officials attached to the Fire Department disclosed that several city businesses in breached the basic fire safety regulations.

Chief Fire Prevention Officer Andrew Holder noted that facts presented display the scary situation that several commercial entities are currently without fire extinguishers and fire exits among other shortcomings, objects which are necessary in the event of a fire.

He explained that this could be as a result of businesses not renewing its fire safety certificate or businesses proceeding to

offer services even without a certificate.

He referred to the fact that there are cases where a business was once a clothing

store and was rented to Chinese immigrants, who would have changed the specification of business to a restaurant.

On the mention of this subject, Holder informed that the safety measures for a Clothing Store would differ from that of a restaurant.

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Sunday October 15, 2017

Kaieteur News

FINANCIAL LITERACY:

Behavioural Economics and our Struggle with Money OUR BEHAVIOURAND FINANCIALATTITUDES Changing your financial attitude will allow you to handle whatever financial hurdles life throws at you.

Emily Guy Birken, finance writer stated that “once you have changed your attitude toward money; your money stress will lessen.”

According to the financial literature, there are several economic reasons why we struggle with money, but “a great deal of irrational financial behaviour is common and predictable.” In today’s article, we will discuss two of the many economic and behavioural reasons why we struggle with money – scarcity and cognitive bias.

Birkin indicates that scarcity is more than just a phenomenon of having more needs than resources but it can become a mindset.

This scarcity mindset “saps impulse control and motivation, making it more difficult for you to provide yourself with the resources you need.” Though difficult, it is possible to change the scarcity mindset.

With respect to cognitive biases causing financial stress, many of these biases

are common and predictable.

It can be very difficult to detect cognitive bias in your own thought patterns since it is a systemic error in logical thinking. Birkin suggests that, “most common cognitive biases are likely behind some of the counterproductive and stress-inducing financial behaviour you engage in.”

HOW SCARCITY AFFECTS YOUR FINANCIAL DECISIONS Scarcity is the phenomenon of having more needs than resources available to meet them.

Trying to allocate scare resources in a way that ensures we achieve all of our needs can cause great stress.

According to Drs. Eldar Shafir and Sendhil Mullainathan, “people’s minds are less efficient when they feel they lack something – whether it is money, time, calories or even companionship.”

This scarcity mindset consumes what Dr. Shafir calls “mental bankwidth” brainpower that would otherwise go to less pressing concerns, planning ahead and problem solving. This is the psychology of scarcity.

A part of the research literature on the culture of poverty indicates that, “being poor requires so much mental energy that those with limited means are more likely to make mistakes and bad decisions than those with bigger financial cushions.” Poverty creates a vicious cycle. Not having money is expensive, think about the extra money spent on credit card late fees, high interest rates on small loans and the extra costs associated with buying in instalments.

Scarcity captures the mind and it promotes tunnel vision, helping us focus on the crisis at hand but making us “less insightful, less forward thinking, and less controlled.” With tunnelling, you devote more and more to dealing with scarcity.

According to Shafir and Mullainathan, “wise long term decisions require cognitive resources.” Poverty leaves far less of those resources at our disposal.

COGNITIVE BIASES AND COUNTERPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR Cognitive biases are systemic errors in logical thinking that can lead to poor decisions. Sometimes these

biases are related to memory.

The way you remember an event may be biased for a number of reasons and that in turn can lead to biased thinking and decisionmaking.

Birkin indicates that the human brain has the ability to make quick decisions based upon huge amounts of random data. We do this in part using what are called heuristics, which are mental shortcuts that allow us to make fast and efficient judgements, they can also lead to errors in thinking.

Heuristics are helpful in many situations and play an important role in both problem solving and decision-making.

The list of financial decisions you make every day is endless and varied. For example, in trying to decide the mode of transportation to take if you should drive or ride the bus to work. Heuristics allow you to make such decisions with relative ease but can lead to bias. Just because something has worked in the past does not mean that it will work again.

Anchoring is a heuristic that helps you determine a fair price for something without having to do exhaustive

research.

The anchor is the price point that gives you an idea of how much something should cost. One way to combat the problem of anchoring is to create your own anchor to redefine the amount of money you would otherwise spend. Changing your anchors into a currency that you are able to think about rationally allows you to better understand what things really cost.

CONCLUDING REMARKS Researchers Drs. Shafir and Mullainathan indicate that the psychology of scarcity “wreaks havoc on cognition and decision making.” Scarcity captures the mind and we become absorbed by it.

The mind automatically orients automatically, powerfully, towards unfilled needs. “For the cashstrapped it might be this month’s rent payment.

Scarcity is more than just the displeasure of having very little. It changes how we think.”

To the extent that you can afford to, give yourself some slack. Building savings for a “rainy day” can help you deal with unexpected financial

Dr. Terence Smith, Deputy Governor, Bank of Guyana happenings. Very often when you are poor, that is not easy.

In addition, cognitive biases influence how we think and act. Kendra Cherry suggests, “When we are making judgements and decisions about the world around us, we like to think that we are objective, logical, and capable of taking in and evaluating all the information that is available to us. The reality is that our judgements and decisions are often riddled with errors and influenced by a wide variety of biases.

Next week we will examine some more economic reasons why we struggle with money. Please send your comments or questions to deputygovernor@ bankofguyana.org.gy

Sunday October 15, 2017

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Kaieteur News

THREE WEEKS AFTER RAPE…

Nine-year-old girl hospitalized, file sent to DPP Three weeks after a nineyear-old child was allegedly raped by a minibus driver in her West Bank Demerara (WBD) home, the police have confirmed that the file has been sent to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for advice.

It was prepared by ranks at the La Grange Police Station and sent for advice two days ago. The child has since been hospitalized at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation while the 34-yearold suspect was released on bail.

The victim’s mother explained that since the incident on September 21, last—she has been getting a lot of pain and passing blood and urine continuously. “The doctors said over the weekend, they will put her to sleep and examine her.”

The mother had accused the police of dragging their feet on the case since they took almost three weeks to prepare the file. The woman

said too that the officers only visited her home—the crime scene after she visited the DPP’s office.

Recalling what transpired the victim’s devastated mother said the suspect went to the family’s home on September 21, last, to meet with the child’s grandfather and noticed that the girl was home alone. He allegedly climbed onto the veranda, entered the home and raped the child.

“My brothers and him does drive bus together and when they get problems, he does complain to my father.

So on that day, one of my brothers and him got into an argument and he told my brother that he will ‘F** up his family and he left the Number 32 bus park,” the child’s mother alleged.

The woman added that her daughter was sick with the flu and diarrhea and had stayed home from school with her grandfather but the grandfather had to leave

home to run an errand.

“My daughter said she heard the guy calling and when she went out he asked where was her grandfather and my daughter informed him that he was not at home so he asked she and who home, and my daughter said she alone, so she went in back the house and continued watching television,” the mother recounted.

She added that her daughter told her that shortly after she went inside, the 34year-old driver confronted her from the veranda and threatened to kill her if she made any noise.

“She said that the man took off her clothes and raped her on the chair and when the pain became too much, she started crying and he put his hands over her mouth but she managed to bite him and push him off and run and lock herself in the toilet.”

The child’s mother said that the driver, who is a father himself, then banged on the

toilet door for the child to come out. After she remained inside, he put on his clothes and left.

“She said she wait a while and then she barely open the door and see him putting on his clothes—a green jersey, black pants, brown boots, blue hat and black shades. He jump down the veranda and walked at the back of the yard,” the mother said.

The woman said that the child’s grandfather arrived shortly after the suspect left and her daughter asked him to call her.

“My dauther called and ask me if I can come home now that something happen, so I left work and went home.”

The woman said that her daughter was so terrified of her attacker that she did not want to tell her what had happened.

“When she told us we went to the station to report the matter and we went for a medical which confirmed that she had been raped.”

Initially, the family had no idea who had raped the child.

“Two days after she was raped my father had to cut his

hair (at a West Bank Demerara barber shop), so he took her and my brother (who was also there) told her to watch around just in case she sees the person who attacked her.”

The mother said that her daughter spotted her attacker at a bus park, and he was wearing the same attire he was dressed in when the attack occurred.

The child’s relative apprehended the suspect and took him to the Vreed-en Hoop Police Station where he was released on $100,000 bail after two days.

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Sunday October 15, 2017

Sunday October 15, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Local University forges partnerships to introduce oil and gas-related programmes Following a 17-day visit to a number of universities, colleges and training centres in Trinidad and Canada, by Director of Nations University, Dr. Brian O’Toole, a number of technical training programmes are in the making.

According to Dr. O’Toole, the recent visit was one intended to help guide the formulation of a five-year training programme in the areas of electrical, mechanical and operations management in response to the oil and gas discoveries in Guyana.

He disclosed that “we found every door open on this visit to Trinidad and Canada, the level of receptivity to the opportunities here in Guyana was very clear. In fact they probably can see the potential clearer than those of us living here in Guyana.”

Dr. O’Toole mentioned that a partnership is to be signed with Linda Mohammed, the Director of Trinizuela Vocational College (TTVC). TTVC has been in operation in Trinidad and Tobago for more than 50 years and has graduated thousands of students in more than 50 City and Guilds courses in areas including: plumbing, masonry and electrical installation.

Part of the planned collaboration will include a ‘PreEngineering course’ targeting students who have left school with humble or no qualifications. This training will focus on Mathematics, English, Employability Skills and Technical training.

The Director of Trinizuela, according to Dr. O’Toole, revealed that only 5,000 out of the 18,000 students that write the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate each year in Trinidad and Tobago leave school with passes in Mathematics and English.

Even as she questioned what the numbers are in Guyana, the Director divulged that a significant number of students essentially leave the Trinidad and Tobago education system as failures.

Dr Brian O’Toole with the Directors of LearnCorp International, Lucia and Donnie Maciaac, who are slated to visit Guyana next week to formalise a partnership.

To help combat local shortcomings in this regard, Dr. O’Toole said that a course will be developed at Nations for students in Forms Two, Three, and Four to expose them to possible careers in the area of technology, and to help them move past the misconception that “studying technical subjects is for the non-academic students.”

A partnership has also been established by Nations with Keeter Sutherland and its key persons Kuarala Rampersaud and Ganesh Ramsahai, to introduce a series of short Oil and Gas-related courses at Nations in a variety of areas.

During his recent visit, Dr. O’Toole met with a major technical training company in Trinidad to explore the possibility of that institution too developing a collaboration with Nations in the area of technical training.

The Nations Director then moved on to Canada, where for two weeks he was able to follow-up leads from the New Found Land Oil and Gas delegation that was recently

hosted by the Canadian High Commission in Guyana.

While visiting the city of Calgary, Dr. O’Toole met with representatives of major colleges and universities to develop training partnerships. He was also invited to visit the AER Core Research Centre, where he was given a tour of the facilities that house core samples from drills throughout the Province.

There, discussions were had with the Canadian Petroleum Institute in Calgary, to see possible areas of collaboration, Dr. O’Toole revealed. In fact a two-day stop-over in Ontario saw him being able to sign two agreements with prominent Ontario schools.

Added to this, a group from the London International Academy (LIA) now plans to receive a group of 14 students from Nations at the end of December to partner with their students in developing STEM and robotics training, according to Dr. O’Toole.

The LIA students will in turn come to Nations in Eas-

The Baccoo Speaks Certain societal failures have unleashed a breed of people who are little better than animals. Their ability to reason is almost nonexistent with the result that they will prey on people who appear to have what others merely want.

This is going to be the continuing case when another robbery occurs in the heart of the city. A group of men will attack an establishment, based on the words of a controller. The money and other

accessories that they will obtain will be nothing compared to what will happen to them when they are caught. **

Life is not always easy, so despite the best efforts of certain agencies, there will be a rash of suicides. One alcoholic will attack his family because of his alcoholic stupor. The end result will be most sad but horrific. ** A freak accident will claim the life of a labourer.

He would be atop a tall structure when he would plummet to his death because there was no insistence on safety.

ter and next Summer to further develop this partnership,

he added.

Furthermore, a partnership was signed with Nancy Campbell Academy (NCA) in Stratford, Ontario.

“NCA is one of the top schools in Ontario. They focus, in particular, on the performing arts and the promotion of World Citizenship,” reported Dr. O’Toole, who informed too that “a team from NCA will come to Nations in January to work with students at Nations to learn how to promote the performing arts.”

The NCA team will also visit Nations in Easter and the Summer to present dance workshops throughout the country.

“They will also develop the World Citizenship programme that they have used for many years in Canada and which has brought Province-wide recognition to that school,” said Dr. O’Toole.

The final leg of his recent tour entailed a visit to a Training Agency in Nova Scotia.

This, according to Dr. O’Toole, has led to a formal partnership with Nations to introduce a five-year technical training programme in Guyana in the areas of electrical, mechanical and operational areas.

“The two Directors of the training agency are coming to Nations for a week from October 23 to develop the partnership,” Dr. O’Toole said.

“The overwhelming impression from the tour was the respect that exists for Guyana internationally and the huge potential for Oil and Gas to make a fundamental impact on this country,” said Dr. O’Toole of his recent visit.

He added, “The theme that permeated all the discussions was the need to establish a readily available, internationally accredited training programme for technicians to ensure Guyanese play a key role in all the various developments, and do not merely observe the changes from the sidelines.”

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Sunday October 15, 2017

Kaieteur News

Two burnt bodies, one missing husband

By Michael Jordan At around nine o’clock on the evening of Tuesday, July 18, 2006, John Elquemedo Hernandez took his new girlfriend, Fayon Williams, to meet his parents at their Bagotstown, East Bank Demerara home. Four hours later, John and Fayon were both dead. How it happened, no one knows for sure…except, maybe, one man. The only problem is that he’s vanished.

Michael Dey has not been seen since his estranged wife, Fayon Williams, a 22-year-old computer technician, and her lover, 30-year-old driver John Hernandez, perished under quite sinister circumstances.

It was at around 01.30 hours on Wednesday, July 19, 2006, that an explosion awoke residents living near to Nursery School Road, Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara.

On looking outside, they saw that the two-storey, Lot 33 Nursery Road house in which Hernandez and Williams lived was on fire.

Terrence St. John, a cousin of Fayon Williams, lived next door, and was one of the first on the scene. He tried to kick the front door open, but it was firmly bolted from the inside.

St. John and his brother ran to the back door. They found it unbolted. Using a bucket, St. John tried to douse the flames, but the fire spread quickly, and

Fayon Williams The burnt building in which the charred bodies were found the smoke and intense heat drove him back. Other neighbours and firefighters soon joined them, but by then the fire had gutted the building.

When the smoke finally cleared, the firefighters found two charred and unrecognizable corpses in the lower flat. The bodies had apparently fallen through the burnt top floor.

What puzzled detectives was the fact that the occupants had apparently made no attempt to flee the burning building, and that no one had heard them

scream.

Had someone killed them and then set the house ablaze?

An autopsy on the shrunken and burnt remains only revealed that John Hernandez and Fayon Williams had died of smoke inhalation. Nevertheless, investigators suspected that someone had set the house alight while the lovers slept. But who could that someone be?

‘STRANGEBEHAVIOUR’ One person who came under suspicion was Fayon Williams’s estranged husband,

Michael Lloyd Dey. He was a 29year-old taxi driver and Cheddi Jagan International Airport employee.

Dey and Williams had married onApril 1, 2005. But by May 2006, they had separated. Relatives of the young woman alleged that her husband had become physically abusive. There were reports that Dey had threatened his wife and Hernandez.

Williams had reportedly changed the locks of her home shortly after Dey moved out.

According to news reports at the time, Williams’s mother, who was living overseas, claimed that her daughter had repeatedly expressed concern about her husband’s ‘strange’ behaviour.

She said that during a telephone conversation, her daughter had attempted to reveal something about her husband, but never got the chance to do so. Detectives immediately tried to track down Michael Dey, but he had not turned up at work at the air-

port; neither was he at home. But police received reports that Dey had crashed his vehicle shortly before his estranged wife and lover were found dead.

It is alleged that a friend was with him, and the friend was treated for injuries.

Shortly after, police issued a wanted bulletin for Michael Lloyd Dey. The bulletin stated that he was wanted for questioning in connection with “the unnatural deaths” of Fayon Williams and John Hernandez. They have failed to find him.

ALLTOOAWARE The parents of John Hernandez and Fayon Williams have indelible marks etched in their minds “We think of him all the time,” Lorna Hernandez said. She recalled that they would know when their son had come home by the screeching of the front gate. “Now, when it screeches, we still expect him to be coming in.

John Hernandez is survived by two sons, including one who

John Elquemedo Hernandez his mother says “is the splitting image of him.” She ponders on the last time she saw her son alive. That was when he had come to the family’s Bagotstown house, some four hours before his death, and introduced his new girlfriend to them.

When she last spoke to me, Orlene Barker-Williams said she still cannot accept that her only daughter, Fayon, is dead. What makes it harder to accept is the fact that there was practically nothing left of their daughter after the fire.

“We didn’t see a body. We put her picture on the casket.

That is all we could have done.”

Her husband, Lyndon Williams, recalled that he had raised Fayon, his step-daughter, from the age of nine months.

“I am very angry. It bothers us. It hurts.”

Like his wife, and like the parents of John Hernandez, he wants one key question answered: Where is Michael Dey? “Why would he run if he is not guilty? Why wouldn’t he turn himself in, even if you come in with a lawyer? You are innocent until you are proven guilty.

Come in and prove your innocence.”

When I contacted a sister of Dey’s by phone, she said her sibling has not contacted the family since his disappearance. She insisted that her ‘big brother’ is innocent and opted to go on the run because he feared that “all the blame would go on him.”

What would she do if her brother contacted her?

“I would tell him to come in and sort out this matter; let everybody know what the truth is once and for all.”

If you have further information on this case or any other, please contact us at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown office or by telephone. We can be reached on telephone numbers 225-8465, 225-8491 or 225-8458.

You need not disclose your identity.

You can also contact Michael Jordan at 645-2447 or at his email addresses mjdragon@hotmail.com, or kamarangnight@gmail.com.

Sunday October 15, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Granger needs to add another B to his five Bs I am not saying that I know this country better than any other Guyanese, but I know this place. Here is what I wrote in a column headlined, “If Americans have a problems so have Guyanese,” on October 4, 2017; “In those thirty years of media experience, people would come out to me and the cynicism would go something like this; “Ah come on, Freddie, you pulling one on us; which prominent doctor witnessed the incident, you made that up.” Or I would have an expression like this; “man, Freddie no big one from the hospital was there when it happened, you put that in to make the story credible.” Believe me; I have those kinds of expressions thrown at me.” I mentioned that revelation one-and-a-half weeks ago. On Thursday night, Karen, the sister of AFC City Councilor, Carlyle Goring,

whom I got to know through her brother said to me, “I like that article on the banks and the envelope thing, man but Freddie you pull one on us when you said some people came up to you in the bank and talked about their problem with the envelope.” I cited this specific person because I may hear that this conversation (if I didn’t name her) was also an invention.

It is true that after I remonstrated with the teller, persons heard me, and came up when I was walking away and told me what they knew about the envelope hassle. One family had to close their business to deal with the bank over the proof of address hassle. Since the publication of the article on that envelope nonsense, I received a huge feedback.

Early in the morning of that edition of Kaieteur News, I received an email from a

stranger on the proof of address idiocy and I forwarded it to all the seniors at Kaieteur News. Here is what this gentleman informed me. He went to renew his motor insurance and they told him his driver’s licence could be used a proof of address, but it must not be more than six months old. You know what’s the angle they were using? They want to know what your last address the past six months was. Why is this, a huge expression of asininity? There are thousands of persons living in this country that have not received correspondence over the past six months which would carry their address.

One of those persons is me. I get a quarterly update from the bank like every other citizen who has a bank book.

When I read and listened to what people endured with the commercial banks on the

proof of address thing, there wasn’t even a tinge of sadness in me, but unmitigated anger. Here are just two instances. One East Coast businessman said the commercial section of the US embassy sent its office attendant with a letter. It was addressed to him and he signed for it. One of the commercial banks refused to accept it as proof of address. Another gentleman told me he produced a letter from the Georgetown Hospital by its board chairman, but the bank (not the same one as above) refused it as proof of address. One Friday night, I was “liming” with friends on Brickdam outside Demico.

This gentleman came to me; he was with his friends. He informed me he came to my gate earlier in the day to drop off a letter from the Court of Appeal, but I wasn’t there. He didn’t know what it was

about, but urged that very early Monday morning I visit the Chancellor’s office because he returned it. It wasn’t a pleasant weekend for me.

What did the Court of Appeal want from me?

I went Monday morning and collected a formal letter with my address on it from Mrs. Jagnandan. It was signed by the Chancellor in his capacity as Chairman of the Judicial Service Commission. It informed me that my complaint against Magistrate Judy Lutchman for misconduct was investigated and no wrongdoing found. I guess the banks would not accept such a letter as proof of address. They would want the envelope which didn’t have any post date.

The reaction I got from that column on the envelope thing with the commercial banks has further driven

Frederick Kissoon deeper in me the belief that we are a dead nation. How could people accept such mistreatment? This country cries out for better treatment of its citizens. The President has achieved national attention for his five Bs - books, bicycles, boats, buses and breakfast. I am definitely recommending another B that the President should give Guyanese – betterment.

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Sunday October 15, 2017

Kaieteur News

BOOSTING BUSINESS IN BERBICE The Berbice region (4 and 5) is sandwiched between two rivers and there are two other rivers running through it.

Berbice by itself is large and deeply cultural, so there is plenty of scope to put its wealth of advantages to good, money-making use. On the Services spectrum, entertainment, food, hospitality, sports and cultural extravaganzas top the list. They all fit into the Tourism portfolio since Services, in all its various colorations, add to the range of options for visitors to this country, and to the dollar value of Guyana’s overall tourism product.

Berbice has always possessed amazing potential for development of the things that residents have taken for granted for centuries. Imagine what can be earned if Ecotourism, Heritage tourism and Agricultural tourism were developed into museums, organized tours through production processes like fish preservation and rice cereals, or the preservation of old lodgings from the days of colonial slavery and indentureship. All it takes is

some imagination, a business plan and partner funding.

The APNU+AFC Government is fully aware that Regions 5 and 6 have excellent potential for fast development. Region 6 alone is home to three towns, and it is the only region that is bordered by two countries - Brazil and Suriname. Berbice is our third largest administrative region, and in area, these two regions together is larger than the countries of Belize, Jamaica, and neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago, not to speak of the little islands in the Greater and Lesser Antilles.

Berbice has always had remarkably rich cultural diversity, and economic activities that include fishing, cash crop, rice and sugarcane farming, cattle rearing, timber harvesting, bauxite mining and shipping. Then there are the space, facilities and resources for fishing, bird watching, canoeing, camping and sports tourism including horse racing and sport fishing.

The regional and government’s leaders who opened the 2017 Expo in Region 5 have managed to tip

the scales and they’ve given us a glimpse into the potential of this county. At the Expo Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin, stressed very strongly that agriculture will continue to be a key industry in all of Guyana, and the driver of our economic growth. He pointed out that Berbice is one of the largest active productive agricultural regions in the country, and that it can yield sufficient produce for the export market, including coconut and their by-products.

In recent remarks, Minister Gaskin said that his Ministry wants to see the rice industry grow stronger throughout the country. We also want to see the development of our many productive, value-added industries in Berbice, in Bartica, Mabaruma, Lethem and every piece of available space including the vast Rupununi Savannahs. Minister Gaskin said, “I am delighted to see our economy being tackled at a regional level with regional Chambers of Commerce ‘selling’ their values, promoting investments and tourism.

This (Expo) is how we become a productive and competitive nation; this is how we showcase this region,” the Minister said as he complimented the organizers of the Region 5 Expo.

He also reiterated that the primary roles of the private sector are driving our economy through investments, being the leaders that communities need who stop at nothing to advocate for better conditions for doing business; and initiating activities like the Expo that market their people’s products, and encourage business partnerships and new investments.

In response, the sitting Chamber President, Imran Sacoor, addressed recent statements by H.E. President Granger who had spoken of the Government’s intentions to repatriate Guyanese affected by the recent storms across the Caribbean (55 persons have come home to date).

Mr. Sacoor had said, “I want to endorse the call by the President to encourage the people from the Caribbean to come to live in Guyana. The support that we (have given) to the Caribbean is a good human call. It is also an opportunity for us to ‘up-sell’ ourselves to the (Caribbean) region. We don’t have earth-

quakes, hurricanes and these natural disasters, but we have resources which make us a rich country. We need to start marketing ourselves to other countries so that over time we can attract investment; we can grow our population and we can have more people to do commerce with”.

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT This broad scale development, growth of new and traditional industry that the Minister referred to actually falls under his umbrella, in the arms of the Industrial Development Department, also known as the Industry Department that has been in existence since 1991. The Department executes two main objectives: (i) Support the development of value-added agro, timber and other products indigenous to Guyana (ii) Enhance the export potential, market spread and other economic opportunities, especially for vulnerable groups in poor and remote communities.

The main objective of the Industry Department is to oversee and facilitate the actual development of the nation’s industrial capacity, and create opportunities for Made-in-Guyana products in the international marketplace.

In essence, this department,

peopled by highly accomplished development professions, is there to develop and monitor the growth of the Industrial Estates in Guyana.

They are also required to review existing legislation, monitor the implementation of recommendations and draft industrial policy.

GUYANA’S INDUSTRIAL ESTATES The Government of Guyana has opened access to industrial estates, particularly to support our manufacturing sector. The Industry Department currently monitors two Industrial Estates with 120 developed plots at Coldingen, ECD and Eccles, EBD. These estates support 57 operational factories and a total of 4,000 jobs. The main industries in operation there are wood-processing, cement and block-making, electronics, electronic engineering, food processing, fish processing, furniture manufacturing, metal fabrication, pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturing, and printing.

In addition, the Industry Department is currently in the process of developing new industrial estates at Belvedere, Berbice and at Lethem in Central Rupununi. The latter is an ongoing project that the Ministry would like conclude in mid 2018.

Sunday October 15, 2017

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Kaieteur News

My column

The frightening increase in Cancer cases This past week many things grabbed my attention.

One of them was the rate of cancers, the other was a criticism of the government’s effort to promote small entrepreneurs. Both were astonishing, to the point that I began to wonder if something was wrong with this country.

For starters, I learnt that for this year alone there were some 200 new cancer cases.

That translates to one new cancer case a day or that each day someone in this country of fewer than 750,000 people was developing a cancer.

I know that from time immemorial people were dying from a cancer-related ailment.

As a little boy I watched people wither away and die because there was no radiation and chemotherapy. You got a cancer, you tell yourself that you just got a death sentence.

I lost two friends to cancer this past week. One of them was really a friend of my daughter’s. I knew her from her days at school and I watched her grow into a woman. When last I saw her, we had a brief chat. I remarked that she wasn’t looking too well, because she was being supported by her daughter.

Then I got word that she had died in a city hospital.

She could not have been more than 45. The other person who died was not a very young person, but she was somebody with who I would chat often. When I heard that she had died, the first question I asked was whether she was ill. Her relative told me that she had succumbed to cancer.

The reporter who brought

the story about the increasing rates of cancer in Guyana told me that in Guyana, there are no studies to indicate the number of cancer cases over the past five years. We spoke about this matter and one question I asked was whether the oncologists had any idea why this increase.

None could really say.

What they did say was that breast cancer had surpassed cancer of the cervix (the latter caused by some sexually transmitted virus) as the leading cause of cancer deaths.

Earlier this year, two people were diagnosed with the latter. With the help of friends they went overseas for treatment. One of them is back and I could see that she was enjoying a new lease on life.

The other case is a horror story for me.

I learnt that this person left with what she believed was a stage two cancer, very treatable. I then learnt that she underwent a surgical procedure which revealed that she had been misdiagnosed. The doctors reportedly went inside, looked and promptly closed her back up. For reasons of privacy, I would not comment more on this case.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the rise in cancers may be linked to our diet.

Home cooked food is on the decline among many young people. Many are gravitating to the fast food outlets. I am not ready to say that the increase in fast food outlets is linked to the increase in cancers, but it is a phenomenon worth investigating.

Not surprisingly, the doc-

tors all say that when a patient presents himself or herself, the cancer is far advanced. And I could understand why. Most of us are afraid to visit the doctor.

Most of us do not have a primary care physician, so we live with our ailments.

Many of us are hypertensive, but we simply do not know it. Of course, hypertension is known as the silent killer. It is only when we get a stroke or some other ailment that we get the news from the doctor. By then we may be too far gone.

Of course there is a little machine that any of us could own. It is the blood pressure monitor. But we don’t own one, because for us, life is going on quite nicely.

I am hypertensive so I take care to control it. I exercise, watch my diet, and monitor my pressure regularly. I would be in a position to rush to the doctor knowing what my ailment is.

The other thing that caught my attention this past week was the criticism of Finance Minister Winston Jordan for suggesting that one should not look down at the ‘plantain chip lady.’ He was talking about developing small businesses, since the government cannot find employment for everyone.

Over the years I have seen people doing these little things and making a success of their lives. My grandmother was a large property owner in Beterverwagting.

She had farmlands aback of the village so she grew ground provisions, fruits and sugar cane. She was rich by any standard, but to look at

her you would never know.

She did not have millions in the bank, but she raised nine children, bought and built three houses and always had food on the table.

There is one newspaper vendor who not only owns her own home, but who bought a brand new car a few years ago. My cousin is a vendor at Square of the Revolution and she is doing pretty well raising her children. Just yesterday she told me that she was planning to accompany her son to Barbados for some karate tournament.

These are only two. I see the people selling cook up rice by the big tree in the vicinity of the courts and I know they make money. There are people walking around with trays and baskets selling

small condiments. I even see the people selling brooms.

Major cassareep and seasonings abound in the supermarkets. Major started very small. He never had to work with anyone. The list goes on.

Those of us who cannot get a government job could very well work with ourselves.

Many of us make money, but we are not recognized because we are not hounded by the tax man.

We do not make a noise, but we get along. I have relatives who are illiterate but who have more money than I do. I have an uncle in Beterverwagting who now owns a house that is the envy of many. One of his sons is rearing pigs. If only he was a bit more academically capable he would have been wealthy

Adam Harris and doing much better.

If the truth is to be told, most of Guyana is self-employed. These people are doing very well.

The call by Minister Jordan is no empty call, so all those who snigger are those who have a mindset that never developed any country.

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Sunday October 15, 2017

Kaieteur News

The social contract and economic development (H.E. David Granger’s address to the Business Summit of the Private Sector Commission on October 11, 2017) I addressed the 23rd Annual General Meeting of the Private Sector Commission on June 28, 2015, six weeks after I was sworn in as President.

I called for a Private Sector-led summit to be held “…in the shortest possible time, [so] that we all come together, politicians, business, trade unions, non-governmental organisations, religious organisations and hammer out a new social contract among Guyanese people taking us over the next five years.”

My concept, then, was that a comprehensive conference could be convened to ensure that the interests of all producers – farmers, fisherfolk, miners, loggers, traders and workers – could be considered as elements of a contract that would be the basis for consultation rather than confrontation.

I congratulate the Private Sector Commission for convening this conference today and look forward to reaching a broad agreement on the way forward for our country.

The government has been working to create an environment which is supportive of socio-economic development that is linked to the objective of ensuring a ‘good life’ for all. I noted that: The ‘good life’ means the absence of poverty…the presence of equality and the creation

of an enlightened citizenry t h r o u g h education…effective stewardship of our natural resources and…employment for our people.

The attainment of the goal of a ‘good life’ requires the reduction of disparities based on geography and ethnicity and the sustained creation of wealth through economic growth and employment.

The private sector is a creator of wealth and a generator of employment. It can work with the government, the labour movement and civil society towards attaining the objective of a ‘good life.’ Three of the elements in Government’s approach to this objective are investment, innovation and the institutional framework.

INVESTMENT Private sector investment is pivotal to development. Your government, over the past 29 months, has been working to create a more enabling environment for business development by encouraging investment and ensuring stable macroeconomic conditions.

Government, while seeking to fix the economic problems which we inherited, has been actively courting investment and by encouraging the diaspora to invest in Guyana. The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Citizenship have been pursu-

ing increased investment and trade.

Americans, Brazilians, British, Canadians, Chinese, French, Indians, Russians, Surinamese, Turks and Trinidadians are investing heavily here. Guyanese should have no good reason for not increasing investments in their own country.

Investment is the fuel of economic expansion and employment. Government has been encouraging the banking sector to expand its financial services to rural agricultural and hinterland gold-mining and other zones.

Guyana is lagging in the ratio of commercial banks per 100,000 persons but the banking system can become a goldmine of investment funds. Access to affordable capital by local investors will spur investment.

INNOVATION Increased investments alone will not yield prosperity. Investments must be backed by innovation to create a more competitive economy.

The excessive concentration on primary production has exposed the economy to market volatilities and economic vulnerabilities. The ‘curse’ of the six sisters – bauxite, gold, fisheries, rice, sugar and timber – does not arise from the character of the commodities but in the overdependency on raw products, the lack of innovation, the absence of diversification and neglect of value-added manufacturing.

President Granger addressing the gathering at the Business Summit These sectors have served us well but failure to innovate and diversify has made us vulnerable to exogenous shocks. A decline in the price of these commodities or a loss of market access often leads to distress.

Guyana – the biggest, most bountiful state in the Caribbean – is blessed with abundant natural capital. Our varied landscape – grasslands, islands, wetlands, highlands, lakes, rivers, rainforests, shell-beaches and waterfalls – are habitats of some of the world’s rarest flora and fauna. These features endow us with a worldclass ecotourism and ecoeducational product.

The ‘green state’ policy, which emphasises the preservation of our biodiversity, the protection of our environment, the provision of ecotourism and eco-educational services and the promotion of renewable energy generation and practical measures to ensure climate adaptation, will unleash a whirlwind of investment and innovation.

It could open business opportunities in agriculture, banking, bio-degradable packaging, construction, distribution services, ecotourism, ‘green’ transportation, information communications technology, energy-saving equipment

and energy generation from sustainable sources, infrastructure, manufacturing and recycling.

INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK The absurdly anachronistic adherence to the colonial ‘three-county’ system still pervades the public administration system which is being geographically rebalanced. The inherited system of formal laws, informal conventions and regulations that direct the delivery of public services – public education, public health, public security and public infrastructure etc. – and that shape socio-economic activity has to be revised.

Guyana’s regions are the real frontiers of economic development. Capital towns will drive development by promoting business opportunities for the private sector by pursuing economic development and providing economic leadership.

We have established three new towns – Mabaruma, the capital town of the Barima-Waini Region that is nearly four times the size of Trinidad and Tobago; Lethem, the capital town of the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo that is larger than Costa Rica and Bartica, the capital town of the CuyuniMazaruni region that is big-

ger than the Netherlands.

Mahdia will soon become the capital town of the PotaroSiparuni. Government is working: The Ministry of Business is encouraging the resuscitation of regional chambers of commerce to work with their respective RDCs, NGOs and central government to develop regional action plans (RAPs); The Ministry of Communities is encouraging the hosting of Regional Agricultural and Commercial Expositions (RACE); The Ministries of Agriculture and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs have intensified their focus on the ‘food economy’ of the hundreds of villages in the hinterland and coastland whose farms feed the nation. The economic revitalization of our villages could reduce poverty and unemployment; The Ministry of Public Infrastructure and the GDF Engineer Corps are developing plans to improve bridges and highways to the hinterland; and The Ministry of Legal Affairs has introduced legislation aimed at strengthening the regulatory framework and curbing moneylaundering and financial crimes.

The reduction of poverty and unemployment is not only a human development imperative, but is also good for business. Lifting people out of poverty increases their participation in the economy, generates employment, enhances citizens’ incomes and creates a higher demand for goods and services.

The economy is being rebalanced, also, by investing in the development of the micro-, small- and medium-size enterprise sector which constitutes half of the economy and is estimated to contribute about 30 per cent of the GDP. The Government has supported private sector development in a holistic way as part of its broad commitment to improving citizens’ quality of life.

We have ensured macroeconomic stability, encouraged investment and enhanced competitiveness. We have begun, also, the process of rebalancing the economy and public administration to make them more robust and resilient.

The private sector must position itself to take advantage of the emerging economic opportunities. It has the expertise and the experience to drive economic development. It can count on the government’s support.

Sunday October 15, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Commonly asked questions about sexually transmitted infections

By Dr Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine Sexually transmitted infections, often called STIs, are infections you can catch during sex. They are also called sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs. Some STIs are caused by bacteria, and others are caused by viruses.

The most common STIs include: - Chlamydia - Gonorrhea - Genital herpes, also called “herpes simplex virus” or “HSV” - Genital warts, also called “human papillomavirus” or “HPV” – Some types of HPV can cause cervical cancer in women.

- Hepatitis A, B, and C - Syphilis - Trichomoniasis Human immunodeficiency virus, also called “HIV” – This is the virus that causes AIDS. Many of these infections can be transmitted through any type of sex. That includes not just penis-in-vagina or penis-in-anus sex, but also

oral sex and other types of sex play. HIV and hepatitis can be transmitted in other ways, too, such as exposure to body fluids.

WHO SHOULD BE SCREENED FOR STIS? Different screening tests are appropriate for different people, depending on their gender and sex habits.

- All men and women (including teenagers) that are sexually active should get screened for HIV. - All girls and women younger than 26 years who have had sex should be screened every year for gonorrhea and chlamydia.

- Older women who have sex with more than one partner and do not use condoms should be screened every year for gonorrhea and chlamydia.

- All men and women who are having sex and either do not have a stable partner or are having sex with more than one partner should get screened for hepatitis B. - Anyone who has had sex with a person infected with hepatitis C should be screened for it.

- Pregnant women should be screened for syphilis, chlamydia, HIV, and hepatitis B. Some pregnant women might also need to be screened for other infections depending on their sex habits.

- Men who have sex with men should be screened at least once for hepatitis A, B, and C. They should also be screened at least once a year for HIV, syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea.

The list above includes some general guidelines, but some people might need other screening tests depending on their sex habits and other factors. If you are unsure whether you should be screened, and for what, ask your doctor or nurse for advice.

WHERE CAN I GET SCREENED? If you have a doctor or nurse you see regularly, he or she should be able to screen you. But if you prefer to have screening done without your regular doctor or nurse, or if you don’t have one, you can go to a clinic or health centre.

WHAT SYMPTOMS SHOULD I WATCH FOR?

In general, watch out for any genital itching, burning, sores, or discharge. But be aware that many STIs do not cause any symptoms. The best way to know for sure if you have an STI is to be screened.

WHAT IF I HAVE AN STI? If you have an STI, you will need treatment. The right treatment will depend on the type of STI you have. Treatment might include antibiotics or medicines called antivirals, which fight viruses.

Treatment will cure your infection or keep it from getting worse. It will also reduce the chances that you spread your infection to others.

If you do have an infection, you might need to tell the people you could have infected. Your doctor or nurse can help you figure out which partners you need to tell based on when you last had sex with them.

CAN STIS BE PREVENTED? There is no surefire way to prevent all STIs, but there are things you can do to reduce your chances of catching one.

- The most important thing you can do is to wear a condom every time you have sex. Both male and female condoms can protect against STIs. But be aware that male condoms made out of “natural materials,” such as sheep intestine, do not protect against STIs. - Ask your doctor if there are any vaccines you should have. If you are 26 years old or younger, you can get a vaccine to protect against HPV, the virus that causes genital warts. If you do not have hepatitis A or B and have not already gotten the vaccine for hepatitis A or B, you can get those vaccines, too.

Dr. Zulfikar Bux - If your partner has herpes, he or she can reduce the chances of infecting you by taking an antiviral medicine.

- If you are at very high risk of catching HIV, you might be able to take a pill every day to reduce the chances that you will get HIV. This is an option only for very few at-risk people. If you are interested in this, talk to your doctor.

Having a STI is never a good experience. Prevention is obviously better than cure.

Be prepared and avoid risky sexual practices.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday October 15, 2017

SUNDAY US$500M PETROCARIBE RICE DEAL…SOCU RECOMMENDS CONTEMPT CHARGES AGAINST GBTI DIRECTORS -QUESTIONS RAISED OVER BANK’S PRESENCE ON GRDB BOARD Directors of the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) are facing contempt charges. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) will have to decide whether the bank, controlled by the Beharry Group, deliberately refused to obey the production orders of Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire.

The Judge, on August 29, last, ordered that GBTI hand over specific information within seven days.

However, by September 7, the bank was refusing to cooperate.

The police Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), the unit which investigates financial crimes, has been attempting to get information on wire transfers and other details since last February, regarding a US$500M investigation at the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB).

This US$500 million represented credit from Venezuela for oil supplied under the PetroCaribe arrangement.

KILLERS BURNED BLOCK MAKER’S BODY TWICE The men who killed blockmaker, Mahendra Ghanie, said they were forced to burn his body twice in separate graves in a desperate bid to conceal evidence of their grisly crime. The suspects, including the slain man’s employer, have told detectives that they had killed the 21year-old after he stole two goats belonging to his boss.

The employer is a cattle farmer and tile and blockmaker.

Kaieteur News understands that the employer had fired Ghanie a few days prior to the murder.

But last Monday, he contacted Ghanie under the pretext of rehiring him and asked the blockmaker to turn up for work.

But when he arrived last Mon-

day, the men struck Ghanie on the head. They then dragged the body to the back of the employer’s house, located in the Number 55 cemetery, dumped Ghanie in an already dug shallow grave, then set the corpse alight.

But on checking the next day, they realised that the fire had not completely destroyed the corpse.

They reportedly dumped the remains in another grave and set another fire.

MONDAY BOUND BODIES OF ELDERLY WOMEN…MASTERMIND CAPTURED AT POMEROON AS COPS PREPARE TO CHARGE KILLERS They’re now all in the bag.

Police have finally captured the ringleader of the gang which terrorized, robbed, bound and eventually killed 89-year-old Constance Fraser, and 77-year-old Phyllis Caesar a week ago.

Albouystown resident Christopher Narine, 37, also known as Christopher Persaud and Imran Khan, was arrested at around noon last Sun-

day in the Pomeroon River.

A release stated that ranks from Georgetown, led by a senior officer, went to Karawab, Pomeroon River, some 65 miles from Charity, Pomeroon, Essequibo, where they arrested the prime suspect in the two murders.

He was brought back to Georgetown.

The gang has implicated themselves through confessions from suspects Steven Andrews, 28, and Phillip Suffrien, 24, as well as from $120,000 and other valuables that were recovered from the prime suspect’s girlfriend.

Andrews and Suffrien allege Christopher Narine recruited them.

NIGHT SPOTS CLEARED TO HAVE GAMBLINGMACHINES The Guyana Lottery Company (GLC) has been given permission to dispatch scores of gambling machines to several night spots across Guyana. These machines are similar to those used in casinos.

However, the real deal as to what is governing this operation is yet to be known. Government is claiming that it is an agreement between the Gaming Authority and the Guyana Lottery Company. But the Gaming Authority is claiming that the agreement is with government and GLC. At least three entertainment spots in the city have approximately 60 casino machines at their premises collectively. Blue Martini has 25, Seeta’s Bar – 10 and Rocky’s Hotel – 25. These machines are loaded with games almost identical to those that are at the Princess Casino.

The system to operate the machines is quite similar as well. One can insert from $100 up to pay the machine, while, at the Casino the minimum is $500. If a gambler wins, and he or she chooses to cash out, the machine ejects a slip that has to be taken to the counter at the bars and gamblers are handed their winnings.

This is the exact process at Princess Casino. One distinct difference between the system at the casinos and those at the bars is that all gamblers must present a form of identification before entering the casino, as those below 18 are not allowed to enter the premises.

However, that is not the same state of play at the bars. Under the Amendments to and Regulations made under the Prevention of Gambling Act, casinos were legally permitted to be established in Guyana with regional allocations.

A minimum of three casinos can be established in Region Four. However, to qualify for a licence, an applicant must have a new 150-room hotel facility of four star status. This requirement was intended to boost the tourism sector and to provide employment for Guyanese. This requirement, therefore, would have disqualified persons who do not have the financial ability to make the substantial investments, which are required.

The permission now being granted for these mini-casinos to be proliferated at these night spots seems to be in conflict with the Prevention of Gambling Act and the Regulations.

Canadian Bank Note, through its agent Guyana Lottery Company (GLC) is operating in Guyana under an agreement whereby the Government of Guyana has authorized the GLC to operate a lottery in Guyana in accordance with the provisions of the Lotteries Act. However, the machines cannot be classified as lotteries. Therefore, the operation is in breach of the agreement between GLC and the Government of Guyana. It also breaches the Lotteries Act as well as the Prevention of Gambling Act and its Regulations.

CHARTER FLIGHT BRINGS HOME HURRICANE-AFFECTED GUYANESE Government has begun to evacuate some of its citizens who were living in areas which were devastated by recent hurricanes.

Some of the affected persons returned home last week from territories such as Dominica, which suffered massive damage and loss of lives, after being hit last September

by Maria, a category five hurricane.

One Guyanese had recounted losing “everything” she had acquired during her approximately ten years on the island.

She also spoke of scenes, reminiscent of a post-apocalyptic movie: trees uprooted from nearby mountains, her son seeing a decomposed body being carried away, another corpse in a ravine near the country’s drinking supply, looted stores, and of her husband having to trek for hours to find food for the family.

She recounted crouching with her family in her home as the wind, which “sounded like an angry demon”, blew her door and storm (Continued on page 33)

Sunday October 15, 2017

(From page 34) windows open, She said that the storm ‘sucked’ their valuables out of the house.

Hurricane Maria, the second major storm to hit the Caribbean this month, left at least 15 people dead and 20 more missing in Dominica, the small island, according to Roosevelt Skerrit, the nation’s Prime Minister. This puts the death toll to at least 25 across the Caribbean.

The category five storm, destroyed some 95 percent of structures, cut off the mountainous island’s communication systems and shut its two airports.

TUESDAY CONVICTED MASSACRE ESCAPEE CAPTURED IN MINIBUS Exactly three months after a deadly breakout that razed the Camp Street jail, and saw several dangerous prisoners on the run, the charmed run of Mark Royden Durant aka Royden Williams and Smallie, came to a muted end in a minibus on Monday, October 9.

He was alone. His dreadlocks were gone, and he had lost weight.

According to a statement from Government, the wanted man was alone and unarmed. He was headed to the

Kaieteur News

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East Berbice area. ”Acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine has confirmed that notorious prison escapee Mark Royden Durant aka Royden Williams and Smallie was intercepted and recaptured this evening at approximately 20:00hrs on the Weldaad, West Coast Berbice public road.

Durant was traveling in a public mini bus heading east,” a statement said. Williams, just over a month ago, eluded cops who were hunting him and other escapees.

LOTTERY COMPANY WAS ADVISED NOT TO OPERATIONALIZE GAMBLING MACHINES – GAMING AUTHORITY The Gaming Authority, which is, by law, the Supervisory Authority for casinos and lotteries, has indicated that it has not given the Guyana Lottery Company (GLC) any permission to dispatch scores of Video Lottery Terminal (VLT) to bars across Guyana. In fact, the Gaming Authority said that it had “advised” the GLC not to operate the machines until such time that there are regulations and legislation to guide such operations.

On Monday, the Gaming Authority sent out a press release which

stated that it does not even have the authority to allow or approve the operation of gaming machines for any nightspot or bar.

The Authority noted that Canadian Bank Note, through its agent the Guyana Lottery Company, is operating in Guyana under an Agreement between the Government of Guyana, wherein the GLC has been authorized to operate a lottery in Guyana in accordance with the provision of the Lottery Act. Further, the Agreement has made provision for the right of the Guyana Lottery Company to operate Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs) in Guyana.

The release further noted that the Gaming Authority under the Anti Money Laundering Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act of 2009 and Amendment 2016 has been identified as the Supervisory Authority for casinos and lotteries.

The Gaming Authority said that pursuant to its designation as a Supervisory Authority, when GLC expressed intention to commence the operation of VLTs, it advised the company that it should await the enactment of legislation and formulation of regulations to guide the operations of said VLTs,”…however the Guyana Lottery Company presented these machines at certain night spots.”

WEDNESDAY I DID NOT GIVE SLEEP-IN’S CASINO APPLICATION TO AG – SAYS ROYSDALE FORDE Attorney General, Basil Williams

has got hold of an application for a Casino Licence that was submitted

by Sleep-In International Hotel to the Guyana Gaming Authority.

Sleep-In’s lawyer, Anil Nandlall, had criticized Chairman of the Gaming Authority, Roysdale Forde, for handing over the document.

However, Forde is now claiming that he has done no such thing. He told this newspaper that he is very much aware that the Authority has an obligation to keep confidential information that has been submitted to it.

Forde also issued a press release.

The release stated that the Authority “can say with surety that it did not hand over any of the information submitted in the Licences Application by Sleep-In International Hotel and Casino Inc. to the Attorney General, the Attorney General’s Office, or the Guyana National Newspapers Limited (GNNL).”

It continued, “The Authority is determined to carry out its mandate and functions with integrity and professionalism. We have, since the appointment of the new Board of Directors, been dealing with clients’ information with the utmost confidentiality. ”The Authority has refused in

the past to be dragged into any public discussion on any application as it regards to any applicant for licencing. It is regrettable that Mr. Nandlall would so easily and negligently, without careful examination of the facts impinge on the integrity of the Gaming Authority. ”The Authority would like to advise Mr. Nandlall to refrain from making wild accusations in the public domain.”

US$500M PROBE AT GRDB… GBTI PREPARED FOR COURT SHOWDOWN OVER DETAILS ON US DOLLAR ACCOUNT -QUESTIONS RAISED OVER TIMING OF DESTROYED RECORDS A request for details of transactions at the Guyana Bank For Trade and Industry (GBTI) by the police Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) appears headed for a court showdown.

This was after the bank made it clear Tuesday that its primary duty is to protect the confidentiality of customers.

The bank, in a public statement published in Kaieteur News, made it clear that it respects the orders of the court but has the right to approach the court if there are questions. ”GBTI appreciates its duty to comply with all Orders of Court in the same manner as every citizen of Guyana and any uncertainty concerning compliance will be a matter for the Courts to determine,” the commercial bank said in the statement.

The bank, which is controlled by the Beharry Group, was in the news over the past few days after it became known that it was locked in a battle with SOCU, since February, over a request for banking information.

Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, while not naming GBTI, said recently that the impasse between SOCU and the (Continued on page 34)

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(From page 33) bank had stalled a major investigation involving a massive US$500M fraud.

The situation has reportedly attracted the attention of the Bank of Guyana, as regulator; the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Public Security and the Guyana Securities Council, among other entities.

At the centre of the problems is a major probe by SOCU of the operations of the powerful Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB).

As the regulator of the rice industry, which spawns all three counties, GRDB was handed the job in the late 2000s to handle a lucrative deal with neighbouring Venezuela where Guyana received oil at concessional rates in exchange for oil.

GRDB, under a quota system that is now under question, selected a few millers and farmers to participate in the lucrative deal which worked out at almost US$700 per tonne of rice.

Consecutive governments, under Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar, would advance hundreds of millions of dollars in delayed oil

Kaieteur News

payments to GRBD which in turn would pay participating farmers and millers.

It was what happened to those monies that SOCU is investigating.

FATHER, SON, WORKER CHARGED WITH KILLING BLOOMFIELD BLOCK-MAKER Amidst a packed courtroom and grieving relatives of the murdered block-maker, Mahendra Ghanie, the trio accused of murdering the 21year-old on Tuesday appeared at the Springlands Magistrate’s Court.

The men, Bharrat Ramsaywack, 42, of Number 55 Village; his son Prem Ramsaywack, 16, of the said address; and Mohanlall Sewsankar, 19, a laborer employed with the two Ramsaywacks all appeared before Magistrate Charlyn Artiga to answer to the joint charge of murder committed on Mahendra Ghanie.

They were unrepresented and not required to plead to the indictable offence.

Forty-two-year-old Ramsaywack and Sewsankar were both remanded to prison whilst the 16-year-old was sent to the Juvenile

Holding Centre and are all to return to court for October 18, 2017.

The matter was transferred to the Number 51 Magistrate Court.

Meanwhile, at the court, it was disclosed to this publication by the father of the murdered Block-maker that Bharrat Ramsaywack threatened one of his nephews to have him killed.

“He show a sign seh he gun send somebody fuh slice he neck and kill him, in front the police when dem binna bring he in the pickup,” Fazil Ghanie said. He also claimed that the accused told him “Yes me kill you son,” after he asked him. An official report was made at the Springlands Police Station of the incident.

Mahendra Ghanie reportedly left his Bloomfield residence on October 2, 2017 after his boss Bharrat Ramsaywack called him to turn up for work at his place of abode and business, located in the Number 55 Cemetery. Ghanie after leaving, made contact with his mother, Indranie Seenarine, some two hours later to inform her that he had arrived at Ramsaywack’s place.

He was never seen or heard from since.

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With several calls going unanswered, the relatives of the 21-yearold suspected something was amiss. They decided to file a missing person report at the Whim Police Station.

Ramsaywack senior and his workman were both arrested after the insistence of Ghanie’s siblings and parents.

Upon a search of Ramsaywack’s property conducted by Ghanie’s siblings, mother and other relatives, a shallow grave was discovered some 200 yards aback of the accused home in the Number 55 cemetery.

THURSDAY US$500M PROBE AT GRDB… GBTI SHOULD HAVE COMPLIED WITH COURT ORDER- CENTRAL BANK The Guyana Bank For Trade and Industry (GBTI) appears to have erred when it failed or refused in a timely manner to hand over critical information to investigators.

Wednesday, Bank of Guyana, which regulates the operations of financial institutions, said that once a court order was issued, then the information on accounts must be provided.

According to a spokesperson, the law is clear. ”If they have to provide information as per the law then they have to do it. There is no conflict. If law requires you to submit the information based on the court order then you would have to do it.

That is the court of law. However, we have a lawyer who is helping us with that.”

GBTI, a privately-controlled bank, is facing fire from the police’s Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), which investigates financial crimes.

Since February, SOCU has been asking the bank for transactions relating to the US dollar accounts of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB). Investigators also wanted details of other accounts. A number of other commercial banks have complied.

However, SOCU is claiming that it faced hurdles with GBTI. Three orders came from the Magistrates’ Courts and one from the High Court for the bank to hand over the information which includes details of transfers to banks overseas, and who would have ordered the transfers from GRDB. SOCU is claiming that GBTI offered a number of excuses and deliberately delayed complying with the requests. Not only did the bank claim that new software glitches had caused records to become unavailable, but it appeared the bank allegedly destroyed some records that SOCU wanted.

The alleged destruction of records would be breaching tough, recently-enacted anti-money laundering laws which mandate financial institutions to keep records, including paperwork, for at least seven years.

Recently, SOCU prepared

charges relating to contempt against the eight directors of the bank and there may be other alleged breaches that could land some of the bank’s officials before the courts.

In essence, SOCU is investigating over US$500M in rice proceeds that GRDB was handling for the previous administrations of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic, under the PetroCaribe oil-for-rice deal with neighbouring Venezuela.

The then government released oil proceeds money to pay for the rice.

GRDB handled that money.

It is believed that GRDB’s officials reportedly misused the GBTI’s bank accounts, making questionable payments and transfers and even lending money to some millers and a farmers’ group that is part of the hierarchy of the PPP structure.

Several former GRDB’s officials as well as two board members have been slapped with charges.

GBTI, in a published statement this week, made it clear that it may head to the court rather than give up customers’ information.

WEEPINGTRIOARRAIGNED FOR BRUTALMURDER OF SENIOR CITIZENS – MASTERMIND’S GIRLFRIEND CHARGED FOR RECEIVING STOLEN PROPERTY Accused of strangling two elderly women for cash and other valuables, three men wept uncontrollably when they appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on joint murder charges.

Claiming he suffers from depression, the alleged mastermind in the killing of 88-year old Constance Fraser and 75-year old Phyllis Melrose Caesar, Imran Khan called Christopher Khan, 25, of Independence Boulevard, Albouystown, and his alleged accomplices Steven Andrews, 26, of 86 Hunter Street, Albouystown and Phillip Suffrien, 23 of 66 Hunter Street, Albouystown, were not required to plead to the indictable charges.

It is alleged that between October 2 and October 3 at Lot 243 South Road and Albert Street, Georgetown, they murdered Phyllis Caesar and Constance Fraser, during the course of a robbery. The three accused were remanded to prison until October 26.

They were vocal in accusing the police of brutality.

Phillip Suffrien, through his Attorney Saphier Hussain, claimed that he was beaten while in police custody and received injuries to one of his elbows.

His two co-accused also claimed that they were beaten and had black bags placed over their heads.

Andrews alleged that police ranks tortured him to confess to the crime of which he has no knowledge about.

Khan was captured on Sunday at Pomeroon– days after he took his girlfriend on a shopping spree with the money he had allegedly stolen (Continued on page 35)

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(From page 34) from the elderly women.

But the girlfriend, who claims to be a beggar, was charged for receiving stolen property.

Seeta Khan, 36, a mother of three, also cried as the charge was being read to her by Senior Magistrate Fabayo Azore.

The Lot 142 Cooper Street, Albouystown resident denied the charge which alleged that between October 2 and October 3, at Cooper Street, Albouystown, she received $60,000 from Imran Khan, knowing that the monies were stolen– property of Constance Fraser.

Seeta Khan was ordered to post $25,000 bail and will return to court on October 25. In her address to the court, the unrepresented woman said that at no time was she in possession of stolen money. ”I did not know the money was stolen. Christopher (Imran Khan) came by me and took me to buy clothing.”

The bound and gagged bodies of the two elderly women were found in their home by members of the South Road Full Gospel Assembly.

The gruesome discovery was made after the women failed to attend a church service.

Caesar was the church’s caretaker, and had the code for the church alarm. She also kept the keys for a nearby school in Regent Street.

BUSINESS SUMMIT IGNORES FOREIGN PRODUCTS DOMINATION IN GUYANA The Private Sector Commission (PSC) on Wednesday held a most significant business summit, the stated aim of which is to be more than a mere talk shop.

The two-day forum sought to encourage honest discussion

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about the issues affecting the business sector, and more importantly, find solutions for many of the issues affecting the sector’s growth.

One of the main challenges which stymie the growth of the business sector is the domination of the local market by products manufactured abroad.

There were several persons who expected the topic to be raised during the summit, particularly when the panel on “Markets” got into full swing on the first afternoon.

The panel featured Foreign Affairs Minister and Vice President, Carl Greenidge; Ambassador Gail Mathurin of CARICOM, Mr. Clement Duncan of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) and former Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds.

The matter of foreign products was, however, just raised in passing at the summit Wednesday.

One stakeholder during the question and answer segment noted that when one walks into a supermarket, it is easy to observe that 90 percent of the products on the shelves are of foreign origin.

Ironically, a glaring representation of this very situation was at the doorstep of the business forum.

There were refreshments which consisted of teas and coffee, but not a single local tea or coffee was on site.

Even the sugar and other sweeteners were from the USA. Speaking with Kaieteur News last night, Minister Greenidge said that he too was surprised that the issue of foreign products dominating the local market was not raised.

He was also surprised that no question was posed in relation to the Venezuelan market and the PetroCaribe issue or the subject of markets for rice and sugar.

He noted however that the topic of “markets” was indeed a broad one, and concluded that some at-

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CH&PA DEMOLISHES 21 ILLEGAL SOPHIA STRUCTURES-COPS FORCED HALT TO EXERCISE tendees were “there to look after their own business.”

FRIDAY MORE THAN 200 NEW CANCER CASES RECORDED AT GPHC FOR 2017 Cancer has from time immemorial been a major challenge to health sectors across the world. Guyana, like other countries, has been battling to control its scourge by expanding its cancer screening and sensitisation efforts across the country. Treatment is also a major part of combating this disease.

This, however, does not mean that the impact has subsided. At the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC] alone, more than 200 new cases of cancer have been recorded already for this year.

This is according to Dr. Nyron Ramsundar one of the two Government Medical Officers [GMOs] attached to the hospital’s Oncology Unit. These increasing cases, Dr.

Ramsundar said, are in addition to those that have been previously diagnosed.

Patients who have received long term treatment, such as radiation and chemotherapy, are required to be seen at the Unit, at least, on a quarterly or half yearly basis Dr. Ramsundar said. In fact he disclosed that “we have patients here who have been coming since the Oncology Department was opened.

We are seeing these in addition to the new cases.”

The doctor was however not in a position to reveal the total number of patients who are currently accessing cancer service at the GPHC. While there are a number of patients who have been responding well to treatment and are now surviving cancer, Dr. Ramsundar acknowledged that the hospital does not at present have records to ascertain the survival rate. ”We haven’t done any studies with patients in the department as yet,” said Dr. Ramsundar, who is however concerned that too few people have been turning up at the hospital at the early stage of their affliction.

But for those who have been diagnosed as early as stage one and stage two, there are a number whose cancer has gone into remission.

“Specifically, breast cancer and colon cancer, we have been seeing patients [whose cancer] are in remission. For those patients we would just do a check-up every six months to make sure that everything is o k a y, ” s a i d D r. R a m s u n d a r.

But in order to get a better understanding of the state of cancer, Consultant and Head of the O n c o l o g y U n i t , D r. J u s t o Despaigne Delisle, said that discussions are currently ongoing for the introduction of a programme to have all cases of cancer recorded at a central level.

This, according to Dr. Delisle, is expected to ensure that all cases of cancers from across the country, at both public and private institutions, are recorded. Such a move, he disclosed, will enable the Public Health Ministry to be able to have in its possession up-to-date statistics as it relates to cancer.

MURDER OF BERBICE CARPENTER…NY JUDGE ORDERS MARCUS BISRAM EXTRADITED Less than a year after a shocking case that alleged a police coverup and attempted bribery of investigators into the killing of a Berbice carpenter, a New York court on Thursday ordered that businessman, Marcus Bisram, be extradited to face the court in Guyana.

Bisram, well-known in Berbice for his philanthropic efforts to the police community and other charities, will be handed over to the US marshals pending his extradition by the Secretary of State.

However, there are some formalities to be handled by the Secretary of State before he can be placed on a plane.

The processing of Bisram would come in seeming record time, as it was only eight months ago that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested that he be sent back to Guyana to face a murder charge in the killing of Faiyaz Narinedatt.

Narinedatt was beaten after he allegedly rebuffed Bisram’s sexual advances early November, last year.

The carpenter was allegedly dumped in the trunk of a car belonging to an acquaintance of the businessman, driven to a public road in Berbice and the scene made to look like a hit-and-run accident had taken place.

The businessman was arrested on July 4 at a New York beach property, in Far Rockaway, Queens, in early July after a US Judge had issued a warrant for him. Prior to that, Bisram was posted on the Interpol wanted list.

On Thursday, New York Judge, Peggy Kuo, filed the Certificate of Extraditability and Order of Commitment, paving the way for him to be sent back.

It is not often that the US has extradited one of its citizens to Guyana. Guyana, on the other hand, has done so in a number of cases.

The case would signal closer relations between Guyana and the US. An extradition hearing was held on October 2, and according to Judge (Coninued on page 36)

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(From page 35) Kuo, after considering the evidence, in particular, the certified and authenticated documents submitted by the Government of Guyana, and the pleadings and the arguments of counsel, she has determined that her court has the jurisdiction to handle the proceedings.

Bisram’s lawyers had questioned whether there was indeed a treaty allowing the US to send back their client.

CH&PADEMOLISHES 21 ILLEGAL SOPHIA STRUCTURES -COPS FORCED HALT TO EXERCISE A demolition campaign was Thursday conducted in the community of ‘A’ Field Sophia, where quatters were seen aggressively displaying grave dissatisfaction.

The homes and business places that were demolished were occupied by people who paid no heed to the notices that were issued to them, some one week prior to Thursday’s demolition.

Kaieteur News understands that the decision taken was not only over the fact that the lands squatted on are government reserves, but that there has also been an alarming rate of violence and crime in the community.

A source from the demolition crew told Kaieteur News that just around 25 men were part of the demolition exercise. They were supported by the Guyana Police Force which had a very ‘difficult’ time in dealing with the residents, who removed the bridges to their homes and demonstrated acts of violence, which was somewhat expected by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).

Leader of the Selective Group of Sophia, Brian Sobers, said the myth about Sophia being a breeding ground for criminals happens to be only one of the few things that the CH&PA intends to change with the demolition of the illegal homes.

He added that CH&PA is looking to continue the exercise until the village reaches to the place where it

Kaieteur News

has only legal residents.

The demolition crew was thwarted at some locations when residents removed parts of their bridge and even blocked some. In one instance a pregnant woman stood on the bridge, blocking the entrance to her home.

A recent document displayed that there are some 1200 squatters in the area and they have to be removed.

General Secretary for the Alliance For Change, Marlon Williams, expressed dissatisfaction with Thursday’s exercise. He explained that although notices were given, there was insufficient time for the squatters to relocate, given the fact that they are obviously not financially stable.

CH&PA, the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, the Guyana Police Service and the Environmental Protection Agency are a few who would have collaborated in the activity with onsite participation.

SATURDAY GUYSUCO TO SLASH WORKFORCE BY 7,000 - ROSE HALL, ENMORE CLOSURES CONFIRMED FOR YEAR-END - WORKERS OFFERED HARVESTING, CULTIVATION, TRANSPORTATION CONTRACTS Cash-strapped Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is already letting go of staffers from two estates that it will close before the year is out.

Amidst worry by sugar workers, GuySuCo officials yesterday confirmed that up 1,500 could be let go from Rose Hall and the East Demerara estates by the end of the crop. The industry has 17,000 workers. It wants to reduce that by at least 5,500 more, a total of 7,000 – to finish at 10,000.

This past week alone, 300 staffers were affected between the two, it was disclosed Friday.

The state-owned sugar company is also planning to use the remaining three estates - Blairmont and Albion in Berbice and Uitvlugt,

West Demerara - to produce up to 150,000 tonnes of sugar, come 2020.

The remaining three estates Enmore (East Demerara), Rose Hall and Skeldon (East Berbice) will be up for offers of divestment and privatisation.

The 150,000-tonne target from the three estates will be similar to the lowly 150,000-160,000 tonnes that is being announced for this year.

The disclosures of making GuySuCo profitable or “cash positive” in three years were made yesterday during a press conference by senior officials at the National Communications Network studios, Homestretch Avenue.

IMPROPER CONDUCT, DERELICTION OF DUTY AMONG REASONS DEPUTY SOLICITOR GENERAL FIRED – AG’S CHAMBERS The Ministry of Legal Affairs and Attorney General’s Chambers has “reluctantly” disclosed a list of reasons why its Deputy Solicitor General Prithima Tiwari Kissoon has been fired.

The reasons were put forward in a statement that the Ministry released to the media on Friday.

It was noted that the Ministry would have preferred to avoid public engagement in relation to the employment terms and conditions, and issues relating to any employee and more importantly, a matter that is currently engaging the Court.

However, the Ministry said that it felt compelled to respond to a “deceptive missive” penned by Kissoon and widely published on social and print media. That letter can be read following this link https:/ /www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/ 2017/10/12/deputy-solicitor-general-has-been-removed-from-office/ .

Kissoon held the post of Deputy Solicitor General within the Ministry from March 2013 to August 2017.

The Ministry noted that at the time of her dismissal, Kissoon was being paid in excess of $1.2M, inclusive of allowances.

It was noted that during the period of November 2015 to January 2017, an investigation was undertaken in the litigation department at the Ministry, after it was discovered that Kissoon, who was tasked with the responsibility of conducting cases of grave importance to the State’s interest, had committed several breaches and violations under

Sunday October 15, 2017

the rules and regulations of the Public Service Commission.

These breaches, according to the Ministry, included improper preparation and drafting of legal documents, disobeying lawful instructions of her superiors (insubordination), failing to attend court in several critical matters, gross dishonesty in official dealings, improper conduct and dereliction of duty, amounting to breaches under section G of the Public Service Rules 1998 as amended by 2004.

As a result, several memoranda were sent to the Kissoon regarding her conduct.

The Ministry even listed some of Kissoon’s actions that amounted to improper conduct.

EX-CON CONFESSES TO KILLING ‘SAGGA’WITH BORROWED GUN - AFTER SEEINGVICTIM’S JEWELLERY A 26-year-old ex-convict has confessed to robbing and killing businessman Godfrey Scipio on Thursday night, with a gun he borrowed from an associate.

The suspect, who was reportedly released from prison just a few months ago, had seen the 58-yearold Scipio, called ‘Sagga’, entering a Kitty hotel, and observed that he was wearing gold jewellery.

Police said that the alleged killer was nabbed Friday morning at his William Street, Kitty home, located a few buildings away from where the killing occurred. Kaieteur News understands that footage of the attack helped investigators to identify and track him down.

However, police are still to recover the slain man’s gold chain or the gun the killer used.

Scipio, of D’Urban Street, Wortmanville, was shot in the chest at around 18:00 hrs on Thursday as he was leaving a city hotel. He succumbed at the Woodlands Hospital.

In his confession, the suspect claimed that he was in the area, and saw Scipio, who was wearing a gold chain, enter the hotel. At the time, the robber was armed with an icepick. But deciding that a gun would be more effective, he borrowed a firearm from an associate and returned to the scene.

When Scipio eventually exited the hotel, the robber accosted the businessman and shot him. There is no indication that Scipio had put up

a resistance.

Scipio had been selling at the Berbice car park for several years, and was known for wearing lots of gold jewellery.

His alleged killer was reportedly released from jail about three months ago on two armed robbery charges.

He was also recently accused of shooting at two individuals near the Kitty seawall.

‘APNU+AFC IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE GOVT. OF OUR TIME’ -SERIOUS ISSUES OF GOVERNANCE AND TRANSPARENCY EXIST – CHRIS RAM When one takes into account, the configuration of the APNU+AFC Government, along with its lineup of non-statutory bodies, Commissions of Inquiry and the like, it becomes quite clear that it is the most expensive government of our time.

This assertion, among others, was expressed recently by Chartered Accountant and Attorney-atLaw, Christopher Ram, who was at the time delivering his remarks at the Business Summit hosted by the Private Sector Commission (PSC).

Ram did not mince words as he criticised the government for its poor public expenditure management skills as well as its questionable approach to governance mechanisms.

“Our current administration is the largest, single government in Guyana’s post-colonial history. It has the most ministers, least number of technocrats, and the highest costs. Add to that, the non-statutory bodies and you have one of the highest levels of public administration you will find anywhere…”

He added, “Employment costs in the country are also rising at dangerously high levels. What we need in this country is good management of the economy and it is absent. You look at all your mechanisms needed for oversight and you realise that they do not exist, and when they exist, they are not being used.”

Ram also noted that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently presented a report to the Government based on its most recent mission to Guyana. He said that the IMF’s publication speaks to the national economy while being critical of the Government’s expenditure.

Ram was quite critical of the fact that the Government is yet to make such a crucial report public.

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Survivor recalls bittersweet battle with cancer

Breast Cancer Survivor, Debra Lowe

By Sharmain Grainger Bittersweet is perhaps the term that can probably best describe Ms. Debra Lowe’s battle with cancer. Although she fought valiantly and won, the disease was able to simultaneously wreak havoc in the life of a close family member.

As she endured treatment after treatment to save her own life, her husband Rickford Lowe’s fate was not to be the same. In fact she simply couldn’t see the reason for her survival if it was to be without her closest friend and supporter.

But her reason for survival might have merely intended to be a testimony to others that there can be life after cancer. And indeed there is.

Lowe, who was a few years ago diagnosed with stage-two breast cancer, has been sharing her experience with others inflicted with the disease in the hope that they too could be able to muster up the necessary courage and strength to battle on.

EARLY STAGE Health workers from time immemorial have encouraged women that aside from annual medical check-ups, they too could exam their own breasts to help detect any unusual signs. Often they are told to pay attention to the development of any lumps in the breast. But in Lowe’s case there were no lumps. In fact the only strange development in her breasts that evoked any concern was a dimple in her right breast.

The dimple appeared during the course of 2013 and, according to Lowe, “it was big enough to fit the tip of one of my fingers.”

Realising that the dimple was not budging, Lowe said that she decided to seek medical attention. She certainly didn’t suspect cancer, but she simply wanted to know what was causing the

noticeable change to her breast, Lowe related during a recent interview.

She, moreover, visited a private institution where both a mammogram and ultrasound were done.

Nothing untoward was detected from these two procedures.

By December 2014, the dimpling was even more concerning as it started to present with a “tingling” sensation. “There was no pain or anything like that, but it just had me thinking about it,” Lowe disclosed. She again decided to seek medical attention. After being attended to by a Gynaecologist at another institution, Lowe was referred to the same private institution where she was first attended to. However, this time around the result of her examination was very different. “The doctor checked me and said ‘you have cancer and you have to do surgery!’”

ANOTHER DIAGNOSIS The diagnosis definitely came as a surprise to Lowe and her husband who’d accompanied her. Never before had either of them been in close contact with anyone with cancer. “All I knew about cancer is that it was something that you didn’t even want to say the name. I never knew of anyone in my family having cancer,” noted Lowe. But the doctor hadn’t a clue that Lowe was petrified by the thought of cancer.

Shored-up by her husband’s support, Lowe on the same day decided that she wanted a second opinion.

At another private institution the diagnosis was again confirmed.

A sample for a biopsy was taken from her breast and sent off to India. Five weeks later, January 13, 2015 to be exact, the sample returned. Lowe remembers the date well as it was the very day she and her Continued on page 48

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Sunday October 15, 2017

Survivor recalls bittersweet...

A photo Debra Lowe posted on her Facebook page on August 7, 2016, in memory of her husband.

From page 46 husband celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary. [It would turn out to be the last anniversary they celebrated.]

By then Lowe had learnt about the Cancer Institute of Guyana and there she took the results of her biopsy. A few examinations later, Lowe was informed that her condition required four bouts of Chemotherapy and a surgical procedure too. But this was not all. She still required three more bouts of chemotherapy and 25 sessions of radiation in hopes of ridding all traces of cancer.

Chemotherapy for her started immediately and, according to Lowe, it wasn’t easy. “I was seeing death, but my husband was my strength and he helped me to cope.

Together we decided that we were going to beat this cancer,” recounted Lowe.

WORST FEAR But by March of 2015, Lowe recalled that her husband’s health started to deteriorate too. A visit to the doctor would confirm their worst fear. Lowe’s husband,

like her, was afflicted with cancer. “He was diagnosed with lung cancer,” said an emotional Lowe of her husband. Although her husband was a smoker for a number of years, Lowe insisted that it wasn’t proven that smoking was the cause for her husband’s affliction.

“I might be in denial, but I don’t want to associate my husband’s cancer with smoking. I know that he smoked for a really long time and I do wish I had told him to stop, but he is gone, and there is nothing I can do today,” said Lowe.

She added, “With my husband’s diagnosis, it was like the stress of cancer was starting all over again for me.”

Both Lowe and her husband, an engineer who was for many years attached to the Ministry of Public Works and then Public Infrastructure, were now on treatment.

“Even before my sickness we always did everything together, so it was no surprise that both of us would start to take treatment together,” related Lowe, as tears welled

in her eyes.

But according to her, “We became the poster couple for taking treatment together...we went to clinic together, we did what we had to do to fight cancer together; we were taking it a day at a time,” said Lowe.

It was imperative that Lowe and her husband rely on each other, as the majority of their close family members had long migrated. However, they always extended their support as did the couple’s two sons.

Lowe said that she and her husband were determined to live. However, by November 2015, cancer got the better of her husband.

“He was going so good at first. After he finished his first three chemo, he was doing so well and we were positive. But by the next set of chemo he developed breathing problems,” recalled Lowe. On November 25, 2015, Rickford Lowe, an engineer credited with the construction of the Berbice Bridge, was pronounced dead.

“It took a tremendous toll on me...physically, emotionally and mentally. We had so much planned,” Lowe recounted.

Although she lost her passion to fight, Lowe continued to cling to life, because she remains convinced that her husband would have wanted her to.

Today she is labelled a breast cancer survivor who is convinced that it was because of the support of her husband she was given a new lease on life.

Even as breast cancer awareness is observed this month, Lowe has been sharing, with whoever will listen, that family support is a crucial factor in fighting a dreadful disease as cancer.

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Kaieteur News

STANDARDS IN FOCUS

The development of a Regional Energy Efficiency Building Code The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), on October 12, hosted a Consultation session for contractors, engineers and suppliers of building materials to garner their inputs on the Draft Regional Energy Efficiency Building Code. GNBS represents Guyana at the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) and is responsible for co-ordinating and managing national inputs in the formulation of Regional Codes and Standards.

CROSQ has initiated the development of this REEBC in collaboration with the CARICOM Secretariat and the German Agency for International Co-operation (GIZ). The development of a REEBC was mandated at the 41st Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) on Energy. This mandate is intended to support a key objective of the CARICOM Energy Policy, viz. to achieve increased energy efficiency in various sectors.

The development of the REEBC and its subsequent application by CARICOM Member States is an important step in addressing the high costs associated with electricity generation and consumption and

ultimately sustainable access to energy in the Region.

In addition, the Code will help to alleviate the environmental concerns related to greenhouse gas emissions that increase global warming and contribute to climate change.

With this Code, building envelopes and services are expected to achieve minimum energy savings of 30% when compared to conventional construction techniques; this will be achieved through several measures including making greater use of natural or energy efficient artificial lighting, and the strategic use of power distribution, airconditioning, heating and ventilation in buildings.

CROSQ has retained a consultant to assist in the execution of this regional project. It includes the initial drafting of requirements for the region. The methodology involves reviewing and making suitable amendments to an existing Code, viz. the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) published by the International Code Council (ICC).

Although the current published version of this Code is IECC: 2015, it was agreed that the draft 2018 version (not yet published by the ICC) will be used as the

base document for the exercise.

All Member States are required to establish national level Committees to review the base document and the recommended modifications identified by the consultant; these Committees will then make the necessary inputs into the regional process via the RPT. GNBS has established the national Committee, referred to as the Technical Working Group (TWG), to assist in formulating the national position on the draft requirements of the REEBC. The TWG comprises individuals and representatives of key entities which have some knowledge, experience or responsibility for energy efficiency matters.

The draft REEBC requirements are currently available for public comments until the end of October, after which, it will be finalized.

When the Code is finalized, it will be sent to Member States for voting before its submission to a meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) in 2018.

For further information on this subject, contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0065 or 2190064 or visit the GNBS Website: www.gnbsgy.org

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SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620

FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754.

Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK;Guyanapassport application. G r a p h i c s design, advertisement. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535.

INNOVATIVEMARKETING& PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/works, logos, business cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included.

Computers, office chairs, display racks, mannequins, supermarket carts, supermarket counters, freezers and chillers- Call: 6013395

Passport, permanent & visitor visa application, Professional Immigration Consultant – Sabita Immigration Services. Call: 225-6496/ 662-6045

1- 32FT boat by 6" deep, 400lbs & 450lbs cat guts seine, 4 ½” & 5" seine- Call: 676-6002, 622-8697, 6656585, 695-9860

Repairs to refrigerators, gas stoves, A/C units, washing machines. Call Lindon: 6411086/ 694-2202 B U I L D I N G CONTRACTOR, HOUSE PLAN OR JUST AN ESTIMATE.GIVE US A CALL 216-0671/692-8464/ 622-0267 Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezer-Call: 610-5846 or 661-8158

Liquidation prices: 3 USA 855 Cummins ex-Miami fire station. 1 with 8" high pressure pump. Low hours- Call: 678-6013, 269-0021, 269-0026

2ft x2ft full-bodied porcelain tiles approximately 3200Sq ft- Contact: 6414952/ 662-1991 Brand new pitbull minibus for sale, BWW 3663.Asking price $1 million dollars.Contact :685-7064

Mercedes Benz 2009 C200.

Immaculate Condition- Call 616-5933 Nissan Pathfinder Jeep & Nissan Laurel car in excellent condition $1.4M negottableTel: 609-7766 Unregistered Axela 2011 $2.7M, dark interior, fully loaded, Nissan pickup extra cab $2.3M. Call: 617-5536 Mitsubishi Pajero. Best offer accepted- Call: 219-5354 Monday to Friday 8:15am4:15pm, Saturday 8:15am4:15pm 1 Twin-steer, double axle Leyland DAF & 4 Flatbed Leyland DAF all in excellent condition. Owner migratingCall: 649-8449, 228-5655

VACANCY Experienced s a l e s m a n , generaldomestic , p o r t e r . Apply with hand written application & recommendation @ Keyfood, McDoom Village.

Experienced pharmacy assistant to work full time.

Part time pharmacist. Pharma Choice Pharmcy, Durban & Louisa Row- Tel: 661-3124 Cook/ Baker for interior.

Applicants must be experienced. Call: 618-2020 SECURITY GUARDS with personal firearm, HANDYMAN- Call: 266 4427 Manager / Supervisor to work @ A&S Supermarket in Charity Essequibo accommodation provided.

Send application: r t i l a k @adamantiumholdings.com , contact: 223-5273/74 Captains- valid certificate of competence as Master of Power Driven Vessel- Call: 226-1100, 226-5380 Exists for a one day driver per week. Interested persons Call.: 225-6272 or 686-2958

Noah Town Ace (4) wheel drive transmission, (4)wheel DEF, trunk, windscreen, power steering rack, rear lights- Call: 622-5986

CAR RENTAL DOLLY’SCARRENTAL-CALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL:656-0087,6435122 ,EMAIL:PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM WING’S CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAYMENT, CHEAP RATES,SPECIALOFFERS! . CALL: 690-6494 AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL:PICKUP,9-11 SEAT MINI BUS, GOOD FORAIRPORT & FAMILY OUTINGS, CHEAPEST RATE . Call: 698-7807

WANTED

PROPERTY FOR SALE

Live in or live out babysitter/ domestic- Call: 223-7500 Monday to Saturday 8:15am4:15pm

Large two storey 3 bedrooms wooden building for removal. Price negotiableCall: 668-7329

Salesgirl, send application along with a recent passport size photo to Kards Plus Gift Centre , City Mall, Camp St. Call: 227-1846

Spacious 4 bedrooms concrete home with modern amenities @ New Amsterdam Berbice opposite N/A police station. $79M negotiable- Call: 718-6830884, 682-2046

Electronic waste: computers, AC units, phones, printers & anything electronic- Call: 687-6072, 500-1844 One experienced cook, ages 20-45 to work in snackette & bar. Call:663-7741/ 223-5798 Gasoline mechanic wanted for the East Coast- Call: 623-0318 Looking for a seamstress and tailor- Call: 689-5877

FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Meadow Bank, long term rental. Fully furnished 3 bedrooms apartment, parking, cameras etc- Call: 671-4221 Property for rent - 2 storey house at Republic Park, E.B.D- $1200US. Call 647-1773 2-Bedroom apartment in Industry,E.C.D. For more information Call:623-7500,6143278 Apartment for rent , 7-8 Plantain Walk,West Bank Demerara. Call:264-2639 One bottom flat situated at lot 304 Good Intent, West Bank Demerara. Ideal for grocery/ supermarket. Call 623-3895 2 Bedrooms apartment for rent located at Stewartville opposite Stewartville Primary School- Call: 6135261 One apartment for rent at first street Mon Repos, E.C.D- Call: 220-7330, 6140005, 602-4105

House and land available @ La ParfaiteHarmonie, Providence, Etc. Financing assistance available. Contact Pacific Development: 2236035/ 227-8274 House & land at Republic Park- Call :233-6777, 6545667

Experienced live-in couple to work on a poultry farm at Yarrowkabra. Call:225-9304 Female general domestic must have cooking experience, ages 25-45- Call: 6299450 1-Able bodied male clerk.Tel:231-2029, 219-4533, 616-5954 We buy low income houselots. We need someone to build wooden picture frames. Tel:611-7223,651-1969 Bartenders & chefs/ cook to work in Essequibo, Purple Heart Hotel- Call: 226-9768

2C Engine parts- head, fuel pump, alternator, starter, Piston, engine block- Call: 622-5986

VEHICLE FOR SALE Allion, Primo, Fielder Wagon, Spacio, Bluebird, 212 Carina, NZE, Honda CRV, Toyota IST, RZ & Pitbull – Call: 650-7501

Sunday October 15, 2017

Kaieteur News

Salesgirls & porters, apply with written application @ 1E Dennis & Middleton streets, Campbellville.

1 maid with cooking experience for East Bank areaCall: 614-4358

LAND FOR SALE ParfaiteHarmonie $1.4M, $3.5M, $2.5M, $1.6M, Tuschen $2.7M, Herstelling $3.5M, $3M, Providence $3.5M- Call: 604-6724, 6869608 Farm $3.2M (East Bank), ParfaiteHarmonie $1.5M, Uitvlugt $3.2M, Herstelling $3.5M, Zeelugt $1.2M. Tel: 651-1969,656-0701 House lots available @ B/ burg W.C.D & Schoonord on western side of Harbour bridge.

Financing available- contact#6500402/603-1402

Accounts Clerk for Eccles office, knowledge of Quickbooks and payrollCall: 614-4358 Piglets to buy- Call: 6868966, 687-3538 Hire car drivers- Call: 225-3234 Vendors wanted! Join our Cerulean Inc. Services showcase 6th-18th November.

Call: 226-4650. Limited space available.

Male workers to work shift @ Del Ice Co. Age 25-45 yrs.

Tel: 642-9191,231-1408

EDUCATION Day Care and Pre-K classes available in Diamond Call Canadian School 2166921,216-6922

Baby boy and girl, 12 sodomised - girl’s step-dad, mother, relative in custody The Childcare and Protection Agency and police are probing two separate cases of sexual abuse, in which a 12-yearold girl and a two-year-old boy were sodomised by close relatives.

The attacks on the victims were so severe that both had to undergo medical treatment. The twoyear-old remains hospitalised.

The girl’s stepfather and another male relative have reportedly been sodomising her, with her m o t h e r ’s c o n s e n t , f o r over a year, ever since she was eleven.

The two men and the girl’s mother, have been in custody since Friday.

Reports indicate that the mother was herself repeatedly sodomised by her partner. She reportedly suggested that the partner turn his attention to her daughter.

The suspects are likely to appear in court on Monday.

Describing the case as ‘sickening’, Childcare officials confirmed that they are also probing the rape of a two-year-old boy, allegedly by his greatgrandmother’s partner.

The matter was reported by the victim’s mother.

Kaieteur News understands that the alleged culprit has gone into hiding, even as the infant remains hospitalised.

SALON - Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc.

-CosmetologyCourses:$120,000 - Technician Course: $45,000.

Call: 647-1773/660-5257 Purple Reign Beauty Salon & cosmetology schoolOpening Oct 16th, specializes in all hair & nailscall: 673-5987 (Hill Foot Soesdyke)

PEN PAL You deserve a relationship filled with love and excitement. Call Harmony Singles 676-6312

Cosmetology full course $85,000 start 16th oct Call# 227-4198 or 642-6204

TAXI SERVICE GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 225-7878 (24HRS)

LEARN TO DANCE Dancing and tennis classes keep fit, loose weight, build self – esteem, have fun. Call Studio 87: 676-6312

Sunday October 15, 2017

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Kaieteur News

CONSUMER CONCERNS

All life is interdependent - Protect the environment

By PAT DIAL Last month, the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer was commemorated.

The Ozone Layer is a thin layer of O3 gas in the lower Atmosphere which shields the Earth from the harmful effects of the Sun’s ultraviolet rays.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ message reiterates the importance of the Montreal Protocol which was signed 30 years ago with intent to repair and preserve the Ozone Layer.

Referring to the Montreal Protocol, Mr Guterres said: “It rallies Governments, companies, doctors, scientists and citizens to reverse the damage to the Ozone Layer and this saves millions of people from skin cancer and cataracts each year and helps combat poverty, addresses climate change and protects the food chain. It also creates new business opportunities and will save the global economy $20 trillion by 2050.”

Protection of the Ozone Layer is only one segment of the efforts being made by modern Man to respect, restore and protect the Environment. There are other areas of Environmental protection such as protecting Wildlife, the Rivers and watercourses, the Soil, Plant Life and so on which are focused upon from time to time.

Modern Western Civilization, from the time of the Renaissance, stressed material development and created technologies which in a very short time made available to the world the highest levels of material achievements ever attained

by Human Beings.

But the price paid for this

massive and speedy material development was very high.

The price paid was the destruction of the Environment putting Human Life under threat of slow extinction, and negatively affecting the health and material wealth of the population of large areas of the world.

Western Man is only now discovering that all Life is interdependent and that if one destroys any part of the Environment it will not only affect the welfare of one’s self but of human beings as a whole. There are numerous examples of this syndrome in the modern world and it would be instructive to look at one or two of them: The Nile River in Egypt sustained the great Egyptian Civilization and provided the population with a fairly high standard of living for thousands of years. In addition to their productive agriculture, the Egyptians harvested a bountiful supply of fish from the waters at the mouth of the River.

Then as part of “modern development”, the Government built the Assuan Dam which was to substantially increase agricultural land by irrigation as well as hydropower generation. But that Dam upset the ecology of the area in unforseen ways: The fishing grounds at the mouth of the River now became far less productive since the food which had been brought down by the River and deposited at its mouth was greatly curtailed by the Dam and billions of snails began to take over the irrigated areas. The rising waters of the Dam destroyed some of the cultural heritage of Ancient Egypt. One of the

great treasures, the temple of Abu Simbel, was saved by international donations.

This avoidable destruction to the Environment caused by the Assuan Dam has been replicated in other parts of the world. In North America, because of the very insensitive, careless and greedy exploitation of hundreds of thousands of acres very fertile lands in the Mid-West, the famous “Dust Bowl” was created causing thousands to suffer the greatest privations.

Other well-known examples of the destruction of the Environment are the Amazon Forests and the reckless killing of animals in Africa for economic gain.

It is only in the 20th century that it was widely understood in Western Society that all Life was One and that all Life was interdependent and that if one wantonly destroys any life-form, it will ultimately have an effect on one’s self and on Society as a whole.

With this understanding, the realization that destruction of the Environment had caused life to be unsustainable in some areas and the quality of Life to deteriorate in others has become far more evident.

Western Societies have taken up Environmental protection in all its forms with great enthusiasm and their efforts have been crowned with some success.

Unfortunately, the successes so far achieved have been comparatively slow and this leads us to think of what other factors could be added to Western efforts.

Older civilizations such as the Indian and Buddhist/ Confusionist as well as in many Indigenous cultures, they are probably more aware

of the necessity of the balance of Nature and the protection of the Environment, but their protective measures are manifested by religious sanctions or by custom based on religion.

For example, the Indigenous Amerindian culture of Guyana understood

the necessity of maintaining a healthy equilibrial balance between Man and Nature and for millennia, lived in harmony with the Environment. Now, with the introduction of mining into those areas where Amerindians have inhabited for thousands of years, the Environment has suffered

much destruction and cannot sustain the population which once lived there.

It would appear, therefore, that if religious and spiritual values were absorbed into the present rational and material assumptions in the effort to protect or repair the Environment, greater success would be achieved.

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Farmer describes turmeric factory as a blessing in disguise Evon Webber has been planting turmeric for the past eight years at Barima, Region One. While it has boosted her income, she said it was a time consuming process—one she considered quitting on many occasions.

But, with the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) recently commissioning its turmeric factory at Hosororo, Webber said quitting is not an option anymore.

In fact, the mother of nine will now be looking to expand her turmeric farm.

“This factory is a blessing in disguise. It’s a wonderful thing NAREI is doing and a lot of farmers will benefit,” she said.

The $18M factory was commissioned last Sunday with the aim of processing turmeric on a commercial basis—this will result in the country saving close to US$400,000 annually, money that is being spent on importation.

NAREI will purchase the raw turmeric from farmers and process it to sell to the local market.

Webber plants turmeric and ginger in her garden. She explained that she would usually harvest the turmeric and boil it in large containers before sun-drying it.

“Finding wood to set the fire does be a problem and then you had to put it out in the sun to dry for days and if it rains, it does be trouble if the water catches it,” she said.

Webber and NAREI’s staffers in front the turmeric factory at Hosororo The end product, Webber said, she would sell for $100 per pound to customers in and around the region.

Now she plans to take powder turmeric to Georgetown and sell on her own—something she always wanted to do.

“I will let NAREI process the turmeric and I gone sell to the market,” the small scale farmer said. She started turmeric farming in Barima and now has crops

at Aruka Mouth, Region One. The mother of nine, who has been planting turmeric for the past eight years, said that she got into the business when NAREI visited the region and distributed the raw materials.

They also did training.

“I get the first project. They give me 80 pounds of turmeric and when I harvest I get 3000 pounds. I get more than the other

Guyana shortlisted as nine poultry plants approved to sell within CARICOM

famers in Waini and Kamaka,” Webber said while thanking NAREI for taking the project in that region.

NAREI’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Oudho Homenauth, said that while the institute will be purchasing the raw materials from farmers to process and sell to commercial customers, they will be looking to process the turmeric for small scale farmers with a fee attached.

Dr. Homenauth said that the turmeric factory is one of the transformative projects that his agency is undertaking.

“It means all the money will remain here for the development of the people in this region and the region in gen-

eral.” The facility has the capacity to process one tonne of turmeric every three or four days—this includes boiling and drying but NAREI will be looking to hasten the process.

Recalling when NAREI first started the turmeric project, he said the institute started with a few kilogram of planting materials. “It (planting material) was difficult to import, because you don’t get them easily, but with dedication by the relevant staff of the institute, we were able to increase the planting material.”

Dr. Homenauth recounted that the materials were then donated to the farmers with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture through its capital programme, and within a few years, NAREI was able to “pump

up” the planting materials.

According to NAREI’s boss, when the turmeric programme started, he and the staffers wanted to ensure they were on the right track and as such, samples of the dried and polished turmeric were tested both locally and internationally. ”We were very happy when the result came back; even the large companies that imported turmeric said the flavour, texture and colour matched those that were imported, and that was one of the reasons why we continued.”

By 2019, the agency will be looking to export turmeric once the local market is fully satisfied.

Govt. to reduce importation of several agricultural products CARICOM’s trade arm has approved for poultry plants to sell within the region.

Guyana (CMC) – Nine poultry processing plants in the region have been approved to trade among member states as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) continues to move steadily towards increasing intra-regional and food security, the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat has announced.

It said that the approval came during the 71st Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) on Agriculture last week.

The secretariat said the poultry plants from Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago were cleared to sell poultry products intra-regionally after they were assessed by Regional Risk Assessments Teams and met the sanitary requirements to enter the CARICOM market.

Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food

Safety Agency (CAHFSA) coordinated the assessments and the process of review and finalisation by the CARICOM Committee of Chief Veterinary Officers.

The meeting also urged member countries “to adopt the specifications for poultry and poultry products which were developed by the Caribbean Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) and approved by the COTED in 2013.

In addition, the COTED has resolved the matter of duck meat trade between Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname.

“Trinidad and Tobago will, within 30 days, approve Suriname as one of the countries that has met the SPS requirements for exporting duck meat to the twin-island member state,” the Secretariat added.

KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC – Jamaica has announced plans to reduce the importation of several agricultural products including tomatoes, carrots, red peas, thyme and green gungo peas, through a project aimed at increasing production of those commodities.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, JC Hutchinson, says come next year, work will begin to bring an end to their importation.

He said that so far this year farmers have produced 90 per cent of the Irish potatoes consumed by Jamaicans, adding that this crop, along with onions and Scotch bonnet peppers are in a pilot programme for in-

creased production.

“If by March next year we see where the pilot does well, we are going to bring all these crops into the programme (to reduce importation). So, all those of

you who need a push-start, we will assist you,” he told farmers at a workshop on Irish potato and onion production.

“We intend to stop the importation of these crops…

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Guyana to secure further advice on SWF Critical framework still at draft stage The all so important policy to guide the establishment of Guyana’s first Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) is still at its draft stage. However, Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, is saying that the policy, when completed will be sound. This, he said, is because the draft is benefiting from the expert inputs of internationally respected organizations and independent brilliant minds alike.

The Minister said, “We have a draft SWF legislation that was done by the Commonwealth Secretariat. This draft has been commented on extensively by the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB), International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and others.” This very legislation has passed its deadline to be laid in the National Assembly. This deadline was provided to the nation in the Parliament by the Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman. Jordan said that Trotman spoke out of his domain. “Trotman can only speak on matters that are within his domain. SWF is in my domain. Albeit when it first started he was responsible for oil matters and that apparently included SWF but as he had rightly told you, he handed over the SWF in January to the Ministry of Fi-

Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan nance,” said Jordan. The Minister said that it is by no means a case where the policy was placed in a corner or is languishing on anyone’s desk. He said that he has been working. “Since then (when the document was handed over to him) I have set up a team internally in the Ministry of Finance to examine the legislation and we gave it out to a number of partners including the IDB, IMF and World Bank and those three came up with extensive comments,” the Minister explained. Jordan said that he will use the IMF annual meeting which he being held in Washington, DC, as an opportunity to further gather inputs to tighten the docu-

ment. Jordan said that at that during his visit to the United States, “I am going to the Commonwealth Secretariat advisor and I believe that I will meet with the Commonwealth Secretary General on the matter.”

The SWF is very important for Guyana. Its main aim is to absorb revenue to be derived from Guyana’s oil resource. However, the APNU+AFC Government had said that it may also deposit revenues from other natural resources into that fund.

The SWF is also a mechanism to avoid the Dutch Disease which often plagues countries with oil wealth. Norway’s SWF has been lauded as one of the best and most effective models in the world.

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Venezuela ex-prosecutor gives U.S. evidence on Maduro officials GENEVA (Reuters) Venezuela’s former chief prosecutor Luisa Ortega said weekend her team had supplied the United States with evidence “compromising” top officials in the leftist administration of President Nicolas Maduro. The Trump administration has already

slapped sanctions on Venezuelan officials for alleged corruption and rights abuses, so news Ortega has been providing information to Washington is likely to irk Maduro’s unpopular government.

Asked if she was sharing information about corruption in the Maduro administration

with Washington, including graft linked to food imports for the shortages-hit country, Ortega said meetings have taken place.

“The prosecutors in Colombia with me ... have been meeting with prosecutors from the United States and some other countries to ex-

change information,” Ortega told reporters after meeting United Nations rights boss Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein in Geneva. “We’ve supplied them with a mix of evidence that compromises high-level government officials,” she said, adding she planned to

visit the United States.

Ortega, 59, was removed from her post in August after breaking with Maduro earlier this year in a dramatic split the opposition said evidenced Venezuela’s swerve into dictatorship.

She went into hiding be-

fore fleeing the country on a speedboat to the Caribbean island of Aruba and going on to Colombia.

Since then, she has been traveling around the region denouncing the Maduro government for persecuting her and engaging in corruption.

Dominica lift curfew in several areas ROSEAU, Dominica CMC – Dominica has announced a lifting of the mandatory curfew in some areas, but has kept the measure in place in the capital.

According to an official statement issued here, the decision to lift the 6.00 am to 6.00 pm (local time) curfew in some areas was taken after a national security assessment was conducted by the Chief of Police.

“While Roseau and some of its immediate environs were still not at the stage where it was deemed advisable to lift the curfew provisions, the town of Portsmouth and elsewhere in the country-

side received positive review.

“As a result, the curfew shall be lifted in the town of Portsmouth and all other communities in Dominica, with effect from Monday, 16 October, 2017,” the statement noted. The authorities had imposed the curfew soon after Hurricane Maria swept through the island on September 18, killing at least 28 people and causing billions of dollars in damage.

In the aftermath of the Category 5 storm hitting the island, the authorities imposed a 4.00 pm to 8.00 am curfew in a bid to deal with the looting of several businesses, but relaxed the mea-

sure several days ago.

The statement noted that while the curfew had been lifted in some parts of the island, it shall however remain enforced in the city of Roseau, as well as to areas south of the capital “in order to maintain and enhance security.

“The main reasons for lifting the curfew in the town of Portsmouth and other communities across Dominica are to allow for economic activities to be undertaken, such as fishing, farming and retailing of goods and also to facilitate those students who will be returning to school,” the statement noted.

Most St. Lucians in favour of decriminalisation of marijuana-Opinion poll CASTRIES, St. Lucia CMC – Most St. Lucians are either in support of the legalisation or partial decriminalisation of marijuana according to a poll conducted by the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES).

CADRES said that it conducted the poll between September 8-11 and interviewed approximately 1,000 people across the island. It said survey was conducted face to face and respondents were selected to conform to three

distinct age cohorts (18-30; 31-50 and Over 50) and in each instance a 33 per cent quota was sought with equal quantities of males and females also being interviewed.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus five per cent.

CADRES said respondents were asked their “views on the decriminalization of Marijuana in St. Lucia” and provided with three response options as well at the option not to respond. According to CADRES, which also conducted similar polls in several Caribbean islands including Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the results of the surveys tell an important story that is likely to be applicable across the region which is that public opinion is generally moving in the direction of greater support for decriminalisation and an increasing opposition to the status quo.

It said in the specific case of St. Lucia an estimated 38 per cent of those questioned opted for the maintenance of the status quo (illegal), while cumulatively 51 per cent of respondents supported either the full legalisation or partial decriminalisation, “which essentially means that most St. Lucians are opposed to the maintenance of the status quo. “It is interesting to note that the attitude of St. Lucians on this issue is similar to that of all other Caribbean countries surveyed, especially as the margin of error associated with these surveys is plus or minus five per cent.

“St. Lucia therefore shares the same attitude towards full legalisation with St. Vincent,

while Barbados, Dominica and Antigua all have a slightly larger quantity of persons who are supportive of full legalisation. Similarly, the 38 per cent of St. Lucians that opted for the status quo is consistent with the level of opposition to decriminalisation in St. Vincent, Dominica and Barbados.” But CADRES noted that the critical statistic; however, is support for partial decriminalisation, which is the route that is being pursued in Antigua and has already been taken in Jamaica, and in this regard “all islands surveyed report a similar level of support .

“Although this summary report does not permit a full exploration of the demographic factors impacting on support for or opposition to marijuana decriminalisation, the case of St. Lucia does provide a unique deviation from the region-wide custom that has noted higher levels of opposition to decriminalisation among women. “In the case of St. Luca; however, similar quantities of women and men support the status quo which leads to the conclusion that gender does not impact on support for, or opposition to marijuana decriminalisation here, while the same cannot be said for age. “In that regard St. Lucia is very much like all other countries surveyed in that older persons are more inclined to support the status quo, while younger persons are more disposed to decriminalisation or full legalisation,” CADRES added.

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Florida-Guyana Hope take on Corriverton United in cricket match today The Florida Guyana Hope Foundation, a nonprofit organisation of Florida USA is not only about giving hope to the needy but is also a potent all round sports unit.

The organisation, which also has a Guyanese chapter, - The Guyana /Florida Hope organisation, is presently in Guyana to engage in a number of charity activities and some sporting activities against Guyanese teams. The members will get together to accumulate resources to assist members of the Guyanese society who may need a helping hand.

Other than charity work, the overseas based Guyanese most of whom resides in Florida participated in the South Florida Softball Cricket League organized Florida Cup with reasonable success.

The organisation will

today take some time off from its massive charity work to take on a Corriverton United Select Cricket team in a feature softball cricket match at the Crabwood Creek Sports Complex. Action starts from 12:00hrs.

Whilst in Guyana the Foundation will team up with the Regal Stationery and Computer Centre and Steve Jewelry in some of the ventures.

During their stay in Guyana the Foundation will be donating 40 wheel chairs, 20 walking aids among other items.

They will also be assisting a number of Children’s Home around the county including Berbice West Demerara, East Coast Demerara and Georgetown.

The Florida-Guyana Hope organization include President Mohamed Yassin, Vice President Rajroop

Flashback – A presentation being made during last year activities.

Ramkellawan (Bowie), Secretary Guru Shivram, Treasurer Raj Bharat and executive members Anthony Dhannie and Buddy Rampersaud.

The Florida-Guyana Hope team will come from Anthony Dhannie (captain), Raj Bharat, Jai Sahadeo, Pancho

Sunday October 15, 2017 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Your romantic inclination should lead to a committed relationship. It might be best to work on your own; if possible, do your job out of your home today.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Outbursts of passion may cause arguments with your mate. You need to interact with others if you want to expand your knowledge.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Your own small business on the side sounds pretty lucrative. Your mate, howe v e r, m a y n o t b e t o o pleased with you. Get down to business.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Expect to have more people on your domestic scene. Pay attention to small but important details. You may be likely to have difficulties with females.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Sudden changes at home will affect family members more than you anticipated. Your compassion will be appreciated more than you can imagine.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You might find that coworkers will support your endeavors. You should consider getting into self improvement endeavors. You can bet that someone in a higher position is watching to see how busy you are.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Don't think the worst if you hear something negative about your partner. Someone you least expect could be trying to make you look bad. Romance is quite possible if you are willing to approach someone who interests you.

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Uncertain get rich quick schemes will not be as lucrative as you anticipate. Protect your interests legally if necessary. You may have a rather hectic day due to events that children are involved in.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You can meet friends who will let you know how valuable you are. Secret love affairs may be enticing; however, you must be prepared for the restraints that will follow.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Stomach problems could prevail if you haven't been watching your diet. Alienation may be the result of a misunderstanding.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Deception and confusion regarding your status in society is likely. Abstain from getting involved with married individuals. You're ready to take action and take over.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Deception is probable if you don't use discrimination.

Don't hesitate to look for alternatives that will enable you to raise the kind of donations you need to do the job right.

Samsundar, Rajin Ramkarran, Butchu Kowlessar. Guest players will include Mahendra Hardyal( vicecaptain) of Regal Stationery, Steve Narain of St e v e ’s J e w e l l e r y, A t i f Khan and John Ramsingh.

The Manager is Mohammed Yassin with Buddy Rampersaud the Assistant Manager.

Ronaldo Alimohamed...

(From page 79) six. Alimohamed who united with Morris when their team were on 72-9, counted four fours and then sixes in his unbeaten 118 while Morris in on 34 with four fours. Bhaskar Yadram has so far taken three wickets while Amir Khan and Ramkhellawan have two each.

Wi t h Alimohamed set to resume t o d a y, o n a n u n b e a t e n century, perhaps the regional selectors can still consider him for the world cup squad-definitely it’s not too late. Play continues at 09:00hrs today.

At Port Mourant, Georgetown scored 277 all out. Paul Wintz stroked 92, while Dexter Solomon slammed 77 as Clinton Pestano picked up 5-48 runs and Eon Hooper grabbed 422. Upper Corentyne batting a second time scored 116 for 5 off 23.3 overs. Pestano struck 57 and Ivan 23, winning by five wickets. Upper Corentyne moved to 78.7 points staking a strong place for the runner up spot.

At Bush Lot, Lower Corentyne batted first and managed 74-8 declared in 21.4 overs. Waheed Edwards scored 20 an d K e v l o n Anderson 24. Bowling for West Berbice, Gudakesh Motie bagged 5-8 and Krishandat Ramoo 2-22. In reply, West Berbice reached 69 for 1 off 18.3 overs at stumps. Opening bastman Raphael Estriado made 42.

Lower Corentyne would need to win outright in order to maintain their second position.

The local Guyana / Florida Hope organisation is headed by Popular Businessman, Rotarian and former all round cricket George Baijnauth and Secretary, retired teacher Carmen Ally.

The Corriverton United selection includes James Hart (captain), Vibert Dan (Vicecaptain), Anthony Seeraj, Michael Dan, Lawrence

Mentis, Raymond Lowenfield, Hassan Mohamed, Mirza Ally, Patrick Mentis, Zafrul Khan, Vishal Persaud, Fabian Seerraj, Akash Lutchman and Orin George. Vishnu Hardyal is the Manager.

A number of incentives will be at stake. George Baijnauth and Carmen Ally are the coordinators.

(Samuel Whyte)

Albion Masters Softball...

(From page 79) and Fazil Baksh and Albion will feature Rajin Moonsammy, John Sumair, and Veerapen Permaul.

Albion Masters will play Floodlights at 10:00hrs, while Wellman will take on Parika Defenders at 12:00hrs; the final will commence at 15:00hrs. Bar-B-que will be served from 12:00hrs.

All members of public are invited to come out and support this worthy cause. Admission is free.

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Sunday October 15, 2017

Kaieteur News

Kaieteur Sports Week in Review WEEK IN REVIEW SPORTS Rifle shooting and the lead up to the Pan Am Hockey championships topped the headlines over the past week. Today we look back at some of those events that were the focal point of the news.

GUYANANRA 150TH ANNIVERSARY SHOOT/WIFBSC CARIBBEAN C/SHIPS COS OFFICIALLY FIRES OFF ONE-WEEK COMPETITION; REOPENS NEW TIMEHRI RIFLE RANGES After thanking the visiting nations for travelling hundreds of miles to be in Guyana to celebrate the historic 150th Anniversary of the Guyana National Rifle Association (GuyanaNRA) which is being run concurrently with the West Indies Fullbore Shooting Council Caribbean (WIFBSC) championships, Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force and President of the host association, Brigadier Patrick West fired off what is anticipated to be a fiercely contested Individual and Team competition.

We s t , w h o a l o n g w i t h GuyanaNRA Fullbore Captain Mahendra Persaud unveiled a brand new sign welcoming patrons to the Timehri Rifle Ranges, expressed the association’s pride and joy at being able to host this prestigious event. ”We take note of the fact that many of you have travelled from far and wide to be here and to help us celebrate this activity in Guyana.

As you are aware Guyana as a nation began to embrace shooting way back in the 1790’s and this was formalised in 1865 when the Demerara Rifle Club was established.”

It was then known as the British Guiana Rifle Association and now the Guyana Rifle Association.

West informed the participating countries that the GuyanaNRA has continued to work hard and has been able to establish itself as one of the leading competitors in the region. He also expressed thanks to its members for the hard work they have put into making the Timehri Rifle Ranges as one of the best in the world today.

Among the dignitaries sharing the significant opening were Major General Ret. Norman McLean, Life Member and Former GuyanaNRA Vice President Neville Denny and Mohamed Qualander of Queensway Group of Companies, one of the main s p o n s o r s f o r t h i s w e e k ’s championships.

IRISHMAN GILL CREEPS THROUGH TO WIN INDIVIDUALS PERSAUD IS TOP WEST INDIAN A consistent day of performances by Irisman Alexander Gill on a day that presented many challenges for the

shooters saw him creeping through to claim the Individual Title when the West Indies Fullbore Shooting championships ended.

Going into the final day just a single point (263) behind the first and second day leader, Guyana N ational Rifle A s s ociation (GuyanaNRA) Fullbore Captain Mahendra Persaud, Gill dropped just 7 points from a possible 135 on the day to take the win with an Overall Aggregate of 390.25 to Persaud’s 387.33 following three days of challenging competition.

Persaud, who ended as the #1 Caribbean marksman was not able to build on his slim lead after two days and was only able to manage a third day aggregate of 123.6; he dropped 3 points at 300 yards, achieved a possible of 35.3 at 500 yards but fell away at the 1000 yards shoot as he was only able to muster a score of 42.2, dropping a vital 8 points.

While the top shot lost out on winning by a mere three points, the Grand Aggregate was won by fellow countryman Ransford Goodluck with a score of 128.9 ahead on Vs to Canada’s Jason Troup and Irishwoman, Kimberly Pope with 7 and 5 Vs, respectively.

World renowned marksman, David Calvert of Ireland, a multiple world champion, Biseley winner and Commonwealth Games participant finished third overall just behind Persaud with a Grand Agg. score of 384.34.

Calvert, who was also queuing up to take the Individual Championship unfortunately suffered some technical challenges at the 1000 yards range which saw him finishing with an unusual score of 37.2. It was reported that he ended the shoot with his front sights almost off.

Ending 4th was Charlotte Staples (384.28) of England followed by Guyanese Lennox Braithwaite (384.26), Stephanie Ward (383.26) of Ireland, Ransford Goodluck (383.24) of Guyana, Nigel Strangroom (382.24) of England, Sherwin Felicien (380.28) of Guyana and Martin Liversage (379.25) of England to close out the top 10.

T&T’S VARMA RAMBARRAN IS O-CLASS CHAMPION Trinidad and Tobago’s Varma Rambarran was declared the winner of the O-Class segment of the West Indies Fullbore Shooting Council Individual Championships which are being run concurrently with the GuyanaNRA 150th Anniversary championship.

Due to some technical issues with the programme being used to document the scores, Guyanese Roberto Tiwari was named the winner at the end of the competition on Wednesday afternoon at the Timehri Rifle Ranges.

A subsequent sanitization procedure revealed that it was Rambarran who would have won ahead of Tiwari by 2 points with a

Mahendra Persaud ended as the top Caribbean marksman.

Grand Aggregate of 373.24 to Tiwari’s 371.14 with Antigua and Barbuda’s Laurne Benjamin still occupying the third place with a score of 365.19.

Both Rambarran and Tiwari are competing at this level for the first time and have done themselves and country proud.

CONFIDENT URUGUAY WOMEN’S TEAM ARRIVE FOR PAN AMERICAN CUP TITLE CHARGE Uruguay women were the first of seven (7) international teams to arrive in Guyana for the anticipated and historic 7 t h Indoor Pan American Cups (IPAC) that will be played in the “land of many waters” for the first time with all the stick battles set for the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) from th tomorrow, October 16 to Saturday st October 21 . The Uruguayans arrived around midday and the confident bunch were already training later in the on the recently installed plastic-tile surface at the CASH which is of international standards.

Head coach of Uruguay, which is ranked 23 by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), Nicolas Tixe, expressed assurance in his team despite the magnitude of the tournament. “It’s a big tournament and I know that every team that comes here will try very hard to win. It’s going to be a tough tournament but we have played two Pan Am before and we have some knowledge of the teams but teams like Guyana (Women), we have never seen them play before but judging on the men’s previous performance, we expect them to be competitive,” Tixe explained in his prevalent Spanish accent.

Uruguay will be the one and only of the seven (7) teams competing solely in the women’s competition and they will get their campaign up and running when they clash with debutants and home side, the unknown Guyana women, in the second match of the tournament tomorrow at 11:15hrs.

Rossana Paselle, Uruguay’s Goalkeeper and Co-captain expressed her satisfaction with the playing surface and the sturdiness of the Uruguayans.

BANKS DIH OFFICIAL BEVERAGE SPONSOR OF PAN AMERICAN HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS Banks DIH limited has signed on as the official beverage sponsor of the Pan American Indoor Hockey Cups which will kick start tomorrow at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

The Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) and the local beverage company formalized the arrangement and announced the partnership during a presentation ceremony on Wednesday last at Banks’ Thirst Park boardroom.

Vice President of the GHB Alan Newark received the sponsorship cheque from Banks DIH Limited Communications Manager, Troy Peters in the Sales Conference boardroom.

Banks DIH will be partnering through their Rainforest Water, PowerAde and Malta Supreme brands in the tournament which will attract the top playing hockey nations from North, South and Central America along with the Caribbean.

SOMWARU IS BCB PRESIDENT BUT ALL NOT WELL IN BERBICE CRICKET President of the Guyana Cricket Umpires Council, Dhierandranauth Somwaru, was voted in as the President of the Berbice Cricket Board when their elections were held at the Classic International Hotel and Resort in Corriverton, but the board’s tumultuous existence seems to continue as many questions were raised at the proceedings. Much debate among majority clubs and sub-association members was the order of the day as many are now contemplating legal proceedings.

The disgruntled members are claiming that the elections were not held in keeping with the Cricket Administration Act, since according to them, some 22 voting delegates were debarred or refused to take part in voting for various reasons.

The media were not allowed to witness the elections.

Persons left the venue after there were some issues pertaining

to the legitimacy of the notices as some club members were seeking entry into the venue. Presidential candidate Hilbert Foster and Colin Bynoe, Chief Executive Officer of the New Amsterdam Hospital, were also refused entry into the venue.

Bynoe was expected to perform the duties as the Returning Officer.

Former Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) president Drubahdur, was nominated as the Returning Officer by 18 members prior to the start of proceedings, an act which created tension.

Thereafter, in checking the eligibility of potential candidates, four clubs were not allowed voting rights since they failed their constitutional requirements.

Somwaru was nominated, but the process was closed immediately after by the Returning Officer, despite Dennis D’Andrade of the Upper Corentyne subassociation signaling his intention for a nomination bid.

Thereafter, the three subassociations and five clubs casted their votes, four others did not take part in the process and one was absent.

After Somwaru was installed as President, Imtiaz Bacchus, David Black and Winston Roberts were voted in as the three vicep r e s i d e n t s , w h i l e Vi c k r a m Seubarran (Secretary), Carol Nurse (Assistant Secretary), Godwyn Allicock (Treasurer) and Leslie Solomon (Assistant Treasurer) were the other executive members chosen.

Meanwhile, Secretary of the Upper Corentyne Cricket Board Mr. Winston Roberts said he did not accept the position of Vice President as reported in the media.

Roberts stated that he cannot accept any position on the present administration because the process to elect them in his mind was flawed and not up to any form of democracy.

The hard working UCCA Secretary, stated that he never agreed to accept any position and was not even aware that he was nominated. Roberts stated that he is supportive of the Hilbert Foster slate which he has confidence in to transform the current dormant state of Berbice Cricket.

GUYANA CANCER INSTITUTE TO BENEFIT DIGICEL, EVOLUTION CYCLING CLUB AWARENESS RACE SET FOR OCT 22 Digicel has once again partnered with the Evolution Cycle Club for this year’s Cancer Awareness Cycle race, set for October 22.

President of the Evolution Cycling Club, Keith Fernandes said the race should include Guyana’s best Cyclists and is scheduled to peddle off at 07:30hrs with a race among the Digicel Staff.

“So the first race is going to start quite early; we’re going (Continued on page 75)

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Kaieteur Sports Week in Review (From page 74) to start with the Digicel staff race and they will be going for bragging rights. For the second race, we going to have the Novices and Mountain Bikes, which is going to go for five laps; they will be racing together. Then the other race we’re going to have the seniors, the juniors and they’re going to go for 35 laps and the Over-40 and Over45 are going to go 20 laps,” Fernandes informed.

This is the third year the mobile phone company has collaborated with Fernandes’ Club and Last year’s senior’s race was won by team Coco’s 20-year-old Jamal John.

The race will be held at the outer circuit of the National Park, and Digicel’s Marketing Manager Ramesh Rupchand said over $900,000 would be the total prize money.

Digicel promised to once again match the registration fee with their donation to the Guyana Cancer Institute.

GFF INSTITUTES NEW SAFETY GUIDELINES FOR MOVABLE GOAL POSTS The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has established new safety policies relative to the establishment of movable goal posts following the tragic death of six-year-old Glensean

Skeete.

Among the guidelines outlined for the safe use of the equipment are: 1. All goal posts MUST be securely fastened to the ground, by any means possible, during and after use.

2. A WARNING SIGN must be posted at all football venues “DO NOT SWING AND/OR CLIMB ONTO ANY GOAL POST.” 3. Players MUST be warned of the dangers associated with the misuse of goal posts.

4. Children MUST NOT be permitted to play unsupervised under and around goal posts.

5. All goal posts MUST be inspected regularly to ensure they are structurally sound.

6. Football games MUST NOT be played with unsecured goal posts.

Following the announcement of the death of the child, President of the GFF, Wayne Forde, visited the parents of the child, Tracey and Glenroy Skeete, on 29th September and offered a monetary contribution and words of encouragement. The mother expressed her appreciation for the visit.

JAMAICAN KARTERS TO DEBUT AT GT MOTORSPORTS ON

Minister Dr. George Norton congratulates Skeete after awarding her with the NSC medal.

OCTOBER 21 The ‘Reggae Boyz’ flavour will be added on the track when three leading Jamaican go-karters, who have been confirmed to compete for the first time, challenge local karters among others at GT Motorsports event later this month.

Senna Summerbell, the son of Caribbean motor-racing ace, David Summerbell Jr., and compatriots Joshua Sigany and Ryan Lue will face the starting line on October 21 when GT Motorsports stages the Georgetown Grand Prix ‘Caribbean Showdown’ at the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports

GCB/CGI 3-day Franchise League

Shiv’s ton put Essequibo one step closer to trophy

By Sean Devers A responsible 119 by Shiv Chanderpaul pushed Essequibo one step closer to championship honours when the penultimate day of their GCB/CGI three-day Franchise League contest against West Demerara ended at Tuschen yesterday.

Chanderpaul’s solid innings spanned six hours, 14 minutes and 264 balls and was decorated with nine fours and four sixes. The lefthander added 75 with Chaitram Persaud (40) and 68 with Anthony Adams, who made an unusually subdued 35 from 95 minutes and 76 balls with four fours and a six to give Essequibo two batting points.

Richie Looknauth (4-37), Jamal Gomes (3-37) and Malcolm Hobbard (2-47) bowled well for West Demerara, who ended on 815, still 189 behind Essequibo’s 260.

Tagenarine Chanderpaul is on 36 from 212 minutes, 158 balls with just a single boundary but only Akshaya Persaud (12) of the other batsmen, have reached double figures.

Young Chanderpaul and Deoram Chanderbin (7) added 34 for the first wicket before Chanderbin was LBW to Adams and by Tea the score was 42-1.

After Tea, Akshaya Persaud and Tevin Imlach (1) were both removed with the score on 52,

while Travis Persaud (5) and Hobbard (0) were sent packing at 62 as West Demerara were wobbling on the ropes at 62-5.

After Hobbard was removed by Chaitram Persaud, one of the few spinners willing to ‘flight’ the ball, Looknauth pulled him for the first boundary in 28 overs as the shackles were kept with Tagenarine Chanderpaul, batting in survival mood. Looknauth (5) was with him after batting 51 minutes and 42 balls in a final session void of any excitement.

Persaud has 3-17, while leftarm spinner Adams has 2-21 to move to 48 wickets.

Resuming in sweltering heat on 127-4 with Shiv Chanderpaul on 53 and Persaud on 24 and together they carried the score to 158 before Persaud was LBW to the Looknauth for 40 after adding 75 with Chanderpaul for the fifth wicket.

Mark Williams (2) was soon removed by Hobbard at 167-6 before Chanderpaul stroked Akshaya Persaud for a couple of boundaries, while Adams, uncharacteristically sedate, slapped left-arm spinner Keshram Seyhodan through cover for four in a rare show of aggression.

Adams swept Hobbard for six, while Chanderpaul dumped Seyhodan for six to bring up the

200 in the 78th over.

Adams made a consorted effort to play defensively while Chanderpaul was his usual solid self and reached his century from five hours and 16 minutes of batting after facing 235 balls with eight fours and a six after the new ball was taken after 80 overs.

Chanderpaul, a veteran of 164 Tests, celebrated his hundred by lofting Gomes back over his head for six but with their partnership on 68 Adams lost concentration and edged a ball from Gomes to Keeper Tevin Imlach.

Akeeni Adams and Chanderpaul took the score to 2487 at Lunch with Chanderpaul unbeaten on 116 after Chanderpaul had celebrated his century by lofting Gomes back over his head for six.

After running out of partners, Chanderpaul played back to Hobbard, who troubled him throughout his innings, and was LBW to be ninth out at 260, while Looknauth finished off the innings when Nealand Cadogan (4) missed a big swing and was bowled.

The final day, today, starts at 09:00 hrs, with the game heading for a draw which will give the Essequibians, the best all-round team in the eight-team tournament, their first three-day senior title.

Club, Albert Street and Thomas Lands.

Summerbell will do battle in the x30 Junior category, while his compatriots, Sigany and Lue will look to outdo the competition in the x30 Senior and 60cc Sun Burst Kids Cup respectively.

All three drivers are leaders in their respective divisions back home, and no doubt they would want to make a statement on their maiden appearance at this country’s lone go-kart facility a release informed.

Apart from the large band of Guyanese drivers, the Jamaicans will also have to contend with competitors from Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, as the organisers are currently in discussion with drivers from those

islands.

Action starts at 18:00hrs and admission to the venue is $1,000 for adults, $500 for children and $4,000 for the VIP experience.

SOUTH AMERICAN YOUTH GAMES CHAMP DESHAWNA SKEETE CALLS ON DR. GEORGE NORTON Most of the delegates of the successful team that represented Guyana in the quadrennial South America Youth Games that was held in Santiago, Chile, paid a courtesy call on Minister of Social Cohesion with responsibility for the Department of Culture, Youth and Sports (DCYS) , Dr. George Norton.

During the meet and greet at the DCYS’ Boardroom, Main Street, the National Sports Commission (NSC) took the opportunity to present each delegate with an NSC medal for their representation of Guyana.

Present at the gathering was M a c k e n z i e H i g h S c h o o l ’s Deshawna Skeete who sprinted away to win the Girls’ 400m race.

The 15 year-old Lindener clocked a time of 57.28s in a photo finish ahead of Brazil’s Jessica Moreira (57.54) to have Guyana’s National Anthem played for the first time at this prestigious event.

Skeete noted that it was tough getting acclimatized to the chilly temperature but she managed nevertheless to come out successful. Guyana claimed four medals (1 Gold & 3 Silver).

RHTY&SC Busta Champion of Champions bowls off today To be played over three weekends The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS, Busta Champion of Champions Softball Cricket Tournament would bowl off today at the Area ‘H’ Ground. The tournament would be the 14th Edition of the Busta Tournament but would be played on the Softball format due to the problems currently affecting the Berbice Cricket Board. Sixteen teams would be participating in the tournament which is solely sponsored by the Guyana Beverage Company under its popular Busta brand.

Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster, Vice President Mark Papannah, Organising Secretary Keith Hicks and Asst Organising Secretary Rabindranauth Kissoonlall of the RHTY&SC Cricket Development Committee would be the persons responsible for organising the tournament which would be played over three weekends.

The semifinals and finals are scheduled for the 29th October, while the quarterfinals would be played at the Area ‘H’ Ground on

the 22nd October, 2017. Foster stated that the first round of matches would be played 5-Overs per side, the quarterfinals 8-Overs per side, while the semifinals would be 10-Overs per side and only round hand bowling would be allowed. Teams would be required to be present at the venue for 08.30 hours for the first round and at 10.00 hours for the second round and Grand Finals.

Among the teams that would be playing in the tournament are Hard Knock, Terry Grocery, Jai Hind, Grill Master, Sham Grocery, Sparta, Shamie Grocery, Rising Star, Letter Kenny, M. Ali & Son Super 95, Fyrish, Rose Hall Town, Toopoo and Set Up. The winning team would take home $150,000 and the Busta Trophy, the first Runner-up $75,000 and 3rd Place $50,000.

This would be the third major Softball event in the last three months to be organised by the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club following the Patron’s Green Economy Trophy and the Naeem Nasir Memorial Cup.

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Sunday October 15, 2017

Kaieteur News

WIFBSC Milex / Crown Mining Longe Range Team Match

Guyana retain championship on Vs over dark horse Barbados

By Franklin Wilson Reigning West Indies Fullbore Shooting Council Long Range Champions Guyana retained the newly re-branded Milex / Crown Mining Long Range Team Championship trophy when the competition was contested yesterday at the Timehri Rifle Ranges, Ya r r o w k a b r a , L i n d e n Soesdyke Highway.

The experienced Guyanese team coming up against the likes of the English, Irish and Canadian shooters had to in fact stave off a determined fight from the Barbadian marksmen and women who came out blazing in the 1000 yards range to time the Guyanese who were ahead after the 900 yards range having tallied 371 points and 19 Vs compared to England’s 368.20, Ireland’s 366.15 and Barbados’ 360.17.

The Guyanese were sent on their way by their Captain Mahendra Persaud who achieved the only possible (50.5) at this range.

The confident host team and defending champions took to the 1000 yards range feeling that they were well on their way to a comfortable win but didn’t cater for the consistent performances of the Bajan shooters which saw them not only closing the gap but equaling the Guyanese’ final total of 712 points.

Guyana however won yet another Long Range Championship on account of securing more Vs than their Bajan rivals, 36 to 27.

Persaud’s possible at 900 yards was the only possible recorded on the day, in very humid conditions with the winds again presenting challenges for all the teams.

The Guyanese Captain led with an overall aggregate of 95.5, Leo Romalho had 92.5; debutant Roberto Tiwari continued his consistency with 92.4, Sherwin Felicien 91.4, Ransford Goodluck 90.5, Vice Captain Dylan Fields 88.4, Peter Persaud 84.4 and Lennox Braithwaite 80.4 all contributing to the overall effort.

Barbados’ final total of 712.27 was compiled by grand aggregate (900 & 1000) totals from Jason Wood 93.5, Marlon King 93.5, Lancelot Trotman 93.3, Shellyann Hinds 91.3, Wade McLean 89.3, Richard Arthur 89.1, Jennifer Jordan-Cousin 84.3 and Alfred Stuart 80.4.

Third place went to Ireland with a total of 701.28 followed by England 668.25, Antigua and Barbuda 646.22, Canada 609.24 and Trinidad and To b a g o 5 9 9 . 2 8 . T h e Guyanese will also be presented with the Queensway Group of Companies International Cup for their performance.

Hamilton Green Cup; Quarterfinal match to be played at Victoria Tonight One of two teams will be one step closer to winning the $500,000 first prize of the Hamilton Green knockout football cup when the $1million competition stops at the Victoria community ground this evening, bringing along three fiery clashes inclusive of two (2) exhibitions and one (1) knockout.

The action gets underway at 17:00hrs at Victoria with the first exhibition game that will pit Mahaica Determinators

against Plaisance. The second friendly which kicks off at 19:00hrs is set to be a cracker with Victoria Kings tackling Buxton.

The feature, knockout game will have its first whistle at 21:00hrs and will s e e s u r p r i s e q u a r t e r f i n a l i s t s A n n ’s Grove and Soesdyke Falcons looking to continue their dream run in the tournament.

The winner of that match will be guaranteed at least the $100,000 fourth prize.

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GTT is major sponsor of Pan American Indoor Hockey Championship ”At GTT, we believe that at the heart of every success story is a strong and supportive family. That is why staying in touch with that support base, no matter where you are, becomes ever important and GTT is determined to make such communication, easier and more affordable no matter where you are.” ”As Guyana prepares to host the Pan American Hockey Federation’s Indoor Pan American Cup Qualifying tournament 2017, GTT will be a key

player in helping the scores of players who are visiting this beautiful foreign land, to stay in touch with their families by donating 200 SIM cards equipped with minutes free talk, free texts and free data!,” said GTT’s Public Relations Officer, Allison Parker.

On Wednesday, October 11, 2017, GTT donated the first set of SIM cards to the team from Uruguay after they arrived at Regency Suites on Hadfield Street.

Coach of the team, Nicolas Tixe, after receiving

the donation from GTT’s Public Relations Officer, Allison Parker, expressed sincere gratitude for the gesture. More than that, he declared that in all their travels, Guyana is the first country in which they have received such an act of generosity and hospitality. ”This is very important because it is a way to communicate inside the country. Sometimes we come to a tournament and we don’t have these facilities… in other countries we have to pay for this…I think it is a

Jacobs slices through SL to set up innings triumph FLORENCE HALL, Jamaica, CMC – Legspinner Damion Jacobs snatched a six-wicket haul to propel West Indies A to a crushing innings and 13-run victory over Sri Lanka A, on the final day of the opening f o u r - d a y “ Te s t ” h e r e yesterday.

The 32-year-old finished with six for 27 as the visitors, following on by 152 runs, were dismissed cheaply for 139 in their second innings to fall 1-0 behind in the threematch series.

Off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall supported with three for 53 as Windies A ruthlessly disposed of the Sri Lankans in just three hours.

Opener Sandun Weerakkody struck an aggressive 56 and partner Ron Chandragupta, 27, but once they both departed, the last nine wickets tumbled

spectacularly for a mere 45 runs.

Resuming the day at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium on 210 for seven, Sri Lanka lost their last three wickets for two runs in the space of 22 balls.

Fast bowler Keon Joseph (3-33) and Cornwall (3-69) both ended with three wickets apiece while Jacobs (2-33) and left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell (2-41) claimed two wickets each.

Sri Lanka A then started brightly with Weerakkody blasting nine fours in a 58ball cameo as he put on a hasty 82 for the first wicket with Chandragupta.

The introduction of the spinners halted Sri Lanka’s progress, however, as Jacobs and Cornwall grabbed two wickets apiece to leave them struggling on 98 for four at lunch.

Their fortunes fail to improve after the break, as Jacobs ran through the middle order with the last six wickets going down for 41 runs.

The second “Test” bowls off October 19 at the same venue.

Scores: WEST INDIES A 364 for eight decl. (Sunil Ambris 106, Vishaul Singh 81, John Campbell 56, Rahkeem Cornwall 36; Malinda Pushpakumara 3104, Chamika Karunaratne 2-61) SRI LANKA A 212 (Dhananjaya De Silva 104, Wanindu Hasaranga 24, Dasun Shanaka 20; Keon Joseph 3-33, Rahkeem Cornwall 3-69, Damion Jacobs 2-33, Sheldon Cottrell 2-41) and 139 (Sandun Weerakkody 56, Ron Chandragupta 27; Damion Jacobs 6-27, Rahkeem Cornwall 3-53).

good idea and it was a good thing to have this o p p o r t u n i t y t o communicate,” he said. Two hundred players will be recipients of the free SIM a n d s e r v i c e .

Meanwhile, Parker expressed that GTT is honoured to be able to assist

t h e p l a y e r s i n communicating with their families while traveling as staying in touch can bring a sense of comfort while t r a v e l i n g .

“We find pleasure making this donation to you because we know what it is to be out of communication

with your loved ones and we want to keep you connected at all times,” she said.

This is the first time in the Pan American Games History, that Guyana will host the tournament.

Matches will be played in Guyana from October 162 2 .

UDFA/ GT Beer Inter Association semifinals on tonight at Linden Upper Demerara face Georgetown, West Demerara clash with Essequibo/Pomeroon With the semifinals battle lines drawn the big question which will be answered is who survives to advance in this inaugural GT Beer Inter Association Super Sunday night Cup featuring Upper Demerara against Georgetown and West Demerara who face the fast rising Essequibo /Pomeroon at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground tonight.

At 21.00hrs, in what should be a big crowd puller, local side Upper Demerara, who played unbeaten winning their three matches and topped their group, will face the second finisher in the opposite group Georgetown. The City side lost to West Demerara before reaching this far, and will

know that another loss at this stage eliminates them from contesting for the $1M first prize an bragging rights among other things.

Having played unbeaten to reach thus far Upper Dem must now get past arch rivals of old Georgetown and their best players to date have been their top scorers in Denzil Fordyce and Kellon Primo along with the young Shane Luckie and Keshawn Dey, while Kellon Major has done well between the uprights.

But Georgetown will be banking on Phillip Rowley, Darren Benjamin, Hubert Pedro, Ryan Dowden and Dwayne McCalman, who have all gotten goals, to bring them victory.

On the other half of the semifinals West Demerara are looking to reach this final by stopping the Essequibo Pomeroon side after playing impressively in their group round robin play.

Their most dangerous players are Jamal Henry who is among the leading scorers, David Blake who nudged in the goal that condemned Georgetown to that 1-0 loss, Jamal Perreira, Morgan Denny and Kevaugh Warde all in good scoring knick.

Burt Essequibo/ Pomeroon are confident that they can play themselves into the final and will depend on such players like Sheldon Pitt, Michael Hendricks, Devin Romeo and Oswin Henry.

PAGE 82

Sunday October 15, 2017

Kaieteur News

Minister Norton breathes life into Region Nine boxing Region Nine was given a breath of fresh air complements of Minister of Social Cohesion Dr. George Norton as boxing coach Orland ‘Pocket Rocket’ Rogers was posted there last Monday for a two-week coaching stint.

Rogers is now based in Lethem and has since worked with approximately 22 young boxers each day.

The diminutive coach is also

training three coaches in the fistic art. The move to Region Nine was the brainchild of Dr. Norton and is seen as part of a decentralizing programme that is being hailed by both the coach and the G u y a n a B o x i n g Association.

In an invited comment president of the Guyana Boxing Association Steve Ninvalle applauded the

Minister’s initiative while claiming it a positive intervention by the Minister.

“This is an important step in the development of boxing in Guyana. We have said all along that there is also natural talent outside of Region Four. It is my understanding that this is the beginning of a boxing outreach that will see similar programmes

WIFBSC Short Range Team Match to end one week C/ship today Industrial Safety Supply Inc. Int. Trophy also at stake

Team Guyana during competition at the 900 Yards Bank yesterday.

The curtains will come down on what has been an intense week of shooting w i t h t h e We s t I n d i e s Fullbore Shooting Council Short Range Team Match at the Timehri Rifle Ranges.

Like yesterday, seven nations are expected to battle each other for supremacy

with Guyana the defending champions. The Guyana National Rifle Association is also running its 150th Anniversary championship alongside the WIFBSC’s.

Yesterday’s Milex / Crown Mining Supply Long Range Match which also had at stake the Queensway Group

of Companies International Tr o p h y w i l l a l s o b e presented to Guyana tonight at the presentation and dinner set for the Princess R a m a d a H o t e l .

The WIFBSC will also induct the first batch of persons into their Hall of Fame.

being conducted in other regions,” Ninvalle said.

“I am no savant in the field nor boxing historian but I really cannot remember a time when Region Nine benefited from the services of a boxing coach for that amount of time,” Ninvalle added.

Rogers met with Minister Norton in Linden a few weeks ago and the idea of the programme was born.

He was given boxing gear by the National Sports

Commission to take to Lethem to punch off the training.

“Region Nine has raw talent and raw enthusiasm,” Rogers explained. “If we want to fully develop the sport then this is the route to go. I salute the Minister and the Dir e c t o r o f S p o r t Christopher Jones for making this possible and it is my hope that other p r o g r a m mes will be held in other regions.”

According to Rogers, his charges include two females, one being 16-year-old Seubia Roberts and the other 14-year-old Rhema Rennia, both of who have signaled intentions of following in the footsteps of Guyanese world champion Gwendolyn ‘The Stealth Bomber’ O’Neil.

Meanwhile, Ninvalle has urged the formation of a gym in Lethem that would be affiliated to the GBA.

GuyanaNRA 150th Anniversary Individual Shoot-Off

Irishman David Calvert is the champ, beats Lennox Braithwaite by 2 points World renowned fullbore shooter David Calvert ensured he does not leave Guyana empty handed when he shot his way to victory in the Guyana National Rifle Association 150th Anniversary Individual Shoot-Off which ended yesterday with the 900 and 1000 yards shoot.

The competition which featured the top 44 shooters from the West Indies Fullbore Shooting Council Caribbean Individual Championships was initially set to be concluded on Thursday but after three ranges, 300, 500 and 600 yards, rain intervened and brought a premature end to t h e d a y .

Organisers along with the Captains and Range Officer, Phil Harrison had taken a

David Calvert decision to continue the match after yesterday’s Milex / Crown Mining Long R a n g e Te a m M a t c h .

When the final shot was fired, emerging as the winner was David Calvert with a Grand Aggregate of 198.18

just a couple of points ahead of Guyanese Lennox Braithwaite on 196.12 with Jack Alexander of Ireland who had led after the first three ranges on Vs ending in the third place on 194.15.

GuyanaNRA Fullbore Captain Mahendra Persaud ended in 11th place (186.9) while the other Guyanese in the top 20 finals, Dylan Fields, GuyanaNRA Vice Captain, ended in 14th place with a score of 185.9. The Guyanese trio was also the only West Indians making into the top 20.

The females, both from Ireland making it into the finals, Stephanie Ward and Kimberly Pope ended in 10th and 13th place with scores of 186.11 and 185.14, respectively.

(Franklin Wilson)

Sunday October 15, 2017

Kaieteur News

PAGE 83

K. Rampat Cricket Academy to tour Guyana in December The K. Rampat Cricket Academy based in Central Trinidad, Caroni, will be bringing their under-13 team to tour Guyana in December for a series of six (6) games.

The 5-year-old academy, which was founded by talented Coach Kumar Rampat in 2012, has grown to be one the best in the cricket rich twin island republic having 6 players represent T&T national under-15 team in 2017 and 4 players in the West Indies under-16 team this year as well.

Kumar Rampat, a former school teacher with 36 years of service, coached at Clarke Road cricket club for 15 years. He also coached at the Alescon Comets cricket club that saw the likes of former Guyana and West Indies players, Rayon Griffith, Travis Dowlin, along with Trinidad &Tobago stars,

Darren Ganga, Imran Khan and Rayad Emrit.

Coach Rampat related to Kaieteur Sport during a interview yesterday that his reason to bring his young crop of developing players to the “land of many waters” is because of all the recent strides youth cricket has been making in Guyana with stacks of regional titles, “I know that youth cricket in Guyana has been on the rise of recent and in order to develop, our youths need to be exposed to the best and face the hardships.”

The six (6) games the K. Rampat Cricket academy under-13 team are scheduled to play will be against and at Busta Enterprise on the East Coast of Demerara, Albion Sports Club in Corentyne, Berbice, along with East Bank Essequibo’s Parika and Tuschen, with their last two g a m e s i n G e o rg e t o w n

From left, Carlyle Jalim, Kumar Rampat and Shameeer Mohammed. against Malteenoes Sports Club and Ghandi Youth Organisation.

“Most people come to Guyana and do everything in Georgetown but we chose to play most of our games out of town so the youths will be able to experience more a s p e c t s o f G u y a n a ’s geography and culture”, Coach Rampat stated.

Ronaldo Alimohamed century frustrates ECD on day two

a memorable experience.”

Travelling with Rampat and Mohammed as they tied up arrangements with the respective clubs and the Guyana Cricket Board, was Carlyle Jalim, a parent.

Carlyle is the father of one of the academy’s most talented players, Nickyle who was represented the T&T secondary school under-15

Raymond Ali 60th Birth Anniversary Domino on today -Teams from all across the country invited

Khan hits 104, Yadram 99

By Zaheer Mohamed East Bank Demerara were largely indebted to skipper Ronaldo Alimohamed at the end of play on day two in the final round of the Guyana Cricket Board Jaguars three-day franchise league against East Coast Demerara yesterday.

Alimohamed crafted a fluent unbeaten century and shared in an unbroken last wicket stand of 112 with Keon Morris to rally East Bank Demerara to 184-9 at stumps in reply to East Coast Demerara first innings score of 298 all out.

Resuming the day on 184-3, with Amir Khan on 69 and Kamesh Yadram on 57, East Coast Demerara were bowled out after lunch. Khan completed a fine century which was laced with eight fours and one six before he was caught off Sagar Hetheramani, while Yadram struck six fours before he was lbw to Darshan Persaud for 99. The duo extended their partnership to 242, but when they departed the only other resistance came from Premchand Sookdeo with 23.

Hetheramani claimed 344 while Darshan Persaud had 3-73 and Stephon Browne 2-15.

Pacer Cordel Mars and Sahadeo Ramkhellawan made early inroads reducing

Manager of the team, Shameeer Mohammed, who saw the Essequibo and Demerara rivers for the first time yesterday was overwhelmed by the experience and wanted the lads to experience such, “My expectation is to have a fun filled but competitive tour and being their (Under-13 team) first tour I want it to be

team that toured England and won the Somerset school festival this year. “In development, only players from 15-years and above are recognized regionally but I believe the earlier they are exposed, the better chance of reaching greatness”, Jalim explained to Kaieteur Sport.

He further stated that, “These things (Tours) are what will also help motivate players to continue playing well and also give the weaker players motivation to up their game to make trips.”

In conclusion, Kumar Rampat stated that he is open to hosting teams at his academy as part of an exchange programme and also, even a under-13 cricket festival with Caribbean and international teams is something that he has sights set on hosting in the future.

Ronaldo Alimohamed (Zaheer Mohamed photo)

East Bank Demerara to 29-4 with Christopher Deonarine (04), Romain Muniram (00), Ramhkellawan (00), Browne (00) and Deonarine Seegobin (14) being the batmen back in the pavilion.

However, Alimohamed stood like a beacon, resisting anything his opponents threw at him as he slowly accumulated his runs. But while he remained untroubled, his partners at the other end played as if there was something mysterious about the pitch or the bowling. Corwin Austin (00), Darshan Persaud (01), Hetheramani (00) and Colin Benn (04) failed to apply themselves on a good track.

But Alimohamed, surprisingly omitted by the West Indies selectors for the U19 world cup squad, even though he led Guyana to victory in the regional U19 tournament in St. Kitts in

July/August with creditable performances, played with much maturity as he saved his team from following- on.

A l i m o h a m e d , undoubtedly one of the most decorated all-rounders at the age group level in the Caribbean, timed the ball well as he accumulated runs skillfully on both sides of the pitch. He drove Bhaskar Yadram for four before smashing him for sixes to move closer to his triple figure mark. Alimohamed then hoisted Yadram for a six and a four and repeated the feat in his following over before smashing Mars for three sixes in one over-the last being among the best shots of the day- a back foot cut over point for six. He then reached his well deserved century with a single off Yadram before hitting Mars for another (Continued on page 73)

Domino teams from all across the country are expected to converge at President of the Guyana National Dominoes Federation Faye Joseph residence, 1222 Gaulding Place, South R u i m v e l d t t o participate in a massive C o m p e t i t i o n t o celebrate the 60th Birth Anniversary of Raymond Ali of All Seasons Racing Service of Robb Street.

According to Organiser

Mark ‘Jumbie’ Wiltshire, the tournament is an open tourna m e n t a n d t e a m s desirous of participating in the competition can do so by making contact with him on tele# 6655 8 5 5 f o r m o r e information.

Wiltshire speaking via telephone disclosed that the tournament will have over $400,000 in prize monies with the winning team set to receive $200,000 plus a bottle of Black Moet and

trophy, while second place takes home $100,000 and a bottle of Black Label Johnnie Walker and trophy.

The third place finisher will be given $70,000, a bottle of Hennessey and trophy.

All prizes are guaranteed and teams are required to register by 13:00 hrs with the drawing set for 15 minutes later to guarantee a prompt 13:30 hrs start.

The Chief Steward is Kevin Boston.

All Seasons Racing Service Office Manager Tiffany Johnson hands over the cheque to Chief Steward Kevin Boston in the presence of Raymond Ali (right) and Mark Wiltshire.

Albion Masters Softball on today With Guyana Softball Cup set for November 3rd , 4th and 5th in Georgetown, F l o o d l i g h t s , We l l m a n , Parika Defenders and the host team Albion Masters will looking to utilide today’s softball tournament for much needed preparation

as they hope to gain glory at “Guyana Softball Cup 7”.

Albion Masters is hosting today’s action.

Floodlights will feature players such as Ramesh Narine, Rabindra Singh, Clyde Canterbury, Imtiaz Mohamed and Ricky

Deonarain, while Wellman will have in their line-up Wayne Jones, Lloyd Ruplall, Greg DeFraca and Mike Singh. Parika Defenders will depend on the likes of Kenrick Persaud, Bisham Persaud, Davenand Kanan (Continued on page 73)

t r o Sp WIFBSC Milex / Crown Mining Longe Range Team Match

Guyana retain championship on Vs over dark horse Barbados P.76

Guyana Captain Mahendra Persaud hugs former national shooter Ms. Denise Carryl with the remainder of the team and Coaches in a jolly mood following victory. (Franklin Wilson photo)

GTT is major sponsor of Jacobs slices through SL to set up innings triumph Pan American Indoor Hockey Championship P.77

P.77

Team Uruguay receives SIMs for GTT’s Allison Parker.

Leg-spinner Damion Jacobs celebrates another wicket with wicketkeeper Jahmar Hamilton, on the final day of the opening four-day “Test” on Saturday. (Photo courtesy CWI Media)

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