Kaieteur News

Saturday April 01, 2017

These questions City Hall must be made to answer DEAR EDITOR, The quote “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive” refers to how complicated life becomes when people start lying. It originally referred to a love triangle in the play “Marmion” by Sir Walter Scott. The quote is often used to talk about the complex destructive effect that lying tends to have on life. When people start lying, they have to remember all the details of the lie rather than their true memory in order to keep the lie going when others ask about it. The quote also refers to the fact that lying often has unforeseen consequences. The quote is so characteristic of the notorious Georgetown Parking Meter Contract which is just riddled with inconsistencies, deception and concealment. First of all the Town Clerk is yet to verify his claim that the previous Council had approved the project and thus the reason why there is no reason for the present Council to do so. Where is the report of the committee that examined the proposal and recommended it? Where is the agenda of

the statutory meeting that it was tabled at? And where are the signed minutes of the approving statutory meeting? The second question to be asked if indeed there was such an approval, is why it was not acted upon during the life of the last Council? Can the purported decision of the last Council be brought forward and implemented during the life of the new Council without the review and ratification of the new Council? Third, how could a contract signed by the Town Clerk on behalf of the City Council and the City of Georgetown be made into a classified document? This is not a private arrangement, but must be a public document for the citizens to examine. And fourth, how could the Town Clerk and City Council even think it is possible to defy an order given by the Minister of Communities to suspend the contract, given the fact that it is the very Minister of Communities allowed for the commencement of the parking meter arrangement when he signed and gazetted the requisite bylaws into effect? Shanta Singh

The fantastic four are wreaking havoc in the capital city DEAR EDITOR, The recent action by an exasperated citizen to remove (by himself) a clamp illegally placed on his car wheel by employees of Smart City Solutions and agents of the City Council, shows clearly the level of frustration being encountered by citizens of our capital city and the feeling of vulnerability and lack of protection by the law enforcement agencies. The decision by the Minister of Communities to finally seek the assistance of his colleague Minister of Public Security in getting the National Police to protect the citizens was most timely and prudent. Had this not been done, clearly more citizens would have decided to p r o t e c t themselves from the brigands posing as parking maids as well, and from these unscrupulous operatives of the Council, even if it meant taking the law into their own hands. It is important for the coalition to understand that they cannot sit on their hands and allow a band of mercenaries at City Hall better known as the ‘Fantastic Four’ to create conditions for anarchy, which will do nothing but erode the confidence persons have in their government. The notorious parking

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meter scenario has proven to be a litmus test for the business community and civil society and should be taken as a lesson as it relates to foisting a crooked, offensive and regressive initiative on the people of Guyana. Never again should this be allowed to happen. The people of Guyana desires to see the continuation of democracy, economic freedom, respect for human rights, the provision of employment and a good life for all Guyanese. The more things change at City Hall, the more they remain the same. Three Councillors from the previous City Council have returned to the new City Council and have formed the ‘Fantastic Four’ which is wreaking havoc. The Mayor continues to abuse and threaten Councillors of legal action to silence and intimidate them at Statutory Meetings in a most unsophisticated manner. And it does not end there, it is even more worrying, the caliber of officers who have been given senior administrative responsibilities many of whom are clearly incompetent, corrupt and unworldly. This is not what the citizens voted for, and this is not what they deserve. Deodarie Putulal

If the nurses failed, then maybe the teachers are a failure DEAR EDITOR, I read with great interest in the Kaieteur News, March 16, 2017 where the shocking news was reported that only 23 of 179 nurses passed all segments of the State Final Nurses Examination. The results of the examination rocked the foundation of the training programme for nurses. This news hit me like a bolt from the blue. I believe that those who read the article are equally perturbed. Since then there have been numerous comments in the print and electronic media and elsewhere about this debacle. Diverse views have been posited for this sad state of affairs in the training and development of our nurses. The debate continues unabated. Please permit me to join in the discussion through this medium. I have very little idea about the contents, methodology and other aspects of the training of nurses. However, I benefitted from training under the late world renowned adult educator Mr .Samuel Augustus Small, MS. He was bestowed with a national award for his contribution to adult education in Guyana.

He received a Caribbean award for promoting adult education in the region and was an executive member of the world body that deals with adult education. He served as a resource person in training for the Guyana Police Force for over fifty years and was a member of the GPF Training Board. He was my mentor as it relates to training. My interactions with him as a mentee were invaluable. Let me share some of his thoughts with you about training which may have some parallels with the training of the nurses and adult education in general. When the results of our examination were not up to the required standard, Mr. Small, as we would call him, would say; “back to basics.” He would ask a number of searching questions and put forward some pertinent issues and concerns. Here are a few. How large was the class? How long was the course? Were the physical and other classroom environments conducive for good learning? Did the facilitators understand and appreciate the nature and principles of learning?

Did the instructors promote and maintain the desire to learn? Was the training designed for rote learning and not for the participants to internalise and conceptualise? Did the presenters understand and appreciate the vast difference between pedagogy and andragogy? Were the three general categories of learning styles – visual, auditory and kinesthetic taken into consideration during the training? Was the focus on knowledge, skills and or attitudes? What were the methods of instructions? Apart from lectures were there questions and answers sessions; discussion; audio and video presentations; demonstration; hands-on-learning; role playing; case studies; simulations; field training; remedial training; combination of some of the above. Was there an eclectic approach towards training? Did the instructional materials include - printed information; visuals; bulletin boards; audio and videocassettes; and or computer programmes? Did the trainers succumb to training pitfalls - ignoring individual differences, expecting everyone to learn at the

same time; lecturing without showing; being impatient; not setting expectation or setting them too high; giving too much at a time; assuming that because something was assigned or presented, it was learned; creating stress, often through competition; embarrassing participants in front of others; relying too heavily on ‘war stories.’ Writing on the training implications for law enforcement officers, Karen Hess and Christine Orthman (2012) explain, “ Given the variables affecting learning, the bottom line is this: There is no one best way to instruct. The most effective instruction is adapted to the individual officers: the specific knowledge, skill or attitude being taught; and the setting in which the training occurs” (end of quote). This is applicable to law enforcement officers and may be relevant to the training of nurses and others. The words of my late mentor keep ringing in my ears,” If the trainees did not learn, the instructors did not teach.” Clinton Conway Assistant Commissioner of Police Retired

Crimes continue right under the eyes of the city police DEAR EDITOR, Could someone tell the citizens and visitors to our capital, what in the world is the purpose of the Georgetown City Police Department? For years now they have bragged that they have the same powers, responsibilities and mandate of the National Police. Each year they are allocated hundreds of millions of dollars earned from the rates of property owners, to which they procure fancy new vehicles, modern radio commu-

nication equipment and other elaborate law enforcement equipment, are provided with local and overseas training, the question however is what do they do with all of this? Certainly they are not engaged in crime fighting. In and around the municipal markets must be considered the most unsafe places in Georgetown. Every day, and more so every night, cars are broken into, shoppers are mugged and persons going about their business are violently robbed.

These robbers many of them just teenagers, operate with impunity and without fear of being challenged by the City Police. They often operate on bicycles and are well known characters to the vendors who are sometimes themselves robbed, but are however invisible to the Constabulary. Quite recently, more than fifty constables were allocated and assigned to the infamous parking meter project so clearly there is no shortage of manpower in that department.

Complaint against slow internet speed by GTT DEAR EDITOR, I attend a high school on the East Coast of Demerara and I reside in Enterprise. My letter is to apprise GTT of the suffering and the inconvenience we are facing with their so-called high speed Internet. I am from a single parent and it is difficult for my mom to pay $5999.00 per month for speed of 1.5 mb and only receive 0.09 to 0.10 mb from 6.00 pm onwards. Tell me please GTT, it is not that around that we study and need the internet. I called 0488 and was advised to take the higher speed but it is already too costly to pay for the one I have. Also I was advised to spend more time in the day utilizing the Internet

because it is faster in the day. My Good God, I pray - after 50 years of independence what progress have we achieved? I was in Barbados and the speed there is lighting fast any time of the day and night. Also we pay the highest cost for internet in Guyana than the rest of Caricom. Is that progress? Can my mom be refunded for the time I am unable to use the internet because the page cannot be opened? Can GTT tell us the

Guyanese people when will the speed we are paying for be delivered. Can the PUC help us? I would like to know who can help us or who should we approach for this urgent matter to resolved speedily. Lalita Narine

Now that the parking meter project has been suspended and the meter maids fired by SCS it would be a good idea for these 50 constables to be reassigned from being henchmen of the parking meter company to being protectors of the citizenry. How could we talk about promoting tourism in such a crime infested city? How could we talk about wooing investors to Georgetown and Guyana with all of these bandits roaming freely? How could honest hard working citizens be left to the mercy of these marauding bandits? It is time the administrators at City Hall who use these constables exclusively as bodyguards and security at their residences stop talking about making Georgetown a green city and instead start talking make it a safe city. James Mc Onnell

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INSTEAD OF TAXING IT, WE Jagdeo’s mistakes I believe were not intentional EDITOR, house-lots. There has also hard evidence that would severe blow. SHOULD BE THANKFUL FOR DEAR We are already seeing It took the efficient and been an increase in overall prove Bharrat Jagdeo stole effective management of the standard of living as shown money from the taxpayers of ominous signs that this counPRIVATE EDUCATION nation’s financial resources by the Human Development this country to enrich himself, try is heading for serious ecoDEAR EDITOR, One cannot help being moved by Swami Aksharanda’s incisive letter in the media, in which he exposed the apparent contradiction between President Granger’s praise for the education provided by private schools and the harsh taxation policy being pursued by the Minister of Finance “as he sought to justify the 14% tax on students” while pronouncing on “the sins of private schools”. I am at a loss to fathom such denigration; how can Guyanese reconcile this with the fact that were it not for the valiant efforts made by the numerous ‘pioneers of private secondary education’ in colonial British Guiana, the army of professionals who laid the foundation for an independent, functional Guyana would not have been around; (think of, for example, R. E. Cheeks, J. C. Luck, R. Ishmael in Georgetown or J. C. Chandisingh, RudraNath, A. A. Ramlochand in Berbice); and while we are in this context, I cannot help thinking, with all humility, of my own involvement as the first Principal of Hindu College initiated by another Swami viz Swami PurnandaJi. Of course none of this

would have been possible if the parents, many of whom were virtually destitute, were not themselves convinced that education was the most powerful vehicle in their journey to socio-economic and personal development. Today’s parents are no different from long ago; they also have to gird their loins, make many sacrifices and difficult choices in favour of private education because they are disillusioned with the offerings of free public education; they have learnt not to ‘look a gift horse in the mouth’ and are prepared to go the extra mile in pursuit of the best available education for their children. This is not to knock our public school system or teachers; but the realities are obvious to the parents who, realizing that there is no second chance for their children, are prepared to ‘go the extra mile’. It is therefore most disheartening for them to now have to tighten their belts and go even further by having to pay an education tax. I support the call from our revered Swami AksharanandaJi for an immediate reconciliation between the apparently divergent approaches taken by our President and Minister of Finance. Nowrang Persaud

Numbers of and amounts in Sovereign Wealth Funds DEAR EDITOR, All the talk about Sovereign Wealth Fund has caused me to question who will benefit from the investment returns and principal. If you are a politician or money manager you will be salivating. According to the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute, it took Trinidad 17 years to a mass $5.5 billion compared to Mexico’s $6.6 billion for the same period. The number one and two rank funds belong to Norway and China, respectively. Norway took 27 years to reach $870.8 billion while it took China only 10 years to achieve $813.8 billion. It should be noted China has several other like sovereign funds totaling approximately $900 billion.

Then there is the Sovereign Wealth Fund established by Venezuela in 1998 under the advice of the IMF. By December 2001, the fund had $7.1 billion in assets. In 2003, the government tapped the fund to cover fiscal budget, withdrawing more than $6 billion. In 2016, the fund balance is $800 million. Separately, China is ranked number 20 for quality of life compared to Norway’s ranking of 5. Canada is ranked number one; no sovereign fund, only some provinces have their individual wealth funds. In 2016, Trinidad drew from its sovereign fund to plug budget shortfalls; the finance minister was quoted in Bloomberg as saying “The purpose of this fund is to offset serious shortfalls in revenue in periods of depressed petroleum prices,” He said during a session of Parliament in Port of Spain. “It is not, as some believe, a trophy to be kept on a shelf and never to be touched.”Conclusion, how much power will the people give their finance minister. For this reason, Mr. Trotman is the wrong minister to speak about the fund. Keith Bernard

and the wizardry of Bharrat Jagdeo who became Senior Minister of Finance in May 1995, and President of Guyana on August 11, 1999 to stabilize the Guyana economy, reduce the massive debt burden and produce growth and development. In March 2007, it was Bharrat Jagdeo and others who successfully negotiated with the Inter-American Development Bank, Guyana’s principal donor, to cancel Guyana’s US$467 million debt, equivalent to 21% of GDP, which along with other Highly Indebted Poor Country debt forgiveness, brought the debt-to-GDP ratio down from over 900% (according to Carl Greenidge) prior to 1992 under the PNC/APNU to 50% in 2015 under the PPP/C. And the debt servicing in the same period dropped from 153% of revenue to an amazing 4% of revenue. By contrast, Jamaica and Barbados recorded much higher debt-to-GDP ratios of 140 and 115 per cent respectively in 2015. During the 23 years of PPP rule, there was dramatic increase in the per capita Gross Domestic Product Purchasing Power Parity. In 1992, the per capita GDP (PPP) was US$509.37. In 2014 under the PPP/C, the CIA estimated Guyana’s per capita GDP at US$7,500. The inflation rate of the Guyana dollar in relation to the US dollar had been stabilised. From a massive 3150% during the PNC era, to 66% under the PPP. This represents a massive reduction in inflation or an average inflation of 2.9% in comparison to the US$. Under Jagdeo and the PPP, Guyana experienced tremendous growth in the standard of living; life expectancy; economic stability; and the distribution of over 100,000

Index -HDI. Between 1990 and 2015, Guyana’s HDI value increased from 0.541 to 0.638, an increase of 17.9 percent. The HDI measures three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living. In 1990, the average life expectancy was 63.5 years. By 2015, this figure had increased to 66.5 years due to tremendous improvements in the diagnostic capabilities and overall improvement in the health sector. Indeed, Guyanese enjoyed the good life under the PPP/C; Better access to healthcare; better accessibility; better schools; freedom of the press and yes, democratic elections. According to the GRA, there were approximately 36 new car owners per day and 8 persons who would have owned a home for the first time each day under the PPP/ C. Guyana had also recorded 8 successive years of economic growth. That has all gone now. Editor, these accomplishments did not occur by mistake, it was the prudent management of our economic resources by the brilliant economist, Bharrat Jagdeo followed by Dr. Ashni Singh that brought prosperity and development to Guyana. My point is, if indeed the Jagdeo and Ramotar Administrations were so corrupted, where did all the money come from to accomplish what has been achieved given the infrastructural and financial ruins left by the PNC government in 1992. It just does not add up. People must learn to think for themselves rather than parroting the lies perpetrated by the APNU+AFC coalition government without facts. I challenge anyone with

to produce such evidence to the police or SARU. For with all the billions he is accused of stealing, that should not be difficult to do. The APNU+AFC Administration spent about $130 million of taxpayers money on 45 forensic audits, conducted by auditors who are no friends of Jagdeo or the PPP, to find evidence of corruption under successive PPP Administrations, and all they can come up with is to have the former President illegally arrested for paying for land in Pradoville 2 below market value. When one considers that all of the 100,000 house lots distributed to Guyanese by the PPP/C were sold below market value. The arrest of the former President and PPP Ministers was undoubtedly a political witch-hunt. In less than two years of this APNU+AFC Administration, it looks like history is about to deal Guyana another

nomic recession and dictatorship. On Friday morning I woke to the news that Dynamic Airways is charging passengers an exchange rate of $250 to US$1 for airline tickets, and the Attorney General’s hostile words to a sitting Judge in Court. But this is what happens when a country is run by a pompous administration that is guilty of incompetent and ineptitude, with total disregard for the judiciary and the rule of law. Like all of us, Bharrat Jagdeo is not a perfect human being. But his vision and sound economic policies had brought prosperity to our country that was left in ruins by some of the same players who now feature prominently in the PNC/APNU today. I would like to believe that the mistakes he made while in office were not intentional. HARRY GILL, MP (PPP)

Guyana lost its way because “goat bite it” DEAR EDITOR, I read about the youngster who paid $795.00 for a hammer which came to grief on its first use. Is there not some sort of consumer protection legislation for the sale of goods? This suggests to me that things have not changed over the past 20 years. In the mid-1990s, I bought an electric carpet sweeper from a Georgetown store, and it stopped working during its first use. I took it back to the shop, they had it repaired, plugged it in, to demonstrate that it was now working. They advised me “not to use it too much”! I asked the saleswoman/owner to show me once more what to do; she switched it on again, and -

”plop”, off fell the repaired electric lead. The item was “not fit for purpose”. I ended up having to buy a different, more expensive, model, as I could see getting my money back would prove a hassle. “The more things change....” I hope that poor “hammer youngster” gets some form of compensation. Guyana has now truly lost its way. I can foresee difficulty in getting the tourist industry running smoothly, just when we seemed to be making some headway. I know of people who intended visiting this year, but have had a change of mind. As we used to say in days gone by; “Goat bite Guyana”. Geralda Dennison

History will judge President Granger for this tax From page 4 In other words, there is the clear recognition that both public and private educational institutions offer needed and useful services that advance the countries’ overall educational agenda. In Guyana, private schools aren’t superior to public schools and neither are public schools superior to private schools. It is a reality though that schools – whether public or private - that have access to greater/better resources – human, physical, material or financial - produce better results in national/regional as-

sessments. In trying to understand the rationale behind this application of VAT on private education, I searched to find a country where a similar policy is being employed and I am yet to encounter one where citizens are taxed for utilizing private educational facilities at the nursery, primary and secondary levels. Bangladesh though imposes a 7% vat for private university education. In essence, Guyana might well be the only nation currently imposing such an oppressive tax at the nursery, primary and secondary levels.

Surely the cost of Guyana’s reputation as a nation that prioritises education is worth more than the 300 plus million the Minister of Finance expects to garner from this tax. More than most, President David Granger who is well schooled in Guyanese history knows that Guyanese have had a long history of sacrificing for our children’s education - evident since the immediate post emancipation era. Education has always represented a way out of poverty and Guyanese have long grasped the transformative potential of education not

only for the individual but for the entire family. Public utterances prior to and after being elected suggested that President Granger understood that deep commitment of Guyanese to their children’s education. The acceptance of this VAT on private schooling suggests perhaps not. Unless reversed, I dare say history will judge President Granger and his administration for this tax and I expect that judgment to be harsh. Mellissa Ifill Proud parent of a Marian Academy Student

Saturday April 01, 2017

Trotman, Jordan to discuss fate of Lotteries Commission Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, and Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, are to meet sometime in the near future to discuss what will be the fate of the Guyana Lottery Control Commission. Minister Trotman made this disclosure yesterday when this newspaper contacted him on the matter. Kaieteur News had reported yesterday that the Commission has not met since its July 2015 appointment. According to Trotman, it is true that a meeting of the commission has not been held for the longest while. He said that there is an ongoing discussion between himself and the Finance Ministry over the matter. However, Trotman said that he along with Minister Jordan would still have to meet at some point and discuss whether it is best to leave the Commission in its current form or to resuscitate it. Trotman said that it is an issue which would have to be ironed out. When asked what is happening presently as the Commission is not meeting, Trotman said that the Ministry of Finance is overlooking the fund. Besides Trotman, the other members of the board are Vladim Persaud, Pamela Briggs, and a representative from a youth council. The current operation of the Commission had been criticised by Auditor General Deodat Sharma in his 2015 report. According to Sharma, evidence showed that the current government was operating the fund similar to the manner utilised by the People’s Progressive Party Civic when in government. The glaring similarity highlighted was the expenditure of money without parliamentary approval. According to the Auditor General’s report, in 2015 the new government, through the Finance Ministry, had transferred

$1.069B from the lotteries fund to the Consolidated Fund, and portions of the remaining money has been spent without the approval of parliament. Money would have been taken out to be spent on covering expenses for Carifesta, Mashramani, Amerindian Heritage, Rehabilitation of D’Urban Park and Emancipation. Despite this flaw the Auditor General said that the APNU+AFC government made a good move by transferring $1.069B from the fund to the Consolidated Fund. According to Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, the process for funds to be taken out of the Lotteries Fund is that if an application is made to the Commission for deduction of funds or for monies to be paid out of the lotteries fund, the board would meet and then make the necessary recommendation to the Finance Ministry. The Commission oversees money collected from the Guyana Lottery Company games. The lottery was set up 21 years ago by a Cabinet decision. It operates under an agreement between the Canadian Bank Note Ltd (CBN) and the Government of Guyana under the Government Lotteries Act, Cap. 80:07. The agreement provides for the CBN to pay a license fee which is calculated at 24 per cent of its gross revenue. Sharma, in his report, had said that over the years, the Commission would have received proceeds from the National Lottery which were used to make payments approved by Cabinet. Further, he said that these earnings were held in a separate bank account and none were paid to the Consolidated Fund. According to him, aside from the $1.069B, there are significant sums which include previous year’s balances of $369.294M and proceeds of $421.754M received for 2015 still remain in the bank account and were used to meet expenditure.

Granger to underscore Guyana’s interest at Heads of Missions conference

President David Granger is expected to push for more marketing of Guyana when he meets with Heads of Missions on Monday. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be hosting a Heads of Missions Conference (HOMC) from April 3-8, 2017 at the Pegasus Hotel, under the theme “Advancing Guyana’s Diplomacy in the 21st Century”. President David Granger and Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge will be addressing the opening session. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Conference of Heads of Missions will provide Guyana’s diplomatic envoys abroad

completed, persons will be charged criminally. On October 8, last, 32year-old Carl Carter was arrested and subsequently charged after he was found with a .38 revolver and four matching rounds while he was not the holder of a firearm licence at Palm Court on Main Street, Georgetown. The firearm was submitted to the Crime Laboratory, and after examination, it was confirmed to be a firearm by the expert, under the firearm Act, Chapter 16.05. One of the ranks who tested the weapon signed when he collected it from the Brickdam Police Station last year and signed when he returned it after tests were carried out. However, when the rank

with the opportunity not only to consider a broad agenda of international affairs, but more particularly to familiarise themselves with the dynamics of the nation’s internal development which its diplomacy serves. “The overarching goal of the conference is to identify ways and means of enhancing efforts to effectively promote and protect Guyana’s interest abroad,” a government release said. Discussions will focus on a wide range of political and economic issues over a period

of five days, including the challenges and opportunities presented by the current complex but evolving international situation; the preservation of the nation’s territorial integrity and sovereignty; economic diplomacy; the continuing role of the diaspora in national development; the role of foreign investment in the nation’s development; topical and urgent questions relating to the consequences of climate change; the effect of technology on modern diplomacy; and the multi-polar na-

ture of modern international economic relations, among other questions. “In addition, the conference will accord diplomatic envoys and the leadership in the Ministry the opportunity to discuss operational matters to ensure that the affairs of Guyana’s Overseas Missions are effectively and efficiently conducted.” Following the 2015 general elections, there was a major shakeup in the overseas missions with several new faces.

Not totally done with parking meters…

Central Govt. hopes City Council can renegotiate better contract Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, said he hopes the three-month suspension of the parking meters will allow the Georgetown Mayor and City Council to renegotiate their fees with Smart City Solutions. According to the minister, Central Government is not opposed to paid parking, but it hopes that consultations will be held between the City Council and stakeholders to establish a common ground

Criminal charges for ranks responsible for swapping gun - Blanhum Investigators from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Guyana Police Force have taken over the case where a seized firearm was replaced with a toy gun while it was lodged at the Brickdam Police Station. This embarrassing situation came to light on Tuesday when the matter was called in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum confirmed that the matter is no longer being probed by the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) since it has been transferred to CID. Kaieteur News was informed that the matter is presently in the initial stage of the probe and once

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was called to identify the weapon last Tuesday during a court proceeding, it was revealed that it was not the weapon he had tested. In fact, it was discovered that the original weapon was replaced with a toy gun. This caused an uproar in the courtroom. Later, a number of ranks who had access to the weapon were arrested. Investigators are now trying to determine exactly who had a hand in the disappearance of the original weapon in an attempt to hinder the course of justice. This incident happened days after police corporal Shevon Marks was arrested and charged for attempting to smuggle an AK-47 out of the Tactical Services Unit compound.

using the recommendations made by the Ministries of Legal Affairs and Finance. “It is expected that the municipality and the councils will more meaningfully take into account the recommendations that were made, in essence, some of the major concerns as made by the

Central Government and the public that relate to the duration of the contract, especially the disproportionate nature of the benefit that will accrue under this contract,” the minister said in an interview with state media. Persons were being made to pay $232 per hour of park-

ing in the designated areas. Bulkan said that he supports the idea of parking meters within the capital city since it will regulate the traffic as well as parking. The minister noted that the City Council’s efforts should also be directed to Continued on page 24

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Women of child-bearing age urged to be immunised -or risk giving birth to children with hearing loss, other defects Expectant mothers and women of child-bearing age are encouraged to ensure that they receive all necessary vaccinations. This is especially important since it could determine the wellbeing of their offspring. This disclosure was recently made by Dr. Luqman Lamal as he also emphasised the importance of antenatal care in order to increase the probability of a woman giving birth to an all-round healthy baby. Dr. Lamal is the Director of Global Health and Research of the United Statesbased Starkey Hearing Foundation. The Foundation is one that helps to fight the challenge of hearing loss by providing hearing aids to those persons in need around the world. The company recently started to offer its service here too, through its collaboration with the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation and the Office of the First Lady, Ms. Sandra Granger. He, however, noted that there are a number of reasons that could lead to persons developing hearing loss. Among the common causes found in developing countries such as Guyana, according to Dr. Lawal, is otitis media. Otitis media is a middle ear infection which can be triggered by a number of different practices some of which could be cultural. “People sometimes insert different materials into their ears...they may put oil, they may put some object in them, and things like these can predispose them to ear infection,” Dr. Lawal explained. Given the circumstances that can lend to such issues Dr. Lawal said “definitely once you feel you have pain [in your ears] or you feel you have some kind of discharge [from them] you need to go see your doctor so that they can find a solution to the problem.”

Saturday April 01, 2017

Kaieteur News

Another problem amplified by Dr. Lawal that has been associated with hearing loss, is meningitis. According to research, certain infections can cause hearing loss at any age—and one of the most common culprits is bacterial meningitis. It is thought that over 30 percent of bacterial meningitis cases result in some degree of hearing lossfrom mild impairment to profound deafness. But Dr. Lawal has noted that among the other troubling causes of hearing loss is the fact that some children are hearing impaired from birth and sometimes it is linked to maternal diseases. “What happens is that some patients, their moms, suffer from maternal diseases like maternal rubella, maternal cytomegalovirus and other infections during pregnancy...So when you have these kind of infections in pregnancy and you don’t receive the normal antenatal care, then your children are predisposed to some conditions, including hearing loss,” Dr. Lawal said. For this reason, he noted that “we are advocating to the expectant mothers of Guyana, the young ladies of Guyana who are still of the age to give birth to always seek antenatal care to ensure that they get right antenatal care.” He continued by emphasizing that “The large population of low and middle income countries have patients that have hearing loss from lack of vaccination or lack of antenatal care.” Dr. Lawal earlier this week was part of a screening outreach that was designed to determine the level of hearing loss of patients. He, however, disclosed that sometimes the remedy to some patients’ hearing loss is simply cleaning the ears. “Sometimes once you clean your ears you find there is no need for hearing aids,” said Dr. Lawal.

COI to probe unnamed private vessel in Guyana’s waters Brigadier Retired Bruce Lovell has been sworn in as Chairman of a Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the circumstances surrounding the entry into, interception, detention and subsequent release of an unnamed private maritime vessel in Guyana’s

in as members on the COI. The COI will investigate the roles played by the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard in the detention and release of the vessel. According to the Terms

conduct of the operation to intercept, detain and search the said vessel; the ownership of the vessel, its capacity, capabilities and the identities of all persons who were onboard at the time of the operation; whether CANU had the authority to

charges are recommended to be made in relation to the reporting, investigation and prosecution of offences committed at sea and what measures, if any are required, for the prevention of the recurrence of seminal incidents.

From left: Assistant Commissioner of Police (Retd) Winston Cosbert, Christine Bailey, Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and Brigadier (Retd) Bruce Lovell at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts waters. The vessel was discovered in Guyana between February 11 and 14. The COI mandated by President David Granger will see a final report submitted to him on or before April 12. The Retired Brigadier took the oath before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan yesterday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Assistant Commissioner of Police (Retd) Winston Cosbert and Christine Bailey were sworn

of Reference, the COI will investigate, “The circumstances under which CANU received information, including the exact date and time of receipt of such information, that an unnamed maritime vessel entered into, was intercepted, detained and search.” “The instructions issued to the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard, CANU and the role of any foreign law enforcement agencies in the

order the release of the vessel and whether such an order was lawful and/or justifiable in the circumstances; whether there was any narcotic and/ or prohibited substances on the vessel immediately before it was intercepted and whether any narcotic and/or prohibited substance was remove before it was intercepted.” The Terms of Reference further outlined that the COI is also to determine whether

The COI will also report on whether changes are recommended to the organization, staffing and management of CANU and the blameworthiness of any person (s) who might have acted in a manner contrary to the laws of Guyana and recommend what disciplinary action (s) if any is to be taken against any official of Guyana who was deemed to have been culpable of any act, amongst others.

Govt. continues to rent costly bottom house drug bond The Government of Guyana continues to rent the controversial Sussex Street drug bond at the same steep price. However, sources at the Ministry of Public Health say that more drugs and medical supplies are being stored there. Last December, former Minister of Health, Dr. George Norton was able to prove that the bond was in use. However, mainly condoms, lubricants and umbilical cord clamps were being stored at the facility. Boxes upon boxes of lubricants were seen, along with several cartons of umbilical cord clamps. All boxes had delivery dates of August this year. That was in the upper flat. The lower flat stored several pieces of equipment along with several empty refrigerators. The Public Health Minis-

Dr. George Norton try, which is now being headed by Volda Lawrence, is claiming that the bond is in full use now. Officials say that a media visit is being planned for next week. The Sussex Street property owned by the Linden Holdings Company is being

rented at G$12.5 per month. Linden Holdings Company is owned by firearms dealer Lawrence Singh. A three-year contract has been signed for use of the facility which has not been certified for the storage of pharmaceuticals and medical sup-

plies in keeping with international standards set out by PAHO/WHO. Just about $25M was paid in rental and security deposit for the period July to August 2016 as provided for in the Supplementary Financial Paper No. 1 of 2016, yet as of August 8, the building was empty of any pharmaceuticals and medical supplies and was not in a position to store any medicines or any other medical supplies as was claimed. The drug bond fiasco has been one of the biggest scandals to hit the APNU+AFC coalition government so far. President David Granger had set up a Cabinet subcommittee to review the matter. This Committee recommended that Dr. Norton apologize to the Speaker, which he did. Government is still to prove a need for the bond.

Saturday April 01, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Leadership and the mess we are in Many theories are being bandied about as to why the government is stumbling from one controversy to the next. It seems that with each week that goes by, a new scandal breaks out. Recently, there was the small matter of the request for approval for a $605M procurement of drugs for the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, for which no commission of inquiry has been established. Then last week another controversy broke out over alleged comments made by the Attorney General in court. No commission of inquiry has been established. Then we read this week about a major problem with medicines on the Essequibo. What will next week bring? But before we get there, it was announced that the government has established a four-person Commission of

Inquiry into the alleged movement of a private vessel, some time ago, into Guyana’s waters. Why there is a need for a commission of inquiry into this incident and none into the $605M procurement at the GPHC or what happened recently in our courts, is anyone’s guess. Why is a four-person COI necessary for the boat incident is also anyone’s guess. People are asking why when there are matters involving government ministers, all we are hearing is that explanations are being sought. But when there are other issues we are reading about the police being called in and commissions of inquiry being established. And one train of thought is that this sort of double standard is what is responsible for there being a problem within the government every week. It is felt that if persons feel

they are likely to get off with a slap on the wrist rather than a serious probe, then this will encourage the sort of conduct which is now being witnessed within the government. But is leadership really the problem? There are some people who feel it is. They are of the view that if there was stronger leadership there would be fewer problems. They feel that if the President, in particular, had been firing more people, a lot less of what is happening would have been happening. The theory that firings would reduce the number of problems within the government is not borne out by the facts. In Trinidad and Tobago, the former Prime Minister of that country fired a lot of her ministers. But it did not send the sort of message that the pub-

Dem boys seh...

Jagdeo, Jordan and Basil get slap People mekking a big fuss about drug shortage in dem hospital. What dem ain’t realize is that from de doctors to de watchman thiefing. At de GPHC a nurse open a box wid some liquid drugs. Then she put de rest in de fridge. When she go back to get another one de box empty. Dem boys find out that de Minister send a supply of drugs to Suddie. De next day she send a team to de hospital. De team meet Suddie and de drugs ain’t meet yet. All over de place people thiefing medicine and dem boys now know that dem pharmacy don’t buy no drugs. De situation reach de stage when de porter ain’t got nutten to thief suh he charging people to see de doctor before dem who come early. A man had a bandage to change and a cast to set. De porter charge de man $400,000 to see de doctor on an earlier date. When de man tell him that he don’t have that kind of money, but that he can mek $100,000, de porter tell him to get wid de times because

is four doctors he got to pay. That is how far de corruption gone. And everybody know that corruption was rampant in Guyana. Dem boys had to wuk out a plan to get close to Jagdeo, Jordan and Basil de Willie because dem have more security than de Queen. Dem mek garland and all these people like garland around dem neck. Everybody see a man going up to Jagdeo wid de garland. De security step aside and Jagdeo bend he head. De man put de garland round he neck then dig one slap on him. When Jordan get he own he spin. De woman slap him because he pushing VAT all over de place. De lady seh wha he should push he not pushing. Basil de Willie pee on de spot from de shock of de slap wha he get fuh being arrogant. Poor Donald, he get he slap because he stupid. That is wha dem boys seh. Soulja Bai now telling he security that nobody must put garland round he neck. Talk half and watch de corruption.

lic had hoped it would have. In fact, she ended up being booted out of office. It does not mean that a strong case can be made out for condoning certain actions. What it does suggest is that simply firing people without examining how government can be made more efficient is not the answer to a crisis in governance. Nor can the problems in governance simply be solved by changing Ministers, as some critics of the government and even some supporters of the government are suggesting. The crisis in governance can only be solved if there is less government. The size of government is a problem. The number of agencies is far too many for such a small country. This makes the gov-

ernment unwieldy. It also creates problems for management. Ministers are spending too much time having to mop up problems within their Ministries rather than being in the fields pushing ahead with projects for the people. Too much time is being spent behind desks firefighting problems rather than fixing the problems in the wider society.

The Ministers are part of a system which needs to be dismantled and replaced with a smaller government. Unless this happens, it does not matter who is appointed a Minister, the problems will continue.

PAGE 10

Saturday April 01, 2017

Kaieteur News

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

I have “protected” former Chancellor Carl Singh all these years You put a footnote at the end of a column. In this case, I am breaking with tradition. This footnote doesn’t concern the main content of this article which is about the former Chancellor, Carl Singh. It is about blackouts. I started this article here at 1.30 pm on Thursday. I reached the second paragraph when blackouts came. On Friday morning, after jogging, I came home at 8.30 am to resume this column. As my hand touched the keyboard, blackouts came. This piece here was typed at 9 am Friday morning at Kaieteur News. This is my life in Guyana. Sorry for the long footnote. Now for the main content of the column. There is the inherent danger of friendship between political activists and judges. For this reason, all these decades when former Chancellor, Carl Singh sat in the judiciary, first as a High Court judge, then Chief Justice, then

Chancellor, I never wrote one word, much less a line, not even a paragraph to indicate that we are good friends. He has retired and I can take the liberty of saying that

Frederick Kissoon we have always been good friends. The danger lies on the part of the judge, not the political activist. His fellow judges and the power establishment can say that he has political sympathies, because look how close he is to one of the country’s

known radicals. It could affect the way the political establishment sees him. If he is a friend of mine, then he may be partial to me or my comrades if and when they appear in front of him. It could affect promotion by the Judicial Service Commission. That body may feel a judge with such close connections to anti-establishment personalities could do damage to the image of the judiciary. But there are other dimensions. The judges’ colleagues on the bench could be hostile or sympathetic. Given the wide implications of a judge being a close friend of a political activist, I chose not to even mention a word for these decades I have been a columnist. I never appeared in front of Carl when he was a High Court judge or Chief Justice or Chancellor. None of my friends did. I went in front of him when he was part of a threejudge panel in the Court of Appeal. I had taken the university to court for not bringing the law applicants to the full board of the Faculty of Social Sciences. I won that decision in front of Justice Winston

Moore, but for some inscrutable reason he awarded cost against me. I appealed. When the matter came up, the respondent had died, that is former head of the UG law department, Calvin Eversley. Carl and I entered UG at the same time to read for a degree in history. For the four years we were at UG, we attended the same courses and became very close. I will always remember Carl’s generosity. In those days, the State ran a special bus service to UG and for those four years that I was at UG, Carl bought my bus tickets on countless occasions to help me out. We have remained on very good terms since.

One of my best memories of Carl on the campus was when we attended the first class for West Indian history. I recall the image of the lecturer as I type here. He was tall of mixed race – Indian and African – and named Moore, with a doctorate in the subject. After saying good afternoon, he informed us that he doesn’t give ‘A’ grades. He said he came from a humble background where he had to fight for what he got and therefore people must not expect any generosity from him. He ended by saying he is going to be a hard marker. Carl and I led the way in denouncing him. We asked the Vice Chan-

cellor to remove him and that was done. I think Moore left UG shortly after. For all the years Carl and I have been friends, we never discussed my activism. He never talked about the politics of the government or the opposition, be it PPP or PNC. For all the years I have known him I have only asked for one favour, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the law. I was writing a book on Guyanese politics and I raised the question of him playing a part in financing the venture, since as a columnist it would be unprincipled to approach business people. I guess now that he is retired, he may write his book.

‘Granny’ gets bail over handyman shooting The 69-year-old granny who reportedly told police that she shot a hotel maintenance worker after she thought he was a bandit, was yesterday charged and released on bail. Leila Jagdeo, of Lot 3 Ogle, East Bank Demerara, was indicted for discharging a loaded firearm at Brandon Collins, a hotel maintenance worker at the Alpha Hotel, Ogle, East Coast Demerara. Jagdeo was released on $100,000 bail after an appearance before Magistrate Alisha George at the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Courts. The incident occurred at around 06:45hrs

on Thursday in the vicinity of the hotel. Collins, of Manchester Village, Corentyne, was reportedly shot while clearing vines from a fence that separates the Alpha Hotel from the woman’s property. It is alleged that Collins, who had a cutlass, had clambered onto the fence. The woman, who has a licenced firearm, ordered the man to climb down, then discharged a round, which struck Collins in the abdomen. The bullet is said to have passed through his body. Jagdeo was instructed to return to court on May 22.

Saturday April 01, 2017

AG’s courtroom outburst…

Judge should have held AG in contempt

By Brushell Blackman A former Chief Justice (CJ) is contending that Justice Franklin Holder did not exercise his authority in a manner that was befitting of a Judge and believes that Holder should have held the Attorney General (AG) Basil Williams in contempt of court for his ‘disrespectful’ behaviour in his courtroom. “He (Justice Holder) was not assertive enough in the way he dealt with the matter; he is in charge of that courtroom, not Mr. Williams”. The former CJ said that Justice Holder should have known the powers he could wield and should have taken the AG to task, and brought contempt charges against Williams in the courtroom at that time when he is alleged to have made the comment that he (Williams) can say what he wants, when he wants, because that’s how he is. The former Chief Justice said that if what is being reported is true, Williams was naughty and should have known better, and even if he is saying he was taken out of context, he should still apologize to the Judge. The former high ranking Judiciary official said that he is at a loss as to why Holder has written to the Chancellor, “Why is he (Holder) running to his colleagues for rescue”. The official said that it should not have gotten that far, and if the AG knew a potential stay at Camp Street was hanging over his head for contempt, Williams would have apologized in open court.

PAGE 11

Kaieteur News

- Former Chief Justice

Attorney General Basil Williams SC Addressing the matter of the explanation that the AG needs to provide to the President, the official said that the President should not have been brought into the matter in the first place. The official said that while Williams is a part of the Executive, he was not exercising that authority in court but rather, he was appearing as an attorney for the state. And it is for this reason the official has stated that the matter does not concern the head of State and he should have stayed far from the issue. According to the former CJ, the fact that Williams was not functioning in court as the

AG, the matter should have never engaged the attention of the President. “So if Mr. Williams has a quarrel on the street, he needs to explain his actions to Mr. Granger?” The official said that with the President asking for an explanation, it means that the AG needs to answer to his client, since he is representing the State in the Carvil Duncan case. The former CJ believes that such a position sends the wrong message. “It looks like everything they want the President to get involved in, and he should not have been involved in this matter at any point.”

Ministry probes openly corrupt practices at Regional Hospital By Brushell Blackman The Ministry of Public Health is now probing the activities at a Regional Hospital after a patient was allegedly asked to pay for services rendered at the government institution. This newspaper has learnt that sometime last week, a woman took a male relative to the medical institution after he had broken his leg somewhere in the interior. The woman said to her surprise she was told that in order for the relative to be seen in a timely manner, she needed to pay $400,000. The woman said that she told the individual (name given) that it was difficult for her to provide such a large sum, the official who works in the Orthopedic department of the hospital, suggested a lesser but still substantial sum. “He ask me if I can find $100,000 and I said that I’m a poor woman and me ent get dem money.” Wanting to ensure that her relative would receive the urgent medical care that was required, the woman told the hospital official that she was in possession of $40,000 at that time. The official indicated that the amount was insufficient, since the fee that she wanted to pay has to be divided between as many as four doctors. The woman also said that she gave the official $3,000 for x-ray services that were provided. The woman said she was informed that the relative needs a surgery performed on the broken leg based on the findings of the x-ray, but this could not be done anytime

…Doctors implicated soon unless the monies are paid. When the official who was fingered in the alleged skullduggery was contacted, he did admit to this newspaper that he collected the $3,000 from the woman. When asked why that was so, as the hospital is a government institution, the official said that it is a common practice that is ongoing at that particular institution. The official said that he did not ask the woman to pay any money, but he suggested that there is a particular doctor who is the ringleader in this ‘pay for service’ circle of operators. Further, it was disclosed that there exists a network of doctors who are extorting monies from patients with a promise of expeditious care. The official who is at the heart of the investigation said that the issue is now engaging the attention of the hos-

pital authorities and there will be a meeting with the medical supervisor on Monday. He claimed that he is being framed to take the fall for the corruption that is ongoing at the institution. The official said that he will await advice from his lawyer and at some point he will tell all that is going on at the hospital. He has indicated that the malfeasance there is widespread. When contacted, an official at the Ministry of Public Health confirmed that they were told about the same situation and the Ministry has launched an investigation into the operations of the hospital.

PAGE 12

Saturday April 01, 2017

Kaieteur News

Magistrate to proceed with Westford trial …as High Court quashes Constitutional Motion filed by lawyers

Dr. Jennifer Westford A Constitutional Motion filed by the attorneys of Dr. Jennifer Westford and Margaret Cummings, to prevent a Magistrate from hearing the matter for which the women are accused of attempting to transfer eight state vehicles and forging documents for the purchase of the vehicles, has been thrown out by the High Court. As a result, City Magistrate Fabayo Azore will be proceeding with trial of Dr. Westford and Cummings, even though their lawyers have appealed the High Court ruling. The appeal is still ongoing. The matter was called yesterday before Magistrate Azore who instructed Police Prosecutor Bharat Mangru to serve the defence with all exhibits in the matters. This will be done on April 10, when a date for commencement of trial will be set. Dr. Westford, former Minister of Public Service and Cummings, former Senior Personnel Officer at the same ministry were charged and subsequently released on $800,000 and $1.2M bail respectively. Westford is currently facing four charges of

Margaret Cummings

attempted larceny in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. The charges allege that between July 17, 2014 and June 23, 2015, she attempted to transfer eight state vehicles to four persons. Cummings was also slapped with four counts of forgery. Cummings is alleged to have forged documents for the purchase of the eight motor vehicles. Minister of State Joseph Harmon, had told the media that it was brought to his attention that some documents were sent to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), purportedly signed by then Permanent Secretary of the Public Service Ministry, Hydar Ally. This was done under Ally’s letterhead, but signed by someone else. “He had no knowledge of this transaction,” Minister Harmon had stressed. It was Ally who directed Harmon to the discrepancy in the paperwork forwarded to GRA for the transfer of eight vehicles. In light of the overwhelming evidence, the vehicles were returned to the government.

Attorney Neil Boston, sometime last year had made an application before Magistrate Azore, citing that executive abuse had occurred and that the matter should engage the attention of the High Court. During his submissions, Boston had argued that Minister Harmon had publicly announced an amnesty in relation to the return of the vehicles. According to Boston, all the vehicles were returned and his clients were still criminally charged. The Lawyer had reminded the court that Harmon said, “They can quietly bring them (state assets) back to the Ministry, in which they came from or to the Office of the President. They can park them outside the gate…” However, Magistrate Azore had ruled that the statement made by Harmon was ambiguous, meaning that it is open to many interpretations. Magistrate Azore had stated that the court is not sure of what the minister said amounts to an amnesty or pardon. On this notion, Magistrate Azore had also indicated that she was not sure why the defence is stating that an amnesty was granted. She then informed a team of high-powered attorneys appearing for Westford and Cummings, that unless they wished to file any application in the High Court, she was prepared to begin trial. It was in September 2016, that the defendants’ lawyers filed a constitutional motion in the High Court before former Chief Justice (ag) Yonette Cummings-Edwards. While the lawyers were waiting for the matter to be called up in the High Court, Magistrate Azore granted a six-month adjournment in the matter.

Saturday April 01, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Bomb near mosque in northwest South Carolina church gunman to plead guilty to state murder charges Pakistan kills at least 22, wounds dozens

Police lead suspected shooter Dylann Roof into the courthouse in Shelby, North Carolina, U.S Dylann Roof, convicted and sentenced to death in federal court for the 2015 massacre at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, will plead guilty to separate state murder charges, the prosecutor handling the case said on Friday. Roof, a white supremacist, is charged with killing nine African-American parishioners on June 17, 2015, during

a Bible study meeting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. The hatefueled shooting of the churchgoers as they closed their eyes to pray stunned the country. As part of a plea agreement, Roof will be sentenced to life in prison and forgo a state trial, Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said by phone. State prosecutors also had been

pursuing the death penalty but that will be taken off the table. He is due to enter his plea on April 10. Roof, 22, was sentenced to death in January after a federal court trial that ended with jurors finding him guilty of 33 charges, including hate crimes resulting in death. Wilson declined to discuss with Reuters why state prosecutors opted for the plea agreement. But she told the Post and Courier newspaper in Charleston that “the goal is to get him into federal custody so their sentence can be imposed.” The Reverend Anthony Thompson, whose wife Myra was slain by Roof, endured weeks of graphic crime scene evidence and wrenching testimony during the federal trial. He said on Friday he was grateful to be spared another. “The federal trial was very satisfactory for me,” Thompson said in a phone interview. “I’m not dealing with this anymore. I’m not concerned with Dylann Roof. I’m praying for him and that is it.”

Paraguay congress set on fire amid presidential controversy Protesters set the legislature on fire

Demonstrators in Paraguay have set fire to the country’s Congress amid violent protests against a bill that would let the president seek re-election. Protesters stormed the legislature, breaking windows and fences. The country’s 1992 constitution, introduced after 35 years of dictatorship, strictly limits the president to a single five-year term. But sitting President Horactio Cartes is attempting to remove the restriction and run for re-election. Protesters were photo-

graphed setting fire to barricades in the streets of Asuncion, near the congress building, on Friday night. The AFP news agency said t h e p r o t e s t e r s h a d managed to break into the building and “ransacked” the offices of those who backed the bill, setting several fires. Police used rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse the crowd. Earlier, the crowd took to the streets following a private meeting of senators, which approved a bill to amend the constitution.

The bill must also be approved by the other house of parliament - the chamber of deputies - where President Cartes’ party holds a majority. The chamber’s president, Hugo Velázquez, told ABC Color (in Spanish) that the sitting planned for the following morning would no longer take place and no decision would be made on Saturday. He urged people to stay calm. Opponents say the bill will weaken the country’s democratic institutions.

Residents gather near a damaged shop in a market after a blast in Parachinar, Pakistan. A bomb apparently targeting a mosque in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Parachinar killed at least 22 people on Friday and wounded dozens in an attack claimed by the Pakistani Taliban. The explosion in a remote area bordering Afghanistan came as people gathered for Friday prayers near the women’s entrance of a Shia mosque in the central bazaar, the latest in a series of attacks across Sunni-majority Pakistan this

year. The local political agent, Ikramullah Khan, said the death toll had reached 22, with 70 wounded. Sajid Hussain, a parliamentarian from Parachinar, said gunfire preceded the blast, which he described as a suicide attack. The city is located in an area with a large Shia population. “The attack took place in a busy area and a women’s mosque appears to be the target,” he said.

The b a n n e d I s l a m i s t militant group Tehrik-iTaliban Pakistan (TTP), often referred to as the Pakistani Taliban, said the blast was part of its operation Ghazi, named after a radical Islamist leader killed by Pakistani security forces in 2007. Following a string of earlier incidents this year, the latest attack adds to fears of an increase in sectarian violence in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed state of some 200 million people.

PAGE 22

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Saturday April 01, 2017

Kaieteur News

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Cleaners, water truck driver $30,000 weekly, to work on W.C.D. Call: 684-8231

For factory or bond, Eccles Industrial Site E.B.D. Call: 609-7675/674-1705/ 233-2614

Fully Setup taxi service with 16 Radio sets, location Sherriff Street. S e r i o u s i n q u i r y o n l y. Call:695-0704 Kobelco 210, Perkins 4 CYL, Yangdong 4CYL, Miller Welder, HondaATV, asking -$18,000,000. Call: 651-4699/ 677-8104 One Ford Van E350, one Toyota Tundra, One Caterpillar back hoe 4x4, one bobcat Tel: 660-2212 1 Twin Steer Leyland DAF dump truck, GMM6584 & four flat beds Leyland DAF lorries. Call: 649-8449 Design & Make Aluminum windows, doors, stainless rails, showcases, rolling shutters, make & install automatic doors. Call: 2336818/677-5599/659-9999 1 Big music set for sale, owner migrating - urgent sale price $350,000- Call: 690-5225 Spare for washing machine, microwaves, fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, motors, etc. Call:225-9032;647-2943;604-5198 1 Double twin steer Atkinson Truck. Call: 684-2708 Complete game shop equipment. Call Leon: 2318424 or 610-0808

Driver needed (stick gear) to operate smoothie business. Be your own boss, fixed location, preferably someone EBD- call: 628-1479 1 Cook to work in the Interior -$100,000 monthly worker for land dredge. Call: 694-2310 between 8:00am -5:00pm We buy land in La Parfaite Harmonie, Eccles, Herstelling, Farm, Covent Garden, Zeelugt, Bartica. Call: 2333006/658-5897/651-1969

CAR RENTAL

SALON

1 Accounts Clerk, preferably from E.B.D – 5 subjects CXC minimum @ gtcareers592@gmail.com Straight stitch/over edge machine operators/labourer. Call: 222-2541 8:00am-4:00pm (Mon-Fri) VEHICLE FOR SALE Toyota Vigo pickup -$3.5M and Nissan Pathfinder Jeep -$1.5M negotiable. Call: 609-7766/ 225-8427 (must be sold)

House & Land available for sale. Contact Pacific Development Inc @ Lot 3 Church Street, G/Town. Call: 223-6035/227-8274 Tuschen: 2 storey building, 2031 ft2 - $9.8M Negotiable. Tel: 231-9690 (During working hrs). Parfaite Harmonie: 2 storey building, 1245 ft2 - $9M Negotiable. Tel: 231-9690 (During working hrs). Tain, Corentyne: 2 storey building 3309 ft2 - $8M Negotiable. Tel: 231-9690 (During working hours). House and land for sale block ‘12’ Non Pariel, East Coast Demerara. (no agents) Call: 227-3961/ 270-5302 House for sale 2482 North Ruimveldt, 2 flat, no flooding , 6 feet fence, in secure area. Price $21M negotiable. Call: 233-5400/ 618-0595 3 Bedrooms house located in East La Penitence, price $11.5M negotiable. Call: 6456498 2 Storey house 35X45 3 bedrooms, 1 self-contained @ 5th Avenue Diamond, H/ Scheme. Call:677-0583/6645052 Goat Creek, Riverfront , 75 Acres land -$7M, Lanaballi River Front, 50 Acres -$9M. Diamond -$7.5M Call: 6880087 Riviera Island: 145 Acres $30M, Tuschen property $5.8M, $6M, $15M. Call: 6880087 Tuschen 5,8,6,2 bedrooms; Hope- 2 bedrooms $7.8M, Hague Jibb property 300X75 -$15M Call: 688-0087

VEHICLE FOR SALE 1-Leyland DAF GRR Series; excellent condition. Call: 6804101 Dwayne Stephen Auto Sales! New Shipment of Vehicle: Rush, Blue Bird, Note, Axio, Allion. Call: 6652330/ 648-6869 Not working Vehicles: 1 Surf, 2 Pathfinders, 1 Bobcat, 3 Toyota Cars, 1 Canter, 1 Fiber glass boat. Call: 227-4377/ 624-6013 Allion, Primo, Fielder Wagon, Spacio, Bluebird, 212 Carina, NZE, Honda CRV, Toyota IST, RZ & Pit-bull – Call: 650-7501 Toyota Raum, PLL Series, Rims, Alarm. Call: 666-7439/ 628-1450

FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620

Melani 2 bedrooms - $10M, Tuschen $11.5M & $25M, Canal #2 (15 acres) -$9M. Call: 688-0087 Property @ 87E, Albert Street, Alberttown, front lot, size 80X20 price $35Million. Call: 669-8701

Lot 14 Croal & Longden Street: 4 Storey building (infront Demico). Call: 6631876 Vreed-en-Hoop Junction: office, storage bond, lesson place, church -$20,000 per month. Call: 603-6400 2 Bedroom Executive furnished Apartment in residential Area, close to Ogle Airport with all modern amenities.Call:622-5725/6641070

FOR SALE/RENT Large 3 bedrooms house for rent/sale, 3 bedroom on First Floor, W.B.D @ La Parfaite Harmonie. Call: 690-5061 Continued on page 23

Saturday April 01, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Lending to private enterprises declined in 2016 According to the Monthly Economic Bulletin for November 2016, lending of finances to private business enterprises accounts for three-quarters of all lending in Guyana. When compared with a year ago, lending to private businesses is down in every sector except the services sector, with a growth rate of 6.2 per cent. The report which is prepared by the Economic Policy Analysis Unit (EPAU) of the Office of the Budget, Ministry of Finance, gives a monthly update on some of the important developments in Guyana’s economy. Based on information provided by the Ministry, in 2016, private credit to private business in sectors such as Mining and Quarrying, Agriculture and Manufacturing had declined each month as the year progressed. However, loans to the services sector had started at a low but grew over the year, totalling more

than $120B at the end of the year. The services sector includes areas such as transportation, storage, communication, information, distribution, health, education, electricity, water and real estate; most of which largely comes under the purview of government. This reduction throughout 2016 may be seen as an indicator of the country’s private sector performance. For the greater part of last year it was said on many occasions, by businesses and members of the Political Opposition, that business is either slow or declining. Earlier this year, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Citizens Bank, Clifford Reis had said at the Bank’s Annual General Meeting that the lacklustre performance of the entity was due to the sluggish performance of the economy. The bank had recorded a profit of $0.8B before taxation

and after taxation, a profit of $0.5B. Reis said that the bank’s performance reflects a slowdown in the economy due to underperformance by many major productive sectors, with many borrowers encountering difficulties in meeting their obligations to financial institutions with a resultant increase in non-performing assets. He said, “The bank’s loan portfolio remains relatively sound. However, the difficulties experienced by our customers because of a decline in business activities during the review period, has impacted the performance of our overall portfolio.” The report produced by the Finance Ministry said domestic lending grew moderately in November, rising by 1.9 per cent to $137B in November from $134B in October 2016. Credit which would have been given to the government

had decreased to $137M in November from $161M in October. Also, credit to public enterprises fell slightly by 1.1 per cent, moving from $1.9B in October to $1.8B in November. Placing attention on lending to households, the report said that lending was up in every sector except loans for motor cars which declined by 3.7 per cent. However, lending generally grew 3.2 per cent at the end of November compared with October and 8.0 per cent higher than November 2015. It said that lending to households for educational purposes remained especially strong at 46.9 per cent above its level a year ago. Within the manufacturing sector, lending to the beverages, food and tobacco industry had experienced a slight growth in November, rising 23.9 per cent when compared to growth as of October of that year.

Training commences to assist police prosecutors in detecting TIP cases

The Ministry of Public Security in collaboration with the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has embarked on a training exercise for police prosecutors on the issue of trafficking in persons (TIP). The exercise commences today at the Guyana Police Force (GPF)’s Training College, with the aim of raising awareness of TIP issues and to assist police prosecutors in detecting these cases. Those who are expected to speak at the event include Force Training Officer, Paul Williams; Ministry of Public Security Task Force Coordinator (ag) Oliver Profitt; Head of the Major Crimes Unit, Mitchell Caesar; Probation and Social Services Officer,

Denise Ralph; Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Diana O’Brien and Immigration Officers who received INTERPOL training. At the commencement of the programme, the police prosecutors will be given a brief introduction and the role and responsibility of the Ministerial Task Force on TIP. The GPF’s role in combating TIP will be highlighted and attendees will be given tips in identifying victims and what assistance is required when they are in contact with these victims. Kaieteur News was informed that the prosecutors will be enlightened about the services available for TIP victims so that when faced with

E-Govt. Agency, Nat'l... From page 20 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) and other local examinations overseen by the Ministry of Education. The unit has conducted training programmes for system analysts, design and analysis and computer programming. “In the days we were doing those things, other people were not doing them so the government agencies and ministries were able to receive training. I think we have been useful to the government agencies that needed work done for them in that area,” Mr. Proctor said. The e-Government Agency has also had a packed mandate since its establishment in 2010. Within the last

year the agency completed several ICT- related projects, including the installation of an e-government network which spans from Charity in the Pomeroon-Supenaam Region (Region Two) to Skeldon in the East Berbice-Corentyne Region (Region Six), the provision of internet access and network connectivity for schools and technical and vocational institutions through its Improving Digital Equity, Access and Learning (IDEAL) Programme, the distribution of laptops to teachers across the country through the President's One Laptop per Teacher (OLPT) initiative and the establishment of 51 Community ICT Hubs which enable outlying communities free high speed internet access.

these cases, they will know how to guide and advise victims. Only recently the Ministry of Social Protection said that it is seeing an increase in the number of reported TIP cases being made to the GPF, and this is as a result of the sensitization and continuous education programmes being placed on the issue. It was revealed that in 2014 there were 40 identified victims, 59 the following year, and 98 in 2016. It is believed that these cases are being reported to the police, mainly because of the heightened awareness and education campaign by the government. Over the years, government has demonstrated its commitment to counter trafficking in human beings as well as the smuggling of migrants through the adoption and implementation of

legislation and international treaties relevant to human rights and the movement of persons across borders. In 2005, Guyana passed the Combating of Trafficking in Person Act in the National Assembly which is in line with the Protocol to prevent, suppress and punish persons caught engaging in trafficking human beings. It defines trafficking in persons as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons by means of threat or use of force or other means of coercion, or by abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or a position of vulnerability, or by the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.”

From page 22

PEN PAL Caring female for a mature gentleman, age 37-55. Contact Mr. Other, Heskey Mount, 9296 Lord Street, PR8 1JR, England. Indian Male seeks female age 27/34 write to M.D 7475 Goreway DR #47Mississauga on L4T 3T3, Canada.

VACANCY Cook/Baker and Kitchen Assistant for interior location. Applicants must be experienced, for details call: 618-2020 One experienced female Accounts Clerk- apply in person to Alabama Trading, 66 Robb Street Bourda.

FOR RENT Upper flat for rent 3 bedrooms in Atlantic Gardens- Call: 2274377/227-0613/624-6013 1-2 Bedroom house in Lamaha Gardens $1000US monthly. 1-2 bedrooms apartment @ Lyng Street Charlestown -$50,000 monthly. Call: 231-4681/6945000 Sisher Realtors: if you want to sell, buy or rent. Contact us: 694-5000/231-4681 Bedroom apartment for rent (working couple). Call: 6642861

Tutor/Nanny with computer knowledge – apply to Alabama Trading, 66 Robb Street Bourda. Accounts Clerk for Eccles, Industrial Site area knowledge of NIS, PAYE, VAT, QuickBooks. Call: 6144358 Experienced Waiters/ Waitresses, apply to: Manager, Herdmanston Lodge, Queenstown. Apply before 5th April, 2017. One salon assistant must know to cornrow. Call: 6222643/ 225-8701 Outdoor Salesman/Driver, Salesgirls, general domestic. Apply at R.Sookraj & Son’s, 108 Regent Street Georgetown. Looking for experienced all round IT specialist. Send CV t o jobs@expresstruckingcorp.com or call 227-6025. Wood mizer & moulder operator, timber grant manager at least 5yrs experienced. Call: 609-7675/ 674-1705/ 233-2614 Office Clerk (senior/junior) with CXC English/ Mathematics, computer knowledge an asset. Call: 223-7500 Live in or live out babysitter/ domestic –Call: 223-7500. Monday-Saturday 8:154:15pm

PROPERTY FOR SALE 2 bedroom luxury house at madewini villas, open plan kitchen & garage. Price negotiable. call 647-1773.

PAGE 24

HAITI-CRIME-Haitians scammed in US visa scheme PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – Several Haitian nationals have lost hundreds of dollars after they were scammed into believing that they would be receiving United States visas for a training programme or scholarships, the National Police of Haiti (PNH) said Friday. It said in collaboration with the US Embassy here, they have been able to remove profiles from the social media platform, Facebook, that had been used to impersonate the US Embassy here. The fraudulent profiles, which included “Ambassy usa in haiti” and “Ambassade des Etats unis en Haiti port au prince,” advertised fake visa programmes and applicants were directed to several telephone numbers where they thought they were in contact

with Embassy officials. “These profiles were fraudulent and several dozen Haitian citizens lost hundreds of dollars each by transferring money to bank accounts in the scam, lured with the promise that their visas would be automatically approved for a training program or scholarship opportunity.” In a statement, the US Embassy said it wanted to remind visa applicants that U.S. visa fees in Haiti are never paid by Western Union or bank transfer, adding the only way to pay for a non-immigrant visa is directly at a participating branch of Sogexpress.The Embassy said that it also never uses WhatsApp to communicate with visa applicants and that “interviews are never conducted over the phone and

consular staff cannot promise issuance of a visa before an in-person visa interview”. It said that the best place for information on the visa process is at the website, h t t p : / / www.ustraveldocs.com/ht and that “this site and this site alone provides the authoritative information on making an appointment and paying the application fee. Applicants should only rely on this website for official information about the visa application process,” the US Embassy said, adding that it “works every day to fight visa scams that target Haitian citizens. “If you receive a call from a possible visa scammer, never send money. Instead, please contact the U.S. Embassy immediately at : papfraud@state.gov”.

IDB says economic outlook for Latin America and Caribbean showing signs of improvement ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, CMC – The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Friday said the economic outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean is improving, driven by a stronger global economy, improved fiscal positions and lower inflationary pressures.The IDB made the disclosure in its 2017 Macroeconomic Report, the first part, titled “Routes to Growth in a New Trade World” has been released on the side-lines of the bank’s annual meeting underway here. The second part, on regional integration, will be unveiled Sunday, April 2. “Since our report last year there have been several positive developments as the region shifts to a pattern of better policies,” said IDB Chief Economist José Juan Ruiz.

“Tax reform efforts in some countries have been successful in achieving more equity while improving efficiency. Monetary policies in larger economies have kept inflation in check and we estimate the external adjustment process is close to completion in most countries.” However, the combination of potential negative United States trade and financial shocks, even with the US economy growing, could trim a full 0.4 per cent from the region’s projected two per cent annual growth rate for the 2017-2019 period, the IDB warned. The report uses the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) three-year projections as a baseline and then estimates how external impacts could add or subtract to the region’s growth.

The IDB said that an examination of the fiscal budgets of 22 countries estimates a primary fiscal deficit of 0.8 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) for the region, though there the reality varies from one country to another. “The region is turning the corner after suffering negative growth in the last two years” said Andrew Powell, the report’s coordinator and the senior economic advisor of the IDB. “While Latin America and the Caribbean is on surer footing than it was a year ago, going forward it faces big challenges to bring the kind of growth its citizens demand. This will require a continued focus on reforms to improve productivity and a deepening of regional trade integration,” he added.

Central Govt. hopes City Council... From page 7 other violations of the city’s by-laws including building violations, noise pollution and other breaches of the municipal and local governance. Earlier this month, the Cabinet of Ministers suspended the parking meter project for a period of 90 days

Saturday April 01, 2017

Kaieteur News

due to the exorbitant fees and lack of transparency surrounding the contract between Smart City Solutions and the Council that had led to members of the public requesting the revocation of the project. During a recent post-Cabinet media briefing, Minister of State Joseph Harmon had

said there were other concerns raised by Cabinet pertaining to the cost of parking in the jurisdiction of Georgetown, the provision for the parking of police, army and fire service vehicles and ambulances, the financial arrangement of the project and the need for greater involvement of stakeholders in the process. The project has led to weekly protest and social media backlash for both City Council and the administration.

Attorney threatens legal action following death of soldier PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – A criminal defence lawyer on Friday threatened to take legal action if the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) does not investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Warrant Officer Omar Samaroo, who will be buried here today. Attorney Wayne Sturge has written to the Chief of Defense, Brigadier General Rodney Smart, indicating that that Samaroo’s death was suspicious, based on his injuries and how he was found. Samaroo died on Tuesday night, hours after he was found in a slumped position in a dormitory at a camp, east of here. He was treated by medics at the base before being transferred to the Arima Health Facility and the Mt Hope Medical Sciences Complex. Sturge said a post mortem report indicated that Samaroo died from a gunshot wound to the head and that he had also sustained a number of broken ribs. Sturge, who is also an opposition legislator, said that the public and Samaroo’s family have a right to know the circumstances under which he died and if there was an “wrongdoing” in relation to his death. “There should be an effective official investigation when individuals such as officer Samaroo have lost their lives in suspicious circumstances while on duty as a servant and or agent of the State. This officer lost his life while on duty at an army base under your command,’ Sturge

Wayne Sturge wrote in the letter that was also copied to the Attorney General Faris Al Rawi and the Minister of National Security, retired Major General Edmund Dillon. He said that the issue Is a matter of “great public importance” that the requires “expeditious action” on the part of the State and warned that “should there be no action on the part of t h e D e f e n s e Force and the State in this matter I hereby formally give notice that I shall be challenging the failure of the State to initiate a proper investigation in accordance with my request herein in the High Court in the public interest. “I wish to emphasize that the request for the investigation into the death of this officer is not one which ought to be triggered by anyone but one which should have been commenced forthwith by the State in the fulfillment of it substantive and procedural

constitutional obligation to the deceased officer.” Meanwhile, the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment (TTR) has condemned statements posted on social media seeking to link the officer’s death to an on-going investigation by the TTR. In a statement Thursday, acting Commanding Officer Colonel Dexter Francis said he was condemning “the false allegations of involvement by Warrant Officer Class 2 Omar Samaroo in an ongoing high-profile case or being a member of a board of enquiry assembled to carry out any investigation of that nature”. Francis did not specify what these rumours were not did he provide details of the “high-profile case,” but stated that “these inaccuracies are having the effect of unfairly tarnishing the image of WO2 Samaroo and the Regiment by extension.

US announces expansion of programme to deport Caribbean immigrants WASHINGTON, CMC – The United States has announced the expansion and modernization of a programme to deport immigrants, including Caribbean nationals, in federal correctional facilities. The move comes even as legislators and immigrant advocacy groups express outrage over the Donald Trump administration’s immigration policies. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) said the Institutional Hearing Programme (IHP) identifies removable criminal immigrants who are inmates in federal correctional facilities. IHP provides in-person

and video teleconference (VTC) immigration removal proceedings, and removes the immigrant on completion of sentence, rather than releasing the immigrant to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility or into the community for adjudication of status, the DOJ said. “Bringing an Immigration Judge to the inmate for a determination of removability, rather than vice versa, saves time and resources and speeds hearings,” the DOJ said, stating that the programme is coordinated by its Executive Office for Immigration Review

(EOIR), the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and ICE. The DOJ said the expansion and modernization of the IHP programme will occur in three ways and that these improvements will speed the process of deporting incarcerated criminal aliens and will reduce costs to taxpayers. One of Trump’s first executive orders promised a weekly recounting of the crimes committed by undocumented Caribbean and other immigrants and a list of the recalcitrant local law enforcement departments that failed to turn those people over to US federal officials.

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Saturday April 01, 2017

Saturday April 01, 2017

Stuttering Windies making improvements, assures Law PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC — West Indies head coach Stuart Law said Thursday there was no need to push the panic button, after the regional side crashed to a second straight defeat to Pakistan in the fourmatch series at Queen’s Park Oval. In fact, the Australian is convinced that West Indies have made some “massive” strides in some areas since their opening loss in Barbados last Sunday, and believes they can force their way back into the series. “We are slowly improving. I think we played a better game of cricket today. The way we bowled and fielded was a massive improvement,” Law told reporters.

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“Marlon Samuels was outstanding Chadwick Walton at the top was pretty good as well. We just needed a bit of a hand towards the back end of the innings to stick with Marlon (Samuels) and then to finish the job off but Carlos (Brathwaite), Jason (Holder) and Sunil Narine nearly pulled off a victory.” He added: “I think we are clicking. We are getting better, we’ve gelled really well as a team over the last couple of days so … I think we just have to start playing better cricket. “There are glimpses of talent, we just need to have that for a lot longer. Our bowling has been excellent the last couple of games, our catching has been outstanding — a few mistakes in our ground-

fielding — but our batting is where we need to have a look.” Chasing a modest 132, West Indies declined from a strong position of 60 for one to end three runs short on 129 for eight off their 20 overs. Veteran stroke-maker Samuels shone with an attractive 35-ball 44 while Holder hit an unbeaten 26 from 17 balls at number eight, but no other batsman really got among the runs. The story was similar in the opening T20 International when captain Brathwaite was the only one to pass 20 with an unbeaten 34, in the Windies’ paltry 111 batting first. Law identified the failing batting as the crux of the prob-

Saturday April 01 , 2017 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Deception regarding joint finances or investments will cause upsets between family members. You must make sure that all your personal documents are in order. Do not borrow or lend money or belongings to friends or relatives if you wish to avoid any hassles. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Your unique approach to life will interest others. Residential moves look hectic and sudden changes in your life are likely. You will have to be careful not to fall into traps set by jealous colleagues. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Expect your workload to be heavy. If you are in the midst of a financial deal, this is your lucky day. Red tape could be impossible to clear up today. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Travel could be in order. Your health may have suffered due to neglect or abuse. Don't go hog wild when it comes to entertainment or you could find yourself short of funds at the end of the month. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Love and romance are evident. You might find group functions tiring. You'll find you're detail oriented today. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You will impress others with your initiative and ability to accomplish while on short business trips. New hair, new outfit, new you. Don't rely on others to handle the workload.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Don't be too open or put your faith in unreliable coworkers. Feeling under the weather may be a result of overindulgence. Organize your day well if you wish to accomplish all you set out to do. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Depression may result if you don't get to do things your own way. You need to spend some time getting to know this person all over again. Sooner or later your partner will have had enough. SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) Your partner may be reluctant to tell you how they feel. A new relationship can be yours if you get out with friends. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Overindulgence could lead to problems with digestion. You need to fulfill your needs and present your talents. Take time to find out if anyone has a better suggestion before you make arrangements for the whole family. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Real estate and joint financial ventures will be profitable. Take time to do something nice for yourself. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Your hypnotic eyes will capture the hearts of those who interest you. Don't let your emotional partner upset you today. Confusion could result when communicating with others.

lem. “Apart from Marlon, no one has really got in and got the scores,” he lamented. “We’ve got a couple of starts but we just need someone to go on and I think it’s getting better. Fingers crossed, on Saturday we turn up and play a proper game of cricket.” The defeat left the reigning T20 champions with a fivegame losing skid, dating back to last September in the United Arab Emirates when they suffered a 3-0 whitewash at the hands of Pakistan. But Law, who took over earlier this month for the oneday series against England which the Windies also lost 3-0, said while there was no immediate plans to make changes to the squad, some would be made if they were thought necessary. “It [defeat] is pretty new at this stage so we just want to take the emotion out of it tonight, get up with a clear head tomorrow morning and start thinking about it,” he noted. “But we have talked about it over the last couple of days regarding changes if necessary. You have to be ahead of the game at times. You never know, a player could get injured but that’s nothing we’re going to discuss tonight but tomorrow we’ll sit down and have a real good think.”

Federer makes... (From page 26) 3-1 in the second set, and wound up breaking Williams five times - in a staggering 17 chances. Williams was bidding for her fourth Key Biscayne title, the last of which came 16 years ago. ‘’I’m going to have a tough battle on my hands,’’ said Konta, is assured of returning to the top 10 in the world rankings regardless of today’s result. ‘’Caroline, she makes you work for every single point.’’

MYO/Trophy Stall Inter- Jamaat 7-a-side Tapeball on tomorrow The Muslim Youth Organisation (MYO) of Guyana seven-a-side six overs Inter-Jamaat Tapeball round robin cricket competition sponsored by Trophy Stall will commence on tom o r r o w a t t h e M . Y. O . ground, Woolford Avenue, Thomas Lands, Georgetown. The MYO will be holding its annual Bar-B-que and sweet meat sale tomorrow and

tickets cost $1,000. The fixtures for tomorrow reads; Farm vs Grove A (10:30hrs), Grove B vs Queenstown A (11:00hrs), Grove A vs Queenstown B (11:30hrs), Qeenstown A vs Grove B (12:00hrs), Queenstown B vs Farnum A (12:30hrs), Farnum B vs Cardinals (13:00hrs), Farnum A vs Cardinals (13:30hrs) and Farnum A vs Farnum B (14:00hrs).

Wins for New Amsterdam... (From page 28) in control from the start as he got off the mark with a boundary the first ball he faced as he went on to clubber 9x6 and 10x4. Supporting Glasgow in their run feast were Wazin Inshan 65, Deonauth Persaud 56(1x6, 8x4), Faraz Gafoor 47 (6x4) and Windel Fordyce 31(4x4). Bowling for the Upper Corentyne, Khemraj Dhoop took two wickets, while there was each for Vinard Kumar, Kevin Latiff and Mahndra Nandu. In their reply, faced with

the daunting total before them, the Upper Corentyne lads were bowled out for 179 with Brandon Mangal 69 (9x4), Nandu 19 and Kevin Hooper 15 were the other batsmen to reach double figure. There were 44 extras in the innings. Bowling for West Berbice, Glasgow returned with the ball to snare 3 wickets, while Navendra Prashad also captured 3 with Nigel Deodat 2 and Chris Harry 1. The competition is expected to continue tomorrow. (Samuel Whyte)

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Saturday April 01, 2017

Police forms new youth and sports club at Felix Austin Training College in Berbice

The youths posing with ASP Antonio Fredericks and some other ranks after a day training at the FA PTC at Adventure Corentyne Berbice. The Police in B Division, Berbice under the command of Assistant Commissioner Ian Amsterdam have been doing a lot to set the image of the force better and do things differently to enhance the work of the police in the division, especially in their community relationship. The efforts are part of the police social crime prevention programme in an effort to get persons, especially youths, involved

in a positive live style. Recently another youth and sports club was formed to compliment those that have been previously formed across the County. The latest club was formed at the Felix Austin Police Training College at Adventure, Corentyne Berbice. This new club, known as the FAPC B Youth Group, caters for youths from villages such as Kildonan, Phillipi and

Limlair areas. According to Assistant Superintendent Antonio Fredericks, Officer in charge of the FAPTC, the initiative was taken to engage the youths and form them into a youth club because it was observed that the police weren’t really engaging the youth from the area. It was also observed that many of the youths in the respective villages have talent and needs guidance and with the

FAPTC right nearby it was a good opportunity to make use of those talents. It was observed that engaging the youths will help to build community relations. The youths range from ages 7-17 and an average 20 persons have joined so far. Official meeting days are Saturdays at the FAPTC, Adventure beginning from 15:00 hrs. According to Fredericks,

the youths will be involved in a variety of activities that will help to tap their talent and enhance their skills including sports. They will also have the opportunity to attend all classes being offered at the College. At the latest session, according to Fredericks, the youth were spoken to on drugs, crime and education. A number of sports gear and educational materials

will be donated to the youths by the police including cricket, football volleyball and indoor games. Officer in charge of the Police No 2 Sub Division Superintendent Kurleigh Simon and B Division Community Relation Officer Assistant Superintendent Keith Williams were among others instrumental in the formation of the group. (Samuel Whyte)

GOA/Olympic Solidarity conduct successful Sports Admin. Course in Bartica The Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) in conjunction with Olympic Solidarity, the training arm of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has seen the increase in the number of certified nationally trained Sports Administrators. This number has grown through the certification of some 28 Administrators last Sunday, at the Bartica Learning Resource Centre Region 7. The course brought to three (3) the number of Olympic Solidarity training programmes which have been held outside of Georgetown for Sports Leaders in Guyana. The first two (2) courses were held in Berbice (New Amsterdam) in 2007 and Linden (Mackenzie) in 2009. The Participants this year were drawn from all across Region Seven including such areas as Paruima, Jawalla,

Waramadong, Kamarang, Isseneru, Imbaimadai, Quebanang and Kako. Apart from the IOC certified Lecturers, a number of other individuals such as Chief Justice (ag) Madam Roxane George assisted with presentations. Her presentation was titled “HIV/AIDS and sports and the protection of Youth.” Other guest Lecturers were Ms. Tricia Fiedtkou who spoke on “Sports for All”, Mr. Donald Sinclair, Director General of the Ministry of Tourism whose topic was “Values and Ethics in Sports” and Theodore Henry, Coach of the Guyana Rugby Football Union whose contribution by way of Lecture and Practical demonstrations was “Strength and Conditioning in Sports”. Dr. Karen Pilgrim dealt with “Women in Sports”, while Ms. Emily Dodson, Attorney at Law, looked at “Sport and the

Facilitators and regional officials pose for a photo op along with participants following the completion of the GO/ Olympic Solidarity Sports Administrators Course in Bartica.

Law”. A number of other topics were delivered by Course Directors Mr. Charles C o r b i n , M r. C l a u d e Blackmore, Mr. Garfield Wiltshire, Ms. Mayfield Taylor-Trim, Mr. Noel Adonis and Mr. Hector Edwards.

Participants also took part in a Panel discussion: “What Steps need to be taken and by who to secure Guyana’s next Olympic medal.” The top three (3) graduating students were: Mr. Clinton Bobb Guyana Teachers Union

Mr. Leon Stewart Pheonix Sports Club Mr. Raphael Hunter Upper Mazaruni District Sports Council The course was not without its “high points” as visits were received from Speaker of the National A s s embly, D r. Barton

S c o t l a n d a n d Parliamentarians. The opening address for the course was done by Regional Chairman, Mr. Gordon Bradford, while the closing address was delivered by the Mayor of B a r t i c a , M r. G i f f o r d Marshall.

Kaieteur News

Saturday April 01, 2017

PAGE 29

GCB/DMLAS/MOE 50 overs Schools Cricket Final

B’ce schools Combined destroy E’bo counterparts By Sean Devers Led by a swash-buckling 74-run opening partnership between Junior Sinclair and Alex Algu in just 8.2 overs and a mesmerizing spell of left-arm spin bowling from Man-of-the-Match Alex Umroa (3-6 from 6 overs) Berbice Schools Combined destroyed Essequibo Schools Combined by 10wickets yesterday at Bourda in the second annual GCB/DMLAS/MOE National Combined Schools’ 50-over cricket tournament. Sinclair followed-up his 61 in the semi-finals with a run-a-ball 36 with five fours and a six, while Algu, who finished the one-sided contest with a six and four off Lance Roberts, reached the boundary four times and cleared it once in his 17-ball unbeaten 31 to power the Berbician to 74 without loss in reply to Essequibo’s paltry 71 all out in 24 overs. Only openers Skipper Orlando Jailall whose 18 included two boundaries and Bomesh Ramdahim who made 15 with one four, reached 15 as Essequibo stumbled from 30 without loss to 71 all out. Only Roberts, batting at number six, of the other batsmen, reached double figures with an undefeated 11. Umroa got support from Nigel Deodat (3-25) as they befuddled the Essequibians who have become prone to such collapses at all levels. Algu started the run chase with two gorgeous boundaries off Stefon Charles in the first over before Sinclair slammed three fours in the second over from Bodesh Parsaton, including an effortless whip off his pads which sped across the outfield of which three quarters of it was cut yesterday. Algu took advantage of a flat track and a day blessed with glorious sunshine and braced Charles for a magnificent cover boundary as the score galloped to 29 in three overs in the t20 like run chase. The inform Sinclair swept Parsaton for four before dancing into Sherland Anthony and blasting him to the mid wicket boundary to bring up the 50 in the sixth over. Sinclair was in a nononsense mood and whipped David Challitar over the

GCC Pavilion for six and with eight runs to win, Algu whet after Roberts with murderous intent to put an exclamation mark on the victory at 13:50hrs. Earlier, a 90-minute delay caused the game to be reduced to 40 overs due to the closure of the Berbice River Bridge and Essequibo elected to bat after both teams were met by the hard working Director of Sports Christopher Jones. Jailall struck the first ball of the game from pacer Gevon Shultz like a rocket past mid-off to the boundary boards before caressing Leon Swammy down the ground for four more and the Essequibo supporters were on their feet. Ramdahim, who scored 99 for Anna Regina Multilateral against Leguan Secondary during the inter school stage of the tournament, went on the back foot and pounded Deodat to the cover boundary but once Jailall hit Deodat to deep mid-off to throw his wicket away at 301 in the seventh over his unnecessary demise and that of Ramdahim, who removed by Umroa in the eleventh over, triggered a dramatic Essequibo batting collapse. Not helped by three needless run outs, the team for Guyana’s largest, but least populated County, slumped from 39-1 to 71 all

Director of Sports Christopher Jones is introduced to the E’bo team by their Captain Orlando Jailall before the start of play yesterday.

out after Parsaton had stroked Deodat past his ankles for four to post the 50 in the 17th over before he was dismissed by Deodat for seven at 57-6. Robert offered token resistance before he ran out of partners but the result was

Junior Sinclair and Alex Algu put together 74 in 8.2 overs to lead Berbice Schools Combined to a crushing 10-wkt win yesterday at Bourda.

never in question in a final which could have been played at the beautiful Imam Bacchus ground in Region two, arguable the second best ground to the Providence Stadium in Guyana. A GCB official called to

inform the representatives of the sponsors that the game had been completed and after a lengthy delay they finally arrived. Essequibo took the time to tour the upper flat of the GCC to take a look at historical photos and

Kevin Sinclair punches one for four to follow up his 61 in the semis with an unbeaten 36 yesterday.

information on the walls. Kevlon Anderson took the MVP Award, while 12year-old Mavendra Dindyal was named the most promising player. Medals and trophies for the winners and runners-up were presented.

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Saturday April 01, 2017

Petra Organisation / GT Beer Futsal Competition

Sparta survive stern test to make quarterfinals -Champs Bent Street, back Circle, West Front Road also through By Rawle Welch Back Circle, Bent Street, North East La Penitence, Sophia, Tucville, West Front Road ‘Gold is Money’, Sparta Boss and Broad Street Bullies were the teams to make it to the quarter-finals o n t h i s y e a r ’s P e t r a Organisation / GT Beer Futsal Competition following the completion of the round robin phase on Thursday evening, at the National Gymnasium. Played before what was possibly the largest crowd to date, the eight teams will now jostle for semi-final spots when the tournament resumes on Tuesday, at the same venue. Headlining the night’s action was the final encounter between beaten finalist from the previous competition Sparta Boss and the up-started Tiger Bay unit and the clash lived up to all expectations as both sides had the spectators on the edge of their seats throughout the match. With both teams needing to win to secure their place in the next round, Tiger Bay got off to a perfect start after four minutes when the nippy Deon Alfred collected a long ball, cut inside, before unleashing a powerful leftfooter that squeezed past the

goalkeeper to his left. That goal was met with loud applause as they love / hate connection between Sparta Boss and the fans was displayed in full view. However, undaunted by their setback, Sparta Boss kept their composure and knocked the ball around with efficiency and their talisman Sheldon Shepherd gained the equaliser when he clinically clipped a pass from the left side just out of reach of the goalkeeper in the 9th minute. Playing with confidence of multiple-time champions, Sparta Boss took the lead one minute later when Devon Millington netted the first of a hat-trick to hand them a slim 2-1 ascendancy at the break. Coming out in the final period, Millington took exactly one minute to increase their lead when he booted past the goalkeeper for a 3-1 advantage and the noise from their supporters drowning that of the opposing faction chants. The resilient Tiger Bay side were not done yet and they reduced the deficit by one when Alpha Fletchman hit in a rebound that came off the upright from a stinging shot in the 21st minute to make it 3-2 in Sparta Boss’s favour.

A player from Sophia seen on the attack during their encounter with defending champion Bent Street. Millington it was who sealed the deal with another beautifully struck goal in the 24th minute, before they locked up defensively until the final whistle sounded. Defending champs produced their most efficient effort to date when they beat a strong Sophia side 4-2 with Konata Manning hitting in a brace, while Colin Nelson and Joshua Browne added the others. Two young sides, Back Circle and North East La

GMR&SC ‘Race of Champions’ Meet

Penitence continue to play impressively and racked up lop-sided wins against Agricola and West Back Road respectively, while West Front Road ‘Gold is Money’ suffered an upset against Tucville. Broad Street Bullies continued their merry run with a 5-0 demolition of a lacklustre Albouystown side to advance. The quarter-final matchups will be made later. In the night’s full results:

Game-1 Back Circle-5 vs Agricola-0 Stephon McLean-22nd and 26th Akeemo Anthony-12th Curtez Kellman-13th Selwyn William-25th Game-2 West Back Road-1 vs North East La Penitence-7 North East Scorers Calvin Moore-13th and 18th Omallo Williams-5th and 29th

Shaquille Browne-1st Romario Andrews-8th West Back Road Scorer Jarel Tyrell-25th Game-3 Albouystown-0 vs Broad Street Bullies-5 Darren Benjamin-10th, 21st and 27th Kevin Cummings-11th and 17th Game-4 Tucville-3 vs Gold is Money-1 Tucville Scorers Jermin Junior-5th Dennis Edwards-12th Jahal Greaves-14th Gold is Money Scorer Carl Tudor-10th Game-5 Bent Street-4 vs Sophia2 Bent Street Scorers Konata Manning-20th and 22nd Colin Nelson-8th Joshua Browne-26th Sophia Scorers Dwayne Lowe-16th Joshua Kamal-21st Game-6 Sparta Boss-4 vs Tiger Bay-2 Sparta Scorers Devon Millington-10th, 16th and 24th Sheldon Shepherd-9th Tiger Bay Scorers Deon Alfred- 4th Alpha Fletchman-21st

BCB Inter Zone U-17 cricket competition

Wins for New Amsterdam Persaud aiming to Canje and West Berbice continue steady progression His steady progression in the sport has been aided b y o u t s t a n d i n g performances, at home and regionally and when the pocket-sized racer by the name of Danny Persaud jumps into his Mazda Miata fans usually expect him to be fiercely competitive. Tomorrow’s Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club (GMR&SC) ‘Race of Champions’ Meet promises to provide another stern test for the young speedster, who many would know is not afraid to throw down a challenge to the more established names in the

sport. Persaud in an invited comment via telephone yesterday confirmed that he will be at the starting line tomorrow and has identified Groups 3&4 as his choices to battle for supremacy. A former Group 2 champion, Persaud’s move up in the higher classes has not only been costly, but has also endured a test of his skill and will against some of the best drivers both locally in the Caribbean. He has shown the fortitude and skill that belies his short tenure in the sport and has been a big crowd favourite whenever he takes

to the track. Over the years, the softspoke daredevil has done a series of modifications to the machine, making it far more reliable in every aspect and even increasing its horsepower. In the Group 4 category, Persaud could face the likes of the Jeffrey father and son conbination of Kevin and Kristian along with Andrew King and others. It should provide a fascinating spectacle, one worth watching so be sure to be there. Persaud is being sponsored by Buy Me Auto Sales.

New Amsterdam Canje and West Berbice score victories when play began in the Berbice Cricket Board U17 Inter Zone cricket competition being held in the Ancient County. In the two matches that were played last SundayNew Amsterdam/Canje defeated the much fancied Lower Corentyne by 26 runs, w h i l e We s t B e r b i c e hammered Upper Corentyne by 217 runs. In a game played at the Port Mourant Cricket Club ground New Amsterdam Canje won the toss and elected to take first strike. They found the going tough as they lost their first wicket without a run on the board.

They then reached 35 before they lost their second wicket. However, they were bowled out for a disappointing 91 in 29 overs. Garfield Benjamin top scored with 27 (2x4), while Richardo Ramdial made 16 and Jevon Schultz 10. Bowling for Lower Corentyne, pacer Nathaniel Raghu was the main destroyer with 6 for 23 from seven overs. There was one wicket a piece for Joshua Wilson, Kelvin Omrao, Dorasami Mahadeo and Junior Sinclair. In reply the much herald Lower Corentyne line up flattered to deceive and were bundled out for an embarrassing 65, despite

extras being a whopping 30. None of the batsmen reached double figures in a poor batting display. Bowling for New Amsterdam Canje – Melvin Singh with 4 for 4 off six overs and Nikeem Noble with 4 for 16 from 8.3 overs were the main destroyers as Jevon Schultz supported with 2-7. In the second game played at the Bush Lot Cricket Club Ground, West Berbice; The home team led by a swashbuckling 127 by Seon Glasgow blazed to an imposing 396 for five in their 50 overs as they tore the hapless Upper Corentyne bowling apart. Glasgow was (Continued on page 25)

Saturday April 01, 2017

PAGE 31

Kaieteur News

GOLDEN JAGUARS’ GOALKEEPERS HAVE A SUCCESSFUL STINT – Says Newly-Appointed Senior Men’s Team Goalkeeping Coach Eon De Viera Georgetown: The competitive International Friendly between Guyana’s Golden Jaguars and the Martinique senior national team on Tuesday, 28th March ended in a nil-all draw. However, there was no doubt that it was a game with a fair number of chances which required the Golden Jaguars’ defence, including the goalkeeper, being put to work. The man responsible for the preparation of the goalkeepers for the match was Eon De Viera, the newly-appointed senior national goalkeeping coach. De Viera, is no stranger to football having begun his career in football as a player at the U-19 level. In summarizing the keepers’ performance, De Viera said they had a successful stint: “I was very satisfied with the results of the game and the performance of the goalkeepers. Andrew Durant was selected to be the starting keeper and he had an

Eon De Viera (right) and Goalkeeper Andrew Durant. excellent performance; he made some very timely and important saves which kept us in the game. He was injured, he hit his knee while making another excellent save and wasn’t able to continue which is why we made the substitution with the goalkeeper and brought in Mr. Akel Clarke who also held his fort and took us to the nil-all finish.” The coach, who also

serves the national U-15 and U-17 squads, was encouraged by the work ethic of the selected senior goalkeepers during training sessions – Durant, Clarke and young Jonathan Copeland: “Training sessions went really well because the guys have a very good work ethic, they were able to keep up with the high intensity of one of the sessions we did, which was

the first session, to determine level of fitness and technical ability.” Having worked with Copeland at the U-17 level, De Viera was happy about his inclusion in the senior squad: “It was a very good experience for him, he had a chance to work with two very experienced goalkeepers with good technical ability and it was good for him to see the work

ethic which is required of him to meet at the next level.” Highlighting the q u a l i t i e s a n e ff e c t i v e goalkeeper should possess, De Viera said: “A goalkeeper needs to be always aware …they have to be committed… love for the game is (also) very important because in goalkeeping, it’s a cleanup of the mess; when everybody makes a mess, you have to clean it up and you have to be delighted to clean up the mess…” He added that a goalkeeper should also have a strong character to handle negative pressures, converting same into something positive while being a team player. “Don’t look for the negatives in the players but always be willing to motivate them.” The coach, who once was selected for the senior team as a player but had to reluctantly abandon his playing career due to an injury, said he was very

happy about his appointment to the senior squad: “It is what you work for, you put the best into whatever you’re doing to meet to the highest level and this is the highest level in Guyana and I’m very delighted and honored to be part of the senior makeup. I will do my best to raise the standards of the goalkeepers in Guyana.” “I see myself working with whichever team the Federation would prefer to have me work with. I don’t have preference in teams but I love to work with the youths. If I’m called to be with the seniors, I can step up to that level and work at that level too. Wherever my expertise is needed, that’s where I’ll be,” De Viera concluded. The Golden Jaguars competed against Martinique in front of a capacity crowd at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground, Linden, signaling a return of international football to Linden after six years.

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Saturday April 01, 2017

FIFA hands 1,300-page corruption report to Swiss authorities ZURICH (Reuters) FIFA has completed a 22month internal inquiry into allegations of highlevel corruption and criminal misconduct that buffeted world football and handed its report to Swiss authorities, soccer’s ruling body said yesterday. “FIFA will now return its focus to the game, for fans and players throughout the world,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino, elected last year to replace Sepp Blatter, who is under criminal investigation in Switzerland. In a statement, FIFA said

that more than 2.5 million documents were reviewed during the investigation and that the report it shared with Swiss authorities ran to 1,300 pages and included more than 20,000 pages of “ e x h i b i t s ” , o r documentation. The investigation began after several dozen soccer officials, mainly from Latin America, were indicted in the United States in 2015 on corruption-related c h a rg e s , s p a r k i n g t h e worst crisis in FIFA’s 113year history. Some of the suspects have pleaded guilty and

Bosai Inter Department Basketball Services beat Operations 52-43, Mines roll over Maintenance 43-32 to reach final General Services ensured that they make an attempt of retaining their 2015 title after disposing of Plant Operations 52-43 and now face Mines, who cruised past Plant Maintenance 43-32, when the semifinal stages of the BOSAI Minerals Group (Guyana) Inc Inter Department basketball championship was played last Saturday night at the Mackenzie Sports Club hard court. Seeking to make a successful bid to win consecutive championships, General Services first gained a 17-14 lead at the end of the first quarter and opened for a ten point lead at half time 30-20. They maintained the advantage as they finished the third quarter with a 41 -26 cushion before romping home winners 52-43. Leading their charge was Jamal Bethune who poured in 15 points as he got support from Domain Webster with 10, while Clive McCalman and Theodore Tappin each netted eight points. Quincy Datson had the tournament high 18 points, with Omisi Williams scoring 15 in a losing effort. In the other game to determine the Services opponents, Mines came through with a clear cut 43-32 victory after a 1511 advantage at the conclusion of the first quarter and even though the Operations were able to level the scores at half time 19-19. But they failed to gain the upper hand as the Mines opened a ten point lead heading into the fourth quarter 33-26, before cruising to a 52-43 win. Marlon Pollydore was the lead scorer for Mines with 10 points as Marvin Russell scored nine with Carl Isaacs and Melroy Ross both netting six points. Some novelty events are slated to precede the final after the third place game at 19.00hrs. That will include the female free throw shootout competition and the three point shootout involving the expatriate Chinese players and the local managers.

The snow-covered landscape is reflected in a logo in front of FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, January 10, 2017. (REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann) await sentencing, others face trial and some are in their native countries where they are fighting, or have avoided, extradition. FIFA said its report would also be made available to U.S. investigators. In Switzerland, the

attorney general’s office has begun criminal proceedings against Blatter and former FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke on suspicion o f o ff e n c e s i n c l u d i n g criminal mismanagement “FIFA is committed to conducting a thorough and comprehensive investigation

of the facts so we could hold wrongdoers within football accountable and cooperate with the authorities,” Infantino said in the FIFA statement. Swiss prosecutors “will continue to pursue those who enriched themselves and abused their positions of trust in football”, he added. The statement from Zurich-based FIFA gave no further details and said that, because of the criminal inquiries under way, it was “legally restricted from releasing or commenting on the findings from its internal investigation”. The Swiss Attorney General’s office confirmed in a statement that it had received the report and said it “appreciates the preliminary exchange of

information and FIFA’s close and consistent cooperation”. Blatter has been banned for six years and Valcke for 10 by FIFA’s own ethics committee. Both have denied wrongdoing and Valcke has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Blatter has already lost an appeal at CAS. In September, FIFA opened a new ethics investigation into Blatter, Valcke and former finance director Markus Kattner for possible violations including bribery and corruption. FIFA said then that the allegations were in the context of salaries and bonuses paid to the three. ($1 = 1.0004 Swiss francs)

Milo 18 and under Schools Football Competition

Two exciting encounters kick off quarter-final action -Play continues tomorrow

Part of the action in this year’s Milo 18 and under Schools Football Competition. The quarter-finals of this year’s Milo 18 and under Schools Football Competition opens today with two exciting encounters at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue, starting at 13:00hrs. In the opening game, Bishop’s High take on Sir Leon Lessons and this will be followed by the clash between Morgan’s Learning Centre and Carmel. For Bishop’s High, Imran Khan, Keron Niles, Tyrone Singh and Tyrese Souvenir are the key players on whose performance the hopes of advancing will depend on, while Sir Leon Lessons

ambitions to get to the championship game rest on the shoulders of Adrian Aaron, Meshach Barratt, Tyrese Forde and Amonick Muir. In the other game, Morgan’s Learning Centre will be relying on the services of Leon Richardson, Osafo Mattheson, Alistair Frank, Carl Griffith, Orin Moore and Daniel Nedd to bolster their chances of moving on, while Carmel’s will depend on how well players such as Darron Niles, Romel Maxwell, Shaquille Baptiste, Ryan Fredericks, Shawn Harvey, Stefon Duke and Romel Smith

combine. The fixtures for today are: 13:00 hrs- Bishop’s High School v/s Sir Leon Lessons 15:00 hrs - Morgan Learning Centre v/s Carmel Secondary School Meanwhile, action in the competition resumes tomorrow with two more matches planned at the same venue. The fixtures are seen below: 13:00 hrs - Masters Academy v/s Buxton 15:00 hrs - Chase Academy v/s Pure Masters

Kaieteur News

Saturday April 01, 2017

PAGE 33

Locked and Loaded Boxing card re-scheduled for April 23 By Zaheer Mohamed The Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) has re-scheduled their ‘Locked and loaded’ boxing card which was slated for April 9 in order to facilitate the first ever Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event in Guyana. The event will now be held on April 23 at the Giftland Mall and according to GBBC President Peter Abdool both amateur and professional fights as well as MMA are on the cards. Speaking at a press conference held yesterday at Giftland Mall, Abdool stated that Mixed Martial Arts has gained tremendous popularity but the sport is yet to come to Guyana so this is an opportunity to stage the sport here whereas Guyanese can witness the MMA first hand. Abdool feels that the staging of MMA here will enhance the careers of local boxers. President of the Trinidad a n d To b a g o M M A Federation Jason Fraser congratulated Giftland Mall for being the main stakeholder of this historic occasion adding that he is

To facilitate Mixed Martial Arts locally

From left boxer Deter Marques, GBBC head Peter Abdool, Giftland Chairman Roy Beepat, Jason Fraser, Michael Singh and Gavin Singh share a moment following the press conference. happy to be part of the unique event. He related that a female bout is on the card and called on Guyanese for their support. “MMA is here to stay and plans are in the making to stage many more events in Guyana,” he posited.

Roy Beepat, Chairman of Giftland Mall, stated that MMA is the next thing in Guyana and he is happy to be part of it. He indicated that entity has endorsed Dexter Marques and is in the process of doing

Brighton Half Marathon: Data reveals course is 146m short

This year’s event was the 27th Brighton Half Marathon. (Getty Images)

BBC Sport - Organisers of the Brighton Half Marathon have apologised after it was revealed the course has been 146 metres (0.09 miles) short for the past three years. An investigation was launched after British Athletics analysed GPS data. “We’re devastated that this mistake has happened,” said the race organisers. “We take full responsibility for this

situation and apologise unreservedly to all runners who took part in the affected years.” It is the latest in a series of measuring errors which have affected high-profile mass participation races. And it is not the first time Brighton organisers have had to apologise - after they revealed the course was too long in 2012. Also, in 2016, the Great Scottish Run half-marathon

course in Glasgow was found to be about 150m short after it was re-measured. The error meant the record set by winner Callum Hawkins was invalid as were personal best times recorded by runners. In addition, times from the 2013, 2014 and 2015 Greater Manchester Marathon were discounted, affecting about 24,000 runners, after the course was found to be 380m too short.

same with Elton Dharry. The Amateur bouts will see Rewinne David facing Akeela Malazon in four rounds (120lbs) and Kellon Isaacs matching gloves with Euel Augustin over three rounds (140lbs). In the professional

segment, Anson Green will take on Charwin Estwick (Catchweight), Imran Khan will battle Keeve Allicock (Lightweight), Edmond Declou will challenge Winston Pompey (Super Middleweight) and Dexter Marques facing Luis

Alberto Requena of Venezuela in the feature event which is a stepping stone for Marques to have a shot at a world title in the Flyweight category. Admission is $1,000 and $2,000 at ringside.

Ashwin to give IPL a miss, Vijay doubtful ESPNcricinfo Ravichandran Ashwin, the India off-spinner, is set to miss IPL 2017 for Rising Pune Supergiant because of a sports hernia. Ashwin is likely to be out of action for six to eight weeks, but is expected to regain full fitness ahead of India’s title defence at the Champions Trophy in June. He is scheduled to begin his rehabilitation soon. M Vijay too is in danger of missing the tournament for Kings XI Punjab because of a wrist and shoulder injury that he has played with for a better part of India’s home season. It is likely that Vijay may have to undergo a shoulder surgery. The franchise is awaiting a report from India phsyio Patrick Farhart before taking another step in the matter. Ashwin, 30, has had an unprecedented workload during India’s marathon home season that featured 13 Test matches against New

Ravichandran Ashwin will miss this year’s IPL. ©Associated Press Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia. During the period, Ashwin bowled 738.2 overs - the most ever by a bowler in a Test season - and picked up a record 82 wickets. Along with Ravindra Jadeja, Ashwin claimed 153 wickets at an average of 24.14 to

become the most successful bowling pair in a season. Ashwin first picked up the injury immediately after the Test series against England in December. In the aftermath, he withdrew from Tamil Nadu’s Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Karnataka.

t r o Sp Petra Organisation / GT Beer Futsal Competition

GMR&SC ‘Race of Champions’ Meet

Sparta survive stern test Persaud aiming to to make quarterfinals -Champs Bent Street, back Circle, West Front Road also through

Sparta Boss’s striker Gregory Richardson attempts to dribble past a Tiger Bay defender during their clash on Thursday night, at the National Gymnasium.

continue steady progression

(Flashback) - Danny Persaud displays the chequered flag following one of his victories in his Mazda Miata.

GCB/DMLAS/MOE 50 overs Schools Cricket Final

B’ce schools Combined destroy E’bo counterparts

We are the champions! B’ce Schools combined with Coach Quacy Maltay (R) and Manager Julian Moore (L) after beating E’bo yesterday at Bourda in the final. (Photos by Sean Devers)

Locked and Loaded Boxing card re-scheduled for April 23 To facilitate Mixed Martial Arts locally Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Limited, 24 Saffon St.Charlestown, Georgetown.Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/ 226-8210