Kaieteur News
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Wednesday April 17, 2019
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
Giving back to Guyana
T
o give and let others live. For them to live through an opportunity for quality; quality of education, of wellbeing, of existence. A scarce opportunity, the tiniest of openings, the biggest of possibilities, with no limit to personal dreams and personal horizons. The Subraj Family Foundation makes living such dreams a reality. Many excel at the sweet science of lip service. It is easy, it is cheap, it brings little by way of steadfast commitment. Lip service, like lip synching, (its pale, but closely related, Siamese imitation) is not the real thing. There is absent the originality of uninhibited, overwhelming, perhaps unparalleled authenticity. But then there are the Subrajes of the world. It is a world all of their own. Through their very visible, very active and generous foundation that the family makes Guyana better. It makes the trials and miseries of the nameless, faceless others—the less blessed—out there in the barren space of no man’s land, a less demanding, a shade more powerfully promising, and unquestionably brighter. The Subrajes are the kinds of hearts that care; things start at that compassionate, unselfish crossroads: to give of self, so that others may live and learn to love what this life can hold. They are the kinds of hands that reach for those hurting from many a dreadful disease that plague and lay low with no respite in sight; something is extended and delivered. Something to which there can be grasping when there is nothing else. They are the heads that envision unfettered soaring of the human spirit through the power of learning and climbing towards the pinnacle. The sprawling facility at the University of Guyana stands as testimony to the Subrajes hearts and hands and heads. For UG is today both monument and complex of care, healthcare, educational care, and one moment less of the worry and fear of the future, and that which comes from not falling short, and not knowing where to turn. It starts with the Subrajes and people like them: Guyanese who remember, who look back, and who lift up. The record speaks loudly: where there is a will, there is a way. Things, which are perceived to be possible, are made to happen. Many other successful, prosperous native sons and daughters of the Guyanese sod can look on and be moved to do so quietly, purposefully, tangibly. Look back and remember heritage, and give, so that others can have a chance to make something of themselves, despite the vagaries of fortunes and fate. Some have already doing just so, and for a long time. There is a crying need for others, for more. As shared near to the beginning, on too many occasions, talk is the fleeting special of the day, and flavour of the month. From long practice, it has become of the bargain basement variety: abundant, shabby, and more than a little frail in the strength of its threads. Talk is not binding, it is not empowering, it is not lasting; and especially for those who yearn for something different and on which to grasp, something on which to lean. There is that something called a deed. It is a single word, and many of them make for a universe of action, and of the significances that translate of purpose towards the empowerment of the paltry and the impoverished. One single deed has the embedded potential to transform one person, which could make a world of difference for a family, an extended community. It is of mentalities energized, spirits galvanized, and a world of unending possibilities realized. Guyana and government and Guyanese owe a wordperhaps many-of appreciation for their efforts and goodwill here. This society can benefit enormously from the presence of more like them.
Editor’s Note; If your sent letter was not published and you felt its contents were valid and devoid of libel or personal attacks, please contact us by phone or email.
I think that the minister has been convincing; she has done more than enough…It will not be enough DEAR EDITOR, The Hon. Minister of Public Telecommunications, Ms. Cathy Hughes, MP, has come before the public. From a personal perspective, the minister has spoken and t h e n w r i t t e n comprehensively and unambiguously as to the absence of any conflicts of interest regarding her involvement in the matter currently captivating the attention of a great many. I think that the minister has been convincing; she has done more than enough. There is a ring of substance and accuracy to what she has submitted.I am glad that the Hon. Minister rose to the occasion and did not do like some of her predecessors from other times, who when questioned about the murky and perilous, sought refuge in that timeless sanctuary of “I cannot recall.” Men and women, who are proud to exhibit their grand exposure to this or that ideology and the dogmas that go along with them, suddenly develop the fogginess of war, old age, and the kind of character palpably deficient in truth and personal honour. In America, superpatriot, Admiral John Poindexter, a man highly regarded by many for his complete recall, skewered facts through the folly of incredible figments of the legal fiction of “I cannot recall.” He did so in
the Iran Contra hearings for an astounding total of 184 times. Clearly, there was a stalwart besmirching himself so that truth not be told. For who knows where such roads could lead. To her credit, Ms. Hughes cannot be said to belong to that dubious brigade of the self-damning. I think she laid out things without hedging or shaving the truth. I am willing to give her a clean slate on this; and I would hope that regret does not follow. Time will tell. Editor, I believe all of this could be moot, as I think that there is still a problem that will lurk and continue to haunt. Unlike the Hon. Minister of Housing, Ms. Hughes represents a target that is too enticing to let go too readily or too quickly. As persuasive as she may have been to more than a few, this matter and her alleged taint is simply too arresting to be left alone. I suppose if she had been a more obscure political figure, then some leeway may have been given to her, with adversaries moving on to bigger and juicier prizes. The other problem for Ms. Hughes specifically, and the government in general, is that long after this has faded, it would not have faded. The dirty political and social tricksters in Guyana would be exhuming and dragging around some unembalmed skeleton of this
story. Like I said: too thrilling to dismiss, and it makes for good political theater. Theater that sells and draws a crowd. For since the usual crowd has been mesmerized and instigated, and with the scent of plasma overpowering the nostrils, now it will not settle for anything less than a particular victim. It could be the equivalent of “give us Barabbas.” In other words, the fixation on Ms. Hughes is likely to redound to the specious advantage of friends and neighbours, who most likely are guilty as hell, while it is burning at a sizzling temperature. They could benefit from a lesser level of intensity. As a quick aside, I have heard about separate bedrooms, but not of separate lives under the roof of sacred matrimony. Unless, of course, one is talking of marriages of modern convenience, pictures and all. What do I know…?Editor, having tendered all of the above, I say there is an easy way out of this. Separate distinctively and powerfully from these lucrative side deals. To repeat some names that I have shared over the years, Guyanese politicos must be like McNamara, Paulsen, and Rubin. Serve country and sacrifice the adjacent and concurrent gains from these other
arrangements and relationships. I must admit that I suspect that some ministers may have gotten too clever by half. They have learned from the public service bureaucrats: nothing has their fingerprints. It does have family, though. And though they are entitled to equal treatment and should not be disadvantaged, the connecting strands and networks of comrades give rise to too many hard, and not ungrounded, suspicions that people talk to one another to make things come out a certain way. It is that much of an incestuous society. Proven, too.It is why I say that the entitlement of separate and distinct private commercial attachments are minefields waiting to be exploded on the unwary and the innocent. Though I am fan of Blind Trusts and fair treatment of husbands, cousins-in-law, and newly discovered step children, I remind citizens that this is Guyana not America. Blind is not so blind; and blind ain mean dat peeeple def. Dey duz talk to waananadder aal de time. Develop another line of endeavour: open a spa; become a comedian. And if those fail, then buy a piece of land in Pradoville. What could be more legit than that…. Sincerely, GHK Lall
GAWU concerned about expenditure relating to meals at Uitvlugt Estate DEAR EDITOR, The GAWU, through a usually reliable source, has learnt that Uitvlugt Estate during 2018 expended well over a million dollars on meals provided to visitors to the estate. Those visitors, we understand, are mainly personnel from the Corporation’s Head Office. It, therefore, would mean that over 1,000 meals would have been prepared last year, assuming that a meal costs $1,000. If that is the case, it would mean that the estate had about three visitors every day of the year. This is incredible and incredulous at the same time. If the information that has reached the Union’s hands is indeed accurate then it is cause for a great concern
regarding the administration of the industry’s finances. At this time, as the workers well know, the Corporation has relied on the excuse of lack of finance to deny, over and over, justifiable requests for improvements in working conditions and benefits. G AW U , o n s e v e r a l occasions, has expressed concern about the management of the i n d u s t r y ’s f i n a n c e s . Previously, we pointed to the hefty sums going to what the Corporation deems it’s Key Managerial Personnel. On this matter, we noted from the most recently available data that sums going to this group of the state-owned enterprise’s top-echelon almost doubled between 2015 and 2016.
We know too that the industry invested $61M into its seed paddy project at Wales, but realized only $9M in income, in other words it realized a loss of $52M. It also came to our attention that the Corporation spent nearly $58M on a feasibility study for aquaculture and not one fish was harvested. With such expenditure, seemingly, becoming a feature of the Corporation, it was not surprising, when we saw that the Corporation’s Head Office cost rose from 9 per cent of total costs in 2017 to over 14 per cent of total costs at the end of September, 2018. This sort of expenditure is coming at the same time that the Corporation is telling the public that it needs
investment in the fields and factories. Moreover, we see such expenditures taking place when the industry’s workers, whom the Corporation describes as its most important asset, have been denied a pay rise since 2015 and have had several important benefits suspended and ignored. To say that the Union is disheartened by the most recent revelation is to say the least. Undoubtedly, at this time, when workers are having a most difficult time to make ends meet, it is upsetting that such disturbing news is coming to light. Yours faithfully, Seepaul Narine General Secretary GAWU
DO THE SOCU ACTS REPRESENT THE IRONY OF IRONIES? DEAR EDITOR, Guyana seems to be a fertile place for contradictions. Without going back too far, it seems that in almost every sphere of our socioeconomic and political life, we can find examples of someone or some entity doing the exact opposite of, or contrary to what was expected or promised. In light thereof, the revelations on the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) came as no surprise to many. SOCU, an entity established to investigate organized crime - money laundering and related illegal operations/businesses - has yet to successfully charge and prosecute anyone for such crimes. Meanwhile, they have been going after high ranking PPP/C officials for alleged mismanagement, misused and overreached
money from the national treasury, and supposed undervalued sale of lands at Pradoville. So far, however, they have said a lot, but did very little in such pursuits. Despite the many statements about possible criminal acts supposedly committed by the PPP/C during their tenure in government, no serious charge has made it through the courts. The current revelations surprised no one. In fact, this may be the tip of the iceberg not only for SOCU, but for other public entities where similar findings are very likely. Getting back to SOCU, the recent revelations sound like the irony of ironies. The audit reports are damning. An entity which over the last four years has been investigating fraud, now finds itself at the receiving end with public cries for an investigation.
This select group of functionaries probably felt they were the ‘favorite bunch’ who can do no wrong or come under scrutiny because of their PPP/C witch-hunting enterprise. SOCU stinks of acts akin to the recent acts/behaviour of the government that ran afoul of the rule of law and the constitutional provisions. For instance, the President had stated that he respected the ruling of the court but at the same time flouted and refused to comply with its order. SOCU, the child, has adopted some of the parents’ behaviour – spend without accountability - as part of their functional socialization process. Instead of investigating fraud, SOCU is now accused of perpetuating fraud. Yours sincerely, Ronald Singh
We have to be careful not to once again fall into the debt trap DEAR EDITOR, I note with concern a recent Bank of Guyana Report which highlighted the significant increase in Guyana’s external debt and as a consequence higher interest payments to service such debts. While I understand the need to resort to external borrowing in order to facilitate major infrastructural works, it is our ability to sustainably manage our debts in the face of declining exports that is of concern to me. One consequence of unrestrained borrowing is the high levels of revenues that are siphoned off to meet debt obligations, as happened during the pre-1992 period, when roughly ninety percent
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of revenues were utilized to service our debt payments. It took considerable lobbying efforts by the new PPP/C administration before the country managed to incrementally free itself from the debt albatross, thanks to generous debt rescheduling and write-offs under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) Initiative. Because of reckless borrowing, coupled with high levels of economic mismanagement, Guyana was ranked among the most highly indebted countries in the western hemisphere, and at one time was declared ‘uncreditworthy’ by the International Monetary Fund, after it consistently defaulted on its debt obligations.
We have to be careful not to once again fall into the debt trap, which could have a crippling effect on our ability to grow the economy in a sustainable manner. It would be reckless to start incurring debts in anticipation of higher revenues from the emerging oil and gas sector. Our past experience has demonstrated that the so-called Puerto Rican model, based on heavy external borrowing to facilitate major capital works such as roads and bridges without a corresponding increase in export earnings, could result in severe balance of payments crisis and skewed economic development. Hydar Ally
The GAWU/PPP relationship is unhealthy DEAR EDITOR, The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) continues to encourage sugar workers to protest against the Guyana Sugar Corporation. In their latest exercise, they encouraged Uitvlugt cane cutters to protest against the sugar company to increase the number of days they work.Editor, at this point, following the resizing of the sugar industry that was clearly suffocating and sucking much needed finances from the country’s coffers, it is very disturbing to know that GAWU continues to pretend that it has the interest of sugar workers at heart. GAWU was formed in 1946 by former President Cheddi Jagan under its former name, the Guiana Industrial Workers Union (GIWU). The organization was the PPP’s trade union arm during a time when Guyana was establishing representation for herself against foreign powers under one political party. This organization was created and pursued its agenda along PPP lines as a
product of the party. In 2019, it bewilders me as to why the government has not yet called out this union for its incestuous and unhealthy relationship it has with the PPP. Guyana has since attained independence and now has more than one political party. We in fact have two main political parties dividing the two largest ethnic groups. How then can we have one of those political parties controlling a union that represents over 22,000 citizens (sugar workers) who are paid by the state? This organization can no longer be seen as a genuine representative of sugar workers but in fact, an arm; a tool of the PPP.The GAWU has always been led by a PPP official. To date, its current President is not only an executive PPP member, but a Member of Parliament for that side of the House. For more than a decade the PPP was in government and over that period the industry was severely dwindled, despite that party “championing” the rights of sugar workers and having direct control of their
Harassment by Customs Officer at CJIA’s Immigration DEAR EDITOR, The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) takes note of the letter by Mr. Delon White published in the Kaieteur News on Thursday, April 11, 2019. The allegation of verbal abuse by a Customs Officer is currently being investigated and steps taken to address any shortcomings thereby minimizing such recurrences in the future.Upon completion of the investigation, the results will be fully ventilated. Public Relations Unit
representation. Yet today the GAWU and the PPP have the nerve to blame the government for the sugar workers’ issues. I wonder whether the sugar workers have not figured out that it was the PPP who stole their money for the state of the art Skeldon factory that never worked, and that GAWU did nothing to represent the workers, since they (workers) would have faced the most difficulty as a result of that transaction. A quick look at the GAWU website would show that it is nothing more than a pro-PPP news site with reports of how badly the government is treating sugar workers and why the PPP should be returned to power. It is sad that while the current government is trying to reconfigure the ailing sugar industry, the opposition PPP is strategically using it to cause problems for the government. It is sad that the GAWU’s relationship with the PPP is a clear as day conflict of interest that no one is talking about. It is sad that so many other civil society organisations created or infiltrated by the PPP are sailing on like water as GAWU, but the government has done nothing about it, and then wonder why they are being hit unfairly from all sides. Local observers
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SOMETIMES THE NATURE OF THE BEAST IS PREDICTABLE DEAR EDITOR, I was extremely delighted to read in the letter column of your newspaper of Wednesday 10 April 2019 – “A person with an axe to grind or just an agent of provocation or worse yet”. This is a professional, factual and sequential review of the Return to Work managing procedure for injured employees as outlined by Mr. Michael Williams. It would be beneficial to other companies and institutions in Guyana to comply with the labour laws as it relates to the correct procedure to follow when there are injured employees in the workplace. As is practice at AGM Inc., I have noted as well the importance of maintaining in good order the accident and dangerous occurrence register as highlighted in Michael’s letter. I have known Michael Williams as an Occupational Health and Safety professional in Guyana who worked at Aurora for many years; he is extremely talented and experienced in his Medical and Health and
Safety fields. Additionally, he is very passionate about safety in the workplace. I was shocked when he told me of his demise at the hands of the so-called “North Road Clan”. It was very unfortunate that he had resigned from AGM Inc. Nevertheless, he now manages his private safety consultancy firm. The witch-hunt and false allegations that were leveled against Michael by a fictitious person, might have been the catalyst for his resignation, and was very unfair to him as a safety professional. More so, that after two independent inquiries the conclusions were the same; the allegations are false, the organization the person purports to represent is a ghost and the person is fictitious. Thus, vindicating Mr. Williams and proving his innocence. We must know as right thinking Guyanese that the current rift in Guyana Goldfields Inc. /AGM Inc. has its genesis in poor managerial decision-making. There are numerous other workers at AGM Inc. who suffered similar witch-hunt tactics and
I am extremely happy to read Michael Williams’s factual account of the company’s safety record in the print media - setting the record straight. Maybe, he should now serve as the catalyst for others to speak out about unfair treatment. Mr. Williams’s letter clearly shows he has no axe to grind with AGM Inc. and he is a true safety professional. I am of the firm belief, after reading the letter in the Chronicle Newspapers of Monday 8 April 2019 – “Safety Should be the First Consideration” and the use of M. Williams as the letter writer, that wicked intentions and a possible smear campaign are at play against Michael Williams. Sometimes the nature of the beast is predictable, more so, when their intentions and motives can be alluded to the following adjectives: desperate, deceptive, and destructive and to some degree delusional. Kudos Michael! Stay focused on the positive always my brother. Regards Rhonda Morris
Wednesday April 17, 2019
The APNU/AFC Govt. has outlived its usefulness; too late for outreaches DEAR EDITOR, Effective government needs effective political leadership. No ministers who understand their roles, set clear priorities, work well with their departments, and cope with the demands of the job, would have as many deficiencies as being shown by this Government. The APNU/AFC coalition government’s ministers have been unable to be effective in fulfilling their promises and bringing resolution to numerous issues over the past four years, despite various highlighted attempts by residents, especially by picketing exercises throughout Guyana. The lack of leadership, appointment of “square pegs in round holes” for important positions, refusal to be more transparent and accountable in projects and increase of Ministers’ salaries, were just some of the reasons that resulted in the loss of confidence in the government by the people of Guyana. The announcement by the coalition government to be in Region Six to address issues is clear sign of desperation and a
continuation of the 2015 elections campaign of unfulfilled promises to Berbicians in order to garner votes for the next elections We need to ask ourselves what this coalition Government has done for Berbice over the past four years without benefitting themselves. Berbice was quickly transformed into a state of depression after May 2015. Now in the most shameless manner, this coalition “Circus” hiding under,’Bringing the Government to you “, is nothing else but wasteful abuse of taxpayers’ monies by public officials while Guyanese are suffering in Region Six. This exclusive clique of elite rulers, the Granger regime, is secretive, unaccountable, dictatorial and nontransparent. They are enjoying the good life, while other Guyanese are suffering because of inhuman policies. There are numerous issues that are known to the Government, but continued to be disregarded, e.g.: - increases of tariffs by the Guyana Water Inc despite poor quality of water and services
- the poor performance of GPL - refusal to reinstate students’ cash grant, but installing overcrowded school buses with no insurance in case of accidents - East Bank Berbice public road project being used as a political milking cow — secrecy in awarding of contracts by central government ministries, and contract documents being kept secret from regional authorities. streetlights not maintained in the region - only some areas’ playgrounds are being fixed - no job creation for over 6 000 workers in the region, e.g. severed sugar workers, construction workers, laid off workers from affected businesses etc. - increases in fees for passports , driver’s licences, gun licences etc. - increased land rental for farmers in the region - crime rate on the increase - streets, roads need urgent upgrading - removal of VAT from GWI and GPL bills Government must be open, because open government is a doctrine that citizens have the absolute right to access the documents and proceedings of government so that ordinary Guyanese can exercise oversight. The APNU/AFC coalition government has changed our country to secrecy, oppression, intimidation and threats, while the epidemic of systemic corruption in Guyana ensures that monies are being siphoned off into the pockets of public officials. Granger has not been able to do anything to make Guyanese lives better. Regards Zamal Hussain
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Ministers’ Berbice outreach greeted by protests -GWI, infrastructure among biggest peeves for Region 6 residents
It was a slow day at the outreach at the Tain Campus
Protestors were waiting for the Ministers yesterday.
A resident at the Ministry of the Presidency booth Ministers of Government who held an Outreach Exercise at the University of Guyana Tain Tarmac to address burning issues within the region were met by hundreds of protestors brandishing placards about their alleged incompetence as a government. One protestor, Parsram Harrinarine of Canefield, East Canje, stated that he has an issue with GWI disconnecting customers who owe very little and are forced to pay a high
reconnection fee. He chose to picket the Ministers rather than meet them because “they are aware of the issue; it is in the media. It is not like they don’t know, so it is a waste of time to go in there.” “They are corrupt, they don’t need to come to Berbice. We don’t need them here. Why they didn’t come in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018? Why they coming now? Is shame they taking from dem face,” he stressed. Another protestor who was a staunch supporter of the
Alliance For Change but jumped ship last year, Gladwyn Abdulla stated that his issue is with GWI. According to him, the water company has been providing residents on the Corentyne with “limited water. It in and out (intermittent) and the quality is terrible”. This, he said, has been going on for months although the Managing Director Dr. Richard Van West Charles visited the region and promised improved services. Meanwhile, as the Ministers
and their entourage sped past the protestors, they were greeted by members of staff of the various ministries and as they made their way through the tents, some persons that were present immediately engaged them with their issues. The Ministers, including Ronald Bulkan, Cathy Hughes, Dominic Gaskin, and George Norton, were among those seen interacting with the public. There were tents and staff representing the various ministries, utility companies, among others waiting for the crowd to show up to hear their concerns but people trickled in slowly throughout the day. The Ministers were scheduled to visit at 10:30
hours but that schedule was revised to 2:30 pm to allow them to host a Cabinet Meeting at State House New Amsterdam. Some of the main issues raised were the water situation in the ancient county, land and infrastructure issues and NIS.
The venue was filled with mostly staff and police ranks. The Commissioner of Police Leslie James and his team of Deputy Commissioners were also in attendance to listen to concerns. It was the first joint outreach by the Ministers since taking office.
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GTU aims to address challenges facing teachers ...as inaugural triennial conference gets underway Deriving solutions to address emerging challenges that affect the work of public school teachers will be among the features of the Guyana Teachers Union [GTU] inaugural triennial conference. The conference commenced yesterday at the GTU’s Woolford Avenue, Georgetown Union Hall. The conference, which has been split into three segments, is being held under the general theme, ‘Uniting teachers for social, professional, and economic advancement’. Yesterday accommodated a Sports Engagement. The conference will continue with another forum spearheaded by the union’s Women’s Advisory Committee. Speaking of the conference yesterday, GTU President, Mr. Mark Lyte, disclosed that the decision to host the triennial conference was conceptualised and agreed upon at the union’s biennial meeting which was held in Bartica back in 2016. “What we have done this time around is to have separate dates for our Sports Conference, our Women’s Conference and at the end of those two conferences this week, we will then go into our general conference from April 23 until April 26,” Lyte shared. The general conference will be held at the same venue and, according to the GTU President, “What we hope to accomplish during this triennial conference is to deliberate on the general theme ‘uniting teachers for social, professional, and economic
advancement’.” The conference is one drawing attendance from delegates from all 42 branches of the union, which spans the entire of Guyana. According to Lyte, “During those days, we will be discussing the way in which the union has been able to deal with the business of education.” “We will be discussing what are some of the social, professional, and economic challenges that have surfaced in the profession and the way in which we have been able to deal with those and we will also be looking at ways in which we can advance the general social, professional, and economic status of our teachers who are the implementers of the curriculum,” the GTU President informed. In so doing, he said, that the union ha s i n v i t e d a number of stakeholders to a number of crucial organisations to participate in the conference. Among those that are expected to be in attendance are representatives from: the National Insurance Scheme [NIS], the Guyana Revenue Authority [GRA], insurance companies, the Teaching Service Commission [TSC] and the Ministry of Education. The representatives from these organisations, Lyte said, will deliberate on various issues of concern to teachers on allotted days and, according to him, “we hope to have a very informative conference and it is hoped that coming out from the conference many decisions will be made.”
“The conference is the highest decision making body for the GTU so we hope that many important decisions taken will aid the work of the GTU,” said Lyte. He said, too, that the conference will seek to address a number of other issues including some related to the current remuneration agreement the union inked last year end with the Ministry of Education. “We want to see the issue of School Boards addressed, conditions of work for teachers, we also hope to look at areas like mental health because the pressure of the job can cause a lot of mental health issues for our members,” Lyte underscored. He added, “We hope those will be addressed and we will also look at the upsurge of abuse from parents and students [meted out to teachers] and the issue of suicide and how we can provide training for our teachers to deal with those things when they surface.” Even as he considered the work that the union has been doing, Lyte yesterday appealed for teachers to continue to support the union as it seeks to find more ways and means to enhance their working condition and remuneration package. “We say to all Guyana that education is a major priority for the union and so we are working along with other stakeholders, so all the issues that will be discussed will be focused on the impact of everything put in place on the learners and on the education sector,” Lyte added.
The Woolford Avenue Union Hall where the triennial conference is being held.
Police crack gang in two Berbice robberies-suspect leads ranks to shotgun
Indra’s Grocery and Beer Garden in Canje which was robbed
The gun that was recovered by police. Cops in Berbice investigating two recent armed robberies committed on a pensioner from Bloomfield, Corentyne, and another at Canefield, East Canje, Berbice, have got a breakthrough. A senior police officer told Kaieteur News that based on intelligence received, they arrested a male suspect and a female. The male under questioning admitted to being part of the gang that committed the robbery at Bloomfield where pensioner Koomarie Bhagwandin was pushed off from her shed and robbed. He also admitted to being at Canefield, East Canje where the business owners were robbed last Saturday. The senior police rank added that the suspect also implicated two others who have since been arrested while
the female in custody reportedly harboured the man. The earlier three that were initially in police custody were released. Police were led by the accused to a location where he handed over an unlicensed firearm.On Saturday night, Indra’s Grocery and Beer Garden was invaded by three armed men who robbed over 20 customers in the shop and the owners of an undisclosed amount of cash. They reportedly dealt several lashes to the female owner’s face as they made their demands. They escaped with a customer’s Toyota Allion, which was later found at Edinburg Housing Scheme. A few days prior, Koomarie Bhagwandin’s home was invaded by three masked men brandishing guns and a cutlass. They pushed the woman off her
Koomarie Bhagwandin – a victim of the Bloomfield home invasion. shed and dragged her while they demanded for cash and jewellery. She sustained injuries about her body from the fall from the roof of the shed.
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How many more? Yesterday, yet another Guyanese fell victim to the ongoing crime wave. A moneychanger was parking his vehicle on High Street when he was pounced upon by persons, robbed of his cash and his firearm and fatally shot in the head. The bandits escaped on a motorcycle. A businessman and his family were terrorized last Sunday at his home on the Essequibo Coast. A gang, reportedly armed with submachine guns and side arms, invaded the businessman’s home, severely beating him about the head and face. They then threatened to kidnap his son unless he coughed up more cash and valuables. Last week, a business-
woman was robbed and murdered on the same Essequibo. The Cinderella county is reeling from these attacks. The terror was not restricted to Essequibo. In Berbice, men wearing face masks invaded a bar, held up the owners and some 22 customers and robbed them of their valuable before escaping in one of the victim’s cars. It is not even safe anymore to have a drink at a public bar. In the meantime, University of Guyana students have been victims of a spate of robberies just outside the campus. They are now demanding increased security and improved lighting. They too do not feel safe. Thieves last week used a ladder to enter into the home of a media consultant. The thieves carted off a number
of valuables. The homeowner tried desperately to contact 911 to no avail. He had better luck via social media where he was able to publicize his plight and this alerted the authorities to the home invasion. Last week also, an elderly woman had a frightening experience at her home at Bloomfield Village. Bandits invaded her home. She tried to furtively escape by jumping through a window onto a shed but was pursued by the bandits who beat and robbed her. Earlier in the month, the son of a businessman was accosted in the busiest street in Georgetown, Regent Street. He was dispossessed of a large sum of money, which he had on his person and shot in his abdomen.
DEM BOYS SEH
Soulja Bai ministers doing wha Jagdeo own do When Soulja Bai come to office, de whole country believe dat corruption was over at least wheh dem Ministers concern. De same Ministers today use to cuss Jagdeo bout corruption and threaten to lock him up. News start to reach dem boys how dis set of Ministers also corrupt but dem boys didn’t tek it fuh nutten. Dem remember how Jagdeo give out radio licence and only people who was he friend and family get. Dem see how some people get nuff house lots when poor people couldn’t even get one. Dem hear how dem big ones coulda build housing schemes and when people line up to get house lots, Irfaat tell dem dat de Ministry got to buy more
land from GuySuCo. Now dem boys hearing all kind of thing. Imagine Housing deh in de talk again. Dis time, people ain’t talking bout corruption. Dem talking bout inside deal. De Minister husband was a contractor before he and she married. He use to get Housing contract but de mistake he mek is not to pay a subcontractor. He claim how de subcontractor do substandard wuk. De man go to Jagdeo and de story buss out. Dem boys always hear wherever dem have smoke dem have fire. De next thing is dat de Minister husband getting contract and cutting out odda contractors. Dat is wha people start to seh. De Minister seh she didn’t know nutten bout any
contract because she don’t give out contract. Dat is when people remember how she sit down in a contract meeting and how she husband get a contract at dat same meeting. Just when dem boys believe she solve de problem, a PPP man find a contract wha she husband sign inside de ministry. De reporters smell something but de story dry out till de Waterfalls paper find out dat one of de people who wukking in de Ministry and who sign de contract is de Minister husband family. De story still developing. Jagdeo peeping and Soulja Bai chasing after all dem Ministers who giving him bad name. Talk half and wish again fuh no more corruption.
Even the prisons are not safe. Just over a week ago, a prisoner escaped from the Lusignan lockups while another prisoner was badly beaten in his cell. He later died from his injuries. Every day persons are mugged and robbed at Stabroek Market Square. People no longer bother to report some of these incidents. They know that the chances of the police catching the perpetrators are poor. While this criminal carnage is taking place, the police are busy rounding up touts at the bus parks. As if that were not enough, a top police official advised ranks that if they are not satisfied with their salary they have the option of leaving the job. The Minister of Public Security has not said a word on the frightening levels of criminality. Other countries have long however taken note. The latest travel advisories from foreign governments all point to high levels of crime. The latest advisory from the United
Kingdom warned its citizens travelling to Guyana of the need to take precautions to protect themselves and possessions. The United States, last May, stated that violent crime, such as armed robbery and murder were common and that the police lacked the resources to respond effectively to criminal incidents. It urged its citizens living and visiting Guyana to be extra vigilant when visiting Automatic Teller Machines, to be aware of their surroundings, to avoid walking or driving at night and not to display signs of wealth. Life has become a gamble in Guyana. You do not know when you wake up each day whether you will live to see another day. You do not
know if you will be the next victim of a criminal attack. Nothing has changed from the time of the PPPC and its ineffective law enforcement policies. Guyanese have gotten an exchange; not change. People continue to tolerate this intolerable state of affairs. Not even a picketing demonstration is now launched against the violent crime. It seems as if citizens have accepted that they are pawns in the game of chance with criminality.
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday April 17, 2019
THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN
Visa refusal and American intelligence on Guyana Even if you factor in applications from Cubans, Haitians and Chinese living in Guyana, the large percentage (almost 70 percent) of refusal for visitor’s visa for last year takes Guyana back to the eighties where there was a mere trickle of visa issuance. If the US Embassy refused 70 percent of applicants for 2018 for non-immigrant stamps, it means that they are in possession of intelligence that guide the Embassy into the acceptance that Guyanese are fleeing and would renege on returning after their visit. Very few countries see a 70 percent rejection. When that happens, the US concludes that recipients are going to stay illegally. How do you explain it
from the high number of permits in 2015 and 2016, and 25,000 in 2017 to drop substantially in 2018 to less than 5000? The analysts at the Embassy will have data and information that we don’t. We can only speculate. I believe that coming to the end of 2017, the Embassy saw a deluge of applications, which came essentially from rural areas in Region Four and from Regions Two, Three, Five and Six. This influx made the US suspicious because unlike 2016 and previous years from 2011 onwards, there was a noticeable drop in returnees in 2017. This is where the analysts at the Embassy come from. They would have offered to the State Department the
theory that certain sections of the population do not want to remain and are using the non-immigrant permit to stay in the US. By the beginning of 2018, armed with this theory, the State Department would have directed its consular staff here to drastically cut the number offered and this is what has happened. Let us expand of the assessment by the Embassy Officers in Georgetown. I think there has been a definite decision on the part of certain sections of the population to leave Guyana because of what they see as the coming of an autocratic government by the PNC, which will see the return of rigged elections. Now a caveat is in order. Whether the US Embassy or I believe this to be true is not the point. The point is this is the way certain parts of Guyana feel and it has found expression is a deluge of visa applications and a graphic upswing of Guyanese visitors
not coming back. Let us for the sake of argument believe that people think this way, what are the variables involved to guide research? One - the anticipation is that bad days are coming and discrimination will intensify, discrimination that harps back to the seventies and eighties. Two- these constituencies that are applying in large numbers to the Embassy believe that the AFC is dead and that you really have a PNC government that they are not happy with. Three- the PPP as an opposition party is fueling this kind of desperation. But it is unreasonable to ask an opposition party that wants power to play by the game. The pellucid truth is that when the PNC and AFC were in opposition, they preached the politics of doom and gloom and it worked. They got their supporters galvanized and their rhetoric did make PPP enclaves feel
that Guyana will not have a placid future. Four – certain inexplicable decisions by the APNU+AFC regime has cemented the instincts of fear. These include the unilateral appointment of the GECOM Chairman; the failure to secure viable alternative employment for sugar workers and payment of monies due in time; types of public service employment practices. Five – slow progress in the economy that make people feel that harsh economic times are ahead despite oil discovery. Six – the unabated crime situation. The visa reduction was so enormous that it cannot be easily dismissed. The enormity of the rejection cries out for explanation. A country does not see 25,000 recipients drop to 4,500 in a single year. It tells you the Embassy is on to something. Our speculation could be more plausible if the figures could be broken down by the
Frederick Kissoon ten regions of Guyana. Is it possible that there was a huge amount of applications from former Berbice sugar workers? The consular officers assessed them as people wanting to flee? It is possible, too, that there was an increase in lowincome applicants, which the Embassy would have deemed as people posing the greatest risk of not coming back. It would help the researchers too if the Embassy would publish statistics of how many visitors remained in the US in 2017. Of course, the US Embassy will have the last laugh when they read about Lincoln Lewis’s cry of putting Guyanese first in Guyana.
Wednesday April 17, 2019
Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday April 17, 2019
Private court action filed to block GECOM’s house-to-house A private court action has been filed against Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, and the Guyana Elections Commission to halt any House-to-House registrations. Early elections are looming and there are fears by especially the Opposition that the exercise could last months, and would disenfranchise thousands of Guyanese living abroad.
The court case would be seen as critical especially to the PPP, which has thousands of its supporters living abroad. There has been a recommendation that persons not present during the houseto-house will not be allowed to vote. According to the Fixed Date Application released yesterday by lawyers, the case is being filed by Bibi
Zeenatoun, whose local address is in East Street, and who said she is a pensioner who worked in the UK as a teacher with an adult son who lives in Guyana. Zeenatoun, in court documents insisted that she voted in the Local Government Elections in 2018. She is being represented by Attorneys-at-law Mohabir Anil Nandlall, Marcia Nadir-
Sharma, Manoj Narayan, Sasha Mahadeo-Narayan and Rajendra Jaigobin. According to the applicant, she is advised that there is no law, which requires the respondents to conduct house-to-house registration for the purposes of creating a new National Register of Registrants for elections purposes. Rather, the respondents GECOM and its CEO - are mandated by law to engage in continuous registration with a baseline of the year 2001 and must follow the criteria established by the law and their own practice. “I am advised by my Attorneys-at-law and do verily believe that there are no laws that require proof of residency in Guyana as being an element of qualification for registration to the National Register of Registrants,” Zeenatoun said. “I am advised by my Attorneys-at-law and do
verily believe that I am a registered elector in Guyana and during the Respondents’ present proposed House-toHouse Registration exercise, I will be excluded and will cease to be a registered elector and will be denied the opportunity and right to vote in any upcoming elections in Guyana.” Among other things, the applicant is asking for a declaration that the proposed House-to-House registration exercise to be embarked upon by the respondents in or about June 2019, to create a new National Register of Registrants from which will be extracted a new Official List of Electors, shall be unconstitutional, ultra vires, illegal, null, void and of no effect. She also wants a declaration that the proposed exercise will exclude existing qualified registrants currently on the National Register of Registrants and on the
Official List of Electors, shall be unconstitutional, ultra vires, illegal, null, void and of no effect. She is also asking that a Conservatory Order restraining the Respondents by themselves, their servants and their agents from embarking upon House-toHouse Registration scheduled to commence in June 2019, or any date thereafter. Nandlall, a former Attorney General for the PPP, explained that the proceedings are filed to protect the constitutional rights of thousands of registered electors to vote at the next elections from all sides of the political divide. “The nation is well acquainted with the political duplicity and electoral trickery and artifice of the PNC. Quite apart from their inglorious record of rigging elections in 1996, they supported a legislation in the National Assembly to make an ID card a valid requirement to vote but when they lost the 1997 elections, they challenged those elections on the ground that the very requirement of that ID card was unconstitutional and unlawful, causing those elections to be vitiated.”
Wednesday April 17, 2019
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Kaieteur News
Police deny being instructed to arrest Jagdeo The Guyana Police Force has categorically denied being ordered by anyone to arrest and charge Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, in relations to alleged inciting
racial hostility during a speech at Babu Jaan, Corentyne on March 11, 2019. In a statement yesterday, the force said it has taken note of a press statement by
the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) in which the party alleged that the police have been instructed by Congress Place and the Office of the President to arrest, detain,
and charge Opposition Leader and General Secretary. ”The Guyana Police Force wishes to clearly refute such statement and to inform all and sundry that the
Ministry of the Presidency, the People’s National Congress - Reform or A Partnership for National Unity have not given any such instruction or advice.” Additionally, the Force insisted that it remains a professional organization and any action previously or currently being taken, is wholly pursuant to legal advice obtained and or to engage in investigations. According to the PPP, in a statement hours earlier, it is in receipt of information from a usually reliable source that the police have been instructed by Congress Place and the Office of the President to arrest, detain and charge Jagdeo. “This speech was widely covered in the media. It is devoid of any racial content whatsoever. It simply called upon all Guyanese to reject the Government, including the President and the Prime Minister, after March 21, 2019, “by chasing them”. “From that date, the Government would have become illegal and the President, the Prime Minister and Ministers of the Government would no longer be lawfully entitled to hold their governmental offices because of the successful passage of a no confidence motion passed against the Government in the National Assembly on the 21st December, 2019, and the ruling of the Chief Justice, which upheld the validity of that no confidence motion. This speech was delivered before the decision of the Court of Appeal in relation to the no confidence cases.” The PPP said it that it must be emphasized that the Leader of the Opposition directed his comments to both the President and the Prime Minister and in fact the entire Government and his appeal was to all Guyanese. “It is therefore bewildering how these comments can be interpreted as conveying any racial sentiments whatsoever. Indeed, on 21st March, 2019, under the stewardship of the Leader of the Opposition, the PPP held protest actions in various regions across the country. “These protests were peacefully and lawfully conducted and there was not a single reported incident of violence or racial hostility of any kind emanating there from.” PPP said that it is also aware that television stations that carried a similar statement made by the General Secretary of the PPP at a press conference held on 14th March, 2019, were served with notices dated 11th April, 2019, from the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority
Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo
Police Commissioner, Leslie James (GNBA) urging that they immediately desist from broadcasting such content. “We maintain that the Leader of the Opposition has done nothing other than exercise his democratic, constitutional and political right to be critical of a Government that has flagrantly violated the constitution and would have been occupying governmental office u n c o n s t i t u t i o n a l l y, tyrannically and undemocratically. “In fact, the duties of the Leader of the Opposition include publicly exposing the vulgar constitutional violations being committed by the Government.” The Opposition party said that Guyana is witnessing the unleashing of state power through the medium of the Guyana Police Force and the GNBA to stifle free speech, to assault democracy and abrogate political rights and freedoms. “This repeated repressive use of the criminal justice system and the state machinery is intended to restrict the Opposition’s rights and freedom to expose the authoritarian actions of this Government, internationally. “It is therefore no coincidence that these actions are being taken after the return of the Leader of the Opposition from international travels where he met with important functionaries and Continued on page 14
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday April 17, 2019
GWI dispels rumours that Region Nine improvements attract cost for residents
Senior GWI officials, including Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van West-Charles visiting the Karasabai community on Friday, April 5, to assess the progress of works to date to improve the water supply.
The state-owned Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) is dispelling rumours that the company’s recent interventions to provide improved quality and water access to residents of Region Nine attracts a cost for those residents. “The company wishes to make it clear that no immediate plans are in place to attach a cost to the services being provided and therefore customers were never informed of impending charges. These recent interventions in communities in North, South and Central Rupununi are in keeping with President David Granger’s call for equity on the coastland and hinterland.” GWI’s Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van West-Charles and other senior company officials have so far visited some 33 communities in Region 9 where inconsistencies in the quality and access to potable water were observed. “These observations included the lack of
productivity of hand-dug wells, compromised water quality, faulty infrastructure, design f l a w s o f w a t e r systems and the need for additional water sources and storage tanks, well maintenance, construction of trestles, leaks to be fixed and repair works to be done on solar panels.” GWI said that upon noticing these conditions and engaging toshaos, senior councillors and residents to ascertain their current water situation, GWI saw the need to intervene and improve the lives of its brothers and sisters in the region. “Among the works already completed are the drilling of wells in Aishalton, Sand Creek, Kanuku, St. Ignatius and Karasabi. Other ongoing interventions include the installation of Photovoltaic Systems to pump water to the community, improving productivity and increasing storage capacity of wells, water quality testing and the construction of trestles.”
Police deny being instructed to...
From page 13 spoke widely with the media in both the Caribbean and the United States in relation to the despotic behaviour of the Government.” The party which was in power for 23 years but lost amid growing unhappiness from citizens in 2015, also called upon the diplomatic and international community to note Guyana’s rapid descent into a police state. “Needless to say that we will continue to internationalize this issue by writing to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, CARICOM, the Organisation of American States, the Commonwealth Secretariat and other international human rights organisations informing them of the atrocities taking place in Guyana. Finally, we wish to assure the Government that we will not be intimidated but will continue to work to bring Guyana back to a democratic course as we strive for a better and more united country.” Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Presidency yesterday said that it is outright rejecting the malicious statements attributed to the executive members and supporters of the PPP. “The Ministry is making it pellucid that no such instruction was issued by the Head of State, any Minister of Government or any Government official. “The Government is of the view that the Constitution, to which every Guyanese is subjected, is supreme and if a violation has occurred, then by all means, the law must take its course. The Guyana Police Force must carry out its functions, without fear or favour.” The Ministry of the Presidency said it is calling on the Opposition and its members who are making the spurious claims without providing any actual evidence or proof, to cease its campaign of spreading untruths and its paltry attempts to create division within the society. The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), which forms part of the coalition government, also waded in, condemning what it says are gross misinformation. “The PNCR issued no such directive. While the PNCR condemned the inflammatory statements by the Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo at Babu Jaan, it is not part of the culture of the PNCR, in or out of government, to issue directives to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) or interfere in the day-to-day operation and administration of the GPF.”
Wednesday April 17, 2019
Kaieteur News
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Sri Lanka looks to Guyana for oil supply Sri Lanka – (http://www.ft.lk/opinion/)High Commissioner Dr. David Pollard of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana presented his credentials to President Maithripala Sirisena in early February this year. It is considered a significant and vital step to develop strong economic ties to South America, the furthest border of economic expansion Ceylon Tea specially stand to gain, as well as gem stones. Sri Lanka is in a unique position to supply gem stones to Guyana which already has diamonds, gold and silver. According to Honorary Consul Dayantha Laksiri Mendis, two such business initiatives are already underway and are being evaluated. Recently, Guyana struck oil and is soon to become a high profile oil producer in Latin America, going into production with ExxonMobil. For Sri Lanka, this could mean an important source of fossil fuel, as an alternative to depending solely on the Middle East, which holds risk. Despite the new-found oil resources, Guyana is committed towards renewable energy, particularly, Solar Energy and Hydropower. Guyana is considered an important part of the ‘Lungs of the Earth’ with a vast landmass of unspoilt Amazonian rainforests. As such, Guyana is committed to a long term, low carbon development strategy, now called the ‘Green State Development Strategy’ (GSDS).
Incidentally, Guyana is the only English speaking country in South America bordering on Brazil, Venezuela and Suriname. Historically and culturally, Guyana is a part of the Caribbean Community. Today, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has become a single market and a single economy with 14 countries. There is free flow of goods, services and persons within the Community under the Revised Treaty Chaguaramas (1973), similar to that of the EU model. Forbes Burnham, first Prime Minister of Guyana (1966) and later the first Executive President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana (1980), was a founding member of the Caribbean Integration Movement. High Commissioner Dr. David Pollard hails from a distinguished legal family in Guyana and had his early education at Queen’s College, Georgetown, Guyana. The High Commissioner’s wife, Dr. Annabelle Pollard’s is the daughter of the late Forbes Burnham. Although separated by continents and thousands of miles apart, there are many similarities. Both countries became British Colonies on the same day, and have similar constitutions with executive presidency and declare that sovereignty lies with the people. Both countries are endowed with many natural resources. Guyana has gold, diamonds and other minerals. The famous mythical city El Dorado, where people were adorned with gold, was
deemed to be in Guyana, close to the Brazilian border. Prior to British rule, both countries were Dutch colonies and still continue to apply Roman-Dutch law in certain areas. Sri Lanka and Guyana have enjoyed friendly relations as members of the NonAligned Group.
In 1974, Sirimavo Bandaranaike visited Guyana and met Prime Minister Forbes Burnham concerning the 1976 Non-Aligned Summit in Sri Lanka. She was given a rousing welcome by the Government of Guyana and schoolchildren were lined up on streets waving Sri Lankan Flags.
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday April 17, 2019
Region Three Heys participants poised for great future HEYS Participants
Get visit from Minister Allicock Some $1.9M was disbursed to 38 participants of the Hinterland Employment Youth Service (HEYS) Programme during a visit to Essequibo Islands- West Demerara, Region Three last week Wednesday. Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock, led a seven-member team to the region where participants with existing businesses under the HEYS Programme met the youth from Saxacalli and Bonasika in Caria Caria where the grant was distributed. Testimonies were shared by the young people who noted with excitement, the positive impact the HEYS Programme has on their lives. Caria Caria’s Karen DeNieuenkirk said, “It has been a good learning experience, I am now in a better position to operate my own little business and I know that by God’s grace, I will be successful”. Celine Sampson, another participant from Caria Caria in thanking the Government and the Ministry from giving the youth a second chance at life noted that, “this programme has transformed my life both morally and educationally. “There was an opportunity for one person from my community to train as a Health Worker. I embraced the challenge and the HEYS Programme helped me tremendously both financially and in the academic area. I will be graduating on April 11, 2019.” “This programme has allowed me to discover hidden talents that I am now using. My life has changed and I have a business up and running.“My moral life and academic life have improved and I am confident that things are better with me now than before. I will be happy if this programme can come back where more young people can have a chance to improve their lives,” said Crystal Decamp.She too is a participant form Caria Caria. The HEYS Programme also caters to the needs of the differently-abled in society. Courtley Jones, a youth from Saxacalli, with assistance from his sister, Candida Allicock, noted, “He started his business with a small number of chickens and now he has 43 laying birds and he would like to improve his business. “I would like to thank the Government for what they have done and will continue to do for the youths.” “To all participants, you are blessed; we all are blessed. This HEYS programme has done and means so much to me. It would not benefit me alone but I trust that it will benefit my children. It has changed my life; it helped me
so I want to encourage you to never give up. I want to say thanks to the Government and to the Minister,” said an overjoyed Glen Harris, a participant from Bonasika. Minister Sydney Allicock said he is extremely pleased with the commitment demonstrated by the youth who have embraced the HEYS Programme and positive outcomes are being realized. “What I can see and what I can hear, you are poised for a great future ahead. The mere fact that you have said these things for yourself is very encouraging. “Mr. Courtley Jones, your story from the chickens and eggs is very refreshing. It means that you are passionate. Many people might think that when you are differentlyabled that you can’t help yourself. Here is a very, very good example of what could happen as long as you are focused and dedicated.” The Minister added, “I am extremely impressed with the number of young women taking up the challenge. I think there are only five or six men and the rest are women who are leading in this which is a very, very good sign. I would like to ask the young men to take an example of what the young women are doing.” The Minister said right across the world, women are playing an integral role in development. “We want the young men to become responsible young men to take up these challenges that will be beneficial to you.”Courtley Jones took the opportunity to capitalize on the marketing opportunity. He sold 14 trays of eggs to those attending the meeting including Minister Allicock who bought four trays to take back to the city.Leaders from the respective villages encouraged the youth to thrive towards building on this opportunity which one leader described as “transformative”. In the recent past, the HEYS initiative was deemed no more a “Programme but an Irreversible Movement”. The programme, which was introduced in 2015, is the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs flagship youth programme one that has transformed the lives of close to 4,000 youths across the hinterland.The programme is one that was part of a ten-point plan for Hinterland development by David Granger during his address at the opening of the National Toshaos Council Conference in 2015. To date, the “Movement” has brought tremendous benefits to young people. Already plans are being formulated to have a third cohort rolled out before the end on 2019.
Wednesday April 17, 2019
Kaieteur News
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Wednesday April 17, 2019
Kaieteur News
Industrial Sales Representative, 5 Subject CXC Age 25+ Experience in Sales, must own vehicle, email r e s u m e : vacancy@josarltd.com
Black Bush family believes brutal home invasion...
Wednesday April 17, 2019
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Kaieteur News
Man accused of killing ex-lover Woman attacks female refuses state-assigned lawyers cop with broken bottle
Although the State provides lawyers for a murder accused who cannot afford to hire legal representatives, 51year-old Gavin Graham who is accused of killing his exlover, has refused the services of three such lawyers sent to visit him at the prison. Graham is accused of the January 3, 2015 murders of his ex-lover Tabola Abrams, 39, and her 68-year-old stepfather Clifford Sampson who died because of injuries they received in a fire, which destroyed a house at Lot 636 ‘C’ Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown. According to reports, Graham set fire to the twostorey house, which was at the time occupied by Abrams, her paramour and stepfather and about 10 other individuals including children, after the woman ended their relationship. Graham was brought to court yesterday and again he asked for his trial to be adjourned for another three months to allow his relatives to pool monies to hire his desired counsel. At this point, Justice Singh sought to remind him that he had already spent four years in prison, and inquired if he had liked the prison
MURDER ACCUSED: Gavin Graham
KILLED: Tabola Abrams
setting. Graham responded in the negative. He said that he is not mindful of any Stateassigned lawyers representing him. He admitted that the lawyers visited him at the prison. One of those same lawyers was even present in court yesterday just in case the accused had a change of heart. But Graham held out that he wants to hire his desired legal representative. He explained that he cannot afford to retain a lawyer at this moment, but if granted time, his family will be able to
do so. In the end, Justice Singh told Graham that the court does not work to his timing, and that his trial is due for commencement. As such, the Judge granted the murder accused until next week Wednesday, April 24, to retain a lawyer of his choice. Whether or not he does this, Justice Singh indicated that the court will empanel a jury to begin the trial, since lawyers are being provided to him by the State for free. The Prosecutors in this case are Tuanna Hardy, Teriq Mohamed and Abigail Gibbs.
A 24-year-old woman was hauled before a city magistrate as she was charged with allegedly attacking a police woman with a broken bottle and inflicting injuries on her after accusing the victim of being with a mystery man. Natasha Henry, the mother of four, appeared yesterday in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Principal Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus. The Baramita resident was not required to plead to the indictable charge, which stated that on April 11, last, at Baramita, North West District; she unlawfully and maliciously wounded Princess Bentick. According to reports, on the day in question, Henry approached Bentick who started to accuse her of being with a man, something the victim said that she was unaware of. During the ordeal, the defendant reportedly took a
Natasha Henry
glass bottle, broke it and attempted to attack the victim. Henry was stopped in the process by persons nearby; however, she managed to break two more bottles and carried out her attack on Bentick who had her back turned. As a result of the attack,
Bentick received several cuts about her body and had to be rushed to the hospital for medical treatment. After listening to the facts presented, Magistrate IsaacsMarcus remanded Henry to prison and instructed that she return to court on May 7, 2019.
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Wednesday April 17, 2019
Kaieteur News
GPHC Maternity Ward to undergo $30M expansion The National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) yesterday opened tenders for a number of projects, most notable the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, Expansion of Maternity Ward South Block. This comes in light of previous situations of the ward being overcrowded and mothers having to double-up. Other notable projects were the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation, Construction of Asphalt Plant Administrative & Quality Control Laboratory Building, Garden of Eden, EBD and the Procurement 0f Security Services - Linden Hospital. Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation Expansion of Maternity Ward South Block
Detailed Baseline Study, Region 9
Supply, Installation and Commissioning of 72kWp Hybrid Solar Photovoltaic Micro-Grid System in Moraikobai
Supply and Delivery of LED bulbs and LED lamps
Guyana Revenue Authority Re-Paving of Guyana Revenue Authority’s Northern Access Way
Guyana Elections Commission Procurement of Field Materials Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation Construction of Asphalt Plant Administrative & Quality Control Laboratory Building, Garden of Eden, EBD
Ministry of Public Infrastructure Consultancy Services for Conducting a Feasibility Study and Preparing Detailed Designs for the Upgrading of the Lethem Aerodrome
Ministry of Education Supply and Delivery of Dietary Supplies - Kuru Kururu Primary School Lot 1 - Dry Goods Lot 2 - Perishables Lot 3 - Janitorial
Procurement of Security Services - Linden Hospital Completion of Building - Upper Corentyne Industrial Training Centre Ministry of Public Security Supply, Delivery and Installation of a Whole Body Scanner at the Guyana Prison Service
Ministry of Public Health Supply and Delivery of Janitorial Supplies Ministry of Public Health Procurement of Pharmaceuticals, 2019
Continued on page 29 Supply and Installation of Four Hundred (400) Integrated Stand-alone Solar Powered 80W LED lights in all ten administrative regions
Kaieteur News
Wednesday April 17, 2019
Harbour Bridge testing automated toll collection system Despite plans to build a new crossing for the Demerara River, management of the current bridge is not standing still. The Bridge management is currently testing an automated toll system which will allow vehicles that traverse the Demerara Harbour Bridge to buy credit, instead of paying cash at the four toll booths. The idea is improve efficiency, in terms of traffic management, and accountability. Yesterday, General Manager, Rawlston Adams, and two of the senior staffers Traffic Coordinator, Hazellu Richardson and Andre Crowder, Electrical Engineer, all spoke about the pilot project. The 40-year-old harbour bridge is the main link between the city and West Demerara. It connects via ferry to Region Seven and Essequibo Coast, Region Two. However, the efficiency of the bridge has been severely challenged in recent years as more and more vehicles are placed on the country’s roads. This has led to congestion at especially peak hours. A few years ago, vehicles would purchase tickets from the eastern end and traverse to the west side where someone would collect them. However, to speed up the lines, the western end collection system was removed from the equation. Then at peak hours, the bridge would be made oneway. According to Adams, the bridge has collaborated with a local tech company, Smartware Solutions, which has done work before with the bridge, for the automated toll system. Currently, 10 of the bridge vehicles are equipped with Radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips which are automatically picked up by equipment at one of the toll booth. The signals cause a ticket to be printed. These are similar systems that are used on bridges and other facilities worldwide, Adams explained. The bridge will benefit significantly as it has several credit facilities with ministries, state agencies and companies. “As it regards to Government revenue, we must account for every dollar we collect by issuing a receipt.” The GM disclosed that the current system causes delays as when a government vehicle that has credit facilities come to the toll booth. The worker has to manually prepare a receipt.
One of the Demerara Harbour Bridge vehicles being tested yesterday. Also in photo are GM, Rawlston Adams (r) and Electrical Engineer, Andre Crowder. This takes time and slows the traffic, Adams said. The idea is to slowly introduce the government ministries and state agencies and then the general public. “So we are testing what we have now and ironing out the kinks. We are excited that we could do this right in Guyana using local expertise. We are also working out modalities of where the chips would be sold, where you could top up credit and so on.”According to the officials, the vehicles would be affixed with a special chip on the windscreen which is not transferrable. It cannot be torn off or pasted on another vehicle. Credit is rolled over. Meanwhile, Adams disclosed
that the Harbour Bridge is working with the Guyana Revenue Authority to utilize the database of vehicles. “We are talking with GRA to take some actions on our part when someone does not pay the toll. We can be able to know who owns the vehicle and either issue a fine or send them a charge.” Adams also disclosed that there are plans to deal especially with the vehicles of Members of Parliament. “We have problems with those. Sometimes a driver would use the vehicles and so on…We will have special equipment to deal with these. We are excited to work with our local people for something like this. It is a lot of in-house work.”
GPHC Maternity Ward... From page 28 Rehabilitation of Science Lab - St. Mary Secondary School
Supply and Delivery of Dietary Supplies - Dora Secondary School Lot 1 - Dry Goods Lot 2 - Vegetables Lot 3 - Janitorial & Cleaning Supplies
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday April 17, 2019
Gun stolen from exhibit room ‘miraculously returned’ -was linked to shooting death of mentally ill man by city constable Police officials are trying to find out how a revolver that was linked to a manslaughter case involving the killing of a mentally ill man was removed from an exhibit room, and then
miraculously returned. A senior police official stated that the firearm was ‘miraculously returned’ yesterday. He was unable to say who removed the firearm and
who brought it back. The official confirmed that the revolver is the property of the City Constabulary. It is linked to the January 2018 manslaughter case in
which Gregory Bascom, a City Constabulary lance corporal, was charged for killing 34-year-old Tiger Bay resident Marlon Fredericks. According to reports,
Gregory Bascom Fredericks, 34, who was unarmed, was shot by Bascom as he escaped from detention at the Bourda Market Outpost. The Tiger Bay resident, who was described as mentally ill, was shot in his mother’s presence, as he ran out of the Outpost, where he was being detained on allegations of simple larceny, assault, and for assaulting a peace officer. The accused is on $800,000 bail.
Marlon Fredericks
12 years for remorseful man who killed friend at Port Kaituma Thirty-five year old, Ignatius France had a change of heart as his murder trial wound down yesterday before Justice Navindra Singh and a 12-member jury at the High Court in Georgetown. He threw himself at the mercy of the court when he discontinued the trial, after opting to plead guilty to the lesser charge manslaughter. He was initially indicted for murder by State Prosecutors Teriq Mohamed, Abigail Gibbs and Tuanna Hardy. France who was represented by Attorney-at-Law Maxwell McKay admitted that on May 11, 2012 at Canal Bank, Port Kaituma, he unlawfully killed Mark Ashby. According to information, on the day in question, France and his brother were out drinking when they got into an argument. Both brothers were reportedly intoxicated and during the argument, they began to fight. While they fought, the now dead Ashby reportedly came up to the brothers, allegedly drunk himself, and ordered the brothers to stop fighting. Subsequently, a fight erupted between France and Ashby. France left the fight and returned with a cutlass, which he used to chop Ashby to the neck. In addressing the court, yesterday, France expressed remorse for what he had done. He said that he had been on his best behaviour
JAILED: Ignatius France while in jail and has not gotten himself into trouble with any of the other prisoners. Justice Singh advised France that he must stop drinking alcohol since it is what caused the problem. “Change your ways,” Justice Singh told France, who in turn, said that he learnt to read and write while in jail. State Prosecutor Teriq Mohamed requested that the sentence of the court reflect the nature and gravity of the offence. Justice Singh, however, ordered the prison authority to deduct the time France spent on remand from the 12year sentence. The prosecution however said that this is outside the remit of the judge.
Wednesday April 17, 2019
Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur News
PPP hires US firm to boost election campaign The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has hired a Washington-based global political lobbying firm, Mercury Public Affairs LLC, for consultative purposes. The firm will provide assistance to the party in preparation for Guyana’s next General and Regional Elections. The contract, signed by PPP Executive Secretary, Zulfikar Mustapha, states that Mercury Public Affairs LLC will provide strategic consulting and management services to issues facing the client in the areas of government relations and issues management. The contract is worth $31.4M, effective from March 5 to June 5, 2019. The date of signing for the contract, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo said, was in anticipation of Guyana being faced by a constitutional crisis – the 90-day deadline set, if the No-Confidence motion had been passed on December 21, 2018. Of the firm, Jagdeo reportedly said, “This is how American policy is shaped and the most effective way to counter APNU/AFC misrepresentation and deceit.” The expected services include arranging meetings between the party’s executive branch and the Congress of the United States, the Organisation of American States, which links in connection with issues relating to the anticipated general and regional elections to take place in Guyana. Mercury is a bipartisan political strategy and consulting firm that focuses on cam-
Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo paigns and political communications ranging from advocacy advertising to litigation communications to media and public relations. It is known to have provided services for leading advocacy groups, governments, political parties, NGOs, and prominent public and political figures including US President Donald Trump. Several current and former members of Mercury had active roles within some of the presidential campaigns for the 2016 US election cycle. Several of its officials have worked for deceased American politician John McCain, former New Jersey governor, Chris Christie, and former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.
Wednesday April 17, 2019
Corentyne man accused of shooting farm labourer dead on trial for murder A voir dire has taken center stage when the trial of Suresh Sakawat called ‘Vishal’ 31; a labourer of Clifton Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice began in the Berbice High Court before Justice Jo Ann Barlow and a mixed jury. Sakawat, is accused of shooting and killing Sasenarine Baljit, 40, called “Frying Pan” of Clifton Settlement, Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice on June 2, 2015 at Expectation, Port Mourant Back Dam, he while armed with a gun. The state’s case is being presented by Attorney-at-law Mandel Moore. Attorney-atlaw Ryan Crawford is appearing for Sakawat. The bullet-riddled body of Baljit, a farm labourer, w a s f o u n d o n Ta i n Settlement, Corentyne, two
Murder accused: Suresh Sakawat called ‘Vishal’ days after the alleged incident. The body reportedly bore several shotgun injuries to the back.Sakawat was reportedly held some days after the incident. Baljit was reportedly
shot by Sakawat while he was at a camp at Port Mourant Back Dam. The state called two witnesses. First to testify was Ramesh Busjit, the brother-inlaw of the accused. He told the court that that the accused was at his home when he was arrested by the police. The accused would usually stay by him. He recalled that the accused was not well and was receiving treatment. Next on the witness stand was Parsram Suraj who told the court that he was the one who took the police to search the ranch when they noticed the body floating in the trench.The rest of the day was spent conducting a voir dire as a number of other witnesses were called to the stand.
Housing Minister’s husband used CH&PA ... (From page 3) Secretary at CH&PA, both signed as witnesses to that January 2018 private contract. That is a clear no-no as CH&PA is the agency that in the first place issued the contracts to Yearwood. Chief Executive Officer at the CH&PA, Lelon Saul, had said that if a contractor is the husband of the Minister, there exists a conflict of interest. It is unclear whether he knew that Marks is related to Yearwood as well. It is a clear no-no for the
two CH&PA staffers to sign as witnesses to a private contract for the husband of the Minister of Housing. That private contract, dated January 18, 2018, was made for the construction of 11 concrete, single-storey houses at Perseverance, East Bank Demerara, to the tune of $10.5M.Desmond Murphy, the sub-contractor had accused Godfrey Yearwood of withholding the payment from him after he had completed the works. It is Murphy’s claim of non-payment from
Yearwood that has now opened this can of worms.In her statement, Minister Valerie Adams-Yearwood said that Murphy, engaged for six weeks, did substandard work, which was rejected by CHPA. She also said that several materials, which were purchased by Mr. Murphy, could not be accounted for. She said that the “defective works” had to be corrected by Godfrey Yearwood. He consequently retained the finances, and so, Murphy was not paid for his work.
Wednesday April 17, 2019
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Kaieteur News
BCA chief Riley lashes out at CWI over Pybus, Browne axing ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Outspoken Cricket West Indies director, Conde Riley, has slammed the regional governing body’s decision to axe the entire coaching staff of the men’s senior side ahead of the World Cup, and has warned that the sweeping personnel changes announced last week could “destabilise the whole process” heading into the ICC showpiece next month. In a controversial radio interview here which revealed fractures within the CWI directorate, Riley said while new CWI president Ricky Skerritt was free to implement changes, he was not in
support of making them so close to a major tournament and especially after West Indies’ outstanding results against England in the recent home series. CWI last week removed interim head coach Richard Pybus and his support staff of Vasbert Drakes, Toby Radford and Esuan Crandon. Former West Indies batsman Floyd Reifer was named to replace Pybus, while Roddy Estwick, Corey Collymore and Rayon Griffith will serve as assistant coaches. “It is not about the termination of Vasbert Drakes so much, but more importantly where the team is
at this time having reclaimed the Wisden Trophy. England are number one in ODI cricket and we tied with them,” Riley told Observer Radio here in a telephone interview. “My own feelings are that the timing is off. I felt we should have gone off to the World Cup [without changing the coaches]. I think the players were in a good space, Mr Pybus’s appointment was interim … we had put a succession planning system in place where we interviewed nine regional coaches and shortlisted five and those were the people that we would look to to take the team forward.”
Wednesday April 17, 2019 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Juggling work and home may seem difficult today, Aries. Work responsibilities may weigh on your mind to the point where they interfere with the harmony of your home life. This can cause some inner conflict. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Today you might decide to sequester yourself at home, catch your breath, get your thoughts together, and recall the events of the past several days. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You may be worried about your financial situation today, Gemini. You might feel a tug at your purse strings. If you've experienced a delay in receiving some funds you were expecting, this may add to your concern. CANCER (June 21–July 22) An unexpected event might cause you to be temporarily separated from your partner today, Cancer. Confusion about the incident and your mate's role in it might plague you. You might doubt his or her motives.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) - You may want to take a day off from your obligations, Libra, perhaps to take care of unfinished creative projects. Chances are this may not be possible. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You may reminisce today, Scorpio. Perhaps you're thinking about friends and family who live far away. You could feel a bit nostalgic, not to mention blue, thinking about times long past. SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) Money matters might be a bit tangled today. There may be an unexpected delay in receiving funds due you. Your bank statement may have you confused. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You may need reassurance today. Trouble with friends or a romantic partner may have you feeling unloved, insecure, and emotionally blocked. You may see the situation as more serious than others do.
LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You might have a sore throat and mild cold symptoms today. It may affect your ability to work. Chances are that you're an active person. Having to slow down to tend to your health may frustrate you.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) You may feel a little under the weather today, Aquarius. You may even develop sniffles or a sore throat. If so, consider going to the doctor. This can be an especially unwelcome development, as it keeps you from certain activities.
VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Spend some quality time with your partner today. Perhaps he or she is a little jealous of your friends or feeling left out. Perhaps you've received invitations lately that are just for you. It might be a good idea to turn one down in favor of being with your partner.
PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You might feel lonely and insecure due to lack of contact with a close friend or romantic partner, Pisces. You might wonder if the person has forgotten you or simply doesn't care anymore. Take the time to try to connect with this person.
Pybus was a controversial appointment last January, with CWI director Enoch Lewis publicly accusing former CWI president Dave Cameron of “hand-picking” the Englishman for the position without consulting the board. However, Pybus then oversaw West Indies’ shock 2-1 over England in in the three-Test series last February and then guided the Caribbean side to a 2-2 draw in the five-match ODI series. Skerritt, who toppled three-term incumbent Cameron at CWI elections last month, had warned prior to his assuming the top post that he was not in favour of the manner in which Pybus had been appointed. Riley, whose BCA publicly supported Cameron during the recent election campaign and snubbed an offer from Skerritt to address the local governing body, also hinted that Test and ODI captain Jason Holder was not
Guyana among 16... From page 40 advance to a final play-in match (1A v 1D and 1B v 1C). The winner in each play-in match will qualify for the Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship. The 16 participating teams in the Caribbean are: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and U.S. Virgin Islands. The draw for the Caribbean preliminary round is scheduled for today at 11:00 am ET. Fans will be able to follow all the action via Concacaf.com. In Central America, qualifying will be disputed in three individual home-and-away series, with the three series winners advancing to the Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship. The matchups - 1 v 6, 2 v 5 and 3 v 4 – will be determined via the FIFA World Ranking of March 31st, 2019. The matches will take place the first 3 weeks of July. The six participating teams in Central America are (in order by ranking): Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama, Nicaragua and Guatemala. The format, host country and dates for the Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifiers will be announced at a later date. Mexico, Canada and the United States are set to participate as the North American representatives.
in favour of the coaching changes. “I got the impression that he (Holder) was not for it,” said Riley, who only recently pledged his support to Skerritt. “He probably wanted to keep everything in place and you would know … that to change a whole coaching staff, impose a new selectional panel and so on, it could destabilise the whole process going into a World Cup. “I have no difficulty with the president going in a new direction but my problem was the timing. I know that the captain was saying ‘leave it as it is and let’s go down to July after we go to the World Cup and India comes to the Caribbean’ but you know how it is.” Riley added: “To destabilise a team … when many people Caribbean thought we had no chance against England … but this young team defied the odds. My position is and I will stand by my position and my board that this is wrong – the timing is wrong – and if the captain asked to leave the status quo as is then I think [that’s what should have been done]. “Yes president Skerritt
has the right, he’s the president, but just let it follow the process that we had in place before where we would have the interim head coach and his staff, selection panel and then after the World Cup and India, then we could move on.” Last January in a heated radio interview in Barbados, Riley famously clashed with Lewis over Pybus’s appointment. In defending Cameron then, Riley contended Pybus’s appointment had been ratified by a majority vote of the CWI board while Lewis claimed process had not been followed. CWI also last week replaced chairman of selectors, Courtney Browne and his panel, appointing Robert Haynes as interim chairman with director of cricket, Jimmy Adams, and Reifer also serving selectors. Riley criticised that decision too, arguing Haynes was not in a position to properly execute the role. “How could Robert Haynes [be named chairman of selectors] – I have nothing against him, I know the man well – but he’s not been watching cricket,” Riley argued.
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday April 17, 2019
Something does not add up here By Sean Devers I have never professed to be a genius in Maths but the more I think about it, the more I come to the conclusion that things don’t add up as it relates to the recent appointments made by the new CWI Administration led by President Ricky Skerrit, a former West Indies team Manager from St Kitts and Nevis and his deputy, Dr. Kishore Shallow, President of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association. At the recent CWI’s AGM and Elections at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, the LICA and TTCB were firmly behind the Skerrit-Shallow team, while Jamaican Dave Cameron and Dominican Emmanuel Nanthan’s team was backed by the WICA, GCB and BCA with the JCA uncertain until the eleventh hour and set to cast the deciding vote. That the Skerrit-Shallow team defeated the incumbents 8-4 meant that even if Jamaica decided not to vote for Cameron, the anti-player President, two votes from Cameron’s supporters were not cast for him and sources suggested that the Windwards voted for both parties, which was not surprising since Dr Shallow is Vincentian.
But where did the eighth vote come from? Sources indicated that the GCB was the other Board that votes for both parties. But if true, why would one of the GCB officials vote against an Administration that turned a blind eye on their indiscretions? Things continued not to add up. “The changes that we have triggered this week are therefore more than a simple change in personnel, or a shake up amongst the ranks. This is a calculated strategic move designed to reignite the passion for our culture,” Skerritt said after his win. Chairman of Selectors Courtney Browne was predictable sacked along with his entire panel in addition to the Coaching staff which surprisingly included Assistant Coach Esuan Crandon. Crandon, the Head Coach of five-times defending first Class Champions Guyana, made his debut on the Windies Coaching staff for the 3-Test series against England which the Windies won 3-1 before drawing the ODI’s 2-2. A good start as Assistant Coach by the 37-year-old Guyanese one would think. But the New Administration threw out the baby with the bathwater as is
Rayon Griffith was selected ahead of his Country’s Head Coach Esuan Crandon who enjoyed a successful stint in Windies colours. the case with most who assume power in this part of the world; getting rid of all those appointed by the previous Administration regardless of their success. Vasbert Drakes, who served on the Windies Coaching staff during their successful series against England was also sacked and is reportedly suing CWI. Floyd Reifer was appointed interim Head Coach up to the World Cup and according to Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams, Reifer will have the authority, in close collaboration with him and CEO Johnny Grave, to recruit a compatible and effective supporting management team. Bajan Reifer will also have selector-status, guaranteeing
him a meaningful input into the selection process. But when the Coaching Staff was announced things still did not add up with Barbadian fast bowlers Roddy Estwick (Assistant Coach) and Corey Collymore (Assistant Fast Bowling Coach) along Mushtaq Ahmed (Assistant Spin Bowling Coach) being appointed. Skerrit had confirmed on a Radio programme that while the Guyanese attended the CWI Meeting last week they were not allowed to vote because a Guyana judge had deemed the former GCB Executives illegal. However, things started to add up when Guyana’s Rayon Griffith, who was listed as one off the illegal GCB
New CWI President Ricky Skerritt and VP Dr Shallow after their landslide win in Jamaica. Executives, was surprisingly appointed as Assistant Fielding Coach. Apart from being the Assistant to Crandon during Guyana’s five-year successful run, the 40-yearold Griffith who played 22 matches in First-Class and List ‘A’ Cricket, was never an outstanding fielder but was given that job ahead of Roger Harper and ‘Gus’ Logie. I first meet Skerrit during the during the 2008 Regional U-19 tournament in St Kitts during his tenure of Minister of Tourism of St Kitts & Nevis and he is someone who I have highly respected since. I was happy that he won, and with Cameron finally gone, am eagerly looking forward to positive changes which would see a better West
Indies cricket. But Griffith’s appointment after Crandon’s success leaves more questions than answers and fuels speculation. It is hoped that CWI finds a place for Crandon, the most successful Regional FirstClass Coach, on the Windies ‘A’ team for the India ‘A’ series. Meanwhile, CWI announced the appointment of Guyanese-born St Martin businessman Imran McSoodAmjad, Chairman and First CEO of NAGICO, as a new Independent Director. Mr. McSood-Amjad’s appointment was ratified by the CWI Board of Directors in a Board Meeting held on Tuesday, April 9 at which the GCB reps were denied voting rights.
Fit-again Roach champing at bit for UK tour BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Experienced West Indies seamer Kemar Roach is hoping for a major impact on the upcoming tours of Ireland the World Cup, after recovering from the injury which forced him out of the recent England one-day series.
The 30-year-old bowled superbly in the preceding three-Test series to finish with 18 wickets and claim Man-ofthe-Series honours but was then struck down with a stress reaction of the back and played no role in the fivematch ODI rubber which finished 2-2. Recalled for the Tri-
Drug testing methods stuck in the 1970s... From page 33 stuck when it comes to anti-doping process,” he said. Dope tests at the Olympics were introduced in 1968, with WADA founded in 1999. Howman said urine tests were too easy to circumvent and too expensive, costing in some cases $1,000 per sample for a private collection agency to carry out and send to a laboratory. He added that of samples collected and analyzed by WADA-accredited laboratories in 2017, only 1.43 percent resulted in adverse analytical findings - or about 0.6 percent when approved medical exemptions were excluded. “Science and medicine have advanced everywhere but they haven’t advanced in doping, we’re still analyzing urine. And not very darned well,” he said. “My worry is that we still do it because it’s the way to build up numbers. Not the way to catch the cheats. There’s a misguided view that perhaps its deterring people. “Well, it’s catching the stupid ones because they just are stupid. But it’s not catching the real cheats.”
Nations Series in Ireland next month, Roach said he was looking forward to finding his rhythm again. “[I’m] fully recovered from injury, not a 100 per cent, still [need] time to build up. [It is] still a couple weeks before the first game in Ireland, so I am gradually improving and I will be ready for the first game,” Roach said at the West Indies training camp at 3W’s Oval. “[I had a] stress reaction on the left side of his back, obviously bowled a lot of the overs in the last series against England which took a toll on me but I am back now and ready to go.” He continued: “Looking forward to the World Cup if selected. Obviously want to go there and hopefully put in a performance that will make the people of the Caribbean proud. I have been working towards that in the last couple of weeks so hopefully if selected, I will give it my best shot and go out there and try hard to bring home the silverware for the West Indies.” Roach is the most experienced bowler in the
current West Indies setup, with 184 wickets in 53 Tests and 114 scalps from 80 ODIs. His knowledge will be seen as crucial especially in the United Kingdom where seam is expected to play a major role in seam-friendly conditions. He is one of five pacers in the 14-man squad for the Ireland Tri-Nations, with captain Jason Holder, Shannon Gabriel, Raymon Reifer and Sheldon Cottrell all included. Roach said the gravity of his role in the squad was not lost on him. “I am one of the experienced guys so I have to set a good example for all of the other guys to follow,” the Barbadian said. “It is all about us coming together and formulating a plan to put West Indies in good positions so that they can win games. That’s what is important.” The Ireland Tri-Nations, which involves Bangladesh, runs from May 3-17 and will be the last series before West Indies start their campaign in the World Cup, which runs from May 30 to July 14. And Roach said his preparation prior to leaving
Fast bowler Kemar Roach (right) along with new-ball partner Shannon Gabriel chat with new interim head coach Floyd Reifer (left) during the training camp at 3W’s Oval. (Photo courtesy CWI Media) the Caribbean would also be crucial to his performances. “I have been in the gym a lot and have been receiving therapy from at Jackie’s clinic (Barbados Pride physiotherapist Jackie
King),” he explained. “I have been doing a lot of work on my back and on my action and technique as well. Hopefully in two weeks time, I should be ready to go at full gust.”
Wednesday April 17, 2019
Sixers ride 51-point 3rd quarter to rout of Nets The Philadelphia 76ers seized control in a 51-point third quarter, set a team record for points in a quarter and a playoff game, and evened their first-round series at one game apiece with a 145-123 victory over the visiting Brooklyn Nets on Monday night. Game 3 is tomorrow in New York. Joel Embiid collected 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead Philadelphia. For the second straight time, Embiid was a game-time decision due to the lingering tendinitis in his left knee, but he played in both contests. Embiid totaled 13 points and five rebounds in the third quarter Monday as Philadelphia shot 72 percent and outscored Brooklyn 5123. Embiid’s dominance occurred after he was called for a flagrant-one foul on Jarrett Allen with 35.6 seconds left in the first half. Philadelphia also matched the 1962 Los Angeles Lakers for the most points scored in a quarter in a playoff game. It was the 13th time a team scored at least 145 points in a playoff game and the first instance in a regulation game since the Boston Celtics put up 157 points in 1990 against the New York Knicks. Ben Simmons contributed his second career postseason triple-double with 18 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. He joined Wilt Chamberlain and Charles Barkley as the only Sixers to get multiple
Brooklyn Nets guard D’Angelo Russell (1) looks on before game two of the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. (Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports) triple-doubles in playoff action, and he exited to a standing ovation from fans after criticizing their booing following Game 1. Tobias Harris added 19 points, JJ Redick contributed 17, reserve center Boban Marjanovic chipped in 16 and Mike Scott had 15 for Philadelphia, which shot 56.1 percent from the floor. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 19 and D’Angelo Russell added 16 for the Nets, who set a team record for points allowed in a postseason game. Rondae HollisJefferson added 15 while Caris LeVert and Shabazz Napier had 13 apiece. After starting slowly, Embiid fueled a 21-2 blitz to start the third to turn a 65-64 halftime lead to an 86-66 edge. He started it with a 10-foot jumper, converted a threepoint play, hit a short
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fadeaway along the baseline and hit two free throws. Embiid checked out with 7:02 remaining in the third and the Nets made a small dent, getting within 89-74 on a layup by Dinwiddie with 5:57 remaining. Following a timeout, the Sixers countered with a 15-5 run to grab a 10479 lead on a put-back by James Ennis III. Philadelphia took a 116-87 lead into the fourth after Scott hit a buzzer-beating jumper. The Nets were unable to take their first 2-0 playoff lead since sweeping the Knicks in the 2004 first round, largely because they had few answers for Embiid. Jared Dudley, who constantly harassed Embiid in Game 1, sat out due to a calf injury, and Ed Davis picked up a third foul early in the second quarter. (Field Level Media)
BCB/GNNL/RHTYSC 100 Balls Cricket Tournament
Several teams register victories to advance to next round The second of the Berbice Cricket Board organised Guyana National Newspapers Ltd/Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS 100 Balls Cricket Tournament for teams in the Upper Corentyne area continued last weekend. Several teams including Skeldon Titans, No. 70 Spartans and No. 64 Fighting Marines recorded victories to advance in the tournament. The Tournament is being contested by 24 teams on a Knockout basis and is one of several tournaments that would be organised by the Berbice Cricket Board for teams in the Upper Corentyne area. Scores from the matches played are: 1. At Skeldon Ground: Skeldon Titans Cricket Club defeated All Family CWC Cricket Club by 9 wickets on Saturday. All Family CWC Cricket Club - 111 all out in 16.4 Overs.
Trevon Sukhoo 39. Ameer Appalsammy 3 for 15, G. Ramnarine 2 for 11. Skeldon Titans - 113 for 1 in 10.1 Overs. Gajendra Ramnarine 52 not out, Anthony Seeraj 26, Totaram Rajaram 17 not out. 2. At Crabwood Creek Ground: Skeldon Titans Cricket Club defeated Crabwood Creed Sports Club by 2 wickets on Sunday. Crabwood Creek Sports Club - 129 for 8 off 100 Balls. N. Deo 52, D. Chalitar 22, J. Singh 16 not out. Faoud Bacchus 3 for 27, Amzan Appalsammy 2 for 13. Skeldon Titans Cricket Club - 130 for 8 off 100 Balls. Totoram Rajaram 22, Zaikeel Gordon 22, Dwayne Edwards 20. D. Chalitar 5 for 12, S. Singh 3 for 30. 3. At No. 69 Ground: No. 70 Spartans Cricket Club defeated No. 69 Red Rose Cricket Club by 2 wickets on
Sunday. No. 69 Red Rose Cricket Club - 65 all out in 15.1 Overs. Latchman Roopchan 15. Tameshwar Kumar 4 for 19, Omesh Mathura 3 for 7. No. 70 Spartans Cricket Club - 69 for 2 in 12.3 Overs. Tameshwar Ramoutar 16, Akash Persaud 22 not out. Latchman Roopchan 3 for 17, D. Seeram 3 for 10, P. Chaitram 2 for 11. 4. At No. 43 School Ground: No. 64 Fighting Marines defeated No. 43 Scorpions Cricket Club by 6 wickets on Sunday. No. 43 Scorpions Cricket Club 128 for 4 from 100 Balls. Davendra Budhoo 52, Dineshwar Budhoo 25, Ramzan Subhan 25 not out. B. Dean 2 for 33. No. 64 Fighting Marines 127 for 5 from 14.2 Overs. O. Balio 30 not out, B. Dean 25, S. Damor 22, Ramzan Subhan 3 for 30.
GCA/Tri State USA 50-over U-19 League
Nandu’s useful all round display helps US side to 7-Wkt win over QC
Drug testing methods stuck in the 1970s, says former WADA head LONDON (Reuters) Drug testing methods in sport are still rooted in the 1970s and better technology is needed to catch more than “dopey dopers”, former World Anti-Doping head David Howman said yesterday. Speaking at a conference organized by the Partnership for Clean Competition (PCC), Howman told delegates there had to be more effective systems. “We all know that urine analysis has not advanced much,” said the New Zealander, who left the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in 2016 and is now chairman of the Athletics Integrity Unit. “We’re still in a position where we’re getting the same number of positive
cases each year, and many of them are in the category of what I call the ‘dopey dopers’ - the inadvertent dopers, or the ones who are just darned stupid.” Howman, a lawyer, said he had been reproached in his time at WADA by scientists for not considering more innovative technology. “We’ve worked out other ways of doing forensic science in terms of solving crime. Why aren’t we doing something more innovative?” he told Reuters. He mentioned thumb- or finger-pricking tests, which other experts said could become painful over time and were also a sensitive issue for athletes using their hands, or airport-security-style scanning. A later presentation
discussed capillary collection devices, which are less invasive than venous sampling. Matthew Fedoruk of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said such alternative methods were being tested but urine samples remained the ‘gold standard’. Howman, who explained that he was trying to provoke and challenge, said the main thing was to look at the latest technology from an antidoping standpoint. “We’re still doing something that was done in the 1970s. How many of you turn on the wireless? That’s what we were doing in the 1970s. How many have got a phone on a cord? We’re (Continued on page 32)
Matthew Nandu followed up his 3-22 with an accomplished 35 for NY Tri State U-19s at YMCA yesterday. A useful all round performance from Matthew Nandu and an incisive spell of fast bowling from Abhayjit Khangura led the NY Tri State to a comman d i n g seven-wicket win overs Guyana’s Queen’s College despite a gritty 25 from Elnathan Sukhnandan in the first round of the GCA/ Tri State USA 50-over U-19 League at the YMCA ground yesterday. In hot conditions QC made 134 all out in a game
reduced to 38 overs due to late start as only Sukhnandan who hit four fours in his 25 reached 20. Malachi Griffith with 15 was the next best scorer as pacer Khangura who took the first three wickets to leave the local school on 26-3, had 3-12, while off Spinner Nandu (3-23) and Gautham Ravindran had 2-22 for the young Americans who replied with 135-3 in 15.4 overs. Nandu made 35 from 39 balls with three fours and a
six, while Saiteja Mukkamalla scored 28 with three four and a six as they added 39 for the first wicket before Mukkamalla fell to Sukhnandan. Chaitanya Parwal (1) and Ishaan Bansal (0) fell in quick succession with the score on 50 before Isaiah Jagernauth who made 38 from 26 balls with six fours and six and Nandu featured in an unbroken 85-run fourth wicket stand to see their team to victory. (Sean Devers)
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RHTYSC Cricket Teams to host Day of Sports for Namilco 50th Anniversary The Albion Sports Complex on Independence Day would be a hive of activity when the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS hosts a historic Day of Sports in observance of the 50th Anniversary of the National Milling Company (Namilco). The Club enjoys a cordial long standing and successful relationship with Namilco which was founded in 1969. The Day of Sports would involve Volleyball, Softball and Athletics events. Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster stated that the entire Management and Membership of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS would be involved in the organising of the events to make sure that all is successful. The Day of Sports would bowl off with an Opening Ceremony at 09.00 hours with Officials of Namilco, RHTYSC, RDC 6 and the Ministry of Education. A Softball match between Namilco and RHTYSC would start off the event on the field, while the organisers would be working along with the Berbice
Volleyball Association to host a One Day Volleyball Tournament for teams in the ancient county. The highlight of the Day of Sports would be the hosting of a historic Athletics meet for students of Primary and Secondary Schools in Region 6. A total of thirteen Athletics events would be held for Primary Schools Students, while 25 would be held for Secondary Schools Students. Among the events to be held would be 100M, 200M, 400M, 800M, 4 x 100M Relay, 4 x 400M Relay, High Jump, Long Jump and Cycling. The top two winners in each event would for the first time receive financial prizes, trophies and medals. The winner of each Primary School event would take home $3,000 and the Runnerup $2,000, while the Secondary School winner and runner-up would take home $5,000 and $2,500 respectively. The organisers are also looking to reward the top school with a special award. Foster disclosed that the Rose Hall Town Youth &
Sports Club is currently setting up a Management Committee consisting of Club Executives, Sport Executives of the Guyana Teachers Union and other Stakeholders to organise the events which would be nonalcoholic. Entrance to the Venue shall be free. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS and its ten Cricket Teams would use the opportunity to promote the Club’s Say No/Say Yes Message to the thousands of youths expected to be present in the Ground. Under this highly successful programme, the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club encourages youths to Say No to Drugs, Suicide, Crime, Alcohol, liquor and Yes to Education, Sports, Religion, Culture and Life. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club and National Milling Company for decades have enjoyed a relationship that saw the Company investing heavily in the Club’s Say No/Say Yes Programme, Christmas Village, Award Ceremony and Charity Programmes among others.
Sarwan accepts invitation to work with West Indies men CAVE HILL, Barbados – Former West Indies batting star Ramnaresh Sarwan said he has welcomed the invitation to work with the West Indies team ahead of next month’s Tri-Nations Oneday International Series in Ireland and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 England & Wales. The 38-year-old Sarwan, who played 87 Tests, 181 ODIs and 18 Twenty20 Internationals between 2000 and 2013, will spend the remainder of the week working with the players, especially the batsmen, helping them to fortify their game. “I have come here to act as kind of a mentor to the players and try my best to assist them in any technical ways and with any shortcomings where I think they can improve, and to offer as much help to the head coach, Floyd Reifer, and his coaching staff,” said Sarwan.
Wednesday April 17, 2019
Kaieteur News
“I am very excited to be here. When I received the call from Jimmy, I was very overwhelmed at being asked to assist West Indies cricket again. I am really grateful for the opportunity and I am looking forward to sharing my knowledge with the players, even though it will just be a few days, and hoping it will help them in some way or other.” Key batsmen Darren Bravo and Shai Hope led the group that spent long periods working with Sarwan in the nets yesterday; the second day of the team’s training camp currently underway at the Cave Hill campus of the University of the West Indies. “I know our batsmen have struggled in the past with rotating the strike, so I am trying to see how best we can get them to improve in this area,” he said. “It’s not an overnight fix, but it’s important to share ideas with
them, so that they have something to build on.” Reifer described as “beautiful” having Sarwan available to work with the batsman, as all roads lead to the World Cup. “It was very important to have him here,” he said. “Sarwan was a player that was outstanding for West Indies. A very good batsman, a very good ‘finisher’ in limited-overs matches. We thought that a guy like Sarwan, coming into the camp with us whilst planning for the World Cup, would bring a wealth of knowledge. “We are hoping he can help the batsmen get a better understanding of how to finish games, the mindset, how to approach batting first, how to approach batting last, so we thought that kind of knowledge was very important to share. He fitted in very well. He did a lot of talking and a lot of work with the batsmen.”
Payless Variety Store, Guyana Committee of Services support Fisherman Masters Payless Variety store and Guyana Committee of Services have rendered their assistance to the Fisherman Masters team that will be heading to the United States of America to compete in the New York Softball Cricket League tournament slated for June. Fisherman Masters have embarked on a fund raising venture to assist with their trip and the entities have donated a smart television which will be the first prize on their raffle. The presentation took place yesterday at Payless Variety Store at 42 Wellington Street, Georgetown. Rajan Tiwari, who presented the prize to Marketing Manager of Fisherman Masters Zameer Hassan, said they are happy to be able to lend support, adding that he is looking forward to the team doing well in the tournament. He is calling on the public to support the team since sport plays an integral role in the development of a nation.
Hassan expressed gratitude to the entities for their contribution towards sport in Guyana and informed that this will be their first tournament overseas. The Guyana Committee of Services is a non-profit organisation which raises funds to assist athletes, teams and other individuals. The entity’s first assignment was their support given to boxer Clive Atwell and they are usually featured on the Payless Power Hour on NCN. Meanwhile, Tiwari will be hosting a 7-a-side floodlight softball competition on Sunday at Helena Number Two ground, Mahaica starting at 17:00hrs. Entrance fee is $7,000 per team and trophies and cash prizes will be up for grabs. Teams can contact Tiwari on 652-9570 for registration. Banks DIH, Payless Variety Store, ARL Diesel Pumps, Rohan Auto Spares, R. Kissoon and Sons Contracting Services and Videsh Superbet are the sponsors onboard so far for the annual tournament.
Zameer Hassan of Fisherman Masters (right) accepts the television from Rajan Tiwari (L) in the presence of Shaan Smith of Payless Variety Store.
Letter to the Sports Editor
Majority of clubs in North Essequibo support an impartial Ombudsman Dear Editor, The majority of clubs affiliated to the North Essequibo Cricket Committee wish to categorically dissociate themselves from the recent public statements made by President of the Committee Mr. Prince Holder. Reference is made to his letter dated 2019-04-13 in the Kaieteur Newspaper under the caption ‘Minister Norton is right in appointing the Ombudsman’. It is the firm conviction that Mr. Holder penned his letter expressing his own opinion in relation to the Minister’s appointment of Mr. Stephen Lewis as the cricket Ombudsman. The members however have noted this with disapproval following his claim that the North Essequibo Cricket Committee is in support of the appointment when it fact
it is the contrary. It must be clearly known that at no time were the members consulted on this issue neither were statutory meetings kept for the past two years as mandated by the constitution. In addition, the life of the NECC has expired and therefore Mr. Holder should not impose himself as President and make pronouncements on behalf of the Committee. Given the current status of the NECC, the majority of clubs were forced to form themselves into a semifunctional body to organize competitions at their own expense since none existed for the past year; a position that remains unacceptable. The members are therefore acutely aware of the crises surrounding the Guyana Cricket Board and which has also affected the local area committees as well. In view of this and the
welcome intervention by the Courts to order new elections for the GCB, the majority of clubs fully support the process including the appointment of an impartial Ombudsman who is acceptable and without any affiliation to the current impasse. The members therefore wish to publicly appeal to the Honorable Minister Dr. George Norton to swiftly rescind the appointment in the interest of transparency and the public good so as to preserve the credibility of the national sport. Yours faithfully, Sparwin Sports Club Devonshire Sports Club Walton Hall Sports Club Ravens Sports Club Lima United Sports Club Young Warriors Sports Club Charity Sports Club Sparta Youth and Sports Club
Wednesday April 17, 2019
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RHTYSC 29th Award Ceremony
Hand-in-Hand, Parliament Office, PPDI, Bissan’s Trading and Len’s Craft on board
Mr. Howard Cox of Hand-in-Hand hands over trophies to Hilbert Foster. Plans for the successful hosting of the 29th Annual Award Ceremony of Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation continues to be on track despite a forced delay due to matters beyond the effort of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club. The Club would now be hosting a smaller version of the Award Ceremony on Sunday the 12th May, 2019, at its Head Office, where $2M worth of trophies, medals, framed certificates, prizes and gifts would be shared out instead of the usual $3M. The Club recently received a major boost for the ceremony with donations from Harper’s Sports, Len’s Craft, Ronald Williams, Power Producers and Distributors Inc, Hand-in-Hand Insurance Company, Parliament Office. Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster along with Asst Secretary Simon Naidu are spearheading the preparation for the event which would involve the honouring of 80 Club Members, Retired
Teachers, Outstanding Teachers and Students, Law Enforcement Officers and Medical Personnel. Former West Indies Vice Captain Roger Harper donated a pair of batting gloves as a prize, while former Cricket Administrator Ronald Williams of Apex Insurance Brokers donated a trophy, collection of gifts and a large amount of cricket magazines. Businessman Bissoondyal Singh of Bissan’s Trading handed over fourteen cosmetics hampers, while CEO of Len’s Craft, Allistair Parris handed over funds for a bicycle. Long time sponsor, Hand-in-Hand Insurance Company, contributed six trophies including those for the Most Committed Player and Most Committed Member. Speaker of the National Assembly Dr. Barton Scotland and the Parliament Office donated the two trophies for the Cricketer of the Year and Runner-up Cricketer of the Year Awards along with a large amount of
Ryan Singh of Bissan’s Trading hands over donation to Simon Naidu and Sohan Harry of the RHTYSC.
A Representative of Len’s Craft hands over donation to RHTYSC Executives. medals. The Management of Power Producers and Distribution Inc handed over a cartoon of trophies valued at $75,000. Foster stated that the main objectives of the Club’s Award Ceremony are to recognise heroes, to inspire better performances on the
cricket field, to provide positive role models to younger members and to maintain the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club as Guyana’s best. Members like Clinton Pestano, Shemaine Campbelle, Erva Giddings, Kevin Sinclair, Kevlon Anderson, Jonathan
Rampersaud. Matthew Pottaya, Shabiki Gajnabi, Junior Sinclair and Sheneta Grimmond would be among the awardees. The Members of the Rose Hall Town Bakewell Second Division Team would be specially honoured during the Ceremony along with four
Doctors and nine Nurses of the Port Mourant Public Hospital. Additionally, the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club would also be making donations to several organisations including the Berbice Cricket Board, Upper Corentyne Cricket Association and several cricket clubs.
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BCB/Hetmyer Intermediate Cricket Tournament
Albion CC defeat Young Warriors CC to advance to final, No. 72 All Stars reach Semifinals The dominant Albion Community Centre Cricket Club have reached to the Final of the 2019 Berbice Cricket Board Board/Shimron Hetmyer 40-Overs Intermediate Cricket Tournament. They defeated Young Warriors Cricket Club by 4 wickets at the Albion Community Centre Ground based on a brilliant allround performance by former Guyana Under-19 player Sharaz Ramcharran. No. 72 All Stars Cricket Club also advanced to the Semifinals after defeating Dukestown Cricket Club at the Scottsburg Ground. No. 72 All Stars Cricket Club would now play Rose Hall Town Bakewell in the other Semifinals, to determine who would play Albion Community Centre in the Final. Young Warriors Cricket Club won the toss and batted first but lost wickets regularly
to find themselves at 63 for 5 in the 17th Over as they lost Linden Austin 25, Alex Algoo 07, Mortimer Fraser 14, Trevlon Stanislaus 05 and Sanjay Khan 05. Captain Seon Hetmyer hit a responsible 52 which included three boundaries and with support from Jermain Benjamin, 19, saw their team to 161 all out in 36.1 Overs. Off spinner Sharaz Ramcharran took 3 for 30, David Latchana 2 for 23 and Inzam Shazam 2 for 19 for Albion. Albion Community Centre in response, found themselves at 61 for 4, losing Jeetendra Autar 16, Ritesh Umroa 00, Adrian Sukwah 24 and David Latchaya 03. Ramcharran completed a good allround performance with a solid uneaten 75 and received good support from Antonio February 14 and Devendra Latchman 15 as
Albion achieved victory at 164 for 7 in 36.1 Overs. Suresh Dhanai ended with 3 for 21 and left arm Trevon Stanislaus 2 for 38. At the Scottsburg Ground, Dukestown were bowled out for 113 in 29.4 Overs as K. Chatterpaul took 3 for 14. He received support from P. Chatterpaul 2 for 18 and P. Gobin 2 for 17 as only W. Amsterdam, B. Sukhdeo and J. Reid 12 reached double figures in a disappointing batting display. In response, No. 72 All Stars was indebted to an unbeaten 22 from K. Chatterpaul as they reached 114 for 7 in 23.3 Overs. T. Ramdass 16, G. Chatterpaul 17 and P. Chatterpaul 20 supported well. J. Reid took 3 for 30, W. Garret 3 for 12 and V. Narine 2 for 3 in a losing cause. The Tournament is being sponsored by West Indies batting star Shimron Hetmyer.
Wednesday April 17, 2019
Buxton Carl Hooper CC ready for historic regional trip From May 3-12 the Buxton Carl Hooper CC will travel to theTwin Island Republic of Trinidad & Tobago where they are scheduled to play five 50-over and four T/20 games. This is first such tour for the East Coast of Demerara unit and will bring together a mixture of youth and experience and is expected to provide exposure to different conditions and different game situations which can only auger well in their pursuits for more East Coast Cricket titles as they continue to grow the Buxton brand on the East Coast and throughout Guyana. Stemming from this tour it is hoped that the same can be done with the tour to the Counties of Berbice, Essequibo and Demerara, this is the view that player Coach Marvin Cato has put forward and which his players have whole heartedly bought into. However, this venture is expected to be an expensive one and although Sylvie’s General store, AMI and ACTLABS Inc are on board there is still need for more sponsorship. The team has reserved rooms at O’Lounge Ltd St. Kelly Village 3, Caroni and has benefited from generous ticket reductions from Caribbean Airlines. However, Cato explained that this venture can only come to fruition with more corporate sponsorship, which is important especially since time is drawing near. Improving local cricket and propelling more
Marvin Cato collects the sponsorship cheque from a representative of Sylvies’ Variety store. youths to the East Coast, Demerara, Guyana and p o s s i b l y We s t I n d i e s teams are the focus of this crop of players who are enthusiastic about their future in the game of cricket especially since there is a positive feeling f l o w i n g t h r o u g h We s t
Indies cricket lately with IPL success stories and the recent success in the England series. Those desirous of offering support can contact Club Secretary Marvin Cato 667-9158 or 609-7944 or the Club Treasurer Kurt Booker 699-5860. (Sean Devers)
Guyana face Canada, T&T as CWI Regional U-19 T20 bowls off today Guyana will take on Canada in their opening game of the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional U19 T20 tournament at Gilbert Park today. Following that fixture which is set to commence at 09:30hrs, the Guyanese will journey to the National Cricket Centre in Couva where they will face host Trinidad and Tobago at 14:30hrs. The squad which departed yesterday will be led by Shabika Gajnabi, while Mandy Mangru will serve as her deputy. The Guyanese unit includes five players with senior team experience; Gajnabi, Mangru, Cherry Ann Fraser, Afruica Gentle and Lafona Gilgeous. The squad reads;
Shabika Gajnabi (C), Mandy Mangru (VC), Cherry-Ann Fraser, Lafona Gilgeous, Ashmini Munisar, Casey Charles, Afruica Gentle, Omadevi Matadin, Sarah Amin, Lisa Charles, Annalisa De’Aguair, Shemika Edwards, Nivina Ramnauth and Bibi Adram. Bharat Mangru (Coach) and Tremaine Smartt (Manager). Tomorrow, Guyana will play Windward Islands at 09:30hrs before facing Barbados at 14:30hrs at Gilbert Park. The tournament will take a break on Friday when the teams will benefit from free development sessions by the CWI at Metro Hotel. On Saturday, Guyana and Jamaica will battle at 09:30hrs at Couva. Following that
contest, the semi finals will be played at 14:30hrs at Couva and Gilbert Park, while the final will be contested on Sunday at Couva. Gajnabi told Kaieteur Sport yesterday that she is confident that the team can go all the way. She said that having five players in the team who were part of the Guyana side in the recently concluded CWI Women’s Super 50 and T20 Blaze that was held here, is definitely a boost. Gajnabi stated that the team is a balanced one and posses the fire power to take the title. She said that getting the basics right and play as a team are among key factors. Guyana won the tournament in 2017.
Kaieteur News
Wednesday April 17, 2019
PAGE 39
Bartica Easter Regatta Sports
KO Futsal kicks off in style; Ten teams advance, Three helmet-tricks scored as 57 goals recorded Action in the Potaro vs Vision match on Monday night last at the Bartica Community Centre Basketball Court. Night one of the Bartica Easter Regatta knock-out Futsal competition which has a first place prize of $200,000 was epic in proportions as 20 teams battled their hearts and soul out but only ten (10) had the resolve to advance. Following a colorful march past at the Bartica Community Center Basketball Court, venue for the tournament, where His Worship Mayor Gifford Marshall took the salute
from the teams accompanied by Organiser of the Sports Programme, Michael Dos Santos, the teams got down to business with the first match between Rivers View ‘B’ and Karrau, the former firing their way to a comfortable 4-1 win. The largest margin of victory on the night was recorded by Rivers View ‘A’ which softened Hard Ball 90, the first helmet-trick of the tournament blasted in by Andrew Simmons with his
Lazio ‘B’ Palm Spring out numbers this Jones Avenue Bar player in their match which the latter team won, 2-0. teammate Omario Lake tucking in a hat-trick as well as Skill Kings’ Darren Troyer. Emulating Simmons’ feat later in the night was Shameer Mentore of Falmouth and that was not the end of such scoring as Sese Norville also made his presence felt when he fired in four of his own in leading Vision to a come from behind win. The only team that was not required to build a sweat
Guyana overcome Windward Islands by 25 runs Guyana defeated Windward Islands by 25 runs when the CWI Regional U15 50-over tournament continued yesterday. Batting first at Coolidge Cricket Ground, Guyana posted 222-9. Opener Rampertab Ramnauth struck seven fours in a top score of 57 while Zachary Jodah made 45 with five fours, Isai Thorne 21, Mavindra Dindyal 18, Thaddeus Lovell 14 and Alvin Mohbair 12. Extras contributed 40 as Deshonte Thomas claimed 3-30, Kervyn Gangadeen 2-
Rampertab Ramnauth
17 and Royce Paul 2-48. Windward Islands were bowled out for 197 in 47.5 overs in reply. Mahid Lambert made 50 with six fours while Paul got 25, Gangadeen 21 and Stephan
Pascal 19. Extras assisted with 49. Throne captured 359 from 10 overs to earn the man-of-the-match award while Lovell had 2-35, Mohabir 1-13 and Krsna Singh 1-25.
to advance to night two which was contested last night was Beacons; their opponents, Ballers United never showed up. Mayor Marshall in declaring the tournament open before doing the ceremonial kickoff thanked all the teams for accepting the challenge to be a part of the tournament which not only showcases the abounding talent in Bartica, but affords all the teams the chance to win the prize monies and trophies on offer. The first placed team will be rewarded with $200,000 with the losing finalist walking away with $100,000. Winner of the third place match will collect $50,000. There will also be a trophy for the highest Goal Scorer and the Most Valuable Player of the tournament which will end tomorrow night. Following are the full results: Rivers View ‘B’ 4,
Karrau 1 – Rivers View scorers: John O’Selmo 4th, Rodwell O’Selmo 6th, Kenroy Wilson 7th, Silas Thomas 18th. Karrau scorer: Keran Henry 12th. Almanack Creek 4, Makouria 2 – Almanack Creek scorers: Richardo Perreira 16th & 17th, Naresh 7th & 18th. Makouria scorer: Oliver Mentis 9th & 10th. Rivers View ‘A’ 9, Hard Ball 0 – Rivers View ‘A’ scorers: Andrew Simmons 4th, 8th, 12th & 14th; Omario Lake 6th, 9th & 18th, Angel Edwards 10th, Andel Norton 7th. Skill Kings 7, Itaballi 2 – Skill Kings scorers: Sheldon Kyte 3rd, Kevin Christopher 2nd & 3rd, Darren Troyer 9th, 14th, 18th, Shamar Blair 14th. Itaballi scorers: Shameer Khan 10th, Orlando Pollard 12th. Falmouth 5, Rampage 1 – Falmouth scorers:
Shameer Mentore 5th, 8th, 18th, 19th; Kelvin Joseph 8th. Rampage scorer: Shawn Spencer 18th. Agatash/Bad Company 4, Sir Service Station/Lazio ‘ A’ 3 – A g a t a s h / B a d Company scorers: Vince Hopkinson 2nd & 4th, Kevin Hendricks 9th, Nicholas Seeram 18th. Sir Service Station/Lazio ‘A’ 3: Marvin Bamfield 12th & 13th, Orin Blair 16th. Vision 5, Potaro 3 – Vision scorers: Sese Norville 8th, 9th, 14th & 18th; Rawl Smith 15th. Potaro scorers: Don Sam 3rd, Jermain Joseph 17th, Andrew Chandler 19th. Jones Avenue Bar 2, Lazio ‘B’/Palm Spring 0 – Jones Avenue Bar scorers: Neil Martindale 10th & 11th. Toast 3, Mighty Ruler 2 – Toast scorers: Mark Richards 9th & 10th, Own Goal. Mighty Ruler scorer: Mark Richards Jnr. 4th & 16th.
LTW Schools Basketball
New Silvercity Secondary beat Wisburg 31-14, LTI down Linden Foundation 33-28
T
Isai Thorne accepts his man-of-the-match prize from the Match Referee
here were wins for Linden Technical Institute who defeated Linden Foundation Secondary 33-28, while New Silvercity Secondary rebounded from their first game loss with a 31-14 victory against Wisburg Secondary when the Linden Town Week Inter schools championship continued at the Mackenzie High School court on Monday.
Leading the New Silvercity Secondary to the win was Delroy Belle with 18 points. The other game ended with Linden Technical Institute coming from a 1514 half time lead to eventually win 33-28 as Stephon Duncan had 18 points. Emmanuel LaRose netted five for Linden Foundation Secondary. The tournament continues on Monday when
Wisburg Secondary face Christianburg Secondary in one game and Linden Technical Institute against Mackenzie High School to decide the semifinals.
PAGE 40
Kaieteur News
Wednesday April 17, 2019
A full weekend of Fun at Lusignan Golf Club
The LGC promises a full Easter weekend of action and enjoyment for the entire family. The sky over the Lusignan Golf Club will be filled with thousands of colourful and noisy kites this weekend as hundreds of families flock to the course for the annual fun-filled event. Starting from Saturday at 12:30pm when the Annual Easter Extravaganza golf tournament is scheduled to be played and continuing on Sunday with a 9-hole fun golf tournament, sponsored by Rommel and Robin that is open to everyone, followed with a barbecue, music and kite flying, it’s all a preview for the grand Easter Monday kite flying activity at the LGC. The club is encouraging all to come join thousands of people in the largest open space in the area with no electric wires, room to play cricket, football fish or simply relax under one of our dozens of trees, it’s the perfect location for kite flying or family picnicking! The spacious grounds can accommodate over 12,000 people and vehicles are allowed to drive and park all over (except on the greens). Grounds open on Sunday from 1pm; Monday and Tuesday from 11 am. A small fee to assist with the cleaning is required for vehicles and walk-in traffic. Lots of food,
music and games will be on hand and security will be provided along with lighting for late into the evening activities. There is no better place than the Lusignan Golf Club this Easter weekend to come out with the family or just by yourself to have an amazing time. Members as always will have full access to watch the activities unfold from the spacious clubhouse and of course partake in the golfing activities all weekend. However, this weekend, everyone will be invited to play at the LGC regardless of membership status and they are look forward to seeing you all there. And the excitement will continue in the packed weeks ahead as Assuria Insurance Companies host their Inaugural Open Golf Tournament on Saturday April 27th at 12:30pm, followed by MTV, RRT, Banks DIH, Torginol Paints, Macorp Invitational, El Dorado, Kissoons and the Grand AMCHAM Open on June 15th. For more information on how you can be a part of these or other activities at the LGC, get FREE golf lessons, or become a member – call 645-0944 or visit our Facebook lusignangolfclub.
Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifiers
Guyana among 16 participating Caribbean nations; draw to be held today M i a m i – T h e Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) today announced details for the preliminary rounds of the Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship. Regional qualifiers will begin this summer, with matches in Central America and the Caribbean. The qualification
process for the Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship will kick off with an initial round in the Caribbean. For this opening phase, set to take place July 17-21, 2019, in four venues that will be announced in the coming days, the 16 participating teams will be divided into four groups. After round robin play, the group winners will (Continued on page 33)
Kaieteur News
Wednesday April 17, 2019
PAGE 41
Police Commissioner B/Day Inter-Division T20 cricket
PG march into 4th consecutive final as Harcourt shines - Crawford, Andrews power unbeaten F division to 1st final
Keston Harcourt followed up his 3-20 with an unbeaten 49 PG cruised into their 4th final.
The F Division supporters were on their feet at Eve Leary yesterday. By Sean Devers
Y
esterday a fine all-round performance from skipper Keston Harcourt led defending Champions Presidential Guard (PG) to its fourth consecutive final, while 5-12 from Leon Crawford and a fourth half-century from Lennox Andrews spearheaded F Division to their first final to set the stage for what is anticipated to a pulsating final of the Commissioner of Police Birth Anniversary InterDivision and Branches T20 cricket Tournament from noon on Saturday at Eve Leary. In the morning game played in sweltering heat, a track with some bounce and hard and rough outfield, D Division were bowled out for 108 in 19.3 overs with Shemar Holder and David Hughes with 22 each, featuring in a 53-run 9th wicket stand after joining forces at 55-8 to give their team some respectability. Jason Anderson (16) was bowled by Kareem
Naughton to start the slide for D Division as only Boshnarine Lalbachan (15) of the others reached double figures, but after Lalbachan departed at 47-5, two more wickets tumbled at that score, while Rodwayne Wade (2) was LBW to Paul Tyndell at 55-8 before Holder and Hughes saw them to a three-figure total. Harcourt (3-6), Tyndell (3-11), Jermaine Semple (29) and Naughton (2-20) bowled well for PG who responded by reaching 109-1 in 15.4 overs to give themselves an opportunity of lifting their third title in the six-year history of the T20 format. Harcourt stroked seven boundaries in his undefeated 49 after Tyndell who hit four fours in his 35, added 97 in 14.4 overs before Tyndell hit Anderson to long-on. Kemo Mayers (4) ended the game with a boundary. In the afternoon contest which saw the crowd swell to over 300, A Division were dismissed for 148 as only Chemicy Kendell offered fight with 52 before he was removed by Crawford.
Leon Crawford had 5-12 F Division yesterday.
But Rawle Browne (19), Kerwin Christian (17), Jason H e y l i g e r a n d Tr a v i s Withrite, with 13 each were the only others to get into double figures as Crawford got support from Marvin Peters who had 2-18. Off spinner Kelvin Leitch bowled Crawford (3) and the burly Micheal Jobe (11) to leave F Division on 19-2 before Andries, who reached the boundary five times and cleared it twice in his 54 and Raul Haynes (19), carried the score to 59 before Haynes was run out. Quintin Sampson, who hit a destructive 13-ball 35 with four sixes and a four, and Andrews, who took his runs tally in the tournament to 245 runs, added 68 for the fourth wicket before Sampson, who clobbered Leitch for a hat-trick of sixes in an over which cost 22, was caught and bowled by Deon Crandon at 127-4. Andrews fell 10 runs later and when Heyliger removed Dellon Melville (1) a run later in a wicket maiden, F Division had slipped to 138-6. When Brandon Frank (7) was run out, 11 were required from 12 balls with three wickets in hand and raucous fans in the packed pavilion were chatting ‘Let’s go F let’s go’. Trevor Benn deposited Christian on the Roof of the Pavilion to reduce the target to two from nine balls before Devon Joseph ended the match with a boundary and the F Division supporters swarmed the ground as if their team, the only unbeaten side in the Tournament, had won the World Cup. Leitch ended with 2-38 for A Division who will faceoff with D Division in today’s third place play-off which is scheduled to commence at 11:00hrs.
The tournament’s leading run scorer Lennox Andrews hits a six in his 4th fifty at Eve Leary yesterday. (Sean Devers photos)
t r o Sp
Bartica Easter Regatta Sports
KO Futsal kicks off in style; Ten teams advance, Three helmet-tricks scored as 57 goals recorded
Mayor of Bartica Gifford Marshall seen holding one of the Futsal balls with Regatta Sports Organiser Michael Dos Santos and one of the Referees during a photo op with the participating teams in the knock-out Futsal tournament.
Bartica Mayor Gifford Marshall officially kicks off the Easter Regatta Futsal tournament in the presence of players from Rivers View ‘B’ (right) and Karrau. The Guyana side prior to their departure.
Guyana face Canada, T&T as CWI Regional U19 T20 bowls off today Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.