Kaieteur News

Thursday April 06, 2017

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Kaieteur News

The Carter Centre must be The sugar union wants to create instability at GuySuCo employees are still paid their down of workers at Rose Hall (GAWU). DEAR EDITOR, commended for this event In 1946, when the Union wages and salaries every Estate, which was one of the The Guyana Sugar CorpoDEAR EDITOR, The Carter Centre must be commended for the convening of a Symposium on constitutional reform at the Turkeyen campus even though from media reports it was poorly attended. The turnout of university students and lecturers was disappointing but not unusual as students seem more concerned with preparing for exams and attending lectures than with what is perceived to be extracurricular event. The importance of constitutional reform cannot be over emphasized. While it is fair to say that we have made significant advances in terms of constitutional reforms over the decades, we are still to come up with a governance mechanism that addresses the issue of ethnic insecurity and political alienation which have over the years taken its

toll on the realization of our development potential. I stand corrected but we have, for the first time in our post-independence history, experienced a situation where a single party, the PPP/C, occupies the benches of the parliamentary opposition as all the others, including the AFC and the WPA, are now subsumed under the APNUAFC umbrella. I think the time is long overdue for a much more enlightened and inclusive governance paradigm driven by the best interests of Guyanese as a whole and not by narrow and sectarian interests. This is the task before us as a nation which must be spearheaded by those responsible for constitutional reforms with the full support of all stakeholders. Hydar Ally Central Committee Member, PPP

Questionable conduct of PPP’s Essequibo branch DEAR EDITOR, I hereby make a complaint with regards to the questionable practices of the P.P.P on the Essequibo Coast, Region 2. As a staunch member of the said party, I would not collude with wrongdoing. Just recently, the party concluded the Cheddi Jagan Memorial, flood light softball competition. This competition was organized by the Anna Regina town council and other members of the PPP’s Essequibo branch. This cricket competition was held on the 28th March 2017 at the Walton Hall ground, Essequibo Coast. As was advertised via the PA system and banners throughout the coast, entrance fee for the competition was free, however on the day of the competition teams had to pay an entrance fee of $2000$4000.

Prizes for the two competitions were advertised as follows; the winner of the (40 yrs.) over competition would receive $40,000, whereas winner of the open category competition would receive a prize of $100,000. To my dismay that didn’t happen, instead a smaller portion of the money was divided between the winner and the runner-up team. I think that the entire competition was dubious by the competition’s organizers since teams had to pay $2000 - $4000 entrance fees, and in the end they received half of an award. We the public would like to know where those entrance fees went, and where is the other half of the cash prize. For obvious reason, I do not want to mention my name. I know I will be ostracized PPP Essequibo branch member

The Basil Williams affair was an invention by certain people DEAR EDITOR, I have read and listened to reports concerning the recent incident surrounding the Attorney General in the High Court. I think the whole affair was stage managed for purposes of maligning both the AG, Hon. Judge and by extension, the government. This is a matter that can be easily resolved. It is unfortunate when a distortion occurs in the Court. I know the AG reasonably well. He is a stickler for certain things and his word can be trusted. However, having said this, I believe he has to now operate like his superior, H.E. the President. Some ele-

ments in this society need to be vigorously ignored for all they seek is cheap attention. The President does not comment on the mouthings of certain persons. He just let things ride. Our AG should do likewise. For resolution of the matter and for what it is worth, I feel the AG should at the next sitting of the Court offer a simple apology and put the matter to rest. As regards the matter of the alleged threat which was given much publicity, I feel the AG should do what all aggrieved lawyers do. I can’t advise him on this but he alone knows how best to approach such a matter. Cyril Walker

ration (GuySuCo) Inc. wishes to furnish a further response to Mr. Seepaul Narine’s letter that talks about injustices to sugar workers are continuing. In his letter Mr Narine as the General Secretary of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) made some startling claims which, in our view, must not go unnoticed. He noted that ‘it is disheartening to register, at this time, when our nation is observing the centennial anniversary of the end of indentureship in our country, that the corporation is engaging in schemes that promote forced labour…’. The Corporation wishes to caution Mr. Narine and GAWU from seeking to invoke sentiments which are irrelevant but nevertheless, intended to appeal to the emotions of our employees. These utterances by Mr. Narine, a representative of GAWU, has provoked us to reflect on the national context at the time when it was established, as compared with this time in the life of the industry when it is required to and is seeking to form partnerships with regional and international partners. Founded in 1946, as the “Guiana Industrial Workers’ Union”. Now it has become the ‘Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union’

was established, the economics of sugar and more specifically the industrial relations environment were fundamentally different from today’s environment. Since then, there have been numerable laws – labour laws, conventions (human rights, among others) which now govern organizational behaviour. The industry has in fact undergone several reforms and indeed improvements, including in the provision of employees benefits and working conditions. With all due respect, Mr. Narine’s reference the indentureship and forced labour, can be seen as a calculated attempt to create further instability in the Corporation. How could Mr. Narine possibly describe the following as an assault on workers: Free medical services for all 16,000 plus employees and their spouses and children under 18 years, free medical services for pensioners and their families, emergencies services for employees, financial assistance for their children through the Corporation’s Bursary Award Programme, opportunities for employees’ children to be selected to become an Apprentice at the GuySuCo’s Training School/Port Mourant? Even if the Corporation does not achieve its targets,

single week, fortnight or month. Does Mr. Narine call that an injustice? Would Mr. Narine describe the provision of free footwear, tools, protective clothing, etc., to employees every single crop; and free transportation to take them to and from their work site every day, to use his words, as ‘schemes that promote forced labour and…giving no, or little or selective, recognition to the laws, the Collective Labour Agreement (CLA), and customs and practices…’? Would Mr. Narine call the offer of work to the Cane Harvesters and Cane Transport Operators from the Wales Estate to allow them to have sustained employment, and further so that they can help to maintain the survival of the Uitvlugt Estate and the livelihoods of 1,750 of their fellow employees an injustice? Is he claiming that it is an assault or an injustice to offer harvesting work to planters at the East Demerara Estate to keep them employed and secure their earnings? What is certainly totally inappropriate if not irrelevant, is his linking current experiences of our employees with the following statement ‘…it is apt to point out, just a few days ago, we observed the anniversary of the gunning

worst killings of sugar workers in Guyana’s history’. Is Mr. Narine really calling the Corporation’s decision to reassign its employees to locations where the need for labour is great and in an effort to keep the doors of at least some estates open, an injustice? Mr. Narine further states, ‘as we are seeing, injustices to workers are being perpetrated anew. Workers’ vigilance and actions are more and more required to defend their gains, safeguard their democratic rights and ensure their just demands are realized’. Quite the contrary, the turnout of workers from Skeldon Estate to Albion Estate has to be more than satisfactory. Interestingly, the fact of the matter is that, the workers would sooner or later have no gains to protect, if they continue to be misled by the likes of Mr. Narine. Finally, GuySuCo wishes to remind Mr. Narine and GAWU that it is the only employer in Guyana that provides all of the abovementioned benefits to its employees. Audreyanna Thomas Senior Communications Officer Communications Department Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc. (GuySuCo0 Ogle Estate

The parking meter project is a putrid deal DEAR EDITOR, The most recent confirmation of an impropriety if not an illegality committed by Smart City Solutions with the fiat and support of the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown gives credence to the call for the total scrapping of this putrid deal. The Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson with whom I have tremendous respect and regard for, thankfully had the decency from the very beginning to highlight according to media reports, that there are several legal implications that could possibly see his ministry becoming involved in the parking meter imbroglio, primary

among which was the fact there are “declared urban roads” in the city for which his ministry is responsible and not the Council, but which has seen the deployment parking meters and parking spaces illegally by the SCS and the M&CCGT. This shows the disdain and fraudulence of the involved officials of the Georgetown Municipality who were proud to declare that they received their cut from the first draw down that SCS received from this project which included revenue from these declared urban roads which they should not have. This is plain and simple

fraud. But then again the Council is no stranger to rackets. A more worrying development has been the purported attempt by the Town Clerk in collusion with the ‘City Constabulary’ to confer policing powers on civilian employees of Smart City Solutions. Thankfully they have all now been fired, taking with them their ostensible law enforcement powers. But this attempt to create a number of ‘outlaws’ should be investigated and dealt with. But whilst everyone is focused on and worrying about the scandalous parking meter contract, hardly any at-

tention is being paid to the many other egregious delinquencies ongoing at City Hall. Other contracts being given out to a few persons for hundreds of millions of dollars, without adherence to tender board or public procurement policies is alarming. First, they are being given to friends and family members of the big ones at City Hall, clear acts of nepotism and cronyism, but worse, there is no bidding process which is a grave financial irregularity. City Hall urgently needs a Commission of Enquiry to be set up and put to work to stop the haemorrhaging of our Capital city. Sean Levius

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Thursday April 06, 2017

Kaieteur News

Comprehensive Sexuality Education needed in public schools DEAR EDITOR, I am writing this in response to a letter titled “Pseudo theories in the promotion of sex education” in the Kaieteur News’ March 29th edition. In the letter written by a seemingly educated individual, there are quite a few misconstrued ideologies being presented. The letter references “Comprehensive Sexuality Education” as “homosexuality, abortion and masturbation are heavily promoted while abstinence is given miniscule attention”. The individual quite accurately defined what comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) is, and it baffles me as to how he still misinterpreted what it really means. Using the definition he referenced from UNESCO, comprehensive sexuality education is defined as “age appropriate, culturally relevant approach to teaching about sexuality and relationships by providing scientifically accurate, realistic, nonjudgmental information”. What this means is that the messages created are carefully developed for the specific age and cultural group being targeted. The scientific facts about sex, sexuality and information about services are delivered in a non judgemental way, respecting everyone being addressed. Let me be frank and say that Comprehensive Sexuality Education is not based on the promotion of masturbation, homosexuality or abortion. These are however, subtopics or smaller aspects of a larger CSE syllabus. While presenting facts about sex, we do however, establish that heterosexuality is not the only sexuality and we ought to respect individuals as human beings and not respect them on a basis of sexuality. We also do not promote masturbation, what we do is present the fact that an individual can sexually please his/ herself. We also don’t promote abortion, what we do is present the fact that a woman has the choice to legally and

medically terminate a pregnancy. We do not base our entire CSE discussions encouraging or promoting these topics but we do talk about it as factual and scientific as we could. Comprehensive Sexuality Education captures an array of issues like puberty and body changes, body image, self respect, self esteem, values, human rights, HOW TO TALK TO ADULTS ABOUT SEX, AM I READY FOR SEX, sex and sexuality, saying No to sex, consequences of sexual activity, etc. I also want to mention that we do however, talk about abstinence and we do encourage young people to delay their sexual debut. We are however, cognizant of the fact that young people are sexually active so we need to present measures or mechanisms they can use to protect themselves. We do also make it known that even if a person is already sexually active, he or she can also abstain if they do decide to. CSE looks at sexual “readiness,” as having a “ready body”, and being emotionally and mentally prepared for sexual activity. We believe that the more educated young people are in a rather comprehensive way, then the more informed they will be in their decision making. Many persons will argue that having an abstinence only approach or not talking to young people about sex is the best way to combat social issues like teenage pregnancy, Guyana’s high rate of STI’S and HIV AIDS, etc. However, Guyana through the Ministry of Education has had an age old “abstinence only” approach to sexual education and clearly it is not working for us. With this same ideology, I found that Guyana is second to the Dominican Republic for having the highest rate of teen pregnancy with 97 out of 1000 teen girls becoming mothers before they are 19. This was mentioned in the State of the World Population

Report, 2013. Unfortunately, Guyana also has a high rate of cervical cancer and this is closely linked and is caused by the Human papilloma virus which is a sexually transmitted disease. All of these issues could have been avoided if the Ministry of Education had adopted Comprehensive Sexuality Education programmes in the public school system; instead the Ministry has been using an abstinence only approach through the Health and Family Life education Program which is compulsory from

Grade 7 to 9. The CSE program is taught with a right based approach, acknowledging human rights, women’s rights, children rights and sexual rights. If this taught then many of the social issues we face could have lesser impacts on our society. Over the past few years and even recently we saw a series of pornographic videos of young school children, most of which are from the public school system who were engaging in risky and early sexual activities. It is my belief that if we had buried the abstinence only approach and

Fake news again! DEAR EDITOR, I have observed that the KN Reporter, Brushell Blackman, has once again misled the public and in this case, he appears to have also misled the President of this country. In two articles published in the Kaieteur News on Thursday March 30 th, and, again on Friday March 31st, Mr. Blackman has misinformed the public stating that (1) the “PPPC will be submitting a list by the end of this week” and that (2) the opposition “found it difficult to find candidates who could confirm to the criteria set out by President David Granger”. The March 31st 2017 article provided the President’s response to the misinformation published on March 30, 2017. The article states that “the Head of State said that if the opposition is unable to find suitable candidates that satisfy those criteria, he is willing to sit down and have discussions with the Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo.” For the public record, at the Parliamentary Opposition press conference on Wednesday March 29, 2017, where Member of Parliament Bishop Edghill and l were present, I stated in my opening remarks (and these are from my notes used at the press conference)

“Follow up on GECOM “Following the consultations with civil society bodies last week with the Leader of the Opposition, the Office of the Leader of the Opposition has been receiving nominations in keeping with the deadline of March 27th. Some organizations are still to submit claiming the difficulties of finding persons who can fulfill the criteria established by the President. Even names that have been received may not fulfill all the criteria. And therefore the position of the Parliamentary opposition as expounded by the Leader of the Opposition is that the President has gone beyond the constitution and placed undue restrictions on the selection of the position of chairperson which the constitution itself did not contemplate. The focus of the constitution was on the integrity and independence of the post holder. “ In the question period, l was asked how many nominations we had received. I stated that we had received submissions from about 1415 civil society bodies, and, some had asked for more time, while others said they were having difficulties finding candidates who could fulfill all the criteria. I gave an example of one of criteria which

openly dispense facts and information about healthy living to these young people then these things could have been avoided. Sexual privacy is also a sexual right and being taped is an infringement of that right, but young people don’t know this because society still does not want to accept that young people are having sex and teach them how to protect themselves, even if it is through abstinence. With reference to the aforementioned letter, religion was also brought up to solidify the argument but I want

to know this. “Doesn’t the church have a responsibility to the people?”. The church should be concerned with the protection of the congregation and they should do so by acknowledging that the health and well being of the worshippers are top priority. If they refuse to talk about sexual reproductive health and rights issues and the church members become negative statistics then who will throw “generous offerings” if they are spending all of their money on healthcare. Dennis Glasgow

calls for someone with wide electoral knowledge and judicial experience. Mr. Blackman began his question by saying that the opposition was having difficulties finding a suitable candidate and l immediately corrected him and so did Bishop Edghill. I repeated that l did not say the opposition was having difficulties but some civil society bodies had indicated they were having difficulties, whilst others had made nominations. His was corrected twice during the press conference on this issue. It is in this context that l pointed out that some of the civil society bodies had said during last week’s consultation that “Jesus may not be able to fulfill the criteria”. At which point, Bishop Edghill quickly pointed it was not him who had said that but some of the other religious leaders. In response to a question from Mr. Blackman about the submission of the list, l stated that we would be examining the submissions of the civil society bodies by the end of this week and subsequently make our decision. I never said we would submit a list to the President by the ‘end of this week”. I did say we would be submitting six more names to the President as we had previously stated at an earlier press conference. The same reporter asked if the President rejected that list what would we do? Bishop Edghill repeated what the Leader of the Opposition had stated at a recent press conference that “we would not speculate, we would cross that bridge when we came to it”. I also reminded the media that the Leader of the Opposition had already submitted a list in compliance with the constitution, and, would be submitting another six names

as requested by the President. The fact that the Editorin-Chief of the Kaieteur News, Mr. Adam Harris, was also present throughout the press conference, and allowed information to be published which he knew was not true, makes one doubt once again the creditability of this newspaper. Sincerely Gail Teixeira, M.P., Chief Whip for the Parliamentary Opposition Editor’s note: I hasten to say that Ms Teixeira is splitting hairs. She did say that civil society was expressing difficulty in finding suitable candidates but that there were submissions. “Some members of civil society indicated to us they are having difficulties finding names to submit...on Mr Granger’s criteria,” said Mr Juan Edghill with some support from Ms Teixeira. Our contention is that the opposition incorporated civil society therefore the opposition cannot divorce itself from the selection of names. Ms Teixiera went on to say that civil society had submitted “twelve to fourteen to fifteen names so far.” These then became “there are fifteen names, not really fifteen names but fifteen individual submissions.” Mr Brushell Blackman then asked, “When do you hope to present that second list…?” Ms Teixeira responded, “This week, we will be examining the submissions, we that is the PPP, ah the opposition, will be examining the list then we will make our decision about what we will do.” There was no ill intent. Ms Teixeira did inject “this week”. Surely the need to gain some publicity cannot be that bad for her to make an issue over a minuscule mistake.

Thursday April 06, 2017

Car dealerships, real estate entities could fall prey to ill-gotten cash - Central Bank officials say supervisory authorities needed

Local authorities are of the opinion that the car dealership industry and real estate businesses do not have enough mechanisms in place to limit the chances of being used by purchasers whose sole intention is to launder their ill-gotten cash. Given these concerns, officials at the Bank of Guyana have told Kaieteur News that this state of affairs needs to be changed. The officials noted that there is currently no individual supervisory body in place to govern the operations of the two areas of business. They opine that lack of supervision leaves both as “easy prey” to money laundering risks. They explained, too, that these two areas are in fact subject to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act. The officials were careful to note that they have no intention to discredit those persons in the auto sale business or the real estate sector in a

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Kaieteur News

“willy-nilly” fashion. “However, it is a requirement by law that all loopholes for money laundering be closed, and that is essentially what we understand is being done. It is true that they are without a supervisory body. If you see for example, the casino, they have a supervisory body in the form of the Gaming Authority. But indeed there needs to be enough checks and balances in the real estate area and in the car dealership area, so that businesses can be able to protect themselves from those who have a different agenda,” one senior Bank of Guyana official explained. He added, “This is something that is also being looked at internationally, so it is not unique to see Guyana looking to remove every opportunity for abuse.” The officials reminded that the International Monetary Fund (IMF), was recently in Guyana to assess the economic health of the nation and in doing so, it examined the strengths and

weaknesses of the financial sector. A number of observations were made in relation to the financial sector, including the fact that Guyana still has more work to do with regard to strengthening its anti-money laundering measures. According to the IMF, Guyana has commendably exited the Financial Action Task Force monitoring and concluded a National Risk Assessment. However, “It should continue to strengthen its Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism framework in line with international standards.” The body also zeroed in on the need for “stronger supervisory and regulatory regimes”, in line with the World Bank’s Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP). Another body which has zeroed in on the need for greater scrutiny of car dealerships and real estate businesses was Transparency International. The global watchdog recently completed a report “Tainted Trea-

sures: Money laundering risks in luxury markets”, which highlights concerns that luxury good sellers are doing little to check if their customers are using corrupt money to fund their high-end purchases. Transparency International is calling for governments in high-risk countries to introduce specific laws to mandate due diligence for high-risk luxury goods sales and establish a designated authority to enforce them. “For the corrupt, the luxury sector is more than just a money laundering vehicle. The behaviour of kleptocrats who amass millions in properties, sports cars and art, in a short period of time, shows that the desire to own luxury can in fact be one of the drivers of corrupt behaviour. The luxury sector has a responsibility to prevent public funds, which could have gone to schools and hospitals, from being splurged on their products even if it means fewer sales,” said Transparency International Chair José Ugaz.

West R/veldt woman remanded for illegal ammo possession Loraine Springer, 56, of 425 West Ruimveldt Housing Scheme was yesterday remanded to prison by City Magistrate Fabayo Azore for having in her possession three .38 rounds of ammunition without being the owner of a firearm licence. It was further alleged that Springer also had in her possession two grams of narcotics. Springer pleaded not guilty to both charges after they were read to her by the Magistrate. The woman was represented by Attorneys-atLaw Melville Duke and Bernard Da Silva. Attorney Duke argued that the ammunition was not

found in his client’s possession and that she shared a three-bedroom apartment. He said that at the time of the discovery, multiple persons were residing at the same address. The attorney further stressed that his client was incarcerated since last Thursday. Police Prosecutor Simone Payne had no objection to bail being granted to the defendant. However, Springer was remanded to prison for the illegal ammunition possession. Bail was granted in the sum of $25,000 for the possession of narcotics. The mother of two will make her next court appearance on May 3.

No bail for teen on armed robbery charge An 18-year-old plumber was yesterday remanded to prison by City Magistrate Fabayo Azore in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Kevon Ridley of 113 King Edward Street, Albouystown, is accused of robbing Linden Roberts of three gold chains valued $360,000 on March 24, last, while being in the company of another individual and armed with a gun. Ridley

pleaded not guilty to the charge. Police Prosecutor Simone Payne objected to bail for Ridley, citing the serious nature of the offence, the penalty it attracts, and its prevalence in society. Payne further told the court that the defendant admitted to robbing the victim. Ridley was remanded to prison and will make his next court appearance on April 19.

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Thursday April 06, 2017

Kaieteur News

Administration moves to make scholarship awards more transparent - application service to be offered online by next year Even as Government of Guyana continues to work towards an efficient and professional public service through, in part, the digitisation of public records and the increased use of Information Communication Technology (ICT), the Department of Public Service, which falls under the purview of the Ministry of the Presidency, is working to develop an online application process for National Scholarships by 2018. This is running parallel to the department’s efforts of improving the process and ensure public accountability and transparency, the Ministry of the Presidency

said yesterday. Permanent Secretary of the Department of Public Service, Reginald Brotherson explained yesterday that the department is hoping to modernise its application system as soon as possible. “The Government has a national programme through the [e-Government Agency/ National Data Management Authority (NDMA)] and they are working hard, but we will be moving into that stage where we will have the appropriate technology well utilised in the Department of Public Service…So within a year or so, we should be able to move right into that direction,” he said.

More than modernising the application process, however, the department has been working to ensure that a transparent process is created and managed to afford Guyanese citizens scholarship opportunities. “Since I have been here, we have been facilitating scholarships to the University of Guyana and the Guyana School of Agriculture for freshmen and students, who are already in the system as well as abroad,” he said. While during the previous administration, applicants were often handpicked and shortlisted by the Ministry of Public Service, Brotherson said that

the department now has a national panel, the first in this regard, which consists of professionals from the Education Ministry, private and other sectors who have been tasked with shortlisting and interviewing applicants. The panel, which is renewed every year, is made up of veteran educators- Mrs. Ingrid Fung and Ms. Donna Chapman, Private Sector Commission (PSC) Representative, Ms. Elizabeth Alleyne, Ms. Claudette Austin from the University of Guyana (UG) and Executive Director of the Public Service Staff College, Mr. Randolph Leitch. From July 2015 to date, more than 500 applications have been processed. Applicants must be 35 years or under and in good health to qualify and must gain admission to the university they wish to attend and must have a valid Guyana passport. Applicants who are already students must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.7 or above while foreign students must have a 3.0 GPA or 75 percent. TRANSPARENCY All applications are reviewed by this panel and applicants are shortlisted and invited for interviews. According to Brotherson, during the interview process, applicants are graded on five main areas which are qualifications (10 points), relevance of scholarship (10 points), adaptability (4 points) and ability to cope in a different environment (for foreign students), experience in the field (for Post Graduates), maturity (for Under Graduates) (4 points), acceptance of scholarship conditions (2 points) and knowledge of the field of studies. Once the points have been tallied from the interviews, the recommendations are then sent to the Permanent Secretary and the Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, who has responsibility for the Public Service sector. As the country pursues a ‘green agenda’ and with the potential for a booming oil and gas industry, Brotherson said that the Government will also give special consideration to applications, which are made for studies in the environmental sciences, oil and gas development or any other related fields. The department is currently supporting 186 students studying abroad and

PS Dept. of Public Service, Reginald Brotherson another 705 who are pursuing studies locally. For the year 2016, over 350 students were supported at tertiary institutions across the country as the Government sought to increase the number of scholarships available to young people. At present, students here and abroad are receiving support to pursue their Bachelor ’s, Master ’s or Doctor of Philosophy Degrees. “This year almost a record number of scholarships are being offered because of the floodgate that was opened, both at the University of Guyana which has 83 percent of the scholarships offered locally, and the rest to the Guyana School of Agriculture. The government is not in a reactive mode, the government is in a planning mode, and we recognised that it is necessary that we must have investment in education,” Brotherson said. The local scholarship packages cover all costs including local field trips, tuition, facilities’ fees and final year projects including the completion of the research paper. Beneficiaries are also afforded a travel allowance and a book allowance among others. According to the release of the Ministry of the Presidency, local scholarships at the University of Guyana are available in fields such as Forestry, Agriculture, Dentistry, Medicine, Environmental Health, Optometry, Pharmacy, Biology, Computer Science, Mathematics and Environmental Studies. OVERSEAS SCHOLARSHIPS While overseas-based awardees have their tuitions and airfares paid for by the host country in most cases, the Government of Guyana also provides some allowances. Additionally, in the event that the mother or father of

any of the students dies, then the Government of Guyana handles the financial expense of getting the student back to Guyana. In the case of a medical emergency, the student will be monitored by health officials in the host country. However, if the school recommends a semester break or time off given the nature of the medical emergency, the Government will also stand the expenses of having the student transferred back to Guyana until the recommended break ends. In case of any emergency, the parent is to make immediate contact with the Permanent Secretary, who will then intervene. The department also offers public servants, who are desirous of furthering their studies as well, the time necessary to do so. However, Brotherson said that this is done with strict adherence to the Public Service rules. All applicants, upon completing the education programmes, will be provided with jobs, a binding agreement offered by the government, encouraging them to serve their country for a period of three to five years. However, if the applicant wishes to end the contract which has been signed with the Government of Guyana, Brotherson explained that the cost of the training, along with a 12 percent interest, would have to be repaid. One of the challenges in the awarding or successful processing of scholarships, Brotherson said, is the lethargic approach by some of the applicants with regard to deadlines. The official stressed that it is important that deadlines are met, particularly for o v e r s e a s - b a s e d scholarships, since there are many other processes which have to be completed before being approved. He is therefore calling on future applicants to honour deadlines as it will significantly help the process along.

Thursday April 06, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Murder is not manslaughter It took eight years for three persons accused of certain acts of ‘terror’ in the city in 2009 to be brought to trial. It was reported in the media that the three men pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter and to other acts and were each sentenced to nineteen years imprisonment, from which time will have to be deducted to cover their period of incarceration while awaiting trial. There has been, in recent years, a noticeable trend in the assizes wherein persons charged with murder are being allowed by the prosecution to plead guilty to manslaughter, thereby saving themselves a possible death penalty if found guilty.

This has been a worrying trend in our courts. Those who commit murder should be allowed to face the murder charge and the severity of the penalties which such an offence attracts. So far, the families of those murdered, who have seen the perpetrators allowed to plead to manslaughter, have not complained. But it must be very painful for someone to have their relatives murdered only to find that the person gets a lesser sentence because of the prosecution accepting the lesser plea of manslaughter. There should be some attempt by the prosecution to

justify why it would have accepted a plea to a lesser count. The prosecution should do this, so as to help the families better understand the decision and to bring closure. The public is also entitled to be convinced that the decision was made in the best interest of justice. Prosecutors may have a number of reasons why they will settle for the lesser counts. For one, the time which would have elapsed between the alleged commission of the criminal act and the trial date may have caused many witnesses to be unavailable. Some may have migrated, others would have died. The

Dem boys seh...

Granny tun gunman When dem boys was small dem use to love de cowboy movies. Dem was all de movies that dem boys wanted to see because dem parents use to buy gun and socket. Was a time when every young boy was a cowboy wid ee caps gun. Was steady ‘war break’ and nuff noise till dem big people couldn’t ketch dem rest. De times change because de guns get real and people was really shooting others. De granny who live near de hotel had to be one of dem who use to play cowboy when she was young. That is why when she see a man she know good pun de fence, she shoot he. When de man get shoot he fall down and dem had to rush he to de hospital wheh he still lying down. Dem boys was surprise that de man survive granny bullet. De woman had to read bout all dem shooting and decide that since goat ain’t bite she then she can shoot too. She ain’t de only one who know bout stu-

pidness. Irfaat know bout nuff stupidness. He calling pun de government to mek sure that dem check pun every expenditure that every Government department does mek. Of course he is de head of this committee that does check how de government money does spend. From de time he call pun all dem auditors and government people to check how de money spending dem boys seh is a case of putting a thief fuh ketch a thief. He know wha he use to do. Dem had a big report how he use to keep he record in lead pencil. And he had a big eraser in he hand while he was mekking dem entries. While he coulda rub out entries and expenditure and change de figures, NICIL got GNIC in a tight corner. De company seh how it pay all de money it owe but NICIL seh it still owe. De figures wasn’t written in pencil and no eraser coulda change dem. Talk half and watch how thief man don’t like see he mattie wid bag.

ability of these witnesses to have full recall may have been impaired. So there are a number of reasons which can justify such an approach. But when you consider that those persons who pleaded guilty to certain acts recently could, with remission of their sentence, be out of prison in the next seven years, then the public and the affected families may feel entitled to an explanation. Another disturbing trend is the large number of confession statements. We are reading constantly about persons suddenly opening up and confessing their crimes to the police during interrogation. There have been, based on newspaper reports, an unusually large number of confession statements being made.

This has raised suspicion as to the cause of so many confessions. Some people are saying that since APNU+AFC came to power, the criminals have developed a conscience. Others believe that the police are either doing something good or something bad. Desmond Hoyte, the President of Guyana from 1985 to 1992, at one stage, was gravely concerned about the reliance by prosecution on confession statements. He was suggesting that these statements may not have been voluntarily given. It is important that the public have confidence in the methods of interrogation by the police. There have been rumours that in the past the police used to place black plastic bags over the heads of those they were interrogating so as

to extract confession statements. This led to a suggestion that the police in Guyana should do like what is done in other developed countries, where interrogations are videotaped and the videos can be introduced as evidence. Persons need to be brought faster to trial to ensure that the evidence is not compromised because witnesses would have died, migrated or cannot be located. This will help to reduce the need to have murder accused plead guilty to manslaughter. The laws of Guyana should be amended to compel the police to videotape interrogation of witnesses.

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Thursday April 06, 2017

Kaieteur News

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

APNU+AFC Ministers are using the songbook of the PPP After the government got into power, I began to receive hundreds of complaints from people about the backward, insensitive, elitist attitude of Ministers. This ranged from the working class citizen, the white collar worker, the middle class person, and the entrepreneur, both large and small. Mr. Glenn Lall, the publisher of this newspaper, told me that Joe Harmon did not return his call. Businessmen told me the same about several other ministers. I was so moved at the mistreatment of businessman, Anthony Sarjoo, that I wrote a column on the issue. I got to know Mr. Sarjoo because one day during the 2015 election campaign, I walked into his office with a delegation of

AFC youths and sought a donation of smart phones for the AFC’s campaign office. He gave willingly. I got an ocean of complaints about then Junior Housing Minister, Keith Scott. Some were awful and they came from people from different walks of life, including persons in the WPA and Lincoln Lewis from the TUC. It was Dr. David Hinds who told me that an AFC big wig said on Chris Ram’s television interview programme that people like me and David want to bring back the PPP in power because of the criticisms we were making. I couldn’t believe it. I went to view the recording myself. A careful reading of the semantics of the APNU-AFC kings and queens would reveal that it comes straight out of the songbook of the PPP. The examples are mountainous and space would not allow for an enumeration. But both AFC and PNC top personnel are the perpetrators.

For now, the latest example should suffice. It comes from Minister Ronald Bulkan. He did the unthinkable. And the unthinkable came straight out of the Freudian notebook of PPP leaders. It goes like this – “The government owns all public spheres; we are in charge and you do what we say.” This is the culture of successive governments from 1957 to the present. Minister Bulkan did to the Chronicle what he would not dare contemplate, for even a fraction of a second, to do to any private media house. In a letter to the Chronicle, he wrote to complain that a particular day’s front page lead story should have been on the swearing in of the mayors and deputy mayors rather than on oil. Here is the Minister in his own words; “On 2017.03.30, the mayors and deputy mayors of the nine municipalities were sworn in… in your issue of 2017.03.31, you reported on

the above activity, but relegated it to page eight. Your front page is dominated by the headline: “More Oil”

Frederick Kissoon and was followed by a fullpage story on page three. I wish to suggest that your emphasis and message are totally misplaced. I suggest, therefore, that your public duty would have been better served by switching the aforementioned articles.” Important to note is that the Minister wanted a lead story of an event for which

his ministry was responsible. So the Chronicle’s public duty is based on the minister’s interpretation of reality in Guyana, not on the requirements of journalistic judgement. This is straight out of the political diary of Bharrat Jagdeo and all other PPP leaders. So why did the minister do such an unwise thing? Because for him, it is the Chronicle’s public duty to serve the government. The principles of journalism come later. Can one imagine what is going to flow next? Each minister is going to tell the paper what is its public duty. If the Education Ministry doesn’t get its front page lead, the paper lapsed in its public duty. If the Health Ministry does get its event as the main story, the Chronicle doesn’t know its duty. This is what the Chronicle has become – a paper to serve the ministers of government. The Minister obviously didn’t have the

kind of respect he ought to have for some people on the board of the paper, or else he would not have written that letter. But respect is only given when you respect yourself. And I am not sure the Chronicle’s board is entitled to any respect. One member of its board, Imran Khan, openly published a complete fabrication about me knowing it to be false. In another column, I will analyse the last part of Minister Bulkan’s missive that went like this; “Our priorities should continue to be trying to achieve national unity, social cohesion, good governance and creating stronger and more effective national institutions.” This is coming from the Minister who supported the worst contract that was ever signed since Plato wrote his philosophical masterpiece ‘The Republic’ more than 2,000 years ago – the parking meter document.

Thursday April 06, 2017

EMS responded to over 1000 calls since launching -play key role in helping to combat maternal and neonatal mortality

Since being officially launched in November of last year, the National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) programme has been playing an especially crucial role in the public health sector.

would save the lives of four babies and three mothers...so all cases were either delivered on scene or in the ambulance. There were countless patients who were having heart attacks, were in motor vehicle

EMS Medical Director, Dr. Zulfikar Bux According to Medical Director, Dr. Zulfikar Bux, since its official introduction, the EMS programme has seen Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) responding to in excess of 1,000 calls. Persons have been able to access the EMS programme, which responds to both medical and fire emergencies, by dialling 912. “We started with three ambulances that cover the Mon Repos to Diamond area and from then to present we would have had 1,076 emergency calls that we would have had to respond to. If you look at it, by just having three ambulances there was an average of eight to 10 calls per day and these were all for emergencies,” said Dr. Bux. Recounting some high points of the programme thus far, Dr. Bux said that the EMTs were able to respond to the call of a woman who was advanced in labour. “She could not have obviously been brought to the hospital because she was in the end stage of labour,” said Dr. Bux who noted that EMTs from a batch trained last year, along with the support of the Chief EMT, Mr. Ron Morris, were able to deliver the baby on the scene. This, according to Dr. Bux, essentially sees the EMS programme helping to reduce maternal and child mortality by responding to such cases. In fact, since a pilot of the programme commenced in 2014, Dr. Bux said that “we

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Kaieteur News

accidents, whose lives would have been saved because of this new venture...that shows the importance of EMS to the people of Guyana,” asserted the Medical Director. For this reason, Dr. Bux added, “I must say kudos to the EMTs for the work they have been doing. I am very, very happy with the way they have been progressing.” The EMS programme was first piloted in 2014 after gaining approval from the Ministry of Public Health in collaboration with the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Since Dr. Bux holds the position of Head of Accident and Emergency at the GPHC, the programme automatically fell under his purview. In fact, the programme is considered Dr. Bux’s brainchild. “We collaborated with the Vanderbilt Medical Centre [United States], which has been a very important partner in this development and would have given us quite a lot of the ‘know how’ to ensure that we stayed within international standards when it comes to emergency medical services,” Dr. Bux explained. He revealed that between the period 2014 and 2015 “we would have done that pilot emergency medical service with two ambulances and 20 EMTs and we were able to troubleshoot quite a lot of mechanisms.” But according to Dr. Bux, he simply was not satisfied with the progress made. This

was in light of the fact that “the whole idea was to have a national emergency medical service.” This essentially saw Dr. Bux forging relations with Chief Fire Officer, Mr. Marlon Gentle. The two were able to secure the support of the Ministries of Public Health and Public Security, and the respective Ministers were able to effectively sell the programme to Cabinet which granted its ‘no objection’ in March of 2016, allowing it to be launched later the same year. While the programme has a fire response component, Dr. Bux noted that the medical aspect of it requires that patients receive medical attention within the ‘golden hour’. The ‘golden hour’ in medicine, Dr. Bux explained, means that patients who are in trauma are able to gain the support of an emergency physician who can resuscitate them within an hour of their emergency. According to Dr. Bux, “studies have proven that this has helped to impact and save the lives of many people.” Although the initial move was to train first responders, including members of the Guyana Police Force, Dr. Bux noted that there was a glaring need for an EMS system in order to have in place a service that is on par with international standard, a notion that the current system subscribes to. Dr. Bux’s comments on the EMS system were forthcoming yesterday as he addressed a ceremony to graduate a batch of 31 new EMTs at the Project Dawn, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown facility. Last year a total of 90 EMTs were trained to be a part of the programme and according to Dr. Bux, it is expected that within five years, the entire nation will be able to benefit from the EMS programme.

NICIL and GNIC continue battle over Lombard St. property Affidavits in reply have been filed and served in the ongoing court battle between the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) and the Guyana National Industrial Company Incorporated (GNIC) over millions of dollars in rent monies owed the Government. The case stems from an issue dating back to 1995. GNIC, a company owned by Laparkan and the Guyana National Industrial Company (employees), purchased the assets of the former Guyana National Engineering Corporation (GNEC) and leased Lots 1-12 Lombard Street as part of the privatisation of GNEC. NICIL reduced the rent due from GNIC by 50% in 2000 and the sale price of equipment in 1995 by 30%. Despite these concessions, GNIC failed to honour its ob-

ligations to pay under the lease. The matter was forwarded to arbitration in July 2009. The award of $148,860,870 was made by the Court following the arbitration proceedings between NICIL and GNIC for unpaid rent in 2013. But GNIC had failed to comply with the award. The Company eventually paid $108 million to the coffers as part of the settlement. The monies were paid in parts, $60 million and then $48 million. It was reported that the two entities were unable to settle the dispute, and therefore the Court was set to take the matter to trial. The matter was scheduled for hearing before Commercial Court Judge, Justice Rishi Persaud yesterday.

During a brief hearing, Attorney, Neil Boston S.C, who is on record for GNIC, and Mr Timothy Jonas, the lawyer for NICIL, were informed that arguments into that the matter will commence on May 2, 2017. GNIC operates the largest wharfing and industrial facilities in Guyana. This facility is involved in shipbuilding, fabrication of parts and smelting.

PAGE 12

Grove/Diamond NDC anxious for closure in $20M-plus fraud Officials of the Grove/ Diamond Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) say that they are cooperating with police investigators and are eagerly awaiting the outcome of a major fraud probe. Giving an update yesterday, NDC Chairman Bharat Narine disclosed that the council is anxious to bring the matter to closure. “As you know we have made a complaint of a fraud involving several millions…in excess of $20M. Police investigators have visited the office and we are cooperating with them. I can tell you that the clerk involved has left the job. We are looking for this matter to be fully investigated.” The fraud was uncovered by councillors in late February during routine checks It is believed that staffers, including one involved in collecting rates and taxes, allegedly hatched a scheme to steal the monies. The theft took place over a period of 18 months. Using books similar to

Thursday April 06, 2017

Kaieteur News

Grove/Diamond NDC Chairman, Bharat Narine what the NDC has, the staffers reportedly issued receipts to unsuspecting residents of the Grove and Diamond areas. However, under tighter monitoring by the new NDC elected last year, checks by councillors reportedly uncovered anomalies with the serial numbers on the receipts. The numbers printed on the receipts issued to a num-

ber of homeowners had them printed differently from what the NDC had. Checks later made found that more than $20M did not make it into the NDC accounts over an 18-month period. The fraud is a major blow to the work plan of the NDC which has jurisdiction over Grove, Samatta Point, Golden Grove and Diamond, on the East Bank of Demerara. The expansion of the Diamond and Golden Grove housing schemes has been putting a strain on the NDC. It is not the first time that NDCs have been facing fraud investigations. A number of overseers in the past have been under investigation, but nothing much has come out of those probes. With lax record-keeping and a seeming unwillingness to go after delinquent rates and taxes payers, many of the NDCs which were without elections for almost two decades pending law reforms, were in poor condition. However, elections last year have brought fresh faces.

Digicel gets cleared to ship in equipment for 911 system Several weeks ago, telephone service provider Digicel was awarded a $27M contract for the installation of the 911 business solution emergency service. That process is one step closer to being fixed, the Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan said yesterday. He told the Government Information Agency that clearance has been given to company to ship the equipment needed to have the 911 system back up and running. “Digicel won the contract for purposes for getting the equipment to be installed in Brickdam and I think the arrangements have already been made with the PS (Permanent Secretary) for the monies to be given to them to get the equipment in,” the Minister was quoted as saying. Ramjattan pointed out that once the equipment arrives in Guyana, both the 912 and 913 emergency lines will be merged with the 911 number to have one cohesive

emergency calling system. Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) will be contributing to fixing the distribution line at the Brickdam Police Station, it was stated. Ramjattan noted that there were some problems with the telephone lines and the equipment. He said these should be resolved in and around the time when the equipment comes in. Minister Ramjattan explained that officers have already been trained to answer the emergency calls. Last year, Ramjattan held consultations with local telephone service providers for the establishment of the 911 (Guyana Police Force) and 912 (Guyana Fire Service) emergency lines, because the defunct 911 emergency line continues to be a troubling issue. Some $250M was allocated in budget 2017 for equipment for the Guyana Police Force. In 2014, a blame-game had ensued between the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT)’s management and the Guyana Police Force over the ineffectiveness of the 911 emergency numbers. According to reports, the Police Force believed that the problem was technical, on the side of GTT, rather than human, on the side of the Police Force. GTT, on the other hand, had released a statement in 2014 calling out the police for

the less than satisfactory responses to 911 calls. The phone company had said that there were handsets which had disappeared at the 911 receiving stations. In some cases, handsets were taken off the hook or the phones were not answered by personnel during standard working hours. Opposition MP Clement Rohee, while he was Home Affairs Minister for the PPP government in 2014, laid blame at the feet of the phone company, saying that it was dodging responsibility. Last year, the acting Police Commissioner, David Ramnarine, had stated that despite a 2014 review of the 911 system which recommended a range of reforms to improve its efficiency, the service remains problematic. The Private Sector Commission (PSC) has been clamouring for years for the system to be upgraded. The body had noted that service was essential for any citizen who is under threat to be able to request a police response. “People are dying, people are being hurt… The 911 system, in my view, is a national emergency and everybody from the President right down should not go to bed at night if this 911 system is not working and I am appalled that they do,” PSC executive Captain Gerry Gouveia had told a press conference last October.

Thursday April 06, 2017

Kaieteur News

Russian banker convicted in U.S. spy ring deported to Moscow (Reuters) A Russian banker convicted last year in the United States for involvement in a spy ring operating in New York City has been deported to Moscow, a U.S. law enforcement agency said on Wednesday. Evgeny Buryakov, 42, was escorted to Russia by deportation officers aboard commercial flights and turned over to Russian authorities, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement. Buryakov was arrested in January 2015 and charged with two others. U.S. prosecutors said they had worked with the Russian intelli-

gence service and conspired to gather economic intelligence on behalf of Russia, including information about U.S. sanctions against Russia, and to recruit New York City residents as intelligence sources. Buryakov, who worked at Russian stateowned Vnesheconombank, was sentenced in May by a U.S. district judge in Manhattan to 2-1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty to having conspired to act improperly as an agent for the Russian government. He received credit for 16 months already spent in custody and was in line to be deported after completing his sentence.

Canadian couple wins lottery for the third time (BBC) The third time was indeed the charm for a Canadian couple who won C$8.2m (£4.9m, $6.1m) in the lottery. Barbara and Douglas Fink had won the lottery twice before, once in 1989 and once in 2010. But February’s Western Canada Lottery jackpot was by far the largest, according to a press release from the provincial lottery. The couple from Edmonton, Alberta says they will use the money to provide for their children. “Family comes first,” Mrs. Fink told the provincial lottery organisers. “We want to make sure that our daughters and our grandkids are looked after.” They’ll spend some of their winnings on themselves. Mr Fink says they plan to travel and start house hunting. “Barbara wants a new house, so she’ll get one,” he

told the lotto corporation. Mr Fink had previously shared a C$128,000 prize with four of his friends in 1989. In 2010, the couple won a C$100,000 prize. This time, they were just one of two ticket-holders to guess all six numbers correctly. Mrs Fink says she was the

one who discovered they were winners, while her husband was out of town for work. She tried calling him, but at first he didn’t pick up. “He didn’t answer, so I waited five minutes and tried again,” she remembered. “That time, he picked up. I said, ‘I did it again!’”

Site of Jesus’ tomb re-opens following painstaking restoration in Jerusalem (CNN) It’s one of Christianity’s holiest sites — the burial chamber where Jesus Christ is believed to have been entombed. Now following nine months of meticulous restoration, it’s reopened to the devoted. Situated in the heart of the Christian quarter in Jerusalem’s Old City, muchneeded repairs were conducted to the Edicule, a small limestone and marble structure built on the site identified in the 4th century as Jesus’ final resting place following his crucifixion. The ambitious project was overseen by the World Monuments Fund (WMF) while Antonia Moropoulou of the National Technical University of Athens led an interdisciplinary team of specialists and masons who carried out the work. It was unveiled to the

public on Wednesday. The conservators, who worked mostly at night so as not to impact the Christian faithful from praying at the holy site, fixed underlying masonry before returning displaced stone blocks to their original positions, securing them with titanium anchors, according to Moropoulou. “We consolidated the holy rock. We opened the tomb of Christ in order to protect it from the infection of grout. Then we reinstalled the stone slabs after inserting joints of titanium,” Moroloulou said on Monday. Masons raised a marble slab last October which covered the holy resting place for the first time in almost 500 years. Kristin Romey, archeology writer at National Geographic told CNN at the time:

“What we’re looking at really is investigating how this whole site evolved over time, how this became the focal point of worship and veneration for more than two billion Christians today. “This is the first time in modern memory that we have removed the marble from the tomb and are able to look down and investigate the original rock that, according to Christian tradition, the body of Jesus Christ was laid out on,” she continued. Six denominations of the Christian faith share this holy space — Franciscan (Catholic), Coptic, Ethiopian, Syrian Orthodox, Armenian, and Greek Orthodox church. In a bid to maintain neutral guardianship for the multi-denominational place of worship, a Muslim family has held the keys to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for generations.

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WANTED Female worker wanted sound secondary education, computer literate-Tel: 6225518

SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Guyana passport application. Graphics design, advertisement. Tel: 6267040; 265-4535. INNOVATIVEMARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/ works, logos, busi ness cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Passport, permanent & visitor visa application, Professional Immigration Consultant – Sabita Immigration Services. Call: 225-6496/ 662-6045 Eagle’s: Re-gas -$8,000, Washing machine repairs, Gas Stove, Plasma flat Screen computer repairs & more. Call: 697-2969/646-0966 Floor sanding & Lacquering, house plans, estimate & painting, boat for Santa Mission. Call: 650-4362 Reupholstery for all furniture at a price you can afford, home service if possible. Call:612-0422/ 682-8718/2162230 Computer repairs, cellphone unlocking, website building, data recovery, visa application. Call: 227-7556/ 615-8734 (we also buy computer parts) PEN PAL Indian Male seeks female age 27/34 write to M.D 7475 Goreway DR #47Mississauga on L4T 3T3, Canada.

CAR RENTAL DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM WING’S CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAYMENT, CHEAP REATES,SPECIALOFFERS FOR THE SEASON. CALL: 690-6494

Thursday April 06, 2017

Kaieteur News

TO LET 4 AC Rooms/2 large hall with 1 extra room, suitable for business/offices @ 21 Seaforth St. Campbellville, Georgetown. Call: 226-4877, 624-7436, 654-9350 For factory or bond, Eccles Industrial Site E.B.D. Call: 609-7675/674-1705/ 233-2614 3 Bedrooms fully furnished upper flat size 38X40ft $160,000 monthly. Call: 6445151

One shop assistant to work in the Interior, must have experienced. Call: 668-6421

Straight stitch/over edge machine operators/labourer. Call: 222-2541 8:00am-4:00pm (Mon-Fri) Two years experienced salesgirl @ Christine Variety, Lombard Street. Call: 227-8529

Allion, Primo, Fielder Wagon, Spacio, Bluebird, 212 Carina, NZE, Honda CRV, Toyota IST, RZ & Pit-bull – Call: 650-7501 Toyota Raum, PLL Series, Rims, Alarm. Call: 666-7439/ 628-1450

One female domestic worker to work in Trinidad. between ages of 25-35. Call 1868- 6831528 Live in waitress to work in a bar- Call: 604-6606;692-4646 We pay USD for residential house lots, East Bank gets priority. Call Duncan : 6774092

Toyota Vigo pickup -$3.5M and Nissan Pathfinder Jeep $1.5M negotiable. Call: 6097766/ 225-8427 (must be sold)

Welder/Fabricator. (Must have at least 3 years’ experience). Apply with written application: Technical Services Inc, 18-23 Eccles.

Toyota Avensis, 17" rims, excellent condition -$2.3M. Call: 681-8982

Corilla Bush (Dried) & Lemon Grass in large quantities. Call: 665-1397

RZ minibus -$700,000. Call: 697-2550, 613-1810 HEALTH Dietitians Clinic: nutrition guidance for diabetic, obese, high cholesterol, cancer, renal, pregnant patients and more. Call: 231-9335/ 699-7083

CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 677-7827, 6435122 ,EMAIL:PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL: PICKUP, 9-11 SEAT MIN BUS, GOOD FOR AIRPOTR & FAMILY OUTING, CHEAPEST RATE . Call: 698-7807

Two female domestic to work at Andre Mineral Trade, 75 Church Street (40yrs and older). Call: 657-6009

EDUCATIONAL Kids Easter Computer Classes (2 weeks program) $4,000, Diploma in computers, Computerize Accounting @ Micrographics, Vreed-enHoop. Call: 264-3057 French Classes: 276B Peter Rose Street, Monday-Friday open from 1-5pm, www.alliancefrancaiseguyana. com. Tel: 226-1882 MASSAGE The Gent’s Spa: Massage done by Tiffany, mobile services. Book appointment now! Call: 677-5465

PROPERTY FOR SALE 2 bedroom luxury house at madewini villas, open plan kitchen & garage. Price negotiable. call 647-1773. Transported property @ Grove and Diamond $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461 House & Land available for sale. Contact Pacific Development Inc @ Lot 3 Church Street, G/Town. Call: 223-6035/227-8274

Contract hire car to work @ GR Taxi. Contact Ganesh: 6146202

One male or female to look after layer birds in Interior. Call: 668-6421

1-Leyland DAF GRR Series; excellent condition. Call: 6804101

- Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. - Cosmetology Courses: $120,000 - Technician Course: $45,000. Call: 6471773/660-5257

We are buying WamaraTonka Bean Logs, cash down as document ready. Call:6645150

1 Arc Welder with knowledge of Grill Work. Call: 227-4240

VEHICLE FOR SALE

SALON

FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Fibre-Tech 220 9192/6907. Fiberglass, Resin materials in any quantity all for your repairs. Kobelco 210, Perkins 4 CYL, Yangdong 4CYL, Miller Welder, HondaATV, asking -$18,000,000. Call: 651-4699/ 677-8104 One Ford Van E350, one Toyota Tundra, One Caterpillar back hoe 4x4, one bobcat Tel: 660-2212 Spare for washing machine, microwaves, fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, motors, etc. Call:225-9032;647-2943;604-5198 1 Double twin steer Atkinson Truck. Call: 684-2708 Complete game shop equipment. Call Leon: 2318424 or 610-0808 Miller welder 225 Amps, Honda Generator 6500 Watts Honda Civic – Contact: 6390866 Design & Make Aluminum windows, doors, stainless rails, showcases, rolling shutters, make & install automatic doors. Call: 2336818/677-5599/659-9999 Great Deals on video games & all gaming consoles. PC, video games & repairs – Call: 672-2566; 265-3231 1 Diesel Welder, 1 Generator. Call: 627-7835

Tuschen: 2 storey building, 2031 ft2 - $9.8M Negotiable. Tel: 231-9690 (During working hrs). Parfaite Harmonie: 2 storey building, 1245 ft2 - $9M Negotiable. Tel: 231-9690 (During working hrs). Tain, Corentyne: 2 storey building 3309 ft2 - $8M Negotiable. Tel: 231-9690 (During working hours). House and land for sale block ‘12’ Non Pariel, East Coast Demerara. (no agents) Call: 227-3961/ 270-5302 2 Storey house 35X45 3 bedrooms, 1 self-contained @ 5th Avenue Diamond, H/ Scheme. Call:677-0583/6645052

VACANCY Cook/Baker and Kitchen Assistant for interior location. Applicants must be experienced, for details call: 618-2020 Outdoor Salesman/Driver, Salesgirls, general domestic. Apply at R.Sookraj & Son’s, 108 Regent Street Georgetown. Looking for experienced all round IT specialist. Send CV t o jobs@expresstruckingcorp.com or call 227-6025. Wood mizer & moulder operator, timber grant manager at least 5yrs experienced. Call: 609-7675/ 674-1705/ 233-2614 Office Clerk (senior/junior) with CXC English/ Mathematics, computer knowledge an asset. Call: 223-7500 Live in or live out babysitter/ domestic –Call: 223-7500. Monday-Saturday 8:154:15pm Welder: apply in person to Alabama Trading G/town Ferry Stelling.

Newly built @ Craig E.B.D land 91X50, house 40X28, 3 rooms, 1 self-contained$23M. Call: 718-213-6496/ 617-7691

Experienced female Accounts Clerk, Apply in person with hand written application to Alabama Trading 65-66 Robb Street Bourda

Covent Garden E.B.D, land 120X40, house 60X26, 4 bedrooms (1 self-contained), kitchen, cupboard, concrete yard & fence. Call: 612-4722/ 675-9093

Accounts Clerk for Eccles, Industrial Site area knowledge of NIS, PAYE, VAT, Quickbooks. Call: 6144358

Lot 4 Public Road/Line Dam Section E, Hopetown, West Coast Berbice. Contact # 6807600, 696-8174 Serious Inquiries only.

Exist for Cashiers/ Salesgirls, apply with written application at Nirva Supermarket, 49 Sheriff & Craig Streets. Call: 227-5771 Trainee A.C, Refrigerator, Technician –Call: 231-0655

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

ENTERTAINMENT

Lot 14 Croal & Longden Street: 4 Storey building (infront Demico). Call: 663-1876 Apartment for rent – 1 bottom flat 3 bedrooms at Lamaha Gardens. Call: 2258084, 689-6001

Cotton Club: Restaurant & Banquet Hall, buffet Sunday, breakfast & soups, daily lunch, breakfast specials. Call: 231-1908

One bedroom apartment well secured for working couple $35,000 monthly, light water and garbage included. Call: 638-8858

TOURS Rodeo, Lethem Rodeo, Brazil, Falls and sightseeing, April 13- 17th. Call: 665-5171, 639-2663, 2237589,658-3758,673-2348 Somaru’s Tavel Service, best rates around Georgetown, local tours, hotel accommodation, etc. Call Vee: 670-1162/223-4187/ 616-2727 Continued on page 23

Thursday April 06, 2017

Cost of electricity, poor infrastructure among key factors affecting private sector growth – IDB Report The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)’s Caribbean Region Quarterly Bulletin is out and already, heads have begun to turn. The report explores primarily, constraints to private sector development in the Caribbean. It was noted that while the private sector in each country faces specific issues, there are similar challenges resulting from red tape, complicated and tedious processes and weak environments for doing business. In the Guyana context, it was stated that major constraints that the private sector in Guyana faces include, small market size, access to and cost of electricity, an inadequately educated workforce, taxes, crime and violence, inefficiency of domestic markets, access to and cost of financing, low research and development, poor infrastructure (roads, ports and air connectivity), weak protection of property rights (land tenure, intellectual property rights, and contract enforcement), and a lack of coordination between government and private sector. These challenges, the report states, hinder growth in the private sector and contribute to a less diversified economic structure than wanted. The compilers of the report examined the ‘bottlenecks related to infrastructure’ which obstructs private sector development. “Poor transport links and the high cost and unreliable supply of electricity directly undermine business competitiveness. Guyana ranks relatively low on infrastructure indicators: road (ranking 104 out of 148 countries on the index), port (87 out of 148), and air transport infrastructure (98 out of 148).” It was stated also that in terms of service parameters, Guyana, along with its eastern neighbour Suriname, obtained the worst scores in the Caribbean on shipping lines and air connectivity indices. It was stated also, that on a scale of 100, Guyana’s air connectivity index is 2.46 and its maritime shipping connectivity index in 2014 is 4.1. “In addition, Guyana has one of the highest costs of electricity at US$0.29 per kWh, compared with an average residential energy price of US$0.16 per kWh in LAC (Latin America and the Caribbean). Of Guyanese firms interviewed, 58.3 percent complained that energy costs prove to be a major or very severe obstacle.” The report stated.

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The report posits that dialogue and consensus building between private sector actors and government can lead to partnerships, and foster a long-term commitment to reform and innovation to address these constraints. It was stated that concerted efforts along several lines of action could be pursued in elevating some of these constraints such as supporting reforms that clarify property rights, secured transactions laws, expanded coverage of credit bureaus, modern insolvency laws, bank loan risk classification and collateral changes, better contract enforcement, land tenure and land administration reform, and could reduce uncertainty and risk. Further, the report advised the need to improve access to finance and technical assistance for micro, small and medium enterprises; leveraging finance of private investment for infrastructural needs, particularly energy and transportation under well-developed Public Private Partnership laws (PPP) and a dedicated PPP analysis and promotion unit; supporting cross-border trade facilitation efforts, a port community system and cross-border facilitation with Brazil; strengthening export and investment promotion programmes; and creating a business-government council with authority to identify bottlenecks and streamline regulations and administrative processes in a timely fashion.

Court hears Nat’l Assembly approved $10M for GMC building rehabilitation Ten million dollars was approved by the National Assembly in 2010 to carry out rehabilitation works on the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) office building situated at Robb and Alexander Streets, Georgetown. This is according to Owen Nestor, an Accountant at GMC, who was called to testify when the trial of Nizam Hassan, former General Manager at GMC and Felecia De Souza-Madramootoo continued yesterday before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. It is alleged that between October 28, 2010 and April 25, 2012 the two conspired to continuously approve payments which were made to contractor of Constantine Engineering and Construction Services Limited, Trinidad and Tobago, for works that were incompetently and incorrectly done with inferior materials to rehabilitate the GMC building; knowing that such works should not have been approved. They have both pleaded not guilty to the charge and were each released on $250,000 bail with instructions to report to the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU). According to Nestor, in 2010, $10M was included in the GMC budget to facilitate rehabilitation works on the building. The accountant disclosed that the budget was then submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture. Nestor said that the Agriculture Ministry would hold meetings to review the budget before dispatching it

Nizam Hassan to the Ministry of Finance for approval. In his presence, during a meeting, Nestor stated that no alterations were made to the project. Guided by Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones, the witness told the court that the budget was approved by the National Assembly the following year to undertake the rehabilitation works. The monies were deposited into the GMC checking account held at Republic Bank, the witness added. Nestor related that he informed Hassan that the budget had been approved and told him that based on the contract, the monies might not be sufficient to undertake the works. The accountant recalled that Hassan related to him that he also made the same observation and that they would have to utilize savings for which he would talk with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture about getting approval. Constantine Engineering and Construction Services Limited, Nestor revealed, was

Felecia De SouzaMadramootoo awarded the contract to carry out the rehabilitation. He added that Hanniel Madramootoo was the project engineer who was tasked with supervising the works. When asked by Prosecutor Jones to outline his roles as an accountant, the witness said, “Basically to overlook the financial operation of the Guyana Marketing Corporation, preparation of financial statements, and preparation of budget…” Nestor disclosed that his department has three other staff, including a senior accounts clerk who is responsible for the preparation of payroll and financial statements among other roles; an accounts clerk who is tasked with preparing cheques for payments, managing the petty cash system, and a stock clerk who receives goods from suppliers for the Guyana Shop and enters stock into the accounts system.

Nestor told the prosecutor that he is familiar with the term “major project”. In explaining this, he told the court that it is a term used to prepare contracts for suppliers. “Once the corporation decides to do a project, management will seek technical support from the Ministry of Agriculture to assist in preparing the appropriate contract. Once we get that approval from the Ministry of Finance for engineering assistance, that engineer will provide a contract based on what is the project.” Nestor recalled that Afraz Ali was the project manager for Constantine Engineering and Construction Services Limited and that he would usually come to uplift cheques on behalf of the company. Yesterday, Police Sergeant Salish Roopnarine, a detective attached to the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU), testified to interviewing Ali on July 15, 2016 at SOCU office, Camp Road, Georgetown. The police witness told the court that Ali showed him a cellular phone containing several emails allegedly sent to him by Nizam Ramkissoon, who was a contractor for the construction of the GMC building. The emails, Sergeant Roopnarine recalled, were printed out and handed over to Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sydney James, who is also the head of SOCU.

From page 22

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LAND FOR SALE 1 Transported land in Tuschen Phase 1 -$2M, Tuschen Phase 2 - $1.4M, La ParfaiteHarmonie (main road) -$2M, La ParfaiteHarmonie $1.4M. Call: 642-1252

ACCOMMODATION Hilton Int’l Hotel, “your home away from home”: rooms fully self-contained - $20USD. Call: 225-9211 FOR SALE German Shepherd pup. Tel: 619-6086/699-7077 Doberman pup. Tel: 619-6086/ 699-7077

Diamond Scheme ( 2 nd Avenue), Eccles Scheme (middle) negotiable. Call: 6097766/225-8427 (must be sold) Eccles New Scheme (110X50ft) concrete fence& bridge, land filled (deal) $7M. Call: 684-5822/ 611-7223 Eccles $7.5M, Providence $5M, Farm -$3M, Uitvlugt $2.8M, La Parfaite Harmonie -$1.6M, Bartica -$3M. Call: 233-3006/ 658-5897/651-1969

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US withdrawal from IDB investment will have adverse impact ...but can be seen as an opportunity - Goolsarran Since Guyana benefits significantly from loans and grants from the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB), the United States decision to withdraw its support from the bank’s investment fund, is likely to have implications. The Multilateral Investment Fund is a component of the IDB that supports mainly pilot developmental projects. In an invited comment, Chartered Accountant Anand Goolsarran said that the US pulling its support from the Fund, is an obvious indication that IDB will have to prioritise its lending arrangements. This also means that Guyana will have to compete with other countries for loans and other grants that it desires from the IDB. “This action will definitely

have an adverse impact on Guyana since over the decades we have been dependent on the IDB for the financing of major infrastructure works,” Goolsarran opined. The Former Auditor General shares the strong belief that the US’ withdrawal can be seen as more of an opportunity, than a topic to grieve over. “For decades, we have been running a budget deficit,” Goolsarran pointed out. He said the time has come when Guyana has to do some resetting and decide on its priorities. “Every year, we rejoice at the fact that we have the biggest budget ever, but little do we realise that we are living with borrowed money, and hence beyond our means,” the former Auditor General said. He went further

to explain contents of the 2015 Auditor General’s report. “The public debt was G$352.073B, the external portion of which amounted to US$1.143B at an exchange rate of US$1=G$203.1. At the current exchange rate, we will have to find more Guyana dollars to service our external debts.” Given this, Goolsarran is of the view that the time has come for Guyana to introduce austerity measures aimed at securing a more balanced budget. “As a minimum, we need to scale back on foreign borrowings. Countries such as Canada and the UK do not borrow to finance infrastructure works,” Goolsarran pointed out. He said that while the prospects of earning oil revenues are encouraging, the country must consider such revenues, as of now, “a bird in the bush.” Whenever they materialise, we should consider them as a bonus,” he said. In other words, Goolsarran is advising that Guyana not “put all our eggs in one basket.” He is of the view that continuing to do this will see the country suffering “the Dutch disease.” “In short, the economy needs to be diversified and we must aim to have a balanced budget, say at the end five years,”

Goolsarran urged. At a news conference last Sunday, the United States’ decision to pull its support from the fund was made known. According to Reuters, the IDB had linked the U.S. decision to a policy shift since Republican President Donald Trump took office in January. Founded in 1959, the IDB provides loans to governments and businesses in need of funds to finance projects, both large and small scale ventures. The IDB has boasted of being the leading source of development financing for Latin America, lending $11.3 billion and $13.8 billion in 2015 and 2014, respectively. According to Reuters, the Multilateral Investment Fund, or MIF, created in 1993, was instrumental in the development of microfinance and provides technical assistance to small projects aimed at providing economic opportunity to the poor. The international news house quoted a statement from the IDB, which pointed out that the MIF, was actually a brainchild of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, adding that the United States has historically been its largest donor. “IDB member countries pledge to renew the fund’s coffers every several years. At the October

Chartered Accountant, Anand Goolsarran meeting, the IDB governors agreed to provide an additional $300 million to keep the fund running from 2019 to 2023,” Reuters reported. It was explained that this marks the first time since the MIF was founded that the United States did not contribute to the replenishment of the fund replenishment. “In the U.S. absence, Latin American and Caribbean countries

contributed 55 percent of the total $317 million added to the MIF this year, while Japan pledged $85 million, the IDB said. During the last replenishment in 2007, contributions from Latin America and the Caribbean totaled 8 percent of the $501 million added to the fund. The United States contributed $150 million,” the Reuters report said. The IDB has, nonetheless, pledged its support to continuing with the Fund.

Thursday April 06, 2017

Study finds VAT is effective in mobilising additional taxes WASHINGTON, CMC – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says while value added taxes (VATs) have been effective in terms of mobilizing additional tax revenues since their introduction in Caribbean countries, the system has not reached its potential. The IMF has released a Working Paper that reviewed the tax administration reforms that have been undertaken by 20 Caribbean countries with the support of the Fiscal Affairs Department of the Washington-based financial institution and the Caribbean Re-

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gional Technical Assistance Center (CARTAC) since its inception in 2001. The Paper entitled “Tax Administration Reforms in the Caribbean: Challenges, Achievements, and Next Steps” notes that over the past decade, Caribbean governments have introduced the VAT to modernize their tax system, rapidly mobilize revenue and reduce budget deficits. The study looked at the VAT systems in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands (BVI), Cayman Islands,

Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos. The IMF said that altogether, these 20 countries and dependent territories represent a total population of 17 million inhabitants with great diversity in terms of size. The study analyzes VAT performance in the region and concludes that while it has boosted revenues, the VAT has not reached its potential.

Prominent engineer supports PAC's... From page 14 roads not being done properly, bridges falling apart and so on. If the audits are done properly, and as they should be, then you wouldn't have taxpayers paying for the same set of works over and over again,” Ceres said. A Value for Money Audit is an independent, evidence-based investigation, which examines and reports on whether economy, effectiveness and efficiency has been achieved in the use of public funds. Only recently, Chairman of the PAC, Irfaan Ali vowed that the body will be applying greater scrutiny of government institutions and their spending. The PPP/Civic Executive had maintained that the need for this cannot be underestimated, especially when one looks at the manner in which some ministries and other State

institutions are managing their expenditure. While the Opposition-led PAC is looking at such an audit as a means of eliminating skulduggery, Ceres is questioning why it wasn't done under the former administration, which has been plagued with accusations of corruption and misappropriation of state resources. “The absence of such audits in the past is an indication that they (the PPP/C) didn't want it...perhaps they are aware of what they used to do,” Ceres reasoned. The veteran Engineer exclaimed though, “not because they didn't do it means it must not be done.” The “value for money” audit that is now being ordered, deals specifically with the procurement of drugs and pharmaceuticals by the Ministry of Public Health, which is headed by Volda Lawrence.

Police warn of extortion scams on highway

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The Trinidad and Tobago police Wednesday warned motorists to be careful of an extortion scam occurring on the Churchill Roosevelt Highway, the major east-west highway in Trinidad and Tobago that runs for 15 miles. In a statement, the police said that the persons create a situation “where their vending carts make contact with the vehicle of unsuspecting motorists.”“The scam artiste thereafter accuses the motorists of causing

damage to his cart and proceeds under threat to extort money from the motorist,” the police warned. The police said they are warning motorists who become involved in such “accidents” to make a report to the nearest police station and under no circumstance make “any private arrangements to settle” the matter. “Persons who may have fallen victim to this highway scam are urged to come forward and make a report to the police,” the statement added.

31 more EMTs to boost country's... From page 19 possible without the support of Fire Chief, Mr. Marlon Gentle who also delivered remarks at yesterday's ceremony. According to Gentle, the collaboration between Public Health and Public Security Ministries has in fact started to draw some level of envy. “Only two days ago I received an email from the Chairman of the Caribbean Association of Chief Fire Officers for me to attend the next meeting and to deliver a presentation on this collaborative emergency medical services incorporating the fire services and the health sector in Guyana,” said Gentle, as he pointed

out that “this speaks to us moving collaboration to a next level in that the nation state of Guyana can benefit when the synergies of two major entities could collaborate in some way so that the common good is that the people of Guyana benefit from a peculiar service that these two organisations have to offer.” Expressing delight about the programme yesterday too were Minister of Public Security, Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan, and Member of Parliament, Mr. John Adams, who delivered remarks on behalf of Public Health Minister, Ms, Volda Lawrence. Both officials yesterday spoke glowingly of the EMS programme.

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Thursday April 06, 2017

Thursday April 06, 2017

Yuvraj’s blitz proves too much for... From page 30 one of the best at the slower legcutter, found him waiting for that very delivery. Yuvraj proceeded to send it sailing over midwicket for a six. Ben Cutting provided the final touches with two sixes in the last over, bowled again by Shane Watson. Cutting, Rashid, Hooda drag Royal Challengers back After yet another ominous start from Gayle, Cutting began the comeback for Sunrisers. He first gave Gayle what no one else had: a bouncer. Then came the offcutter, the delivery that had dismissed Gayle in the final. A wide yorker made an appearance. Despite just a five-run fifth over, Royal Challengers had had

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the first win. They had made Rashid bowl in the first six: in bowling 546 balls in T20Is, Rashid had bowled only one over inside the front six. Rashid, though, rose to the challenge, and bowled Mandeep Singh in t r a d e m a r k f a s h i o n : bowled with a straighter delivery, making it 14 of his 40 right-hand victims bowled. Now the World T20 final repeated itself. Warner went to the parttime offspinner in Deepak Hooda - remember Joe Root? - and Gayle holed out to longoff after hitting one six. Cutting, Rashid, part II Kedar Jadhav and Travis Head, though, kept Royal Challengers alive with a 56-run partnership in 5.1 overs. With 93 required in 8.3 overs, the asking rate

was still in check, especially with Watson still in the shed. This is when Jadhav attempted an ambitious second only to find an effortless and flat direct hit from fine leg. Cutting had once again dragged Royal Challengers back. Rashid now repeated his second-favourite dismissal, the wrong’un to the left-hand batsman, as Head top-edged a slog sweep. Against the quality of Sunrisers’ attack, Watson alone was always going to be one man too few, and they fell short by 35 in the end. Scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 207 for 4 (Yuvraj 62, Henriques 52, Chahal 122) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 172 (Gayle 32, Bhuvneshwar 2-27, Rashid 2-36) by 35 runs.

Thursday April 06, 2017 ARIES (Mar. 21- April 20) Follow your gut feeling regarding your business ventures. Emotionally, things may not run so smoothly. Take the day to relax and pamper yourself.

LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23) Money problems will be difficult to deal with if you have a partner. Travel could turn out to be more exciting than you imagined. Look into some personal changes.

AURUS (Apr. 21- may 21) You will gain new friends if you get involved in environmental issues. Strengthen your position among your peers.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) Your position may be in question if you haven't been pulling your weight. Help elders with their concerns.

GEMINI (May 22-June 21) Your ability to dazzle others with your unique and innovative ideas will attract attention. You may find out that someone has not been completely honest with you. CANCER (June 22-July 22) Be cautious while traveling to foreign countries. You will be prone to carelessness that could result in accidents. LEO (July 23-Aug 22) This is not the best time to take a risk, to gamble or spend money you really can't afford to part with. Your contributions will be valued and helpful. VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23) Deep discussions may only lead to friction. Your concern with older family members and those less fortunate than yourself will only add to your attractiveness.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 -Dec. 21) You may find your mate somewhat perturbed. Don't be a pest or a troublemaker today. CAPRICORN (Dec 22.- Jan. 20) You can write beautiful love letters today. Stop telling others about your problems. Things are looking good for you, so open your eyes and get to it. AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 -Feb. 19) Don't even bother trying to get their approval on the things you want to do. Social functions will bring you in touch with new lovers. PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20) Your personal partner may be less than willing to accommodate you today. Friends or groups that you're affiliated with may want you to contribute more cash than you can really afford.

Georgetown Grand Prix

Sueria Manufacturingsponsors Paige Mendonca Nine year-old Paige Mendonca, who is being sponsored by Sueria Manufacturing, importers of Mogu Mogu Juices, is plotting revenge against her opponents when they come face to face in tomorrow’s Georgetown Grand Prix whch is being organised by GT Motorsports, at the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club on Albert Street. The precocious young karter, who has racing in her genes, being the daughter of outstanding Superbike racer now turned karter Carlos Mendonca, participated in the inaugural event, gaining creditable results. Mendonca, who campaigns in the 60cc Class got a second and a third place and in an interview with Kaieteur Sport on Tuesday evening at the GMR&SC, said she is hoping to do much better come tomorrow. According to the young speedster, “I started karting in January and for me to get those results I think it is not too bad.” She said since then she has been mixing studies with practice, especially at weekends and she is much more confident and comfortable and hopes to do much better this time around. Among her opponents are Jeremy Ten Pow, who was voted champion of the category and Nathan Rahaman and if what she said was to be taken seriously they will have their work cut out. Asked whether she enjoys

karting, the confident sounding racer said she was and credited her dad for introducing her to the sport, one that she loves dearly. Also a very good rider, Mendonca when asked which one she prefers said she struggles to identify the one she loves most, but will be sticking to karting for the time. However, one of areas she would like to see improved, is the participation of more girls and implored on them to not be intimidated by the large presence of boys.

Look out for the exciting young karter as she attempts to turn the tide on her rivals tomorrow. Mendonca listed Ricks & Sari Products and Axe Apparel as her other sponsors. Meanwhile, a representative of the main sponsor Sueria Manufacturing in a brief copmment said that the entity was happy to be on board, especially with assisting young sportsmen and women to help them realise their potential. Kaieteur Sport wishes her the best of luck.

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Providence taking shape for ODIs

‘Pitch should be a 250 track’- Regional Curator Crafton The Pakistanis warming up at Providence yesterday.

Number of feature clashes expected at Guyana Cup Fever horserace event April 16 Princess She is Not leads the field in a race at last year’s event.

A number of clashes are expected when the annual Guyana “Cup Cup Fever” horserace meet races off on Sunday 16th April at the Port Mourant Turf Club, Corentyne Berbice. The event is organised by the Jumbo Jet Auto sales and racing stables in collaboration with the Port Mourant Turf Club. The eight race meet has over $8M in cash, trophies and other incentives up for grabs and is already setting tongues wagging as turfites can’t wait to witness the feature clashes expected to unfold. One such race will see the eagerly awaited return to the track of the much vaunted Princess She Not and C.P Got Even as they thrown down the gauntlet against the like of Golden Blue Echo, Lady Budapest, Brave Sky, Spit Fire and Just call me Boss among others in the feature B1 and

lower event for a winning take of $1M over 1900M. There is an interesting race for animals classified E1 and lower West Indies bred non earners for 2016 and 2017 and E3 US and Canadian bred non earners for 2016 and 2017 over 1200M for a first prize of $600,000 and trophy over 1200M. Horses such as of Cat Messiah, Super Bowl, Sweet Return, Isn’t She Charming and Big Man Boss are expected to enter in the event for 4-year-old West Indies bred and G3 and lower horses for a winner’s money of $300,000. Most of the horses entered in the G3 race and others are expected to reenter the event for animals classified H3 and lower with the likes of Cat Messiah, Super Bowl, Sweet Return, Isn’t She Charming, T and T, Big Man

Boss among others will be looking to see who is boss. The last two times some of these horses raced, the event ended in dead heats and controversy and the animals will be using the occasion to end all doubts as they race for the $275,000 first prize and trophy. Horses classified 3 years old bred and born in Guyana and those classified I 1and lower will be competing for first prize of $225,000 and trophy. There is an event for Guyana bred three years maiden horses for a winning take of $220,000 and trophy. Animals classified J2 and K will be racing for a pole position taking of $175,000 and trophy. The final race will see the horses classified L class Open galloping for a take home incentive of $130,000 and trophy. All the top stables in the

country have ink their names to be a part of the programme with a number of them having multiple entries. A packed and exciting day of racing is anticipated. Top horses, stables and jockeys will be awarded with trophies compliments of Ramesh Sunich, of Bourda Market. A number of added attractions and incentives including free kites will be given away on race day. There will also be bouncy castle, trampoline and other attractions for children. Interested persons can contact Chandu Ramkissoon (624-9063 or 608-9063, 2320633), Jingo Jagdeo on 6187278, Ramnauth on 697-1979 or 333-5311 or Amernauth on 649-8231 for any information. The coordinator is Nazrudeen “Jumbo Jet” Mohammed Jr. (Samuel Whyte)

Regional Curator Kent Crafton with head Curator at the Stadium Wazim Habib in the Ground staff room at Providence yesterday. By Sean Devers The Guyana National Stadium at Providence was a hive of activity yesterday as preparations intensified for the threematch ODI series between Pakistan and West Indies which commences tomorrow morning at 09:30 hrs. In sweltering heat both teams did fitness drills, last minute repair work was being done on the stands, the camera crews were setting up their positions, the sponsors’ logo was being painted on the ground, which was being watered and Cricket Board officials were trying to ensure everything was in place for the successful hosting of the Pakistanis in Guyana for the first time in four years. But most of the attention of the players and officials was focused on the ‘new pitches’ to be used for the first time tomorrow, Sunday and Tuesday. The Square accommodates six pitches but only the four in the middle were relayed. Two of them were shaved but still had a fair amount of grass left on them. They felt harder than the ones that were previously used and appeared lighter in colour. “Because of the short time and the rainy weather we could not have any games played on it before this one (ODI tomorrow). The Guyana team which went to the regional Super50 practiced on the pitch but because of the rain it had a lot of moisture and we could not judge accurately how much pace it had,” informed Wazim Habib, the head Curator at Providence. St. Lucian Kent Crafton, who has been Regional Curator for three years now, is in Guyana for one week to su-

pervise preparation and he feels the pitch for the first ODI looks like a ‘250 pitch’ for a team’s total, a score Habib agrees with. Habib and fellow Guyanese Devendra Shivprasad attended a Curators Workshop in Antigua last September hosted by ICC pitch Consultant Andy Atkinson just after the Providence pitches were dug up, the sand removed and replaced with a material used to build the foundation of roads and earth from the Enterprise Ground on the East Coast of Demerara. “You can tell the difference in the texture, feel, compaction level …and it is harder and should be faster with more bounce which will make it better for batting. It has never been used before so the Square it is about 75% done,” said Crafton, who leaves here on Sunday. “Yes I am satisfied with what I have seen from what we had to what we have here now. The weather has been kind to us over the few days and need the sun to bake it. It is still a work in progress but I expect the pitch to have pace and bounce,” Crafton said. While ticket sales have been generally slow, Sunday’s game is almost sold out. Tickets can be bought at the GCB office and the Stadium on match days. The cost for any stand is $4,000 and $2,000 for anyone under-12 years, but Children’s tickets must be purchased at the same time adult tickets are bought. Tickets for the Mound are $2,000 each, while senior Citizens (over 60) will not have to pay for their ticket but must provide an ID card to collect it at the GCB office on Regent Street.

Thursday April 06, 2017

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Blairmont Cricket Club hosts Annual Easter Camp

Participants at the last event take time out for a photo. Blairmont Cricket Club will be hosting its Annual Easter Camp from 13th to 21st April 2017 at the Blairmont Estate Ground. The Easter Camp h a s been part of the membership drive at the club over the last six (6) years, and they are also inviting other interested cricket individuals in Berbice to participate. The camp is open for players from ages 10 to 18 years old. The camp’s main focus will be addressing the discipline of batting, bowling and

fielding, there will also be other fun activity such as table tennis, checkers, domino, sports movies, etc. The individuals expected to be making presentations includes national coaches Julien Moore, Gavin Nedd, Michael Hyles, Adrian Amsterdam and Monty Lynch. The club is also currently seeking to have current and past West Indies representatives to share time with attendees of the camp. Some of the players will include Sewnarine Chattergoon,

Leon Johnson, Assad F u d a d i n , Ve e r a s a m m y Permal, Brendon Bess and Shimron Hetymer. The club will be hosting a cricket match United States Global Cricket Academy under-17 team vs Blairmont under-17 team on the 15th April 2017 to make the camp more exciting. The youths will be targeted with topics relevant to society and their roles: example suicide, peer pressure, behavioral patterns, drug and alcohol abuse,

teenage pregnancy, etc. Interested individuals can register through tel # 330-1085 or 628-6767. Some of the players who have benefited from such camps representing Guyana and Berbice are Parmand Ramdhan, Javed Karim, S e o n G l a s g o w, Nigel Deodat, Kevon Jawahir, Derick Narine, Deveshwari Prashad, Nick Ramsaroop, Waqar Hassan, Av e s h k a r Sewkarran, Zameer Inshan, Sachin Veerasammy and Marvan Prashad among others.

Romello Crawford Journeys to Trinidad Up and coming national cyclist, Romello Crawford of Berbice, who has been in terrific form so far this year, will be leaving the country today to continue his training in the Twin Island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Crawford, who hails from Fyrish on the Corentyne Berbice, is the national junior champion for 2016. He is a member of the Trojan Cycle Club of Berbice and the PSL Cycling Club of Trinidad. Crawford, who usually campaigns in Trinidad and Tobago, Anguilla, Aruba and other parts of the Caribbean, will be leaving to continue his training in order to participate in the Trinidad and Tobago Cycling Federation Easter

Grand Prix Cycle Race meet. The cycling action is set for April 14, 15 and 17. Despite his many sacrifices and achievements so far Crawford has had a rough time with the national association. In 2014 and 1015 despite being one of the top juniors in the country, he was overlooked for national participation in the Caribbean Junior Cycling Championships (CJCC) in Dominican Republic in 2015. That year four cyclists were selected Romello Crawford and Andrew Hicks of Berbice and Jamal John and Raphael Leung of Demerara. Crawford was training in Anguilla and Aruba and in the

end the two Berbicians were dumped from the team and the two other cyclists made the trip. This was despite the Berbice cyclist securing their own sponsorship for the trip. In 2014, Crawford who was the top junior cyclist in the country at the time had journeyed to Trinidad to prepare for the championship. He was in prime condition and doing well when he received word that he was not selected on the Guyana Team. The GCF excuse then was that they taught he had migrated to Trinidad. This was despite Crawford still attending school in Guyana. Not undaunted, Romello Crawford continued to perform and won many races

Romello Crawford both at the senior and junior levels in Guyana. Romello has again ventured out on his own in his quest to improve himself. (Samuel Whyte)

Farm, Grove A, Windsor Forest, Grove B triumph Farm, Grove A, Windsor Forest and Grove B registered victories when the Muslim Youth Organisation Trophy Stall Inter Jamaat 7-a-side six overs Tapeball tournament commenced on Sunday at MYO ground. Farm defeated Grove A by 43 runs. Batting first Farm managed 96-2 with Amer Mohamed scoring 29 and Ricky Sergeant 26. Shazim Khan and Shafeek Ishmael had one wicket each. Grove A were bowled out for 53 in 4.2 overs in reply. Afran Ali captured 3-21. Grove A overcame Queenstown B by four wickets. Batting first Queenstown B made 73-5. Shahrukh Imran made 15, while extras assisted with 35. Shazim Khan had 2-17 and Salman Ghanie 2-25. Grove A replied with 75-2 in five overs. Shafeek Ishmael struck 25, while Abdur Rahim made 24. Abid Haniff had two wickets. Windsor Forest defeated Plaisance by five wickets. Plaisance took first turn at the crease and made 64 all out in five overs. Ravi Rampersaud made 15; Ahmad Nizamudeen claimed 2-9. Windsor Forest scored 70-1 in 4.2 overs in reply. Grove B beat Queenstown A by three wickets. Queenstown A took first strike and got to 68-4. Omar Kadir made 38; Irfan Shaw took two wickets. Grove B responded with 73-3 in 5.2 overs. Ansari Azeez and Shaw made 16 and 13 respectively.

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Thursday April 06, 2017

Kaieteur News

JIALING on board with the Second Prize for GCB 75th Anniversary Raffle

Hand in Hand Insurance Companies supports YWCC Mash Cup

Miss Lovita John, employee of Hand in Hand, New Amsterdam Branch hands over winning trophy to Ray Ali, treasurer of the YWCC in the presence of representatives of the insurance company and cricket club.

Marketing Manager of the Guyana Cricket Board, Mr. Raj Singh (right), receiving the keys to the JIALING Motorcycle from Mr Romel Richmond, the Marketing Manager of Marics & Co.in the presence of Anand Kalladeen of the GCB. The JIALING Motorcycle company has come on board with the Guyana Cricket Board for its grand fund raising 75th Anniversary Raffle, which is in aid of youth and female cricket development. Raffle tickets cost just $200 per ticket and are in very convenient books of 25. The final drawing is set for April 7th 2018. The controllers for the raffle are: Anand Kalladeen, Raj Singh & Anand Sanasie. Eight attractive prizes are to be raffled out at its final drawing. The first and second prizes take care of the winner’s transportation, with the first being a motor car with a beautiful JIALING MOTORCYCLE as the second prize. That prize was recently handed over to the GCB. Mr Romel Richmond, the Marketing Manager of Marics & Co. Recently presented the

JIALING Motorcycle to Marketing Manager of the Guyana Cricket Board, Mr. Raj Singh as the various sponsors step up to honour their agreements to provide the attractive prizes on offer. The 3rd prize is a return airfare to New York which is being sponsored by a major airline. There is a condition attached to this prize that it does not include a visa but it is anticipated that the ticket holder can either obtain a visa on his/her own or the GCB and the sponsor may be flexible to agree to a transfer of the ticket to a relative or friend of the ticket holder. The fourth prize is a 60" Television set. The fifth prize is a beautiful gold necklace which is already sponsored by popular jewellery establishment, STEVE’S JEWELLERY. The sixth prize is an Acer laptop computer which is sponsored by SPR

ENTERPRISES located on Brickdam, Stabroek, Georgetown. The seventh prize is a return trip for 2 to Kaieteur Falls with the eight prize being a day trip for 2 to one of our most exotic resorts, Arrow point resort, which is sponsored ARROWPOINT TOURS, a member of the RORAIMA GROUP OF COMPANIES. Tickets would be on sale at the Providence National Stadium during the 3 ODIs, WI vs Pakistan, so be on the lookout look for ticket vendors as there would be a consolation drawing during the 3rd ODI on Tuesday, the 11th April. There would be other consolation drawings in August during CPL and in December. Tickets will be on sale afterwards to specified outlets around the country and from any executive member of the GCB.

St. Mary’s overcome South Ruimveldt St. Mary’s defeated South Ruimveldt by 29 runs when The Ministry of Education National Sports Commission AL Sport & Tour Promotions inter-zones Secondary Schools Easter vacation Windball competition commenced recently at the National Gymnasium. Playing in the boy’s category, St. Mary’s batted first and made 107 without lost with Stephon Wilson scoring 84. South Ruimveldt responded with 78-2. D. Williams made 28 and Joel Taylor 18. Richard Ishmael beat Lodge by 45 runs. Rich-

ard Ishmael took first strike and managed 1032. Byron Bowen scored 56 while Joshua Gardener made 24 and Juspice Jones 15. Lodge were restricted to 68-3 in reply. Triston Gordon got 33 and Ricky Stewart 14. Jones had 31 7 . In the girl’s category, East Ruimveldt overcame St. Mary by six runs. East Ruimveldt took first strike and got to 101-1. Sarah Reynolds hit 46 and Jahada Forde 18. Saint Mary’s replied with 95-2. Althea Callender made 72.

Insurance giant, Hand in Hand Insurance Companies is once again on board with The Young Warriors Cricket Club (YWCC) Mash Cup 2017. This is the fourth edition of the competition and it is slated to be held on April 30 at the picturesque Cumberland Cricket Ground, East Canje, Berbice. In a release from the YMCC, one of the top clubs in Berbice, everything is in place for this mega event which has been a major fund raiser for the club and Proceeds will go towards their cricket development programmes. Over the years funds from this event have also contributed towards the uplifting of the ground. It is expected that a number of teams from the East Canje area will compete in the action packed five-over competition for cash prizes of over $100,000. Additionally two top Masters Softball teams are expected to do battle in a 15 overs feature game.

There will also be added attractions for children and the entire family. Live musical entertainment and a well stocked bar will be there. At the presentation c e r e m o n y, M r Ta j p a u l Adjodhea, Berbice Manager of the Insurance Company, said that his company is once again pleased to be associated with the club. As a resident of the East Canje area, he said that he is impressed with what the club has done for youths in the area. He made special mention of young Shimron H e t m y e r, t h e w i n n i n g We s t I n d i e s u n d e r- 1 9 World Cup Captain who is a product of the YWCC. In response, Rafeek Kassim, president of the club thanked the company for their support and promised accountability. Mash Cup 2016 raised closed to $500,000 and the club would like to thank the following sponsors: Ansal McAl , Anirudh Ramcharitar Construction Services , Ashiek and Son

Motor Supplies and Auto Sale, Hand in Hand Insura n c e C o m p a n y, A l t a b h Khan of Silver Lining Establishment, Tyre Shop and Auto Rental, A Ally and Son Showroom , RDC Region N0. 6, Murseline Bacchus, President, YWCC and Attorney at Law, Anthony A m e e r a l l y, Memorex, Roshan Satar Supermarket , Kascon Engineering Services , New Building Society Limited , Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited, Vickram J e w e l l e r y, J i m B a c c h u s Travel Service , Balram Shane Variety Store , Kris Jagdeo Construction Services, Mortimer George , Suresh of Price is Right, Roger of Extreme Trucking, Zai Permaul , Massy Industries, Massy Distribution, Office Express, Lekho Bus ServiceSham Beer Garden, J’S Printery, N Hamid and Sons, RHTY&SC, Suresh Wash Bay and Auto Sale, Mirza Satar, A Mahabir and Sons and Imran Saccoor. Betsy Ground Triple Stars are the defending champions.

IOC strips three more medals from 2008, 2012 Games re-tests (Reuters) Uzbeki wrestler Artur Taymazov was stripped of his freestyle gold medal from the Beijing 2008 Olympics 96-120kg category following a positive doping sample in re-testing, the International Olympic Committee said yesterday. Fellow wrestler Vasyl Fedoryshyn of Ukraine, who won silver in the men’s 5560kg freestyle event at the same Games, was also disqualified along with Russian Svetlana Tzarukaeva, who won silver in the London 2012 women’s 63kg weightlifting event. All three tested positive for the anabolic

steroid turinabol. More than 100 athletes have had positive results in re-tests of samples taken during the London and Beijing 2008 Olympics conducted by the IOC. The re-testing programme is part of the IOC’s efforts to catch cheats using newer testing methods or looking for substances that were not known at the time of past Olympics, and to prevent them from competing in future Games. Samples are stored for a decade, and for the 2008 and 2012 re-tests Russia has had the most positive cases per nation.

Thursday April 06, 2017

Kaieteur News

Dhanraj to advise West Indies spinners

Rajindra Dhanraj (left) makes a point to leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo during a recent training session ahead of the opening One-Day International. (Photo courtesy WICB Media) PROVIDENCE, Guyana, CMC – Rajindra Dhanraj has been hired for a brief period to advise the spin bowlers in the West Indies team. The West Indies Cricket Board announced yesterday that the former Trinidad & Tobago and West Indies legspinner will work with the team prior to the start of the upcoming three One-day Internationals against Pakistan in Guyana before he flies to Jamaica to mentor

the slow bowlers ahead of the start of the three Tests later this month. “We welcome Rajindra to the West Indies team group,” said WICB Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams. “We’re delighted he has agreed to come and work with our players. He has a wealth of knowledge on the game and we know he will make a great contribution.” “He will be spending time with our slow bowlers

prior to both the ODIs in Guyana and the start of the Test series in Jamaica, as we look to improve and enhance their skills and grow in the game.” The 48-year-old Dhanraj was one of the leading bowlers in Regional 4-Day Tournament in the late 1980s and 1990s. He took 295 wickets in 78 first-class matches, and also played four Tests and six ODIs for the West Indies between 1994 and 1996.

Pakistan call up teenage leg-spinner Shahdab Khan for Windies tests (Reuters) Pakistan have called up leg-spinner Shahdab Khan to their test squad for the first time for their three-test series against the West Indies starting in Kingston on April 21. The 18-year-old made his international debut in P a k i s t a n ’s Tw e n t y 2 0 international series win against West Indies last month and was named Player of the Series after picking up 10 wickets in four matches. Shahdab is one of four uncapped players in the 16member squad alongside middle order batsman Usman Salahuddin and pace bowlers Hasan Ali and Mohammad Abbas. “The Test team has been selected keeping in mind the conditions in West Indies and the recent performances of players during the domestic and international season,” chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq said in a statement yesterday. “The team is a fine blend of experience and youth and (we) believe that team will do well in the tour.” Misbah-ul-Haq will

Shadab Khan has been called up by Pakistan for the Test Series against West Indies ©AFP continue to skipper the side, which includes seven changes to the 17-member squad that toured Australia in December-January. Experienced leg-spinner Ya s i r S h a h w i l l l e a d Pakistan’s spin attack and is joined by left-arm spinner Mohammad Asghar, who did not get a game in Australia.

Squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Ahmed Shahzad, Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Usman Salahuddin, Yasir Shah, Shahdab Khan, Mohammad Asghar, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas.

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Young brigade on show as Toucan Industries Skill level Squash Tournament continues The Guyana Squash Associa t i o n ( G S A ) i s h o l d i n g t h e To u c a n Industries Junior Skill level tournament, its first Junior tournament for 2017 at the Georgetown Club Inc. courts as these young brigade of players look to perform well so they can get the selectors nod to be part of the Guyana team to defend their regional title. Play in the tournament continued on Tuesday night at the Georgetown C l ub Inc. courts with matches in five of the eight categories being contested. In the results of games played: Category G Rayden Persaud beat

Angel Rahim 12 - 10, 11 - 9 Dhiren Persaud defeated Aishani Persaud 11 - 7, 11 9 Category F Rayad Boyce beat Lucas Persaud 11 - 5, 10 - 12, 11 - 9 Category E Nicholas Verwey beat Shiloh Asregado 8 - 11, 11 1, 11 - 4 Mikhail Persaud beat Chad De Abreu 10 - 12, 11 7, 11 - 4 N i c h o l a s Ve r w e y defeated Mikhail Persaud 11 - 5, 11 - 9 Category D Louis da Silva beat Haley Carpenter 8 - 11, 11 2, 11 - 8, 9 - 11, 11 - 6 Mohyryan Baksh beat Zach Persaud 11 - 8, 5 - 11,

11 - 5, 11 - 7 Category C Madison Fernandes defeated Dominic Collins 11 - 3, 11 - 6, 9 - 11, 11 - 8 Kirsten Gomes beat Lucas Jonas 11 - 5, 9 - 11, 11 - 4, 11 - 7 Aliyah Persaud beat Jason Gomes 11 - 8, 11 - 6, 11 - 9 Category B Makeda Harding defeated Sarah Lewis 11 - 7, 13 - 11, 11 - 5 Samuel Ince-Carvalhal beat Gianni Carpenter 11 9, 11 - 9, 11 - 7 Rebecca Low beat Maya Collins 11 - 5, 11 - 6, 11 - 7 Matches continue daily at the Georgetown Club courts starting at 6.00pm.

Milo 18 and under Schools Football Competition

Chase Academy, Morgan’s to clash in Sunday’s final Heavily favoured Chase Academy and Morgan’s Learning Centre were made to fight for their respective final berths in this year’s Milo 18 and under Schools Football Competition which continued with semi-final action yesterday, at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue. Tw o - t i m e r e i g n i n g champs Chase Academy had to dig deep, before eventually eliminating Sir Leon Lessons from the championship game following a 2-0 win, while Morgan’s Learning Centre escaped with a controversial 2-1 triumph over Masters Academy. Played before a large crowd, the champs controlled most of the possession in the opening period, but were surprised by the tenacity of their opponents and went to the break with the game deadlocked at nil-all. However, just as he had done in the Digicel final, Job Caesar made the difference with his skill and pace, netting both goals to hand his team a place in the final. Caesar, who registered a brace, started his goal search in the 67th minute when he ran on to a perfectly weighted pass delivered from the right side to uncork a scorching shot into the roof of the net. He then netted a beauty when he sprinted on to a pass

Chase Academy scorer Job Caesar poses for a photo op following their win over Sir Leon Lessons yesterday. from the left side this time, used his superior speed to leave two defenders in his wake, before firing past the goalkeeper in the 91st minute to seal their spot in the final.

In the other semi-final, Daniel Floyd and Chris Macey scored goals in the 18th and 49th minute respectively to lead Morgan’s Learning Centre to a tight 2-1 victory over Masters Academy. Marion Eastman was the lone player to respond for Masters Academy when he netted 80th minute. However, the game was not without dispute as an 85th minute goal for Masters Academy was disallowed by the referee after it was alleged that there was a handball infringement. The final and third place playoff is set for Sunday, April 9, at the same venue at 17:00hrs. The winner will take home $500,000 to go towards a school project and the championship trophy, while the second, third and fourth placed teams will collect $300,000,$200,000 and $100,000 respectively for a project of the schools’ choice.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday April 06, 2017

100 days away from the Yuvraj’s blitz proves too much for RCB Aliann Pompey (AP) Invitational

Chris Gayle struggled initially but recovered to muscle three sixes, Sunrisers Hyderabad v Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL, Hyderabad, ©BCCI

Aliann Pompey By Edison Jefford Today marks 100 days until the Aliann Pompey (AP) Invitational, and according to the United States-based Guyanese former national athlete, the key elements that made the inaugural meet last year a success will be present in the second edition, scheduled for July 15 at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora. According to Pompey, those elements include: an international field of athletes, a comprehensive list of events, dedicated sponsors and a spectator f r i e n d l y s c h e d u l e of events. She informed that it is likely to have a few improvements as well. “I am excited for this year’s edition of the AP Invitational. Last year I committed to making it an annual event and this will be a true test of the ability to do so. I am grateful for the sponsors that have already committed and f i n a l i s e d t h e i r

contributions,” Pompey told Kaieteur Sport yesterday. “I am still working out the details with a few others, but I am confident that we’ll complete those shortly. It’s with great pleasure that we’ll be working with companies and organisations that will share the vision for sports,” she added. T h e d o u b l e Commonwealth Games medalist with a gold and silver in the 400m, believes that the meet is a great way to continue to bring international exposure to Guyana. She said that she got a bit emotional watching Kadecia Baird, Brenessa Thompson and Devaun Barrington and others at home last year. According to Pompey, such competitions should be a norm since Guyana has a talented group of athletes. She said that all of the athletes who competed last year are interested in returning for the second edition of the

meet in July. “A lot of that was due to the amazing atmosphere the spectators created; the crowd was great and I hope even more people come out to support the event this y e a r, ” P o m pey noted, indicating that the cost of general admission will remain the same ($1,000) and VIP admission will be $5,000. Among the athletes she listed to compete are Eddie Lovett (USVI), Kenike Alexander (St. Vincent), Brycen Spratlin (USA), Ashley Kelly (BVI), Kadecia Baird, B r e n e s s a T hompson, Winston George, Stephan James, Jermaine Griffith, Natrena Hooper, Natricia Hooper, Andrea Foster, Akeem Stewart, Andel Perry and Chantoba Bright. The list of proposed events to be contested are: 100m (Premier event - men and women); 200 (men and women); 400m (premier event - men and women); 110m hurdles (men); 400m hurdles (men and women); 800m (men and women); 1500m (women); 3,000m (men); Triple Jump (men and women); High Jump (women); Shot Put (men); Long Jump (women). Initial sponsors include Ministry of E d u c a t i o n , I A A F, ConSudAtle, Guyana Olympic Association, Digicel, National Sports Commission, Banks DIH and Ramada Princess Hotel.

Yuvraj Singh muscles the ball over deep midwicket, Sunrisers Hyderabad v Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL, Hyderabad, ©BCCI ESPNcricinfo - The IPL opens new seasons with a match between the previous edition’s finalists, and this year the teams seemed to have been handed the same lines. The characters speaking those lines changed, the stage changed, but Sunrisers Hyderabad once again posted a 200-plus total and defended it successfully after an early scare. This 207 was Sunrisers’ second-highest IPL score, one behind the final last year, and despite all their power and matches in Bangalore, Royal Challengers have successfully chased 200 only once in the IPL. Sunrisers’ captain David Wa r n e r s e e m e d t o b e repeating his lines from the final but it was Yuvraj Singh’s sublime 62 off 27 that set up the 200 score after Moises Henriques provided him the springboard with 52 off 37. In response, Chris

Gayle looked threatening as Royal Challengers raced away to 43 for 0 in four overs. Missing Mustafizur Rahman, Sunrisers found a new hero in Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan, who took the wheels of the c h a s e o ff w i t h q u i c k legbreaks and wrong’uns, claiming two wickets on his IPL debut. Royal Challengers turn left Missing Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, having lost Mitchell Starc again and having let go of Chris Jordan, the selection of the runnersup was going to be interesting. They tried to emulate the champions, going for three left-arm quicks, but they got them on against a batting line-up that relies on three big left-hand batsmen. All three of Warner, Shikhar Dhawan and Yuvraj boast better strike rates against left-arm quicks than their overall career numbers.

D e s p i t e Ty m a l M i l l s ’ impressive debut, there was only one winner here. In all, the Royal Challengers leftarm quicks bowled 38 balls to the left-hand batsmen for 78 runs, including some sumptuous hitting from Yuvraj against the two IPL debutants, Mills and Aniket Choudhury. Yuvraj and Henriques tee off One of the under-rated players in Sunrisers’ triumph last year, Henriques batted effortlessly at No. 3 after Warner fell against the run of play. Even though Dhawan struck at a potentially damaging strike rate of 129 over 31 balls, Henriques didn’t let the momentum stall. And when he met Yuvraj in the middle, Royal Challengers had to face some carnage. Yuvraj had one of his nights where everything he hit went. The highlight of his innings was when Mills, (Continued on page 25)

Thursday April 06, 2017

Kaieteur News

Page 33

Petra Organisation / GT Beer Futsal Competition

Millington’s 39th minute ripper saves Sparta Boss Champs Bent Street win easily to advance to semis By Rawle Welch Some love them for their unrivalled success in the smallgoal format, while others hate them for the same reason, but Sparta Boss once again proved that their tenacity and the ability to play under pressure is the underlying explanation for all the achievements they’ve had. Playing in the final game of quarter-final action before a packed house on Tuesday night, at the National Gymnasium, Sparta Boss rebounded from a one-goal deficit to beat a stubborn North East La Penitence side 2-1 to set up a semi-final date with Sophia. Locked at 1-1 following goals from North East La Penitence’s Kelvin Moore, who dinked over the outstretched hands of the advancing goalkeeper in the 30th and an own goal five minutes later, Sparta’s talisman Devon Millington then let fly a ripper one minute from full time to ease the agony of their supporters and send them into the last four. The young North East side has always demonstrated no fear for their fellow counterparts, having registered a victory over them in the past and when they took the lead at the halfway mark of the final period, it appeared as though the reigning ‘Guinness champs’ were in for a tough ride to win. However, star players Millington and G r e g o r y Richardson were not about to cave in to the pressure of North East and the latter raced on to a pass from the back and unleashed a fierce right-footer from the right side that took a deflection, before settling into the far corner with the goalkeeper stranded. With the opposition’s band of supporters stunned, Sparta, using their superior experience in such situations to perfection, went on the offensive, attacking from all quarters and got the goahead goal when Millington collected a pass from the left side with the defence drawn to Richardson and he rifled past the keeper one minute before the final whistle sounded.

Defending champs Bent Street with players the calibre of Anthony Abrams, Colin Nelson, Konata Manning, Joshua Browne and O’kenie Fraser in their line-up brushed aside West Front Road ‘Gold is Money’ 2-0 to set up a date with Sophia. Fraser was the first on the scoresheet when he netted in the 13th minute, before Abrams, who had just come on as a substitute, fired past the goalkeeper three minutes later to seal the deal. Sophia, the dark horse in this year ’s competition had earlier relinquished a comfortable 3-1 advantage before edging Tucville 3-2. Shem Arthur, Dwayne Lowe and Sheik Kamal scored for the victor in the seventh, ninth and 25th minutes respectively. Jermaine Junior and Jahal Greaves responded in the 13th and 28th minutes for Tucville. Another young team, Back Circle,continued their carnage, this time making rings around Broad Street Bullies, before winning 2-1. In what was one of the best games of the tournament with end to end action the order of the day, Back Circle’s Curtez Kellman got them going when he netted in the 26th minute, before Akeemo Anthony doubled their advantage three minutes later. Broad Street managed to pulloneback in the 32nd minute through Keiron Solomon, but Back Circle held on grimly until the final whistle came. Green Ice Taxi beat Pretty Posse 2-1, while Customs cruised past Upper Level Barbershop 4-1 in exhibition matches. Winner of the tournament will receive $400,000 and the championship trophy, while second, third and fourth placed teams take home $200,000, $100,000 and $50,000 respectively. The semi-finals will be played this Saturday, while the final is set for April 15, at the same venue. In the night’s full results: Game-1 Tucville-2 vs Sophia-3 Sophia Scorers ShemArthur-7th Dwayne Lowe-9th Sheik Kamal-25th Tucville Scorers

Jermaine Junior-13th Jahaal Greaves-28th Game-2 Bent Street-2 vs Gold is Money-0 Okeene Fraser-13th AnthonyAbrams-16th

Game-3 Back Circle-2 vs BroadStreet Bullies-1 BackCircle Scorers Curtez Kellman-26th AkeemoAnthony-29th Broad Street Scorer Keiron Solomon-32nd Game-4 Sparta Boss-2 vs North East

LaPenitence-1 Sparta Scorers OwnGoal-35th Devon Millington-39th North East Scorer Kelvin Moore-30th Exhibition Matches Game-1 Green Ice-2 vs PrettyPosse-1 Game-2

Customs-2 vs Upper Level Barbershop-1 Semifinals Game-1 Bent Street vs Back Circle Game-2 Sophia vs Sparta Boss

Part of the action in the clash between Sparta Boss and North East La Penitence on Tuesday night.

A player from Broad Street attempts to dribble past a Back Circle defender on Tuesday night, at the National Gymnasium.

rt o p S

Providence taking shape for ODIs

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‘Pitch should be a 250 track ’- Regional Curator Crafton

The New Providence pitch should have pace and bounce and be good for batting. (Photos by Sean Devers)

Georgetown Grand Prix

Milo 18 and under Schools Football Competition

Sueria Manufacturing Chase Academy, Morgan’s -sponsors Paige Mendonca to clash in Sunday’s final P.29

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Paige Mendonca plans to light up the track tomorrow even as she expresses gratitude to Sueria Manufacturing and her other sponsors.

Morgan’s Learning Centre scorers: (from left) Daniel Floyd and Chris Macey pose for Kaieteur Sport yesterday.

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