Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News

PAGE 04

Friday April 14, 2017

Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL A healthy balance is vital School is out. Last Friday, the Easter term ended. Thousands of children are now enjoying a much-deserved three-week break from the routine of attending classes. For the majority of parents, especially in households where both father and mother are working, the holidays present something of a challenge, as to how their children will gainfully spend this period. In times gone by, especially in the villages, the holidays were periods which children eagerly looked forward to, not only because they represented a break from hard studies, but also because it was a time when they looked forward to playing and having fun, a time to enjoy that wonderful period of our lives, childhood. In those days, children used to go fishing, or would escape into the backdams to swim in the canals until their skins were covered with a white sheet that foiled their attempts to lie to their parents as to what they were doing all day. The holiday period was also a time for climbing fruit trees and savouring their products, or simply playing games with neighbours and friends. Things have changed. Not many parents today are too inclined to have their children roving the backdams unsupervised by an adult. And rightly so. Not many adults are keen on allowing their children out of their eyesight; not with the criminal activities that are taking place and the temptations that lie outside of the home. With the advent of advanced technology, the fun, for many, has moved indoors. This has been both a blessing and problem. No one can deny the educational benefits of some of these gadgets, but children who sit excessively long in front of the television and/or with their smartphones and tablets, etc., have been found to lose out on interacting and playing with their peers, and this restricts the development of their interpersonal skills. Studies have shown that people who have worked on developing strong interpersonal skills are usually more successful in both their professional and personal lives. And we all seek success in our career pursuits. Conversely, parents are also concerned about the physical safety of their children while outdoors. With motor vehicles racing down our narrow roads, with the high incidence of molestation, many parents may feel content to have their children stay at home. In so doing, the children miss out on a wonderful and fascinating part of growing up. The situation is not made any easier when you consider that many of the accessible outdoor facilities are in a rundown and deplorable condition. In many areas, especially in the squatter settlements and new housing areas, there are limited recreational facilities for our young people. In recent years, a number of religious and social organisations have been organising vacation camps for children. Many of the churches now run activities which combine religious instruction with some fun and skill development activities. In addition, some educational institutes are offering courses intended to challenge children to spend some of their vacation in the classroom learning new things. These schools, particularly during the end-of-school-year holidays, have multiplied rapidly, and once parents can afford the prices charged, there is no want of options for parents to consider during the longest school break, i.e. if the parents are interested. Some groups also organise classes to develop the physical talents of our children. It is hoped that increasingly more healthy activities will be offered in the years ahead so that parents can have a wide range to choose from. But it is also hoped that those involved in the organising of these events will not forget that school is out and that the holiday period is as much about the children having fun, playing and discovering their physical environment, than it is about returning to another classroom drill. Childhood is a time when parents should allow the best of children to bloom, a period when parents should strive to create balance in the lives of their children.

Editor’s Note; If your sent letter was not published and you felt its contents were valid and devoid of libel or personal attacks, please contact us by phone or email.

The life, teachings and influence of Jesus Christ Dear Editor, THE life and influence of Jesus of Nazareth, The Christ, has, throughout history, always produced great changes in the lives of men and women and of all nations. Wherever His teachings and influence have gone, there has been a multitude of other changes that have been made for the good of mankind. Individual lives are also dramatically changed through the teachings of Jesus Christ. His works throughout His own time as teacher, healer, and His overall purpose for existence have influenced many. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:16-17) We must ask ourselves some serious questions about life itself. Questions such as: Who am I? What is my purpose in this world?

What can I do to contribute to society? What is my destiny after I am gone from this life? Jesus came to offer the world answers to life’s deep spiritual and moral questions. He came to save all mankind from sin, and to offer us life after death. Jesus said to her (Martha): “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives and believe in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26. We see the effect of His teachings in the Bible, and how His morality has shaped the minds of many good people. Jesus began His ministry by announcing: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” His calling was based on the vision of the Kingdom of God. He shared this vision with ordinary people, fishermen and tax collectors; and seeing their potential, shaped twelve of them into a team. Jesus demonstrated His character as a servant leader, and when faced with opposition and conflict, responded with humility and

integrity. Was that His mission? His mission was to guide us and to let us know Him. It also was to show us a better path, full of truth, so that no one who believes in Him is lost. It also was to show and to remind us of the love of His Father and what He wants for us. Jesus Christ came to redeem humanity from sin. Jesus came to deliver truth in a world of false beliefs. Our greatest need is a spiritual need, which we cannot fulfill with the gain in this life, such as profits or pleasure, but by lasting peace in Christ. His mission was to change our way of thinking, so that we would know the love of God. He came, driven by an immense love, to suffer for us and to purge our sins, showing us how to live. He came to live in this world to complete His mission, which was to suffer and die for our sins on the cross. Right now, He is in us, so we can follow His path — full of love, like He showed us — to have a better life, to obtain the glory in the eternal life, and to follow the commandments that He left us.

Jesus’s life and teachings influenced some of the greatest men who ever lived. His Sermon on the Mount influenced the great Mahatma Gandhi. In the words of Gandhi, he said about Jesus: “A Man who was completely innocent offered Himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including His enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act.” — Mahatma Gandhi, Indian political leader (1869-1948). Mother Theresa said the following about Jesus: “I believe in person-to-person. Every person is Christ for me, and since there is only one Jesus, that person is the one person in the world at that moment.” — Mother Theresa. “Jesus Christ was an extremist for love, truth and goodness.” — Martin Luther King Jr., These are just a few people. The illustrious Billy Graham preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to over one billion people around the world face-to-face. He is one of the greatest preachers and international scholars, and is still alive today at age 98. (Continued on page 5)

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Kaieteur News

DOES GUYANA REALLY HAVE A BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS PROBLEM? What reason is there for Guyanese people to be concerned about recent indications of a slide in the Guyanese dollar? Some nervousness about this is understandable, especially on the part of those who can remember the devastating effects of the devaluations of the 1980s and 1990s, which resulted in the Guyana Dollar plunging from an exchange of two dollars and fifty-something cents to one US Dollar to over two hundred dollars to one US Dollar. Then, those on fixed incomes, notably public service workers, took the brunt of the hit as they saw their real incomes slashed drastically virtually overnight. The present situation is clearly nowhere near that crisis scenario, but this is the kind of situation that needs prompt attention lest a real crisis develops. To grasp the situation fully, it is necessary to look at all the major components of the balance of payments which represent the country’s financial relations with the outside world. We have to look not only at the trade balance, i.e., the comparison of our exports and imports, but also at the capital account which tells us critically how the trade deficit (if there is a deficit) is being financed. If there is sufficient, sustainable financing for the deficit, we should not have much to worry about. The main trigger for recent concern was apparently a tightening up in the foreign exchange market, with some people reporting increased difficulty in obtaining foreign currency for their business transactions and the prices creeping up. It has to be understood that a rise in the deficit and fall in reserves do not necessarily indicate a crisis. These things tend to fluctuate all the time. We have to look at the underlying causes of these changes to see if

they are signs of a just passing shower or a gathering storm. In this connection, a critical factor is expectations and confidence. If people feel a growing sense of uncertainty about the exchange rate, this can have a powerful adverse effect, aggravating the problem as people (quite understandably) start to hoard and demand foreign currency in order to protect themselves. To be sure, trade deficits are not unusual and in fact even large ‘successful’ countries have them. In the Caribbean, all the countries with the exception of Trinidad and Tobago (for obvious reasons: oil, oil and oil), typically run trade deficits. And trade deficits are not new to Guyana either. In fact, it has always surprised me how high our current account deficits tend to be – typically over 10 percent of GDP. This means that we have a perennial dependence on foreign capital inflows, despite our reasonable range of export products. So what exactly is the cause of the present tightening of the Guyana foreign-exchange market?Unfortunately, recent data are not available to me since the data published on the Bank of Guyana website only go up to September 2015. However, it is possible to draw some conclusions from an understanding of how our economy works. As far as the current account is concerned, there is not likely to be a major problem of growing imports. In the present climate of an apparent slowdown in the economy, imports would tend to contract. If the trade deficit has expanded it’s because of weakened performance on the export side (reduced gold prices, lower earnings from traditional exports like rice, sugar, bauxite etc.). Add to this a reduction in remittance flows into the country.

With both imports and exports declining, I doubt that the current account deficit is the main source of exchange market tightening. We have to pay attention to what is happening on the capital account. Are the inflows necessary to finance the current account deficit occurring in adequate amounts? This is where confidence in the direction and performance of the economy plays an important part. From 2014 to 2015 (January to September only), net private capital inflows fell by 16 percent and that slowdown may have persisted. Over that period, government capital inflows also contracted and there was an increase in debt principal repayments.All of these are contributing factors to the tightening foreign exchange market. So what is to be done to stabilize the market? Evidently, the long-term health of the balance of payments depends on a strengthening of

with such life. Theseus and other heroes of his type lack the authentic vitality of Jesus.” — Albert Einstein – Scientist and Mathematician. Today the Gospel of Jesus Christ has produced over one billion followers and believers in Jesus Christ. Jesus came to teach us the philosophy of love and forgiveness for all. Charles Dickens, one of the greatest English novelists, said these profound words about Jesus:

do everything in their power to avoid a tipping point being reached because (as this country has experienced in the not-so-distant past) once this ball starts to roll downhill, it is very difficult to stop it. We can enter a downward spiral of falling reserves leading to greater uncertainty, triggering capital outflows, leading to further reserves decline, and on and on. Eventually, attempts to maintain the exchange rate at its current level become unsustainable. What is the role of the private sector in all of this? The private sector is centrally involved in what happens to the exchange rate. Fundamentally, it is the autonomous actions of private individuals and firms that determine the outcome by their investment and other spending decisions, and portfolio decisions. To this extent, confidence in the overall economic climate and expectations about the balance of payments are criti-

cal. In this connection, it is pointless blaming the private sector for actions that may aggravate the situation. After all, the culprits who are being blamed for hoarding foreign currency now were the same productive citizens when things were going well and their actions are equally rational then and now. The question is to determine what has changed in the economic climate and what to do about it. But the private sector can and should, for their part, be proactive in taking steps to secure economic stability. There are significant examples from Caribbean countries for the Guyana private sector to take their cue from such as the so-called ‘Butch Stewart Initiative’ in Jamaica and a similar public intervention on a broader scale in Barbados, where private citizens took it upon themselves to take public action to support and stabilize their currencies. Desmond Thomas, PhD

No wonder people say, ‘bring back the Whiteman.’ DEAR EDITOR, Kindly allow me to congratulate you for publishing the letter of Ms. Tracey Abraham, captioned, “Pedestrian and passenger nightmare at the Georgetown Stelling roadway.” This is a situation that has been ongoing since Noah was a boy, or better yet since the British left these shores. You see Editor, when the British left, and gave us independence, they took away civilities, responsibilities and I venture to suggest, care and consideration for citizens. That is why we old people do say; “better the white man come back, or Jesus come and take back his world.” The five C’s of respon-

The life, teachings and influence of... From page 4 One of the greatest scientists of our time, who is widely studied universally, said the following about Jesus: “I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene. Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrase-mongers, however artful”. He further added: “No man can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled

growth performance in the major export sectors. As an immediate response, the Authorities have evidently decided to dip into its stock of international reserves to support the currency, but this is clearly only a short-run measure. There have to be measures to boost growth and export performance. Additionally, attention has to be paid to fostering a business climate that boosts investor confidence and so encourages foreign investment in the country. As an immediate response, the most important instrument at the disposal of the government is to curb the fiscal deficit in order to contain domestic demand, which can aggravate the trade deficit by encouraging import spending. However, this is certainly not an attractive option at a time when economic performance is already sluggish and needs stimulation. The Authorities have to

“I commit my soul to the mercy of God through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I now most solemnly impress upon you the truth and beauty of the Christian religion as it came from Christ Himself, and the impossibility of going far wrong if you humbly but heartily respect it.” — Charles Dickens, British writer, 1812-1870. holy season.” God bless you all. Rev.Gideon Cecil

sible driving on our roads can be used in all areas of life in the country, and we would be closer to the good life required by President Granger, and in his memory, the “kind and transparent society” the late Cheddi Jagan wanted for us. The resolution of the madness in relation to the said road as detailed in the A grade composition Ms. Tracey has eluded, those in control of Georgetown for decades and so it has now become relevant, to reproduce for all, statements and decisions made by the City Council, in the past, and to demand that wherever citizens cry for help, they must be answered forthwith. I present for you Editor, portion of an article dated 1987-01-25, Guyana Chronicle which said: “ R O A D F R O M F E R RY STELLING MUST BE CLEARED.” It went like this, “Retail vendors selling on the road from the Demerara Ferry Stelling, Stabroek, have until Wednesday to

remove .Georgetown Mayor Robert Williams has said. These vendors have an unfair advantage over legitimate vendors on the Stabroek wharf, attracting more customers. They also pose a traffic hazard, blocking pedestrians and vehicles leaving the stelling. This decision was taken following a visit to the Stabroek market on Tuesday by a top Council team, including members of the Markets and Abattoir Committee….; (end of quote): Mr. Williams has gone to the great beyond, and perhaps his successors are not inclined to visit the areas under discussion. What if they feel that persons like Ms Tracy Abraham are nuisances? They see, too, much. They should see and not tell. On the other hand, do these people care, or know about how to govern a City? Did the citizens of Georgetown know who they voted into City Hall? Articles in the press question the foreign travels of officials at City Hall. When these people travel,

and they have to pass through Port of Spain, Bridgetown, not to mention New York, do they not observe orderliness among other factors for the good life? Can we not benefit from a fraction of what exists in these named cities, or are those who travel on taxpayers’ money, wear dark glasses and ride in dark tinted automobiles. We think that Tracey’s missive is a good beginning for a series of newspaper articles depicting the ills of Georgetown, and we verily believe that more needs to be said publicly, and in the media especially on all matters affecting our daily lives. We are not questioning here the bona fides of the present occupants of City Hall, but we sorely miss the likes of Claude Merriman, Archibald Codrington, and others of their ilk. As we used to say at the end of our Consumers Association broadcasts, “do write on all matters affecting you as a consumer” Hafiz Rahman RURAL PEOPLE

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GAWU’s response to GuySuco is to use the strike weapon DEAR EDITOR, The Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc. (GuySuCo) wishes to respond to Mr. Seepaul Narine’s letters which were published in the Kaieteur News on 4 April, 2017 and titled ‘GuySuCo is an antiworker corporation’. In his letter Mr. Narine stated that the ‘Corporation closed Wales Estate and has put hundreds on the breadline’ and is ‘advocating further miniaturization of the industry through further estate closures and sell-outs’. Firstly, we would like to state that the Wales Estate, as Mr. Narine is well aware, has not been closed; it is being used as our pilot location for the diversification programme. Nevertheless, the more substantive issue is that the Corporation has found itself in an extremely difficult situation: huge debt, aging equipment and factories due to lack of capital investment over the years; lack of the right capacities – human and otherwise; high production cost; declining market prices; and poor attendance at work, just to name a few. The Government, Board of Directors and management responded to the challenge in a way that most corporations would, by examining their options; which includes reorganization, diversification and increase productivity. As a result, the Wales Estate was identified as the pilot location for diversification. The Uitvlugt Estate, on the other hand, has enormous potential to increase its production over a short period from 20,000 to 40,000 tonnes of sugar. However, that estate has been experiencing a shortage of labour which is seriously affecting the achievement of targeted production. The Corporation in an attempt to address this issue has offered jobs to hundreds of employees from the Wales Estate. Such action would secure their livelihoods, along with those of the 1,750 employees at Uitvlugt Estate; to contribute to a buoyant economy in West Demerara communities.

Friday April 14, 2017

Kaieteur News

While GuySuCo’s responds to find solutions to the challenges faced, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union’s (GAWU) has taken the following position: encourage the cane harvesters and cane transport operators from the Wales Estate to demand that their services be terminated so that they can get severance instead of encouraging them to take up employment at Uitvlugt Estate. Ironically, the same Union is campaigning for their members to be given work at East Demerara Estate, yet they are not urging the planters to take up harvesting work, even though the harvesters’ turnout at that estate is an average of 59 percent for the crop–to-date. So while on the one hand the Union is not encouraging the employees to contribute towards the Corporations productivity, on the other hand it accuses GuySuCo of not achieving targets. It is important that the Union understands the critical link between the role of employees taking ownership and the productivity of the Corporation. For e.g. every employee at the East Demerara Estate, has a responsibility to contribute towards the achievement of targets in order to secure their livelihoods. GAWU’s overall response to the challenges which the Corporation is experiencing has been by either calling or supporting strike action. In 2016, there were 148 strikes and 44,500 man-days were lost. Over a period 2005 to 2015, there were a total of 2,260 strikes and the total man-days lost to strikes for the same period, were 813,437. This response leaves much to be desired if GAWU is to be considered as a serious stakeholder and partner. Finally, Mr. Narine’s assertion of putting profits above people is totally absurd, since the Corporation has not make a profit in almost ten years. Audreyanna Thomas Senior Communications Officer Communications Department Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc. (GuySuCo0

The criminal state under the PPP is being dismantled DEAR EDITOR, A new round of debates has been fuelled by concerns of an apparent shortage of foreign exchange in Guyana and its effects on the banking system. The government and Central Bank’s official response is that the reports of shortage are false and points to attempts at manipulation of the system and an artificial demand which have been created by speculators and racketeers. In spite of the differences on the foreign exchange situation there seems to be a consensus on all sides that the economy is not performing in a desirable manner. While some critics of the government have been vehement in their arguments that there has been no growth in the economy, the latest report out of the IMF contradicts this position. The IMF team that visited the country recently, stated that there was a 3.3% increase in the country’s growth rate for the period 2016 and projected the economy will grow by 3.5 % in 2017. This assessment of Guyana’s economic performance can be treated as objective, since it came from a “politically neutral” observer – neutral in the sense that the IMF is not driven by partisan interests and does not care which party is in office. It should be remembered that the visit of the IMF occurred at a point in time when there were predictions of gloom and doom in the economy and the extent to which the Guyana dollar would depreciate. It is therefore in that context that the significance of the IMF report must be viewed. The IMF report is of particular significance since it concurred generally with the view of the Finance Minister and the government

that the economy is being managed in a responsible manner. In response to the IMF endorsement of the government’s handling of the economy, a daily newspaper close to the PPP carried an article, which quoted the opposition party as saying, “….IMF report validates its position that the local economy is in trouble”. That statement like a number of others was erroneous and underscores the lengths the PPP is prepared to go to in order to undermine the coalition government. Politically, the IMF visit to Guyana was timely and to some extent, knocked the wind out of the PPP’s and the Private Sector Commission’s (PSC) sails and helped to cool the temperature by forcing the PPP and the PSC to retreat and to rethink their propaganda on the economy. The big loser in this credibility issue is the PSC. This PPP controlled organization was caught with its pants down. It was forced to put its tail between its legs and subsequently, expressed public support for the IMF report and findings, which gave the government high marks for its handling of the economy. The PSC’s public endorsement of the IMF report was if not anything else, a painful embarrassment for its leadership. Their strategy of playing politics with the economy in support of the PPP backfired. In the process it exposed the PSC’s hypocritical claim of being non-political. The PPP’s position, characterized by its reckless opposition tactics is understandable, since that party’s leadership is now devoid of patriotism and is only concerned with its narrow partisan interest of returning Jagdeo to the presidency at all cost.

However, the PSC on the other hand, has a moral duty to be more objective and ought to represent its members’ interest in a nonpolitical, partisan way. A keen observer will not fail to note that the consensus that the economy is underperforming collapses when it comes to the reasons for the present situation. The opposition PPP and other government detractors are accusing the APNU+AFC government of mismanagement of the economy and the country. Their accusations range from political/racial witch hunting to the inability of the coalition to govern the country. To the government’s credit it had, in the 2016 budget presentation, conceded that the economy had slowed down and pointed to external and internal factors that were responsible for this state of affairs. The decline in the global economy and a reduction in remittances have had negative effects on local economic activity. Additionally, in the domestic sphere the decline of the sugar and rice industries have been draining the public purse. The reduction in the price of gold on the world market, adverse weather conditions and opposition machinations - social, economic and political – have all contributed negatively to the economic life of the country. It is important to look at some of the political challenges which have contributed to the slowdown of the economy. Even before the coalition came to power the economy was in decline due to the political situation in the country. Not least among these was the decision of the Donald Ramotar regime to prorogue parliament. The pending general

and regional elections created great uncertainty, resulting in reduced investments by the private sector and a sharp reduction in government spending. The full effect of this development was only fully realized after the 2015 elections were held and the APNU+AFC emerged as the government. These are undeniable facts which the opposition and government detractors conveniently choose to forget. There is no secret that the pseudo economic “boom” of the Jagdeo era was driven by the underground economy and its illegal activities ranging from narco trafficking, gold and diamond smuggling and trafficking in persons. Added to this is the deeply entrenched corruption in the government procurement process and the theft of state assets. This “wealth” helped to create questionable economic activities that boosted the growth rate. Now that the David Granger led government is clamping down in these areas, the unavoidable consequence is reduced economic activity. Another important factor is the deliberate sabotage of the economy by the supporters of the PPP who are the major players in the formal and informal private sector. This is the price the nation has to pay to dismantle the criminal state and restore the economy to genuine economic growth. Based on the above evidence, any talk of giving the government an F grade for its stewardship of the economy is misplaced and not rooted in the economic realities. As the IMF report did not support such a grade. I will not hesitate to award the regime a grade B plus. Tacuma Ogunseye

I did not attend a “Mickey Mouse” university DEAR EDITOR, It is amusing reading about Guyana and selfstyled US universities. Our circle of friends in London refers to unknown US universities and their degrees as “Mickey Mouse” universities and “Jack in the Box” degrees. I got so angry one day when a US ”Professor” (in the UK “lecturer”) put me down once too often, that I was forced to let him know that just as he was presumably competent in his field, I was in mine. In the mid-

1950s, for a year, after a full day’s work of typing, I trained at evening classes for an academic year as a personal secret a r y, a n d s u b s e q u e n t l y worked as such, mainly in Government. By 1986, I had gone as far as I could, ending up as “Superintendent of Typists”, which involved the testing of secretaries for employment with what is now a worldwide telecommunications giant. I did not have a ‘Jack in the Box’ degree from a “Mickey Mouse” univer-

sity. I had proved my worth through my hard work, professional reputation, and a demonstrable love of secretarial work. Being a personal/private secretary in London involves much more than just typing. One had to anticipate the boss’s every move, which every serious P.S. should be capable of doing after a while. In my day, personal secretarial work was regarded as a ‘profession’, reflected by one’s training and perfor-

mance in the job. Experience counted heavily. As a B.G. civil servant, the Cambridge School Cert. necessary, I was able to hold my own among peers, and worked without constantly diving into a dictionary, which resulted in greater production at the end of the day. Incidentally, I have read about past “pollution problems in foreign parts” with outfits interested in Guyana’s waters. Let our people beware. Geralda Dennison

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Kaieteur News

Veteran Engineer warns that repairs to Hope Bridge will not work

Even though the $46.6M contract has been awarded for the repairs of the Hope Bridge on the East Coast of Demerara, actual works on the structure have not yet started. Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson explained that this is because the two faulty approaches to the bridge continue to sink. “What is happening is we have to let it fully sink. We still have to monitor the settlement before any attempt to repair the bridge is made,” Patterson told Kaieteur News recently. Meanwhile, Veteran Engineer Charles Ceres is contending that the explanation given for the delay “makes no sense,” and represents “massive incompetence”. “The settlement is induced by load, so when you wait for the settlement to be completed, and then you impose additional load, what do you think is going to happen? Is it going to stop settling miraculously? Of course not,” Ceres said, referring to the fact that the bridge continues to be traversed by thousands of vehicles daily – including heavy duty trucks and machinery. The Managing Director of Ceres Ground Structures Engineering Consultants is warning the government that the bridge repairs being embarked on, will not work. Ceres went ahead to predict that “Whatever money they are going to

Veteran Engineer, Charles Ceres spend there, they are going to waste it.” In an interview with this newspaper, the veteran engineer challenged that the repair works to the bridge are being pursued without any sound geotechnical knowledge. “I am saying to you, without fear of contradiction, they don’t know exactly what is going on out there. None of them are qualified geotechnical engineers, so they don’t know. They are informed by conjecture,” Ceres opined. He went further to question, “Are they sure that settlement is the problem here? Or is it something else that is the problem?” Ceres is arguing that “If you have an embankment – and that embankment is 20 feet high, the unit weight of that material is about 100

pounds, so you’re putting on about 2000 pounds per square foot. That doesn’t induce the kind of settlement you’re seeing there.” “There is more to it than what meets the eye,” the engineer added. In an invited comment to respond to the concerns of the veteran engineer, Permanent Secretary (Ag) of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Geoffrey Vaughn, indicated that he was not prepared to have a back and forth on the issue. “All engineers have their own opinion, and I respect that,” Vaughn said. Informed specifically about a prediction that the bridge is likely to fail, the government engineer responded, “I don’t want to say yes, I don’t want to say no. If we have to make any adjustments, it will be done.” The Head of the Work Services Group told Kaieteur News also that a study has been embarked on to determine, among other things, the rate of settlement of the bridges’ approaches. “In the coming weeks, we should be able to say for sure, what these are,” Vaughn said. The bridge component of the $3.6B Northern Relief Channel at Hope/Dochfour, East Coast Demerara, failed after being in use for less than

Ceres is warning the government that the bridge repairs being embarked on will not work. four years. The structure, which

initially cost the country $350M, now has to be rectified

at the cost of exactly $46, 571,074.

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Friday April 14, 2017

Kaieteur News

Asset Recovery Bill…

Govt. forces legislation through; Opposition walks out By Kiana Wilburg The debate over the controversial State Assets Recovery Bill in the National Assembly was abruptly cut short yesterday. After nearly eight hours of going head-to-head on this legislation, Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman appealed to the Speaker of the House, Dr. Barton Scotland to fast-forward the proceedings to consider the clauses of the Bill and have it passed. Following this request, the political opposition walked out. In spite of this, members of the Government side still went ahead with the consideration of the clauses and amendments to the Bill, after which it was put to a vote and successfully passed by the House. The State Asset Recovery Bill will pave the way for the formal establishment of a State Asset Recovery Agency (SARA). The State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU), currently a department in the Ministry of the Presidency, is headed by Professor Clive Thomas. Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General Basil Williams moved for the Bill to be read a second time yesterday. In his remarks on the Bill, Williams explained that it is intended to give effect to the non-conviction based asset recovery recommendations contained in the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) 2003, which was ratified by the Government of Guyana in April 2008. The Parliamentarian noted that the Bill therefore introduces legislation to combat unlawful conduct and corrupt practices in relation to property and other assets owned

by the State, or in which the State has an interest. In this context, he said that the Bill provides for the establishment of the State Asset Recovery Agency (SARA) which has as its primary function, the civil recovery of state property obtained through the unlawful conduct of a public official or other person, or any benefit obtained in connection with that unlawful conduct, by way of civil proceedings taken in the High Court for a civil recovery order. Williams explained that the granting of a civil recovery order vests in the state, ownership of any property subject to the order. The Bill, however well intended, did not find favour with the political opposition. The general argument of the Opposition was that the Bill is dangerously flawed and will only be used as a weapon against a certain group of people. The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) also stated that the Bill was not given proper consultation and should be sent to a special select committee. While the period was dedicated to the SARA Bill, it did not prevent the political opposition from regurgitating matters such as salary increases for Ministers and money spent on the D’Urban Park Project, which it believes has not been properly accounted for to date. This style of argument was exemplified by Opposition Member, Harry Gill. With his laptop in hand, Gill, who read his entire presentation, stated that the PPP is in support of the fight against corruption, and while the SARU Bill is intended to serve this purpose, it cannot have the support of the Opposition for it is dangerously flawed and tramples on the

Attorney General Basil Williams announcing amendments to the Bill in the absence of opposition members Constitutional rights of citizens. Gill also reiterated previous comments made by the Private Sector Commission regarding the SARA Bill. The Commission had said that the SARA Bill is not a good signal to investors who will require access to state resources such as land, licences, access rights etc. It believes that the Bill provides opportunities for legitimate investors to be harassed and politically victimized. The Commission said, “The Bill has been drafted from the perspective that the Government of Guyana does not know what it owns or what the State has lost over the years. As such, it provides all-encompassing investigative and surveillance powers to the Director and Staff of the Agency to snoop around into private accounts and financial records of citizens to determine what assets of the State were lost and need to be recovered.” The Commission had also expressed the belief that the SARA Bill is premature and redundant. In this regard, it said that many of the intelligence-gathering mechanisms to be used by SARA have al-

ready been enacted in the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Legislation, and included in the mandate of the Integrity Commission, both of which have not been fully functional to date. Presenting arguments in support of the Government’s side was Public Telecommunications Minister, Cathy Hughes. Hughes stated that the arguments of the Opposition on the SARU Bill is not only void, but also fails to come to grips with a fundamental purpose of the Bill. The Executive Member of the Alliance For Change (AFC) said that the Bill is intended to ensure the recovery of stolen assets which belongs to the state through civil proceedings. In other words, the Minister said that there will be no criminal sanctions, no charges, and no convictions. “No one gets locked up under this Bill. The focus of this Bill is on the investigation and recovery of the unlawfully procured state assets. It is an action against the property and not the person,” Hughes stated. The Minister stressed

that the Opposition is only attempting to promote hysteria and called on Guyanese to not buy into it. Hughes also sought to address one of the arguments by the Opposition that the Bill will give the Director of SARU, powers that would make him or her dictatorial. Hughes noted, however, that whoever will be the Director of SARU will be subjected to the Code of Conduct to be integrated with the Integrity Commission Act. She said, too, that the Director of SARU “would not be able to act as a Lord or Master of the organization”. The politician explained that the Bill provides that the Director prepares a plan on how SARA intends to carry out its functions. The plan is also expected to explain the financial standing of SARA and how the Director intends to spend the Agency’s money in keeping with its functions for the financial year. Hughes noted that the Director’s annual plan will be presented to the National Assembly through the subject minister, Attorney General, Basil Williams. The Parliamentarian argued that the activities of the Director and

staff of SARA will be subject to oversight and accountability. She said, too, that even the appointment of the Director will be in the hands of the House by way of the Committee of Appointments. After explaining those points, the Minister said that it is obvious that the so-called concerns raised by the Opposition are nothing but a plan to create panic. Other speakers on the Bill included, Minister of State Joseph Harmon, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman, Junior Government Minister Dawn Hastings-Williams, and Opposition Members Odinga Lumumba, Priya Manickchand, Juan Edghill and Dharamkumar Seeraj. THE BILL The Bill contains seven Parts. Part One contains general provisions such as the short title, commencement and interpretation provisions. Part Two speaks to the establishment of SARA and its Director as a corporation sole, the appointment of a Director, Deputy Director and staff of SARA, and the terms and conditions of their (Continued on page 29)

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Kaieteur News

Was a cost-benefit analysis done? The government reportedly spent one hundred and sixty million dollars to renovate the old Customs Building on Main Street as the new home for the Bureau of Statistics. The government could have taken that same amount of money and built a new structure for the Bureau of Statistics. Why is it that the govern-

ment is imposing hardships on parents by taxing private education in the hope of raising about $240M when it is going to use $160M of that money in such a wasteful manner. The Bureau of Statistics does not need a single home. The idea of such a government entity having a single home is a perplexing one.

Consolidation makes sense in the context of cost savings from rentals and lower operating costs. Was that analysis done by the Ministry of Finance or did it simply fall prey to the romantic notion that the Bureau needed a single home. There is nothing wrong with a government agency being housed at multiple lo-

Several Constitutional appointments December 2013, after agencies and commissions. imminent eightIn years without filling “There was a consider-

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, said yesterday during his weekly post-cabinet press briefing, that there are several constitutional positions that the administration is moving to have filled soon. The Minister was at the time responding to questions over the appointment of the Ombudsman. An Ombudsman is an official usually appointed by the government or by Parliament but with a significant degree of independence. The official is charged with representing the interests of the public by investigating and addressing complaints of maladministration or violation of rights. The typical duties of an Ombudsman are to investigate complaints and attempt to resolve them. NEW Ombudsman Harmon had told reporters last year that the new Ombudsman would be appointed by the first quarter of 2017 however, the selection process – according to previous report – was not an easy one, since the requirements mandate that the candidates be either a retired Justice of Appeal or Judge of the High Court who is qualified to become a Justice of Appeal. Asked for an update yesterday, Harmon said that the authorities are still in the process of identifying the candidate and hopes that by the end of this month, an announcement will be made.

the key position, Guyana appointed an Ombudsman, with Attorney-at-Law and former Justice Winston Moore chosen. Until then, Guyana had been without an Ombudsman since the retirement of Justice Sheik Mohamed in 2005. Moore died in September, rendering the office vacant. Police Complaints Authority The position of Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) is another ‘big position’ that the Government is moving to have filled soon, Harmon said. The PCA is an independent corporate body, mandated among other things to independently investigate complaints against police officers involved in criminal offences, police corruption and serious police misconduct. The former Chairman, Justice Cecil Kennard, was asked to step down in February last due to his age. He is reportedly 81 years old. The Head of State, President David Granger, had made it clear there was no negative report that prompted the call. In fact, a decision was taken to review all of the boards,

ation of the length of service and the age of the persons holding those offices... Justice Kennard’s work is exemplary, but the government is focused on creating an atmosphere in which other persons, who are younger, are able to take a lead. Public Service Appellate Tribunal Harmon told media operatives that Public Service Appellate Tribunal has been languishing for many years. “We are looking to ensure that body is also activated because in its absence, public servants who want to challenge their dismissals and so on, they have to engage in the expensive process of going to the High Court,” The Minister noted also that in many cases, “system does not produce the kind of results they are (public servants) are looking for” in a timely manner. “The Public Service Appellate Tribunal is also a matter that is on the front burner for us and all of the issues (appointment) we will try to have addressed very shortly.” Harmon said.

cations. The Ministry of Education has a number of offices and locations within the city alone. This is a flexible arrangement that works well. The Ministry of the Presidency is no different. The Ministry of Public Health is the same. What do you think will happen if every Ministry which provides a service to the public suddenly feels that it is entitled to a single home? The Passport Office is now decentralized. This should have happened a long time ago. There was never any justification for asking persons from the distant parts of Guyana to travel to Georgetown just to obtain a new passport. With the use of technology it is more than possible for the applications to be submitted either online or physically, at one location, and processed at another location. There is no need for all services and data to be in a single space. We are living in a different era and this idea of the Bureau needing such a large building makes no sense at all, much less a single

home. A hundred and sixty million dollars is a lot of money to pay for renovations of a single building. Could that money not have purchased or constructed a building that could have housed the Bureau in a single place, as seems was deemed necessary? The bigger question is, if it costs one hundred and sixty million dollars to renovate the old Customs House, what would it cost today to build such a structure? Should we be complaining about the cost of the Kato School which is an area in which building supplies have to be freighted in? The other question is, whether the VAT on private education is justifiable if this is the use to which that money is being placed? The government has an over-bloated Budget. It cannot and will not be able to spend all that money which it has budgeted for 2017. There is simply not the absorptive capacity within the country for that spending, unless of course, foreign contractors and work-

ers are brought in. The high cost of renovating the old Customs House Building on Main Street requires the government to examine its expenditure policies to determine whether all the breaking and rebuilding it is doing is worth the cost. What additional benefits will the Bureau of Statistics gain from having a single home as against having three or four homes or a single home elsewhere? Where is the cost-benefit analysis? Was any done? In the interest of transparency, the government should publish it. It would be tragic if the government undertook such a costly expenditure without the benefit of a cost-benefit analysis.

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=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

Is God looking upon this nation today? This is a country that per capita must have more churches than most nations in the world. There are Muslim, Hindu and Christian churches that dot almost every village and town in this territory. Outside of these mainstream religions, there are the Bahá’í Faith, the Rastafari culture, Jordanites etc. These churches cannot exist without parishioners. It is safe to say then, that Guyana has a huge God-accepting population. But how godly are the people of this country? Juxtapose the Guyanese statistics on religious people with our practice of sin, and something eerie appears in front of your face. Per capita again, compared with other countries, Guyana must have one of the highest rates of incest accused; child molesters, reckless drivers, homicides, suicides, young sadistic robbers, divorcees, unprofessional police officials, corrupt politicians, gamblers, industrial violation cases, hu-

man rights atrocities etc. In any analysis of deviancy, depravity and violations in Guyana, there must be taken into consideration the actual numbers of adults among the total population. The population is not 800, 000 but for simplicity sake let’s put it at that. A sizeable part of that number consists of children under 14 years. It means that when you analyse the level of unacceptable behaviour, such conduct occurs in a very small group of people. Take deaths by road accident. How can such a small population (excluding the 14 years and under I referred to above) sustain so many yearly fatalities from vehicular accidents? A foreign UG lecturer twenty years ago told me in his travels in many countries, he found there was no comparison with the wildness of mini-bus drivers in Guyana. One has to look very hard to find a nation where people drive as insanely as

Guyana. It is a frightening prospect to drive on Guyana’s roadways. You look at Guyana and you wonder if something evil has not destroyed the collective mind and psyche of the Guyanese people. I went to Wakenaam the other day and my wife and I looked at each other in utter amazement and utter disgust at the young lady next to us. She placed the life jacket on her three-yearold son, but she chose not wear one. It is pure stupidity that she did not wear one, because if the boat had capsized how could she have saved her son when she was not wearing one? At the back of her was her friend that she was chatting away with, and she too did not don a life jacket. Today is a very religious day and those who are Christians are expected to flock to their churches. Soon we will have Hindu and Muslim days of God, when those two religions celebrate. But one is

forced to ask: where is God in Guyana? I come back to the economic methodology of “per capita.” Per capita, UG must be the university with the unhappiest students. I went to two universities in Canada and the service from the staff there was beyond professional courtesy. It was as if they loved the students. Those were wonderful, peaceful, lovely schools that once you entered, you didn’t want to leave. If my contract was not terminated by the UG Council in 2012, I was leaving anyway. UG for me was one of the world’s saddest places. The editor-in-chief of this newspaper, Adam Harris, stayed at his work station and yelled out the other day; “what these people think I can do?” It was his reaction to a man who called on the phone and had a complaint to make about some human rights matter. I heard Adam and I said to him; “you ain’t see

nutten yet.” Two weeks ago, I told Adam to come and take a walk with me. He would see the complaints I get. Per capita, Guyanese must be the most violated people in the world. Everywhere you turn, people come up with anguished cries of being violated. The stories engulf all the sections of this society – public servants being given a raw deal by their superiors; UG students being mistreated by their lecturers; employers refusing to pay for work done; employees being cheated by their sadistic employers; citizens being harassed by policemen; citizens’ relatives misdiagnosed by incompetent doctors; parents complaints of their children being badly treated in schools. I

Frederick Kissoon could go on and on. So I ask with deep angst running through me; how could a small population like Guyana’s have so much tragedy, sadness, evil, depravities, violations, repugnancies, unfairness, insensitivities, cruelties, bestialities, immoralities etc., yet have so many churches? Is it that God has turned his back on Guyana?

Dem boys seh ...

Jagdeo set-up SARU; now SARU up-set ee Today Parliament meeting to debate and pass de SARU Bill. This Bill is not new. This govt can’t tek credit fuh it because it was initiated by de one and only, crook of de century, Jagdeo. Since 2008 he go to de UN and to de World Bank and sign an agreement to tackle or deal wid corruption. He had one understanding of dealing wid corruption but de foreign people had another. De foreign people talk about seizing all de thiefing money, property and goods. Jagdeo think you must coulda tek de taxpayer money as though is he own. He didn’t only tek money; he tek de ordinary people. De law wasn’t in place when he do to others wha SARU will now do after de law pass today. He write all de banks to get every piece of information pun people who was opposed to him, including de Waterfalls boss man. De boss man seh how Jagdeo wanted to know if he, de boss man, was a crook like he, de Jagdeo. He soon find out that de boss man was de complete opposite. Well he set-up SARU and now SARU up-set ee. Dem boys can’t understand how he can cuss SARU when is he start it up. It had to be that at de time his hand wasn’t so sticky and de cookie was small. Times change. De cookie jar tun a silo. He and his whole cabinet live inside. Now SARU want find all de rice wha disappear from de silo. He cuss poor Clivie and all because Clive write and tell him and his kavakamites to bring back all de paddy and de shells of de paddy back in de silo. Dem boys seh is de same thing he do to de third term. He and ee party agree and then he sign that no president should run fuh a third term. This is de same man who cussing de constitution. He tell Babbie, ee best friend if school can got three term a year, wha mek he can’t serve three term. Dem boys seh he will serve three terms and more but not as president. He will serve many terms peeping through iron bars at Mazaruni. Talk half and watch how Jagdeo dog bite him.

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Kaieteur News

Three GPL employees charged for scamming customer Three GPL employees were yesterday arranged before City Magistrate Leron Daly in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to a charge of attempting to steal. Quacy Mackenzie, 30 of South Ruimveldt, Technician Garfield O’Neil, 29, of Section ‘A’ Block ‘X’ Diamond, East Bank Demerara and Alicia Steele, 28, of Lamaha Gardens, Georgetown, all denied the allegation which stated that on April 7 at William Street, Kitty, with the intent to steal, they demanded Mitra Persaud to pay $40,000 for them to install a meter. Mackenzie was

represented by Attorney-atLaw James Bond who told the court that his client has no prior matters in any other court and has never been convicted. Bond further told the court that his client is the father of one and the sole breadwinner for his family. Police Prosecutor Sanj Singh objected to bail being granted to all three defendants citing the nature and gravity of the offence and the penalty it attracts. The court heard that on the day in question the defendants went to the Virtual Complainant home to investigate a meter and threatened that they will

remove it if he did not pay them. It was further alleged that on April 10, at William Street, Kitty, Mackenzie obtained the sum of $65,000 from Mitra Persaud by falsely pretending that he was in a position to install a GPL meter. Police Prosecutor Sanj Singh had no objection to bail being granted, and told the court that the investigation is complete. O’Neil and Steele were both granted bail in the sum of $40,000 while Mackenzie was granted bail in the sum of $100,000. The trio will make their next court appearance on May 15.

President meets with UN Secretary General’s Personal Rep. on border controversy

President Granger and his team during the engagement with the UN delegation at State House on Wednesday evening. President David Granger, on Wednesday evening, met with the United Nations (UN) Secretary G e n e r a l ’s Personal Representative in the Good Offices Process on the border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela, Ambassador Dag Havland Nylander. Other members of the high-level delegation were Mr. Guillermo Kendall of the UN Department of Political Affairs, Mr. David Hutchinson from the UN Office of Legal Affairs and Mr. Juan Jeannet-Acre from the Policy and Mediation Division in the Department of Political Affairs. They were accompanied by acting UN Resident Coordinator and the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Country Director, Mr. Martin Odiit. Accompanying the President at the meeting, which was held at State House, were Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Carl Greenidge, Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon, Guyana’s Ambassador to

Venezuela, Mrs. Cheryl Miles, Director General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Audrey Waddell, foreign policy expert Sir Shridath Ramphal, in the role of Advisor and Legal Consultant, and Professor Payam Akhavan. Ambassador Nylander was appointed earlier this year to ensure the continuation of the Good Offices Process as laid out by the Secretary General until the end of 2017 with a

strengthened mandate of mediation, with the understanding that “if by the end of 2017, the SecretaryGeneral concludes that no significant progress has been made towards arriving at a full agreement for the solution of the controversy, he will choose the International Court of Justice as the next means of settlement unless the Governments of Guyana a n d Ve n e z u e l a j o i n t l y request that he refrain from doing so”.

Garfield O’Neil

Quacy Mackenzie

Alicia Steele

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Kaieteur News

Molestation of young boys on the rise - 17 cases in two months It would appear as though reports of young boys being sexually molested are on the increase. Statistics emanating from the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) revealed this worrying trend. In just the first two months of this year, the Ministry of Social Protection has received 17 reports of boys being sexually abused.

The previous year, 2016, saw a total of 118 reported cases of boys being molested. This represents a troubling increase from the 108 reported cases recorded in the previous year. In 2014, there were a total of 60 reported cases of boys being sexually molested, with 80 in 2013, and 89 in 2012. The majority of boys

suffering from abuse in all of its forms, are between the ages of eight and 13. According to the January and February figures, a total of 130 boys who fall within this age range, were being abused in some way or the other. About 49 of the victims were ages 14- to 18-years-old. Disturbing to note, is the fact that even the toddlers weren’t spared. Eighty-five of these boys were abused during the tender age of zero

to three-years-old. Director of the CPA, Ann Greene has indicated that these figures may just represent a fraction of the trauma being faced by Guyana’s children. “The irony of this is that, it is not the true picture, since child abuse is a hidden crime. This may only be a tip of the iceberg,” Greene told a forum recently held by the Rights of the Child Commission. She explained that a number of cases go unreported, since some children literally do not have a voice. “They are either too young to report the abuse, and in many cases, they are reluctant to tell on the perpetrator, who is more often someone they trust and love,” Greene said. She added that parents have proven to be a serious threat to their children’s health and development. “...and the high incidence of child sexual abuse cases are cause for concern, because they do not correspond with the perpetrators being brought to justice.” Between January and February of this month alone, a total of 765 cases of children being abused were recorded. Of this extremely troubling figure, 58 of these cases resulted in the intervention of the Guyana Police Force.

CPA Director, Ann Greene However, only nine of these cases passed through the court system. Although the unreported instances of children being abused may reflect an even higher and more disturbing state of affairs, Ms. Greene is warning against interpreting the increase in the number of reports, to mean an increase in the number of cases of abuse. “Many times it just means that more people are aware of what constitutes child abuse, and are more active in reporting some of the atrocities committed against children,” the CPA Director said. She explained, too, that the increase in the reports of boys being sexually abused also signals a shift in their

behavioural pattern. “What you would find these days, is that more boys are opening up. More of them are talking about their experiences and that kind of thing. A few years ago, it was more difficult for them to do so,” Greene noted. She explained that while the number of girls being abused is significantly higher, young boys are also burdened by a lot of silent suffering. In 2016, there were a total of 734 children being sexually abused. This figure reflects an increase from the 676 cases recorded in the previous year. Some 628 cases of children being molested were dealt with in 2014, followed by 670 in 2013 and a massive 753 in 2012. (Rehana Ahamad)

In 2016, there were 118 reported cases of boys being molested

Cop caught with stolen phone after it vibrates in his crotch A Tactical Services Unit (TSU) rank was reportedly exposed as a petty thief, after a phone that he had stolen from a colleague rang while the ranks were on parade. The embarrassing episode started last Tuesday, when the constable saw the phone, which belonged to a TSU driver, in the barrack-room. He then stashed the device in his crotch before joining his colleagues on the drill square. Unfortunately, the rank who had lost his phone borrowed a colleague’s device and dialed the number, while passing by the drill square.

Ranks on the drill square were reportedly shocked when the phone began to vibrate and ring in the culprit’s crotch. The device was quickly recovered and the culprit placed in c u s t o d y. On being questioned, the constable allegedly claimed that someone had hidden the phone in his crotch. Kaieteur News understands that relatives of the detained rank have offered the victim a financial settlement. However, the constable is likely to be dismissed and placed before the court.

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Kaieteur News

Enmore rum shop murder…

Doctor confirms victim was injured and unresponsive A medical doctor who examined Robert Mangal revealed that there were signs of assault and intoxication when he was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital. Dr. Roy Samlall testified yesterday that Mangal was also unresponsive. The witness noted that upon examining the patient, he found that there was an injury to the right side of his head and swelling to his right elbow. According to Dr. Samlall, a CT scan was ordered and conducted on the victim. The scan revealed that there was bleeding in the right temporal lobe and blood clots in the brain. The witness told the court that the injuries were considered life-threatening. As such, a medical procedure was recommended to remove the blood clots. Afterwards, Mangal was placed at the High Dependency Unit (HDU), for further medical monitoring. Robert Mangal called “Trevor” was allegedly murdered on July 6, 2013, at Enmore, East Coast Demerara. Deosaran Bisnauth was subsequently identified as the suspect and

Deosaran Bisnauth arrested for the murder. According to the facts presented by the State, the two people were said to have been imbibing at a shop in Enmore, when the incident occurred. Bisnauth’s trial commenced before Justice Navindra Singh and a 12member mixed jury at the Georgetown High Court on Monday. The accused who is nicknamed “strokes mouth,” has since pleaded not guilty to the charge. An eyewitness account revealed that Bisnauth used a piece of wood and dealt

Mangal lashes about the body before he collapsed to the ground unconscious. This account was given by Karran Bharrat Chattergoon called Manoj. The witness was called to the stand by State Prosecutors, Tuanna Hardy and Siand Dhurjon on Wednesday. Chattergoon recalled that the victim had taken him to a shop in the area to drink. The man recounted that they purchased half bottle of liquor and some cigarettes from the shop. Chattergoon said that after he collected the liquor, he heard the accused arguing with his friend, Mangal. The witness said that at the time, Mangal was unarmed, but Bisnauth picked up a piece of wood and dealt the man “about three lashes across his back” after which, he (Mangal) fell, facedown to the ground. The witness told the court that he quickly left the shop with his liquor in hand. Questioned, why he did not intervene, the witness said that he didn’t want to get lashes too. “I go to the shop to drink. So when I see dat I pick up my liquor and go ‘long me

Cosmetologist murder trial…

Accused had hired taxi driver for Lusignan trip Video evidence was admitted yesterday in the trial for which Lennox Wayne and taxi driver Melroy Doris are facing a judge and jury for the murder of cosmetologist, Ashmini Harriram. Harriram is said to have been murdered on July 10, 2014. The cosmetologist was shot once to her neck moments after she disembarked a minibus along the Lusignan Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara. On the day of the incident, the shooter reportedly exited a burgundy-coloured motor car, whipped out a gun and shot the teen then took away her mobile phone and left the scene. Wayne, called “Two Colours” and Doris, were subsequently arrested and charged with the murder. Their trial is being conducted before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow and a mixed Jury at the Georgetown High Court. The matter is being presented by State Prosecutors, Shawnette Austin, Mandel Moore and Tamieka Clarke. Yesterday, the video evidence showed in open court revealed an interview

Lennox Wayne called ‘Two Colours’

Ashmini Harriram

conducted between the police and Melroy Doris, the second name accused. The video recording was entered into evidence by Police Officer, Carlson Rockcliffe. According to information contained in the video, Doris had told police that Wayne had hired him to take him to Lusignan on the day of the incident. The recording revealed that Doris was questioned by two policemen. The officers had cautioned the suspect before questioning him about the murder. Although the video was hazy and the audio was

unclear, the evidence revealed that Doris -a taxi driver, told investigators that he had accepted an offer to take Wayne, whom he referred to as ‘Two Colours’, to Lusignan. According to the information, Doris had told police that ‘Colours’ said that he wanted to conduct some business on the East Coast. Most of the content of the recording and audio was not clear enough for members of the courtroom to hear. Hence defence counsel Nigel Hughes and Stanley Moore took the witness to task over the material and process used (Continued on page 27)

way,” Chattergoon added in response to questions by the Judge. The witnesses also faced questions from Defence Counsel Bernard De Santos, but he maintained his testimony. Under questioning, the witnesses repeatedly told the court that Mangal was unarmed. The accused had claimed that Mangal attacked him with an object (a bottle) and he picked up the wood and lashed him in selfdefence. Earlier in the trial, shop owner Daiwattie Guyadeen testified that she was in her shop when two men entered. She said that she knew one of them as ‘Manoj’. The other individual was a stranger. According to the woman, the men purchased a half bottle of rum and some

cigarettes. The witness recalled that one of the men asked her to call a taxi. She said that she remained behind the counter of the shop and obliged the request of the customer. According to Guyadeen, the men joined the other customers and started to drink at the shop. The woman said that sometime after that she heard a ruckus outside. Guyadeen told the court that she ventured to the bridge of her property, and there she noticed that a crowd had gathered. “When I go, I see the person that asked me to call the taxi, lying on the ground … I get frightened and run back inside, because I is a pressure case…” Guyadeen’s testimony was followed by the evidence

of other witnesses including Police Detective, Paul Tirat. Tirat testified to conducting investigations into the matter. Tirat said that sometime after the incident, the accused was arrested for a crime. According to the officer, the allegation put to the accused is that on July 6, 2013, he lashed Robert Mangal, causing him to receive injuries and to become hospitalised. After the allegation was put to Bisnauth, Tirat recalled that the accused replied “Officer he (Mangal) run me with a bottle and I lash he to defend myself. “ The policeman also recalled that a caution statement was taken from the accused in the presence of his (Bisnauth’s) mother and other police officers.

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Kaieteur News

$125 million CXC support to improve primary performances

For the improvement of performances at the primary level, Cabinet has granted approval for the expending of $125 million. This sum will be paid to the Caribbean Examinations Council [CXC] as a consultancy services fee. This is according to Minister of State Joseph Harmon who, at a Post Cabinet press briefing yesterday, disclosed that CXC has been recruited to deliver its consultancy services for the administration of the National Grades Two, Four and Six Assessments. Harmon said that the funds will be handed over to the Ministry of Education, which will be tasked with expending same. Poor performance in Mathematics at the National Grade Six Assessment [NGSA] level was last year considered a matter of national urgency by Cabinet. It was underscored even then that the daunting performance requires Government’s focused attention and commitment to finding adequate and appropriate solutions in the shortest possible time. Members of Cabinet had moreover met and deliberated “as a matter of extreme urgency and grave national importance,” the unsatisfactory results in Mathematics nationwide. The 2016 NGSA was written on April 27 and 28. A total of 14,386 candidates were assessed in the subject areas of Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and English Language. While the performance in English Language and Social Studies had been consistent with previous years, this was not the same for Mathematics and Science last year. Both fell below what was obtained in previous years.

- Over $33 million approved for classroom equipment at UG The best performance in Mathematics last year was secured by one of the top national performers, Aryan Singh (of the Dharmic Rama Krishna School), who also produced the best performance in Social Studies. Singh and Anthony Ferreira of Mae’s Under 12 were named the top performers at the 2016 NGSA with a total score of 568 marks each. The highest possible total score obtainable was 583. Senior officials from the Ministry of Education, including Senior Minister Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, were engaged by Cabinet to examine the declining performance of pupils in mathematics. However, it was noted that even before Government’s intervention, Guyana had consistently failed to achieve acceptable pass rates in Mathematics, an important core subject. In recognition of the shortcoming, the Ministry of Education had solicited the support of CXC to help conduct the assessment for the Grade Six pupils. The basis of the assessment used by CXC was radically different from what was used previously by the Ministry of Education. What was observed last year was an increased focus on reasoning and a decreased emphasis on retention. Moreover, the new method to testing as implemented by CXC exposed even more, the weakness of the previous approach to education that was adopted by the Ministry of Education in previous years. As part of a plan for short and medium term measures, Cabinet called on the Ministry of Education and its technical

advisors to identify all appropriate steps needed to remedy this situation. Those steps included remedial training of teachers, better and more varied text books, more teaching aids and better use of technology in the delivery of education. Teachers, subject specialists and test development officers were tasked with developing all items for the 2016 NGSA, with the technical guidance of CXC. The support from CXC also included making the local professionals competent to address key areas such as item construction, weighting of items, sampling and other psychometric elements. Minister Roopnaraine had noted that, “the objective of this consultation is to ensure that all assessments conform to regional and international test development and administration standards and expectations to facilitate consistent, reliable measurement and tracking of pupil performance”. CXC has since been recruited to lend its services not only to the NGSA, but also the Grades Two and Four Assessments. The 2017 NGSA, which commenced Wednesday and concluded yesterday, saw the participation of a total of 13,657 pupils. According to Chief Education Officer [ag], Mr. Marcel Hutson, the measures the Ministry has introduced, with the support of CXC, have directed keen focus on helping pupils to apply problem-solving skills. He is, moreover, convinced that the efforts plugged into preparing the pupils will translate to improved Mathematics performances at this year’s NGSA. Meanwhile, Minister Harmon at yesterday’s Post Cabinet Press briefing revealed that Cabinet also approved contracts for the procurement of classroom equipment for the University of Guyana. The contracts, he disclosed, will be awarded in two lots. Lot one of the contract, which has been awarded to Digital Technology, will entail the procurement of computers and printers to the tune of $15,415,000. The other lot valued at $18,864,000 will cater to the procurement of multimedia equipment, and has been awarded to NetCom.

Friday April 14, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Evidence points to US dollars heading also to Suriname - PSC describes exchange rate as unnerving Local businesses have described the current foreign currency trading situation as unnerving. On Monday last, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) met with the Governor of the Bank of Guyana, Dr. Gobind Ganga, on the foreign exchange issue and related matters. During the meeting it was disclosed that there is evidence of precious foreign currency making its way across to Suriname via businesses which would have collected same in payment for goods. If true, it would lend credence to several claims that the local foreign trade is being pressured from different directions, not least neighbouring countries which badly need the US dollars to conduct their business, and from lower exports. Local businesses have been complaining of difficulties and delays in wiring money with some waiting for weeks. PSC, reporting on the meeting with Central Bank, said yesterday that the Governor assured the Commission that there is an adequate supply of foreign exchange. He also provided statistical evidence to support this position.

“Also, Dr. Ganga explained that the Guyana dollar should remain relatively stable due to the current low price of imports of petroleum and petroleum products which more than offset the decline in export receipts.” According to the PSC, the Governor believed that persons and businesses should not pay more than $215 to $218 for a US dollar. He conceded that there is currently a relatively short waiting period for persons who wish to purchase foreign currency. “He also cautioned that demand should be screened to establish the legitimacy of the requests.” PSC reported. “The Governor revealed that the Bank is exploring reports that foreign goods, meant for another country, were being paid for using foreign currency sourced from Guyana. In addition, there were some flows of foreign currency to Suriname by businesses who collected US$ in payment for goods.” PSC said it pointed out to the Governor that Guyana enjoyed a stable rate of exchange over several years and the present change is unnerving. “Notwithstanding, the Governor pointed out that

Central Bank governor, Dr. Gobind Ganga, meeting with PSC representatives on Monday over the foreign currency situation. even with all the speculation in the market, the depreciation of the Guyana dollar was modest. The Commission promised to collaborate with the Central Bank in regular monitoring of the system to defend the currency against speculative threats.” After hovering for years around $205, the exchange rate in the last quarter of 2016 started to climb. A number of factors have been blamed. According to Government, export revenues fell over US$30M last year. Nationals of two neighbouring countries also - Trinidad and Barbados - were accused of trekking to Guyana to buy up US dollars. Central Bank has since halted their trading of currencies to those territories. There were also indications that at least one

major money transfer business from Trinidad did not sell its foreign currencies to the commercial banks, but instead circulated it among its sister companies. Businesses have also been reporting that hundreds of thousands of US dollars are coming weekly from Cuban shoppers who come here to trade, but have not been making it to the banks. Rather, these are being taken out of Guyana to neighbouring Suriname where a number of businesses have linkages. As one of the measures to halt the slide of the dollar,

Central Bank has ordered cambios -the licensed foreign currency dealers - not to have more than a $3 spread between the buying and selling rates. However, despite the measures, there has been deep worry over the

availability of foreign currencies, especially at the banks, to pay for goods and other services. Businesses have been claiming to pay over $220 and in one case, for credit cards, one bank had even advertised a $230 rate.

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Fiery death of Kildonan pensioner…

Major Crimes Unit sleuths join probe, as victim’s son remains in custody Ranks from the Guyana Police Force’s Major Crimes Unit were last night grilling the son of 82-year-old Rudolph Ross, as speculation intensified that someone deliberately set the pensioner’s home alight while he slept inside. ‘B’ Division Commander Ian Amsterdam confirmed that members of the Major Crimes team were assisting his ranks. He also revealed that police have been granted approval by the courts to further detain the son, who was taken into custody on Monday. “While the fire service investigators suggest that this may be arson, we still have to prove that it is,” Amsterdam said. Kaieteur News understands that the son has provided police with various alibis regarding his whereabouts at the time of

Friday April 14, 2017

Kaieteur News

Dead: Rudolph Ross the fire, which occurred at around 04.30 hrs on Sunday. A source said that the son had stated, among other things, that he was in the company of a woman at the time. However, he has reportedly been unable to produce the woman to back up his claim. One of the things that

reportedly raised suspicion of arson was the discovery of a kerosene container at the scene of the fire. Rudolph Ross’ son, who is reportedly a former member of the Guyana Police Force, is said to have recently remigrated to Guyana, and was staying at his father’s Kildonan home. Police have received information that the father and son had an argument the day prior to the fire. The argument reportedly stemmed from the son wanting the property to be transferred to his name but his father was not in agreement. Rudolph Ross lost his life after he was trapped in the fire that engulfed his property at Lot 14 Kildonan Village, Corentyne, Berbice. The blaze reportedly started in the kitchen, but an individual who knew Mr. Ross insisted that he was not the sort of individual who would have forgotten something on his stove. A Post Mortem Examination conducted on the badly burnt body revealed that the elderly man died of suffocation due to smoke inhalation.

Type one diabetics more prone to depression It is said that depression is two to three times more common in people with diabetes. In fact it has been deduced that while three in 10 diabetics suffer from depression, one in 10 have been known to suffer severe depression. An even more interesting fact is that Type One diabetics are even more prone to suffering from depression. Research suggests that many type one patients lack blood sugar control, which can cause symptoms of depression, thus it is particularly important for them to work closely with medical personnel to avert, as far as possible, such complications. It was in recognition of this fact the Guyana Diabetic Association has been working to raise awareness with this in mind. This is according to President of the Association, Ms. Glynis Alonzo-Beaton. As part of its commemoration of World Health Day recently, this notion was especially emphasized, Alonzo-Beaton said. “For World Health Day we just added let’s talk depression to diabetes, because we realised that type ones suffer from depression more and they need a support group,” said the Diabetic Association President. Type One Diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes [since it occurs in younger individuals] or insulin diabetes, is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. The lack of insulin results in high blood sugar levels. Moreover, the Association is looking to advance its sensitisation efforts for Type Ones through its youth arm – the Young Leaders. Among the young diabetics who understand the connection between diabetes and depression is Martin King. King, currently a member of the Youth Leaders, first learnt that he was a diabetic when he was 15 years old. At the time he was a student of the North Ruimveldt Multilateral School. During an interview with this publication he recalled, “I started experiencing some of the symptoms like hunger, excessive thirst and tiredness. I just know something was wrong but I just didn’t know what it was.” But according to King, it wasn’t until he saw a television programme that suggested that all of his symptoms were synonymous

- Association’s youth arm helping to tackle challenge

Ms Glynis Alonzo-Beaton showcases the diabetes handbook

Martin King, in the company of two of his colleagues of the Youth Leaders group [Miss Keziah Nestor and Mallissa Kandhai]. with diabetes. “I immediately said ‘I have this’...I told my mom and she took me to the hospital and I told them I think I have diabetes, although I really didn’t understand much about it,” recalled King. Indeed he was diagnosed with the disease and was enlightened to the fact that it was a chronic disease, meaning that it would remain with him for life. “I couldn’t understand and accept that this was never going to go away. I thought I would have died...I was in a depressed state and I thought that this was it for me,” he related. He soon after joined the Guyana Diabetic Association which turned out to be a crucial lifeline. “I met the President [Ms. Alonzo Beaton] and she told me she had it [diabetes] for 20-plus years, and I thought to myself if she could do it I can do it too,” said King, as

he reflected how “she had always talked to me and explained about this disease.” Even as he emphasized the importance of the Association, King disclosed that meetings are held every last Wednesday in the month where persons are exposed to important information about diabetes. “Information is the key to managing the symptoms [of diabetes]. Once you have information you can always know what you have to do...if you are not aware you can never be able to help yourself,” asserted King. Five years later and King is a key member of the youth arm of the Association with a key focus on helping young people like himself cope with the disease. “We formed this group [Youth Leaders] last year, in (Continued on page 27)

PAGE 26

Friday April 14, 2017

Kaieteur News

Paediatric Cardiac Centre in GPHC’s future Plans are on the horizon for the inclusion of a Paediatric Heart Centre at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Discussions in this regard are ingoing between the GPHC

and the International Children Heart Foundation, also known as the Baby Heart Foundation. This disclosure was recently made by Director of Medical and Professional

- Dr. Amir Services, Dr. Sheik Amir, who revealed that already the Baby Heart Foundation has a Centre in the Dominican

Dr. Sheik Amir and Dr. Debra Isaac

Republic. But according to Dr. Amir, “there are plans for the future to make another centre [here] where other children can come, not only Guyanese.” The Baby Heart Foundation has been lending its paediatric cardiac expertise to the GPHC. The collaboration is currently in its third year. Dr. Amir said that support in this regard was initialised by Cardiologist of the University of Calgary in Canada, Dr. Debra Isaac. He explained that Dr. Isaac, together with her Cardiologist husband, Dr. Wayne Warnica, initially came to Guyana to help develop a heart ultrasound programme through the University of Calgary. In so doing, they commenced training of a number of local technicians to conduct echocardiograms. An echocardiogram (also called an echo) is a type of ultrasound test that uses high-pitched sound waves that are sent through a device called a transducer. The device picks up echoes of the sound waves as they bounce off the different parts of the heart. According to Dr. Amir, even as they offered their

support, the team from the Calgary University during their many visits recognised that they were seeing an increasing number of children with congenital heart disease. Many of these children, although they were previously seen by doctors, were not being correctly treated. Moreover, there was need for several of them to be sent abroad for treatment. However, Dr. Amir noted that this was found to be very costly. “You can’t send the baby alone, you have to send a parent with the baby, pay for their accommodation and all of that, so that was expensive to the Government and some of the people too,” said Dr. Amir. It was against this background, Dr. Amir said, that Dr. Isaac decided to introduce the GPHC to the work of the Baby Heart Foundation. “She was the one who put us onto the Baby Heart Foundation and what they started doing was looking at the possibility of operating on our children with congenital heart disease,” Dr. Amir recalled. The collaboration started

off with the Baby Heart Foundation taking children to the Dominican Republic to gain cardiac surgical attention. However, over the past few years, experts of the Baby Heart Foundation have been visiting Guyana annually to offer their support. “They are here in Guyana now...they have developed, to some extent, our area where we can do heart surgeries here on children. It is an area that has been developed exclusively for this purpose even as discussions continue,” said Dr. Amir. He said that while the officials of the Baby Heart Foundation are awaiting commitment from the Government of Guyana, they have also indicated their willingness to also invest in the realisation of the Paediatric Cardiac Centre. “We are in the third year now of this programme where they are operating on children, and so far they have had wonderful success,” said Dr. Amir. But according to him, the Baby Heart Foundation has been “getting a lot of offers from other countries to go and do the same thing, but they prefer to stick with us.”

The iconic Charmaine... From page 25 tracks contributed majority to the album “Consciousness 2” reaching No 1 on the same Island. She has to her credit, over 40 music videos some of which was featured regularly on the CMC's program 'Riddim Express' reaching over 22 countries of the Caribbean, CVN International Music Television, City TV's Much Music Television and Rogers Caribbean Channel Canada, Radio-TV Africana, Asian TV, Boston's Riddim & Soul BNN-TV in the USA, STVS Suriname and Ben Television London.

This extensive airplay has led Charmaine to becoming the most talked about homebased artiste. Blackman-Alves also remains a fine cultural ambassador touring several countries and has attended Toronto's Caribbean Festival 'Caribana', Ottawa's 'Urban Music Festival' and 'Labor Day' in New York, Rainforest Air Music Festival in Costa Rica among others. But her biggest musical experience has been the RINGBANG MILLENNIUM CONCERT in Tobago that was televised by the BBC to 2.5 billion viewers around the

world. In 2012 she was awarded by the borough of Brooklyn, and the Guyana Cultural Association of New York Inc. plus a New York City Council Citation in recognition of her outstanding contribution to Guyana's Culture and Heritage. By: Bonny Alves. Web Presence: w w w. t w i t t e r. c o m / ssignalproductions www.facebook.com/ charmaine.blackman1 www.facebook.com/ bonny.alves.16 — with Charmaine Blackman and Redants Bite Yuh.

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Kaieteur News

Accused had hired taxi... GWI opens commercial (From page 13) to record the evidence. To most of the questions, the witness said that he could not recall precisely the process or material used to record the evidence. The matter is scheduled to continue on April 24. On Wednesday, Government Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh, testified that based on his post mortem examination, the 19-year-old cosmetologist died a s a result of respiratory failure due to gunshot injuries to the spine. The Pathologist explained that based on his examination, the victim was shot in the mouth, and the bullet exited the back of her head. Dr. Singh is among ten persons to take the stand in the trial. Police Corporal Patrick Benjamin had told the court that he visited the scene of the crime and retrieved

bullets and spent shells from the roadway at Lusignan Railway Embankment. The witness said that he and the other officers also took photographs of the crime scene. The policeman said that he visited the Georgetown Public Hospital morgue, where he viewed the body of the deceased. He noted that Harriram had a wound to her mouth and the back of her head. Last week, Police Sergeant Collin Ross faced intense questioning regarding the murder investigations. Wayne’s Counsel, Nigel Hughes, specifically asked the witness about his client’s physical condition during the time of investigation and taking of the statement. The policeman said that he noticed injuries on Wayne’s arm, but he made no record of it in the station

diary. Officer Ross noted that he would have had to have sustained the injuries before reaching the Vigilance Police Station. However, the attorney suggested to the policeman that Wayne had been burned. Hughes suggested to the witness that the police had used methylated spirits as a combustible substance to set his client’s arm alight during the interrogation. To which Ross replied, “No sir, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Hughes further suggested to the witness that he instituted charges against Wayne after it became known that he made certain allegations against members of the Guyana Police Force in relation to another murder. Ross denied the suggestions. A voir dire has since been conducted into the matter.

Type one diabetics more... (From page 16) aid of helping type ones to manage their diabetes, and this is just what we have been doing,” he asserted. According to AlonzoBeaton it is important that diabetics in general, understand that it is better for them to control their diets. “Eat small quantities at regular intervals...Don’t go into lunch hungry, don’t go

into any meal hungry [because] you are going to eat far more than you are supposed to eat.” Alonzo-Beaton, in making reference to a pocket book guide which outlines the management of diabetes during the childhood and adolescent years, revealed that “when type ones reach puberty there ought to be a change of insulin. There can be a

difference...sometimes the body either ask for more insulin or sometimes ask for less, it just depends on what is happening with that person.” To share such information, Alonzo-Beaton underscored that the Youth Leaders, guided by the book, will receive training with a view of helping them to better help type ones control their diabetes.

office in Lethem

As the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) looks to improve its delivery of service across the nation, a commercial office was opened last Wednesday in Lethem, the first of its kind in a hinterland community. The building, which was rented from a Lethem resident, was refurbished and outfitted with GWI particulars, and will ensure that Lethem residents and those persons living in the 59 nearby villages benefit from real time service. Addressing the gathering at the commissioning of the office, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GWI, Dr. Richard Van West-Charles, said that the establishment of the office is a culmination of talks with region nine residents and local officials. Van West-Charles said that he advanced the importance of such an office in that region and he put that proposal to the board of the water company, and in less than one year the project has been made a reality. The CEO said the company’s mission is service to the people. He said it was because of this responsibility that Lethem and other residents are now privy to

services that other communities enjoy. Van West-Charles said that the quality of life of citizens on the coast and that of hinterland residents should be no different. He said that previously residents had to travel to Georgetown to pay their bills which were generated every six months. Additionally, when there was a problem with the water facilities in that region, residents had to wait for long periods to have those problems rectified. He said that this will now be corrected, since there is now an engineer attached to the region, and a number of GWI officials and technicians that will address the residents’ needs. Water utility bills will now be generated every 28 days for region nine residents and those bills can be paid at the new office. Additionally, the opening of the office has ensured employment for 11 residents of the area, something that Charles feels is important when such projects are undertaken. Also addressing the gathering at the ceremony,

Junior Minister of Communities Dawn Hastings-Williams said that the office, which will serve commercial customers and address people’s queries, is a welcome addition to the new town. The Minister told the gathering that GWI is in the process of registering its commercial customers, and will also expand its services throughout the region. She urged residents to take care of the facility, since it is there for everyone, and the community should be able to benefit fully. She said that Lethem is a land of opportunities and the residents there should be a model that other communities should follow. The Minister also noted that it is always very refreshing to see a wide cross section of people, of different ethnicities, co-exist in a way that all Guyanese should.

A mini health check is the first step to donating blood

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Kaieteur News

Friday April 14, 2017

Friday April 14, 2017

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Kaieteur News

GRA: Widespread under-invoicing on imported building materials -city businesses to study VAT effects on local lumber market City businesses will soon make a case on the negative impact that the recently introduced Value Added Tax (VAT) on forest products. This came as a result of Wednesday’s meeting between Minister of Finance Winston Jordan, and the newly elected President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Deodat Indar; Immediate Past President, Vishnu Doerga, and other executive members, to discuss strengthened partnerships with the Ministry. The meeting was also to explore strategic approaches to promoting growth in the economy. The Minister was accompanied by the Governor General of Central Bank, Dr. Gobind Ganga and Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority, Godfrey Statia. According to the ministry in a release of the meeting last evening, Indar raised a number of issues that are affecting members of GCCI. These included VAT on private tuition and forestry products; rate and availability of foreign exchange and the state of the economy. Also discussed was the issue of local content legislation in the context of the emerging oil and gas sector and GRA’s ‘uneven’ import valuation system. “Minister Jordan informed the group that Cabinet has agreed to review all taxes including VAT on pri-

vate tuition for Budget 2018. He reiterated that VAT on private tuition was not as a result of non-compliance by the owners of private schools as is being peddled in some quarters, but rather, that it was done in the context of broadening the tax base as government sought to lower other tax rates such as income and Corporation rates.” On the matter of VAT on forestry products, Indar stated that VAT on local forestry products makes them less competitive than alternative imported building materials, and that this is disadvantageous to the local industry. “The Minister urged GCCI to engage its stakeholders to provide evidence based data on the effects of VAT on forestry products so as to advance a review of tax measures impacting on the sector and offered to examine other incentives to help make the sector more competitive. Mr. Indar welcomed the suggestions and promised to discuss them with his membership,” the ministry disclosed. GCCI also reported that complaints about the availability of foreign currency are continuing particularly from small and sole proprietary businesses. “Governor of Bank of Guyana, Dr. Gobind Ganga, informed that the exchange rate had stabilised and advised that there is enough foreign exchange available for banks to service requests

Minister of State Joseph Harmon has assured that the new Board of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) is currently addressing matters surrounding illegally granted radio licences. Harmon was one who, while in opposition, criticized former President Bharrat Jagdeo for granting radio licences to his friends and family. He even protested for the licences to be revoked. Now that Harmon is in government, changes are still to be made. The Minister of State was asked yesterday if he has reminded Cabinet of the wrong committed, and the importance of having these issues addressed. He did not answer this question directly. Instead, Harmon responded, “What I can say is that we have appointed a new board, and the authority understands the position of the APNU+AFC administration on the matter.” Harmon went further to say, “I can assure you that they are looking into

it right now.” On the issue of the non appointment of Opposition nominee, Bibi Shadick, to the Board, Harmon effectively said that she has to wait. He said that the Opposition cannot expect to submit Shadick’s name “today and expect to have her sit on the Board tomorrow.” He said that the rest of the Board was appointed without Shadick, because the opposition had established that it was not interested in having representation on any State Board. Meanwhile the Board has been having meetings without Shadick. But Prime Minister Nagamootoo has no idea what progress the Board is making. All he knows is that “they have been meeting.” He said that he met with the members when they were sworn in about two months ago. The Prime Minister has however received no report since then. He said that queries about the work of the Board must be directed to the

Minister of Finance Winston Jordan (3rd left) with members of GCCI’s executive, along with the BoG’s Dr. Gobind Ganga (2nd left) and GRA Commissioner-General, Godfrey Statia (far left). from especially small businesses and individuals. Told that a request for CAN 1600 was turned down by one bank, he advised that banks should not quote the rates for currency if they do not have that currency for sale.” However, Ganga cautioned that walk-in customers face greater scrutiny than regular customers of banks because of anti-money laundering legislation requirements. According to the ministry, at the request of the GCCI, the Minister of Finance agreed to the formation of a small working group consisting of representatives of GCCI, other private sector bodies, importers, exporters and Central Bank that will discuss and offer recommendations for the challenges affecting the smooth functioning of the foreign exchange

New GNBA Board looking into illegal radio licences - Harmon

Board Chairman, Leslie Sobers. However, for no less than four weeks now, Kaieteur News has been trying to make contact with Sobers, but to no avail. The legacy of the last GNBA Board appointed by the APNU+AFC is poor. Its work was almost nonexistent and members mostly fought among themselves. The Board was also accused of corruption but a Commission of Inquiry into these allegations found that they were false. Nevertheless, there is nothing significant to that Board’s credit. The issues that need to be addressed in Broadcasting remain many. Mainly, the APNU+AFC government promised that it will reverse the wanton distribution of radio licences to Jagdeo’s friends and family. The distribution was made days before Jagdeo demitted office.

market including rates, availability and retention accounts. On the state of the economy, Minister Jordan referred to the recent IMF report which stated that the country’s economy fared far better than projected; from 2.6 percent to 3.3 percent while pointing out that Guyana is one of the few Caribbean countries to record positive growth for last year. Minister Jordan told the GCCI executives that there are opportunities available through various government initiatives which will assist in propelling the economy. “These include an expanded Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP), the distribution of concessions released by previous holders to new concessionaires in the forestry sector, new housing initiatives, and the imminent production of manganese.” He also said that more

than a dozen investors have expressed interest in the operations of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and that Cabinet is actively examining those proposals. “The GCCI official enquired about local content legislation while disclosing that the Chamber would like the opportunity to comment on any new legislation, as it believes that Guyanese should benefit from the oil find.” According to the ministry, Jordan advised that local content legislation designed to ensure domestic economic participation and development is being drafted, and urged that the Chambers pursue partnerships with other stakeholders in the meantime. “GCCI also reported that it conducted two outreaches to businesses on Regent and Robb Streets during which many business owners complained that the GRA is revaluing their invoices and this

has resulted in the payment of higher taxes for imports. Mr Indar requested that information pertaining to the process be provided to business owners.” Meanwhile, it is being reported that CommissionerGeneral Statia disclosed that while imports remain stable, the Valuation Department of his agency has observed widespread under invoicing of imported building materials. As a result, he said, the GRA will shortly issue a guideline for importers in relation to its valuation system. Other issues raised include a request for the Food and Drugs Department to be strengthened, and for a reexamination of the 2am curfew. “The meeting closed with GCCI pledging to work more closely with the Ministry of Finance, Central Bank and GRA for the development of the economy.”

Two nabbed in E’bo taxi with 11 pounds of coke

The taxi in which the men were travelling Two men are in police custody following a cocaine bust on the Essequibo coast yesterday afternoon. It is reported that sometime between 15:00hrs and 18:00hrs, ranks found 11 pounds of

cocaine in the possession of two men traveling along the coast. The men were travelling in a taxi bearing licence plates, HB 5808 The men were detained at the Aurora Police station.

It was not immediately made known where the cocaine was heading. The suspects are currently being held at separate police stations. The car has been impounded.

PAGE 30

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

Live in domestic must know to cook Indian dishes 25-40yrs, live in or live out waitress 18-25yrs from E.C.D – Call: 698-7172 Land to buy La Parfaite Harmonie, Herstelling, Eccles, Uitvlugt, Tuschen or anywhere. Call: 666-2326 1 Handyman to work @ the Kalyan Mall & Shopping Plaza, 162-163 Lamaha Street, Cummingsburg, Georgetown. Call: 227-6681/655-9187/6273390/647-0933 1 Experienced general domestic to work in G/town, must know to cook Indian dishes. Call: 656-6388

TOURS Rodeo, Lethem Rodeo, Brazil, Falls and sightseeing, April 13- 17th. Call: 665-5171, 639-2663, 2237589,658-3758,673-2348

Experienced Cashier, Apply at Hacks Halaal Restaurant, with written application, 5 Commerce Street. We are buying land in Eccles, Herstelling, Farm, La Parfaite Harmonie, Zeelugt, Melanie (East Coast). Call: 233-3006/ 658-5897/651-1969

Plumber/ Mason for septic tank repairs. Call: 223-6147 or 669- 7064 Driver for water truck, preferably on the E.B.D- Call/ Whatsapp: 682-1048 Workers needed for interior. Call: 674-1767 One female shop assistant to work in the Interior, age 2345. Contact: 668-6421

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

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

FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. 1 Complete Sawmill at Ya r r o w k a b r a Linden Soesdyke Highway and 1 F66 – Clarke, Ranger Skidder. Call: 609-8041/ 6441190 Design & Make Aluminum windows, doors, stainless rails, showcases, rolling shutters, make & install automatic doors. Call: 2336818/677-5599/659-9999 1 White Passo, PSS, 1 -2 door sankey cooler, 1 -280 Sthil slasher, 1 queen size bed & spring fill mattress, all brand new. Call: 602-3000/ 690-1038 1 (3) Ton Enclose canter $1,050,000. Call: 254-0401

One nail technician at West Shore Plaza, 15 Public Road Ruimzeight. Call: 269-1524/ 656-3561 Live in waitress, domestic & supervisor 18-45yrs, salary starts -$80,000 monthly, boarding & lodging free (Bar & Grocery). Call: 610-3974 House and land to buy on the East Coast, good condition, from $4M-$6M- Call: 669-8802

PROPERTY FOR SALE

VACANCY

Transported property @ Grove and Diamond $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461

Office Clerk (senior/junior) with CXC English/ Mathematics, computer knowledge an asset. Call: 223-7500

House & Land available for sale. Contact Pacific Development Inc @ Lot 3 Church Street, G/Town. Call: 223-6035/227-8274 Newly built @ Craig E.B.D land 91X50, house 40X28, 3 rooms, 1 self-contained$23M. Call: 718-213-6496/ 617-7691 House for sale- 2 flat no flooding, 6ft fence, price $21Million negotiable. Call: 233-5400/ 218-0595 1-2 Storey building 3 bedrooms upstairs, 2 apartments downstairs, all self-contained @ avenue B Diamond, E.B.D- Call: 6585452

200HP Yamaha Engine ports, top fine crankshaft, pistons, bearings. Call Terry: 6521819, location: East Bank Demerara

LEARN TO DRIVE C. Persaud & N. Outar Driving School formerly Soman & Sons Driving School @ Maraj Building- Call: 644-5166; 6222872; 615-0964; 689-5997 (affordable packages).

PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Bottom flat house @ 25 North Road & Oronoque Street, fully furnished/ air condition/ residence /business.Call: 226-7012 Well maintained self contained 2 bedroom apartments @ William Street, Campbellville -$45,000. Call: 226-6787

WANTED Business opportunities needed to invest in Gold trade in Interior. Call: 658-7553 One cashier, Attractive salary. Phone 696-9386. Or send application by WhatsApp and SMS Maid required for domestic work and cooking. Call: 658-8669. Experienced shop workers, handyman & domestic to work in the Interior, age 1840yrs. Call: 231-0360 (9am4:30pm). (TIN, ID & NIS) Labourers for wood concession -$5,000 per dayCall: 618-0487 Washbay staff living in Georgetown, driver’s License will be an asset. Call: 664-0802 Driver with minibus license living in G/town, to work with company. Call: 664-0802

Live in or live out babysitter/ domestic –Call: 223-7500. Monday-Saturday 8:154:15pm Trainee A.C, Refrigerator, Technician –Call: 231-0655 Room attendant, male security age 30-55, 233 South Road, Lacytown. Call: 225-0198 Experienced carpenters – apply in person to Alabama Trading Georgetown, Ferry Stelling Stabroek. General Domestic to work 3 days per week, wash & clean. Apply in person @ Alabama Trading, 65 Robb Street, Bourda. Looking for experienced all round IT specialist. Send CV t o jobs@expresstruckingcorp.com or call 227-6025.

FOR RENT

Experienced curry cooks, puri cook, waiters & cleaners. Apply Hacks Halaal, 5 Commerce Street, Day Shift Only.

FULL TIME WAITER/ WAITRESS TO WORK AT AAGMAN RESTURANT, SHERIFF STREET, EXPERIENCEDPREFERRED. CALL: 219-0161/219-0158 TAXI SERVICE GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 225-7878 (24HRS)

Friday April 14, 2017

Kaieteur News

Two bedroom apartment with toilet & bath. Contact Nas: 220-6799/ 603-9547 Upper flat for rent 3 bedrooms in Atlantic Gardens- Call: 2274377/227-0613/624-6013 Space for rent @ Vreed-en Hoop Junction, lessons place, church, storage bond, office, others -$20,000 monthly. Call: 603-6400 Upper flat 2 bedroom apartment in Eccles -$60,000. Call: 233-2082/663-1109 House to rent @ Nimes W.B.D – Call: 622-3197 Business property to rent near Campbellville Secondary School. Call: 6276480/ 613-6815 TO LET 2 & 3 Bedrooms, fully furnished luxury apartments, long and short term rental. Call: 665-3505/ 655-6270

Accounts Clerk for Eccles, Industrial Site area knowledge of NIS, PAYE, VAT, Quickbooks. Call: 6144358 Experienced female Accounts Clerk, apply in person to Alabama Trading, 65-66 Robb Street Bourda.

LAND FOR SALE Transported land for sale size 37X270 @ Coglan Dam, Vreed-en-Hoop, W.B.D. Call: 650-5644/677-9938 La Parfaite Harmonie $1.2M, $1.4M, $1.6M, Tuschen Phase II $1.3M, $2M, Uitvlugt -$2M, Herstelling -$3.5M .Call: 6046724 La Parfaite Harmonie -$1.4M, $1.6M, $1.8M, Tuschen Phase II - $1.3M, Uitvlugt $2M, V/Hoop -$27M. Call: 666-2326 Farm (East Bank) $3M, La Parfaite Harmonie -$1.6M, Uitvlugt -$2.6M, Providence -$5M, Bartica - $3M. Call:2333006; 658-5897; 651-1969 TO LET 4 AC Rooms/2 large hall with 1 extra room, suitable for business/offices @ 21 Seaforth St. Campbellville, Georgetown. Call: 226-1877, 624-7436, 654-9350 Continued on page 23

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Kaieteur News

Protect your environment; you will be protecting your employment From page 22

- President Granger tells Muritaro residents

EDUCATIONAL French Classes: 276B Peter Rose Street, Monday-Friday open from 1-5pm, www.alliancefrancaiseguyana. com. Tel: 226-1882 Classes for slow learners in Reading, Spelling, Mathematics, and much more for children all ages. Call: 675-4379

The President with children of Muritaro and Malali after he had presented them with kites By Enid Joaquin “Believe me boys and girls, your employment will come from right here, so I’m calling on you (residents) to protect your environment, because in so doing you will be protecting your employment!” President David Granger exhorted Muritaro residents yesterday, during a brief address before presenting scores of children with kites in the community’s school compound. The children were drawn from the upper Demerara villages of Muritaro and Malali. Before presenting the kites to the excited children, some of whom had taken time out from their National Grade Six Assessment, the President also spoke of the genesis of kites which he said were invented and first flown by the Chinese, who brought the culture here. The children were also presented with pens and exercise books featuring some of the largest animals in the world, that are unique to Guyana. Alluding to the animals, the President told residents to protect ‘the places’ where they live, as some of them cannot be found anywhere else in the Caribbean. He noted, “You know Amerindians have a saying if you cut down the trees the skies will fall down? “So we have adopted a programme of protecting the environment. On the first Saturday of October every year we have what we call National Tree Day, and we plant trees all over the country.” The President acknowledged that “people have to cut logs to build houses and make a living, but that this has to be done in a sustainable manner, because we have to

TO LET Fully furnished vacation home with all amenities Call during working hours 2271218

President David Granger flanked from left by Toshao of Malali Wilbert Hall, Vice Toshao and Toshao of Muritaro, Eldo Fleming and Lauretta Fiedtkou, and Region Ten Councillor Sandra Adams. ensure that we protect the environment, because if we cut down the jungle the animals would die”. “So today I bring you a message not only on Easter or education, but of the environment, which you have to protect for future generations. And the environment could give you a good living, because in many of our towns, villages and communities young people come out of school and they can’t get a job.” He reminded residents of the many items that could be produced in their community through cottage industries, using agricultural produce. Some of the items touted included passion fruit juice, orange juice and other beverages. Underscoring what was

alluded to by the Minister of Agriculture, who said that if every household in Bartica planted one Breadfruit tree, the community could produce a million pounds of breadfruit per year, the President told the residents that should they take up such a challenge, and he would be proud to a lead “a Muritaro breadfruit delegation to St Vincent” a Caribbean country whose residents have a penchant for the commodity. CHEAP ENERGY The President told residents that cheap energy could be generated by using natural elements such as the wind and the sun, using solar panels to generate electricity. Such sustainable energy, he pointed out, could

run machines and assist students to study. He also acknowledged that there are challenges facing the community and made a commitment to have those addressed. During his brief address President Granger also s p o k e a b o u t t h e “ B ’s ” programme which he introduced on the occasion of his first birthday celebrated as President of Guyana, and which has seen several school children across the country benefitting from buses, boats and bicycles - easing the financial burden on their parents, who sometimes had to spend thousands of dollars per week to get them to school. Regional chairman Renis Morian applauded

the President on his visit to the community and his gesture in providing kites to the children. Similar sentiments were echoed by Councillor Sandra Adams, who chaired the proceedings. Both children and their parents expressed gratitude and appreciation to the president for his kind gesture, and many took the opportunity to take photographs with the Head of State. Toshao Lauretta Fiedtkou, who welcomed the President to the community, in her brief remarks thanked him for the initiative. It was the President’s first visit to Muritaro, a riverain community which lies twenty five miles upriver from Linden.

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Amaila Falls contract U.S. drops ‘mother of all still cannot be found bombs’ in Afghanistan The Amaila Falls Hydro Electricity Project remains one of the most controversial projects that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration—or any other Guyana government for that matter—has ever embarked upon. It was supposed to be the country’s biggest infrastructural development in terms of cost. A little over US$40M was spent on the access road alone. Yet, the APNU+AFC government is yet to put hands on the contract. Since last year, Minister of State Joseph Harmon said that government was still looking for several contracts that were signed by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic government. He pointed out two contracts that the government is still trying to locate - the Amaila Falls Hydro Electricity Project and the Specialty Hospital. Yesterday, as he hosted

his weekly Post-Cabinet press briefing, Harmon was asked about the contracts which he said remain “deeply buried”. Harmon told the media that after his utterances last year, “the Leader of the Opposition, (Bharrat Jagdeo) said that he had delivered it (the contract) on some CD at some meeting. It was never delivered, so that is the position still”. Even while in Opposition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) had asked to see the agreement with China Railway to build the actual hydro power plant to the cost of US$506 million. It had also asked to see the IDB feasibility study on the project presented. The Amaila project was left hanging in limbo in 2013 after the US developer, Sithe Global, announced its pullout. This was because the National Assembly remained split on key legislation that

was critical for partial project financing by the Inter-American Development Bank. APNU and the Alliance For Change, while in Opposition, had been unconvinced on how the money would have been spent, among other things. Sithe Global made it clear, then, that the flagship project, which it would manage for 20 years before handing it over to Government, needed the full backing of the National Assembly. The road had been a major thorn in the side of the hydro project after it was awarded to Synergy Holdings Inc, whose principal, Makeshwar ‘Fip’ Motilall, was the original mover for the project. The US$15M (initial price tag) access road faced several delays and the contract was terminated in January 2012 by the government. It was later awarded in parts to several contractors. The entire project should have cost US$15.4 million, according to the original contract given to Motilall, but ended up costing close to US$41M.

The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb

(Reuters) The United States dropped “the mother of all bombs,” the largest nonnuclear device it has ever unleashed in combat, on a network of caves and tunnels used by Islamic State in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, the military said. President Donald Trump touted the bombing as evidence of a more muscular U.S. foreign policy since he took office in January after eight years of President Barack Obama. The 21,600 pound (9,797 kg) GBU-43 bomb was dropped from a MC-130 aircraft in the Achin district of Nangarhar province, close to the border with Pakistan, Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said. The GBU-43, also known as the “mother of all bombs,” is a GPS-guided munition

and was first tested in March 2003. It is regarded as particularly effective against clusters of targets on or just underneath the ground. It was the first time the United States has used this size of conventional bomb in a conflict. Trump described the bombing as a “very successful mission.” It was not immediately clear how much damage the device did. During last year’s presidential election campaign, Trump vowed to give priority to destroying Islamic State, which operates mostly in Syria and Iraq. He flexed U.S. military muscles last week by ordering a cruise missile attack on a Syrian government airbase in retaliation for a poison gas attack. The security situation re-

mains precarious in Afghanistan, with a number of militant groups trying to claim territory more than 15 years after the U.S. invasion which toppled the Taliban government. So far, Trump has offered little clarity about a broader strategy for Afghanistan, where some 8,400 U.S. troops remain. Last week, a U.S. soldier was killed in the same district as where the bomb was dropped while he was conducting operations against Islamic State. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said the bombing “targeted a system of tunnels and caves that ISIS fighters used to move around freely, making it easier for them to target U.S. military advisers and Afghan forces in the area.”

Govt. forces legislation through... From page 8 appointment. This part contains provisions on how the SARA will be financed, through a budget approved by the National Assembly, and its transparency obligations, by requiring the Director to provide a detailed annual plan and annual report, both of which must be laid before the National Assembly. In addition, SARA staff will be required to comply with the Code of Conduct prescribed in the Integrity Commission Act. Sections Six and Seven of the Bill set out the respective functions of SARA and its Director. SARA’s functions include the investigation, tracing and identification of State property suspected to be the proceeds of unlawful conduct of a public official or other person, and to institute High Court proceedings for the civil recovery of that property. The Bill also enables SARA to seek the recovery of such property, wherever in the world that property may be located, and must also raise public awareness on the

dangers of corruption and other crime. As part of the need to maintain and upkeep public confidence in the criminal justice system, Head of SARU, Professor Clive Thomas explained that the Director must, before undertaking civil recovery proceedings, consider whether the recovery of State property will be better secured by criminal proceedings. He said that the Director and named members of SARA staff may exercise the powers of police, customs and immigration officers, if so designated by the relevant Ministers, upon the Director’s request. The Director will also be under a duty to ensure training in the operation of the Act is available to professionals and to ensure relevant staff are trained and accredited in financial investigation. The SARU Head said that mutual cooperation between the Director of Public Prosecutions and Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit is a requirement, and the Commissioner of Police must pro-

vide such assistance as is requested by the Director. He said that the Director may enter into binding memoranda of understanding with other Government or public bodies, and is able to collaborate with any State organ, foreign government or international or regional organization, in the recovery of State property. Part III of the Bill contains provisions for the establishment of a Recovery of State Assets fund, into which 25% of the value of recovered property will be credited, with the remaining 75% credited to the Consolidated Fund. This Fund is intended to make the SARA partially self-funding. The Bill sets out that the Director is thus authorized to use the funds to commence actions under the Act, to make certain payments, e.g. to pay experts to assist him in carrying out SARA functions, to fund training and capacity building, or to compensate victims who suffered loss as a result of unlawful conduct. (Additional reporting by Murtland Haley)

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Friday April 14, 2017

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Clique has “hijacked” Windies cricket, argues Rowley PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has accused a small leadership clique of “hijacking” West Indies cricket and argues that unless fundamental changes are made in the area of governance, the region will continue to languish behind the rest of the cricketing world. The outspoken regional leader, who in the past has been critical of the West Indies Cricket Board’s management of the sport, said the issue of ownership also remained a critical issue in the resolution of the crisis facing

the game in the Caribbean. “Caribbean cricket has been hijacked by a small clique of people who are hell bent on destroying Caribbean cricket and my position [is], unless the question is answered as to who owns that asset, we’re spinning top in mud,” Rowley told CNC 3’s morning television show. “In Pakistan and in Australia that question has been answered and new arrangements were put in place and they rebuilt their team under new arrangements. “We’re being told in the West Indies – and I was told to my face along with my col-

league the Prime Minister of Grenada [Dr Keith Mitchell] that you (CARICOM) have no say in this. This is West Indies Cricket Inc. and it is their shareholders they have to please.” He added: “I don’t know who the shareholders are but what I do know, is that unless there are drastic changes to the current arrangements, West Indies cricket will never get back where we expect it to be.” West Indies cricket has been in the doldrums for nearly two decades now, plagued by poor results on the field and player tensions

Mohammed eyeing Test debut following... From page 33 three-match series. His career-best unbeaten 91 was the catalyst behind West Indies’ record run chase to win the first ODI in Guyana last Friday. Mohammed’s healthy average of 44 in List A cricket versus his modest 26 at the first class level has seen him pigeon-holed as a one-day player but the Trinidadian said he would continue trying to prove his value in the longest format. “The selectors have their own options on who they are looking at to play what format,” he explained.

“In the past I think I have deserved a [Test] spot but was never given the opportunity, but I am still pressing and hoping to play Test cricket sometime soon.” He continued: “It was good coming back into the international scene. It is always good to perform and I worked hard leading up to those series [against England and Pakistan] and even before that, so it is nice to have the results behind me.” West Indies face Pakistan in a three-Test series starting April 21 at Sabina Park in Jamaica, hoping to reverse their recent trend of poor results

which has left them winless in their last seven tours. And Mohammed, who was a welcome boost for the Windies top order in the series ODI series, said he felt he could make a difference in the Test arena though conceding the challenge would be a stiff one. “I think I will help a little bit but myself going into Test cricket for the first time it will be difficult,” he acknowledged. “There are guys who have played before who will be there, so obviously with a mixture of experienced guys and myself it could be a good combination. It would be my first time playing Test cricket and I just have to wait and see how it goes.”

Questions on Sparta’s...

From page 37 receive $400,000 and the championship trophy, while the runner-up, third and fourth places teams collect $200,000, $100,000 and $50,000 respectively. The Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the championship will pocket $50,000 and a trophy, while the Highest Goal Scorer and Best Goalkeeper will walkway with $25,000 each and the respective accolades. The other sponsors on board are NaMilCo and Star Party Rentals.

with the WICB, and occasionally player strikes. The Test team currently sits in the nether regions of the international rankings at number eight while the one-day team is ninth, behind sides like Bangladesh and Pakistan. That lowly rank caused them to miss out on qualification for this year’s Champions Trophy and unless they can creep into the top seven in the world by September 30, they will also miss out on automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup. With the game immersed in conflict, a Governance Review Panel chaired by UWI Cave Hill principal, Professor Eudine Barriteau and commis-

sioned by regional nation grouping, CARICOM, recommended the “immediate dissolution” of the WICB in a 2015 report, arguing the body’s governance structure was “obsolete” and “anachronistic”. The report called for the “appointment of an interim board whose structure and composition will be radically different from the now proven, obsolete governance framework.” However, the WICB was quick to reject the report, labelling the proposal as an “unnecessary and intrusive demand. Since then, CARICOM and the WICB have remained

at odds over the way forward. Rowley pointed out that the decline of Caribbean cricket was underscored by the state of first class cricket, which has ceased to be attractive to the public. “For me, growing up in this country and lining up outside the Oval from 6 o’clock in the morning to get in, that’s how cricket used to be, and Barbados is playing Trinidad and Tobago and the Oval is full because you have to beat those Bajans,” recalled Rowley. “And now you’re passing outside the Oval and you’re asking what is happening in there. You know how painful that is.”

Friday April 14,2017 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Deception is likely. You may interest some of them in a service you have to offer. Don't let your family put demands on you. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Your contributions will be valued and helpful. You can expect to experience delays or additional red tape if you deal with institutions. Elders may get you going today. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You should consider submitting some of your written work for publication. Learn some new skills that will increase your income. Don't be too quick to sign documents. CANCER (June 21–July 22) If they don't want to get involved, work by yourself. You may find it difficult to communicate with someone at work. Don't let your mate talk you into going somewhere you'd rather not go. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You must be careful not to trust just anyone. Do not make rash decisions about your personal life. Travel will enhance romance and adventure. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Make arrangements to meet friends at your local dance club. You can expect opposition from family as well as colleagues. You can find out interesting information if you get a chance to talk to people you respect. LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) If you've been really busy, try to schedule some time to spend with loved ones. Hard work will payoff if you re-

frain from expressing your opinion to superiors. Find out all the facts before you jump to conclusions. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Your diplomacy will be of utmost importance today. You can make money if you get involved in real estate deals. Promotions will be yours if you have acted professionally in times of crisis. SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) You are best to avoid confrontations. Overindulgence will be a problem if you are out in a social setting. You can meet potential new mates, but make sure that they aren't already committed to someone else. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) It is best not to upset the apple cart if you learn information that may damage a colleague's reputation. Selfdeception about relationships is a problem. Don't second guess yourself, just go to it. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) This may not be your day if you are overly melodramatic and unnerving everyone around you. Delve a little deeper if you really want to know the score. Do not get upset about situations you cannot change. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Your home environment may be volatile if precautions aren't taken. Your changing philosophies may lead you into new circles and open doors that will give you a unique outlook on life. Legal matters that have been pending may be alleviated through compromise.

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Friday April 14, 2017

RHTY&SC, MS 27th Annual Awards Ceremony

Anamayah Memorial Hospital on board as a major sponsor Plans for the successful hosting of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, MS 27th Annual Awards Ceremony received a major boost on Friday last when the Anamayah Memorial Hospital came on board as an official sponsor. The Belvedere based private Hospital has agreed to sponsor the Club’s Annual Tribute to Retired Teachers and Tribute to Outstanding Law Enforcement Officers Programmes. The RHTY&SC, MS Annual Award Ceremony would be held on the 23rd of April at the ST. Francis Community Developers Training Centre and a total of 74 outstanding Club members, Retired Teachers, Law Enforcement Officers and Teachers of the year would be honoured. Secretary/CEO of the RHTY&SC, Hilbert Foster, w h o a l o n g w i t h Vi c e President Mark Papannah and Asst. Secretary Simon Naidu, are spearheading the

planning of the Awards Ceremony, stated that a total of seven Retired Teachers and seven Law Enforcement Officers would be honoured. Originally, the plan was to honour four retired Teachers but it was increased to seven due to the large amount of nominees. The Ministry of Education Region 6 Department selected four names, while the RHTY&SC members nominated the other three. The seven awardees have a combined total of over 210 years of service to the educational sector in Guyana. The Outstanding Law Enforcement Officers were selected by the ‘B’ Division of the Guyana Police Force based on their individual performance to make Guyana a safe place for all its citizens. Foster, the long standing Secretary/CEO of Guyana’s leading Youth and Sports Organisation stated that the

Mark Papannah receives sponsorship from Dr. Ryan Anamayah, while other Hospital Staff look on. 2017 Award Ceremony would be the largest ever hosted by the RHTY&SC. Another of the main highlight would be the awarding of the Club’s highest Award, the Dolphin Award of Excellence to seventeen outstanding Guyanese. Club Patron, President David Granger

would deliver the feature address and assist in the distribution of prizes. Foster expressed gratitude to the management of the Hospital for readily agreeing to sponsor the two sets of awards and praised the Anamayah Memorial as a true and faithful friend of the RHTY&SC and its eight

cricket teams. Dr. Ryan Anamayah, Administrator of the Hospital noted that he was pleased to work along with the Club to honour heroes in the educational and security sectors. He praised the outstanding work of the Club and expressed confidence that the Award

Ceremony would be a huge success. Each of the fourteen awards would receive a framed certificate, trophy, medal and a collection of gifts. They would also benefit from a range of medical tests at the Hospital at a much reduced rate than normal.

Mohammed eyeing Pullorama on today in 3rd Faye Joseph Int’l Domino Competition Test debut following -US, St. Lucia, B/dos already in country

ODI success

Jason Mohammed … hoping for a Test call.

Domino action promises to be keenly contested. Teams from the USA, Barbados and St. Lucia have already arrived to compete in the 3rd Faye Joseph International Domino Competition which commences today with the Pullorama segment at the National Gymnasium. The event, which runs until April 17, has also attracted teams from Puerto Rico, Antigua & Barbuda and the Dominican Republic and word from the

Organisers indicate that other representatives is expected to arrive today. The competition to be played over four days has prize monies totaling in excess of $2million with the winning team receive $1million, 2 , 3 and 4 place d t e a m s c o l l e c t $500,000, $300,000 a n d $ 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 respectively along w i t h t r o p h i e s. There will also be special nd

rd

th

prizes for outstanding individual performances, while a Pullorama will be conducted on the opening day at the same venue. Entrance fee is US$220 or $44,000GYD and the defending champion is Phantom. Meanwhile, Organising Secretary Mark ‘Jumbie’ Wi l t s h i r e i n i n v i t e d comments said that defending champion Phantom will be hard-

Faye Joseph pressed to retain the trophy. According to Wiltshire the swell of tournaments have placed every team in good form and the competitiveness that was seen recently suggest that the event will be fiercely contested, making it d i ff i c u l t t o p r e d i c t a winner. The major sponsors on board are Ansa McAl under the Stag Beer brand and Digicel.

P O R T O F S PA I N , Trinidad, CMC – Jason Mohammed has his eyes set on a Test debut as he seeks to build on his recent success in the limited overs format for West Indies. The 30-year-old has enjoyed a decent run this year with four half-centuries in six One-Day Internationals and believes he can make a successful transition to the longest format. “Obviously I would like to play Tests, but it is up to the selectors. I think with my good form I should have a chance in Test cricket,” the right-hander told the News Day

newspaper here. “If there are others in line obviously I will have to wait my turn, but I am definitely excited if I am called up to the Test team, and I would be looking forward to the opportunity.” Mohammed made his international debut in 2011 with little success and had to wait another four years before he could play his second game, again failing to have any impact. However, he returned to the squad for the England series last month with two half-centuries and struck another two against Pakistan in the just concluded (Continued on page 32)

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Friday April 14, 2017

GCA’s USACA Guyana tour

DCC hands Americans first defeat as USACA’s U-17 beaten by 6-wkts Alphius Bookie plays defensively as Sachin Singh, who he shared a 50-run stand with, watches from the non striker’s end.

USACA’s top scorer Pradeep Ravi is bowled by Dequan Bamfield on Wednesday Evening at DCC (Photos by Sean Devers)

Rutik Chunduri, wearing Akul Gupta’s shirt, is run out for a duck at DCC on Wednesday Evening as Nkosi Beaton (3-6 from 7 overs) looks on. By Sean Devers A tight spell of off-spin bowling by Nkosi Beaton and 50-run second wicket partnership between National U-17 batsmen Alphius Bookie and Sachin Singh spearheaded DCC to a comprehensive six-wicket

win over USACA’s U-17s in a day-night fixture of GCA’s USACA’s Guyana tour on Wednesday night at the DCC ground to hand the Americans their first loss in three games. Beaton had 3-7 from seven overs and got support from National U-17 left-arm

spinner Ashmead Nedd (212) as the Tourists fell for 97 in 34 overs in game reduced to 35 overs due to seepage under the covers. All-rounder Pradeep Ravi was the only batsman to reach double figures with a 69-ball 38 decorated with two sixes and a four.

Former national cycling champion confers life membership to Snr police officers in berbice Overseas based Guyanese and former national cycling champion Wilbert Benjamin has extended his benevolence to the Guyana Police Force. Benjamin now a businessman and owner of the Benjamin Sports Store and the recently opened Benjamin Fitness Gym and the Benjamin car wash has given free membership to the senior officers of B Division of the Guyana Police Force at the commissioning of the fitness gym which was held on March 13th. Benjamin, a fitness enthusiast, promised to give a few influential persons and community leaders free membership with his gym. O n We d n e s d a y Benjamin along with cycling coach and founder of the Flying Ace Cycle Club, Randolph Roberts visited the office of Commander of the Police B Division Assistant Commissioner Ian Amsterdam in New Amsterdam and handed over

the membership cards to Amsterdam. Four membership cards were handed over. Those catered for are Amsterdam, Senior Superintendent Errol Watts, Detective Officer, Deputy Superintendent Gary McAllister and Traffic Officer, Assistant Superintendent Williams. The other officers will be presented with their membership cards upon the provision of the relevant information by the Commander. The multimillion dollars Benjamin Fitness Gym along with the Benjamin Cycling and Sports Store and Car Wash are located at lot 220 Courtland Village, Corentyne, Berbice. The modern fitness gym, which is situated on the upper flat of the two story building, is well equipped with all the modern training equipment including exercise bikes, tread mills, weighting lifting machines, electrical step up machines,

dumbbells, barbells and cardio machines among other equipment. At present there are already over 200 members on board. Trainers are also in place and the gym is open to regular attendees, weight and powerlifters, bodybuilders, members of sports teams and those interested in just k e e p i n g f i t . It is open on a daily basis and everyone is welcome to join. Regular members are given a free gym jersey, towel and gym gloves, yoga mat and s t e p c o u n t e r . Benjamin, a native of Berbice, was a former national cyclist who represented Guyana at both the junior and senior levels. He was also a former school and junior champion who won the national school championship on three consecutive occasions. He still rides in his adopted homeland of Canada where he also operates a sports store. (Samuel Whyte)

DCC in reply reached 98-4 from 18.1 overs on small ground as the lefthanded Singh faced 57 balls in an unbeaten 27 with just two boundaries, while the more confident looking Bookie reached the fence three times and cleared it once in his 26 which lasted 46 balls. The hosts invited the visitors to bat on a twopaced track with plenty of assistance for the spinners and the Queenstown lads struck with just five runs on the board when Rutik Chundrui attempted a suicidal single and was run out for duck. It was 8-2 when Skipper and USACA’s best batsman inexplicably ran down the track to one that did not turn from Beaton, who opened the bowling, and was stumped by Robin Williams. Stanley with scores of 55 not out in the first match and an even 100 in the second, only managed three on Wednesday and was the key wicket for DCC. After Srindhi Ragshavendran (6) was

removed at 20-3 by Beaton, who bowled with impeccable control, only Ravi, who hit the first boundary of the innings in the 17th over when he dumped Osaffa Green over mid-wicket for six, offered any resistance before rain stopped play at 40-5 in 17 overs. After a delay of 25 minutes, play resumed under lights, the first time the Americans were playing cricket at night. After Nedd had Akul Gupta (3) stumped at 61-6, Ravi deposited Juspice Jones for a massive six before being bowled by pacer Dequan Bamfield at 85-8 and it was soon all over for the boys in Red, Blue and White. Williams was LBW to Chundrui off the first ball of the run chase but Bookie and Singh steadied the ship with the right-handed Bookie dominating the partnership. He cut Esuan Blair imperiously to the point boundary, pulled him for six and muscled the pacer past mid-on for four in an over which cost 14.

A packed DCC watched under a cloudy night sky in cool conditions as Bookie hammered Ravi for four and used his feet sweetly to caress off-spinner Dwayne Dick all along the ground to long-on for four more. Bookie hit Ravi to midoff at 50-2, while Raymond Perez, who was dropped on zero off Dick, hit Atul Iyer into the yard over the road behind the northern sightscreen before he was sent packing by Iyer at 70-3. Nedd (6) got off the mark with a six but was bowled by Gupta, while Singh remained to the end to break the USACA’s winning streak. Meanwhile, at the Malteenoes ground, the USACA’s U-14s crushed MSC by 66 runs in a rain affected contest which was reduced to a T20. Isaiah scored 54 to lead the US side to 118 in 19.5 overs before dismissing the hosts for 54 as Adithya Sharma and Yash Kanguru had three wickets each, while Aniruddha Immanuel took two.

STSC walk-a-ton set for tomorrow The South Turkeyen Sports Committee will be hosting a fund raising walk-a-ton tomorrow starting 06:00hrs from

Jubilee Park. The walk will continue around Georgetown before finishing at the National Park.

The event which carries an entrance fee of $200 will be held in honour of Johnny Barnwell’s birth anniversary.

ECCC congratulates Yadram, Hemraj The East Coast Cricket Committee has extended congratulations to Bhaskar Yadram and Chanderpaul

Hemraj on their selection to the Guyana Jaguars team for the regional four-day fixture against the

Windward Islands Volcanoes. The game starts tomorrow at Providence.

Kaieteur News

Friday April 14, 2017

PAGE 37

Digicel Regional First-Class tourney

Depleted Jaguars to face Volcanoes tomorrow Yadram, Rutherford could make debuts By Sean Devers Without six of their main players, unavailable for various reasons, leaders Guyana Jaguars face-off w i t h t h e Wi n d w a r d s Volcanoes from tomorrow at the Providence Stadium in their penultimate match in t h i s s e a s o n ’s D i g i c e l Regional First-Class tournament and teenagers B h a s k a r Ya d r a m a n d Sherfane Rutherford are the uncapped players in the squad.

The Jaguars sit on 109.8 points with two matches remaining, 4.6 points ahead of Barbados Pride who plays their final round from today and once the South American Franchise can avoid losing outright to the Volcanoes they will be well on their way to a third consecutive Four-Day title this season. The most points any team can collect in a match is 22 and if Barbados beat Jamaica in their final game which also starts tomorrow

Bhaskar Yadram and take the maximum bonus points, they will finish with 127.2 points. The Jaguars need at least two draws to give Leon Johnson

Banks DIH Limited comes big for Guyana Cup Fever 2017 Trophy Stall and others onboard Over the years Pacesetters Banks DIH Limited has been doing as their name suggests, setting the pace for others to follow. The Beverage giants have been contributing significantly to almost every s p h e r e o f G u y a n a ’s Development either directly or in a supporting role. Sports, education and community development have taken a significant portion of the company funds. The company has by far being the top supporter of Horse Racing, the Sport of Kings, in Guyana and continues to do so. The Guyana Cup Fever which is one of the premiere horseracing events in Guyana has attracted a significant amount of sponsorship from the Beverage Company. The event which is set for this Sunday (Easter Sunday) at the Port Mourant” big yard” Turf Club, Corentyne, Berbice is organised by the Jumbo Jet Business Conglomerate in Collaboration with the Port Mourant Turf Club. With entries closing on Wednesday last, reports are that close to 80 horses have been entered for the mega $8M horse race meet. Banks DIH Limited will be sponsoring the feature B and lower 1900M event for a first prize of $1M and the Banks DIH Trophy. Mr. Errol Nelson Manager of the

Powerade & Well-J brand and Ms. Shenisa Fredericks, a Trainee Manager, made the presentation to Coordinator Nazruddin ‘Jumbo Jet’ Mohamed Jnr and Organising Committee Member Compton Sancho yesterday of the prize for that event. The Trophy Stall also continues to lend yeoman service to local sports and as has been the case for many years now, Proprietor Ramesh Sunich and his business continues to support sports and in this case horseracing. A Rep of the Trophy Stall made their presentation to Mr Sancho for the meet. Other entities on board are the Shariff Racing Stable, Chris Jagdeo Racing Stable, Rising Sun Turf Club and the Vault Night Club of Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice. Most of the top runners in the country have been entered for that main Banks DIH sponsored event and an exhilarating race is expected. Princess She Not is the name being mentioned at the top of the list, but will have its work cut out with the others entered. With the likes of CP Got Even, Lady Budapest, Brave Sky, Golden Blue Echo, Just Call Me Boss, Spit Fire, Jack In My Style, Keep on Swinging, Climate Change and Kazi Azaria in the lineup fans could not ask for

m o r e . Most of the lineups have also been complete for the other events and scintillating stuff is anticipated. The other events on the days card are the –event for E3 and lower West Indies bred non earners for 2016 and 2017 and E3 US and Canadian bred non earners for 2016 and 2017 for $600,000 and trophy over 1200M. The 4-year-old West Indies bred and G3 and lower event over 1200M which incidentally the distance for all the other events. The race for animals classified H3 and lower. The event for 3 years old Guyana bred and horses classified ‘I’ 1 and lower. The race for Guyana bred three years old maiden horses. There is the event for animals classified J2 and K and the L and lower e v e n t . A number of added attractions and giveaways and incentives including free kites will be given away o n r a c e d a y . Free programmes will be made available to patrons and fans, while Banks DIH Limited will be having on the spot promotions. Contact can be made with Chandu Ramkissoon (6249063 or 232-0633), Romel Jagroop (624-1798) and Irshad Mohammed on 6641650 for any details. Race time is 12:30hrs. (Samuel Whyte)

Sherfane Rutherford the most titles by a Guyana Captain and the only one with titles in three consecutive seasons. The Jaguars are already without All-Rounder Raymond Reifer, fast bowler Keon Joseph and batsmen Vishaul Singh and Shemron Heytmer because of President’s X1 duties against Pakistan. But they will also be without leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo who leaves on Tuesday for a West Indies Test camp and their most experienced and most successful batsman in this tournament, Shiv Chanderpaul, who left the team in Trinidad to travel to the United States for personal reasons and will be unavailable for this important game due to his English County Cricket commitments. The 42-year-old Chanderpaul has 622 runs from 11 innings with two hundreds and five fifties and is second in the runs aggregate behind Kyle Hope who has 649 runs from 15 innings. The Jagaurs have not lost a game since the Hurricanes beat them by four wickets in St Kitts six games ago. Jaguars oppose the Hurricanes in the last round from next week Friday. Batsman Chanderpaul Hemraj and off-spinner Steven Jacobs make their return to the Jaguars fourday side, while National under-19 players Yadram

Devon Smith and Rutherford have also been included as the selectors invests in youth. Tagenarine Chanderpaul has not recovered from his fractured finger he sustained in Jamaica giving out of form West Indies opener Rajendra Chandrika another chance to justify the selectors’ faith in him with his second First-Class ton over the Easter weekend, while Rutherford joins Romario Shepherd and Kemo Paul as the allrounders, leaving no place for Chris Barnwell. Chandrika and Assad Fudadin should open the batting and will hope to give their team a firm foundation, something that has not happened for the Jaguars in the recent past, while Johnson, who has been good without being outstanding this season will hope to score a century or two in the last two game to keep the West Indies selectors interested. At 23, Hemraj has played five First-Class matches but none in the last three years and on the back of heavy scoring in the GCB threeday Franchise League, he gets another opportunity to play at this level and will need to make a big score if Guyana are to overcome the Windwards. Anthony Bramble again has the most victims behind the stumps this season but needs to be more consistent with the bat, while Jacobs like Bramble, is not doing justice to his batting ability

Leon Johnson by making hundreds. The Jaguars will want to get a big first innings total and Shepherd, Paul, Clinton Pestano and Veerasammy Permaul can make halfcenturies at this level but Guyana’s main threat could be off-spinner Shane Shillingford, who has 38 wickets from eight games. Kyle Mayers, Mervin Matthew, Delorn Johnson and Liam Sebastien will be depended to support Shillingford with the ball. The left-handed former West Indies opener Devon Smith continues to be a Regional cricket ‘bully’ and this season already has two centuries and a couple of fifties, while Sunil Ambris has been in great form and along with Andre Fletcher, Mayers and Sebastian are capable of making big scores for the Windwards. There is a likelihood that tomorrow’s game could be played on one of the two ‘old’ pitches that were not resurfaced which could work in favor of the Jaguars spin trio of Permaul, Jacobs and Gudakesh Motie. The match starts at 10:00hrs and the Jaguars squad read: Rajendra Chandrika, Assad Fudadin, Leon Johnson (Capt), Chanderpaul Hemraj, Anthony Bramble, Romario Shepherd, Kemo Paul, Steven Jacobs, Clinton P e s t a n o , Ve e r a s a m m y Permaul, Gudakesh Motie, Sherfane Rutherford, Bhaskar Yadram.

MYO Trophy Stall Tapeball continues this weekend The Muslim Youth Organisation Trophy Stall 7a-side six overs Tapeball competition is set to continue this weekend at Woolford Avenue. Farm will take on Queenstown A at 09:00hrs

and at 09:30hrs Farm will play Queenstown B today. Matches will continue tomorrow with Cardinals facing Plaisance at 14:00hrs and at 14:30hrs Cardinals will battle Windsor Forest.

On Sunday at 10:00hrs, Queenstown A will play Mocha, at 10:30 hrs Queenstown B will battle Mocha and at 11:00hrs Queenstown A w i l l c h a l l e n g e Queenstown B.

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Friday April 14, 2017

Two Boxers for T&T training stint BV ‘A’ first major casualty as East Coast Guinness opens In an unprecedented move, opening night of the East Coast ‘Guinness’ Greatest of the Streets’ Competition kicked off with a record fifteen matches being played, at the Haslington Market Tarmac. Played before a large crowd, the night saw Beterverwagting ‘A’ become one of the early casualties when they fell to Top7, 2-1 in penalty kicks after regulation time failed to divide a 1-1 stalemate. Nabaclis were another regular to be eliminated when they were edged 1-0 by Lusignan Prison. The winning team will take home $250,000 and the Championship trophy along with the right to represent the zone at the National Playoffs in June that will feature teams from each leg, while the second, third and fourth placed finishers receive $150,000, $100,000 and $50,000 respectively. In the night’s full results: Game-1 Plaisance ‘B’-1 vs Portmore United ‘B’-0 Game-2 Young Jiggers-1 vs Uprisings-0 Game-3

Lusignan Prison-1 vs Nabaclis-0 Game-4 Melanie ‘B’-3 vs Annandale Warriors-0 Game-5 Turkeyen-5 v Mahaica-0 Game-6 Future-2 vs Doctor Yard Assassins-1 Game-7 BV ‘A’-1 vs Top-7-1 Top-7 won 2-1 on sudden death kicks Top-7 Scorer Phillip Williams-12th BV ‘A’ Scorer Delroy Dean-18th Game-8 Buxton D&J-0 vs Non Pariel City Boys-0 Non Pariel won 1-0 on penalty kicks Game-9 Bare Root Mafia-0 vs Clonbrook Strikers-0 Clonbrook won 1-0 on penalty kicks Game-10 Plaisance ‘A’-1 vs.

Golden Grove South-0 Warren Gilkes-13th Game-11 ‘C’Division-0 vs Hard Ballers-0 ‘C’Division won 3-2 on penalty kicks Game-12 Victoria Church Yard United-1 vs Paradise-1 Victoria Church Yard won 1-0 on sudden death kicks Victoria Church Scorer Windel Wilson-8th Paradise Scorer Tyreek Cummings-17th Game-13 Belfield Ballers-1 vs Haslington Hypers-0 Kellon Johnson-14th Game-14 Buxton Diamond-0 vs Golden Grove North-0 Buxton Diamond won 10 on penalty kicks Game-15 M e l a n i e ‘ A’ - 1 v s . Haslington North-0 William Europe-19th

GFSCA Inter County Masters softball bowls off tomorrow The Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association Masters Inter County tournament is set to commence tomorrow at Ogle with several matches. At 09:30hrs, Valvoline Demerara will play Essequibo Trophy Stall on pitch one and on pitch two Wellman Demerara will battle Permaul’s Berbice. At 13:00hrs on pitch one Valvoline Demerara will engage Wellman Demerara on pitch one and Trophy Stall Essequibo will take on Permaul’s Berbice. The tournament continues on Sunday at 09:30hrs with Permaul’s Berbice playing Valvoline Demerara and Trophy Stall Essequibo facing Wellman Demerara. The top two teams will face off in the final at 13:00hrs, while a female game between Trophy Stall and Wellwoman will be

played at 16:00hrs. An added incentive of $1,000 will be given for every six hit in the male finals and the female match. Te a m s ; W e l l m a n Demerara- Lloyd Rooplall, Jagdesh Persaud, Eric Thomas, Raymond Harper, Wayne Jones (Capt.), David Harper (V.Capt.), Clive Canterbury, Ramo Malone, Mahendra Arjune, Rickey Persaud, Anil Rambarran, Diaram Hemraj and Mahase Chunilall. Valvoline DemeraraDhanny Mohanram, Richard Persaud (Capt.), Nandram Samlall, Mahendra Hardyal (V. Capt.), Fazleem Mohamed, Pooran Singh, Baldeo Muller, Tony Singh, Imtiaz Mohamed, Satrohan Seeraj, Robert Mohan, Unnis Yusuf and Rabindra Singh. Trophy Stall

Essequibo- Beesham Seepersaud, Sahadeo Hardaiow (Capt.), Mohamed Rafeek, Devanand Madho, Roy Gonsalves, Roy Rampersaud, Raj Rambarak, Richie Bishop, Anthony Persaud, Fazil Baksh, Ramesh Narine (V.Capt.), Davanan Kannan, Oswald Chandler, Ramesh Rambharose, Kabesh Persaud and Kenrick Persaud. Permaul’s BerbiceEon Abel, Rudolph Baker, Troy Kippins, Jagga Bhoj, Anil Beharry, Khemraj Sumair, Kash Lutchman, Ravi Lutchman, Muniram Lallbeharry, Zamin Zikeer, Ramlinggum Mangali, Azeem Khaderoo, Ishwarnand Harilall, Veerapeen Moonsammy (Capt.), Subramani Mangali (V. Capt.) and Jailall Brijelall.

Coach Cort is flanked by Williamson (left) and Amsterdam shortly after arriving in the Twin Island Republic. The Guyana Olympic Association has partnered with the Guyana Boxing Association to facilitate a two-week training camp in Trinidad for Boxers Desmond

‘Dynamite’ Amsterdam and Joel Williamson. The two Caribbean champions departed Guyana on Tuesday last and are accompanied by Coach Gregory Cort. Amsterdam, the

Caribbean middleweight c h a m p i o n a n d Williamson, the Caribbean lightweight champion are preparing for the Islamic Games scheduled for Azerbaijan next month.

Systems in Place for 2017 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships The battle for regional Junior and cadet table tennis honours and qualification for the 2nd Pan American Junior and cadet championships has heightened with the arrival of ten (10) teams to participate in the 2017 Caribbean Junior and Cadet T a b l e T e n n i s Championships scheduled for today to Tuesday at the Cliff Anderson Sports hall The ten teams from the region have arrived in Guyana to participate in the prestigious championships which includes; Jamaica, Barbados Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Cuba, A r u b a , S t Vi n c e n t , Dominican Republic St. Lucia and host Guyana w h i c h w i l l s e e approximately 135 youth athletes from the region join in healthy competition and camaraderie, in a showcase of table tennis talent and expertise. The games which will commence with action in the team events today with three sessions scheduled from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm 2 pm to 4.30 and 5.30 to 8.30 pm daily. The competition will be used as the qualification event for the 2nd Pan American Junior and Cadet

T a b l e T e n n i s Championships scheduled for the Argentina in July of 2017. This competition will be used to select the top four teams from the Caribbean who will join the top four (4) from Central American and the top four (4) teams from South America qualify for the Pan Am event, with the qualification event being a compulsory event, all the top teams from the region have definitely come to battle for their qualification spot and to participate. The categories to be contested are: Boys and girls 18 and 15 years and under – Teams, Doubles, Mixed Doubles and Singles, and Girls–Team’s, Doubles, Mixed Doubles and Singles, in the respective age groups. The competition will commence with team events t o d a y a n d t o m o r r o w, Doubles and Mix doubles on Sunday and singles action on Monday17th and

Tuesday18th April. According to the GTTA, Guyana’s charge will be lead in the under 18 Boys A team of Miguel Wong Elishaba Johnson, Kyle Edghill and Nickolus Romain with Guyana Boys B team coming from Tyriq saunders, Vishan Harrynauth , Vishan Deo , Krystian Sahadeo , Dhanesh Persaud, Colin Wong. Girls 15 years and under Neveah Clarkston, Abigale Martin Selenas Jackman, Thuria Thomas. Girls 18 years and under Priscillia Greaves Jamaali Homer Aneka Philips and Davona Best and Tershata. Boys 15 years and under where a nucleus of talent abounds will see Jamal Nicholas, Kaysan Ninvalle, Terrence Rausche and Yeudistir Persaud forming Guyana 15 A and Niron Bissu, Isaiah Layne, Brandon Jaikarran and Navindra Persaud. The opening ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow.

Kaieteur News

Friday April 14, 2017

Petra Organisation / GT Beer Futsal Competition

Questions on Sparta’s recent performance will be answered tonight The question of whether Sparta Boss has lost some ground or is it a case of teams working harder to catch them up in terms of ability will be answered tonight when they clash with a youthful Back Circle unit in the final of the Petra Organisation / GT Beer Futsal Competition tonight at the National Gymnasium. Sparta Boss definitely the most consistent team in the shorter version of the game will be aiming to exact revenge on Back Circle, who defeated them 3-2 earlier in the tournament. They looked inspiring in their 4-1 triumph against Sophia in the semi-finals with Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson, Devon Millington, Cleon Forrester, Sheldon Shepherd, Eusi Phillips, Solomon Austin and Denis Edwards, all contributing to the win. Richardson and Millington have been the pillars on which Sparta craft their success, but Back Circle on the other hand have shown admirable defiance in their defensive shape. In addition to their

-face Back Circle in the final defensive proficiency, Back Circle have also displayed offensive capabilities as well with Stephon McLean, Selwyn Williams, Akeemo A n t h o n y, S y l v e s t e r Richardson, Curtez Kellman and Keron Joshua, the standouts. The one guarantee is that the game will provide end to end action from the onset, but the outcome hangs in the balance. The Bent Street versus Sophia affair is also proving to be a tricky proposition to determine a winner. Bent Street have a starstudded squad that includes players such as Konata Manning, Colin Nelson, Dwight Peters, Anthony Abrams, Joshua Browne, Okanie Fraser and William Europe and they are no scrubs. Sophia as well are littered with a plethora of skilful players such as Dwayne Lowe, Akeem Jaikissoon, Desmond Cottam, Shem Arthur, Sheik Kamal Orlando Jordan, Simon Emmanuel and Joshua Kamal and they’ve

already proven to be a hard nut to crack on their day. The turnout like all the other days is anticipatyed to be great and fans are being urged to get to the venue early to secure the best vantage point. The winning team will Continued on page 32

Part of the action in this year’s Petra Organisation / GT Beer Futsal Competition.

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Kaieteur News

Friday April 14, 2017

Ralph Green / EBFA U11 League DoS hands over equipment on behalf of sponsor; clubs expected to more than double

Director of Sport Christopher Jones hands over one of the customized balls to EBFA President Franklin Wilson in the presence of association Secretary Wayne Francois. The other equipment is on display.

Director of Sport, Christopher Jones earlier this week handed over the equipment for the 2nd Annual Ralph Green / East Bank Football Association (EBFA) Under-11 League to President of the association, Franklin Wilson at the formers Office, Homestretch Avenue. Jones, a relative of the USA based sponsor, Green, told Wilson and EBFA

Secretary Wayne Francois, that Green was very pleased to once again be supporting the development of the young lads on the East Bank and its environs. Complimenting the EBFA for its consistency in playing junior tournaments, Jones noted that it is absolutely important for a proper foundation to be set for young players who needs to learn the fundamentals of the game early. ”Your association has been leading in this regard and you must be complimented. This Under11 league provides an ideal platform for the eligible players on the East Bank to be seen and I am sure they will go on to do well at the other age group competitions and eventually at the national level. Keep up the good work; it is my pleasure to present these equipment on behalf of Mr. Green to you as I wish all the teams the best.” Wilson in response expressed thanks to Jones and Green for his continued partnership in East Bank football development. ”Yet again, Mr. Green is exhibiting his love for the game and youths through his sponsorship of this very important age group level. Last year we had six clubs participating with Agricola Red Triangle emerging inaugural champions. This year we are on track to more than double last year’s amount of teams due to the excitement that the tournament had created.” The players, Wilson said, displayed a high level of excitement and energy in the inaugural competition and I am sure the other clubs which did not participate have seen the wisdom in

ensuring that they are a part of the action this time around. ”It is essential for clubs to ensure that they participate in these tournaments as it not only provides the platform for the players to develop their onfield skills, it also provides the opportunity for them to meet other players allowing them to improve their inter personal skills.” This year’s competition is expected to kick off next weekend. Apart from the winning trophy, the top four teams will all receive medals whilst five top individual players will be rewarded with backpacks and trophies. The individuals to be rewarded will be the Highest Goal Scorer, Best Goalkeeper, Most Valuable Player, Most Disciplined Player and Most Promising Player. Sixteen medals (16) would be each awarded to the winner, second and third placed teams, while the fourth placed team would receive 16 participatory medals. For the first time in any E B FA c o m p e t i t i o n , customized balls would be used bearing the EBFA logo. This is a standard Wilson informed that the association would be aiming to duplicate for other competition as far as practicable. Thirty-four numbered playing vests, one first aid kit, two captains arm bands, five back-packs, 74 medals and the customized balls were donated. Wilson further informed that Green is currently working on securing branded tee shirts for each player. Only Players born on or after January 1st, 2006 will be eligible to participate in the tournament.

Georgetown U-19 cricketers to play practice game tomorrow The Georgetown U-19 players will be engaged in a 50-over cricket match at the Lusignan ground tomorrow starting from 09:30 hours. Players selected are asked to present themselves to Coach Orin Bailey at 08:15 hours at the Lusignan ground. Players should also note that transportation and meals will be at their expense. Players selected are; Mark Baptiste, Colin

Barlow, Clarence Baird, Ronaldo Ali Mohamed, Ti m o t h y M c A l m o n t , Stefan Wilson, Darshan Persaud, Kurt Lovell, Christopher Campbell, Joshua Persaud, Sachin Singh, Ashmead Nedd, Juspice Jones, Keshan Singh, Dequian Bamfield, Omar Torrington, Alphius Bookie, Dwayne Dick, Ghamsham Premshan, Joel Spooner and Adrian Hinds.

Kaieteur News

Friday April 14, 2017

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Super 4 Massive Easter Sunday Football

Eagles and Pouderoyen confident of victory As the days wind down to Super 4 Massive Easter Sunday Football Fiesta at the Den Amstel ground where the West Demerara’s top four sides will collide, the first semi final clash will see Pouderoyen FC taking on up stagers Eagles FC for a place in the final. Eagles had upstaged their more seasoned rivals Pouderoyen in the 3rd place match of the just concluded NSC sponsored Den Amstel Mash Cup competition and according to Pouderoyen’s Head Coach, Adrian Giddings, it is the first and last time they will lose to Eagles. ”We have been training very hard ever since our loss

to Eagles which was their first against us and it would be the last as well. We will look to the likes of goalkeeper Sherwin Wills, Alanzo Bowman, Jermaine Mc Do n a l d a n d Sebastien Edwards to deliver a win for us and a place in the final,” Giddings shared. A more modest Eagles Coach, Kerron Schmidt informed that they would be employing the conventional playing style in their quest to make it their second win over Pouderoyen. ”We are prepared for Pouderoyen and have the ability to adjust our playing style to counter what they will bring to the park.”

Daniel Clarke - Eagles FC

Orette Stephenson - Eagles FC

Curtains and Drapery Designs on board Guyana Cup Fever Race Meet

Marketing Manager Eon Bolers (left) hands over the cheque for an undisclosed sum to Organising Committeee member Compton Sancho at the business location yesterday. Curtains and Drapery Designs of Regent Street became the latest entity to add its support to Sunday’s Guyana Cup Fever Horse Race Meet after Marketing Manager Eon Bollers presented member of the Organising Committee Compton Sancho with a cheque for an undisclosed sum, at the business location yesterday. Speaking at the occasion, Bollers said the donation represents the

entity’s interest in sports, adding that immediately after the request was made, the decision to offer assistance was made and yesterday’s act of goodwill was a fulfillment of that choice. Sancho in response thanked the Establishment that specialises in the sale of home décor furnishings for its support, informing that the kind gesture will go along way in ensuring that the Meet is a success.

Eagles FC will be relying on the likes of Daniel Clarke (forward), Orette Stephenson (attacking

midfield), Chris Macey, Collin Williams, Jarvis Williams and Stephan Bentick to guide them to a

win and a chance to battle for the top prize of $100,000. The second semi final, also to be played for 40 minutes,

will bring together Uitvlugt Warriors and the red hot Den Amstel. Kick off time is 17:00hrs.

t r o Sp

BV ‘A’ first major casualty as East Coast Guinness opens -Action continues tomorrow night

Action in the clash between Buxton D&J and Non Pariel City Boys on Wednesday night, at the Haslington Market Tarmac.

Part of the action between BV ‘A’ and Top7 which the latter won on penalty kicks.

Banks DIH Limited comes big for Guyana Cup Fever 2017 Trophy Stall and others onboard

Mr. Errol Nelson (2nd right) Manager of the Powerade & Well-J brands presents the sponsorship to Nazruddin ‘Jumbo Jet’ Mohamed Jnr, while Ms. Shenisa Fredericks (right) -Trainee Manager and Compton Sancho (left) look on.

Compton Sancho (left) collects the Trophy Stall contribution from a Rep of that business on behalf of Ramesh Sunich.

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