Kaieteur News
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Friday August 31, 2018
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
EXTRAVAGANCE IN PARLIAMENT
I
t seems that the Members of Parliament (MPs) are eating and drinking the country to death, while the poor and the homeless have hardly anything proper to eat due to the fact that they cannot afford a proper meal. Eating and drinking lavishly at the taxpayers’ expense in Parliament has become a normal practice during the last two decades. Prior to 2000, MPs were served with sandwiches and tea in paper plates and plastic cups and non-alcoholic beverages. However, following the 2001 general election, constant complaints by MPs over meals led to full course meals being served with expensive cutlery. A secret report by a Parliamentary staff member revealed that each year, Parliament has to replace tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of the expensive cutlery, which were either lost or stolen. Despite the statements by some MPs that the consumption of alcohol is being done only on special occasions, several sources from within the institution have disclosed that imbibing in Parliament has become a habitual exercise. The fact that such practice has been confirmed by the Leader of the Opposition, Bharat Jagdeo shows that someone is trying to cover-up their lavish eating and drinking habits in Parliament at the expense of the taxpayers. Mr. Jagdeo’s statement that PPP Parliamentarians do not partake in the drinking orgy, suggests that only government MPs have been guzzling down the expensive liquor. One wonders why cool heads do not prevail in Parliament and the people’s business (except for the budget), which should only take a day or two to complete normally takes several days. The truth is our self-serving MPs do not have a conscience, because if they do, they would not be spending $700,000 per session on food and more on liquor while the poor and the homeless are starving. The reality is there is a serious alcohol abuse problem in the country that is evident in every domain in society, and instead of our MPs take action to curb or reduce its toll on the nation, they are adding to the problem. It is repugnant, irresponsible, reckless and disgraceful for MPs to imbibe in the law-making chamber and the taxpayers have to foot the bill. And for the Minister of Public Telecommunications to even suggest that the serving of alcohol in the hallowed chamber could improve the rapport between members of the two sides in Parliament is beyond being silly. Ministers are setting a very poor example for the public servants to follow. They are among the highest paid public officials in the country and are showered with all sorts of allowances at the taxpayers’ expense, yet the taxpayers have to pay for their food and alcoholic allowances in Parliament. Whereas the average taxpayer who is earning far less than a Minister has to purchase their own meals at work and could be fired if found consuming alcohol during working hours. For the last two decades, contract for meals but not for alcohol have been in existence and each year, the budget is being scrutinized by MPs, mostly those in the opposition. While the PPP was in power, no member of this government, including the President, while in opposition had ever objected to the extravagant purchase of meals or the expensive cutlery. How Parliament could have budgeted for meals without stating the amount that would be delivered daily to the chamber? And it there is no provision in the budget for the purchase of alcohol, then how is the bill for it paid. It appears that MPs who are responsible for scrutinizing all accounts of parliamentary expenditure, have either done a poor job or have deliberately ignored the bill for the liquor. There must be a cheque payable to some entity for the cost of the alcohol. If so, how is this payment for alcohol hidden from parliamentary scrutiny? It suggests that MPs are more interested in protecting their own interests than the interest of their constituents who elected them.
Editor’s Note; If your sent letter was not published and you felt its contents were valid and devoid of libel or personal attacks, please contact us by phone or email.
Govt. signing onto the Belt and Road Initiative would reflect a policy of greed and to mislead DEAR EDITOR, The recent signing of the MOU between Guyana and China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) should be seen as a continuity from the PPP regime relations with China. The PPP had the Skeldon Factory and Cheddi Jagan International Airport upgrade as mega projects to our standard, financed by Chinese loans. There is a tendency for governments of poor countries to grab at loans offered by the Chinese for infrastructural projects without giving any second thought to feasibility of projects or repayment for two reasons:(1) Pakistan’s newly-elected Prime Minister had it right when he said,”The real reason for building these lossmaking megaprojects has always been massive kickbacks.” We can identify with Skeldon Factory that never worked at full capacity and the airport expansion where one toilet bowl was itemized at over $160,000 during the
PPP’s reign. Kickbacks pocketed, governments have no qualms about future generations being distressed to repay these debts. Political bigotry knows no bounds! (2) These unproductive projects give governments an opportunity to fool or mislead the masses that the country is on a development path - Skeldon was called the “flagship of the Sugar Industry” by Jagdeo. That “flagship” never left port! For the wastage of state funds to build the Marriott, just to victimize an individual the government detested, Guyanese were told by the PPP that with the Marriott, the country “will take off”. The public was misled. The Marriott continues to bleed the treasury. The Chinese are aware of their history by which generations ago from AD to the 1700’s had amassed great wealth through the “Silk Route”. After the second world war and the coming to power of the Communist
Party, the Chinese no longer saw the world as a place for conquest by guns and bombs, they saw economic might as the mode for world domination. Their technology and manufacturing industries grew in leaps and bounds. They had schooled and started sending out their pioneers to all parts of the world over four decades ago. We have seen their methodology here. They come through the Chinese Association set up here a long time ago. They have little interest in jobs . They set up restaurants and retail businesses which they manage meticulously. They don’t socialize or involve in interracial marriages. They convert their profits in US dollars and send it back to their homeland (China). The communist Government of China, working in tandem with Chinese companies has invested in mineral and energy resources around the (Continued on page 6)
The Labour Dept. failed to recognise these two Issues have to be treated separately DEAR EDITOR, The Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) and the Ministry of Education met on Wednesday August 29th 2018 under the chairmanship of the Chief Labour Officer where the Union expressly stated, in a memorandum submitted, its acceptance of the invitation must be seen as an act of courtesy. The insistence by the GTU that the issue of increased salary and better working conditions must be referred to arbitration, based on its position that it has lost confidence in the Labour Department and the Ministry of Social Protection to perform conciliatory duties that are just and fair, cannot be ignored. The GTU made it clear that the Ministry and Labour Department were part of the employer ’s delegation, advocating on the employer’s behalf at two meetings prior to the strike action. This was never denied by the Labour Department or Ministry. In fact, the GTU said the Labour Department accepted this at the Wednesday meeting.The utterances emanating from the Labour Department that seek to paint the Union as being duplicitous, by saying the GTU wants to go to arbitration but not conciliation given their presence at Wednesday’s meeting, ignored from the outset that the Union informed its presence was an
act of courtesy. There seems to be a clear misunderstanding, on the part of all the government agencies, as to the complexity of the impasse. There are two issues existing at this time. One, is the negotiation for increased salary and better working conditions; and two, the strike action that commenced on Monday, August 27th 2018. While the two issues are linked, they are separate and distinct, and must be treated as such. In the discharging of effective industrial relations practice, the issue that first has to be addressed is the strike action with a view of returning the industrial relations atmosphere to a normal climate. As such, the Union’s presentation on Wednesday, which focused on Terms of Resumption to bring the strike to an end, takes precedence over arguing about salary and working conditions. Issue number two, is that of finding a resolution on salary and working conditions that is binding on both parties, and this can only be done through the arbitration process. The Labour Department failed to recognise the two issues, while linked, are separate and have to be treated with separately. This department is urged to discuss the issue of Terms of Resumption with the parties (Ministry of Education and GTU) with a view of getting the teachers back into their
classrooms for the new school year. It is obvious that the GTU has not expressed any reservation as it relates to the Labour Department conciliating in bringing the strike to an end. What the GTU objected to is the Department’s involvement in conciliating in the issue of salary and working conditions, since the Department has already taken a side in advocating for the employer.What the teachers have done is placed the ball in the employer’s court. And whereas it is noted the Chief Education Officer’s statement that he wants the children in the classrooms come Monday, it’s his and the Ministry of Education’s call to abide by universally acceptable industrial relations principles and practices that
the Union is seeking respect for. If this strike goes on until M o n d a y, p a r e n t s a n d students must know clearly at whose feet the blame lies for not getting the children in the classrooms. The Union has already signalled it is prepared to be called at any time of the day to bring about normalcy, so that teachers can be at the gates and doors of the schools to welcome and continue the process of moulding the children’s minds to be good and productive stewards of society. To ignore the teachers’ civility to bring resolution is to ignore the welfare and wellbeing of our children and the future development of this society. Lincoln Lewis General Secretary Guyana Trades Union Congress
Chief, inspect your vehicles DEAR EDITOR, A fire engine or a fire truck is a vehicle designed primarily for firefighting operations. The terms ‘’fire engine’’ and ‘’fire truck’’ are often used interchangeably; however in some fire services they refer to specific types of vehicles. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters. They may also be used for various other uses, such as emergency, medical services and rescues from situations other than fires. Our own Guyana Fire Service has a fire engine at its Diamond location and for a long time now, the fire engine when responding to night calls seems to have electrical problems - no flashing lights at front top, only two very bright headlamps and to the rear a right side unit is workable. It may well have other problems, but as a concerned citizen I would like the fire engine’s important faults fixed. It may avoid another calamity. Yours Sincerely, Paramanand Ram
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Friday August 31, 2018
The focus of our union’s negotiation should be on nontaxable benefits and such like DEAR EDITOR, From the first look, it can lead to a misleading conclusion due to the gross inaccuracies of the information posited by my very emotional and irate colleague. I do forgive her, for it is indeed understandable that out of emotions and misinformation, irresponsible and uninformed comments are most times uttered from individuals who are intelligent. It is instructive that from the outset I establish my first point and I hope it is made very pellucid - that I firmily believe, that any union that represents workers has a legal right and obligation to engage in any form of industrial action. My colleague is right in making it known that I was the chairman of Upper Demerara Upper Berbice arm of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) and a very active and vocal member of the GTU’s general council. Positions in which I provided unfettered and strong representation for our teachers, and I still do to date, and many in my region can attest to these truths. My present position does not in any regard infringe nor does it influence my freedom to make representation and speak on behalf of our teachers, as this failed attempt by my colleague capriciously tried to insinuate. Two, the articulations postulated by my fellow educator in saying I was a part of the making of that proposal, reaffirms my embryonic aforementioned view, that my colleague is speaking from an uninformed position. In 2015, the president of the GTU Mr. Mark Lyte who I
campaigned with for his election to his present post, had a conversation about salary increases and he indicated to me the union’s desire to request 40-50% increase for teachers’ salary. Since then, as I do now, I posited to him that such a proposal is grossly absurd. I said to him that the teachers’ union much be seen as a union that leads with a greater degree of intelligence. I said to him you have to factor in the state of teachers’ salaries. I said to him you have to factor in the state of the county’s economic position, where all of our major resources are determined by the world market prices. I also advised the issues with Guysuco be factored in, since other public servants such as our nurses, police also have their demands to make. He said we cannot ask the government for what we want, so we have to aim high, so we can get what we want. Wow! My view then as it is now, the focus of our union’s negotiation should not be on the basis of increased salaries but on nontaxable benefits and such like. This should be of primary importance for us. Negotiation for a large grouping of our teachers to be given duty free vehicle concessions and include teachers who have been teaching for ten or fifteen years as well, increased uniform allowances, increased payment for teachers with a degree, post graduate certificate/degree masters, house lots, financial assistance for housing, more scholarships for our teachers and include their children, address debunching and increase risk allowances.
The Union should make representation for teachers to be eligible for government pension after twenty-five years of unbreakable service, to mention a few. These are some of the positions I have articulated and hold strong to and I’m sure my fellow colleagues in the GTU all will support these positions. Thirdly, my colleague’s personal view that “the MP should not be trusted to speak about teachers and their needs” is just that, her view. I have honestly stated my position as a teacher and paying member of the Guyana Teachers’ Union, and I would venture to state that all
financial members are entitled to do so. It shows a sign of intellectual maturity when we can agree to disagree without being derogatory and insulting. When our opposing views are not misconstrued and concluded as disingenuous because it doesn’t come in line with one’s view. We have many teachers/ members who are saying that this very percentage increase is, as they put it, “impractical” “unrealistic” and “nonsensical”. Yours respectfully, Jermaine Figueira MP Former chairman of GTU Reg#10
Letting in these so-called ‘Venezuelan Refugees’ could be nothing but a soft invasion DEAR EDITOR, This may be one time that I totally agree with the Opposition Leader Bharat Jagdeo, when I read what he said about Guyana’s Government allowing Venezuelans settling in our country. Yes, it is commendable that we want to help the ones fleeing from the ugly situation in their country, but to give them what appears to be permanent residence seems to me very unwise. Their president is already making claims to large portions of Guyana, so letting these so-called ‘Venezuelan Refugees’ in could be nothing but a soft invasion. I am reminded about the story of the Greeks and their Trojan horse and their invasion of Troy The situation is slightly similar. So if Guyanese and their Government are not careful and extremely vigilant, they may wake up one morning to find a sizable Venezuelan army embedded in Guyana and flying the Venezuelan flag Yours, Stephen Henry
I urge these concerned parents to be rational DEAR EDITOR, I have to express my opinion on the concerns raised by some parents regarding the contingency plan that may be activated by the Education Ministry should strike action proceed. Understandably a few parents are concerned that trainee teachers or teachers now graduating from the Cyril Potter College of Education may not be competent enough to teach their children. I believe the concern of these parents is based on the lack of experience that these teachers may have in the classroom and in schools generally. However, I urge parents to be rational. Every teacher has his or her first day, whether during times of an industrial relations impasse or not. So it would not be prudent to criticise the new teachers saying that they
cannot handle the work since the teachers that will be striking also had their first day as well. Secondly, parents must remember that strikes do not last forever, hence, the new teachers are substitutes and the substantive teachers for the respective classes will return and continue from where the substitutes would have left off. Debasing the competence of our teachers is debasing the quality of education and training that is delivered at the CPCE, an institution that has been training teachers since the 1920s. The same college that trained the majority of teachers that have indicated their willingness to strike. At this point, I wish to condemn the comments made by a parent at a recent engagement on the teachers’ strike action that was held by the Ministry of Education at Queen’s College. The parent
said that “The Children will chew them up? Them meaning the CPCE students.As a parent, my priority at this moment is the continued progress of my children’s education. During this dispute, I and my children are held as human shields between the warring factions.But I am going to point something out. The integrity and focus of the Minister of Education, says to me that she does not intend to be side-tracked by histrionics and people who present strategies that are not even based on basic mathematical national economics. I believe that my children’s education path is
very safe with this Minister because she understands that quality Education is for all Guyanese and that includes my children. For the first time in generations of my family, I see a future for my children in education. The Teachers’ Union needs to understand that they are part of this transformation and an uninformed demand is very different from intelligent negotiations. May the gods bless the Teachers’ Union with wisdom and the Ministry with patience. Together we rise, divided we fall. Yours Sincerely, Tracy Franklin Parent
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TEACHERS, LIKE MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, DESERVE A LIVABLE WAGE DEAR EDITOR, It is disheartening to note the Government’s approach to the salaries negotiation with the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) which has been ongoing since 2016 and has now resulted in a countrywide strike by teachers. Undoubtedly, teaching is one of the most critical jobs in a country. It is one that is very stressful and extremely demanding, requiring many hours of a teacher’s personal time outside of the regular school hours. I believe that the GTU’s request for a livable wage for teachers is justified and Government’s
stalling in resolving this matter seems callous and uncaring. Government’s explanation that the country’s economy cannot support the GTU’s demand is untenable. Soon after assuming power in 2015, despite claiming that the economy was in ruins, the APNU-AFC Government awarded hefty salary increases to the President, Prime Minister, Government Ministers, Members of Parliament, etc. and expended millions of dollars on the development of Durban Park as the venue for Guyana’s fiftieth anniversary celebrations, now a
deteriorating white elephant. The National Park could have been used at minimal cost. In an article captioned “Trinidad, with an economy 8 times Guyana’s, pays PM less” ( Kaieteur News, October 14, 2015), Abena Rockcliffe wrote “... after assuming office the government announced that economic constraints prevented a significant raise for the masses. Nevertheless, economic constraints did not prevent the hike in the salaries of government ministers”. The article notes “Trinidad and Tobago (TT), which has an economy eight
times that of Guyana’s, pays its Prime Minister less than what is now given to Guyana’s new Prime Minister. Also, the salaries given to other TT Ministers are relatively in the same ball park of that which is given to those in Guyana.... Further, Trinidad has an economy of US$24.6B while Guyana is struggling with a US$3.2B economy.” For easy reference, I have taken the liberty of reorganizing in tabular form below, the comparative annual salaries between Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago provided in Abena Rockcliffe’s article:
Assuming that Abena Rockcliffe’s numbers are accurate (and I am not aware that these were ever questioned), the above tables show how very well Government politicians in Guyana were paid in relation to a trained teacher in 2015. The situation is even more telling when one considers that the politicians’ salaries are tax free; they are entitled to entertainment and housing allowances, and free meals at sittings of parliament. Also worth noting is that the duties of Guyana’s Prime Minister are far less onerous than those of the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago where the President’s role is ceremonial in comparison to Guyana which has an executive President. Currently, the teacher’s position in Guyana may be slightly better, though not significantly, than
it was in 2015. The handling of the negotiations with the GTU leads one to conclude that Government undervalues the role of teachers in the society. The importance of teachers is accurately reflected in the article “GTUC calls for full support for teachers in their wage struggle” (Stabroek News, August 26, 2018) which states “Teachers are the backbone of a country’s development. Their role is multifaceted and not confined to solely teaching and marking papers. Teachers also act as parent, mentor, custodian, counselor, provider (meals, school supplies, etc.) and a shoulder to cry on even as they have to meet their families’ psychosocial and economic needs... Teachers produce the artisans, nurses, police, doctors, teachers, journalists, public servants, private
workers, businessmen/ women etc. of tomorrow; the ministers of government and the future president are produced by the teachers.” From my recollection, President Granger was once a teacher, though at the tertiary level. I hope he can empathize with the teachers and act
promptly and effectively, as he did in relation to his ministers’ salary increases in 2015. Teachers, like ministers and members of parliament, deserve a livable wage so they can sustain themselves and their families with pride and dignity. Harry Hergash
Friday August 31, 2018
This will further destroy the remnants of respectability of the AFC DEAR EDITOR, Social cohesion is always an elusive element in our country, primarily because it is not the will of our politicians who believe in the ‘divide and rule’ principle. Being in Government is the biggest business and nasty politicians can sell their own maternal and paternal affiliations to gain a share in that pursuit. I must commend the effort of our President His Excellency David Granger for his brave attempt to bring the Emancipation Celebration to Region 6 at Union Village which saw the attendance of people from various races and ethnicities attending in their numbers. In fact I saw our East Indian brothers and sisters fully decked in African wear which sent a clear message that cultural and social cohesion are possible, but must start with our politicians. However, what I have been witnessing on the television in Berbice has convinced me that some in the Alliance for Change are uninterested about social cohesion and are leaving no stone unturned in blasting this concept to smithereens not by using weapons of mass destruction but by sheer hate and personal attacks.I have read with interest the ranting and ravings of the Quixotic character who unfortunately resides in Region 5 and was shocked when this was the first caller who got through to the AFC’s program ‘Alliance on the Move’ and was given free air time to continue his vitriolic and personal attacks on the PM’s Representative, Mr Gobin Harbhajan. Is this how the AFC intends to be ‘on the Move’? I never expected that the AFC would have descended to the depths of the cesspool. The stench emanating is now unbearable.Furthermore, these TV ‘stars’ have been making unrealistic promises to the residents that I need to ask which ministry do these guys represent? They are making statements pertaining to agriculture, public infrastructure and public security which I have not heard coming from the relevant ministry. Can party leader Mr Trotman please answer me? These people believe that they could even hold the residents in Berbice as captives to their falsehood and fabrication. Why are these persons being allowed to destroy the Coalition? These TV ‘personalities’ are destroying the work of the Social Cohesion Ministry and I do feel Minister Ally should bring pressure to bear on these AFC’s Region 6 officials and members for bringing efforts of her ministry to zero.Finally, one cannot help but notice that the presenters on ‘the Alliance on the Move’ Program are of one ethnicity so where are the others, are they selectively excluded? I knew that once upon a time the AFC boasted multi-ethnicity and race, but it seems that principle has also been thrown under the bus. This will further destroy the remnants of respectability of the AFC. Mr Trotman needs to move quickly and decisively to save some face at least. Yours sincerely, Desmond Thompson
Govt. signing on to the Belt and Road Initiative would reflect... From page 4 world – making sure that the Industrial wheels do not run out of raw materials back home. Added to that, Chinese loans for projects are tied to Chinese contractors doing the job ensuring that a reasonable percentage of the cash is recycled back home. As a result, China has become the financial powerhouse it is today. In September 2013, when President Xi Jinping announced China’s Belt and Road Initiative, it was a signal that China was ready to put its money to work on a grander scale.Will China achieve the World economic domination it seems to be pursuing in memory of its ancient silk route? If it does, it may be as a result of the economic enslavement of the peoples of many nations. A Washingtonbased Center for Global Development (CGB), a think tank, pointed out that 23 of the 68 countries that had signed on to BRI are “at a quite high risk of debt distress”and 8 of the 23
are in dire straits “ because of future financing related to BRI projects”.The think tank noted that, “Unlike the world’s other leading government creditors, China has not signed on to a binding set of rules of the road when it comes to avoiding unsustainable lending and addressing debt problems when they arise”.China lends money for projects without any consideration to feasibility studies. In this scenario, projects are likely to fail, leaving countries in debt traps. Skeldon factory is our classic example. One has to wonder if China has some sort of sinister plan for not signing on to the”binding set of rules”.The big question for Guyanese: Why would the government sign up for the BRI initiative in light of the above information? Is it that people in government don’t read? I think not. The only logical reason is greed and to mislead the people. Rudolph Singh
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Every oil discovery ‘trips me off’ when I think of our losses By Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell
- Jagdeo, as Exxon makes 9th find
O
rdinary Guyanese who do not fully understand the fiscal regime of Guyana’s deal with oil giant, ExxonMobil might get excited each time a new discovery is made. On the other hand, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo indicates that he cringes. Yesterday, ExxonMobil announced another find offshore Guyana. The discovery of approximately 197 feet (60 metres) of high-quality, oil-bearing sandstone reservoir at the Hammerhead-1 is the ninth discovery of oil in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana and the fifth within the last year. There was a bit of silence from Jagdeo yesterday while speaking about the find. When he began speaking again, he said, “It drifts me off when I think about how much we are losing. It trips me a bit.” Even though ExxonMobil is already at its ninth discovery, the company is far from exploring most of the
Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo Stabroek, which it has control of. Jagdeo said that it is rather unfortunate that all these discoveries being made are falling under that same contract that most right thinking people have concluded is stacked in the interest of ExxonMobil. “This ninth discovery will be processed through the same old contract…The thing
is that the President has no clear position. When I told him of my concerns, he said that they are strengthening and so moving forward. No specific answers to my questions. I hope you have better luck.” Jagdeo continued, “I did not get any clear answer but he said that they have just hired somebody to strengthen the department.”
Former Special Branch head Leslie ... (From page 3) having a flat structure, we now have clearly defined responsibilities in those four deputy commissioners. So, things will be better. I am sure that there will be better performance in those areas and other officers can now look forward to, in due course, filling those appointments.” The Head of State said that the changes will help to enhance the specialization of the Police Force. “It will help to spur the career mobility of officers and I am convinced that the efficiency of the Police Force as a whole will be enhanced,” the Head of State said. The President noted that it is his expectation to meet
with the new Commissioner and deputies where discussions will take place on the appointments to each of the four areas identified. “I was not interested in having a foreigner head the Guyana Police Force. I felt that we had local talent. I think the
process has resulted in the best five being selected to lead the Force and I will be meeting later today with the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners. I think this is the best outcome and they are all fit and proper persons to lead the Police Force,” he said.
Further, Jagdeo said that during his meeting with the President yesterday, “I raised the issue about the confusion that the government itself said no future contract would be negotiated on the same terms as ExxonMobil. But they are yet to define to the country what the new terms will be.” Jagdeo told the media that the Opposition is very concerned that while the government declared that it will ensure better terms, “they are proceeding to give the exact same terms that ExxonMobil got through side approaches. You recall our position in the (National Assembly) when that proposal was made to give Mid-Atlantic some similar concessions.” Jagdeo recalled that the PPP’s position was to defer the handing out of the concession until the framework for future negotiations was arrived at. Jagdeo said he “asked the
President directly, ‘are you going to be tendering future blocks’ but the President did not give any straight answer. “He agrees that we now have more people who want blocks than we have available. This is the reverse of what we had in the past. I said to him, the only way we can avoid middle men creaming the benefits is to go to tender – auction, so the money will accrue directly to the people, the taxpayers.” But, according to Jagdeo, the President still could not give perspective on the way forward. The Guyana reserve is one of ExxonMobil’s biggest assets worldwide. Discoveries of approximately four billion oil-equivalent barrels were made on the Stabroek Block prior to yesterday’s announcement. Discoveries were made at Liza, Liza Deep, Payara, Snoek, Turbot, Ranger, Pacora and Longtail with the
potential for up to five floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels producing more than 750,000 barrels per day by 2025. Prior to Hammerhead-1, which is located approximately 13 miles (21 kilometres) southwest of the Liza-1. A second exploration vessel, the Noble Tom Madden, is due to arrive in Guyana in October to accelerate exploration of high potential opportunities and will commence drilling at the Pluma prospect, approximately 17 miles (27 kilometres) from Turbot. The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometres). ExxonMobil affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, is the operator and holds 45 percent interest in the Stabroek Block. Hess Guyana Exploration Limited holds 30 percent interest and CNOOC Nexen Petroleum Guyana Limited holds 25 percent interest.
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Granger to Police Force ...
Crime fighting more than Old Year’s Night parties, parades Making it clear that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) must regain trust of Guyanese, President David Granger yesterday swore in a new Commissioner of Police, Leslie James. Assistant Commissioner, David Ramnarine, who had been performing the duties of the Commissioner of Police over the last few months, was not present at State House for the mid-afternoon ceremony. The position of Commissioner had been one that was closely watched not only in the Police Force, but by the political parties. It came at a time when the Coalition Government, which came to office in May 2015, has announced a new direction for the Force and after an embarrassing
Commission of Inquiry into an alleged assassination of President Granger, highlighted severe shortcomings in the h i e r a r c h y . Ye s t e r d a y , Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, said that he knew of no “adverse” things about James. He disclosed also that President Granger earlier in the day, questioned about why Ramnarine was not chosen, said that there are “specific reasons” for that Assistant Commissioner not being picked.It has been the norm that the Commissioner (ag) would be the one chosen. The air at State House was one of no-nonsense with Granger in his charge to the new Commissioner, and his four new deputies, Lyndon
- Ramnarine not chosen because of “specific reasons” Alves, Maxine Graham, Nigel Hoppie and Paul Williams. The four were all shortlisted with the new Commissioner, after interviews with Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan; Attorney General, Basil Williams and Granger himself.At State House, the President stressed that the ongoing security sector reform is essential with citizens concerned. He warned that it is the safety of everyone, including women and children, businesses, ordinary working persons and students that are of paramount importance not the seeming attention on parades and Old Year’s Night parties. The Government must resist attempts to thwart the reforms of the Force with the new team mandated to promote them vigorously. According to the President, the process followed to the actual appointments was rigorous in accordance with the Constitution with the culmination yesterday making it a historic day. He said that following the consultations with the Leader of the Opposition yesterday, he wasted no time in ensuring that the new team starts to eliminate lawlessness.
Serious mandate for new Top Cop, Leslie James. According to the Head of State, the appointment is a burdensome for the candidate with the office not a toy or a political tool. Rather, the very security of the state and safety of Guyanese people rests on the Police Force. He pointed to the appointment of the members of the Police Service Commission and the mandatory consultations with that body for a substantive top cop. Granger also advised that crime is not about
Georgetown alone, with border challenges with migrating Venezuelans, planes landing with contraband, women being abused and robberies.He was impatient with the presence of “rogue” policemen, acknowledging that Guyana came through a dark decade of the 2000s when several policemen were killed in a crime wave.It was a time that made him “weep” and should never happen again. According to the President, the police were
badly used, involved with narco-traffickers, tax evaders and smugglers. However, for all this, these are but a few who gave the Force a bad name. According to the President, the Force must be cognizant of the rise of transnational and cybercrime. In a clear hint what could have motivated the choice of James, the President insisted that one cannot “build a new house with old wood”. Rather, there must be new materials selected, with the need for people with new visions and commitment. The Police Force must “break from old, bad habits” and return to principles of good policing. Meanwhile, speaking on the appointments, Jagdeo said that he was assured that the report of the CoI into the alleged assassination had nothing to do with selection process. He said that when certain names came up, Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Paul Slowe, recused himself. Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, who is overseas, told Kaieteur News that the selection process was done in accordance to the established procedures.
A German Lutheran pastor, Martin Niemöller wrote the following poem: First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak o u t — Because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak o u t — Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me— and there was no one left to speak for me. The government seemed in a hurry to get rid of David Ramnarine. The consultation with the Leader of the Opposition to select a Commissioner of Police was held yesterday and on the very day, the President not only decided on his choice but swore in the new Commissioner of Police. One therefore has to question whether the President gave much thought to what the Leader of the Opposition said and whether in fact Cabinet had any say in the decision of the Commissioner of Police. The Alliance for Change is allocated with the portfolio of public security within the government. At the minimum, therefore the AFC should have been consulted on this appointment. And that consultation should include
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considering the views of the Leader of the Opposition on the appointment. Given the timeline between yesterday’s consultation with the Leader of the Opposition and the taking of the oath of office of the Commissioner of Police designate, it seems hardly likely that the AFC or Cabinet could have been consulted. The AFC, if it were not consulted on this appointment, should do the right thing and withdraw from the government. It is unthinkable for the AFC to consider itself as a partner with government if on such an important appointment, and one involving a portfolio held by the AFC, the President acted unilaterally behind the backs of the AFC or Cabinet. If on the other hand, the AFC and Cabinet were consulted, then the AFC should make known its position on this matter. It should publicly declare where its support lay and whether it supported the sidelining of David Ramnarine, who did not even make it as a Deputy Commissioner of Police. There are many persons who are silent about the treatment of Ramnarine. But as old people say, “What goes around comes around.” Many of those who turn a blind eye to the injustice meted out to Ramnarine may one day end up being treated
in the same way by the government. Today, it is David Ramnarine, tomorrow it can be you. What is interesting is that every time the President wishes to make a controversial appointment, he comes up with this nonsense about looking for someone with integrity and intelligence. He rejected three sets of list submitted by the Leader of the Opposition for the position of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission and ended up making a unilateral appointment. In that whole
process, the criteria of intelligence integrity and impartiality emerged. However, in relation to the appointment of a Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, two of which have been appointed under Granger’s watch, there is no mention of intelligence, impartiality or integrity. Seniority is allowed to prevail when it comes to the appointment of a Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, but when it comes to the Police the criteria of intelligence and integrity are championed. One therefore has to ask
whether these criteria are being selectively employed and have become a cue to bypass the leading candidates. Guyanese may never know the ‘specific’ reasons why Ramnarine was bypassed. Perhaps those reasons are unprintable. In the days to come, Guyanese will forget all about David Ramnarine. They will keep silent and say very little about how he was treated. They will not be concerned as to how this will affect his family. Ramnarine, having been denied both the position of
Commissioner and of a Deputy Commissioner, has effectively been given marching orders. No one expects him to serve under those to whom he had supervised prior to yesterday. For whom will the bells toll next? Yesterday, it was Ramnarine. Who’s next?
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Friday August 31, 2018
THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN
Questions that must be put to Granger today I say in all sincerity, I cannot give David Granger a pass mark for his presidency which started in May 2015. As someone who has spent the greater part of his life doing academic analyses of his country, I conclude that Mr. Granger hardly possess leadership qualities. He is definitely outstanding in terms of financial integrity as a leader of a country, but maybe that is the only one of several leadership qualities he embodies. Financial honesty alone cannot make for a successful leader. After studying Granger for forty months as President of a very, complex, difficult and hard country, my thesis is that he has failed in the barest of ways of moving the nation away from the psychological rut that it has found itself in since the unhappy reign of Forbes Burnham. I honestly think David Granger is yet to find his feet, and indications are that he will not do so before 2020. If he rules after 2020, maybe possibilities will open up for both him and the nation. For now, our President is yet to stamp his leadership skills and visionary thinking on Guyana. For a forthcoming academic conference, I will undertake an analysis of
Granger’s Presidential evolution. I will argue that Granger was asked to lead the PNC because of confusion in the PNC at that time. He agreed to, but never believed in his wildest imagination that he would lead the PNC to electoral victory. In other words, Granger was not interested in politics or the presidency. For this reason, I believe if he wins in 2020, after two years, Guyana will have another President from the PNC. It could very well be Volda Lawrence or the PNC will call an emergency meeting and select another person, but I think Mr. Granger will not go on to beyond 2023. Today, at his third press conference in his forty months as President, he will be unsettled. He is a reluctant politician, so he will never be comfortable with the media. Of course, if he was an outstanding analyst, he would know Guyana has one of the poorest journalistic communities in the entire world, that does no research on people, places and events, is not familiar with the complexities of the power establishment, is not in the least knowledgeable about contemporary Guyanese history - which is a vital requirement in journalism
- and is extremely poor in journalistic investigation. I am still laughing at why Granger allowed himself to let the media pursue him to demand that he hold frequent press conferences. If Granger had competent advisors who have studied the media landscape in Guyana, they would have told him to go out and bat on the media wicket as often as possible, and don’t be afraid of the doosra or the googly, as those balls will not be bowled because the bowlers can’t bowl them. So, this morning all eyes are on our bowlers, because we all agreed that the President after three years must hold frequent press meetings and we demanded that he must do so. This morning will be his third time at the crease. What will our journalists bowl to him? Will it be long hops or turning deliveries? I don’t know what questions our media will throw at him. But here is my little contribution as a so-called coach. Mr. Granger should be asked why after having five ministers overlooking the oil and gas portfolio and the early decision to advertise the post of the head of the De-
partment of Energy, he arrogated to himself the privilege of selecting a person without a strong background in energy. Secondly, why as President, he chose not to compel his Attorney-General to obey the court order and activate immediately the Judicial Review Act, rather than having the ugly situation where activation was set for January 2019 but the state has reversed that and the Act is now in force? Thirdly, Mr. Granger must be pointedly asked if he is happy with the ethnic imbal-
ance of the party he leads, which at the recent congressional elections saw only one Indian winning a position in the executive – Amna Ally. The other Indian, Ronald Bulkan, had no competitor for the post of treasurer. Fourthly, did the Minister of Public Security convey to him after the interview with the candidates, his choice of the acting Commissioner, David Ramnarine, to be confirmed? Fifthly, looking back at his description of African Guyanese always wanting to have a “raise” rather than
Frederick Kissoon seeking to get involved in productive employment, did he think he made a mistake in his analysis of the political economy of African Guyanese.
DEM BOYS SEH
Soulja Bai kick De Ram and Jagdeo smiling
Old people always seh, be kind to everyone who you pass on the way up, because is the same people you will have to pass on your way down. De Ram is a perfect example of that saying. He climb to de number one spot and big up he biscuit chest, de ladder pull away from under he foot and he fall to number seven in one day. Soulja Bai drop a bombshell yesterday and dem boys love it. He name Leslie de James as de new Top Cop. Dat decision shock everybody. De Ram was doing de wuk fuh a long time. Then See-All go home and De Ram continue. When Soulja Bai announce dat he got five names he gon discuss wid Jagdeo, dem boys notice dat De Ram wasn’t among dem. Dem boys suspect dat Soulja Bai was keeping him and was actually going to nominate de Deputy Commissioners. And dem had people who believe dat Paul Williams was de Commissioner in waiting. Now Soulja Bai promote five people ahead of De Ram. De decision got people talking how Soulja Bai only promoting black people and pushing out Indian people. But Soulja Bai did seh he want wan unbribable Commissioner. Dem boys hear Soulja Bai had special branch cops watching every move De Ram use to mek. That is how ee learn that De Ram use to visit de casino very often and people use to seh dat he salary couldn’t maintain dat
style.Since de appointment of de new Commissioner, dem boys hear De Ram going to Mounted Branch and Hicken, who is now number six, going to Canine Branch. Ram Jattan did like De Ram suh he disappointed, but then he remember de Commission of Inquiry wheh De Ram had to testify. Is since then Soulja Bai get advice fuh change de whole Force. He got a press conference today and dem reporters got nuff questions to ask him. Dem boys sure some reporter gon ask him about De Ram. Jagdeo smiling because De Ram did embarrass Rohee over money to buy food fuh de elections. Rohee claim how he give De Ram money, but De Ram had de evidence dat he didn’t get none and how he police nearly starve. Now Jagdeo saying dat it good fuh De Ram. Hicken ain’t saying a word. He know how he did mek two duck in a trench in Buxton and find a gun when nuff policemen did search de same trench and couldn’t find de same gun. Soulja Bai remember and he know kak when he see it. He seh dat he can’t put no kak man or gambler to head de Police Force. Dem boys waiting to see if dem traffic police gon get worse, especially since dem boss is now de Commissioner. Talk Half and always remember…Be careful whose toes you step on today, they might be connected to the foot that kicks your Ass tomorrow.
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Guyana’s business environment...
Due Diligence increased, breaches minimised
T
he Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest) has increased its ability to properly screen for high risk companies. This was revealed yesterday by the company’s CEO, Owen Verwey. At a press conference held at Duke Lodge, Verwey said that Go-Invest has definitely stepped up on due diligence, while noting that it continuously refines its application form. He deemed the document to be a most comprehensive one. He said, too, that investors are subjected to a rigid reporting process by Go-Invest. He said that investors have to report by November of every year, how they have been using the incentives granted. Verwey also stated that there is a rigid reporting system that is used by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). Verwey noted that for the first half of 2018, the Guyana Office for Investment has facilitated 20 investment agreements worth $12.5B.
Asked if there continues to be monitoring of agreements for breaches, the CEO said, “of course. We continue to do monitoring and if major issues are found, we flag them and try to interface with the errant investor to see how we can rectify it before asking GRA takes action. But the breaches are certainly not at the level that was taking place in the past. If there are breaches, then they are minimal and we would of course recommend to the GRA for enforcement of action...” HISTORY OFABUSE In 2015, Forensic auditors of Nigel Hinds Financial Services had exposed that in several instances, some businessmen used GO-Invest to obtain incentives and tax breaks on certain products, only to keep them for their personal use. In their report, the auditors said that the entity is a conduit for corporations and other businesses to obtain tax concessions.
- Go-Invest CEO
Go-Invest CEO, Owen Verwey “However, there is evidence that despite the fact that concessions were granted to many investors,
Gold medallion to commemorate 50th Republic Anniversary Guyana will celebrate its 50th anniversary as a Cooperative Republic in 2020. To commemorate this auspicious occasion, the Guyana Gold Board in collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources will be launching a gold medallion. Interested persons between the ages of 16 to 35 years have been invited to create the design that will be on the face of the medallion. Persons are encouraged to submit drawings depicting the theme “Continuous development – committing to a Green Guyana through sustainable mining.” All interpretations of the theme must be original and submitted before or on September 25, 2018. Project Officer for the Guyana Gold Board, Dixie Stephens said the theme of the competition was selected with Guyana’s ‘Green Agenda’. “We know Guyana is moving towards sustainable mining and a green economy so we are encouraging everyone who is involved in the mining industry to adopt these new principles and new rules that are being implemented. Therefore, this theme is our encouragement and being able to get the artistic views of those participants as to how they interpret a green Guyana,” she stated. A total of $600,000 in monetary prizes will be awarded to the winners. First
- gold coin design competition launched by Gold Board and Natural Resource Ministry
Project Officer of the Guyana Gold Board, Dixie Stephens place will walk away with $300,000, second place, $200,000 while third place will have $100,000. The successful participants of the competition will be announced by October 24, 2018. Artwork submitted will be judged on the clarity of the theme, creativity and originality, quality of composition and design and effect of the project on the first look. The winning artworks for the medallions will be released by mid-2019 and will be up for
sale at the Guyana Gold Board. The purity of the medallion will be 99.9 percent and weigh one ounce. Prices for the medallions will be announced upon the release of the medallions in 2019. Persons can visit the Ministry of Natural Resource’s website and Facebook page where they can uplift a form and guidelines for the competition. Stephens said forms are also available in the Sunday editions of the local daily, the Guyana Chronicle.
little or no business activity related to the Investment Agreement took place,” expressed the auditors. They added, “In some instances, GO-Invest was used by businessmen as an opportunity to obtain products without paying import duty and other taxes, then reselling the goods or keeping them for personal use.” Also contributing to the abuse GO-Invest opened itself to, was the fact that its
system for filing was in an inexcusable state. In this regard, the auditors said that the unsatisfactory state of the filing system at GO-Invest contributed greatly to the inability of management to provide timely and accurate information regarding the operations of GO-Invest. In many instances, the auditors said that documents placed in an investor’s file were not bound, resulting in missing documents. The auditors said that in some instances, files examined were not properly indexed, so there is no way of knowing what should actually be in the file. It was noted that the movement of files were not always documented, thus making it difficult to locate files in a timely manner. At the time of its report, the auditors said that files for Zhonghao Shipyards Inc. and Atlantic Network Inc., could not be found by officers of GO-Invest. The forensic auditors also criticized the lax manner in which GO-Invest treated investment agreements for some businessmen. The auditors said that in many instances, files examined had un-dated draft Investment Agreements, which undermined the integrity of the documentation process for a key area of GO-Invest
responsibilities. The forensic auditors said that this opened the verification and review process to opportunities for forgery and undermined the use of an audit trail. The auditors said that there was no indication that Go-Invest complied with Section 41 of the 2004 Investment Act, which requires annual recommendation to the government for alteration to the regime of fiscal incentives as detailed in Section 2 of the Income Tax in Aid of Industry Act of 1994. Additionally, the auditors said that the Investment Act of 2004 made the Guyana Office for Investment, the primary investment agency in Guyana. The auditors said that it is unfortunate however, that GO-Invest does not have a comprehensive database of investments made in Guyana. They made reference to the fact that Kaieteur News carried an article where the former CEO of GO-Invest Keith Burrowes admitted that “Go-Invest can only account for 10% of the investments made in the country”. Also, the auditors said that the management of GOInvest acknowledged that some investment agreements falling within their range of investments for consideration were done directly by the Office of the President.
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Friday August 31, 2018
Commuters at mercy of criminals at City Hall’s relocated bus park
C
ity Hall’s decision to relocate Route 42 minibuses and ‘short-drop’ car park operators to a potentially crime-ridden area in High Street has left drivers and passengers at the mercy of robbers and petty thieves. It has been over two weeks since the Mayor and City Council and United Minibus Union agreed to the temporary relocation of the 42 Route minibus operators to High Street between Hadfield and Leopold Street. However, that area may not have been the wisest or safest location —at least not for the business establishments and passengers. The location has always had a high presence of pickpockets and petty thieves,
who are now finding easy prey among hapless commuters and drivers. When Kaieteur News visited the area yesterday, one bus driver was heard blurting out “this place is blows”, as he made his way to his driver’s seat. This suggested that he was not making enough ‘trips’ as he had at the original parking area. Another driver, who wanted to reverse and park alongside the other buses, was approached by a female traffic officer who prevented him from impeding the vehicles behind. He sped off. Nonetheless, Kaieteur News caught up with him and he was vehement in his condemnation of the Council’s move.
He noted that City Hall and a senior traffic had assured them that police ranks would be placed in the area. “Yuh cyant park hay. Dis place infested with thieves. Look weh dey bring de park, up de road is Leopold Street,” he complained. He added that female po-
lice ranks would be incapable of warding off any threat from the nearby dwellers should the need arise. A woman selling beverages and food nearby shared his sentiment. “Vote fuh change, vote fuh stress,” she lamented. As the mid-morning heat intensified, it appeared so too did the moods of those around the park area. “Dem takkin bout oil, oil and improvement and is bare stress” she continued. Kaieteur News was informed that while there are some police ranks in the area
during the day, the ranks depart in the afternoon. Passengers and drivers are then left to the mercy of the thieves, who would then escape into Leopold Street and other nearby areas. At the junction of High and Hadfield Streets, it was observed that several container-laden trucks were competing with the minibuses for space, with neither wanted to make room for the other. One internal security staffer of a general store in the area complained that at peak hours, bus touts often encroach upon the parking spot
reserved for the store’s customers. He explained the recent development in front of the property has negatively affected his business, and is concerned that the re-opening of schools on September 1 will make worse an already bad situation. The decision to relocate the minibus park was taken after the M&CC took over the regular terminal to facilitate Stabroek Market vendors. The Council reported that the vendors were in danger after sections of the market collapsed.
CJIAC Management to test operations at new Terminal Arrival Building
T
he Management of Cheddi Jagan Inter national Airport Corporation (CJIAC) is set to conduct trial runs of the new Arrivals Terminal and Boarding Bridges. These tests are set to be carried out between 13:00h on August 31 to 10:00h September 1, 2018. According to a release from the CJIAC, the objective is to ensure all systems under the passenger treatment/ loading conditions are acceptable to allow the identification of final opportunities for improvements ahead of the proposed official opening of the terminal. The 4,891 square meters terminal is said to feature 10 passport control booths, one elevator, one escalator stair, two functional boarding bridges, three baggage carousels, a spacious customs area
and a public greeting hall to welcome the arrival of family and friends Because of these tests, airport users are advised of the following: · Motorists will now park in the parking lot adjacent to the new Arrival Terminal building. The fees for the various types of vehicles remain the same. · During this trial phase, motorists will not be allowed access under the Arrivals Canopy to uplift passengers - this is to analyse the readiness of the collection of passengers, which was proving difficult in previous experiences. “It is the extended desire of CJIAC Management to ensure the new Terminal operations attain the most favourable efficiencies, stress-free and supple passenger movement, and supe-
rior service to all its users,” the release stated. “CJIAC appreciates the patience and the public cooperation through this process. “ All things favourable, upon completion of this project, the airport is expected to boast a longer runway and bigger apron for improved taxiing, lending for a better experience that is designed to attract bigger planes from Europe, Asia and Africa. When completed, the airport is expected to be 60 percent larger than the current facility with double the concession space. It will allow for more duty free shopping, and more local and international food and beverages concessions. The Timehri airport directly employs 1,000 persons, processes 1,700 passengers and thousands of kg of cargo on a daily basis.
Friday August 31, 2018
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Kaieteur News
Teachers strike action not politically motivated – GTU President Although it was the membership of the Guyana Teachers Union [GTU] that advocated for strike action following government’s refusal to meet teachers’ demands for a decent salary, there are some who are convinced that the move is a political one. In fact, primary among those being accused of taking politically motivated actions is GTU President, Mr. Mark Lyte. But Lyte yesterday sought to put such accusations to rest by insisting that the move to strike is in no way driven by political motives. “As it is, this issue is not a political issue…this is a ‘bread and butter issue’ for teachers and all we are asking is for teachers to be given a livable wage and that is basically the cry of the teachers; it is not based on any
other rationale,” Lyte assured. As he disputed the allegations leveled against him, the GTU President disclosed, “It is being peddled that I am PPP [a member of the People’s Progressive Party] but that notion has to be dispelled because it is not true. People can peruse the PPP members’ book and that will reveal that the GTU President is not a member of the PPP; I am not a member of any political party not the PNCR or even the AFC.” According to Lyte, it has come to his attention that many people are of the view that the Union is being unreasonable with its salary demands to government. But Lyte insisted that it was the very government of the day, when it was in Opposition had seen the need for teachers to
UG Press’ first production set to be presented before year-end
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana (UG), Professor Ivelaw Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana (UG), Professor Ivelaw Griffith has announced that the institution’s press is in the final stages of printing its first batch of publications before year-end. Professor Griffith explained that the institution has been able to receive its third and final endorsement to move forward. “We just received …the last of the three endorsements, the first was from Hilary Beckles attached Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, Professor Neville Ying who is the Executive Director of the Jamaica Diaspora Institute among others… so we are moving in the direction for completion,” he noted. Last year during the institution’s renaissance programme, the Vice-Chan-
cellor signed an agreement with Chairman of Randle Publishers of Jamaica, Ian Randle, to establish a publishing arm of the university that will print the scholarly works of the faculty and student researchers. The agreement which took effect on April 1, 2017, will last for an initial three years. Among the publications that will be printed are ‘Transition’, and ‘Journal of Entrepreneurship’, which will be linked to the School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation, and a ‘Journal of Diaspora Engagement’. According to the ViceChancellor, the institution is also hoping to publish the life and work of Joseph Oscar Fitzclarence (JOF) Haynes penned by Justice Courtney Abel.
receive better wages and salaries. The Union has proposed a 40 percent increase for teachers for 2016 and an additional five percent for the following four years. Expecting that the government would have at least negotiated a suitable percentage, an offer to pay a ‘ballpark figure’ was instead offered. Moreover, Lyte said that the Union will continue to fight for a decent salary for its members who have the astronomical task of moulding the nation’s children. The GTU President further
made it clear that, “It is not the intent of the Union to short-change children but teachers cannot continue to live on peanuts; we too have our bills to pay and our children to send to school.” As such he added, “we are not going back into the classroom unless our concerns are met, and we have made it clear repeatedly that our conditions are clear and straightforward and it is up to the Ministry and by extension the Government to address the concerns of the Union by first allowing this matter to go to arbitra-
tion…” According to the GTU President, “the sooner our salary concerns are addressed, the teachers will return to the classrooms to help educate the nation’s children. “The nation’s children have always been our priority but for years, we have waited and no one is hearing the cries of teachers…We love the nation’s children, we want to develop Guyana, we want to partner with government,” said Lyte. He, however, added that while “we know that we are a
critical partner in this whole process, we cannot continue to live on promises. We cannot continue to be put on hold and go through lengthy negotiations, which turn out to be fruitless. We need the government to match their promises with action and that is where we are at this time…We love our children, we love Guyana and that is why we are here and have put up with it all these years and the time has come for government to stop giving us peanuts if they truly care about us,” said Lyte.
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Kaieteur News
Go-Invest to review operational model Local Govt. Elections… to improve ability to promote exports PPP to mount court challenge against If the Guyana Office for functions and objectives. Investment (Go-Invest) inThis has seen the develop‘gerrymandering’ of boundaries tends to improve the way it ment of a comprehensive promotes local products, then it has to review its operational and institutional model. This was revealed yesterday by Go-Invest Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Owen Verwey. At a press conference held at the Duke Lodge, Verwey said that a proposed strategic plan will be developed. He said that it would be in-line with the vision set forth for the Agency by the Ministry of Business. The CEO said that the plan will also be done through the National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) Project, which focuses on developing Investment Promotion and Export Promotion Strategies. Through the NQI Project, Verwey also revealed that GO-Invest’s website will undergo major design upgrades during 2019 to ensure a modern, up-to-date and userfriendly platform. Addition-
Go-Invest CEO, Owen Verwey ally, a Client Relationship Management (CRM) System will be implemented to enable continuous monitoring and evaluation of investment processes. The organisation has already embarked on a programme to raise awareness among the public and key stakeholders about its
Communications Strategy and a 12-month implementation plan that will engage all stakeholders through a range of interventions utilising workshops, presentations, meetings, social media platforms as well as print, radio and television-based initiatives. COLLABORATION WITH SMALL BUSINESSES In addition to the aforementioned, the GO-Invest CEO said that the Office will also deepen its collaboration with the Small Business Bureau and the Ministry of Agriculture in order to assist farmers producing traditional and non-traditional crops. He believes that this is necessary to aid them in understanding the business and profitability aspects of crop farming, cluster participation, international market opportunities (such as accessing assistance under the (Continued on page 30)
A GECOM map showing constituencies in Region 2’s Evergreen-Paradise area. Unhappy with the way the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has redrawn new constituencies ahead of the Local Government Elections (LGE), the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has disclosed plans to mount a legal challenge. Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo disclosed at a press conference yesterday that while the party intends to contest the November 12 LGE, the party believes that GECOM had a duty to hold consultations with political
parties before redrawing the constituencies. “We are going in at a disadvantage, but we are contesting. Trust me. That doesn’t mean that we are muzzled. We have to speak and fight for the rights not of the PPP, but of the citizens in those areas. We are fighting for people on the ground to be heard,” Jagdeo stated. At the 2016 LGE, there were 71 Local authority areas, which comprised six Municipalities and 65 Neighbourhood Democratic
Councils (NDCs). Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan undertook to increase the areas to 80. GECOM has since completed the process, but the PPP is contending that the constituencies won by the PPP have been merged in some instances as part of efforts to favour A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC). Jagdeo pointed out that GECOM has approached (Continued on page 31)
Friday August 31, 2018
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Kaieteur News
Government has one day to negate teacher’s strike – GTU President The verdict remained the same yesterday after the Labour Department of the Ministry of Social Protection called the Guyana Teachers Union [GTU] and the Ministry of Education to yet another meeting. Moreover, public school teachers are expected to continue strike action until their demand for a hiked pay package, voiced through their Union, is heard by government. But according to GTU President, Mr. Mark Lyte, government has one day [today] to negate this dilemma. But ahead of the meeting, Union representatives were convinced that government was prepared to heed their demands for arbitration after receiving a call from the Labour Department of the Ministry of Social Protection yesterday inviting them to meet. Anxious to reach the 15:30 hours meeting, GTU officials had anticipated that a resolution to the deadlock with the Education Ministry was about to unfold with the Education Ministry agreeing to arbitration spearheaded by neutral persons. The Union representatives had made this proposal, given their view that the Labour Department cannot be trusted to carry out an unbiased process of conciliation. A day earlier the Union, at a meeting also called by the Labour Department, gave its commitment to ending the strike action, which commenced on Monday [August 27]. The strike action saw a number of public school teachers from across the country staying away from pre-term activities. Once strike action continues next week, it is likely to considerably affect the teaching/learning process despite assurance from the Ministry of Education that it has a contingency plan in place, which will see teacher trainees of the Cyril Potter College of Education and retired teachers attending to classes. At the meeting yesterday, Union officials heard that the Education Ministry was bent on continuing along the lines
Ms. Adele Clarke, Permanent Secretary [ag] of the Education Ministry. of conciliation by the Labour Department. According to Permanent Secretary [ag] of the Education Ministry, Ms. Adele Clarke, “the position at this point in time is that the Ministry is willing to continue the process within the guidelines as provided in the labour agreement ... [i.e.] conciliation.” Clarke added that further information on the way forward will be shared in a press release. The statement indeed came later outlining the Education Ministry is of the considered view that given the general scope and ambit of the conciliatory process as clearly set out in Section 4 of the Labour Act, Chapter 98:01, that the Social Protection’s Department of Labour should endeavour to exhaust all avenues with this stage in an effort to bring the matter to an amicable settlement. In fact, the Education Ministry also proposed that “the Guyana Teachers Union, should be called off entirely given the fact that the conciliatory process has not yet concluded as the Ministry of Social Protection, Department of Labour is yet to make an official pronouncement on the conciliatory stage as mandated by said Section of
the Labour Act.” But the Union will not back down from its position at this point, Lyte insisted. “We can’t have Labour meditating in conciliation process having compromised themselves by being on the government’s side at the last two negotiations that we had.” “We simply can’t go forward with conciliation with a body that you can’t trust and that was the same thing that came to the fore today [yesterday], hence the Union is insisting that the way forward since it is the responsibility of Labour to carry this that we can’t trust [Department of] Labour any longer...let’s go to arbitration and put it in the hands of neutral people,” Lyte insisted. Lyte emphasised yesterday that [Department of]Labour must come to the place where it acknowledges that the Union does not wish to have its conciliation service and thus recognise that arbitration is the only plausible way forward. “Once that is decided and the terms and conditions are fixed, then we are willing to call the strike off,” Lyte said. Until then he informed, “the strike continues because we are still having an impasse.” According to Lyte too, if government is desirous of seeing the nation’s children properly attended to come next week, it must heed the Union’s demand. Once the Education Ministry agrees to the GTU’s arbitration terms, moves will be made to immediately halt strike action, since, according to Lyte, the Union is insisting that it is committed to a stable industrial relations climate and desire the return to normalcy. The GTU since the end of 2015, when a previous multi-year salary agreement came to an end, has been proposing a 40 percent increase for teachers for 2016. During negotiations at the level of a Task Force implemented by government, it was recommended that teachers be granted the 40 percent increase as proposed by the Union and an additional five percent be added each following year [2017-2020]. Although this was presented to government, government has failed to adhere to the recommendation of its Task Force,
which benefited from the expertise of government officials from the Ministries of Education, Finance, Communities and the Ministry of the Presidency. Instead, government has offered to pay teachers a ballpark figure on their 2018 salaries amounting to $700 million and $200 million towards debunching monies owed to them. But the sums offered are a far cry from what the Union and the Task Force for that matter have proposed for the nation’s educators. According to Lyte, “what is missing, they [government] are not offering percentages and the nation needs to understand that the government is not offering percentages.
The GTU is not interested in ballpark figures, we are interested in percentages that relate to salaries for the five year period and we are also interested in our teachers being given their outstanding debunching monies.” In fact, Lyte added yesterday, “when it comes to the debunching monies, coming out of the Task Force negotiations, the GTU had already compromised and said that we were willing to take .5 percent of each year of the teachers wage bill dating back to 2011 and up to 2015...” According to Lyte, “GTU continues to emphasise that 40 percent is our starting point but we are willing to negoti-
ate downwards. That is something we want the general public to understand. In addition to that, the 40 percent is restricted only for the first year... the GTU proposal is reasonable.” Lyte is convinced that government’s unwillingness to even accept its own Task Force’s recommendations and continue with an unwanted conciliation process is in fact “an attempt to further drag out the teachers wait to realising the good life government had promised.” Once strike action continues, the Union has given assurance that it will provide strike relief in the form of financial support to teachers.
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Death of female hotel worker who “jumped” from car…
Prosecution’s file still incomplete
One month after 21-yearold Rick Sewcharran, was released on $500,000 bail in connection with the death of his girlfriend, Sasia Adams, the Prosecution’s file is still incomplete. Sewcharran, who hails from Diamond, East Bank Demerara, was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. He was not required to plead to the charge, which stated that on June 10, he unlawfully killed 19-year-old Sasia Adams. Adams formerly of East Street, Georgetown, had been employed at the Princess Ramadan Hotel, Providence, East Bank Demerara. The charge was recommended by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), after the police forwarded a file to the chambers. Yesterday, when the matter was called in the courtroom of the Chief Magistrate, the court heard that the case file is yet to be completed and the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the matter cannot commence. This disclosure was made by Police Prosecutor, Neville Jeffers when the matter was called in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. The Prosecutor added that on the next court
Friday August 31, 2018
Kaieteur News
CHARGED: Rick Sewcharran
DEAD: Sasia Adams
date if the file is not completed they will commence with the PI. The Magistrate after listening to the Prosecutor adjourned the matter until September 6 for a report. According to a statement from the Police, on the night of June 10, 2018, Adams and her boyfriend were travelling west along Lamaha Street, Georgetown in a white Toyota 212 motorcar when she opened the door and leapt from the car, landing on the southern side of the road. The Police said that the boyfriend picked up the woman and transported her
to the hospital where she died. Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh gave her cause of death as blunt trauma to the head. Based on reports, the police sought several extensions to further detain the boyfriend after there were conflicting reports surrounding the death of the teenager. It was reported that Adams who was admitted to the hospital in a conscious state, told doctors that she had fallen down at home. Sewcharran is being represented by Attorney-at-law Sanjeev Datadin.
New minibus fare structures released
A copy of the fare increase for Zone 32 minibuses
Government has released the new minibus fare structures, which come into effect from September 1. Last evening, the Ministry of Business released the new structures, noting that all minibus operators are required by law to display the fare structure in their buses.
Following a meeting with the Ministry of Business, the United Minibus Union (UMU) increased all minibus fares by $20 from September 1. With the new fare structure, a minibus journey to far-reaching destinations like Parika, East Bank
Essequibo, commuters can pay as much as GY$320. President of UMU, Eon Andrews Andrews had noted that fare structures would have to be posted on minibuses in keeping with the law to ensure that commuters are not exploited. (Continued on page 27)
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Over 20 students successfully complete heavy-duty equipment training at Kuru Kuru Centre-BIT Chairman After months of hard work and dedication, 29 Guyanese have successfully completed a heavy-duty equipment training programme that is led by the Board of Industrial Training (BIT). Executing the programme was one of its longstanding partners, the Kuru Kuru Training Centre. Delivering remarks at the event was BIT’s Chairman, Mr. Clinton Williams. He said that the Ministry of the Presidency’s Youth Empowerment Unit collaborated with the Board in the execution of the special purpose three month Training Programme for Heavy Equipment Operators drawn. Williams said that there were six participating Administrative Regions for the project. The BIT Chairman said that the programme has its genesis in 2013 when BIT was first requested by the Guyana Sugar Corporation Limited to address their emerging crucial attrition needs, resulting from the exodus of their operators to the lucrative Gold Mining Sector. Since then, Williams said that the programme gained traction and quickly assumed the status of the premier skill development activity among the other skill sets BIT conducts within its National Training Programme for Youth Empowerment (NTYPE) Project. The BIT Chairman said, too, that during 2014 to 2017; 758 persons (youths) were trained, all of whom are now fully employed. He said, “We plan to train 300 in 2018 and 400 next year. Among the 2017 initiative, a programme for Mahdia was executed for which 30 youths were trained. A programme for Region Nine was also executed where 35 trainees were trained and certified. The graduation for these Trainees took place on August 29, 2018 at Lethem. Additionally, 40 youths from Lethem and surrounding villages will commence training during the first week of September.” “We are pleased to report also that the skill development intervention utilizes the Competency Based Education Training methodology, which simply means training
40
The graduates photographed with some of the officials from the Board of Industrial Training
by doing. As a consequence, the programme has had a positive impact in minimizing the historical stigma associated with Technical Vocational Education in that the empowerment phenomenon has been a pull factor in ensuring that vulnerable groups such as school dropouts and youths from disadvantaged communities have been in the forefront seeking training opportunities.” Additionally, Williams said it has also provided for high paying jobs to critical sectors of the economy such as Public Infrastructure (Roads, Bridges, Drainage and Irrigation), Mining and Quarrying, Forestry, Agriculture, Housing, etc while at the same time positively impacting on crime prevention and poverty alleviation in terms of tangible socio-economic interventions. As regards synergies and inter agency linkages, Will-
iams said that BIT is more than happy to report that the Regulatory and Security Agencies are significant beneficiaries of this intervention. He said that BIT has been conducting parallel training programmes for the Guyana Police Force in order to build capacity in its ability to provide certification and licensing of the trainees in the operation and use of Heavy Equipment. The BIT Chairman said that this translates to proficiencies and relevant competencies of the officers in the Guyana Police Force to perform the role of competent assessors and verifiers in assessment and certification process not only in the operation of the equipment, but also in respect of critical essentials with respect to condition base and preventative maintenance for the plant and equipment they are being certified to operate. For the Guyana Police Force, Williams said that between 2015 and 2016, 72 Officers were trained in Region Four as Assessors, and 10 in Region 7. Additionally, during 2017 to 2018, Williams said that 45 officers from Region 6 were trained in the use of Heavy Equipment and 13 are presently in training. Further to this, Williams said it is the intention of the Board of Industrial Training to continue to pursue innovative interventions based on the current (CBET) method-
ology to intensify both the range and quantity of skill sets for the following sectors as identified by the current administration as potential drivers for the economy in the short to medium term. He said that these include: Agro Processing Value Added Industries inclusive of Plant and
Equipment Operation and Maintenance; Timber and Wood Products Added Value Industries; Information and Communication Technology; Clean Energy; Oil and Gas; Tourism and Hospitality and Maritime Transportation and Logistics. In closing, Williams
thanked the trainees for successfully completing the programme. He told them, “It is my fervent wish that you will utilize this glorious opportunity by displaying these exposures towards your own development as well as the development of Guyana and in the end, make us all proud.”
PPP/C spent $9.7B on food, six other items; Govt. spends $14.7B on same - Jagdeo Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo thinks that government’s spending on certain areas is the reason it cannot find money to pay teachers and police ranks. Jagdeo told the media that he compared the money that Guyana was spending on certain items under the PPP/C government in 2014 against what is being “wasted” under the serving government. He said that in 2014, “National and other events” attracted a budgetary lump sum of $477M but attracts $911M in 2018, reflecting a $434M increase. Dietary (food), under the PPP/C cost taxpayers $3.6B, now it is costing Guyanese $5.2B, an increase of $1.6B. Jagdeo noted that the category $1.8B was allocated for “other” in 2014 but $2.6B has been allocated in 2018, a
$836M increase. “If you add those only on those three that is $2.8B more.” Further, Jagdeo said that “Local travel” used to be $1.4B under the PPP/C, now it is $2.1B—it has grown by $732M. And, “this is per annum you know, we using all this money for local travel and per diem.” Jagdeo went on to note that “Vehicle spares and service” was $853M in 2014 but is now $1.34B representing a $490M increase; “other transport travel and postage use to be $874M, it is now $1.4B another increase of $469M.” Jagdeo said, “Government is renting building all over the place at lucrative prices.” He said that $795M was allocated for rental in 2014 but $1.39B is now being spent on this. Jagdeo told the media, “In these seven heads alone,
there is increase expenditure of $5.1B.” Jagdeo said that these are excesses that could have gone to paying teachers and restoring the tax-free double salary for police. He was keen to note that the increases under the seven line items would not affect real development. Further, Jagdeo said that termination of the “corrupt” drug bond contract would allow a $170M extra in the system. He said that this can add $13,000 to uniform allowance of teachers. “Worst of it all, “Minister Henry and others got the gall to go out to say teachers are being greedy; when, without working a single day, they took a 50 percent increase for themselves. We can take the existing National Budget and cut $30B without harming anyone.”
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VAT, other issues brought to the table CJIAC Management to test operations during meeting between GMSA and GRA at new Terminal Arrival Building A team from the Guyana Manufacturing and Service Association (GMSA) led by its President Shyam Nokta and including Board Member Ramesh Dookhoo and Chair of the Forestry and Wood Processing Sub-Sector Rafeek Khan met with Commissioner General Godfrey Statia and his GRA team yesterday to discuss several key issues affecting the manufacturing sector. The meeting was called as a follow up to the GMSA registering concerns to Minister of Finance Winston Jordan in June 2018 regarding the impact of the Amendment to the VAT Act in January 2018 on some sections of the manufacturing sector. The results of the amendments being that certain businesses involved in exports were unable to reclaim the Value-Added Tax paid on inputs on the goods exported. The GMSA contended that the amendment, contrary to what the Minister had intended and as stated in his budget speech, affected major sectors of the economy, foremost being the forestry and wood processing sector. The GMSA further contended that the VAT on such inputs serves as a dis-incentive to producers who primarily manufacture for export
and comes at a time when the forestry and wood processing sector are facing several challenges including the deplorable state of interior roads and when there is a strong push for more value adding to target external markets. The Commissioner General indicated that in keeping with the Minister’s pledge of no new taxes and the fact that the Amendment was intended to improve administrative efficiency of the VAT administration, that GRA is exploring ways to address the issue. He also requested that the GMSA explore other avenues and make suggestions with financial analyses rather than making broad statements since the GRA’s analysis using return submissions have revealed a negligent impact on the industry. Despite the Commissioner General’s position, the GMSA stands by its position regarding the adverse impact on key economic sectors. The GMSA also raised other issues pertaining to tax administration including the implementation of the new scanner system and processing times, and put forward for consideration a request for incentives for manufacturers in relation to energy and renewable energy technologies. A list of procedural issues
relative to facilitating the smooth flow of businesses was also given to the Commissioner for his attention in the near future. Also raised was the issue of addressing Excise Duty on Indigenous Wines in keeping with the Government stated policy of incentivizing local manufacturing. The issue of Excise taxes on Shandy was also discussed whereby the current structure is not in line with other Caribbean territories and has therefore disadvantaged Guyana’s producers. The issue of whether or not VAT could be reclaimed on export items had been a recurring issue since the Amendment of the VAT Act. The issue stemmed from items at the beginning of the product chain being subject to VAT, while the end product was not. This thereby upped the cost of production but did not allow for an increase on the selling price as the VAT on the item at the beginning of the product chain was not subject to being reclaimed. An example of this would be if pepper attracted VAT, but pepper sauce did not. The manufacturer would find they would be paying more for the raw product (pepper) while unable to increase the cost of the final product (pepper sauce).
“Number One Supermarket” in Grove robbed fourth time in four months The “Number One Supermarket” at 18 Grove Public Road, East Bank Demerara (EBD) appears to be a number one target for robbers. Two bandits, including one with a handgun, invaded the business place at around 14:00 hrs yesterday. This has been the fourth robbery in four months, since the business was opened in the area. Wi t n e s s e s c l a i m t h e two men walked into the supermarket, and one
pulled a gun from his waist and pointed it to an employee, while demanding money. His accomplice then took all the moneys from the cash register, along with several phone cards. The bandits then fled. In another incident, three armed bandits robbed the Chinese-owned business, but were cornered in the Supermarket. The bandits who accessed the premises from the Demerara River, tied up
the 53 year old security guard, with shoe laces and bag straps. They then placed him in a bathroom at the back of the building before proceeding to the top of the three storey building, via the back steps. The Chinese owners are said to be expressing frustration at the brazen robberies. One employee expressed fear at working there, since she said. “you don’t know when they coming”
New minibus fare structures released From page 16 “We will be circulating the new fare structure so that commuters will not be exploited. There are some instances where a ‘short drop’ is already $80 and $100. Those prices are adequate for ‘short drops’; they need not be increased, “Andrews emphasized. “In the meantime, it must be reiterated that the increase is from September 1 so any imposition of increase to commuters before that is a violation and passengers are urged to report such incidents to the police.” Andrews had explained
that the cost of fuel is not the only factor behind the fare increase. “We took into consideration a number of factors, including the cost of tyres, excise taxes, insurance, licensing fees and what would be a fair price for passengers to pay before deciding on the increase,” he explained. In its statement yesterday, the Ministry of Business assumed responsibility for drafting the new fare structure for the various zones and routes. “It should be noted the Ministry of Business is hereby informing commuters
of the new fare structures for the following zones: 31, 32, 40, 41, 42, 44, 46, 46, 47, and 48. We urge both operators and consumers to adhere to the new fare structure which will become effective on September 1, 2018,” the Ministry said. “For the zones not listed, the Ministry is urging operators to contact the United Minibus Union (UMU) to make representation on their behalf. Contact can be made through its President, Mr. Eon Andrews on mobile number +592-612-1517.” the release added.
The Management of Cheddi Jagan International Airport Corporation (CJIAC) is set to conduct trial runs of the new Arrivals Terminal and Boarding Bridges. These tests are set to be carried out between 13:00h on August 31 to 10:00h September 1, 2018. According to a release from the CJIAC, the objective is to ensure all systems under the passenger treatment/loading conditions are acceptable to allow the identification of final opportunities for improvements ahead of the proposed official opening of the terminal. The 4,891 square meters terminal is said to feature 10 passport control booths, one elevator, one escalator stair, two functional boarding bridges, three baggage carousels, a spacious customs area and a public greeting hall to welcome the arrival of family and friends Because of these tests, airport users are advised of the following: · Motorists will now park in the parking lot adjacent to the new Arrival Terminal building. The fees for the various types of vehicles remain the same.
·During this trial phase, motorists will not be allowed access under the Arrivals Canopy to uplift passengers - this is to analyse the readiness of the collection of passengers, which was proving difficult in previous experiences. “It is the extended desire of CJIAC Management to ensure the new Terminal operations attain the most favourable efficiencies, stress-free and supple passenger movement, and superior service to all its users,” the release stated. “CJIAC appreciates the patience and the public cooperation through this process. “ All things favourable, upon
completion of this project, the airport is expected to boast a longer runway and bigger apron for improved taxiing, lending for a better experience that is designed to attract bigger planes from Europe, Asia and Africa. When completed, the airport is expected to be 60 percent larger than the current facility with double the concession space. It will allow for more duty free shopping, and more local and international food and beverages concessions. The Timehri airport directly employs 1,000 persons, processes 1,700 passengers and thousands of kg of cargo on a daily basis.
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Go-Invest to review...
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1 Air compressor 5HP 3 Phase 230/220 volts. Call: 628-1486/698-1134.
Vacancy for assistant manager & shop manager at Wencai Trading. Phone 6179513
One two (2) bedroom apartment in Kitty. Contact# 227-6824
Pure breed German Shepherd pups for sale. Contact Tel# 612-6672, 697-1141
2 Bedroom apartment 140 BB Eccles Scheme. Contact Malinda Williams @ 6536743/665-6160
Just arrived from UK New Perkins & Kubota engines3,4 & 6 cylinder. Contact#220-2034/623-8078
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2 bedroom for working couple/single person $35,000 & $32,000 monthly light & water included. Lodge. Call: 623-0076 Newly constructed 2 bedroom apt in a safe and healthy environment. Call: 698-6496/622-6512
LAND FOR SALE 5 acres of Vacant Transported land @ Brahn, West Coast Berbice. $10M Negotiable. Call: 601-5739/ 718-444-1944/917-628-9492 Phase (2) Tuschen $1.3M Uitvlugt $2.9M Zeelugt $2.3M Tel#697-6311
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Herstelling (110ft x 60ft) $5M Farm $2.6M Schnoord $2.4M Uivlugt $2.5M Parfaite Harmonie $1.1M Eccles $7.5M. Tel# 648-1635 Prime land to build that dream home. Not far from Princess, New Thriving, Massy, HJ water world $13M neg- Call: 669-8397
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N. Outar Driving School. Learn to Drive the right way. Affordable package. Call: 644-5166/691-2561 CAR RENTAL DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL:225-7126/ 2263 6 9 3 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL @YAHOO.COM/ WWW.D OLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS FROM $4000 & UP, SUV’S PER DAY- CALL:643-5122/ 6 5 6 - 0 0 8 7 , ,EMAIL:PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM
WANTED Experienced shop workers (Female) to work in the interior. Call: 231-0363 8:304:30 pm 1 Domestic worker, must know to cook, work time 7am3pm Monday - Saturday. Please call: 626-8880 Live in or live out babysitter/ domestic- Call: 223-7500 Monday to Saturday 8:15am4:15pm
Contract cars: Contact City Taxi Service, 8 Vlissengen Rd. Phone : 696-0404/226-1081
Experienced Handyman with 2 yrs experience. Apply @ Christine’s Variety, Lombard St. Contact: 227-8529
Back to Eden 85 David Street GT. Bakers, Pastry, Puri makers, General. Apply in Person, Food Handlers’ Certificate.
1 Female kitchen assistant to work at Itaballi #665-6444
1 Live in nanny/domestic to take care of children. Must know to cook various meals. Age 32-48. Contact 682-8251
Vacancy for experienced female accounts clerk. Apply at Alabama Trading. 65 Robb Street.
Experience our 2 weeks cosmetologist workshop $20,000 & 1 hair dresser wanted who knows to do everything. Contact Melissa: 698-3018
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1 Female caretaker to work in Atlantic Gardens E.C.D. 1 Planner - experienced in pressure systems. 1 Receptionist - Age 18-25. Contact 608-5303 Driver/Porter must have valid lorry license and recent police clearance. Call: Telles Steel #231-3265/226-6771 Masons to work in Diamond. Call: 671-8280/227-8682/2273681 Brokerage/Logistics Officer. Requirements: Secondary Education, Must have a valid drivers’ license. Contact#665-3676/ sales@tradelinc.com One 3 Bedroom house to rent with concrete yard space E.C.D 659-6494, 216-3709 Wanted land to buy in Parfaite Harmonie or anywhere on the West Coast. Tel#642-1252 Urgently need one land in Parfaite Harmonie & Eccles. We buy with Title & Irrevocable #658-5897 Experienced male cook and Dredge workers, serious enquiries only. Call: 672-3359 Between 08:00-17:00 hrs Driver wanted. Ages 25-50 Mc/Mv/Ml. Call: 231-8737 1 Guard for Private Residence. Contact # 628-9268 1 Diesel Mechanic to work with mining company in interior. Knowledge of Perkins & Doosan equipment required. 226-9768/500-5923 Security personnel to work with private security firm in interior. Must have military/ police background. 500-5923/ 226-9768
Driver/Porter must have valid lorry license and recent police clearance. Call: Telles Steel #231-3265/226-6771 Data Entry Processing clerk, with knowledge of QuickBooks, Apply in person with application. Wieter & Richter, Water St Tel#226-6150 Female cleaner office & home age 25 to 50. Call: 233-2745 Maid for East Bank area to cook & clean age 25 to 50. Call: 614-4358 Cook/Baker for interior location. Must know to cook & bake a wide variety. Call R&V Mining 618-2020 Azeez Burgers now hiring. 672-9662 Vacancies exist for Cashiers/ Supermarket helpers, apply in person with written application at Nirva Supermarket 49 Sheriff & Craig St. Tel# 227-5771 Carpenter & Mason to do Maintenance work at Adamantium Holdings. Call: 223-5273/74 One experienced driver, apply at Alabama Trading 65 Robb Street, Bourda One Tutor to teach a 3 year old boy from 12:00 to 5:30 pm Apply at Alabama Trading 65 Robb Street Bourda Manager to work at Xenon Hotel in Charity. Call#2235273/74 Driver/Expediter. Call: 2235273/74 Vacancy exists for 2 assistant cooks @ People’s Choice Kitchen. Strictly night shift. Tel: 679-9449
From page 14 European Development Fund) and developing internal capacities to make them export-ready. Verwey said that GO-Invest is supporting initiatives, which promote agricultural activities and investment including events such as Regional, Agricultural and Commercial Exhibition (RACE). The Agency also continues to work along with Government Agencies, Ministries and local private sector bodies to improve the investment climate through its continued participation on various committees/councils.
VEHICLE FOR SALE 2006 Suzuki Escado (White) Excellent condition. Price $3.5M Neg. Contact #6093777/697-4557 White Toyota Axio 2010 Unregistered Vehicle with low mileage and reverse camera $2.6 Neg #220-9514/ 645-6469 ACCOMMODATION Secret Villa & Harmony Inn, Ideal for local & overseas guest. Tel#225-6337, 2181400/ 694-7817/668-0306 HEALTH Herbal remedies: Diabetes, Hypertension, Infertility, Menstrual disorders, Enlarged prostate, Kidney,Gall stones & Arthritis etc. Call Sparman #676-5924 VACANCY Office Assistant: 5 subjects CXC (inclusive of Mathematics & English), Computer Literate. Submit application to P.O box 16005 Georgetown, Guyana.
Friday August 31, 2018
Guyana set to host first business-to-business expo - 55 exhibitors to showcase products and services - 30 international companies registered to engage local companies Over fifty exhibitors will showcase their products and services at Guyana’s first ever business-to-business, Trade and Investment Exhibition (GuyTIE) on October 19-22 at the Marriott Hotel, Georgetown. The exhibition is expected to be one of the biggest events of its kind to be held in Guyana. According to the Coordinator of GuyTIE, Sukdeo Singh, the show is in keeping with the government’s aim of creating an enabling environment to foster business growth and development. Singh explained that since its launch, a number of businesses have registered to participate in the event. She said a total of 81 booths have been sold out, with 55 being exhibitors ranging from manufacturers, agro-processors, tourism
operators, distributors and energy, oil, banking and shipping services operators. “In the whole process, we are currently working with the exhibitors to have them be prepared for the event. We are working specifically with companies that are exportready. Part of the training sessions with the exhibitors are achieving successive tradeshows, tradeshow participation and export marketing which focuses on packaging and pricing,” Singh said. The coordinator highlighted that to-date, thirty international companies have registered to come to Guyana to interact with the local exhibitors. Some of the companies are from Trinidad, Belize, Haiti, India, Korea, Barbados, Suriname, Cuba and Canada. Singh believes the event
will help to push micro and small enterprises to get to the export-ready stage to enable participation in future events. “In the future, we plan to work and develop persons to bring them to the level where they are ready to export. We will use GuyExpo as a platform to promote our small businesses,” she noted. The event will open on the October 19. On October 20 and 21 there will be strictly businessto-business sessions, which will see companies engaging the exhibitors. On the final day, the expo will be opened to the public at a ticket cost of $1000, which can be obtained from any GTT retail offices. The event is a collaboration between the Government of Guyana and several private sector organisations.
Two Water Taxis commissioned in Region Six In keeping with its promise, the Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Public Infrastructure’s Department of Transport and Harbours (T&HD), today commissioned two water taxis in East Berbice-Corentyne (Region Six). The boats valued at some $20M were commissioned by Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson, at the New Amsterdam Stelling. In her address, Minister Ferguson said, while in opposition, the now Coalition Government had moved a motion to reduce the tolls at the Berbice Bridge to ease the financial constraints on residents and other stakeholders. According to the Minister, after assuming office in May 2015,
“We engaged stakeholders…. the Board of the Berbice Bridge, we engaged the management of Transport and Harbours Department and said this will be the new direction, the new fares amongst other things.” Minister Ferguson restated the Ministry’s plan to develop transport services regionally. Chairman of the T&HD, Basil Blackman said the government, recognising the situation facing commuters, implemented the plan to provide the water taxis. The Chairman said the launching of the two water taxis fulfills the government’s commitment to residents of New Amsterdam and Rosignol. It was highlighted that approximately 600 commuters cross the river daily during peak periods with 35 percent
being school children. Regional Executive Officer of Region Six, Kim WilliamsStephen, commended the government for their efforts and expressed her satisfaction with the venture. She said the implementation of the water taxis will enhance the education capacity of the region as it aims to make transportation for students more accessible. The water taxis, Blessed One and Blessed Two have met the standards of the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) and are equipped with the necessary safety gear. The boats are expected to go into operation tomorrow and will complete ten trips per day with the elderly and school children being transported free of cost. All other commuters are to pay a fee of $120.
PPP to mount court challenge... From page 14 the matter in a partisan manner, pointing to Region 2’s Evergreen-Paradise where constituencies 8 and 9 have been merged to create a voter population of 652 voters. Both were won in 2016 by the PPP. However, he noted that constituencies 5 and 6 in the same area which was on won by APNU, if merged have a total votes. Jagdeo noted that GECOM did not merge these two. “They merged two and made it larger when they argue that it should be smaller. They merged the two that the
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PPP won and not the two that APNU won,” Jagdeo stated. In Region 3, Malgre Tout Meer Zorgen area, constituencies 5 and 6 have been merged and now sees 1,704 voters and is now reduced to one seat. In Region 5, the Woodlands Farms area was a ‘tie’ in 2016, but GECOM has merged constituencies 1 and 2 which was won by the PPP and now has 990 voters. Jagdeo pointed out that in the same area, GECOM could have merged constituencies 6 and 7, which was won by APNU and created a pool of 861 voters, but they did not.
‘This is the fairness that we are getting from GECOM. It is not just the Minister who is trying to gerrymander the boundaries, but GECOM itself and they should have invited all the parties and explained this and let the parties make proposals. Our Commissioners tried to raise this issue at the level of the Commission, but they shut it down,” Jagdeo indicated. He described it as a patently unfair practice of GECOM that violates the Constitution because they should have consulted with all the parties involved.
Workshop hosted to advance national disaster risk management work programme Over 35 representatives of government agencies have completed a three-day workshop aimed at advancing the development of the country’s five-year Country Work Programme (CWP) 2019-2024 for disaster risk reduction and comprehensive disaster management. The event ran from August 28-30. The workshop hosted at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) is a collaborative effort among the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). Facilitator of the CDEMA, Cheryl Nichols told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the goal is to have Guyana become a safer and more resilient nation through comprehensive disaster management over the next five years. Emphasis is being placed on strengthening institutional arrangements, public awareness and knowledge enhancement. Nichols expressed optimism that stakeholders will establish the multi-agency relationship necessary to en-
- Over 35 representatives from government agencies benefitted sure that the country moves in the right direction in an effort to minimise the impacts of natural disasters on Guyana. She added that, “we looked at the impact for the next five years and we have established some outcomes and activities associated with these, all geared towards achieving a safe resilient Guyana with of course, comprehensive disaster management being the guiding post.” Beverly Ply, representative, National Commission on Disability (NDC) said the workshop was an eye-opener for her. “I realised that every policy document within the [various] sectors should look at the issue of disaster risk management since it is everybody’s business and we have the right to understand what it is all about,” she noted. Michael Welch, a representative from the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) said that “there are a number of challenges we will face but the more organised we are, the better will be our position to respond to those challenges
hence the need for this workshop that speaks to disaster risk reduction and comprehensive disaster management.” Chetwynd Osborne, from the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC), said his participation at the workshop has been fruitful and allowed him to fully understand the extent of the country’s vision regarding its CWP. It was noted that the CWP workshops are based on an analysis of gaps in the country’s CDM audits and guide efforts towards enhancing disaster risk management in line with the regional and global agendas, as defined through the Caribbean Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management Strategy 20142024 and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. Representatives of the Ministry of Public Health, Guyana Fire Service (GFS), Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the Department of Environment (DOE) were also in attendance.
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Angelique Kerber and Petra Kvitova through BBC Sport - Fourth seed and former champion Angelique Kerber overcame a second-set wobble against Sweden’s Johanna Larsson to make the US Open last 32. The German, who had never lost a set in three previous matches with Larsson, eventually prevailed 6-2 5-7 6-4 over two hours and 24 minutes. Kerber will play Slovakia’s world number 35 Dominika Cibulkova next. Czech fifth seed Petra Kvitova got past a stubborn display from China’s world number 90 Wang Yafan to win 7-5 6-3. Kvitova, 28, broke late to seal the opener after initially letting a 4-1 lead slip and Wang’s consistent
Roger Federer beats Benoit Paire to reach third round - Murray crashes out
Angelique Kerber groundstrokes and a solid serve kept the world number 90 in touch in the second set. Kvitova next plays 20year-old Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, who won the New Haven title earlier in August. Sabalenka beat 2010 runner-up Vera Zvonareva 6-3 76 (9-7) to make the last 32. She
is joined by her compatriot Aliaksandra Sasnovich who upset Russia’s in-form 11thseed Daria Kasatkina 6-2 7-6 (7-3). Sasnovich will face Naomi Osaka - who clinched her biggest career title at Indian Wells in March - after the Japanese beat Julia Glushko 6-2 6-0.
Friday August 31, 2018 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Your aggressive nature is strong today, so be careful, Aries. Even though this may be good for getting things done and tackling any project you need to complete TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) It's probably in your nature to want to include everyone in your plans today, Taurus. Perhaps you're running around making sure everyone is being cared for. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You may find that you have a strong will now, Gemini. Once you get fired up to go somewhere, there's little chance that anyone can stop you. CANCER(June21–July22) Calm down today, and be careful about accusing someone of something when you don't have all the facts. Keep your wrath under control. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You may be feeling a bit more in touch with your warrior side than your emotional side today. More than likely this will set the stage for conflict in your world of hopes and dreams. Be careful that you aren't too aggressive toward people who are just trying to help you. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You may find that someone or something is thinking or working opposite to the way you are. This feeling is aggravated even more by a strong warrior force that wants to be recognized. There is definitely a squeaky wheel in the situation that desperately needs oiling.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Pay attention to your body today and feel free to stop when your body says to stop, Libra. There's a strong aggressive force asking you to take action in one way or another. Make sure that you are considerate of others. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Emotionally, you should be doing well today, Scorpio. But when it comes to taking action, you're apt to be indecisive. Every option seems to looks fantastic. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) There's tension in the air today, Sagittarius, and you might be restless and anxious to start something. There is plenty of energy around to feed you, but the trick is to make sure that you're doing things for the right reasons. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) You're probably feeling more in touch with your emotions, but it might be difficult to know which way to move based on where you are. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You may be focused on a certain trajectory, but today you could run into complications based on overlooked issues. Be aware of the people around you and how your actions affect them. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) ou should be in a good mood today, but don't be surprised if some aggravating force steps on your toes or pulls your chain in some way. More than likely, there isn't much you can do
BBC Sport - Roger Federer continued his bid for a record sixth US Open title with a comfortable secondround win over France’s Benoit Paire. The 37-year-old Swiss eased to a 7-5 6-4 6-4 victory in New York City in one hour 56 minutes. Paire had not beaten the 20-time Grand Slam champion in six previous meetings and never looked like causing an upset. Second seed Federer will play Australia’s Nick Kyrgios in
the third round. Kyrgios won 4-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 6-0 against France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert, fighting back from a set and a break down after being talked to by chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani. And, there was sound and fury from Andy M u r r a y, b u t s t i l l n o t enough of the old polish to stop him making his earliest exit from the US Open since his debut thirteen years ago.
Drenched in sweat, the former world number one battled his lights out on the stadium where he won his first Grand Slam, but it was not enough to save him from a 7-5 2-6 6-4 6-4 defeat against 31st seed Fernando Verdasco. The sound of his chuntering spoke of his determination, and the fury came from a breach of the rules he witnessed in the locker room during the tenminute heat break, when players are not supposed to communicate with their support group.
Agricola and Timehri in battle for... From page 37 against Timehri tomorrow, they {Diamond} have already assured themselves of ending in the bronze medal position and would fancy their chances of toppling Timehri. Swan FC can seal the fourth place spot if they are able to secure a win over Samatta Point Kaneville in the first match tomorrow, failing which, Samatta Point with one more match to play can sneak in and take fourth. There is no contest for the Highest Goal Scorer of the league as Agricola’s Eon Daniels is way ahead on 31 goals, closest to him is Dia-
Guinness Cage... From page 38 Sparta Boss and Leopold Street encounter is another chapter in their long standing rivalry, with the match a virtual final. Anyone on the night could prevail and feature in the championship match.” The tournament is being organized to forge integration among the participating communities in an effort to create a better understanding among its inhabitants. Among the entities in support of the cause are: Banks DIH under its Guinness and Power Wine brands, Clarks footwear giants Chetsons, E- Networks Inc., KSM Investments, Yhip’s Bakery, Brass Aluminum & Cast Iron Foundry [BACIF], Ray’s Auto Sales, Insurance Brokers Guyana Limited [IGBL], Y.K. Investments, Trophy Stall, Express Shipping, Woodpecker Products, National Sports Commission, ‘C’ Division of the Guyana Police Force, Jai Signs & Auto Designs, Gaming Authority, Julius Variety Store and C & C Prestigious Styles.
mond United’s Joel Ross who has 11. Ten clubs have competed in the league. Sureia Manufacturing is the title sponsor under their Juicy Juice brand. The winning team will collect a First place trophy and 16 gold medals; second place attracts a trophy and 16 silver medals while the third place team will
receive a trophy and 16 bronze medals. The fourth place reward is a trophy while individual awards will go to the Most Valuable Player (Trophy), Best Goalkeeper (Trophy), Highest Goal Scorer (Trophy) and Best Coach (Trophy). Following are the weekend fixtures:
Friday August 31, 2018
Champions League Draw: Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus drawn against Man Utd
Cristiano Ronaldo will head to Old Trafford to face Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United. Manchester United will face a reunion with Cristiano Ronaldo after drawing Serie A champions Juventus in the Champions League group stage. Ronaldo, who was at United between 2003 and 2009, joined Juve for £99.2m in July after nine years at Real Madrid. Valencia and Young Boys are the other teams in Group H. Tottenham have been drawn in a tough group to face Barcelona, while last season’s runners-up Liverpool face Paris StGermain and Napoli. Eredivisie champions PSV Eindhoven and Inter Milan complete the line-up in Spurs’ Group B and Red Star Belgrade are the other team to play Jurgen Klopp’s side in Group C. Premier League champions Manchester City were drawn in Group F alongside Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon and Hoffenheim. Last season’s winners Real Madrid, who have won the competition for the past three years, are in
Group G with Roma, CSKA Moscow and Viktoria Plzen. Real Madrid, who beat Liverpool 3-1 in last year’s final, cleaned up in the UEFA awards, with their players winning in all the categories. Keylor Navas won the goalkeeper of the season award, Sergio Ramos was voted the best defender, while Cristiano Ronaldo claimed the forward of the season award. Croatia international midfielder Luka Modric - a Champions League winner with his club and World Cup finalist with his country - won both the midfielder of the year and overall best player awards.Meanwhile, former Manchester United and England midfielder David Beckham was awarded the UEFA President’s award. “From winning the Champions League with Real Madrid, achieving a historic result with Croatia, now this, it is amazing,” said Modric. “They are great feelings and I am happy and proud of everything that I have achieved.
”This year I can say is the best year of my career, collectively and individually. Finally I achieved something I dreamed since I started playing for the national team. We reached the final of the World Cup and even without winning it was historic.” Group stage draw in full: Group A: Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Monaco, Club Brugge. Group B: Barcelona, Tottenham, PSV Eindhoven, Inter Milan. Group C: Paris StGermain, Napoli, Liverpool, Red Star Belgrade. Group D: Lokomotiv Moscow, Porto, Schalke, Galatasaray. Group E: Bayern Munich, Benfica, Ajax, AEK Athens. Group F: Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon, Hoffenheim. Group G: Real Madrid, Roma, CSKA Moscow, Viktoria Plzen. Group H: Juventus, Manchester United, Valencia, Young Boys.
Imam Bacchus and Rising Stars secure semi-final spots Defending champions Imam Bacchus Sports Club (IBSC) and Rising Stars (RS) are through to tomorrows semifinals of the South Essequibo Cricket Committee Invitational T20 tournament following quarterfinal victories on Sunday last. Imam Bacchus SC defeated Walton Hall by 28 runs in their encounter at the Imam Bacchus ground when they took first strike after winning the toss and scored 110-9, the game was reduced to 16
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overs. Yougeshwar Lall struck three fours and two sixes in scoring 33 while Parmesh Parsotam made 25 (2x4 1x6). Uvindra Balgobin captured 4-15 and G. Singh 3-20. In reply, Walton Hall were restricted to for 82-8 with Rana Persaud scoring 18; Vishwanauth Lall and Balgobin 14 each. Khulraj Persaud snared 3-15. Rising Stars beat Jaguars Sports Club by 86 runs in their matchup at the same venue. Rising Stars batted first and
posted 165-5 off their allocation of 17 overs. Kemol Savory 51 (2x4 3x6) while Ricardo Peters made 30 (3x4) and Quintin Sampson 23. Javed Azeez picked up 2-10. Jaguars replied with 79-9. Norman Fredericks scored 18; R. Ramdass had 3-14, B. Ramjass 210 and Sampson 2-15. The semi finals will be played tomorrow at Imam Bacchus ground; the host will play New Opportunity Sports Club at 10:30hrs and Rising Stars will take on Reliance Hustlers at 14:00hrs.
Luka Modric named UEFA Men’s Player of the Year
Luka Modric has been voted as UEFA Men’s Player of the Year as well as the best midfielder. MailOnline - Luka Modric has been named as UEFA Men’s Player of the Year after leading Real Madrid to their third successive Champions League title. The Croatian, who had enjoyed a surreal year for club and country, beat fellow nominees Mohamed Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo to the award. Ronaldo picked up as the Champions League’s best forward last campaign with
Real Madrid after becoming the top scorer in the competition for a sixth-year running. Sergio Ramos was voted as the competition’s best defender last season while Modric collected his second award after he was named as the best midfielder for his incredible tournament. Real and Costa Rica keeper Keylor Navas made it four out of four award categories after he was named as the
best goalkeeper of last season’s Champions League with Real Madrid. Wolfsburg’s Penille Harder also won the UEFA Woman’s Player of the Year. Former Manchester United and Real Madrid star and football icon David Beckham received the president’s award for his work outside of football and the impact he had made throughout and after his career.
Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba collect key wins in CWC Qualifying Kingston, Jamaica – Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba each collected key wins on match day three of the final round of the Caribbean Zone of CONCACAF Women’s Championship Qualifying on Wednesday in Kingston. A brace from Kayla Taylor paced Trinidad and Tobago to a 5-0 victory over Antigua and Barbuda to give the Women Soca Warriors a record of 2W-0D-0L, 6 points, 8GF, 2GC. Janine Francois got things rolling early in the 4’ and soon Taylor made it 2-0 with her first score in the 16’. At the half-hour mark Tasha St. Louis extended the advantage to 3-0 before Taylor got her second in the 32’ to give Trinidad and Tobago a 4-0 halftime lead. Kennya Cordner would then round out the scoring in the 65’. Trinidad and Tobago currently sits in third-place with two matches to play, while Antigua and Barbuda (0-0-3, 0, 0GF, 21GC) has been eliminated from advancing to the
T&T players celebrate after scoring against Antigua and Barbuda.
CWC. In the other match, Cuba edged Bermuda 2-0 in what was a tight, cagey affair between the two teams. Both teams enjoyed chances early on, but fans had to wait until the 31’ for the first goal when Cuba’s Lilian Perez Sandoval collected a pass in the area and fired in a rightfooted shot for a 1-0 Cuba lead.Cuba made things even more difficult for Bermuda in the 52’ when Maria Isabel Perez Torres intercepted a pass and rocketed in a shot from 30 meters out to double the lead, 2-0. Bermuda
searched for a response, but the Cuba defense held firm to see things out. Cuba (2-0-1, 6, 11GF, 3GC) sits in second place, while Bermuda (0-0-2, 0, 0GF, 6GC) is in fourth place. Action will resume today when Antigua and Barbuda squares off against Bermuda, while Trinidad and Tobago faces host nation Jamaica. The top three finishers will automatically qualify for the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship scheduled for USA October 4-17, 2018.
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Amazon Warriors confident but Mike’s Pharmacy renew braced for Tridents backlash BCB U-15 sponsorship
Guyana Amazon Warriors Assistant Coach Rayon Griffith (left) and all-rounder Roshon Primus during yesterday’s media conference. (Photo courtesy CPL) Bridgetown, Barbados, CMC – Guyana Amazon Warriors are confident of beating strugglers Barbados Tridents but coach Rayon Griffith warned his side would be taking nothing for granted when the two teams clashed in the Caribbean Premier League here tonight. The contest at Kensington Oval represents a tale of contrasts as while Amazon Warriors lie third in the six-team standings on eight points, home side Tridents have lost four of their last five to sit one from bottom on four points. However, Griffith is cognisant of the dangers posed by Tridents who beat his side in Georgetown just over two weeks ago, and said Amazon Warriors were bracing for a competitive affair. ”They beat us at home so definitely we’re here to try and get back [revenge for] that victory,” Griffith told a
media conference here yesterday. ”We know they’re a good side and they have capable players to get the job done but we have capable players to get the job done also. “It’s all about executing and who finishes well and we’re ready for the challenge at any time.” Amazon Warriors won their two opening matches in Georgetown before losing their third to Tridents. They bounced back with victory over Jamaica Tallawahs in Florida, lost to St Lucia Stars in Gros Islet before stunning St Kitts and Nevis Patriots by four wickets in Basseterre three days ago. Griffith said the campaign had been one which had given the travelling side confidence. “So far in the camp, things have been going very well for us. We just came off a good victory and everybody are enjoying themselves,” he explained.
”We’ve enjoyed a family atmosphere in the squad. We’re up against Barbados and we’re not going to take them too lightly but we’re expecting a good game.” Victory today will take Amazom Warriors level with leaders Tallawahs on 10 points and virtually assure them of a place in the playoffs. However, fast-bowling allrounder Roshon Primus, who played his first match of the season against Patriots, said the focus was on the next game and not the advanced stages. ”We’ve done well for the tournament even though we’ve been a bit up and down but the energy and togetherness is there so we’re pretty confident we’ll come out victorious after Friday’s game,” he said. ”We’re taking it day by day. We’re not really thinking about the playoffs, we’re just taking it day by day and step by step.”
Kendall, Singh guide Rome Athletic to victory Chemroy Kendall struck a fine 89 while Raphael Singh grabbed four wickets as Rome Athletic defeated Herstelling by three wickets when the East Bank Demerara Cricket Association/ Neville Sarjoo Memorial 40-over tournament continued on Sunday last at YMCA ground. Batting first, Herstelling managed 187 all out in 28.1 overs with Anand Bharat scoring 55 with five fours and five sixes while Wazir Hussein made 35 and Ricky Sergeant 26. Singh finished with 4-34 from seven overs while Lennox Andrews had 2-0. Rome Athletic responded with 188-7 in 29.4 overs. Kendall struck five fours and nine sixes in his innings while
Chemroy Kendall
Raphael Singh
Andrews made 27. Sergeant had 3-21. The competition continues tomorrow with Ruimveldt playing Peter’s Hall at YMCA and Herstelling
facing Eccles at Joe Vieira Park. On Sunday Nandy Park will play Silverbullet at YMCA. All matches start at 10:00hrs.
Since 2015, due to the politics that affected the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB), it was unable to host any cricket finals. The situation was corrected on Saturday last when the Hilbert Foster led BCB hosted a memorable final between Albion and Rose Hall Town at the Albion Ground. This was the first of twenty-two, the BCB plans to host at all levels before the 31st December, 2018. The Managing Director of Mike’s Pharmacy was so impressed with the organising skills and dedication of the Board, that he announced to great applause that his company would renew sponsorship for 2019. Singh hailed the standard of play he witnessed while Wayne Jones of the company stated that M i k e ’s P h a r m a c y w a s pleased to be associated with the BCB. Secretary of the Albion Cricket Club, Vemen Walter in a well re-
ceived presentation at the closing ceremony of the first ever Mike’s Pharmacy U n d e r- 1 5 To u r n a m e n t , hailed the outstanding work of President Hilbert Foster and his team. Wa l t e r s a i d t h a t t h e tournament was well organised and the players were once again excited because they had so much to look forward to. The experienced Cricket Administrator stated that the Under-15 final was one of the best he had witnessed during his almost three decades in Berbice cricket. Walter expressed the hope that the recent positive development in the last few months would continue and committed the Albion Cricket Club to working along with Foster and his team. An elated Foster expressed gratitude to Mike’s Pharmacy for the renewing sponsorship for 2019 and announced that the new tournament would start in
November, 2018 as the Board would be starting early preparation for the 2019 Inter-County Under15 Championship. Foster expressed gratitude to Walter for the kind words and noted that he would be a President for all youths, in spite of their race, greed or the club. He informed that the finals for the Under-17, Under-19, Under-21, four Magic Moments Inter-Zone, Patron T10 and Skyy Vodka T20 would be held shortly while another set would follow which include the New Building Society 40Overs Second Division, Pepsi 50-Overs, Busta 40Overs, Brian Ramphal Double Wicket Competition and Rhonda Lewis Memorial T20. Foster also disclosed that the BCB is also working to have its own pitch covers and clinch a multimillion deal for a ThreeDay First Division Tournament.
GFF Elite League Season III
Fruta Conquerors vs Milerock; Victoria Kings vs NA United tonight @ GFC The Guyana Football Federation Elite League Season 111 play will continue at the GCF ground tonight with a double header from 19:00hrs, the feature match bringing together leaders Fruta Conquerors Football Club (FCFC) and bottom half dwellers Milerock FC (7th place) at 21:00hrs. The first match will see East Coast’s Victoria Kings matching skills with the Berbice’ New Amsterdam
United FC. The opening match is anticipated to be a high intensity affair since fifth place Kings (23 points) will fancy coming away with three points from ninth place New Amsterdam (eight points) while the Berbice side will be desperate for a win; in a bid to get out the relegation zone with less than month remaining before the curtains drop on the competition that has almost $10 million in cash
prizes up for grabs. The winners of the league which is slated to conclude on September 23 will pocket a handsome $5million along with entry to the Caribbean Club Championship while the second place finishers will receive $2million and third, $1million. Admission to tonight’s matches is $500 with women and children admitted free. Please see current points standing below.
Friday August 31, 2018
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CNL allows Guyana to evaluate flagship team – Forde - Guyana open against Barbados next Thursday at Leonora The flagship team of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), the senior male team also known as the ‘Golden Jaguars’ will be back in competitive action from next Thursday when this nation plays its first match of the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League (CNL) qualifying stage against Barbados at the Leonora National Track and Field Centre, West Coast Demerara from 19:00hrs. President of the GFF in an invited comment shared his views on the importance of this new centralised men’s national team competition representing a new era of national team football for CONCACAF Member Associations. ”The Nations League will first and foremost allow us to measure our flagship team, ‘The Golden Jaguars’ against quality regional opponents. We are determined to qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the Executive Committee has made the necessary adjustments and investment to improve our chances. Qualifying for the Gold Cup is tied to a bigger strategy and that is; to lift the profile of the Team and the Country, to improve the visibility of the Brand (Golden Jaguars), to improve our team Management systems, to attract higher quality friendly games and to establish a stronger position for sponsorship negotiation, both locally and internationally. All of this will generate National confidence and momentum for the 2026 campaign.” The team would not have been active on FIFA dates in the past due to a number of
Wayne Forde - GFF President challenges which the GFF has been working on to overcome to the extent that the core of the National U-20 and 23 players just returned from a two week Train and Play Camp in Brazil, the first time that such an initiative has been undertaken in Guyana’s football history. New Head Coach Michael Johnson was in charge in Brazil. Also historical in Brazil was the composition of a professional Technical Staff of over one dozen qualified personnel which will be the standard of the federation going forward, Forde noted. ”We now have in place a very talented and motivated coaching staff and we are putting together a very strong team that can compete pound for pound against any regional team. International Football is very challenging financially but we always find a way to keep moving forward.” The names of the players that would be donning national colours for the Barbados match next Thursday
would be released shortly and Forde has indicated that the team would have a balanced mix of local and international players. The federation head also shared on systems the federation would be putting in place to keep the players motivated on and off the field in this long journey that leads up to FIFA World Cup qualification in 2026 and the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2019. ”The local players are playing consistently in the Elite League. The GFF provides and covers all cost to and from the Elite League game venues. Each player is paid a match fee of $3,500 per game and at the end of each game the player and Coaching staff is provided with a meal. This is the first time in Guyana’s football history that this is being done. The Elite clubs are soon to receive a large stock of professional training material and we have just appointed a Brazilian specialist Coach to work with the Elite League Clubs to improve the quality of coaching. We have also increased the encampment per diem from US$35 per day to US$50 per day. I believe they have every reason to be motivated and loyal to the Nation. I believe they have more than enough.” The GFF and Guyana’s quest to attain the highest possible heights in this beautiful sport cannot be achieved alone but would need the tangible support of all the relevant stakeholders which include the government, corporate Guyana and the fans. Forde offered his tale on this important component:
Coaching Education Director Wilson Toledo (left) and Golden Jaguars Head Coach, Michael Johnson in Brazil. “While we need every bit of support that is available, I am placing my faith in the product (the team) to generate value and subsequent interest. We are making difficult upfront investments to achieve this but I am confident that by registering strong performances, we will be able to secure a network of partnership to support the Campaign.” Meanwhile, Following all
68 matches of the CONCACAF Nations League qualifying phase, to be played in September, October, and November 2018, and March 2019, the total points for each team will be compiled into an aggregate table, ranking the participating teams from 1-34 based on their on-field results. The final standings of the qualifying phase will determine how teams are placed into Leagues A, B and C for
the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League Group Phase, set to kick off in September 2019. Additionally, the top ten ranked countries of the Nations League qualifying final table will qualify automatically into the expanded edition of the 2019 Gold Cup, joining the six previously qualified teams that participated in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Hexagonal, for a total of 16 participating Gold Cup nations.
One-Day champs return home to high-level welcome By Sean Devers Yesterday, in scorching sun the aircraft carrying the Guyana team U-19 cricket team which won the 50-over title for a record fifth consecutive year touched down at the Eugene Correia International Airport Ogle at 14:30 hrs and the sporting Ambassadors were welcomed by Secretary of the Guyana Cricket Board (BCB) Anand Sanasie and Director of Sports Christopher Jones who represented the Government of Guyana. Guyana arrived in St Vincent as double defending Champions having won both the Regional U-19 three-day and one-day title for the last four years. The Guyanese, who hold the Regional record
for most consecutive threeday titles (from 1992-1997) failed to retain the two-innings crown and had to settle for the third position with T&T winning the title this year. However, the South Americans successfully defended their 50-over title by being the only team to play unbeaten in their five games. Sanasie, a Director on Windies Cricket Inc., the governing body for Cricket in the West Indies, congratulated the Bhaskar Yadram led team which was Coached by Julian Moore and told the youngsters that the GCB was proud of their efforts. ”Before the team left here I challenged them to return home with a fifth title in a row and although they not man-
age to retain the three-day trophy they won the 50-over title” Sanasie informed. ”This shows that our fiveyear plan for Guyana’s cricket is on track and the GCB and CGI look forward to ending a successful year in Regional cricket by winning the Regional Super50 title next month,” Sanasie stated. ”I must commend the players, Coach and Manager for a near perfect job and congratulate the selectors for picking a very balanced team in terms of youth and experience,” added Sanasie. He noted that eight of the players selected, played last year while eight of them are eligible for next year’s tournament. Jones said that this team has created history and praised the cricket board for
the excellent work it has been doing. ”The GCB is working to develop future international cricketers and the Government will support them to give others the same opportunity you got, so as to win more tournaments” the Director of Sports said to the players. Skipper Yadram said that despite not having a good three-day tournament, it was important to win the 50-overs competition. ”Our batting lacked consistency and confidence in both tournaments but our bowlers bailed us out. This is my last year at this level and I wanted to get some big scores and am disappointed with my batting but as Captain I am pleased we won this title” the West Indies youth
player disclosed. ”I must commend especially our fast bowlers for defending small totals and bowling us to victory” Yadram, who has already played FirstClass cricket, pointed out. Coach Moore agreed with his captain about the batting of the team and said many times batsmen were set but did not go on to get big scores. ”Nobody got a hundred for but we had several little partnerships with added up to give us victories. But our strength was defiantly our bowling. We set goals for both tournaments and our batting struggled badly forcing us to do some soul searching in the three-day format and we knew we had rebound in the one-dayers. We did not play
our best cricket but It is always important to win which was mainly thanks to our fast bowlers” Moore added. He said that Joshua Persaud (Guyana’s leading run scorer), Kevin Sinclair, Ashmead Nedd, Kevin Umroa and Kevlon Anderson impressed despite not having their best tournament. Moore singled out Essequibo pacer Joshua Jones for his consistency and informed that although he struggled with the bat, Yadram used his experience to lead the team well. Sanasie presented the team with tickets for the CPL games in Guyana and told them it was a little gift from the owner of the Guyana Amazon Warriors Franchise, Dr. Bobby Ramroop.
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Friday August 31, 2018
Kaieteur News
Tallawahs go top after Beaton focused on going to next year’s World Cup whipping Tridents Bridgetown, Barbados, CMC – Jamaica Tallawahs handed woeful Barbados Tridents their third straight defeat at home, as they stormed to the top of the Caribbean Premier League standings with an uncomplicated fivewicket victory here Wednesday night. Chasing 152 at Kensington Oval, Tallawahs reached their target on the stroke of midnight with 16 balls to spare, to notch their fifth win of the tournament and move to 10 points. Opener Johnson Charles bludgeoned 53 off 33 deliveries while Rovman Powell saw his side home with a controlled unbeaten 35 off 27 balls. Tallawahs are two clear of reigning champions Trinbago Knight Riders in second, with two games remaining in their campaign. Tridents, meanwhile, slumped to their fourth defeat in five outings, remaining fifth in the six-team standings only above St Lucia Stars. Sent in, Tridents saw their batting woes continue and needed opener Martin Guptill’s top score of 73 to get up 151 for nine off their allotted 20 overs. Imran Khan and Ashley Nurse both got 20 down the order but none of the other frontline batsmen shone, in yet another limp display from a side clearly short of confidence. Not for the first time, wickets tumbled early leaving the Tridents in strife at 55 for five
Johnson Charles in the ninth over. The rot started in the second over when South African Hashim Amla missed a sweep at a straight one from leg-spinner Samuel Badree and was lbw for three with five on the board, and it continued in the next over when Shai Hope was superbly yorked by fast bowler Oshane Thomas (2-22) for one at 12 for two. Steve Smith (9), captain Jason Holder (7) and Nicholas Pooran all perished cheaply leaving Guptill to add respectability to the total in a 60-run sixth wicket stand with Imran Khan. All told, Guptill faced 60 deliveries and counted four fours and three sixes before eventually holing out on the ropes at long on off Powell in the 18th over, to be seventh out. In reply, Tridents struck
early, removing Glenn Phillips for six to a catch at the wicket off left-arm pacer Mohammed Irfan but Charles ripped into lose bowling to re-energise the innings. The righthanded St Lucian smashed five fours and three sixes, dominating a 56-run, second wicket stand with Kennar Lewis who laboured 20 balls for his eight. Both batsmen fell in the space of 13 balls with six runs added but their dismissals led to a 42-run stand between Powell and David Miller (14), which all but settled the outcome. Powell struck a couple of fours and sixes while the left-handed Miller belted a four and a six off eight balls. Miller and Captain Andre Russell (10) fell three balls apart in the 15th over but Tridents had left it too late.
GCA/V Net Communications U-13 League
Bel Air Rubis, Transport Sports Club post wins as play resumes Bel Air Rubis and Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) registered victories when the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA)/V Net Communications U13 League continued recently at Muslim Youth Organisation ground. Bel Air Rubis managed 360 loosing 19 wickets in the process, batting first against Demerara Cricket Club. Mark Sukhai and Vikash Wilkinson made 20 each while John Alves got 15; Romeo Deonarain claimed 4-6, Wavell Allen 4-9 and Jonathan Van Lange 3-21. Demerara Cricket Club responded with 356-6. Deonarain scored 23, Van Lange 20 and Premkumar Permaul 15. Daniel Kissoon had 2-8 as Bel Air Rubis won by four runs. Georgetown Cricket Club
Romeo Deonarain went down to Transport Sports Club by 110 runs. Georgetown Cricket Club batted first and scored 274-11; no batter managed double figures as Riyad Latif picked up 3-2, Steven Sankar 3-3, Riaz Latif 2-3 and Rene Goberdan 2-14.
Transport Sports Club made 384-4 in reply with Alvin Mohabir scoring 64 and Riyad Latif 15. Jonathan Sooklall had 2-7. According to the competition regulations, the pitch shall be 21 yards in length and each game shall consist of one innings per side with each innings being of 25 overs duration. The batting side shall be divided into five pairs and each pair shall bat for five overs. Batsmen shall have unlimited lives but each dismissal shall result in ten runs being deducted from the total. Each team shall commence its innings with a score of 200 runs and the winning team shall be the team scoring the highest number of runs after the deduction for dismissals has been made.
At age 25, Ronsford Beaton has been cleared to resume his International career by the ICC after his bowling action passed the test in England on August 13. Beaton was suspended from bowling earlier this year after he failed an independent assessment of his bowling action, which had been reported as suspect during an ODI against New Zealand last year. ”I think I failed my first test off the last ball I bowled when I felt some pain in my back. In my last test I had to bowl 24 balls on different lengths and I was confident I would have been successful” said Beaton who played his two ODIs against New Zealand last December. Beaton, the first person to represent Essequibo in International cricket, missed the CPL for Trinbago Knight Riders this year to work on his action. The 21-year-old Kemo Paul, who played a Test match and six ODI’s, is the only other Essequibo player to play International cricket. Beaton said he does not know as yet which team he will represent in this year’s Regional Tournament but defiantly knows he wants to play for the Windies again. “The World Cup is next year so I’m trying to do all that I can to be a part of that team,” Beaton stated. The genuinely quick pacer was born in the Volcano hit Island of Montserrat but grew up Essequibo Coast in the Village of Reliance; he plays for Central Essequibo and GCC in Georgetown.
Ronsford Beaton He played at the regional Under-15 level in 2008 and was one of three Essequibians in the 2009 Guyana Under-19 team after missing the 2008 national Under-19 trials because of GCE exams. As a schoolboy Beaton was the Essequibo sprint champion and was invited to the National athletics trials. After graduating from Abram’s Zuil Secondary he attended the Guyana School of Agriculture and initially played football. While still playing youth cricket, the multitalented Beaton made his senior County debut for Essequibo in the 2009 fourday competition. Later that year, despite nursing an ankle injury, he bowled with genuine pace in the Under-19 three-day InterCounty matches. Beaton, who taught himself to bowl, represented the West Indies Under-19 team in a youth Test and 2 youth ODIs against Australia in Dubai in April 2011, and against the USA in Florida in early July 2011. In July 2011 he became the
first pacer to captain the Guyana in Regional U-19 cricket when the tournament was played in Guyana. In October 2011, Beaton represented the West Indies Under-19 team in the Under-19 Quadrangular Series in Visakhapatnam, India. In August 2012, he played for the West Indies Under-19 team again, this time in the 2012 ICC Under-19 World Cup, in Australia. He was chosen for the 2011 Guyana first class squad to play in Jamaica but made his debut against the England Lions in March 2011 in Guyana and bowled impressively in the two remaining matches of the season. Beaton has 64 First-Class wickets from 33 matches, 43 List ‘A’ scalps in 30 matches and 42 T20 wickets from 42 encounters. “My ultimate aim is to play Test Cricket and I feel I am a more mature and responsible person and plan to work very hard on my cricket and see where it goes from there” said Beaton who is in Trinidad. (Sean Devers)
BCB/Fitness 53/Ramnaresh Sarwan Under-17 KO Cup
Albion through to semis; Tucber park into quarters The 2018 season of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) continued on Thursday last with crucial matches in the Fitness 53/Ramnaresh Sarwan Inter Club Under-17 Tournament. Albion defeated Achievers Cricket Club of West Coast Berbice by three wickets to advance to the semifinals while Tucber Park Cricket Club crushed Kendall’s Union of No. 19 Village by 10 wickets to move in to the quarterfinals. Defending Berbice Under-17 champions, Rose Hall Town Bakewell has already reached the finals of the tournament which is scheduled for next Thursday at a venue to be named. At the Canje Welfare Centre Ground, No. 19 was dismissed for a meager 36 off 14.1 overs with S. Khalall scoring 10. National Under-17 pacer Gevon Schultz took 4-11 and received support from Daniel Dharamdat 2 for 2, Rommel Reteimah 2-7 and Zeymul Ramsammy 2-10. Dharamdat returned with the bat to score 18 not out and together with Tamoi Leason 11 not out took Tucber Park to an easy 10-wicket victory in just 6
overs. Achievers opted to bat first in their quarterfinal match against Albion and were bowled out for 119 in 31 overs. The attacking Collis Noble top scored with an aggressive 37 (5x4) while Nick Fraser 23 (2x4 2x6) and Daniel Ramoutar 16 offered support. Left arm spinner Govran Ramesh took 620 from 8.3 very impressive overs while Under-15 offspinner Leon Cecil had 2-9 from 6 overs. In response, Albion raced to 75 without loss with openers Sarwan Chaitnarine and Hemendra Gurdyal being very aggressive. Chaitnarine, was first to be dismissed for 37 and despite losing six more wickets, they reached 120-7 from just 21overs to book their semifinal spot. Gurdyal made 16 while Leon Cecil chipped in with 14 and Surendra Ramcharitar 12. Adrian Samaroo 3-20 and Quacy Auldar 3-39 bowled well for Achievers Cricket Club in a losing cause. Tucber Park Cricket Club would play powerhouse Blairmont in their quarterfinal with the winner going on to play Albion in one of the semis.
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Friday August 31, 2018
Wilson Toledo commences duties in Guyana
W
ilson Toledo, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) newly appointed Coaching Education Director, hit the ground running on Sunday last when mere hours after his arrival in Guyana to commence his contract with the local governing body. Toledo was on hand to kick off the third match of the G FA - I M C ‘ S t a g B e e r Revival Cup’ at the GFC Ground. Toledo’s arrival came on the heels of him being with the senior national team during the “Train and Play Camp” held in Brazil in preparation for the Jaguars’ first match of the CONCACAF Nations League next Thursday, September 6 at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora. The Brazilian national has already begun the ground work necessary to fulfill his one-year assignment in Guyana by visiting the senior
and youth tournaments of the GFA-IMC – the Stag Revival Cup and the Pele Alumni “ F r a n k Wa t s o n ” U 1 5 Tournament to observe the talent on display. Over the next weeks, he is scheduled to meet with the coaches of the Elite Clubs and interact with the Member Associations. The veteran coach looks forward to the challenge of improving football in Guyana. Meanwhile, results of the Sunday’s triple-header kickoff of the Stag Beer Revival Cup saw wins for GT Panthers and GFC and a tie for Camptown and Police. In the first match of the day, Jamol Scott was the lone goal scorer for the GT Panthers in the 20th minute to put a wrap to the match, which saw some former national players featured in the Northern Rangers team. GFC was very competitive in the second match and deservedly gained
- Part of GFA-IMC ‘Stag Revival Cup’ kicks off
Wilson Toldeo (3rd right) among GFF officials greeting the teams before the start of the third match of the GFA-IMC Stag Revival Cup on Sunday last. a 2-0 victory over Pele with goals by Lavaughn Enniss and national U17 player, Jermaine Padmore. In the final match of the evening between Camptown and Police, the Lawmen took the lead in the 17th minute,
compliments of Kester Dundas’ goal. However, a goal by Camptown’s Oziel Small in the 46th minute balanced the scores and earned his side an equal share of the points. Following the first match
between Northern Rangers and GT Panthers, a march past was conducted with remarks made by Chairman of the GFA-IMC, Trevor Williams and Ian Alves, G F F ’s C o m p e t i t i o n s Director, respectively.
The tournament had two kick-offs - Williams did the official kickoff at the start of the second match while Toledo kicked off the final match. The next fixture of the Stag Revival Cup will be released soon.
EBFA/Juicy Juice U-13 League to conclude this weekend
Agricola and Timehri in battle for championship glory The inaugural Juicy Juice sponsored East Bank Football Association (EBFA) Under-13 League is set for an exciting conclusion this weekend at the Timehri Red Ground where the final six matches would be contested, three on Saturday and a similar amount on Sunday. Agricola Red Triangle Match Day 14 39. Samatta Point 40. Timehri Panthers 41. Herstelling Raiders Match Day 15 42. Samatta Point 43. KK Warriors 44. Timehri
are currently holding slim lead on goal difference of +40 to +30 over Timehri Red Triangle which has two games in hand as opposed to Agricola’s single match; they both are on 21 points. Agricola’s final match will be against Timehri on Sunday from 13:15hrs, this would also be the last match of the league between the
only two undefeated sides so far. The Agricola lads will be hoping that Timehri finds it difficult to get past Diamond United in their penultimate match tomorrow. Diamond United is currently enjoying the best form in their history at any level and the lads would be pumped to give it their all (Continued on page 32)
vs vs vs
Sawn Diamond United Soesdyke
1.09.18 “ “
10:30hrs 11:45hrs 13:15hrs
vs vs vs
Diamond Upsetters 2.09.18 Hararuni Eagles 2.09.18 Agricola 2.09.18
10:30hrs 11:45hrs 13:15hrs
The trophies and medals at stake.
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Kaieteur News
Friday August 31, 2018
150th DCRA Fullbore Championship
Good learning experience - Lennox Braithwaite
G
The West Indies Fullbore Shooting Council Team that competed at the DCRA 150th
u y a n a ’ s members on the We s t I n d i e s Fullbore Shooting Council (WIFBSC) team that competed in the Dominion of Canada Rifle Association’s (DCRA) 150th Canadian F u l l b o r e R i f l e Championships at Connaught Rifle Range in Ottawa, Canada, returned home on Wednesday evening after a successful sojourn. The Guyanese that were part of the team included reigning Caribbean Individual Champion Ronsford Goodluck, Sherwin Felicien, Roberto Tewari, Sigmund Douglas (USA based), John Fraser (USA based) and Lennox Braithwaite who served as Vice-Captain of the 19member squad. A c c o r d i n g t o Braithwaite, a former WIFBSC Individual Champion who was the only shooter to qualify for the Governor General’s threestage Individual event, the tour was a good learning experience and the relatively new riflemen in Tewari and Felecien had invaluable exposure. ”In the individuals, Tewari and Felicien had performed creditably and it is safe to say that Guyana now has two new recognised X Class shooters and it’s amazing that it was Roberto’s (Tewari) first international tour while Felicien was on his second”, the vice-skipper posited. Braithwaite further noted
West Indies Fullbore Vice Captain Lennox Braithwaite that the two newcomers continued their form with fantastic scores in the four team matches they contested, finishing fourth place in each match.”In this competition you were allowed to reload your own ammunition, which we did, and from the results we would’ve ascertain that we did a good job. In addition, we were also exposed to an international shooting Coach/Trainer from Australia, all of which will augur well for the West Indies including the local riflemen on the team who will now switch their focus to Guyana’s national championship which will fire off in October”, the experienced shooter informed. The DCRA 150th championship saw over 200 riflemen competing from various countries, including the United States of America, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Guinness Cage Streetball C/Ship final rescheduled The semi-final and grand finale of the Guinness Cage Streetball Championship has been rescheduled to Friday September 7th at the Haslington Market Tarmac. This was revealed by Rawle We l c h , D i r e c t o r o f tournament coordinator Three Peat Promotions. The event was slated to conclude today at the same venue. According to Welch, “It is unfortunate that the matches had to be shifted from its initial date. We sincerely apologise to the fans who have supported us throughout the duration for the inconvenience. However, we now have a better opportunity to promote the matches and we are
confident that the fans will come out and support the finale.” Broad Street will oppose Uprising in the opening semi-final, while Sparta Boss will tackle Leopold Street. The resulting winners will advance to the grand finale, with the losers competing in the third place playoff. He added, “We are expecting a mammoth turnout for two exciting matches. Uprising, the lone remaining entrant from the East Coast are expected to defend home turf against the experienced Broad Street unit in a match that will surely captivate the fans.” On the other hand, the (Continued on page 32)
Kaieteur News
Friday August 31, 2018
PAGE 39
Priyanna Ramdhani (#1) during the Girls U17 singles presentation. Mishka Beharry proudly holds the Golden Arrowhead during the medal presentation.
BWF CAREBACO Regional Championships 2018
Priyanna Ramdhani ends with 3 gold medals Priyanna Ramdhani ended the 2018 edition of the CAREBACO Regional Under-11, 13, 15, & 17 Championships with a bang capturing two more gold medals to end with three when the curtains came down on Wednesday night at the Ring Sports Center, Paramaribo, Suriname. Ramdhani was crowned the Triple Champion in the Girls Under-17 category as she gathered the highest points in the Singles, Girls Doubles as well as the Mixed Doubles categories. After having won the Girls doubles teaming up with a Barbadian player, Ramdhani stiormed to further gold medals in the Singles and Mixed Doubles on the final night, Wednesday. Competition had gotten underway since August 17th last. Results: Under-17 Girls Singles Final Priyanna Ramdhani defeated Chaista Soemodipoero of Suriname: 21-6, 21-7 Under-17 Mix Doubles Final:
Priyanna Ramdhani & Vance Juteram of T&T defeated Jair Naipal & Erisa Bleau of Suriname: 21-15, 21-7 According to the Guyana Badminton Association (GBA), it is extremely happy with the performances of the players once again at the C A R E B A C O Championships. A release stated that: “It was the best for us as it’s the first time we are playing and medaled in the senior International and it’s also the first time we have won t h e U n d e r - 1 9 International.” Collectively, the GBA team won 12 medals as follows: (Seniors International and 1-Bronze (Senior International) Narayan Ramdhani (2 medals) 2-Bronze - Senior International Jonathan Mangra (1medal) 1-Bronze - Senior International Mishka Beharry (1 medal) 1-Bronze – Regional
CONCACAF Launches New Ranking System for Women’s National Teams
M
iami – The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) on Tuesday announced a new raking system for Women’s senior national teams in the region. The ranking tool, which will update with each match result, will play a key role in determining qualification and seeding for regional and international championships going forward. The calculating formula is based on match results, with bonus points awarded to the
performance of teams at F I FA Wo r l d C u p tournaments. The formula was developed by CONCACAF in close cooperation with Hypercube, which also produced the CONCACAF’s M e n ’s N a t i o n a l Te a m Ranking and other football rankings, such as the Euro Club Index and UEFA National Team Coefficient. T h e n e w Wo m e n ’s Senior National Team Ranking, as well as the Men’s and Women’ s Under20 and Under-17 Rankings are now live on Concacaf.com.
rt o p S
CNL allows Guyana to evaluate flagship team – Forde - Guyana open against Barbados next Thursday at Leonora P. 35
National players working out during the Brazil Train and Play Camp. Some of these players would be in the mix for the CNL.
One-Day champs return home to high-level welcome P. 35
Director of Sports Christopher Jones greets 5-times 50-over U-19 Champs Guyana on arrival yesterday as Skipper Yadram (left) holds the trophy.
Amazon Warriors confident but braced for Tridents backlash P. 34 Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.