Kaieteur News

Thursday August 11, 2016

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Kaieteur News

Errant logging company gets injunction against GFC to avoid closure - Despite heavy indebtedness to Commission

Even though it is in violation of the very agreement it wishes to have enforced, Demerara Timbers Limited (DTL) has moved to the courts to stop the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) from putting an end to its operations. A source close to the GFC explained that the company filed an injunction last month after it realized that the Commission was about to take action against it. In 1991, the then government signed a lease agreement with DTL. The company was given two lease agreements which are called Timber Sales Agreements (TSA). The two TSAs were to be valid for 25 years. However, the contract carried a clause making provisions for a renewal. The renewal provided for, can last a further period not exceeding 25 years. However, Kaieteur News understands that this clause is to be enforced only if DTL conformed with the terms and agreements of TSA. Those terms included a requirement for DTL to give US$3M to the government as part as an investment agreement. The logging company was also required to comply with several other terms of the TSAs. Important terms of the TSAs included a requirement for the company to work the given concessions to the satisfaction of the Commission. This, Kaieteur News understands, is catered for in Clause Six of the agreement. Working the concession to the satisfaction of the Commission is tied to the annual operational plan

that is supposed to be submitted to GFC. The plan is supposed to take into consideration the allowed amount of logging permitted as well as the company’s target for the year ahead. Kaieteur News was told that DTL would have submitted a plan, and the Annual Allowable Cut approved by the GFC was 47,000 cubic metres for one TSA and 15,000 cubic metres for the other. However, over the last 10 to 12 years, the logging company has been failing to meet those targets. For some years, production has been as low as five percent. The company has been basically under-producing. Further, DTL was supposed to pay annually a minimum royalty and acreage fee to the Commission. This also forms part of its obligations under the TSA. However, over the last seven years, the company has been failing to pay this amount in full. In fact, resulting from its failure to pay in full, the company is now indebted to the Commission in excess of $26M. Despite all its violations, DTL wrote GFC last year seeking clarification on whether the 25-year renewal mentioned in the contract would be automatic. Kaieteur News understands that the company was told that the GFC has serious issues with its production and indebtedness, so the extension may not be possible. Because of this, the company threatened a lawsuit

to say that GFC is in violation of the contract. It then filed for an injunction barring GFC from stopping its operations. The company was granted the injunction. Meanwhile, GFC says that the fact that the company approached the court represents a clear violation. It cited a clause in the TSA. Clause 25 of the TSA states, if there is any dispute arising out of the agreement the two parties are to head to International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes. So going to the local court breaches the agreement. Interestingly, one of the TSAs has already expired. It expired in June. So DTL is not supposed to be operating. GFC is now mulling going after DTL in a lawsuit for outstanding monies. The Commission’s position is that if DTL is going to insist on the automatic right of renewal then, at some point, the company will have to make things right financially with GFC. Officials at GFC are at a loss, saying that they cannot understand the audacity of the errant company. In 1991 when the government signed the TSA, the company was under different owners. The owner of DTL at that time was Demerara Holdings MV. That company was registered in the Cayman Islands. Subsequent to the signing of the agreement, DTL sold to Prime Group Investments which remains the owner of the company. Kaieteur News understands that Prime Group Investment is another foreign company. One GFC Official said, “They (DTL) inherited a lot

of the benefits, failed to keep up with their end of the bargain, but want to enforce the benefits against us.” GFC’s position is that no renewal can be absolute if the company has not complied with the terms of the agreement. This publication was told that before the transfer of ownership, production was

relatively good. Things started to change since the transfer but got worse and continued to go “downhill” in 2005. By 2005, GFC’s tracking system had already evolved

and the Commission begun keeping tabs on the company. A source in GFC said that the highest production over the years was between 30 – 35 percent.

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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

CONFLICT OF INTEREST In Guyana, as in other nations, ministers and other government officials are duty-bound to put their country’s good above their own self-interest. Public positions are positions of trust, and they include service as board members, heads of departments, members of Parliament, ministers of government, government advisors and consultants etc. However, a conflict of interest arises when the selfinterest of public officials has the potential to undermine their judgment and impartiality in the execution of their professional or public duty. Based on the same criteria, members of the private sector can also be accused of conflict of interest, but they are not public officials and therefore, they are not paid by the taxpayers. As human beings, no one is perfect, but the frailties and imperfections of human nature are such that most people are driven by greed and self-interest, and only persons of integrity or stellar character can objectively put the interest of their country ahead of the their self-interest. Conflict of interest exists in a situation where individuals cannot be impartial; for example, if they own shares in a private financial institution which is under their supervision. They must recuse themselves from making any policy regarding that institution because their self-interest disqualifies them from participating in the decision-making process. Their conflict of interest can be resolved by disposing of their private interest in that institution. This is what the public expects from Ministers of the government and other public officials. The issue of conflict of interest is further complicated because the need to meet the justice test must not only be seen to be done, but must be done. If members of the current government, for example, are serious about conflict of interest, then those individuals must recuse themselves from any dealings with companies they or their relatives own or have shares in. Resignation from their portfolio is an even more noble option. However, the problem with conflict of interest is that it poses a serious dilemma, as those most knowledgeable of a particular industry or issue are usually in the best position to serve on the boards of those institutions because of their experience and expertise to monitor them. This is an issue not only for Guyana but for all countries, and all governments. As this government strives to avoid conflict of interest, it is important that due diligence be done on all public officials who are appointed to serve in positions of trust. However, it is difficult to resolve the possibilities of conflict of interest. Many believe that conflicts of interest exist in the current government as they did in the last administration. To avoid conflicts of interest, a set of criteria must be developed by an impartial tribunal such as a functioning Integrity Commission, and enforced by the Government. The impartial body should be guided by the rules and procedures established in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Guidelines on Governance and State-owned enterprises. The public cannot rely on the noble side of human nature, because there is too much evidence of conflict of interest, corrupt practices, and the use of public funds for personal benefit by ministers and other public officials in the past. The revelations from the forensic audit reports and the State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU) are just the latest evidence that supports the belief that the flesh is weak and therefore inherent trust cannot be placed in human beings without rules and stiff penalties to make sure that they are not violated. After more than a year in office, clear rules and guidelines have not been established by the coalition administration to prevent conflicts of interest or corrupt practices or discipline those who have violated the public trust, as promised during the election campaign. We watch with interest.

Thursday August 11, 2016

RETURN OF CONSTITUENCY POLITICS IN GUYANA DEAR EDITOR; Anecdotal evidence (admittedly, limited) suggests that constituency politics in Guyana, reintroduced through the new local government system, is yet to take recognizable shape. That shape encompasses bringing our local representatives closer to the people they represent. This closeness is expected to give people a direct voice in how they are governed and to make their representatives more responsive and responsible. With the scrapping of constituency politics in Guyana since the 1960s, its return five decades later naturally faces several entrenched obstacles. One obvious obstacle is our sheer inexperience (including, most critically, that of the newlyelected councilors) with how

the system should work and how should representatives represent. Another obstacle must include the pittance (a few thousand dollars) paid to councilors, especially those in the NDCs. Among the several drawbacks of a miserly stipend is the reality that many councilors would be deterred from doing constituency work if they feel uncompensated for the cost of doing that work. Moreover, I suspect that the smallness of constituencies both in terms of geographic area and population may inadvertently increase the separation between electors and the elected. This may sound counterintuitive, but councilors of such small constituencies may see no need to communicate with their constituents because these councilors may believe

they already know the problems in the constituency. The overarching challenge to constituency politics, of course, is the near inescapable presence of the whip system of our main political parties. The reflex reaction of our political parties will be to exercise some central control over local government authorities and councilors. That said, it should not be overlooked that parties could potentially hasten the development of proper constituency politics because of their reach and resources. What should local government and constituency politics look like in Guyana? Years ago, I spent time at Guyanese friends in a small community in Pennsylvania, USA. In the few days I was there, my hosts received an invitation to a community meeting, several

reminders by flyers and emails of various events (such as a Bingo), and a copy of the community newsletter. The newsletter (which I have since kept as a souvenir) includes information on proposed bylaw changes, events at the community centre, a youth fishing derby, work done by the maintenance department, and the biographies of candidates seeking to fill vacancies on the local council. What was striking about the approach of this community council in Pennsylvania was the high frequency of engagement with residents to both inform and involve them. This is the model we should follow in Guyana. Getting there, of course, requires not only a national plan but a cultural and political reboot. Sherwood Lowe

The necessity of “Peoples Skills” in police training DEAR EDITOR Congratulations for the Guyana Police Force for graduating 203 recruits at a passing out parade recently. Effective planning and execution had to come into play for the GPF to conduct a single graduation ceremony for recruits from the Richard Fikal Police College- Essequibo, the Felix Austin Police College - Georgetown and the Felix Austin Police CollegeBerbice. On August 03, 2016 both Kaieteur News and Stabroek News carried articles indicating that over 200 young men and women embarked on police training. I am happy to note that there will be many more boots of various sizes

on the ground to focus on the fight to reduce crime and the fear of crime. Kaieteur News July 23, 2016 reported that the training lasted for four months. I still believe that a four months’ training programme is too short. In another article, I will elaborate. Kaieteur News also posited that Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud, DSM told the graduants that the toughest thing to do in time is to deal with people. The top cop is right. That is a significant statement. The commissioner should know, as under his leadership the paradigm has shifted towards the police being more community oriented and problem solvers. His ranks are required to

interact more with the various communities not only to solve crimes but problems. In addition, ranks are required to deal with their superiors, peers, subordinates, members of the public, friends and family. As part of the Community Crime and Violence Prevention Component of the Citizen Security Strengthening Programme (CSSP) funded by the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) the police must network with members of various multi-cultural and diverse communities. In order for the police to effectively do so and carry out their mandate as set out in section 3 (2 ) of the Police Act Chapter 16:01 and what is imposed on them by society, they must among other things be well grounded in people skills, hence, the need to develop

skills to deal with people. I had a look at the recruit training programme. It is inadequate to induct recruits into the GPF and to prepare them for their role in a new and changing environment. In addition, it is lavish in technical skills but tight- fisted in people skills. It should be the other way around. Technical competence - knowledge of the law, police practice and procedure - is required in order for the police to perform their duties. However, people skills are critically important. People skills are the interpersonal attributes that help employees to deal with people and to understand and adapt to the changing environment. Technical skills used to be the most important. Now and in years to come people skills are (Continued on page 5)

Budgetary mismanagement in Region 6 DEAR EDITOR, The Regional Democratic Council of Region 6 debated and approved its Annual Estimate 2017 of $1.1 billion in just over an hour’s deliberation. This speedy deliberation can be solely attributed to the unpreparedness of the Regional Engineer who dismally failed to provide the RDC Councillors with any explanation of the criteria which he used to arrive at the figures he submitted for all the capital expenditures. It must be borne in mind that this Annual Budget must ensure that the Region makes the best use of taxpayers’ dollars and to deliver better

services to its residents. However, what transpired in the RDC Boardroom bears testimony to the fact that the budget planning process was improperly done. This process is the core mechanism in the preparation of the Annual Budget and the Engineer should have provided ample evidence to show that such planning was done. Furthermore, budget planning and preparation should be at the heart of good public expenditure management which should involve the following processes: Control the expenditure to make sure that the items in the Budget are afford-

able; Allocate the scarce resources to reflect priorities; Ensure the efficient delivery of what is budgeted for; Minimizes the financial costs to deliver the items in the Budget. Therefore, if the Engineer cannot justify the approximate costs of the capital works then it is highly impossible to control the expenditure. It therefore follows that the remaining steps will be difficult to achieve. Furthermore, it was apparent that the amounts budgeted are highly inflated which means that certain items which should have

been in the Budget will be sacrificed. It must be noted also that when the budget is approved by central government, the estimates will provide the basis for the Engineer’s estimate which can be inflated to ensure that the contractor who eventually gets the contract can afford a reasonable ‘something.’ This is where the opaqueness starts and then continues through the tender process and the eventual execution of the contracts. For instance, in the RDC 2017 Budget, the extension of the Amerindian Hostel at Stanleytown, New (Continued on page 5)

Thursday August 11, 2016

The Amazon Warriors were embarrassing DEAR EDITOR; I wish to begin by extending congratulations to the Jamaica Tallawahs for lifting the C.P.L Hero trophy for the second time and emerged as the best team of the tournament and the only team to win the trophy for a second time. They played as a team, they fought like true warriors and they got the result for doing so. This Jamaican team was decorated with at least three world stars, in Chris Gayle, Kumar Sangakara, and Andre Russell, and a few others that will emerge as stars I am sure for the future. I speak of Rovman Powel, Kensrick Williams and Chadwick Walton, I am sure with commitment they have very far to go and once they stay focused they would be in demand the world over. In any cricket game or sport as a whole there will be conflicts emanating from players’ antics and in some cases provocative displays on the field of play. I believe even though this can be part of the passion of the player/s it must be controlled before it escalates into something serious I find the actions of Kensrick Williams as abhorrent and uncalled for, when Adam Zampa was run out, thus bringing a close to the inning of the Amazon Warriors. This youthful exuberant cricketer got in front of Zampa and did a dance that he was doing every time he got a wicket, but to whine in front of a player who was just dismissed was uncalled for celebration and should have been called into question by the administration. William is an excellent player, very committed and has the right temperament for his gift of bowling but his display must be

tempered with wisdom. Saving the worse for the last, the woeful Guyana Amazon Warriors, the most consistent team throughout the series flattered to deceive yet another time having reached the finals for the third time only to be bogeyed once again disappointing their fans all over the globe. The failure by the Warriors, after winning seven out of ten games leading up to the finals, is a commendable performance, but the weakness of this team was exposed when the first four top order batsmen did not fire like other times in the series. The middle and lower order collapsed in devastating fashion that killed the hope of fans and viewers around the world that 93 runs would not give the bowlers something to work with. This is a total embarrassment to the arguably the best cricket coach in the region. Mr Roger Harper you have done a great job and the world is looking forward for your coaching stint for whichever team might have you the next time. To take a team with no big names and groomed them to reach the finals is a wonderful achievement, keep the good work up. Worthy of note no Guyanese have made the headlines during this series whether played for their native land or for another team; nothing to shout about Guyana of our soldiers of cricket. I must mention that Ramnaresh Sarwan and Jonathan Foo got very little opportunities to prove their worth. Anyway, we as ardent fans of Guyana’s cricket look for us to rise from the ashes to prominence in this lovely game called cricket. Ivan John

Budgetary mismanagement in... From page 4 Amsterdam, was budgeted at $9 million but the Engineer could not say exactly what the extension will comprise to justify that amount. However, it must be noted that the Regional Executive Officer is to oversee the planning and implementation of programmes and policies and that he derives his authority from the Financial Management and Accountability Act 2003. He also has the task of identifying and assigning clear responsibilities for coordinating the preparation of the budget submissions for the Region. Therefore, the REO is an integral part on the entire budget preparation and should have sought explanations as to the rationale for the items in the Budget. However, it must be recalled that the REO, Dr. Ramayya was on

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two weeks’ leave and therefore was absent at the crucial time when the Budgetary planning was being done but Region 6 has two Deputy REOs who should have required the Engineer to submit such explanations. I am fully aware that the Engineer’s estimate will eventually provide the cost details of each capital project but this will be compromised since that estimate will invariably be in close approximation the figure presented in the Budget. So the burning question is: How come the Engineer cannot provide an explanation at the budget discussion? In conclusion, the rationale or criteria for the estimates totaling more than $900 million or 79.7 % of the Region’s Budget 2017 cannot be provided which points at poor budgetary planning. The

remarks columns in the Budget simply speaks about the number of beneficiaries and since the Engineer could not have provided some salient details then there could not have been a proper insight into the capital works. Figures by themselves say nothing! I do hope that in the future those responsible for the preparation of the Region’s budget- the REO, the DREOs, the program Heads and the Engineer will provide more details on these capital works. It is time that the Region employs an independent engineer to advise on the costs of these capital works. Too much scarce resources are improperly spent in the Region. Haseef Yusuf Regional CouncillorRegion 6

GUYANA’S POOR BUILDING CODES DEAR EDITOR; A few months ago, I indicated that Guyana has poor building codes and even more lopsided enforcement procedures. The recent fire at the Fazia’s Collection building on Avenue of the Republic is ample testimony of this; the fire at Gafoor’s bond further supports this analysis.Commercial buildings need sprinkler systems: a series of road-side connections to connect fire hoses which will distribute water inside a building in event of fire. Automated oxygen retardant systems need to be installed inside where an increase in temperature (say at 110 F) will trigger off the chemical spray. As this chemical sucks out the oxygen the fire will be greatly contained. Bonds need to be sectionalized, much like the compartments in ships such as oil tankers. Concrete separating walls with steel (fireproof) connecting doors must be the code for storage warehouses. This, coupled with periodic safety inspections, must be the way for-

ward. Storage of cooking gas containers must never be inside a closed building. Propane is highly flammable (after all people cook with it) and needs to be stored outdoors: any leakage/explosion will dissipate harmlessly into the atmosphere. Perhaps the worst aspect of construction in Guyana is the electrical system, material and installation codes. This is in serious need of overhauling. Systems such as 100 Amperes distribution with Fly Back Breakers are the standard for commercial buildings such as warehouses, offices, shopping centers, and night clubs and so on. This is virtually nonexistent. JFI outlets (with built in overload kick-out) rarely exist while electric wiring is predominantly vinyl coated (easily combustible) copper wire. Additionally, old wiring, coupled with corroded fuses, which do not trip or ‘blow’, poses severe risk of fire. As Guyana is entering the technology era, (Continued on page 6)

President Granger hasn’t met my expectations DEAR EDITOR; In May 2015, I voted for a change of government. I gave my vote to his Excellency President Granger, as I favoured him over the incumbent Donald Ramotar. I did so, like the majority of Guyanese who believed that David Granger was the man best suited for the job he currently holds. When we voted for the APNU-AFC Coalition, our minds were first and foremost focused on him. We were filled with confidence that the many wrongs, including allegations of corruption, nepotism, and total disregard for the rule of law by the PPP Administration will come to an end with the advent of a David Granger led government. Suffice to say that our expectations so far have not been met as the daily scandals of bad governance seemingly continue unabated.

From major fiascos in the Town Council of Georgetown to the most recent misappropriations from the contingencies fund, as it concerns the renting of space to store government drugs in Charlestown just to name a few. I am of the strong conviction that these deeds are having an adverse effect on the development of the nation and such acts only serve to create lack of confidence among the citizens of Guyana. When this happens, the population of the country becomes disenchanted with government and as a result, chaos, anarchy and the many ills of a dysfunctional society comes to the fore as history have time and again proven. It is, I believe the obligation of the President to act and act decisively to curb these derogative and unwanted acts. The buck stops with you Mr. President. Bhoj Tharay

The necessity of “Peoples... From page 4 most important. People skills fit nicely into UNESCO’S imperatives for learning. They are - Learn to Live Together, Learn To Be, Learn To Do, and Learn To Learn. Coming out of those four pillars are training areas that can positively impact on police training, more so recruit training. Let me mention a few: Communication, anger management, conflict resolution. Do you resolve conflict through the barrel of a gun? Do you resort to the 4B approach - boots, baton, bayonet and bullet? Policing a

multi cultural and diverse society, effective investigation, effective policing, effectively dealing with people, human rights, multi- lingual, self esteem, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, cultural awareness, capacity to act, ability to apply knowledge, sound academic base- reading and numeracy, comprehension, ability to research and analyze. Presently the police performance is remarkable in terms of solving serious crimes. It must be sustained. An important strategy to ensure sustainability is by em-

bedding people skills in the minds of members of the GPF in all divisions and branches and among the various rank structures using UNESCO’S Learning Imperatives as a guide. To do otherwise will cause the performance of the force to be prosaic. Clinton Conway Assistant Commissioner of Police (retired)

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Guyana continues to be plagued with the race question DEAR EDITOR, When Mr Jagdeo highlighted the disturbing fact that “there is an assault on our democracy, an assault on Indo-Guyanese and an assault on PPP/C supporters” in a recent address to a crowd in New York City, he also set off a firestorm, particularly within the APNU/PNC/AFC government. Such a reaction shed light on the callousness and willingness by Government to bury the rights of Guyanese for political gains. Undoubtedly, IndoGuyanese have been hammered by racial assaults which intensified after the May 2015 election. This is common knowledge. Mr Jagdeo offered solace when he remarked: “we are going to take back Guyana.” Even in American politics, politicians including Hillary Clinton, Pat Buchanan, Ross Perot, John Kerry and Barack Obama have used the exact same words when addressing supporters. Government seems to be bullying Mr Jagdeo. Mr Jagdeo deserves praise for his courage to stand against inhumanity and I urge others to stand by him. We must remember that we should never turn a blind eye when our fellow humans hurt. And this is exactly my motivation to jump into the fray. Undeniably, Government itself discriminates

against Indo-Guyanese and without a doubt it knows of the chronic racial problem overtly plaguing the IndoGuyanese community. Government even has the hubris to ruthlessly claim that we are imagining things. Government wants us to believe that racism does not exist. So it creates a firestorm and mounts a cruel attack on Mr Jagdeo, falsely branding him a racist. It even prods its raucous supporters to demand that Mr Jagdeo be punished. Such antics are aimed solely to silence Mr Jagdeo and fool the people of Guyana. Government’s actions have got to be a ruse when we are hurting. In the wake of all this, Government cannot escape earning itself the notorious reputation of being: insensitive, biased and inhumane. Folks like those in Government are largely responsible for the never-ending racism. Mr Jagdeo remarks fully resonate with me because they are the truth. Guyana is swamped with racists. I have experienced overt racism since I was a youngster and I have been itching to fight against it. Racism upends everything and turns life into hell. There wasn’t a single day that I did not encounter racism. Racism stripped my dignity and left me wounded. I ran into rac-

ists everywhere who spontaneously spewed racial slurs. Then there were the racists who profiled me, mugged me and brutalized me umpteen times. My memory is saturated with cruel encounters of racism. An examination of another story tells the same tale of racism against IndoGuyanese. Editor, think about the fact that Indo-Guyanese represents roughly less than 20 % of the public sector in spite that we are in the majority. This speaks volumes on racial discrimination against us. Mr Jagdeo was alluding to exactly all this when he remarked that Indo-Guyanese are going through a rough time. Racism is cruel and inexcusable. The interest of the people must trump the interest of Government. Government must find a way to engage all. Government needs to know that its actions are antithetical to social cohesion which is desperately needed to break five decades of failure in this country. It is a well known fact that Government prefers not to do business with Indo-Guyanese, if Government prefers “loyalists” who are not Indo-Guyanese, then you may ask why it is doing business with Mr. Nagamootoo. The answer is obvious; Mr Nagamootoo is used as a vehicle to draw votes from Indo-Guyanese,

while the APNU/PNC continues to abuse us. This is sad and tragic. Racism is destructive. Racism is ignorance. It strips our dignity, humiliates us, spirals us into depression, heightens our stress levels, lowers our self esteem, and plunges us into alcoholism and suicide. Racism is part of a battery of socially related problems plaguing this country which includes: crime, abuse, domestic violence etc. They all have one common origin – lack of education. Why hide such a destructive problem? We cannot be left to hurt in silence because Government refuses to acknowledge that this country is infested with racism. We need a caring Government who understands our pain irrespective of what we look

like. Government can’t eat its cake and have it too. This is impossible. If Government does not like Mr Jagdeo to address such a situation on racism, then it must do something about it. Moreover, only a dishonest person would draw the singular conclusion that Mr Jagdeo panders to race when in fact he is addressing a chronic and massive problem which is real, not a figment of our imagination. In any race / ethnicity there are racists and considering that Guyana is plagued with widespread racism, I am cognizant of the fact that racism has touched the lives of all Guyanese. However, IndoGuyanese face the brunt of this problem. Indo-Guyanese must understand the propellers to this problem if we are going to safe

guard ourselves. Although, we are not saints like most human beings, we must understand that perhaps, our relatively calm personality portrays us as weak and makes us vulnerable. We rarely stand up for our rights. We rarely join the picket lines or engage in civil unrest, riots or similar aggressive behaviors even when we are abused. We almost never engage in street crimes and almost never menace another race / ethnicity. Our good nature portrays us as weak and so we are taken advantage. We must acknowledge the problem of racism and address it. To this end, I urge Mr Jagdeo and all Guyanese to continue to stand against racism. Racism should never be tolerated. Dr. Annie Baliram

Why is Guyana not prominent at the Olympics? DEAR EDITOR; While watching the Olympics, it is striking that there are so many little nations with athletes there and the country with the most beautiful flag is not prominently seen. What happened to my beloved Guyana? Little Bahamas is there and puny Antigua/ Barbuda is there; a country much smaller than any of our counties. But we are not prominently featured. Yes, I know we have a small population but why aren’t we there in some sport? With all these gunmen running around robbing people, with a bit more concentration you’d think we’d be able to send up a decent shooting team at least. I was once asked by a Jamaican why Guyana is so good at Squash. I had no answer since I had never seen the game played here. But yet, we seem to be very good at it. At the time we were dominating everyone at the Carifta or Panam games, can’t recall which. However, we don’t seem to invest enough into this sport to have our players exposed to world class players. We’ve had some pretty good track and field school

athletes in the past. Basil Bradshaw, Neil Rudder, Hubert Brown and the Lewis brothers come to mind. However, there was always a vacuum where athletics was concerned once an athlete has finished high school. In contrast, Jamaica has a very robust athletics program where their athletes get international exposure in the Penn Relays etc. I’m aware we can’t all be track and field stars but there are other areas like Squash and Badminton in which we can pour some resources and bring our players to international level. The fact that I (nor many others I’ve spoken to) have never seen squash played indicates the average child is not exposed to or given a chance to learn and excel at the game. I hope the present coaches and sponsors are pushing for more courts to be built so that more of our children have opportunities to play the game. Another area I’ve often wondered about was swimming. A Guyanese student once dived off a glass bottomed boat in Jamaica behind some of the guys who had plunged overboard. The

other Jamaicans were aghast that a girl had gone in after the men. I knew she was from up the river and jokingly told them that she most likely knew how to swim before she could walk. They doubted this so I upped the ante by betting them that, when she comes out ask her if she could remember a time when she couldn’t swim and I bet she couldn’t. Of course, when she came out and they did ask to their surprise she honestly couldn’t remember a time before she learned to swim. I say that to say this. Does height have anything to do with how fast one can swim? (not implying people from our river areas are short but these Olympic swimmers are so robust that one can be forgiven for concluding that some genetic tinkering is involved here). If not, shouldn’t we focus on training our young athletes, especially those from the river areas, to excel in swimming? Yes, more pools are needed. But if we do not invest in facilities for these sports we shall continue to view opening ceremonies of future Olympics without the prettiest flag present. M. Alves

GUYANA’S POOR BUILDING... From page 5 a host of appliances are utilized—almost always, invariably, from one outlet. A microwave oven, an air conditioner and an iron can total as much as 4,000 Watts—enough to induce overloading and precipitate fire. Extension cords, most times hidden under carpet with their multiple connections pose extreme fire hazard. Then there is the scenario where persons break off one of the prongs in three way plugs to accommodate plug-ins. The earth

safety is thus discarded and overloading is facilitated. Finally, the government, through a Bureau of Standards, must monitor the very poor quality of electrical fittings and accessories (mostly from China) that flood the Guyanese market. While they are definitely cheaper than their other counterparts the consequences are often costly and fatal. Leyland Chitlall Roopnaraine Real Estate Builder (New York)

Thursday August 11, 2016

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Kara Kara toll booth reactivation…

We’re not prepared to pay – Loggers By Enid Joaquin Sparks flew on Tuesday, as loggers from across Region Ten gathered at the Egbert Benjamin Exhibition and Conference Centre in Linden, for further consultations on what they consider to be the unfair imposition of toll, by the Mayor and Town Council. The new Council, since taking up office earlier this year, has aggressively advocated for the return of the toll booth, which has been out of operation for the past three years. It was a fight that had begun with former IMC Chairman Orrin Gordon, in his quest to garner more revenue for the municipality. But the loggers are adamant that they are not prepared to pay the toll, given the current economic climate, and the fact that they do not enjoy any duty free concessions. “We are not going to accept this toll based on the way that the council is trying to impose this upon us. We were asking all along and we were writing the council and asking for petitions, but the council just turning up their noses at us and trying to force their will upon us, without proper consultation,” declared Winston Smith. Smith, a former councilor and businessman is presently integrally involved in the Forestry sector. He accused the council of “looking for the easy way out” and of being deceitful. “They are being dishonest, because while talking to us, they are going and approve this thing arbitrarily.

These people are not business-oriented, they are public servants, and they don’t understand what the fabric of the business community is like.” Smith said that the Council should go after NICIL, who owes them over quarter of a billion dollars, which is money that was accrued from the Mackenzie/Wismar Bridge. He also suggested that they should vigorously pursue the collection of rates and taxes and aggressively lobby for the gazetting of certain communities like Amelia’s Ward, where no taxes can be collected because of not being on the tax roll. Smith said that presently tax collection is only about forty-five percent. Smith explained that consultations and claims and objections should have ended on the fifth of July. “The council at their statutory meeting passed the draft on the 20th and amended what was passed on the 25th July. After I pointed it out to the mayor they went back and did amendment without adopting it at the meeting in June, so the whole process was wrong.” Smith maintains that while the toll booth was in existence before, what was approved was not a toll point, but a port of entry. “I’m saying that it’s a port of entry, because there will be Police ranks, GRA Officers, GEA Officers and Customs Officers - everybody except CANU…So is like you coming into a country - that is not a toll point.”

Councillor Leroy James said that in his view, more consultations could have been done. He however drew attention to the employees of the Town Council who work under deplorable conditions, and are not sure of a pension at the end of their tenure because of the issue with NIS, where millions are owed by the council. James also alluded to the issues with rates and taxes, pointing to those areas that are not regularized, thus no taxes could be collected. He said that “in the meantime people punishing. So how we dealing with this thing?” “Now we had the toll booth operating before, and it used to bring a little relief, based on the records that we saw. We belief that any money that we procure here is to bring relief to some of the same people that talking. This money ain’t going in some special place. But sometimes we need a robust debate, because we want to serve the people. So I feel that some more time could have been given for consultations.” Some important stakeholders present at the consultation included representatives from the Mayor and Town Council, the Forest Producers Association and the Linden Chamber of Commerce. However, both Mayor Carwyn Holland and his Deputy Waneka Arrindel were absent. Kensil Grenville who represented the Linden Chamber of Commerce said that quite

Drugs found at Barry Dataram’s home were not concealed - CANU officer testifies Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) officer, Andrew Yarde told the court yesterday that the narcotics found at the home of accused Barry Dataram were not concealed. He was at the time under cross examination by Attorneyat -law Glenn Hanoman, who is representing Dataram in the Magistrate Court trial. CANU Prosecutor Konyo Sandiford-Thompson called three witnesses to the stand Yarde, Dataram’s former landlord Vishwamint Ramnarine and CANU rank Navindra Samaroo - when the matter continued yesterday before Magistrate Judy Latchman. In his testimony ,Yarde had said that 428 parcels of plastic wraps with suspected cocaine were seized from Dataram’s home at Diamond, East Bank Demerara. He added that the

Barry Dataram suspected drug was in a white refrigerator. The fridge, he said, was taken by him to CANU Headquarters, Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown, in a CANU vehicle. Still under cross examination, Yarde further testified that he did not have to do much digging to find the alleged narcotics, it was in

plain view. He also told the court that he was not in possession of a search warrant when he went to Dataram’s home. According to him, the drugs were found after he acted on information and went to the location. The CANU officer noted, however, that he would not reveal the identity of the person who tipped him off. Yarde said that no one else who had access to the house, including the landlord, was arrested or questioned about the alleged narcotics find. Vishwamint Ramnarine, the landlord, in his testimony told the court that he rented his twostorey premises to Dataram in 2013 until the incident. He said that Dataram told him, his name was ‘Kevin Dataram’ and produced documents to that effect. Under questioning by (Continued on page 13)

often people go ahead and make decisions without proper consultation. Grenville noted that many business persons would have made decisions over the years that would have “disenfranchised them”. “We should not go about making decisions based on ignorance. A lot of times people make decisions with-

out any research, without true consensus, and we should move away from this. The point is, we should be more proactive as a people, so that when decisions are being made we could be more involved. What I’m saying here is that, every stakeholder here has a part to play and we have failed.” Councillors Leroy James

and Keran Williams spoke on behalf of the council. Both agreed that there could have been more consultation. The Kara Kara Toll booth was disbanded in 2013 following an order from former Minister Norman Whittaker. It was a huge revenue earner for the Linden Municipality, according to former IMC Chairman Orrin Gordon.

Cop charged with attempted murder …over shooting of alleged wife-beater After allegedly gun-butting and shooting a man whose reputed wife had accused him of assaulting her, 25-year-old Police Constable Lyndon Thompson appeared yesterday before Magistrate Leron Daly, and was charged with attempted murder. It is alleged that Constable Thompson, of Kaneville, East Bank Demerara, discharged a loaded firearm at Shawn Williams with intent to commit murder on August 8, at Itaballi Landing, Region Seven. The father of one was not required to plead to the indictable charge read to him in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. He was released on $150,000 bail and instructed to report to police at ‘F’ Division Headquarters. The accused was also ordered to surrender his passport. He will return to court on September 6, appearing before the Chief Magistrate. Thompson’s Attorney Lyndon Amsterdam asked for his client to be released on bail. He said that Thompson was responding to a report of domestic violence committed on a woman. He added that his client made contact with

CHARGED: Constable Lyndon Thompson Williams who was behaving in a disorderly manner. Amsterdam said that Williams advanced to Constable Thompson and attempted to relieve him of his firearm. He said that his client retaliated and shot Williams. The lawyer stated that help was sought from public-spirited citizens with placing Williams in a boat. Williams was taken to the Bartica Hospital where he is

reportedly in a stable condition. Police Prosecutor Kevin London had no objections to Thompson being granted pretrial liberty. According to the lawyer, Thompson, who has been a serving member of the Guyana Police Force for the past six years, was placed under close arrest and subsequently released on open arrest. The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is conducting a separate investigation into the purported breaches of standard operating procedure by the constable Police in a statement said that the subordinate officer incharge sent a constable with a Service revolver, along with the woman who made the report. On arrival, the assailant was contacted and in the intervening process an argument ensued between the constable and the assailant. Eyewitnesses claimed that the policeman struck the assailant to the head with the firearm and the man fell, after which it is further alleged that the policeman discharged a round at the assailant, hitting him in the upper chest.

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Thursday August 11, 2016

Kaieteur News

Health Minister’s remarks on rental fees misleading - New GPC $$M bond contract … Before all of his Parliamentary colleagues on Monday, Public Health Minister, Dr. George Norton boldly stated that in the interest of cost effectiveness, another company was selected to store drugs and other pharmaceuticals for the Ministry of Public Health and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) instead of New GPC, which is owned by Dr. Ranjisinghi ( B o b b y ) R a m r o o p . D r. Norton asserted that Ramroop’s rental fees per month was $19.2M while the other entity, Linden Holding Inc. was only going to cost the government $12.5M. New GPC has however exposed Norton’s claims to be far from the truth. In fact, the company says that it has always stored pharmaceuticals for the Government in its 70,000 sq ft warehouse “free of charge.” In a statement to the media yesterday, the company said that it has been storing pharmaceuticals at its warehouse without charges to the Government for more than a decade up to March 1, 2016. The corporation said it invested hundreds of millions into the most extensive and modern warehousing facility for the Government’s pharmaceuticals. The New GPC boasted that it has the necessary equipment, staff, information technology, security, certification and sanitation to comply with international

A section of New GPC’s warehouse health standards. It said too, that the facility has three separate temperature control zones for the storage of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, in addition to a separate area for the storage of controlled substances. “It also has testing facilities for pharmaceuticals as well as several loading docks to handle the multiple containers that are usually in the government procurement shipment,” the company stated. New GPC added, “After the Ministry of Public Health indicated substantive and substantial alterations in the old bidding procedure for pharmaceuticals on March 1, last, they approached the New GPC to continue providing storage for pharmaceuticals for the Ministry of Public Health and the GPHC.” The company said that at that point it indicated

that it would charge the government a rate of $237/sq foot for the state-of-the-art storage facility. New GPC said that contrary to Norton’s claims, it has not received a single cent from the government for the rentals due since March 1, last, even though there are substantial quantities of pharmaceuticals being stored in the warehouse. The company also made it clear that there has never been a rental agreement before with the past government. In an earlier interview with this newspaper, former Auditor General (AG), Dr. Anand Goolsarran had said that Government’s advancement of $25M for an unfinished security bond for the storage of drugs and other pharmaceuticals represents a clear case of abuse of the Contingencies Fund. The Chartered Accountant made it clear that advances should only be made from the Fund when the matter is urgent, unforeseen, cannot be postponed without jeopardizing the public interest, and no other provision has been made for it.

“Would it not be more cost-effective if the Government were to invest in constructing its own facility? Years ago, we had a Government Pharmacy Bond in Kingston, Georgetown. That was dismantled to make way for the Marriott Hotel. I understand that the Government has a pharmacy bond at Diamond. Why was this not utilized? Why did they go the route of sole sourcing for the bond?” inquired Goolsarran. The Public Health Minister was asked this very question by Opposition Member,

Public Health Minister, Dr. George Norton

New GPC CEO, Bobby Ramroop

Joseph Hamilton on Monday. But he danced around the question, only offering that he hopes that Government would not have to continue the use of the facility for too long. Goolsarran however stressed that there was enough time for Government to advertise for the rental of a facility for the storage of pharmaceuticals. He said it is therefore difficult for him to accept that it was an emergency situation that warranted sole sourcing. “It is just unacceptable,” Goolsarran opined. The Public Health Minister was unable to answer a number of questions

posed by the political opposition in relation to the money taken from the Fund for the bond which is located in Albouystown. He was unable to tell the House who were the principals of the Linden Holding Company, when it was registered, when the three-year contract was signed, and who signed on Government’s behalf. Some critics are opining that Dr. Norton is in essence being hypocritical, since he was one of the first ministers who told the Eleventh Parliament that the days of sole sourcing are over.

– AG puts corrupt public officials on notice The State Assets Recovery Bill 2016, which is expected to be presented to the National Assembly after Parliament’s recess period, will pave the way for the creation of the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA). This was revealed by Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams during a press conference at his Chambers, Carmichael Street Georgetown yesterday. Williams stated that the Bill has been sometime in the making and would have seen input from various international entities such as the United Nations, the World Bank, and a British Expert who would have worked in collaboration with the AG’s Chambers. He added that the Bill – which is one of the elements that will aid in the fight against corruption – has about six parts, and is designed to create the SARA. He asserted that persons who would have left office and think that they are in the clear should think twice. “It’s a timely Bill and our Government welcomes it. And of course public officials means past and present; so it doesn’t mean that because

AG and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams. you have left public office that you have escaped the reach of SARA,” The Press Conference was facilitated one day before the holding of Public Consultations on the Bill, scheduled to be hosted today at Le Meridian Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown. The consultation is aimed at retrieving and taking into consideration the input by members of society and various local and international

organisations, with representatives from the United States Embassy, United Nations and the World Bank; the Chief Parliamentary Counsel and United Kingdom specialists, among others expected to be present. Asked how long before the Bill can be presented to the National Assembly, the AG stated that the provisions are clear and he does not see any complexity in the Bill. He hinted that it will be presented following Parliament’s recess which is currently in effect. Williams was quizzed further on how the absence of the Bill has affected the performance of SARU. “SARU has been conducting investigations and that’s why the Bill is so important, because during the process of their investigations they found that when they requested information from various agencies, that information wasn’t forthcoming,” Williams said. The Bill is largely to ensure that state assets unlawfully acquired by public officials and any other persons could be returned. He pointed out also, that the Bill is vital in the war against corruption by public officials and their cohorts.

Thursday August 11, 2016

Kaieteur News

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Education a key factor in your lives - Minister Ally tells Leguan residents Minister of Social Cohesion, Ms. Amna Ally was, yesterday, accompanied by First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, as they distributed 20 bicycles to the students of Success Primary School in Leguan, Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara (Region 3). The bicycles were donated to the President’s Buses, Boats, Bicycles, Books and Breakfast Programme (Five B’s) by the Guyana Bahamas Association, last month. Minister Ally said, “President Granger and his Government want to ensure that every child is in school, every child gets access to a proper education and that everyone enjoys a good life. This coalition Government is keen on giving all a level playing field, whereby we would have reduced inequalities that exist among our people, to reduce poverty [and] to provide opportunities for all our people.” The Minister added that though there have been some elements of division in Guyana, we must appreciate that despite [the fact that] we are of different ethnicities, we are all Guyanese and we must be treated as Guyanese. “The Ministry of Social Cohesion’s responsibility is to bridge the gap between race and religion by respecting each other,” she said. The Five Bs Programme, which started off as the Three Bs; Buses, Boats and Bicycles, has been expanded over the past year with donations pouring in from businesses across Guyana and Guyanese in the diaspora.

Since the programme began a total of nine boats, 11 buses and a number of bicycles have been distributed to regions across the country. Minister Ally expressed her satisfaction with the type of support, the programme has received. “They like the President’s vision. They like the B’s programme and they have been contributing towards the programme,” she said, furthering expressing gratitude on behalf of President Granger and his administration to the Guyana Bahamas Association and its President Mr. Deavindra Jagroo for their contribution of 60 bicycles towards the initiative. Mr. Jagroo had said, while handing over the bicycles last month at the Ministry of the Presidency that the contribution made by the association is intended to support the initiative for the good of the nation’s children. Minister Ally challenged the residents, parents and children of Leguan to ensure that Education plays a key role in their lives. “I want you to help us [the Government] to reinforce into the minds of the people of Leguan that they must ensure that their children go to school and to you children, who are here; you are not too young to understand that your education must be first and foremost. You must want to educate yourself. You must want to emulate others, who are role models,” she said. First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger further emphasised,

Minister Ally’s statements saying, “You are the future. My generation is going to close its eyes soon, but you will be the ones, who will be able to use the resources of our country and once you have education you will use it wisely to benefit yourself and your children and your communities.” She also noted that, “what has been remarkable throughout the Five B’s program is that citizens have come forward to donate to the initiative, so that all young people can be on an equal footage in their access to education and to their own growth and development.” In closing remarks, the Regional Executive Officer of the Region, Mr. Dennis Jaikarran said that the donation is one that is appreciated by all the residents of the Region. “We have to, in a very honest and sincere way, acknowledge that this time the contribution under the 5B’s programme that His Excellency would have made through his Ministers and First Lady and we in this region should applaud and accept those gifts most sincerely,” he said. Many of the residents of Leguan expressed gratitude for the bicycles and said that they will be of great use for those students, who are travelling great distances to get to and from school. Wakenaam is the next stop for the Five B’s programme, where 20 more bicycles are expected to be distributed tomorrow.

Education COI consultations continue - second round to start soon Education stakeholders have been invited to have their say about the future of public education as nationwide consultations to review, revise, upgrade and extend the education sector’s strategic plan continue. Moreover, Commissioners of the ongoing Education Commission of Inquiry (COI) are targeting the input of religious leaders, teachers, administrative staff and students of the C y r i l P o t ter College of Education (CPCE), the University of Guyana (UG), and the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) in this second round of consultation. This was outlined in a Government Information Agency report. On August 11, 18 and 23, at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), religious communities desirous of making oral submissions to the Commission will be able to do so. According to Public Relations Officer,

Ministry of Education, Suelle Findlay-Williams, the Guyana Society of Jesus, the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha (GHDA) and the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG,) are among some of the religious organisations that have requested to meet with the commission. Findlay-Williams explained that the Commission will hear from the Private Sector Commission on August 19, UG and CPCE on September 20, and the GTU on September 22. The third and final round of consultation would see the Commissioners travelling to the regions to hear from residents about their perception of the state of the education system, and their recommendations for

its enhancement. These series of engagements will commence in September and stretch into November. The Commission of Inquiry is expected to wrap-up in December. The inquiry into the education system is part of an effort aimed at establishing a baseline analysis of the state of public e d u c a t i o n i n Guyana. Recommendations derived from all consultations will inform the administrative, policy and legislative processes. The inquiry into the education system was launched in April with the consultation starting soon after. During the first phase of the consultations, the Commissioners held approximately nine public hearings in Georgetown.

First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger greets a student as Minister of Social Cohesion, Amna Ally (right) looks on. (Ministry of the Presidency Photo)

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Thursday August 11, 2016

Kaieteur News

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

Emily Dodson and the psyche of the PNC This column is not about Emily Dodson. She is the focal point in a discussion of the People’s National Congress (not APNU) but she is not the topic; the topic is the PNC. Actually the argument here is also about logic in human thinking. Human thinking has followed logical paths since civilization became firmly estab-

lished. If human society was more irrational than logical (the philosopher Arthur Koestler wrote that Homo sapiens was essentially irrational), civilization would not have survived. One can offer literally billions (may even be trillions) of examples where humans follow logical pathways. Just a few samples will suffice. If

Japan and the US each offer ten scholarships to Guyanese, which country do you think would get more applications? The answer is the US and for logical reasons. The US is a border country to the Caribbean. The US has a sizeable Guyanese population. The applicants have family ties and friends in the US. The culture of the US appropriates to Guyana’s, especially in ethnicity and language. The US as the first choice would be purely based on logic. Let’s continue. You are about to take a holiday. You have two countries in mind. As you check the statistics of both countries, you see that one has a high crime rate and a high risk of disease infection. Your choice would be the one that hasn’t got these problems. Your choice would be based on pure logic. The decision was the working out of logical thinking. Finally, a question; how many Black Americans do you think voted against Barack Obama when he came up against John McCain in the 2008 presidential race? I don’t have the numbers, but it may not even be one. Black Americans gave Obama their vote, because humans are rational

beings with a logical determinant in their mental travels and psychological deportment. We come now to Emily Dodson and the PNC. Ms. Dodson was nominated by the APNU-AFC coalition to be on the Procurement Commission. She was accepted by a Parliamentary vote. The PPP secured two nominations, both of which were close to the PPP when it was in government. In fact, one of them was a Minister, Nanda Gopaul. The PPP even nominated another Minister, Robeson Benn. In my thinking, Ms. Dodson is qualified to sit on the Procurement Commission. I have known Ms. Dodson a long time now. We were student-contemporaries at UG in the seventies. Ms. Dodson has been a practicing attorney for more than twenty years now. One can hardly argue against her inclusion on the Procurement Commission. We come now to context. Context is everything in life. The choices and decisions that we make always have a contextual presence. Dr. David Hinds came last Monday to court to lend

solidarity with me in my testimony in the assault case against Kwame Mc Coy and company. While the police witness was on the stand, David and I stood on the court balcony and dissected the politics of Guyana, as we always do when we meet up. The APNU-AFC’s nomination of Emily Dodson came up. David said he has no explanation, but one. I responded that I have no explanation either, but one. We come now to context in the Emily Dodson choice. Ms. Dodson, a few months ago won a judgement in the High Court that has tremendous implications and sensitive consequences for Guyana. In that ruling, Bharrat Jagdeo could run for a third term for the presidency. Unless the Appeal Court rules, before 2020, against the third term option for Mr. Jagdeo, he can hold the presidency (if he wins) for a third term. The question David and I asked ourselves is why APNU-AFC’s choice of Emily Dodson for the Procurement Commission, taking into considerations two contextual points – there are over three hundred lawyers in Guyana that could function compe-

Frederick Kissoon tently in the Commission, and secondly, would the Jagdeo case not be a logical consideration when Ms. Dodson’s name came up? We have the answer to the second question. It was not. Someone in the PNC leadership (not APNU - I was told that APNU’s council of leadership met briefly in July last year and never met again) felt that Ms. Dodson was the right choice, and that her case for Mr. Jagdeo’s third term was not important to disqualify her. For me, logic comes in. Why Dodson and not another lawyer? Considering that there was the Jagdeo case. All I am asking in this column is for someone to show me the logical thinking behind the Dodson choice. David has his explanation and I have mine. We will leave it at that for now.

Thursday August 11, 2016

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Kaieteur News

President orders probe into drugs bond contract - Cabinet Sub-Committee to review deal

Public Health Minister, Dr. George Norton

President, David Granger

President David Granger has appointed a Cabinet Sub-Committee to review, examine and report on a contract for the storage of drugs and other medical supplies which has attracted some amount of controversy since Monday. Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Raphael Trotman has been appointed to chair the Sub-Committee. The team on the matter also includes Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo and Minister of State, Joseph Harmon. The Sub-Committee met yesterday at the Office of the Prime Minister and was provided with an extensive and detailed brief with regard to the issues, needs and challenges related to the storage of medicine and medical supplies. According to a release sent out by the Ministry of the Presidency yesterday, Cabinet was on Tuesday, briefed by Minister of Public Health Dr. George Norton on the controversial bond contract deal on which he was extensively grilled by the opposition in the Committee of

Supply of the National Assembly on Monday. This newspaper understands that Dr. Norton has made himself available to the SubCommittee for the purposes of providing information and clarifications. Sub-Committee Chair, Minister Trotman and Dr. Norton, subsequently conducted extensive inspection tours of both the Sussex Street, Georgetown facility along with the Ministry of Public Health Supplies Chain Management Complex at Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara. The Sub-Committee is also in the process of preparing an initial report, and a further statement on the issue is expected to be presented at a post-Cabinet media briefing today. In an interview with this newspaper, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan said that he was concerned about the matter and stressed that “something like that should never be repeated.” He declined to elaborate.

GWI recovers $1.8B in 10 months from outstanding debts At a press conference held by Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) yesterday, Chief Executive, Dr. Richard Van-West Charles disclosed that the utility company has recovered some $1.8 Billion from outstanding debts since the change of its administration, 10 months ago. Dr. Van-West Charles said that GWI has embarked on debt collection through “an intensive programme of disconnection”. He noted that the disconnection of defaulters coupled with the “discovery of people who are getting water by nefarious means” has largely contributed to the recovery of the billion-dollar sum. He issued a warning to would-be defaulters and said “we want to say to those entities that are using water illegally that it is time you recognise that we have an aggressive programme going on.” Speaking in the boardroom of GWI’s head office at Shelter Belt, Vlissengen Road, Van-West Charles also said that contractors hired by GWI who have been disconnecting and reconnecting defaulting customers are going to be blacklisted, and will never be contracted by GWI again.

GWI Chief Executive, Dr Richard Van-West Charles The Chief Executive explained to the media that customers with outstanding bills now have an option of repaying the company through a contractual system. He continued that the customer can sign a contract with GWI to pay their outstanding debts through a series of instalments. He further pointed out that GWI is reviewing the option of distributing bills on a monthly basis, as in some

cases, customers have “runaway bills”, which results in late payment. He continued that GWI is putting a system in place to have meters read in a timely manner, and reminded that persons have a 45-day grace period to pay their bills before a disconnection order is issued. Once a customer has been disconnected, he said, they will be required to pay a reconnection fee of $7000 and the outstanding balance on their bill.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday August 11, 2016

No order was given for contractor to expedite works on Kato School …if it was badly done, he must fix it - former Education Minister

In the wake of the scathing report written by Rodrigues Architects Ltd on the construction of Kato School, former Minister of Education Priya Manickchand has defended the role that she, and her government, played in the process. Albert Rodrigues, Managing Director of the

company, had reported that contracting firm Kares Engineering was urged by the previous administration to complete the school before the May 2015 general and regional elections. This is something which the consultant for the project, Design and Construction Services Limited (DCSL), had made mention of in its

response to the technical audit report. According to Manickchand, however, the previous administration would not have given such an order. Manickchand during a recent telephone interview stated that the then administration knew that the school could not have been finished for that date and

The Kato Secondary School complex

would not have compromised standards. She was adamant that she, personally, would never have given such instructions. The former Minister went on to relate that any dealings that Kares Engineering had with her Ministry were above board and followed due process. She also stated that she never met the contractor

or the consultant on her own. Manickchand however noted that if the school was badly done, then Kares has to fix it. Kares had recently issued a statement and an advertisement, promising to fix the defects. However, it has disputed assertions that the school is not structurally sound. Currently, there is no official opening date for Kato School, for which construction started in 2013. The edifice was scheduled to be opened last January. This was delayed following the discovery of the defects. Because of this, a technical audit into the school was commissioned and a report prepared by Rodrigues Architects Limited. That report was subsequently presented to Parliament by Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson. Cabinet also examined the report, the roles of the supervising consultant, construction and cost of remedial works to be done. The findings had resulted in cabinet recommending that the Attorney General’s Chambers review the report.

Former Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand Patterson had said that because of the shoddy work done by the contractor, some students wouldn’t get to attend secondary school for another year and parents would be forced to reorganize their plans. Kato Secondary was initially billed at over $700M, but the previous Government later disclosed that the final tally could be about $1B. The school was intended to be a ‘super structure’, which would cater for 400 students.

Thursday August 11, 2016

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Kaieteur News

Miner shoots wife in mouth, kills self A 73-year-old gold miner shot his 42 year-old reputed wife in her mouth last night before turning the gun on himself at their Lot 24 North Road, Georgetown home, located several doors east of the popular Baroombar. The incident occurred just about 19:30 hrs. The injured woman has been identified as Sarojini Warnauth, while the dead man has been identified as Theodore Adams called ‘Totie’. Up to press time, Warnauth was undergoing emergency surgery at a private hospital. The bullet was said to be lodged in her throat. Doctors have reportedly informed family members that

her condition is critical due to the position of bullet. She cannot breathe on her own. According to information received, Adams and his wife had an argument when he picked up the gun and shot her to the face, in the presence of her 10-year-old daughter. The woman and her daughter somehow managed to run and lock themselves in a bedroom, before escaping through a window. They were rescued by nearby residents and rushed to the hospital. The gold miner reportedly shot himself just under his right ear minutes after the woman escaped from the house. The man’s licenced firearm was discovered at the

scene. Detectives believed that Adams, who was a patient of Dr. Bhiro Harry, might not have been in his right senses when he opened fire on his reputed wife. Kaieteur News was told that for the past week, the miner was on “the edge” and might have “tripped” last night when he shot his partner and turned the gun on himself. Warnauth’s daughter reportedly told police that her mother had just dished out food for the man when he accused her of mixing poison in his meal. There are reports that the miner had been claiming that persons wanted to kill him over the last couple of days.

From page 7 Hanoman, the witness told the court that a neighbour also had keys to the premises. He however pointed out that this was prior to him renting his house to Dataram. Dataram, his 20-year-old reputed wife Anjanie Boodnarine, and their two friends, Trevor Gouveia and Komal Charran, are currently on High Court bail. They are accused for allegedly having 129.23 kg of cocaine in their possession at 661 Fourth Avenue, Block X Diamond, East Bank Demerara, on April 16, 2015, for the purpose of trafficking. On a previous occasion, Dataram had angrily called

Customs Anti Narcotic Unit (CANU) officer Yarde, a liar. Yarde, during his testimony told the court that he had never conducted any raid pertaining to Dataram prior to the charge he is now facing. “This man is a liar,” Dataram said in a loud tone. He claimed that Yarde had conducted a raid on him before and accused the detective of stealing his money. In response, to Dataram’s allegation, the witness had told the court that he had stopped and s e a r c h e d a vehicle belonging to Dataram after he was charged. However, Yarde e x p l a i n e d t h a t Dataram

was not a suspect in the operation and that nothing illegal was found in the vehicle. In response to further questions by the CANU Prosecutor, Yarde had recounted that in the latter part of February he was watching a television newscast and saw reporter Travis Chase doing an interview with Dataram. He said that during the interview, he heard Dataram admit to dealing in drugs. The reporter, Travis Chase, and a t e c h n i c a l staffer of the newscast, Nigel Fraser, are expected to testify when the trial continues tomorrow.

Drugs found at Barry Dataram’s home were...

Dead Miner: Theodore ‘Totie’Adams (inset) the house where the incident occurred. Relatives who asked not to be named said that the miner started suffering from a mental breakdown when he suspected his wife had cheated on him some years ago. They insist his illness was not severe. Meanwhile, the dead man’s brother said that the wounded woman has not revealed much detail as to

what really transpired. He said that he was informed when the woman was rescued from the building, a single gunshot was heard from inside the house. When the police entered the house, Adams was seen lying on the floor with both hands to his side and blood pouring from the right side of his head. Kaieteur News

understands that Adams operated a mining camp in the Mazaruni area. Meanwhile, Divisional Commander Clifton Hicken said that neighbours heard a loud explosion at the couple’s home and when the police entered the building, Adams lifeless body was discovered with a gunshot wound to the head.

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Thursday August 11, 2016

Kaieteur News

Health Ministry’s drug bond fiasco…

PPP wants Health Minister before Privileges Committee for “lying to Parliament” Tweaking the facts seems to have landed Minister of Public Health; Dr. George Norton, in hot water. The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) will be moving a motion to have Norton taken before the Committee of Privileges, when Parliament comes out of recess in October. This was disclosed by Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, during a press conference at the party’s headquarters yesterday. Jagdeo announced that this step will be taken because the Minister lied to the National Assembly on Monday while defending sole sourcing a contractor to provide drug storage space in an unfinished bond. A sum of $25M has already been advanced to the company, Linden Holding Company, as a security deposit. In addition,

Government will be paying $12.5M per month. On Monday, Norton had claimed that this decision was partly taken because a $19.2M rental fee had been paid to New Guyana Pharmaceutical Company (GPC) in the past for drug storage and this fee was deemed too costly. According to Jagdeo, however, this is a blatant lie, as there was never a rental agreement whereby New GPC, the sole provider of drugs to the state for years under the PPP, was paid for storage. He also blasted Norton for saying that pharmaceuticals are currently being stored in the bond, and listed this as another reason for the motion. “Asked whether he will lay a copy of the contract in parliament, he says he has to get the landlord’s

permission,” Jagdeo scoffed. “This, from a government that tells us contracts should be routinely laid in parliament. Then when pressed about the rate, we found out that we were going to pay $12.5M per month and we have made the initial advances.” “$12.5M a month to rent about 10,000 sq feet in storage, and through no public tendering process? So, in trying to excuse it, we were told in parliament that the PPP paid $19M to New GPC per month to rent the facility.” “The PPP never rented any storage space or paid any rental for any storage space from New GPC. If the Government says otherwise, it could easily show you the contract. They have been in office for over a year now, so they would know. We have never paid a cent, much less $19M for storage.”

Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton Jagdeo posited that Norton may have arrived at this figure because a quotation was sought from New GPC. New GPC, Jagdeo said, had quoted the figure of over $16M per month for 70,000 sq feet. Jagdeo claimed that Government then went to rent the bond from the company. New GPC, in a press release, also blasted Norton for his statement. Indicating that it never charged the previous administration for drug storage, New GPC had related that it had told the government, after being approached, that it would charge $237 per square foot of its bond. (See related story on page 8) Jagdeo also went on to note that Norton, after being

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo

questioned by members of the House, claimed that pharmaceuticals and medical supplies were being stored in the bond. “There is nothing being stored in that bond. It is under construction,” Jagdeo said. “When parliament comes out of recess, we will go to the national assembly with a motion to send him to the Committee of Privileges for lying to the parliament.” Jagdeo could not be sure whether members of cabinet may have also had a role in vetting this arrangement. However, the former President stated that, if necessary, the PPP would go after other members of the cabinet. During the considerations of the supplemental requests

in the National Assembly on Monday, Norton was unable to answer a number of questions posed by the political opposition. He was quizzed in relation to the money taken from the Fund for the bond which is located in Albouystown. He was unable to tell the House who were the principals of the Linden Holding Company, when it was registered, when the three-year contract was signed, and who signed on Government’s behalf. Linden Holdings Company has no medical background and from all indications the bond, located in Sussex Street, is not approved by the Government Analyst -Food and Drug Department.

A section of the unfinished bond which Government has single sourced.

Thursday August 11, 2016

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Kaieteur News

UG seeks int’l accreditation for 2015 Medicine degrees …as certification body plans evaluation visit in November

Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Dr Emanuel Cummings Medical students who graduated from the University of Guyana (UG) last year may very well have degrees that are internationally accredited. This disclosure was yesterday made by Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Dr. Emanuel Cummings. It was believed that the medical degrees of the 46 students who graduated last year would not have been recognized outside of Guyana without them first sitting the Caribbean Association of Medical Councils (CAMC) examination. But Dr. Cummings, during an interview with this publication yesterday, revealed that although the School of Medicine lost its accreditation last year, it would have occurred after the programme would have been completed. “We lost the accreditation last year July when they (students) were finished, so technically our students who graduated all five of their years were accredited. The problem, as we see it, is that the programme was not accredited at the point of graduation. Our students would have received content that were accredited. During the time they were taught, the programme was accredited,” Dr. Cummings explained. The Dean revealed yesterday, too, that students who are slated to graduate this year will essentially complete a programme that is partially internationally accredited. This is in light of the fact that four years of the programme benefited from international accreditation. “Four-fifths of this current programme was accredited and that is the argument that we are putting up now…only one-fifth is not accredited, but four-fifths of their (students’) time was very much spent doing an accredited programme,” Dr. Cummings stated. His remarks were forthcoming even as he commented on the University’s ongoing journey to regain full accreditation. Already the University has

submitted a self-study to the accreditation body - Jamaicabased Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP). CAAM-HP is the legally constituted body established in 2003 under the aegis of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), empowered to determine and prescribe standards and to accredit programmes of medical, dental, veterinary and other health professions on behalf of the contracting parties in CARICOM. The acquisition of accreditation is therefore dependent on an institution’s adherence to certain stipulated standards. This translates to the School of Medicine’s meeting the 140plus standards established by CAAM-HP. The standards, according to Dr. Cummings, are divided into several areas including: infrastructure, educational resources, faculty and the curriculum itself, among several others. Regaining the accreditation is something that Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Ivelaw Griffith, has identified as a top priority. And this has been very evident, Dr. Cummings noted, with the level of support that has been forthcoming from the University’s administration. He disclosed too that Government, the Ministry of Health, and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, which has to work in close collaboration with the School of Medicine, have all been very supportive. “By submitting our selfstudy we have completed the documentation aspect, but there are certain things that we have put into the documentation which they will come to evaluate…things such as the physical facilities, which we are currently working on,” related Dr. Cummings. Moreover, he is confident that the University is on track to having all necessary measures in place for reaccreditation. In fact, he

disclosed that CAAM-HP will in November send at least five reviewers to assess the progress that has been made in the quest for reaccreditation. “After they come they have one month within which to submit a report to CAAMHP…after a decision is made it will be communicated to us,” Dr. Cummings noted. The School of Medicine was first granted ‘Provisional Accreditation’ by CAAM-HP in 2008 for a one-year period. By 2009 a decision was taken by the body to afford the

Bachelors of Medicine (MBBS) programme the elevated accreditation status of ‘Accredited with Conditions’, until 2012. But by 2011, CAAM-HP expressed disappointment at the absence of a progress report from the local University and pointed out that a condition for the maintenance of accreditation was the submission of annual reports. Following a site visit in 2013, the School of Medicine was granted ‘Provisional Accreditation’ until 2015.

The CAAM-HP had noted on its website that at its meeting held July 28, 2014, it “considered the progress report of the School of Medicine in response to its letter of October 12, 2013. The meeting noted that the Memorandum of Understanding between the University, the GPHC and the Ministry of Health had been drafted. However, the meeting was not satisfied with the apparent lack of progress in addressing most of the issues identified in the October 12, 2013 letter”.

CAAM-HP had urged the School of Medicine to prepare for a limited survey visit in early 2015 before a further determination of the school’s accreditation status could have been made. Part of the requirement from CAAM-HP was the construction of facilities at the GPHC. But there was no progress in this regard, among other requisite areas, reported to CAAM-HP in the years 2014 and 2015, thus a decision was made to withdraw accreditation from the School of Medicine.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday August 11, 2016

Councillor seeking forensic audit not following correct procedure - City Mayor There has been a renewed call for a forensic audit of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC); to this Mayor Patricia Chase-Green has said, that she remains supportive of any move to have an audit done on the City’s accounts. However, she points out that the problem is that the Councillor who is seeking the audit has not followed correct procedure. This publication reported yesterday that Councillor Bishram Kuppen was dissatisfied with the manner in which the council was addressing the issues of transparency and accountability as it relates to city finances. He made these comments at a People’s Progressive Party press conference on Monday. He said, “Billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money is being spent without any credible financial reports or audits performed for the money spent, as required by the Municipal and District Councils Act Cap. 28:01 section 177.” According to Kuppen, he had attempted to move a motion for a forensic audit on three occasions, by submitting a written request to the Mayor and Town Clerk to have the motions included on the agenda for the statutory meeting. Kuppen said that on each occasion the Town Clerk, Royston King, had informed him that he found fault with the motions, but did not advise what those discrepancies were. Speaking with Kaieteur News, Mayor Chase-Green

said that the document which had been submitted had not been properly worded, therefore the application was unsuccessful. She said that the Councillor who presented the request has been “peddling the wrong information to the public as to why his request has been denied”. She explained that his request does not possess the features of a legitimate motion. When asked if the Council has offered Kuppen any advice on what has been lacking in the request, the Mayor said that based on her knowledge, the Councillor has not sought any advice from any other member of the Council on how to correct his application.

Further, she said that Kuppen has access to a host of legal minds within his political party, from which he can obtain the relevant information, instead of seeking out members of the Council. Earlier this year, ChaseGreen had made it clear that the M&CC was ready to be audited by the Auditor General. She had reported that between the years 2011 and 2012, the former council had written the Auditor General on three occasions to conduct an audit, but there was no intervention. According to ChaseGreen, two previous audits were done - by Keith Burrowes and Ramon Gaskin - at the expense of the council.

From page 16 along with an accompanying request has to be submitted. However, this was not the case and because of this, the building was illegally constructed. Another source within the NDC, who requested anonymity, stated that the dimensions of both the land and the building could not be determined due to the NDC’s inability to gain access to the premises. However, according to the PM’s Representative, the Coop member now owns 65 spots and using the former Co-op Chairman’s figures provided to the Minister, the dimensions of both land and

building, could be ascertained. In this case, the plot of land comprising the 65 spots, is equivalent to 3120 sq.ft and would have cost $520,000. Kaieteur News understands that the building was constructed on 12 of the 65 spots - equivalent to 576 sq. ft Meanwhile, a former Treasurer who had reported several irregularities at the Society to Minister Scott, via letters, told Kaieteur News that on one occasion, the “offending member” was one of the signatories in the approval of $100,000 to be paid to a contractor for drainage works at

the market. The former Treasurer recounted that upon examining the voucher and other correspondence, he noticed that something was amiss. He subsequently visited the NDC where the Overseer revealed that cost of the works was footed by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA). A special meeting was held subsequently where the two approving signatories were advised to replace the monies. However, the matter was closed. Commenting further on the matter, the PM’s Representative said, “My recommendation to solve this matter is (to) let the Co-op Officers set up an election for new office bearers since these two are corrupt. Vendors and members do not trust them.” He posited that the market space can be managed better by collaborative efforts by the relevant authorities and those ‘illegal’ vendors from the road can be brought into the market.

Georgetown’s Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green

Region Three representative probes...

Thursday August 11, 2016

Kaieteur News

Babies Born with Microcephaly in Barbados: Zika Link? BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The Ministry of Health is investigating the cause of microcephaly in two babies delivered at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) this week. Doctors are trying to determine whether the birth defects are linked to the Zika virus or cytomegalovirus – a common virus that belongs to the herpes family of viruses – during pregnancy. But the authorities are advising Barbadians to stay calm. Microcephaly is a birth defect in which a baby’s head is smaller than expected when compared to babies of the same sex and age. Babies with microcephaly often have smaller brains that might not have developed properly. The two cases aren’t the first in Barbados. The Ministry says that on average, two to three babies are born with microcephaly every year, but those are unrelated to Zika. And these are the first cases

John Boyce since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that there was a link between the mosquito-borne virus and the birth defect. “And at this point we cannot say that the two cases we have identified are definitively linked to Zika…and we won’t be able to say that for a few weeks until all of the investi-

gations are done,” Acting Chief Medical Officer Best said at a hastily called press conference Tuesday with Minister of Health John Boyce and other health officials. To date, there has been no increase in the number of newborns with the defect. Additionally, no children born to mothers who tested positive for Zika have been diagnosed with microcephaly, the Ministry said in a statement issued late Tuesday. Pregnant women suspected or confirmed with Zika infection are monitored at the high-risk antenatal clinic at the QEH, and these two cases of microcephaly were not among those being monitored. Currently, 14 pregnant women have been identified with the Zika virus; of these, seven have given birth and there were no obvious birth defects detected in those babies.

Jamaican govt. providing avenues for greater Diaspora participation WASHINGTON, USA — Prime Minister Andrew Holness has implored members of the Jamaican Diaspora to renew and reaffirm their commitment to playing a part in addressing critical aspects of national life that remain issues of concern. The prime minister made his comments in a message to the Jamaica Association of Maryland at its gala to mark Jamaica’s 54th year of independence in Baltimore, last weekend.

Holness, in his message read by charge d’affairs at the Embassy of Jamaica, Marsha Coore-Lobban, said, “I often express the view that Jamaicans domiciled in the Diaspora represent the common wealth of Jamaica, and as such, you must never cease focusing attention on matters pertinent to Jamaica’s development and quality of life for its citizens.” Holness called on members of the Diaspora to sustain the campaign to leverage

the considerable influence and network of resources at its disposal to champion Jamaica’s cause and advance the development interest of its people. Holness noted that the management of our economy remained a critical area of focus as a lot of hard work had gone into implementing the structural reform required under the existing four-year extended fund facility with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In setback for Brazil’s Rousseff, Senate puts her on trial RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s Senate yesterday voted overwhelmingly to put suspended President Dilma Rousseff on trial, bringing the nation’s first female president a step closer to being permanently removed and underscoring her failure to change lawmakers’ minds the last several months. After some 15 hours of debate, senators voted 59-21 to put her on trial for breaking fiscal rules in her managing of the federal budget. It was final step before a trial and vote on whether to definitively remove her from office, expected later this month. The political drama is playing out while Rio de Janeiro is hosting the Olympic Games, which run through Aug. 21. The outcome was widely expected: The Senate already

Dilma Rousseff voted in May to impeach and remove Rousseff from office for up to 180 days while the trial was prepared. Yesterday’s vote underscored that efforts to remove her may have actually gained steam despite her attempts to

woo senators who have expressed doubt about the governing ability of interim President Michel Temer. Senators pushing for her removal only needed a simple majority to call for the trial. Not only did they get much more than that, they also garnered an ample margin over the super-majority — at least 54 — they will need to permanently remove her. “This is not an easy situation,” Jose Eduardo Cardozo, who was attorney general in Rousseff’s administration and is leading her defense, told Brazilian news portal G1 after the vote in the capital of Brasilia. Cardozo said that he would look at appeals to the nation’s top court and that several senators who voted in favour of this move may be reluctant to take the heavier step of removing her from office.

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TO LET 2X3 Bedrooms fully furnished luxury apartments for rent (short & long term stay). Call: 665-3505

SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Guyana passport application. Graphics design, advertisement. Tel: 6267040; 265-4535. INNOVATIVEMARKETING& PUBLISHINGINC–TEL:6004212: We create A/works, logos, business cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Repairs at low cost: Fridges, air- conditioners, washing machines, TVs, microwaves, freezers- Call:6294946 or 225-4822 RAMDASS VISA APPLICATION & immigration services, room A-4, Maraj Building, Georgetown. Call Samantha: 227-0295; 615-9295 Passport, permanent & visitor visa application, Professional Immigrant Consultant – Sabita Immigration Services. Call: 225-6496; 662-6045 Hello the doctor is back! Have your gas stove service and repairs. Call: 601-0595; 220-4073; 220-5785 Jadesco Offers: Architectural designs, 3D modeling, building estimation/ quotation, rehabilitation works & general construction. Call: 612-0468, 629-3605, email: jadesco15@gmail.com

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Wings 4WD pickup rental: 690-6494

Transported property @ Grove and Diamond $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461 Brand new 2 storey concrete building in 5th Avenue, Diamond, E.B.D, all modern amenities -Price Reduced – Call: 662-9335; 612-3244 One (2) family house lot 32 Ann’s Grove housing scheme, land 100x50 $20M negotiable- Call: 623-5423 East Ruimveldt corner $15M. East La Penitence $13.7M 2 storey, Aubrey Barker road (corner) $30M- Call Shawn (Broker) 231-2199, 618-7483

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House & land 2 storey concrete building (4 bedrooms; 2 self-contained), semi-furnished @ Grove & Diamond N/S. Call: 216-1861, 657-2300, 614-0578

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House & land for sale in Plantation Peter’s Hall -$8M. Call: 617-6015; 269-0493

2009 BELTA -$2.3M, 2011 BLUEBIRD -$2.7M, 2009 IST -$2.7, 2012 RACTIS $2.6M, 2009 ARUIS -$2.5M –CALL: 617-2891

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Spare for washing machine, microwaves, fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, motors, etc. Call:2259032;647-2943;604-5198

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Crazy Deal! Dell laptops & desktop computers, loaded with lots of games & educational programs from $49,000. FutureTech: 2312206 CAT 320 BL excavator, 428 CAT back hoe, CAT930 Front End, 9 Wheeled Pneumatic Roller -Call: 275-0538; 6837225 Double Steel Drum Compactor, CAT 215 Excavator, Leyland DAF55 Truck, 400 GLS, Bitumen Kettle. Call: 275-0538; 6837225 Desks and benches in good condition, ideal for school, privatelessons,etc.Call:683-3887 1-43 Cabin Cruiser, 1-48 Yamaha Outboard engine. Call: 661-6938; 259-3164 One 8" by 6 ft jouter, price $170,000 & drill press -$40,000, 1- Mitsubishi Canter -$1.2M. Call: 618-3359; 662-6326

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2 Storey house & land , 3 bedrooms, size 20x30. 2 inside bathrooms @ Best Village, W.C.D. $15 millionCall: 609-5620, 664-4415

Transported property, 5L Hilux pick-up, 1-complete music set. Call: 265-3586

C. Persaud & N. Outar Driving School formerly Soman & Sons Driving School @ Maraj BuildingCall: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997 (affordable packages). MASSAGE

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PROPERTY FOR SALE

3 Waitresses -$15,000 weekly, bartender -$22,000 weekly, cook -$17,000 weekly –Call: 661-5099 or whatsapp: 6618802

American Variety Store, 140 Regent & Light Street, Georgetown: 1 experienced cashier, apply in person with written application.

- Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. - Cosmetology Courses: $120,000 - Technician Course: $45,000. Call: 647-1773/660-5257

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SALON

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Thursday August 11, 2016

Kaieteur News

2 Storey concrete building @ Samatha Point, Grove. Call: 682-1126; 613-7596 EDUCATIONAL Electronic Course. Starting 9th August. Hands-on training repairing all types of TVs, etc. Call: 226-6551; 225-0391 IAE: Register for full time school (Grades 7-11) CSEC lessons; adults and school leavers CXC classes. Call Mr. Roberts: 683-5742

Gold & Diamond land @ Potaro Mining District (Kuribrong). Call: 682-1126; 613-7596 Trawler –Call: 682-8724; 6165954 1 Perkins V8 Turbo Charge 170KVa Generator in working condition, Call 223-7380 Continue page 23

Thursday August 11, 2016

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Kaieteur News

Metals, tyres not for Haags Bosch dumpsite at this time - Managing Contractor The managing contractor of the Haags Bosch Dumpsite, Puran Brothers Disposal Services, told this publication on Wednesday that currently they are not accepting metals and tyres at the facility. Parmeshwar Puran said that this is so based on instructions received from the Solid Waste Management Department, headed by Gordon Gilkes. A contract for the management of the Haags Bosch dumpsite had been recently awarded to Puran. However, this award had been condemned by Cevon’s Waste Management to the extent that they have filed a complaint with the Bid Protest Commit-

tee. As a result of this, Puran has not been operating the site at its full capacity. According to Parmeshwar Puran, it is only after the Bid Protest Committee decides on the matter regarding Cevon’s contention that they will be able to operate the facility fully, so as to take in all types of solid waste. He said that his company is happy to take in everything, but based on directions it cannot. In July the Ministry of Communities had signed a $221M one-year contract with Puran Brothers to manage the site after the departure of BK International Inc., Government had agreed to a $1.1B (US$5.7M) settlement with the company. Haags Bosch is located behind Eccles, East Bank Demerara, and occupies some 100 acres. It was established in early 2011 to replace the

dumpsite adjacent to Le Repentir Cemetery. Due to the site’s location, industrial waste produced from companies located in Eccles Industrial Estate and others will not be able to send their waste to Haags Bosch. This has created some dilemma as to where these materials are to be taken. Kaieteur News contacted the Eccles Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) on the issue and it was explained that the NDC is not responsible for collecting waste from the Industrial Estate. The official from the Council informed that National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) has responsibility for the area. It is also unclear when an official decision on the Cevon’s complaint will be arrived at. The company had cited several issues which it

had with the award. One of the complaints was that Puran’s estimate is 32% below the engineer’s estimate. The company found it hard to digest that a profit can be made from a contract award which is 32% below estimate. Puran had responded to these arguments saying that there is no reason why Cevon’s and their partners should make assertions of favouritism and skulduggery in the bidding and awarding process of the contract. According to the company, it had satisfied all the necessary criteria for managing the site. The Ministry of Communities had also defended the contract award. The Ministry said that Puran’s was found to be the most suitable and the award was made based on guidelines stipulated in the Procurement Act.

Public Servants to be trained in Spanish Over 50 Public Servants are to benefit from training in the Spanish language. The undertaking will be realised under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ third Spanish course, through collaboration with the Republic of Colombia. This is according to a report disseminated by the Government Information Agency (GINA). The course, according to the GINA report, will begin next Tuesday, August 16, at the Ministry’s Foreign Service Institute, Shiv

Chanderpaul Drive. Public Servants will be taught the principles of the foreign language. Guyana’s Ambassador to the Republic of Colombia, Ronald Austin, during his remarks at an orientation session yesterday at the Foreign Service Institute said that “in Guyana we have adopted a mentality whereas we don’t believe that we have to learn the language of any other country, they should learn ours.” The programme will be facilitated by Professor Nelson

Hernan Giraldo Sanguino, who holds a Candidate to Master’s Degree in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language, Bachelor’s Degree in Foreign Languages, and a Diploma in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language. Sanguino has taught at several institutions, academies and universities. The sessions will be held on Tuesdays through Thursdays and will last for a period of four months. Sandra Chung, Foreign Service Officer 2, Desk Officer of the Guyana South America

Bilateral Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noted that in 2013 and 2014, several Public Servants also benefited from this training. The participants received a certificate from the National University of Colombia. She added that in April 2014, the two countries’ governments signed an agreement to promote Spanish as a foreign language. Guyana and Colombia established bilateral relations on December 18, 1970 and have maintained a strong relationship ever since.

First half of Jubilee year attracted 108,000 visitors - Mid-year Report In the year when Guyana is celebrating 50 years of Independence, many initiatives were set in motion. The need to have foreigners come to Guyana to take part in the celebrations was heavily touted by the admini s t r a t i o n a s o n e o f these initiatives. It appears that the administration’s efforts were fruitful, since the MidYear Report for 2016 has shown that some 108,183 visitors would have arrived in Guyana during the first half of this year. This figure represents an increase of 14,694 visitors or 15.7 percent, compared to the same period last year, and 17,396 or 19.2

percent increase for the year 2014. The report illustrated that visitors’ arrivals peaked during the month of May with arrivals totalling to 24,987 - which can be attributed to the heightened celebrations of the Golden Jubilee, the report stated. “This celebration period, according to the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), was accompanied by an average hotel occupancy rate of 75 percent compared to 39 percent for the same period in 2015, with 95 percent in Georgetown and 55 percent in outlying areas,” the Report stated. The Mid-year Report also indicated that a total of 91 rooms were added to the stock of rooms available as at June 2016, which

resulted in the expansion of the capacity of the tourism sector. Palm Springs expanded its accommodation by addi n g 2 2 r o o m s ; To w e r Suites, 29 rooms; and Beachview Hotel, 40 rooms. In addition, efforts were made to re-establish the National Bed and Breakfast Programme within the local accommodation sector. Inspection and registration of bed and breakfast facilities were completed, the report stated. In an aim to establish comprehensive data to analyse the contribution of the tourism sector to na-

tional deve l o p m e n t , t h e report stated that a Tourism Satellite Accounting (TSA) workshop was hosted by specialists from t h e C a r i b b e a n To u r i s m Organisation (CTO) to educate tourism stakeholders on the importance of having TSA in Guyana. “Subsequently, research on the data requirements for the ten TSA tables was conducted by the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) and the Bureau of Statistics (BOS). The findings for each table were compiled and are expected to be presented to the agencies involved during the third quarter” the report stated.

From page 22

FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Teepee Suites Apartments: Lot 7 Princes Street, Charlestown, Guyana. Call: 592-223-7903/email: teepeesuites@yahoo.com Hair station rental at convenient location, Georgetown, Call: 638-1106, discounts given to newcomers, persons with experienced & clients La Grange Public Road: 3 rooms @ top & 2 rooms @ bottom (whole/separated). Toilet & bath inside; available from September. House @ C/Lodge. Call: 6190673 2 Bedrooms apartment located at 16 Stanleytown, W.B.D –Call: 696-8714 Apartment for rent in Industry E.C.D- Call: 619-2388 One bedroom apartment preferably working couple or single person. Call: 638-8858 2 &1 Bedrooms to rent student only out of town welcome; Wi-Fi, semifurnished. Call after 6pm: 6685880

WANTED Wanted land to buy @ Tushen, Uitvlugt, Zeelugt, Parfaite Harmonie. Best price offered- Tel: 642-1252 Experienced fiber glass workers on E.C.D – Call: 6223250; 665-9747 2 Live in waitresses to work in Bar at Berbice– Call: 6046606; 692-4649 Cashier to work in supermarket and one live in domestic to work in Trinidad. Call or text 1868- 683 1528 1 Driver to work sweeper truck at night around town. Call: 218-1156; 218-1455 1 Driver for East Bank Area – Call: 233-2745 One female cleaner for office in Eccles call 233-2745 Buying non-working appliances such as: washing machine, pressure pumps, refrigerator, treadmill, pressure washer. Whatsapp: 661-8802 Driver for taxi minibus, license will be an asset. Call: 664-0802 One experienced cook to work in snackette & bar –Call: 647-7432; 223-5798 One experienced cashier apply @ Hack’s Halaal with written application, 5 commerce Street.

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Thursday August 11, 2016

Thursday August 11, 2016

Kaieteur News

Clinton blasts Trump for ‘casual inciting of violence,’ Republicans shaken Reuters - Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton yesterday accused Republican opponent Donald Trump of inciting violence with his call for gun rights activists to stop her from nominating liberal U.S. Supreme Court justices. Clinton’s comments added to a growing outcry over Trump’s remarks on Tuesday at a North Carolina rally, which some interpreted as a call for violence against his White House rival. His remarks also fueled widespread concerns about his ability to stay on track. “Words matter, my friends,” the former U.S. secretary of state, who rarely engages in direct back-andforths with her Republican rival, said at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa. “And if you are running to be president or you are president of the United States, words can have tremendous consequences.”“Yesterday, we witnessed the latest in a long line of casual comments from Donald Trump that crossed the line,” she said, citing “his casual inciting of violence.” Trump insisted in an interview with Fox News that his remarks were a call for political, not physical, action. “There is tremendous political power to save the Second Amendment, tremendous,” the New York busi-

U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks during a rally at Lincoln High School in Des Moines, Iowa yesterday. REUTERS/CHRIS KEANE nessman said. “And you look at the power they have in terms of votes and that’s what I was referring to, obviously that’s what I was referring to, and everybody knows it.” The U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment guarantees a right to keep and bear arms. “I can’t think of anything remotely comparable to it. No one tells a joke about the opponent getting shot. I’ve never heard it,” said Bob Shrum, a top aide for Al Gore’s presidential campaign in 2000 and John Kerry’s in 2004. High-profile Republicans and rank-and-file voters appeared shaken yesterday after a string of Trump misfires,

struggling with how to best reject his divisive candidacy. Some pledged to withhold their endorsement and others backed Clinton. Some, including MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman from Florida, called for party leaders to replace Trump on the ticket. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll taken Aug. 5-8 - before Trump’s latest controversy showed that nearly one-fifth of 396 registered Republicans said they want Trump to drop out of the race and another 10 percent said they “don’t know” whether the Republican nominee should or not.

Russia announces daily ceasefires in Syria’s Aleppo to let in aid Reuters - Russia said yesterday there would be daily three-hour ceasefires in Syria’s Aleppo starting today to allow humanitarian convoys to enter the city safely, a proposal which the United Nations said it would consider. Aleppo is split into rebeland government-held. The rebel-held east, where about 250,000 people are thought to be living, came under siege in early July after government forces cut the Castello Road, the main supply route into the district. Last Friday rebels staged a major assault southwest of Aleppo to break through this siege. Fighters did manage to pierce the ring of governmentcontrolled territory, but a safe corridor for civilians and aid has not yet been established as fierce fighting continues. Speaking at a televised briefing, Lieutenant-General Sergei Rudskoi, a senior Russian Defense Ministry official, said the pause in fighting would run from 10 a.m. to 1

LieutenantGeneral Sergei Rudskoi

p.m. local time. Rudskoi said the question of joint control over delivery of humanitarian aid via Castello Road was being discussed with the United Nations and the United States. He said “all military action, air and artillery strikes” would be halted for the three-hour periods. “This is to ensure that all interested organizations have the opportunity to deliver

their humanitarian assistance to the residents of Aleppo,” Rudskoi said. He added that Russia, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against rebels in Syria’s five-year-old civil war, would work with Damascus to ensure safe delivery of the aid. A spokesman for a major rebel group fighting inside Aleppo told Reuters it was skeptical of the Russian plan.

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Blood Donors To Be Screened For ZIKA The Gleaner - People who have had the Zika virus (ZIKA) are being cautioned to wait four to six weeks before donating blood. Speaking with The Gleaner/Power 106 News Centre yesterday morning, Chief Medical Officer, Dr Winston De La Haye, said the instruction is in keeping with international

standards. However, Dr De La Haye says a screening process will still be done to determine whether people are fit enough to give blood. He says this process will help to ensure that persons who may have had the virus, but were not diagnosed, do not give blood during the danger period.

T&T govt. denies Zika responsible for latest Guillain-Barre Syndrome in babies PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - (CMC) – Health authorities here have ruled out the mosquito-born Zika virus as being responsible for the seven cases of babies being affected by the Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). The Ministry of Health in a statement noted that it wanted to address the concerns of the public following a news report that indicated seven babies were affected by GBS as a result of the Zika virus. GBSIt said “while there have been seven cases of GBS in Trinidad (and Tobago) for 2016, tests have

ruled out Zika as the cause and all of these patients were adults”. The ministry said that GBS is a sickness of the nervous system in which a person’s own immune system damages the nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes, paralysis. “While several countries experiencing Zika outbreaks have recently reported increases in GBS, it is important to note that there are several other medical conditions that can cause Guillain-Barre Syndrome,” the statement added.

It said investigations into the link between GBS and Zika continue worldwide and while current research suggests that GBS is strongly linked to Zika, only a small number of people with Zika virus infection get GuillainBarre Syndrome. The Ministry of Health said that it was stressing the importance of source reduction in the prevention of the Zika virus including the disposal of all unwanted containers/items in the yard or environs which can collect water and become mosquito breeding grounds.

Turkey warns EU it is making ‘serious mistakes’ over failed coup Reuters - Turkey said yesterday the European Union was fuelled by antiTurkish sentiment and hostility to President Tayyip Erdogan and was making grave mistakes in its response to a failed coup which was costing it the trust of ordinary Turks. Erdogan and many Turks have been incensed by what they see as the undue concern of Europe over a crackdown after the abortive July 15 coup attempt but indifference to the bloody events themselves in which more than 240 people died. “Unfortunately the EU is making some serious mistakes. They have failed the test following the coup attempt ... Their issue is antiTurkey and anti-Erdogan sentiment,” Foreign Minister

Mevlut Cavusoglu told the state-run Anadolu Agency. “We have worked very hard towards EU (membership) these past 15 years. We never begged, but we worked very hard ... Now two out of three people are saying we should stop talks with the EU.” More than 60,000 people in the military, judiciary, civil service and education have been detained, suspended or placed under investigation since the coup attempt, in which rogue soldiers commandeered tanks and warplanes to try to take power. Dismissals continued yesterday. State-run Anadolu Agency said a further 648 judges and prosecutors were suspended under the investigation, bringing to 3,489 the number of those removed

from duty. Turkey’s Scientific and Technological Research Council (Tubitak) has removed 560 staff, said private broadcaster NTV. Thousands of people, waving Turkish flags, gathered outside the presidential palace in Ankara last night to hear Erdogan call anew for the United States to extradite U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom he accuses of orchestrating the coup attempt. Gulen denies any involvement. “Sooner or later the United States of America will make a choice. Either Turkey or FETO,” he told the crowd in a speech, using an abbreviation standing for the “Gulenist Terror Group” which is how Ankara refers to Gulen’s movement.

Los Angeles court sentences ‘Grim Sleeper’ to death Los Angeles (AFP) - A garbage collector convicted of the “Grim Sleeper” killings that terrorized southern Los Angeles for more than two decades was sentenced to death yesterday. Lonnie David Franklin had been convicted of 10 counts of first-degree murder for the killings of nine women and a 15-year-old girl between 1985 and 2007. During his three month trial which ended in May, the

prosecution presented evidence that it said linked him to the killings of a further four other women, although authorities suspect Franklin is behind dozens more murders. The court heard Franklin had committed crimes dating back to the 1974 kidnapping and gang rape of a 17-year-old girl in Germany while he was in the US military. The 63-year-old was a “sexual predator” and “career

criminal” whom DNA evidence showed had acted alone, Silverman said. Franklin stalked the streets of South Los Angeles at a time when an epidemic of crack cocaine plagued the neighborhood, the authorities say. Several of his victims were prostitutes and drug addicts whom he shot or strangled, dumping their bodies in alleyways or trash bins. He raped some before killing them.

Thursday August 11, 2016

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Vietnam moves new rocket launchers into disputed South China Sea Reuters - Vietnam has discreetly fortified several of its islands in the disputed South China Sea with new mobile rocket launchers capable of striking China’s runways and military installations across the vital trade route, according to Western officials. Diplomats and military of-

ficers told Reuters that intelligence shows Hanoi has shipped the launchers from Vietnam into position on five bases in the Spratly islands in recent months, a move likely to raise tensions with Beijing. The launchers have been hidden from aerial surveil-

Khan orders more corporation audits Trinidad Guardian - Local Government Minister Franklin Khan says audits for other regional corporations will begin at week’s end. He made the comment Tuesday following the court appearances on Monday of four Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation (CTTRC) employees on corruption charges. Speaking to reporters at a Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (Cariri’s) seminar, Khan said the allegations were a cause for concern. “Four officers from the CTTRC, public servants I might add, have been charged with accusations of corruption and I don’t want to com-

ment on that in any detail because it is before the courts but it really does not look good in terms of the corporation and its management.” While he declined to say which of the other 13 regional corporations would be audited, Khan said he had started the ball rolling. “It is something we have heard of a lot in the local government reform consultation, that there are instances of possible corruption in the corporations and I have requested the permanent secretary to conduct audits in the specific corporations that I will not name right now, to see if this thing is more widespread than we think.

lance and they have yet to be armed, but could be made operational with rocket artillery rounds within two or three days, according to the three sources. Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry said the information was “inaccurate”, without

elaborating. Deputy Defence Minister, Senior Lieutenant-General Nguyen Chi Vinh, told Reuters in Singapore in June that Hanoi had no such launchers or weapons ready in the Spratlys but reserved the right to take any such

measures. “It is within our legitimate right to self-defence to move any of our weapons to any area at any time within our sovereign territory,” he said. The move is designed to counter China’s build-up on its seven reclaimed is-

lands in the Spratlys archipelago. Vietnam’s military strategists fear the building of runways, radars and other military installations on those holdings have left Vietnam’s southern and island defences increasingly vulnerable.

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Swiss Cancellara wins men’s time trial (Reuters) Swiss Fabian Cancellara outclassed his rivals to win the Olympic time trial gold for the second time on Wednesday, powering to victory after a masterful ride around the 54.5km circuit. After a tremendous first 10km in damp conditions alongside Rio’s stunning Pontal beach, the 35-year-old Cancellara, nicknamed Spartacus, held firm on the hilly sections and blasted to the finish to win by 47 seconds. Dutchman Tom Dumoulin, whose place had been in jeopardy after breaking his wrist on the Tour de France, was second. Chris Froome, hoping to emulate compatriot Bradley Wiggins in 2012 by winning the Tour de France and Olympic gold in the space of weeks, was never able to match Cancellara’s pace. However, the British rider took a bronze, 62 seconds back, repeating his perfor-

Tom Dumoulin (NED, left) and Fabian Cancellara (SUI, middle) and Christopher Froome (GBR, right) show off their medals in the men’s individual time trial medal ceremony at Pontal during the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games. (Jack Gruber-USA TODAY Sports) mance from the event at London 2012. There was frustration for

Australian Rohan Dennis who needed a bike change during the race, ultimately

costing him a medal as he finished fifth, eight seconds behind Froome.

Brazilian Olympic... Thursday August 11, 2016 ARIES (Mar. 21- April 20) You can make adjustments in your domestic scene today. You may be admired by colleagues and employers for your diplomatic way of handling your work and those you work with. AURUS (Apr. 21- may 21) You may feel a need to make changes to your legal documents. You may have difficulties with family members if you get involved in petty arguments. GEMINI (May 22-June 21) Don't be afraid to lay your cards on the table. Stretch the truth, and you may get blamed for something you didn't do. CANCER (June 22July 22) Opportunities to show your worth will enhance your reputation and bring possible advancement. LEO (July 23-Aug 22) You may find your mate somewhat perturbed. You will find it easy finalizing personal papers if you make an effort. VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23) You will have a problem holding on to your cash today. Financial gains can be made through wise investments.

LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23) Be aware that you might be at fault as well. Things at home may be somewhat rocky. Do not travel unless absolutely necessary. Be careful. SCORPIO (Oct. 24 Nov. 22) You will learn valuable skills if you sign up for seminars today. Try not to be overly generous. You will be in the mood to socialize. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 -Dec. 21) You will enjoy events that lean toward theater, art, or music today. Your lover will be annoyed with your participation. CAPRICORN (Dec 22.- Jan. 20) Heed the advice given by family or old reliable friends. You will find it easy finalizing personal papers if you make an effort. AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 Feb. 19) Put all your energy into moneymaking ventures. Opportunities for new and exciting relationships will be yours if you get out and join groups. PISCES (Feb. 20Mar. 20) Partnerships with creative people could lead to financial gains. Compromising could be on the agenda today.

From page 29 choosing instead to walk past reporters and sit alone on the team bus after matches. The Olympic struggles come a month after the senior national team lost in the group round of the Copa America Centenario, after a loss to Peru and a 0-0 tie with Ecuador. The Olympic team is made up mostly of Under23 players, but they are an experienced bunch. Only seven play professionally in Brazil, the rest play overseas. And with Neymar and rising star “Gabigol” in yellow jerseys, everyone figured it was Brazil’s gold medal to lose. Gold? How about a goal? Of all the bad publicity this country has had to endure in the lead-up to these Olympics, a first-round exit by its soccer team might be the one that sends locals into despair.

Fabian Cancellara (SUI) of Switzerland after crossing the finish line. (REUTERS/ERIC GAILLARD)

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Thursday August 11, 2016

Hand in Hand Insurance sponsors Rose Two more golds for... Hall Town 46th Anniversary 5/5 Cricket

RHTYSC, MS Executive Member Mark Papannah receives the sponsorship from Hand in Hand Supervisor Zalena Ram Kishun. Guyana’s oldest Insurance company, Hand in Hand Insurance on Tuesday last became the latest official sponsor to come on board for the Rose Hall Town 46th Anniversary Celebration that would be organised by the Cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, MS. The insurance giant would be sponsoring a 5/5 cricket tournament for ten teams at the cost of $188,000. Secretary/CEO of the RHTYSC, Hilbert Foster at the simple presentation ceremony at the company’s New Amsterdam office, expressed the Club’s gratitude to the Management of the Company, especially Chairman Johnny Carpenter and New Amsterdam Branch Manager Tajpaul Adjodhea for their assistance towards making

the Rose Hall Town Week celebration a success. Hand in Hand Insurance, Foster stated is one of the main sponsors of the RHTYSC, MS and he noted that the company, which has an office in the township, has always been supportive of activities directed towards youth and sports development. The one day cricket tournament would be played on Sunday 2016.09.18 at the Area ‘H’ Ground as part of a 46th anniversary Day of Sports that would also include football and basketball tournaments. A total of 10 teams including three form the RHTYSC, MS would battle for prizes worth over $100,000. The Second division teams involved would be allowed two first division players, while the

first two overs would be power play overs where only two fielders would be allowed out of the 30 yards circle. The tournament would be played on a knockout basis. Berbice Manager of Hand in Hand Insurance, Tajpaul Adjodhea stated that his company has a long working relationship with the township of Rose Hall and was pleased to be associated with its 46th anniversary celebration. He described the township as a progressive hub of development and expressed confidence that the Town Week celebrations would be a great success. Hand in Hand Insurance as a responsible corporate entity, Adjodhea stated invests heavily in education and sports especially cricket. The RHTYSC, MS from the 14th to 25th of September

would be organising a series of activities to celebrate Guyana’s smallest town 46th anniversary as a township. The Club whose Honorary Patron is H.E President David Granger has committed itself to organising Guyana’s best ever Town Week celebration. Apart from the Day of Sports, other activities includes the Opening Ceremony, Medical Outreach Programme, Public Exhibition, Steel-band Concert, Launching of a Booklet on the history of Rose Hal Town, Opening of a Family Recreational Park, Rose Hall Town Cuisine Competition, Educational Competition among others. The Club is issuing an invitation to all overseas based residents to return home to be part of the memorable celebrations.

From page 27 most successful Olympian of all time, who stole the limelight, extending his career medal tally to 25 by adding golds number 20 and 21. In the 200 butterfly, he touched the wall in one minute, 53.36 seconds to beat Japan’s Masato Sakai by 0.04 seconds, with Hungary’s Tamas Kenderesi taking the bronze. Chad Le Clos of South Africa, Phelps’ conqueror four years ago, finished fourth. Phelps, who had announced his retirement after London but launched a comeback in 2014, then celebrated by climbing into the stands to embrace his fiancee Nicole and kiss his baby son Boomer. Seventy-five minutes after racing, he was back in the water to swim the final leg of the 4x200 freestyle a f t e r C o n o r D w y e r, Townley Haas and Ryan

Lochte had built a lead of 1.76 seconds. The Americans touched in 7:00.66, with Britain second in 7:03.13 and Japan in third after James Guy overhauled Takeshi Matsuda on the final leg. For Phelps, the butterfly victory was especially sweet after the sting of the London defeat, where he misjudged his final lunge for the wall to let Le Clos steal the gold medal. “I’m just thankful, that’s for sure, I wanted that one back,” he said. “That event was kind of like my bread and butter, and that was the last time I’ll ever swim it... There wasn’t a shot in hell I was losing it. And if I did, every ounce that I had was left in the pool. “Just being able to see the number one next to my name again one more time in the 200 fly - I couldn’t have scripted it any better.”

Windies make solid... From page 28 L. Rahul c K. Brathwaite b Chase 50 S. Dhawan c Dowrich b Gabriel 1 V. Kohli c Da. Bravo b Joseph 3 A. Rahane b Chase 35 Ro. Sharma c Dowrich b Joseph 9 R. Ashwin c Blackwood b Cummins 118 W. Saha c Dowrich b Joseph 104 R. Jadeja c Dowrich b Cummins 6 B. Kumar c Johnson b Gabriel 0 M. Shami not out 0 I. Sharma c Johnson b Cummins 0 Extras (b-7 lb-8 nb-10 w-2) 27 Total (all out, 129.4 overs) 353 Fall of wickets: 1-9 S. Dhawan,2-19 V. Kohli, 3-77 L. Rahul,4-87 Ro. Sharma,5-126 A. Rahane, 6-339 W. Saha,7-351 R. Jadeja,8-353 B. Kumar, 9-353 R. Ashwin,10-353 I. Sharma Bowling S. Gabriel 23 - 4 - 84 - 2(nb-7 w-1) A. Joseph 24 - 6 - 69 - 3 M. Cummins 21.4 - 8 - 54 - 3(w-1) J. Holder 19 - 7 - 34 - 0(nb-1) R. Chase 33 - 9 - 70 - 2 K. Brathwaite 9 - 1 - 27 - 0 West Indies 1st innings K. Brathwaite not out 53 L. Johnson run out (Rahul) 23 Da. Bravo not out 18 Extras (b-9 nb-2 w-2) 13 Total (for 1 wickets, 47 overs) 107 Fall of wickets: 1-59 L. Johnson To bat: M. Samuels, J. Blackwood, R. Chase, S. Dowrich, J. Holder, M. Cummins, A. Joseph, S. Gabriel Bowling B. Kumar 11 - 4 - 11 - 0(w-2) M. Shami 9 - 1 - 35 - 0 R. Ashwin 13 - 4 - 17 - 0 I. Sharma 7 - 0 - 26 - 0(nb-2) R. Jadeja 7-2-9-0 Umpire: Nigel Llong Umpire: Rod Tucker TV umpire: Gregory Brathwaite Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle

Thursday August 11, 2016

American Armstrong wins third straight time trial gold

Olga Zabelinskaya (RUS) of Russia, Kristin Armstrong (USA) of USA and Anna van der Breggen (NED) of Netherlands pose with their medals. (REUTERS/MATTHEW CHILDS) RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) Veteran American Kristin Armstrong claimed a third consecutive road time trial gold to deny former Russian doper Olga Zabelinskaya what would have been a controversial triumph on a rainsoaked course at the Rio Games on Wednesday. Double London medallist Zabelinskaya, who served an 18-month suspension for a banned stimulant and was only cleared to compete in Rio last week, had set the fastest time with only Armstrong still on the 29.7km course. Armstrong had been quickest over the opening 10km and then produced a searing late burst on the Grumari circuit to clock in 44 minutes 26.42 seconds the day before her 43rd birthday. Dutch rider Anna van der Breggen added a bronze medal to her gold in Sunday’s road race as she finished 11 seconds back. Armstrong retired from the sport in 2009 to start a family but returned to win in London before again calling it a day. After a three-year break and three hip surgeries she made another comeback last year with an eye on Rio. No wonder she cried with joy at the finish, having picked herself up after collapsing in ex-

Kristin Armstrong of USA celebrates after winning. (REUTERS/MATTHEW CHILDS) haustion on the soaked tarmac. “It’s amazing, I don’t know if it has hit me yet,” Armstrong told reporters after hugging her five-year-old son and holding up a sign that said “USA STRONG”. “This has been the most difficult journey. I took time off. The mind gets tired. So when I came back I was focused on Rio and it’s been difficult because I’ve had some poor performances over the last six months.” Armstrong needed all her vast experience to tackle two tough climbs in weather more akin to a rainy day in Flanders. “When I looked out of the

window at 4am I thought, ‘Oh no!’ But I had two choices, get nervous, or say I’m the most experienced person out here and just attack it.” Zabelinskaya, who finished third in the road race and time trial in London, was also in tears at the end, having celebrated prematurely thinking she had done enough to win. Her place in Rio was in jeopardy until days before the Olympics after the International Olympic Committee attempted to ban all Russians with a doping past. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) then said that ban was unenforceable.

Two more golds for Phelps, Hosszu and Ledecky march on RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) Michael Phelps won two gold medals on Tuesday, avenging his 200 meters butterfly defeat from the London Olympics and then anchoring the U.S. 4x200 freestyle team

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to victory on a night of high drama and emotion in the pool. Katie Ledecky of the United States won her second gold medal of the meeting and Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu

her third, extending their dominance of women’s swimming in feats that on any other day would have grabbed top billing. Instead it was Phelps, the (Continued on page 26)

Authorities step up security after bus windows shattered

Shattered glass lies on the seats of a media bus in the Deodoro area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Tuesday. (Photo: AP) RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) — Military police in Rio de Janeiro are stepping up security after projectiles struck a bus carrying journalists to the main Olympic Park, the organizing committee for the games said. While authorities said it was not immediately clear what struck the bus, a retired US Air Force captain who now writes about women’s basketball said she was certain it was gunfire. Britain’s Press Association on Wednesday quoted Lee Michaelson, who was on the bus Tuesday, as saying that she instinctively hit the floor when she heard the sound of gunfire and “hollered to the others ... ‘Get down! Get down! We are taking fire.’” “I know what a gun sounds like,” she said. “It was the sound before I ever saw the glass (shatter) or anything.” The Rio organizing committee said the driver heard a noise from inside the bus,

which he thought was photography equipment falling down. When he checked his rear view mirror, he found the journalists were lying on the ground. He saw a police car and stopped. “At this time, he realized that two windows on the same side of the bus were broken,” the committee said in a statement. “He resumed the route under the escort of the police car and the broken windows began to give way further.” Michaelson says both the bus driver and Olympic officials made mistakes. The driver slowed down and pulled over, which she says is “precisely the opposite of what he should have done, which was to put the gas on and floor it.” When they returned to the Olympic park, she says there was no medical help waiting, despite some passengers being injured and bleeding. A dozen journalists on the

bus suffered minor injuries. “There was kind of a popping noise and something hit two windows on the side of the bus and left two hole marks, which looked like bullet holes,” David Davies, a photographer for the Britishbased news agency Press Association, told the AP. The bus was travelling from the northern venue cluster of Deodoro to the main Olympic Park in the suburb of Barra da Tijuca. The incident raises more concerns about security at the games. Rio is deploying about 85,000 soldiers and police to secure the games, twice as many as London did four years ago. On Saturday, a stray bullet flew through the roof of a media tent at the Olympic Equestrian Centre. Officials said it had been fired from a hillside favela, but said the games had not been targeted. Organizers said the intended target was probably a security camera on a blimp.

Korea’s Jin makes history with third straight gold RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) South Korea’s Jin Jong-oh shot his way back from near elimination to win the men’s 50 metre pistol event on Wednesday and become the first shooter in Olympic history to win a specific event at three Games in a row. With a steadier hand in the final rounds, Jin prevailed over Vietnam’s Xuan Vinh Hoang, a 41-year-old who made history on Saturday by

winning his country’s firstever gold medal, in the 10 metre air pistol. Kim Song Guk of North Korea, 30, won the bronze. The crowd cheered the exciting comeback by the 36year-old Jin, ranked No. 1 in the world. He is one of the Olympics’ most decorated pistol shooters, having won the 50 metre titles at Beijing and London, where he also claimed the 10m air pistol event.

He now has six Olympic medals, including four golds, but called Wednesday’s addition his “best gold medal.” Having qualified in first position out of eight, Jin got off to a wobbly start. A third of the way through the competition, he was nearly five points behind the leader Hoang, and at risk of being cut. “I told myself don’t give up, don’t give up,” Jin said. “I wanted to give up.

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Thursday August 11, 2016

Kaieteur News

CASA Squash C/ships in T&T

Sudesh “Kerry” Fitzgerald Birthday Tournament

Guyana endures tough night!

Greene, Correia capture Singles titles

Fung-a-Fatt, Khalil & Seth fail to advance to finals

Mary Fung-a-Fatt

Sunil Seth

Guyana had three semifinalists in the Men’s and Women’s Individual draw of the 24th Caribbean Squash Championship in Trinidad. However, none of the three were able to qualify for tonight’s finals. Both Mary Fung-A-Fatt and Ashley Khalil went down in straight games to their Bajan opponents. Fung-A-Fatt lost to defending champion Karen Meakins and Khalil to current U-15 Junior Girls Champion Meagan Best. Sunil Seth, who was in the men’s semi-final, was on path to upset five times defending champion from Jamaica Chris Binnie. But at 2-2 in the fifth Seth twisted his ankle and had to retire. He is probably out for the team event of the tournament, further hampering Guyana’s chances of claiming the overall title.

Ashley Khalil Guyana begins its quest for the overall title tomorrow as the veteran’s team category gets on the way. Guyana is represented by Alwyn Callendar, Jojo

Mekdeci, Juanita Fernandes and Ramon Chan-A-Sue. The Men’s and Women’s Team event, begins on Tomorrow. Last Evening results: Men’s Semi-Finals: Chris Binnie (JAM) beat (3/4) Sunil Seth (GUY) – 2-2 (3-11, 11-4, 5-11, 11-5, 2-2 retired) Women’s Semi-finals: Karen Meakins (BAR) beat (3/4) Mary Fung-A-Fatt (GUY) 3-0 Meagan Best (BAR) beat (2) Ashley Khalil (GUY) 3-0 Women’s Classic Plate (5th-8th place) Amanda Haywood (BAR) beat Akelia Wiltshire (GUY) 3-2 Larissa Wiltshire (GUY) beat Taylor Fernandes (GUY) 3-1 Women’s Plate: Victoria Arjoon (GUY) beat Denise Kyme (BER) 3-0

GABA launches Turbo King of the Hard Courts Competition The Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) has launched their second ‘King of the Hard Court’ Basketball Compet i tion, with the event scheduled to conclude on August 31 at the Burnham Basketball Court. According to a release from the GABA, the tournament will be played on three outdoor courts, namely, Burnham Court, Plaisance Community Centre Court and National Gymnasium Outdoor Court. The clubs identified to

compete in both the U-23 and Senior Categories include Bounty Colts, University of Guyana Trojans, Plaisance Guardians, Pacesetters, Eagles, We s t s i d e Wa r r i o r s a n d Dyna’s Ravens. Games will be played every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 6:30pm – 8pm. GABA President, Andrew Herc u l e s i n d i c a t e d t h a t the team that wins two of three Courts is to be declared the winner of the competition.

Andrew Hercules

Sherwin Greene and Mary Correia captured the individual Men’s and Ladies titles when the Birthday Tournament for reigning national and Caribbean champion Sudesh ‘Kerry’ Fitzgerald was held on Sunday, at the Malteenoes Sports Club, Thomas Lands. In the Men’s Singles, Greene came home ahead of Luis Merlano-Ramirez and Anup Lachhman in that order, while in the Ladies segment, Correia beat into second place Shondell Hyles with Rosita Hiralall occupying third. In the Luck of the Draw Doubles, Sudesh Fitzgerald & Mary Correia teamed up to win from Shondell Hyles & Bryan James, while

Luis Merlano-Ramirerz & Melissa Smartt finished third. In the Team Game – Team Fulton comprising C. Fulton, B. James, C. France S. Greene beat the combination of Team G.I. Joes that included S. Fitzgerald, P. Allen, N. Seetaram, J. Bhupan, while Team Victors with V. Chandro, R. Hiralall, S. Hyles, T. Joseph in their line-up ended third. The highest checkout of (91) was done by Adrian Damon, while the most 180’s were made by Luis Merlano-Ramirez Among the sponsors on board were Bryan James, Terence Joseph, Edward Richmond, Lallchand Rambharose, Patrick Allen and Sudesh Fitzgerald.

Windies make solid reply after rattling resurgent India

Miguel Cummins celebrates after dismissing Ravindra Jadeja for his first Test wicket, West Indies v India, 3rd Test, Gros Islet, 2nd day, August 10, 2016 ©Associated Press (Reuters) Centuries by India middle-order batsmen Ravichandran Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha could not prevent West Indies from marginally gaining the upper hand on day two of the third test in St Lucia on Wednesday. All-rounder Ashwin (118) and wicketkeeper Saha (104) shared in a sixthwicket stand of 213 runs, creating history by becoming the first India number six and number seven batsmen to score a century in the same innings. It was also Saha’s first test ton, and the second-highest sixth-wicket partnership by India in an away test. But after the India tail crumbled and the visitors were all out for 353 — West Indies claiming the final five wickets for 14 runs — the home team advanced to 107 for one wicket at stumps in their first innings, 246 runs behind at the Darren Sammy Stadium in Gros Islet. Lokesh Rahul had a busy afternoon in the field for India, dropping Leon Johnson at third slip when the West Indies opener was on four. But Rahul later made amends when he ran out Johnson for 23 with a direct hit from midwicket. Kraigg Brathwaite (53) and Darren Bravo (18) were unbeaten at stumps on a pitch that offered little assistance to the bowlers. There was a scary moment late in the day

when Rohit Sharma, fielding at short leg for India, was struck in the helmet by a Bravo sweep. Play was halted for four minutes as an ice pack was applied to the back of Sharma’s head, but he did not appear to incur serious injury, perhaps thanks to the padded wing on his helmet. Earlier, Ashwin continued his outstanding form with his second century in three innings this series, bringing up his 100 in style by hoisting off-spinner Roston Chase over mid-wicket for six. Teenage fast bowler Alzarri Joseph (3-69) enjoyed a promising test debut for the Windies, breaking the Ashwin-Saha partnership when he had Saha caught behind, a day after claiming the prized scalp of India captain Virat Kohli. And fellow paceman Miguel Cummins, in his second test, claimed 3-54, including the wicket of Ashwin, caught fending a short ball to backward point. India lead the four-test series 1-0 after winning the opener at North Sound on Antigua and drawing the second match at Kingston. Scoreboard At stumps Gros Islet, St Lucia India 1st innings (Overnight: 234-5) (Continued on page 26)

Thursday August 11, 2016

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Kaieteur News

Phenomenal Carl, 404 runs, 22wkts, led Guyana to 1985 Northern Telecoms C/ship The Story of Guyana’s 4th Regional Under-19 Title When Carl Hooper relinquished the captaincy for the Regional Under-19 Championship in August 1985, the million dollar question Guyanese cricket fans were asking was if Hooper’s replacement Latchman Bhansingh could bring home the bacon but those fears were laid to rest. Although Bhansingh was the man wearing the captaincy armband and calling plays, the mighty Carl was the man with the Midas touch. His 180 led Guyana to the first innings points over the Leewards at Bourda in the opening encounter, he followed that up with 120 against Barbados at Rose Hall, that innings also saw Guyana to a first innings advantage. Rain brought a premature end to those proceedings. Although he failed with the bat in both innings

against the Windward Islands at Eve Leary his match figures of eleven for 90 led Guyana to a 93 runs outright victory that set the stage for the tournament glory. In the penultimate round against Jamaica at Everest, he and pacer Colwyn Cort combination condemned Jamaica to 141 all out. Cort took 5 for 44 and Hooper 4- 26 in the final round against Trinidad and Tobago at Eve Leary; it was Hooper mania. Carl took 7 for 81, Trinidad and Tobago 221 all out and dominated a century partnership with Neil Barry. His contribution was 82, Neil ‘Lion’ Barry 71. Guyana made 242 for 7 and took the 1985 Northern Telecoms Trophy. Today Kaieteur Sports and Statistician Charwayne Walker salute Bhansingh’s Class of 1985. We start with

Guyana vs Leeward Islands at Bourda. Guyana vs Leeward Islands at Bourda: result - draw. Leeward Islands first innings 297 all out. The late Alwyn Morris 109, Jensen Joseph 44, Eustace Proctor 37: Bowling for Guyana: pacer Colwyn Cort on debut was impressive with 3 for 66, Carl Hooper 3 for 91. Gavin Smith 2 for 21. Guyana first innings 308 all out; Carl Hooper 180, Vidyanand Ramsaroop 46, skipper Latchman Bhansingh 29. Bowling for Leeward Islands Kenneth Benjamin took 4 for 62, Eustace Proctor 4 for 68. Leeward Islands second innings 183 for 7, Wayne Proctor 50 not out, Oscar Walters 28. Bowling for Guyana: Carl Hooper took 2 for 35, Colwyn Cort 2 for 62, Stanley Chinsammy 2 for 47. Guyana vs Barbados at

Slump in spectator support worries GMR&SC President - urges greater collaboration with media By Rawle Welch President of the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club (GMR&SC) Raj Boodhoo worried by the recent slump in spectator support convened a meeting with the media on Tuesday evening, at the entity’s Head Office to address the situation. Boodhoo, who returned this year for his second term, told operatives from several media outlets of his concern, informing that a recent survey has shown that gate receipts have plummeted, especially when the local Meets are staged and patrons are more supportive of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) which is usually held in November. According to the President, he recognised that the media is an important stakeholder and therefore the meeting really is to seek its input in addressing the current scenario with the aim of finding solutions that could instigate a reversal of fortunes for the sport. He said that even though the perception of many is that motor racing is a sport for the middle and upper class the new executive has worked feverishly to eradicate that sensitivity and has encouraged more inclusiveness from the society at large. Another observation that was articulated by the media was that the relationship between the two parties seemed a bit dis-

Raj Boodhoo tanced so the necessary support was not forthcoming with operatives stating that they usually feel excluded by the entity. Boodhoo in his response promised a better collaboration by the club as it seeks to engage the media on a more consistent basis, while also assuring that there will be a strengthening of relations between the two. It was also announced that the club will be utilising more innovative methods to win back patrons and even gain new ones to the sport and among the measures to be taken is taking the sport to different communities with Linden being earmarked as the first stop, while a resuscitation of the Meet and Greet exercise will resume just ahead of the final leg of the

CRMC scheduled for Guyana. Boodhoo is hoping that this exercise could be staged at the recently constructed Jubliee Park formerly Durban Park. The GMR&SC Head also spoke of a plan to prioritise local Meets, informing that emphasis will be placed on those events in 2017 with concerted efforts to be made to get the best competitors on the starting grid at all times. He added that his vision is to sweep all the national awards and one way to do this is to return the sport to the lofty status it held not so long ago. “My aim is to make the sport the best to watch in Guyana and I need the media’s help to do along with that of the competitors,” Boodhoo stated. Boodhoo, however, pointed out that it is not all gloom since other areas of the sport has been enjoying a renaissance of sorts with drag racing highlighted as one such area. He closed by expressing optimism that with the co-operation of the media and all other related components working in tandem, the resurgence could be a quick one. Up next for motor racing is the third leg of the CMRC scheduled for Barbados in early September, while an international Drag Meet is slated for October 2 and the final leg of the CMRC in November.

Rose Hall. Result-Draw. Barbados first innings 143 all out: Michael Matthews 69. Bowling for Guyana: Carl Hooper took 4 for 35, Colwyn Cort 2 for 24, Stanley Chinsammy 2 for 37. Guyana first innings 197 for 2: Carl Hooper 120 not out, Neil Barry 50. Rain washed out the last day. Guyana vs Windward Islands at Eve Leary. Result - Guyana won by 93 runs. Guyana first innings 204 all out: Bhagwan Komalram 84, Richard Jodha 50, skipper Latchman Bhansingh 23, Ramphal Bactowar 21. Bowling for Windward Islands: Daniel Fredericks took 6 for 26, Ian Allen 2 for 44. Windward Islands first innings 186 all out. Skipper Dawnley Joseph 34, Charles Gerald 32, Irvin Warrican 32, Dennison Thomas 25. Bowling for Guyana: Carl Hooper took 7 for 47. Guyana second innings 189 all out: Skipper Latchman Bhansingh 81, Bhagwan Komalram 20, Peter Persaud 29. Bowling for Windward Islands Ian Allen took 3 for 69, Albert Timothy 2 for 14. Windward Islands second innings 115 all out. Skipper Dawnley Joseph 20, Ian Alle n 1 7 , D e n n i s o n Thomas 17. Bowling for Guyana: Carl Hooper took 4 for 19, giving him match figures of 11 for 90, Stanley Chinsammy 3 for 51, Barrington Browne 1 for 11, Ramphal Bactowar 1 for 7. Guyana vs Jamaica at Everest: Result - draw. Ja-

Carl Hooper maica first innings 141 all out, James Adams 53. Bowli n g f o r Guyana: pacer Colwyn Cort snared 5 for 44, Carl Hooper 4-26, Barrington Brown 1 for 23. Guyana first innings 159 all out: Neil ‘Lion’ Barry 46, Vidyanand Ramsaroop 30, Bhagwan Komalram 24. Bowling for Jamaica: James Adams was unplayable with 7 for 39. Skipper Deron Dixon 2 for 53. Jamaica second innings 122 for 5 Delroy Morgan 72 not out. Bowling for Guyana: Carl Hooper took 2 for 33, Ramphal Bactowar 2 for 34. Rain washed out the final day. Guyana vs Trinidad and Tobago at Eve Leary. Result - drawn. Trinidad and Tobago first innings 221 all out: Michael Carew Jr 42,

Robert Mohabir 28, Mahadeo Bodoe 25, Gregory Davis 24. Bowling for Guyana: Carl Hooper took 7 for 81, Ramphal Bactowar 3 for 54. Guyanafirst innings 242 for 7: Carl Hooper 82, Neil ‘Lion’ B a r r y 7 1 , Vi d y a n a n d Ramsaroop 17. Bowling for Tr i n i d a d a n d Tobago: Renwick Bishop and Mahadeo Bodoe took two wickets each. At the end of the tournament Hooper received four trophies. The Batsman with the highest score 180 vs Leewards, most runs in the tournament 404, most wickets 33 and the most valuable player at the tournament. The Victorious 1985 Guyana Northern Telecoms Teams Latchman Bhansinghcaptain Carl Hooper Peter Persaud Richard Jodha Bhagwan Komalram Stanley Chinsammy Inlall Baichu- WKT Neil Barry –WKT Vidyanand Ramsaroop Gavin Smith Colwyn Cort Barrington Browne Ramphal Bactowar Garry Nascimento – Manager Trivia Question: Who were the two players that won scholarships to Australia after the 1985 Northern Telecoms Championship in Guyana?

Powerhouse New Zealand knocked out by Fiji in quarter-finals (Reuters) Rugby powerhouse New Zealand were knocked out of the inaugural Olympic sevens tournament in the quarter-finals on Wednesday after a 12-7 loss to top seeds Fiji. Gifted a tournament lifeline when the Fijians beat the United States earlier on day two, the 12-times world sevens series champions were unable to take advantage of their reprieve in a breathless encounter at a wet Deodoro Stadium. Fiji skipper Osea Kolinisau finished a brilliant length-of-the-field try to open the game many thought would take place in the final and Jerry Tuwai skipped through the All Blacks defense to add a second for the Pacific islanders. Gillies Kaka had replied for New Zealand off a chip and chase while his team mate Rieko Ioane was in the sin-bin but the Fijians were able to hold on at the end to book a semi-final against

Japan or France. Earlier, Top seeds Fiji beat the United States 24-19 in the final first round match on Wednesday to save New Zealand the embarrassment of a pool stage exit at the inaugural Olympic tournament but the send the Americans home. New Zealand had earlier suffered a 21-19 loss to Britain which, coming after their stunning 14-12 defeat to Japan on Tuesday, left the All Blacks relying on the Fijians

to beat the Americans by more than four points to reach the quarter-finals. Nate Ebner scored a 40met r e t r y i n t h e f i n a l minute to get within five points of the top seeds but his skipper Madison Hughes was unable to c o n v e r t a nd the Americans, champions at the last Olympic rugby tournament in 1924, were out. New Zealand then had to face the Fijians in the quarter-finals and lost yesterday.

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Thursday August 11, 2016

Line-ups almost settled as 85 entered for 10th annual $30M Guyana Cup Horserace meet ‘Jumbo Jet’ by name and nature is huge in whatever it does and as such the sponsors of the 10th Annual Guyana Cup Horseracing event is making a gargantuan investment as it rolls out a sumptuous programme for Guyana’s biggest horserace meet. The event, which is set for this Sunday at the Port Mourant “Big Yard” Turf Club, will be the biggest yet. The event is organized by the Jumbo Jet Auto Sales and Racing Stables, with establishments at various parts throughout Guyana in collaboration with the Port Mourant Turf Club (PMTC). Coupled with Guyana celebrating its 50th Independence Anniversary the organisers have come up with an enormous $30M and over package which makes it by far the single largest sporting event in Guyana. Known as the ‘Sport of Kings’ horseracing is being dubbed as the number one sporting event in the country with by far the largest prize money on offer for any sport. Thus the Jumbo Jet Business Enterprise and friends are offering big winnings for the

Valtimore

races. In the interim, the mighty Crown Vibes Sound System, which is arguably the largest sound system in the country, has now joined the fray and will be providing musical vibes throughout the day. Nine top of the line races are carded for the day with a number of feature events on the day’s card. The feature A class event has real money on offer total-

ing a whopping $8M in cash and prizes with the winner taking home the lavish $4M and the Guyana Cup trophy over 1800M along with bragging rights, plus a $500,000 bonus for the winning. Horses such as King’s Knight, CP Got Even, CP Got Even, Just Call Me Boss, Princess She Not, Golden Blue Echo, Spit Fire, Plum Plum, and Lady Budapest, Climate

Brazilian Olympic soccer team on brink of first-round exit RIO DE JANEIRO (Miami Herald) So much for restoring national pride in Brazilian men’s soccer. Brazil’s team, featuring superstar Neymar, is on the brink of first-round elimination after a pair of scoreless ties against South Africa and Iraq. No, that is not a typo. Brazil has played 180 minutes against South Africa and Iraq and been unable to score a single goal. They needed a victory over group leader Denmark late yesterday in Salvador to guarantee a spot in the quarterfinals. Denmark were two points ahead of Brazil going into the match. Brazil could advance with a tie, only if the South Africa-Iraq match ends in a low-scoring tie. Coming into these Olympics, the Brazilians were thinking gold medal. They were seeking redemption after a humiliating 7-1 semifinal World Cup loss to Germany two summers ago. Neymar was advised to skip Copa America and focus on the Olympics, the one major international trophy the fivetime World Cup champions have never won. And, yet, here they are

Change, Blame the Jockey, Jack in MY Style and the newly imported Brave Sky out of the USA are set to take the arena by storm. Most of the other events have top class line up with Witchy Poo, Red Rocket, Isn’t She Charming and Firing Line competing for the $2M and trophy in the 3 year old cofeature 1600M event for Guyana and West Indies bred and born horses. Super Cat, Royal Jet, Perfect Gold, King Stanley, Awesome Cash, Flash Again, Natural Beauty, Genuine Risk, Seven Dust are among the

two year old Guyana Bred horses competing for the $400,000 first prize and trophy over 1100M. The jockeys in those events will reap extra cash for their victories. The E and lower event which goes for 1300M for a take home of $800,000 and trophy, will have Release the Beast, Plum Plum, Perfect Wind Storm, Keep On Swinging and Wise Secret among others competing. Big Man Boss, Captain Crook, Got To Go, Quiet Strom, It’s My Choice, Cat Messiah and Valtimore out of Suriname have been entered in the Suriname Invitational G1 and Lower and West Indies and Guyana open event for horses that haven’t started since August 30th 2015. The winning prize is $650,000 and trophy over 1 2 0 0 M . The H1 and lower 1200M race for West Indies bred horses that have not started since August 30th 2015 for a $400,000 first prize and trophy includes Cat Messiah, Appealing Harvest, Rosetta, Super Bowl and It’s My Turn among others. She So Special has entered in the event for 4years and over Guyana Bred, H3 and lower and 4 years and over West Indies bred non earners as they compete for a winner’s

money of $400,000 and trophy. The event for J and K class horses will see 4 years and over animals from Suriname matching skills against the Guyanese animals for the $350,000 and trophy. Among those entered so far are Party Time, Peace of Cash, Slim Shady, Secret Thinker, Amazon Warrior, Little, Red Region and Red Jet and the Suriname pair of Expresso and Buffen. The L and lower 1100M event for a winning purse of $250,000 and trophy will cater for horses from both Guyana and Suriname with Mystery Man, Plan Land, Three P Prince People Will Talk, Daddy’s Dollar, Affinity, Iron man, Fire ball, Blundy, Dirt Man, Blue Lightning, Lil Axe, Momentum, and Peace among others set to race. The top Jockey along with the runner up, the top stable and champion trainer will all be presented with trophies and other incentives compliments of the organizers and Trophy Stall. Contact can be made with Chandu Ramkissoon (6249063, 232-0633), Ramnauth 337-5311 or 6971979 and Sancho 690-0569 for any details on the event. Race time is 12:30 hrs. The coordinator is Nasrudeen (Jumbo Jet) Mohamed. (Samuel Whyte)

RHT Pepsi Under-19 Team assists Family of Umpire Guyanand Sukhdeo Club completes 200 programmes/activities for 2016

Brazil’s Neymar reacts at the end of a group A match of the men’s Olympic football tournament between Brazil and Iraq at the National Stadium in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2016. (Eraldo Peres AP) again, in crisis on home soil. Fans are so fed up that they have begun jeering Neymar. Late in the game against Iraq, they chanted: “Marta! Marta!” in reference to the Brazil women’s team star. Brazil possessed the ball 77 percent of the time against the Iraqis and were unable to

score. After the match, coach Rogerio Micale said: “We need to apologize to the fans, to the people of Brasilia. We didn’t play our best football. We feel like we left our fans frustrated.” Neymar has spoken very little to the media since the start of the tournament, (Continued on page 25)

The Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, MS Pepsi Under-19 team under the guidance of Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster on Tuesday last handed over a large quantity of items to the family of late Guyana Junior Umpire, Guyanand Sukdeo who died recently at the age of 41 years. He was an outstanding umpire and a member of the Guyana Cricket Umpires Council. The donation which included clothing, educational materials and groceries was done under the Pepsi Under-19 team, Community Outreach Programme for 2016. RHTYSC, MS Secretary/ CEO Hilbert Foster stated that the Pepsi Under-19 team was willing to assist the fallen cricket umpire’s family out of respect for his contribution to the game. Foster noted that the team was delighted to assist the umpire’s two young children

to complete their education as they strongly view that an educated mind is the Key to Success. He wished the family God’s greatest blessings and stated that the RHTYSC has committed itself to assisting the two children until they complete secondary school. Foster urged the children to develop a culture of honesty, hard work, discipline and dedication. He advised them to stay in school, to always Say No to Drugs, Suicide, Crime and to work overtime to make their late father proud of them. The experienced Secretary/ CEO also urged them to be careful about choosing their friends carefully as false friends can easily lead them astray. President of the Guyana Cricket Umpires Council, Dhieranidranauth Somwaru, who received the donation on behalf of the council and the late umpire’s family, stated that he approached the Club

Secretary/CEO with a request to assist the family and he readily agreed. Somwaru expressed gratitude to the Pepsi Under-19 Team for their assistance and stated that the RHTYSC, MS was a compassionate organisation whose mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Somwaru urged other cricketing associations and Clubs to follow in the footsteps of the RHTYSC, MS and assist the young children of Umpire Sukdeo to overcome the sudden passing of their father. Sixteen years old Simon Naidu of the Pepsi Under-19 Team stated that he and his colleagues were pleased to be of assistance and would continue to work hard to make a positive difference in the lives of others. The team is led by former national players Kevin Sinclair, Slyus Tyndall, Junior Sinclair, Kevon Anderson and Plaffina Millington.

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Kaieteur News

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Windies make solid reply after rattling resurgent India P.28

Alzarri Joseph in his delivery stride, West Indies v India, 3rd Test, Gros Islet, 2nd day, August 10, 2016 ©Associated Press

Wriddhiman Saha congratulates R Ashwin on his century, West Indies v India, 3rd Test, Gros Islet, 2nd day, August 10, 2016 ©Associated Press

Line-ups almost settled as 85 entered for 10th annual $30M Guyana Cup Horserace meet P.30

Osea Kolinisau (FIJ) of Fiji is tackled by Sione Molia (NZL) of New Zealand. (REUTERS/PHIL NOBLE)

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Powerhouse New Zealand knocked out by Fiji in quarter-finals Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Limited, 24 Saffon St.Charlestown, Georgetown.Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/ 226-8210