Kaieteur News
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KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8491, 225-8458, 225-8465 Fax: 225-8473 or 226-8210
Editorial
Defrauding the poor in the society It would seem that there have been a lot of undocumented happenings in the past. People own properties that were never theirs. The scheme involved checking with the city council to identify abandoned properties then getting the court registry to change or forge the deeds. There have been cases of people actually returning to the properties only to find that they belong to someone else. One man is still locked in the court trying to recover his property. He has the original transport and this has been verified by the registry. But the new owner also has the deed or transport, albeit issued later, but for the same property. The country recently witnessed a case of a woman who lived in a property that she had occupied for years, being shot dead in the home. She was in the process of finalizing prescriptive rights and was being challenged by someone who actually produced a power of attorney and sold the very property. Efforts to find the power of attorney proved futile. People travelled to the New Jersey address but could not find the woman who was said to live there. Her neighbours could not identify the woman whose photograph was proffered as the New Jersey woman. This was a clear case of identity theft. After the woman was shot dead, all interest in the property by the persons unknown came to an abrupt halt. The police are still seeking the intellectual author of the murder even as the four men who were found guilty of the killing are spending enough time in jail to ensure that they never walk the streets again. More recently, there have been other schemes that have been uncovered. The biggest one involves water. A major business place is said to have a connection to, and has been receiving water from Guyana Water Inc. The only problem is that there is no record of GWI actually providing those connections and supplying the water. The people are waiting to see how this plays out. GWI is insisting on back billing this company for water used over the past decade but the company says that it is using water from its own well that it dug some forty years ago, even before the company owned the property. Surely there was some collusion to provide a cheap service to a friend. One of the architects had to be high up in the administration with enough power to issue instructions to the lower level to provide this undocumented service. These things are happening even as the lowly public servant is seeking a better pay. They are happening even as the government is trying to find money to provide even more for the senior citizens. We were made aware of concessions to some foreign investors. These concessions proved costly to the country to the tune of billions of dollars. And to make matters worse, the returns have been nowhere close to what the country gave by way of these concessions. The argument was that these investors would help promote national development, but commonsense would reveal that one does not giveaway more than one receives and expect development. There have been other schemes that have proved costly. Contractors were awarded packages worth millions of dollars only to provide substandard work that sent the government issuing even other contracts for the same works. People end up in jail once the corruption is proven. The news media regale us every day with stories of leaders who have been charged with corruption. There are no such charges in Guyana. It could be that we are cut from a different cloth.
Sunday August 28, 2016
Kaieteur M@ilbox Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com
Kilcoy Chesney Housing Scheme needs electricity now! DEAR EDITOR; We are seeking your kind assistance in publishing our concern in your newspaper at your convenience. We would also be grateful if this letter could be forwarded to the relevant authorities so a feedback could be provided to the citizens who are being affected. Reference is made to an article in your newspaper on June 24, 2016, with regards to a number of housing schemes across the country to be given electricity during the course of the next month; July 2016. We note to date this has not yet materialized and there have not been many efforts to enhance the schemes,
particularly the Kilcoy Chesney Housing Scheme in Berbice. The residents of the scheme have made several enquires as to what stage the project might be, however, there has not been any forthcoming explanation or clarification on the matter. The residents who are already living in the scheme are in great discomfort as they are deprived of a basic necessity; electricity, a service that all citizens should enjoy. Of great concern are those who left their houses unoccupied as they await the fulfillment of the promise of electricity, amongst other things.
Editor, many persons would have accessed loan to construct their houses, but are now unable to live in them. The situation is also dire as now we are forced to make monthly loan payments while still renting a property. We would also like to bring to the attention of the relevant authorities, the deplorable condition of the scheme as it relates to the drainage system and the streets; these are atrocious especially when it rains. At this point, we the citizens of Kilcoy Chesney Housing Scheme, Corentyne, Berbice are looking for definite answers and prompt actions on the following matters/issues: 1 When would the scheme be (Continued on page 8)
Sunday August 28, 2016
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Where is the Local Government Commission?
I want to know how Dr. Roopnarine voted in Cabinet
DEAR EDITOR, Something has to be considerably wrong, which is preventing the Government from peopling and commencing the operations of the Local Government Commission (LGE). Several weeks ago, the opposition named their Commissioners who are ready and rearing to go, but the government continues to delay the process of announcing and appointing theirs and the question is why? The Guyanese public was assured that the government had as one of their priorities, the setting up of the LGC; in fact the impression given was that the Commission would have been set up even before the local government elections were held. But this was
not to be. The authority and independence of local democratic organs which include the nine municipalities and sixty-five neighbourhood democratic councils cannot be guaranteed without this commission. An important aspect of the Commission is that it shall have power to deal with all matters relating to the regulation and staffing of local government organs including employment and dismissal of staff and with dispute resolution within and between local government organs. It could not be more needed now to deal with the wayward and corrupt officers in the Georgetown Municipality that are arrogantly corrupt, narcissistic and inept. I think that the real prob-
lem is that the Commission, once established, will take over most of the current oversight role exercised by the Ministry of Communities. The Ministry, therefore, will no longer have the ability to degrade the capacity of local government organs which will now be able to exercise executive authority in keeping with the autonomy guaranteed by the constitution, and therefore the Minister is in no hurry to relinquish this power and authority. In fact, the Commission will oversee not only municipalities and NDCs but also Regional Democratic Councils as well as Amerindian Villages, and therefore we need it commissioned without any further delay. Riley Matthews
DEAR EDITOR; The APNU+AFC government’s final offer on wages and salaries increases for public servants for 2016 is disappointing and leaves much to be desired. My main concern is in relation to what I wish to refer to as the measly 10% offered to the low income workers who, more than any other category, is in need of significant increases in their incomes to help them to address the rising cost of living and to feed their children. This morning (Friday, August 26th) a worker who voted for the coalition stopped me while I was on a visit to the RDC office in Region 10. He was protesting in anger at the government’s treatment of workers in the wages/ salaries negotiations. He said, “like the people running the government gone mad”. He went on relentlessly,” is this
DEAR EDITOR; Guyana’s infrastructural development is directly proportional to its engineering magnitude. Our surroundings mirror our achievements or lack thereof... The buildings (new and old) in our major towns are a reflection of how much we have developed. Mr. Editor we have not but moved at the speed of a snail in the direction of our nation’s development with regard to our methodology, design, construction, testing and commissioning of high rise structures- all because of laws which were good in the days they were written but have little value to modern engineering. Mr. Editor, considering
the major advances in engineering, isn’t it time to revisit these archaic laws that prevent us from designing and constructing high rise buildings? I wish that someone who had inputs in the ‘2003 Guyana Standard, Building Code- High Rise Buildings’ would name, not explain, in the functions of engineering concepts the parameters that prevent the construction of high rise buildings- considering that these very same parameters/ conditions and
even worse have been harnessed/ conquered by engineers to construct even larger structures in other countries. I need to understand what these parameters are and figure out how can we overcome them, using engineering techniques. Until we include such concerns in our daily aspirations to see growth and development in Guyana, then our nations’ progress will continue at a slow pace. Terrence James
Constrains in constructing high rise buildings
what we vote (sic) for? Is this the good life the President speaks about? What we get is not change but exchange”. Listening to the comrade was no easy task, I could not offer a defense of the government on this matter and, to be frank, I had no intention to do so, since I believe that this offer is an act of political provocation directed to organized labor. I find it hard to accept that
the Finance Minister was able to convince the Cabinet that this is the best he can muster for workers’ wages and salaries. I hope that the offer is not influenced by IMF conditionalities which have not been revealed to the Guyanese populace. If that is the case the situation is more grievous than is imagined. The government’s final offer appears not to have (Continued on page 8)
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Kaieteur M@ilbox
Kaieteur M@ilbox
Inefficient operation at the Why is a mini-bus driver General Registrar’s Office allowed to operate like this? DEAR EDITOR; It is with disgust and frustration I write so that the relevant authorities should take note. On a daily basis members of the public are frustrated due to the inefficient way services are offered at this office. One could see a number of people each day at this place with numerous complaints of not receiving their certificates (birth certificate, marriage certificate, etc) after applying for over two months
and more. The way business is carried out at this office makes it easier for employees get involved in corrupt practices. Compared to the services of the Passport Office and Police Clearance, GRO is in a mess. When you apply for a passport or a police clearance it is clear that you wait between five to seven days respectively. For a birth certificate or a marriage certificate members of the public are not informed about the waiting time; it can
UG is letting down students in this area
DEAR EDITOR; A situation exists at the University of Guyana where dozens of graduate students pursuing a Master of Education Degree at the School of Education and Humanities have been in limbo - stranded - stuck as it were in the completion of their second degrees. This is due to the fact that they would have completed all requisite courses and
coursework but are left to complete and present a proposal, from which a thesis (research) is to be executed in an educational- related field. This is most unfortunate since students usually complete their course but spend many more additional years at the university (it is a 2- year degree) spend money on registration fees every academic year. This letter is not about placing blame at any particular individual or person. However, it is highly believed that closer supervision of students at the end of their studies be placed by the university and its staff. Each student is allocated a supervisor to assist with the completion of the proposal which, by the way, has to first be presented before an academic panel at UG before it is ‘passed’ after which the student may proceed with the
probably take six months and more. As a nation we cannot continue to have our public service functioning in this manner. After fifty years of Independence, we have a situation in which the public has to wait months for a birth certificate. Some drastic measures need to be taken to revamp this entire department. The public should be given value for money; it is the tax payers who have these people in office. G. Davis research - the final submission before graduation. This letter is also not placing blame on ANY supervisor. This letter-writer is fully aware that students face the brunt of the work if they so desire to graduate with their respective degrees. However, because the standards are set so high for education students to first present a proposal that has to be vetted and passed by the panel, much work and preparation are required by both the student and his or her supervisor (UG Staff). I am recommending that the administration look urgently into the situation of the many, many students who started their Master of Education programmes- some many, many years ago - others have dropped out It is so sad, to have worked so hard for 2 years then to feel discouraged, less motivated at the very end. Classes should be held for the proposal where students are supervised more closely. At the moment, there is no class for these preparations as students meet with their supervisors in Georgetown in planned and unplanned sessions. This is working out for some, but for many others, the entire system and process are failing our senior educators. Dozens get enrolled for the MEd program me each year, but only one and two are graduating. The university as well as the Government and Ministry of Education should urgently address this problem. Affected student
DEAR EDITOR; Since there has been an increase of fatal accidents on our roadways, I wish to bring to attention of the Traffic Chief and Public Security Minister to ONE of the reasons for the carnage on our roads. Editor, only a few days ago I was in a mini bus on the East Bank of Demerara that was without a conductor/ conductress (I realized this when I got in the bus). Dur-
ing the journey, persons who wished to embark at different points had to shout for the driver who would then turn around and converse with same. He would also collect monies while driving. During one of those “shows” the bus by inches, nearly ran into a trench by the Rahaman Turn. Editor, I would like the Traffic Chief to tell the nation if it is LEGAL OR ILLEGAL to have a 13 seater mini-bus driver without a conductor/
conductress. Before that aforementioned incident, I wrote letters and spoke to several persons in authority but to no avail. Since I have noticed the activism of the Traffic Chief and the Public Security Minister in this daily travesty, I hope that this problem can be rectified as early as possible because a few years ago I think there was some sort of enforcement. Mahase Paul
The role of the storage bond fiasco DEAR EDITOR; Editor’ note; This is the conclusion of a letter we carried in yesterday’s edition. Having dealt with the bond fiasco, I now turn my attention to BK International /Haagsbosch. This saga, as it is unfolding, has more twist and turns in its plot, than any Hollywood or Bollywood movie I have ever seen. With every passing day a different slant emerges from Government, in a desperate effort to defend and justify the payment of 5.7 million USD to BK International, whom the Government itself accused, of breaching its contractual obligations and doing sub-standard works at the Haagsbosch dump site. When approval of the first payment was sought in the National Assembly in February 2016, the nation was told that it was monies which were paid in January 2016, towards “an out-of court settlement” in relation to legal proceedings filed by BK for compensation. When Kaieteur News broke the story in March 2016, that the Government is paying this contractor 5.7 million USD as a “settlement”, the Attorney General dispatched a letter threatening to sue the newspaper. His contention then was that the “settlement” was being “negotiated” but not concluded. So at that point in time, the preposterous position of the
Government was that they already made a payment in relation to a “settlement” whose terms were still being negotiated. From March-August 2016, the nation was repeatedly told by several Ministers of Government that this $ 5.7 million USD was paid as an “out of court settlement” in relation to legal proceedings filed by BK seeking compensation from the Government to the tune of 10 million USD. Indeed the government, narcissistically, patted itself on the back for being able to reduce this sum of 10 million USD suit for BK International to 5.7 million USD. On a hunch, I decided to search for a copy of this mysterious legal proceedings filed by BK. I searched the Supreme Court Registry for the years 2015-2016 but could find no such proceedings. I made this information public. To its credit, Kaieteur News was relentless in its pursuit of the truth in this matter. Finally the camel’s back broke. Minister Bulkan eventually conceded that no such proceedings were ever filed by BK and that the monies were paid based upon a mere letter threatening litigation. Every practicing lawyer in Guyana will tell you that this letter is the most potent and fruitful pre-action letter ever written. It demanded 10 million USD and yielded 5.7 million USD in return. This letter should be framed and hung on the wall of the office
of every lawyer in this country. But the Saga does not end there. Enter a surprising and unscripted character: the Solicitor General. She discloses, but only to the Chronicle, that the PPP agreed to pay off BK! Her tale is that the $5.7 million USD represents payments for the works completed. So in two sentences, she has dismantled all the explanations the Government has proffered over the last 8 months about “out-of court settlement”, “settlement” etc. For the record, I reject the contention the PPP ever agreed to pay BK International any sum of money as is alleged by the Solicitor General. The gravamen of the contention between the Government and the contractor was precisely the non- payment of monies by the Government because of the substandard works by the contractor; hence, the termination of the contract. If the Government had agreed to pay, then the monies would have been paid. There would have been no problem. The office of the Solicitor’s General is steeped in certain high traditions. The holder of that office never descends into political arena and enters into political debates. The incumbent, has unfortunately, soiled the professional standing of that office. Fortunately I am not surmising but I know that she was instructed to say what was said by a desperate superior who will throw anyone under the bus in pursuit of self-preservation. Anil Nandlall
Sunday August 28, 2016
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More on that statement Why does it take ages for made by Minister Ramjattan a teacher’s application to
DEAR EDITOR; Minister Khemraj Ramjattan is a man I know and supported from the Corentyne. As a young man he gave us the impression that he really cared for the citizens of this country and this country as whole. He is in politics for quite a long time. He tells this nation of all the wrongs the PPP has been doing to this country. He never accepted PPP wrongs as mistakes; he tells us they must go to jail for all the evil that they have done to this country. I can remember he used to shout loud and clear that the SANATA COMPLEX DEAL STINKS TO HIGH TO HIGH HEAVENS. What happens today has he stopped smelling? Today he chooses to insult the intelligence of
this nation by saying it was a mistake and the minister has apologised for it. How a person knowingly lied to the highest office of this land and this nation at the same time, and then say it’s a mistake? And if that apology is accepted are we not creating a precedent which will haunt this nation forever? And then we were told this was only one mistake. But there can be many more mistakes. Well if the mistakes are going to cost the taxpayers in the millions or hundreds of millions, then taxpayers will have to work harder to pay for mistakes of this Government for the next four years which I think will take us down the road far worse than Haiti Harri P. Beharry
Ministers Scott and Lawrence are contemptuous of workers’ rights DEAR EDITOR; Ministers Volda Lawrence and Keith Scott are selfserving, lawless and contemptuous of workers. Lawrence is a member of the PNCR and under the leadership of Desmond Hoyte rose to the rank of the party’s leadership. This minister would have been aware of Hoyte’s intolerance of what he called “executive lawlessness” during the Bharrat Jagdeo administration. She served during Hoyte’s agitation for good governance and the stamping out of corrupt practices which had to do with wanton violation of laws, transgression of citizens/ workers’ rights, and disregard for established rules and timehonoured principles. In 2010 both Lawrence and Scott voted in the National Assembly in favour of a no-confidence motion brought against then Minister of Labour Manzoor Nadir. This motion had to do with Nadir’s dereliction of duty in upholding the Labour Laws and ensuring the rights of BCGI workers consistent with Section 23 (1) of the Trade Union Recognition Act. This motion was brought during the leadership of Robert Corbin as PNCR Leader and Leader of the Opposition. The current struggles of workers employed by the Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI) to have representation by their union of choice, the Guyana Bauxite Company and General Workers (GB&GWU) is not new to these ministers. This struggle started in 2009. The present engagements being conducted by these ministers with BCGI management on workers’
welfare are clear violation of the laws and their mandates. First, the workers have a legally recognised union to represent their interests, which both ministers have taken a deliberate decision to ignore. There action constitutes clear contempt for the law, the workers, and their trade union. Secondly, the role of the ministry, wherever they exists, be they unionised or non-unionised, is to ensure the laws are being respected, enforced, and where necessary conciliate in disputes. It is not the role of the ministers to be negotiating with employers on behalf of workers which Scott and Lawrence are guilty of. When the BCGI workers informed the ministers that their greatest concern is not being allowed their right to trade union representation, and Linden Prince, Senior Safety Officer of the management said the company was never approached by employees for union representation, both ministers should have said then and there that the GB&GWU are the workers’ union. Further, by law workers do not have to request of management trade union representation, that request is made to the Trade Union Recognition Board, which both ministers are aware of. Lawrence also was the one who appointed this Board. This society needs to be aware that the BCGI workers continued struggles to have their rights upheld under laws have taken another twist, though not new. It is no longer a matter of respecting the High Court’s ruling to re-issue letters to commence arbitration, ignorance of the industrial
relations practices, or respect for the law. This matter has now moved to the level where gifttaking is driving decisionmaking. I know of a situation under the Coalition Govt. where people are compromising themselves and becoming beholden to new masters who can bear gifts When people that we look to for help and justice are compromising themselves by using their office they will find it difficult to discharge their duties without fear, favour, ill will and appreciation. The Jagdeo administration is not in office but the self-serving tendencies, executive lawlessness, and contempt for citizens/workers’ rights that were the hallmarks of that administration have become the hallmark of some in the APNU+AFC administration. The struggle for good governance must continue. It was not achieved on 11th May 2015. That date merely marked a new phase in the struggle to bring about a better society, though at times some may understandably question if it was worth the while. Lincoln Lewis
be answered?
DEAR EDITOR; I urge; please give qualified teacher applicants the respect and dignity they deserve by processing their applications in a timely manner. In a recent conversation with a young relative, she lamented to me that she, a qualified teacher, was looking to return to the profession but was having much difficulty. She sent in an application and has been checking with the Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC) for many months. Each time she is only allowed to speak to a most junior officer who informed her that they have applications going back 2013 and that they look at them on a first come first serve basis. This teacher was told last week that they
will call her if there is a need. If my information is correct I have the following questions for the Teaching Service Commission. 1. Are there vacancies for teachers in Guyana? 2. How long does it take to process an application? 3. With the new school year about to start, when will applicants know if they have a job? 4. Why does a qualified candidate who wants to join or return to the teaching profession have wait for several months? 5. Is there a senior officer available to meet with applicants and explain the process? I have read in the newspapers and have heard from
friends and relatives with children in school that during the last school year there have been classes and subjects without teachers in some Georgetown schools. I have also read that many numbers of qualified Guyanese teachers quit at the end of each school year to ply their trade abroad, along with those teachers who are retiring; there must be many vacancies to fill. A qualified, trained teacher should not have to wait several months for a teaching position when there are vacancies waiting to be filled. Please give qualified teachers the respect and dignity they deserve by processing their application in a timely manner and communicating with them during the process. Pamela Richmond
The slaughtering of innocent animals is unacceptable DEAR EDITOR, Yesterday, on Facebook, Terry Gajraj who is supposedly a Guyanese icon, showed off pictures of himself and a man who had a bunch of Iguanas tied up. There were pregnant ones in the picture. It was most sickening to read the c o m m e n t s t h a t Te r r y ’s friends made. All they saw was meat and eggs and forgot that like all of us, these innocent animals have a right to life. And at least some form of humanity towards them. Facebook is now the place where humankind’s extreme depravity is shown off for the world to see. The horror of this is that there are many who condone and facilitate these shows of wanton cruelty and inhumanity. The son of a very big car dealership at Good Hope has photos on Facebook showing
him and his friends hunting, catching and slaughtering baby alligators. It is most shocking at the lack of humanity in these people especially someone like Terry Gajraj. Is this the message he has
for children who listen to him and idolize him? This Government needs to implement laws to protect the innocent creatures of our country because at the rate things are happening soon all will be wiped out. Preeti Singh
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Kaieteur M@ilbox
I want to know how Dr. Roopnarine voted in Cabinet From page 5 taken note of the assurances, which Prime Minster Moses Nagamootoo gave to workers when he addressed the 2016 May Day celebrations. In his
address, he made reference to the fact that government had set aside a substantial amount of money in the 2016 budget to meet wages and salaries increases for the year.
Before I proceed with the concerns I have on this matter I want to break with party protocol and publicly ask my party’s representative in the Cabinet, Comrade Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine to inform the nation on how he voted in the Cabinet on this matter. This is not a frivolous matter. Since it can have important political consequences on future relations between the APNU+AFC coalition and the messes of working people, whose vote the coalition will need if it is to be returned to office come 2020 Regional and General elections. It therefore requires from Dr.
Roopnaraine a public disclosure of the position he took in Cabinet on the issue under discussion, bearing in mind what the WPA’s historic position has been as regards workers’ wages and salaries. Like it or not this is going to be one of the greatest challenges to confront the 16 months old regime. It comes at a time when the government’s image and credibility have been taking a licking in the public’s eyes. I am concerned that our leaders are in denial as it relates to the widening disconnect with its supporters and constituents. On the ground the ten-
sion is increasing. People are saying that we, who are in government, are only looking after ourselves and care little about the people. This is a politically damming perception of the ruling APNU+AFC leadership. Politically, the government’s final offer to the workers’ representatives lack vision. It is devoid of an understanding of realpolitik, which the present situation in the country requires. I am of the firm view that if the Guyana Government had made a reasonable offer to the GPSU (which its final offer isn’t) it would have signaled to the broad masses of people that it was really attuned to the difficulties they are faced and is committed to addressing the matter in a positive way. That act would have
gone a far way to assuage the feelings of the masses and its own supporters who are feeling neglected and, are beginning to express regrets for voting APNU+AFC into power in 2015. It is my considered opinion that an increase of 20 to 25% for low income workers was the least the government could have offered, given all the known challenges it faces. Such an offer even though it would have disappointed some workers and their leadership, would have resulted in the broad masses of workers willingly accepting the compromise offer and doing so with dignity. As the situation now stands, the APNU+AFC government has dug itself into another hole, one that will be difficult, if not impossible, to extract itself from. It puts itself on a confrontational course with organized labor leaving the workers and its leadership with no choice but to fight back, opening the possibility of broad base workers actions against the regime. On this grave matter the President and the Cabinet were poorly advised, “Infantile economics” seem to dominate the thinking of Cabinet members. As a WPA leader I await the information from Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine on how he voted in the Cabinet on this issue. I also await the response of the PNCR Congress to this most important challenge facing the APNU+AFC government and the working people of Guyana. Tacuma Ogunseye
Kilcoy Chesney Housing... From page 4 provided with the services of Guyana Power & Light? 2 When would the proper infrastructure/road be put into place? 3 What plans are in place for the drainage and irrigation system, since it is currently in a terrible state? We the residents of the scheme faithfully kept our end of the contract, when we were called to make our payments for the lot allocated. We tried all honest means to ensure we effect the payments by or before the stipulated time. Our question to the relevant authorities therefore is: Why can’t you keep your side of the contract, so that we the citizens of Guyana could enjoy a comfortable well deserved life?” Worried house-owners Kilcoy Chesney Housing Scheme
Sunday August 28, 2016
Govt. touts competence over ethnic balance of State Boards - PM PPP Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira
Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo While admitting that the APNU/AFC government takes a number of factors into consideration before selecting persons to sit on State Boards, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo categorically states that a person’s race is certainly not one of them. The Prime Minister was at the time responding to questions based on information of the ethnic balance of various State boards. The data was garnered following weeks of research and consultation by this newspaper. The response follows allegations of strategic racial and political discriminatory practices leveled against the Government by Executive Members of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/ C). Last month, leader of the Parliamentary Opposition (PPP/C), Bharrat Jagdeo accused the APNU-AFC government of maliciously targeting Indo-Guyanese. His comments were supported by Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira who further accused the APNUAFC government of practicing “systemic racial and political discrimination.” To support her argument, Teixeira provided statistical data on the composition of State Boards, appointments of Ambassadors, Honorary Advisors and Presidential and Ministerial Advisors since the APNU-AFC coalition came to office 14 months ago. She said that there is no ethnic balance which permeates the Boards. She said that the Guyana Tourism Authority is probably the most racially balanced Board there is. Teixeira is of the belief that it is not surprising for persons of Indian descent and Amerindian ethnicity to feel alienated based on the dispensation recorded. She
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said whether the government admits it or not, cases of ethnic and political discrimination are public knowledge. The Opposition Chief Whip highlighted what she described as glaring examples of ethnic and political discrimination. These include the makeup of GuySuCo Board: two IndoGuyanese out of nine members; GUYWA Board: two Indo-Guyanese, one mixed-race out of nine members; Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, three Indo-Guyanese out of seven members; Guyana Gaming Authority, one of four members is of Indian origin; Guyana Gold Board, no IndoGuyanese sits on the Board. Kaieteur News has since examined some sixteen State Entity Boards. According to the
information garnered, while some boards are definitely occupied by predominantly Afro-Guyanese, there are instances in w h i c h t h e members of boards are of various ethnic groups, and a few in which IndoGuyanese outnumber the other ethnicities by a small number. For example, the Guyana Rice Development Board, (GRDB) has 14 members; seven of whom are Indo Guyanese, 1 mixed race and six of Afro–Guyanese heritage. The Parole Board, headed by Justice (Rtd) Oslen Small has 11 members, seven of whom are Indo -Guyanese, one of mixed heritage and four, Afro–Guyanese. On the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) various ethnic groups are represented. That
board comprises two IndoGuyanese, one Portuguese and three Afro- Guyanese. The Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) has six members, three of whom are Indo – Guyanese, two mixed race and three, Afro -Guyanese. Bank of Guyana Board, (BOG) comprises three AfroGuyanese and three IndoGuyanese. The Guyana Power Continued on page 11
Dem boys seh...
DE FAVOURITE UNDER PRESSURE GPL always causing confusion. People does deh watching TV when all of a sudden GPL does tek way de lights. De other day dem had a big confusion over some contract fuh meters. Guyana always want meters because people got a way of trying to get free electricity. Nuff of dem dead trying to mek de connection, but some get through. Imagine a man climbing a pole wid a knife to trim wire and hook up de wire to he home. GPL decide to put meter pun every house and was no ordinary meter. This meter suppose to be smart. It can tell when people thiefing suh dem put out de tender. A Chinee company claim to mek these meters fuh all dem country but a local company claim how somebody fiddle wid de contract. Was a big story and de general manager lost he wuk. De new General Manager pull de contract and order a new tender. Everybody was happy. Now dem got more confusion. Nuff people like de Chinee company because dem boys seh it spreading money. You got to spend to get is de policy. Joe Lin like de Chinee company and dem boys hear BK also like de Chinee company, but de word come out that de people who putting up de money fuh de meters don’t want de Chinee company. Nobody don’t know why. This is de confusion. All of dem who want de Chinee company backing off because no money, no meter. And no meter, no thiefing. Dem boys want to know if dem who tek de Chinee money gun give it back. People vex. Dem can’t go to Soulja Bai and ask he fuh beg fuh de Chinee because Soulja Bai don’t even know wha going on. Dem boys seh that de people wid de money watching close and even if somebody inside de tender board want to lean, dem know that de fence rotten. Everybody watching. Why dem frighten de Chinee? De last contract dem get still got some problems. Talk half and wait fuh de result.
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Board to discuss Goring issue this week - GWI Chairman The Board of Directors of Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) is set to meet this week to discuss the hiring of two senior officials. Updating Kaieteur News yesterday, Chairman Nigel Hinds said that a report has been requested from Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van West Charles. The two officials are Manager of the Debt Recovery Unit, Lear Goring, and Lance Mars, a consultant. There were questions over the hiring of the two without any advertisements. With regards to Goring, there were concerns after it was reported last week that he had served time for two drug convictions in the US in the 1990s. GWI’s hiring policies came under question as a result. Yesterday, the Managing Director would only say that he was in the process of submitting the report and that the board would be dealing with the matter. Goring came to the fore after it was reported that Van-West Charles through a company he is part of received a fuel import and storage licence last November. Yesterday, Van-West Charles reiterated that the granting of the licence was done by an independent organization, the Guyana Energy Agency. That organization has an independent board, the GWI boss pointed out. “This application for the fuel licences was made before I assumed duties at GWI. Again, the company, Atlantic Fuels Inc. does not conduct business with GWI. There is no
Sunday August 28, 2016
Kaieteur News
Lear Goring conflict of interest and it was to a company I was part since when I was a private citizen.” With regards to Goring, the official said that his report to the Board is explaining the circumstances under which both Goring and Mars, who are said to be his friends, were hired. “It would be premature to speak as the Board has asked for a report.” Goring’s case had sparked debate whether persons convicted of offences out of Guyana can be hired in key positions. Critics were divided, with some saying that he should be given a second chance, as it was almost two decades ago, once he is qualified. However, there were some who said that the position should have been advertised.
PNCR CONGRESS DAY 2…
MOTION PASSED TO SET UP RESOURCE CENTRE The 19th Biennial Delegates Congress of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) continued yesterday at the Party’s Headquarters – Congress Place, Sophia, where a motion for the establishment of a resource centre for the preservation of works by former and future leaders of Party was passed. The historic event saw some 625 delegates and 275 Observers from 140 groups attend. During the first session, which was chaired by Party Vice Chairman, Dr. George Norton, a moment of silence was observed in remembrance of Party members who died over the last Biennium. The General Secretary’s Report was delivered by Oscar Clarke, who informed Congress on the state of the PNCR, the work of the Party’s Secretariat and the major activities during the review period. Addressing the signing of the Cummingsburg Accord on the 14th February 2015 between A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC), the General Secretary said “our decision was a correct one and indeed is the correct one for the future of our Party and…..in spite of our differences, our coalition administrations have begun to work
together to solve the myriad problems which we inherited”. The General Secretary also informed the Congress about plans for the 60th anniversary of the PNCR which will be observed on the 5th October 2017. It was announced that a Special Congress would be the centrepiece of the celebrations along with other activities at the central and regional level. There was a plenary during the second period of the morning session. This forum was chaired by Party Chairman and Member of Parliament Basil Williams where the participants examined the Chairman’s welcome address, the Party Leader’s address and the General Secretary’s report. The afternoon session of Congress was chaired by member of the Central Executive Committee, Mr. James Bond. This session examined Questions and Motions and Resolutions submitted by local and overseas groups of the Party. The Congress began on Friday and will conclude today when the voting process is set in motion. Nominated for the Chairmanship are Basil Williams, Robert Corbin and Volda Lawrence. Nominees for Vice Chairman are Dr. George Norton, Beni Rayman, Clement Corlette,
Joseph Harmon, Aubrey Norton, James Bond, Dawn Hastings, Christopher Jones and Winston Felix. Harmon who serves as Minister of State had bowed out of the race for the position of Vice-Chairman. His reason was that he prefers to concentrate his energy and time on Governmental functions rather than straddle as Vice Chairman. Nominated for the two Vice Chairmen positions are Volda Lawrence, current Vice Chairman Dr. George Norton, Beni Rayman, Clement Corlette,Aubrey Norton, James Bond, Dawn Hastings, Christopher Jones and Winston Felix. However, Christopher Jones who serves as Director of Sport has withdrawn from the race and has thrown his support behind James Bond. Nominees for Treasurer are Ronald Bulkan, Larry London and Annette Ferguson. But according to Oscar Clarke, London has already indicated that he is not interested in running for Treasurer. President David Granger, who is the lone nominee for Party Leader, has agreed to run for that post. The Returning Officer is former Assistant Commissioner of Police and Attorney-at-Law, Michael Somersall.
Sunday August 28, 2016
East Canje African Cultural group hosts Emancipation festivity today As celebrations wind down on the month-long activities in observance of the abolition of slavery, a number of entities are rounding off their celebrations. One such group is the East Canje African Cultural Group, which is situated in the lower East Canje area, and will once again be hosting its Emancipation celebrations. The activity will be held today at the Goed Bananen Land Ground. According to the organisers this is the ninth year that the activity will be held in the East Canje district. This year no activity was held in the area on August Monday since it was decided that all the African groups would converge at Kildonan for one big celebration on that day. The East Canje African Cultural Group came into being after the need arose for the community to have its own activity after residents of the area had to trek to different parts of Guyana to be a part of the yearly emancipation events. Today’s activity is expected to kick off at 10:00 hrs with a Road Show and parade. At the venue a number of cultural activities and stage show will be held which include displays by the Majorettes, African drumming, folk songs and dancing, skits, poems, storytelling among some other activities. A number of folk games will also be a part of the day’s activities including ‘saul pass’, hop scotch, ‘bun house’ and a number of ring games. The usual African foods will also be on display including the popular Cook Up and Metemgee, with other delicacies including Conkee, Cassava Pone and Saltfish among other dishes. According to the organisers, most of the activities will be free of charge, but whatever funding is realized will be used by the group to help in the enhancement of the African culture in the area.
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Kaieteur News
Govt. touts competence over ethnic... From page 9 and Light, (GPL) Board comprises three Afro Guyanese and Two Indo– Guyanese. On the Property Holding Inc./National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited Board there are two IndoGuyanese, one Chinese and two Afro-Guyanese. Several of the remaining State Boards proved to be occupied by predominately Afro-Guyanese. These include National Procurement and Tender Administration Board, (NPTAB) which has six afro-Guyanese and one IndoGuyanese, National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited, (NICIL) Board comprises four AfroGuyanese and one Indo – Guyanese. The Guyana Water Incorporated, (GWI) Board has five AfroGuyanese; one mixed: two Indo-Guyanese; the Mahaica, Mahaicony, AbaryAgricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA) has nine Afro-Guyanese and one Indo-Guyanese. The Guyana Livestock Development Association (GLDA) has five IndoGuyanese and nine AfroGuyanese. Commenting on the composition of the boards,
Prime Minister Nagamootoo noted that there a number of factors “besides race” to be taken into consideration when examining the makeup of the State Boards. He firmly denies that the APNU/AFC administration practices any form of racial and political discrimination. According to him, the State Board undergoes a selection process under their subject Minister. He said that once the board is approved, the list is presented to cabinet for further approval. As such Nagamootoo is adamant that the composition of State Boards should not be subject to a mere arithmetical and ethnic analysis. He asserted “the selection of board members
is a process that is about professionalism, character and other factors rather than a person‘s ethnicity.” Additionally, the Prime Minster said that “the Opposition has been given an opportunity to nominate a representative to sit on a number of these boards, but they have not.” He said that the PPP had more than a year to add to the ethnic balance of the boards, “but they would rather sit back and complain about the ethnic and political composition of the boards.” The Prime Minister noted too that the previous administration had strategically manipulated the system in their favour. “There are a number of
key boards which were completely controlled by the PPP/C. NICIL, the Guyana Lottery Board, GuySuCo were all under the PPP/C control. There were even Ministers who sat on Boards under the PPP.” “The University of Guyana for one was highly politicized,” Nagamootoo added. He stressed that it is the agenda of the APNU- AFC coalition to change the patent political character characteristics of the Board. “That’s our only agenda.” The Prime Minister stated that this agenda can be evident in the management of many Government Boards, particularly in the area of the State Media.
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Sunday August 28, 2016
Kaieteur News
Tug-of-war over water well at Sanata…
GWI paying almost $3M monthly for facility QAII claims it owns - Chairman denies any conflict of interest over New GPC sponsorship
QAII’s head, Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop The Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) is insisting that it is the owner of a well currently housed in the Ruimveldt compound of Queens Atlantic Investment Inc. (QAII). As a matter of fact, the entity said yesterday, it has been spending millions of dollars every month in electricity and labour costs to upkeep the facility which currently serves over 9,000 customers in the Ruimveldt area, including D’Aguiar Park, Alexander Village, Meadowbank and West Ruimveldt. That expenditure by GWI would contradict claims by QAII, which controls a number of media companies and New GPC, that it owns the well. The claims by Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop, a close friend of former President Bharrat Jagdeo, immediately raised questions as to how the well ended up in the hands of QAII while GWI was paying for its maintenance. The issue came to the fore over
a week ago when GWI technicians, as part of its drive to collect over $4B owed by consumers- domestic and commercial- across the country, started to conduct checks at QAII. However, the GWI technicians were reportedly stopped by their management when they started investigations. Following the report by Kaieteur News on Friday - of the investigations of alleged water theft by QAII – Dr. Ramroop took to his newspaper, claiming in a lead article yesterday that the visit by GWI technicians was in retaliation to a story that the water company Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van-West Charles, benefitted from a fuel licence while in office. QAII claimed that the well in question is in fact wholly owned by QAII, with GWI and its predecessor companies never owning it. ”Like many industrial operations, large complexes have their own well
GWI’s Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van West Charles and operate these independently of GWI… QAII has always sought to be a good citizen and has maintained that there is an arrangement where the water from the well can be accessed for GWI usage,” Dr. Ramroop is quoted as saying. QAII said it is not and never was a customer of GWI. As a matter of fact, the well and the compound, known as the Sanata Textile property, is private property. “Over the years, the well and the environs have always been recognised as being under private ownership, and are currently owned by QAII… QAII will continue to pursue a good relationship with GWI for shared access to the water resources of the well.” However, GWI officials insisted yesterday that while the well is in the compound of QAII, GWI has always maintained control of the well, ever since the 1970s when it was built. It was emphasised that GWI
The Ruimveldt complex of QAII, formerly known as the Sanata complex.
technicians visit the well every day and electricity bills, amounting to almost $3M monthly, are being paid by the state-owned company. All the maintenance works are also being carried out by GWI. “Workers have to pass by the security hut at the Ruimveldt compound to access the wells and there are logs to prove this,” GWI said. According to QAII, most of the water from the well is being used by GWI, with the company never being a customer at the location, “given that QAII is accessing water from its own well.” GWI CAMPAIGN Contacted yesterday, the Managing Director disclosed that he was out of the country. Questioned on the allegations by QAII that the visit was in retaliation to a report on the fuel licence, the official said it was utter nonsense. “GWI has started a countrywide campaign to collect what is owed.
GWI’s Chairman, Nigel Hinds That is estimated at over $4B right now. We have collected almost $2B over the past year alone. Our crews have been visiting businesses, homes and other places as part of that. QAII is not different.” Questioned why he ordered the GWI to leave the Ruimveldt compound, the Managing Director said he was asked by the Chairman of the Board, Nigel Hinds. He advised this newspaper to call the Chairman. When contacted, Hinds disclosed that indeed he asked VanWest Charles to cease the inspections at the complex as there were questions over the ownership of the well. Also there was the very real scenario of the visit being seen as retaliation. The order to stand down came one day after the technicians had visited the site and not immediately, Hinds stressed. The Chairman of the (Continued on page 66)
Sunday August 28, 2016
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Kaieteur News
First Lady meets with CSEC top performer
First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger (right), converses with CSEC Top Performer, Ms. Fatima Karim and her mother, Mrs. Khadijah Karim during a courtesy call paid to the First Lady at her office at State House. First Lady, Sandra Granger on Friday received a courtesy call by Guyana’s Caribbean Secondary
Education Certificate (CSEC) top performer, Fatima Karim and her mother, Khadijah Karim, at the Office of the
First Lady, State House. The First Lady said that she was happy to meet with Karim and was also excited to
hear, not only of her achievements at this year’s CSEC examinations, but of her aspirations in petroleum engineering, in light of Guyana’s future in the oil and gas sector. ”I was very excited to learn that that was her interest, because she is not only entering a field that is new to Guyana but as a female, she is entering a field in which women have not really taken part so I congratulated her on it,” Mrs. Granger said. The First Lady added that she knows that while there may be challenges that will come, she is certain that the CSEC top performer will bring her own skills and perspective to the work. She encouraged Karim to not only focus on her
academics, but also on enjoying life. “[She should] have fun with it and remember that life is more than just work. I wish her all the success and I hope she does great things,” the First Lady said in a release from the Ministry of the Presidency. The St. Rose’s High School student received much public attention after topping the country with 19 Grade Ones and One Grade Two at the CSEC Examinations. She said that she felt proud that she was able to achieve such results, explaining that it called for her to balance her academic pursuits with her co-curricular activities. ”It’s about knowing yourself; knowing how much you needed to study. I knew I
had to study at least once a week for each subject, so I can still talk with my friends and do other things,” she said. Offering words of encouragement to other students, Karim said that as they aspire to their academic heights, the key is to believe that they can do it. She cited the words of another one of her role models, Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani activist and youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who said, “Let us make our future now and make our dreams tomorrow’s reality”. She said that these words help to motivate her, and in turn, she wishes to motivate students that if they believe that they can achieve a certain goal, then they should strive to do so at all costs.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday August 28, 2016
Waini River mishap…
WRONG SIDE UP! Bodies of girl, 7 and boy, 6, recovered
- two boat operators in custody A search party scouring the Waini River has recovered the bodies of seven-year-old Lisa Da Silva and her six-year-old brother, Davenand Da Silva, who perished when a speeding boat slammed into the vessel in which the victims, another sibling, and their parents were travelling on Thursday night. A resident said that the little girl’s body was found at around 19.00 hrs yesterday, some six miles from the scene
of the mishap. Her brother’s body was recovered about an hour later. The remains were taken to the Mabaruma Hospital mortuary. The search party included the children’s father, Basil Da Silva. Their mother sustained injuries during the crash and is being treated at the Mabaruma Hospital. Kaieteur News understands that part of the wrecked boat as well as its outboard engine, has been found. Meanwhile, a senior police official disclosed that ranks from ‘F’ Division have detained two boat operators, as they seek to identify the individual who is responsible for the mishap. The official said that investigators have no information that suggests that the boatman tried to assist the family. A member of the search party said that one of the detained boat operators has
a 200-horsepower engine. The source said that the boatman is the only operator who was traversing that section of the Waini River where the mishap occurred. Kaieteur News was also told that the man’s vessel had suffered some damage. According to reports, Basil Da Silva, 49, his reputed wife, Celina James, 47, their 10-year-old son, Dwayne Da Silva, and Lisa and Davenand, were heading home in their wooden boat at around 21.30 hrs on Thursday after a fishing trip, when another vessel, travelling at a fast rate, slammed their boat from behind. The family was hurled into the river. Both parents and the 10-year-old managed to swim ashore, but the two smaller children could not be found. The tragedy is one of several river mishaps that have occurred in recent months.
This car landed on its side yesterday afternoon at Providence, East Bank Demerara, after its driver lost control. Two persons were said to be injured.
Sunday August 28, 2016
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Kaieteur News
SARA Bill is an exercise Bond contract contradicts in futility in terms of past itself, makes no requirement offenders - Nandlall for FDA standards
The APNU+AFC government had made strong promises to go after those who would have stolen state assets. The persons suspected to have done so are mostly former Ministers who operated under the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic government. A little after entering administrative office, APNU+AFC set up the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU). This unit is about to become an agency with the impending passage of a Bill. The Bill is touted as a piece of legislation that will give SARU the power it needs to investigate those who the agency suspects to be guilty of stealing state assets. However, former Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall thinks that SARU, even when it becomes SARA, will not be able to go after those who would have stolen state assets in the past. Based on Nandlall’s understanding of what is taking place, the Bill will only give SARA the power to go after those who steal state assets after the Bill becomes law.
Former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall The Minister said, “As regard the offences created by the Bill, the conduct or actions of public officials which this Bill now outlaw, have all taken place already. The properties which may have been acquired, and which the Bill now targets, are already vested in the names of individuals.”
He added that for the Bill to apply to those actions and to those properties, “it must have a retroactive effect. The constitution does not permit laws creating criminal offences to operate retroactively. So you cannot pass a law today which makes an act which was not a crime yesterday, a crime today, and charge a person for that act committed yesterday.” Nandlall is essentially saying that the government will not be able to go after past offenders. “Yesterday when the act was committed it was not a crime. Similarly, property which was acquired by a method which was lawful yesterday cannot be affected by a law passed today which makes that method of acquisition illegal. In short, this Bill, so far as it creates criminal offences and it purports to affect property rights, it can only operate prospectively and not retrospectively.” The former Minister concluded that the Bill is replete with unconstitutionalities and will be challenged if enacted. “It will not withstand objective judicial scrutiny.”
It has become clear why the Cabinet sub-committee appointed by President David Granger recommended that the drug bond rental contract be reviewed. The contract puts much burden on government; it is riddled with contradictions and makes no requirement for PAHO/WHO or FDA standards. On Friday last, the media was finally given a copy of the Agreement of Tenancy signed between government and firearms dealer, Larry Singh. There is a clause which stipulates that the government “shall be solely responsible for the security of the Demised Premises and all contents in respect thereof.” Yet, another clause states that the landlord has to “provide security 24 hrs per day for the life of the lease.” And, while one part of the contract says that “The Tenant (government) shall be responsible for the payment of the required Value Added Tax to the Guyana Revenue Authority,” another part says that the landlord has to pay “all present and future rates, taxes,
assessments payable in respect of the Demised Premises.” During an interview with Kaieteur News, People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Opposition point man on Health, Dr. Frank Anthony also pointed out the contradictions. He said that the contract is poor and should not be allowed to stand. Dr. Anthony also noted the fact that the contract does not set out the necessary re-
quirements for the bond to meet standards that will make it absolutely suitable for the storage of drugs and medical supplies. “The contract makes no stipulation for the facility to confirm to standards of PAHO (Pan American Health Organization), WHO (World Health Organization). At the very basic, the contract did not even make requirements for the facility to be up to the standards of the Foods and Drugs Department (FDA),” said Dr. Anthony.
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Sunday August 28, 2016
Kaieteur News
Apology not enough for grave offence Norton committed - Dr. Anthony Apology not accepted. That is basically the position being taken by the opposition People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C). This is with regards to the recent request for forgiveness offered by Minister of Health, Dr. George Norton. Norton apologized publicly for misleading the nation. A few weeks ago, the Minister lied to the House when questioned in the Committee of Supply about millions of dollars paid to a fire-
arm dealer for the use of his bond to store medical supplies. According to PPP/C’s point man on Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, Dr. Norton should be forced to resign as is the norm in other jurisdictions. Dr. Anthony pointed out that Guyana has taken many of its laws and parliamentary traditions from the United Kingdom. He said that the code of conduct developed to guide Ministers of the British government states that any Minister found to have mis-
led the Parliament will be expected to resign forthwith. “We have to understand the seriousness of misleading the National Assembly. All Members of Parliament are expected to be honest and forthright when addressing the House.” This is the second call in recent years for the resignation of a Minister of Health. Just in 2015, the Private Sector Commission, the Women and Gender Equality Commission, Red Thread, the Minister of Health, Dr. George Norton
PPP/C’s point man on Health, Dr. Frank Anthony Guyana Bar Association (GBA), the Guyana Women Lawyers’ Association (GWLA) and Justice Institute Guyana (JIG) had called for Dr. Bheri Ramsaran to resign from his Ministerial post. This was after a recording had surfaced where the Minister was heard verbally assaulting and degrading women’s rights activist,
Former Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran
Sherlina Nageer. Ramsarran promised to “slap” and “strip” the woman all the while telling her that she was a little piece of “sh!t.” The recordings went viral and calls from all sections of society were mounted for Ramsaran’s dismissal. The GBA, the GWLA and JIG had said that former Presi-
dent Ramotar’s reluctance to sack Ramsaran was an indication of some form of indecency. Both the US and British Envoys had condemned the Minister’s utterances saying that had that happened in either of their government, the person would have been expected to tender his/her resignation. Ramotar subsequently relieved Ramsaran of his duties and appointed Dr. Jennifer Westford to act as the Minister of Health.
Sunday August 28, 2016
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Kaieteur News
Blind teacher wants Blind Society and Unit to collaborate Collaboration between the Guyana Society for the Blind and the Ministry of Education’s Unit for the Blind could serve to help enhance the abilities of blind and visually impaired individuals seeking to advance themselves academically. This disclosure was made by Ms. Ingrid Peters who claimed that she has been observing the candidates who write the Blind Societyfacilitated Caribbean Secondary Education
there was no such thing as blind people going to the normal school like everyone else and even before that there was no blind person writing CSEC, but I helped to make that a r e a l i t y, ” s a i d P e t e r s a s s h e a s s e r t e d t h a t even before the Blind Society had attempted such a feat it was already done. While Peters is not opposed to the work being done by the Blind Society, she is convinced that the Blind
Ms. Ingrid Peters demonstrates Braille reading
Certificate (CSEC) examination annually. Peters claims to have introduced the notion of integrating the blind into the mainstream education system since in the early 1980s. She was trained at the Santa Cruz School for the Blind in Trinidad. In fact Peters had spent a great deal of her younger days in Trinidad and understands all too well the importance of special needs education. “When I came back here
Unit, which has been in existence for many years, could add a needed dimension to what the Society is doing. And she is convinced that that would make them even more prepared for the world of tertiary education and the world of work, independent of support. Peters was an educator for 36 years before she retired in 2014. She has since been offering her service on a part time basis at the Blind Unit.
Peters is very proficient in teaching music and Braille. Coordinator of the Blind Society, Ganesh Singh, had disclosed that currently the Blind Society is only able to prepare students in the subject areas of Social Studies, English, Principles of Business, Office Administration, Human and Social Biology and Religious Education. These examinations are done electronically. He, however, noted that while the Society would like to offer students Mathematics as well, this is limited by the fact that Braille is not offered at the Society. According to him, while the local Ministry of Education and at the Caribbean level, efforts are being made to introduce CXC Maths for the blind, a challenge to this is the use of Braille. “Very few persons in Guyana have skills in Braille, and that is why we try to do this programme electronically,” Singh explained recently. “What I would like them to do is to collaborate with the Unit for the Blind...this is important so that we can learn from each other,” said Peters. The top CSEC performer produced by the Blind Society this year, Malieka Crawford, was one of Peters’ former students. According to Peters, the process of preparing the blind for examinations such as CSEC should not be a short process, since they are not afforded a school setting. She explained that in Trinidad where she was trained, students were only integrated when they were found to be 75 per cent or 85 per cent independent. Being independent back in the day meant that students were well equipped to use their Braille machine. However, today because of technological advances there are laptops and other devices that can aid the learning of the visually impaired. Once students are able to utilise the various learning mechanisms well they can then be deemed
The Baccoo Speaks An argument is going to turn deadly when two men fail to settle a dispute over money. One of them would have promised to repay a loan but he would renege on his promise. His partner would become very angry and would resort to violence that would leave him seriously injured. He would succumb to his injuries. ** A fire is going to destroy a business place in the coming days. Workers would see smoke
coming from a room and would raise an alarm. By the time help could arrive the fire would have spread and would cause severe damage to property. ** Robberies are on the decline but every so often a group of young men would become desperate. And since guns are common things these days they would stage an attack. Two of them would be left at the scene because of community response and rapid police action.
independent, Peters said. “What is happening here in Guyana is that children are placed in the classrooms and they are being ‘spoon fed’…” lamented Peters, who is
adamant that this should not be the case. “There should be more individual attention to ensure that children are learning…especially at the
younger level.” This, according to Peters will ensure that students are well prepared for proper integration in the education system.
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Sunday August 28, 2016
Kaieteur News
A tale of murder and obsession By Michael Jordan It was at around ten o’clock on Tuesday, August 31, 1971, that a deafening explosion shook Khan’s Guest House near Radio Demerara in High Street. Inside the room from which the explosion had emanated stood two trembling, blood-spattered little boys. Policemen who ventured into the smoke-filled room almost gagged on the stench of blood and burning flesh. And something that seemed not quite human lay near a gaping hole in the floor… But let’s start this dark tale of murder and obsession at the point where it really began; around 1966, some five years earlier, at a dance at 73 Miles, Potaro. It was here that a young St. Lucian man named George Antoine, known to friends as ‘Lightning’, met a young Guyanese woman named Jean Ann Andries. George had migrated to Guyana to seek his fortune as a diamond miner. He was a quiet man with an easy smile. At the time, Jean was just 18, and she already had a son, named Tony, from a previous relationship. But that didn’t deter George Antoine. He struck up a friendship with Jean and eventually, the two began to live together. Jean bore George two sons; Leslie and Brian. Jean Ann’s little sister, Rhonda, also moved in with
them. The couple first settled at Kaieteur Top, but frequented Mahdia. Jean Ann would sometimes accompany her spouse on his porkknocking escapades, sometimes even panning for gold side by side with her man. On the outside, they seemed like a happy young couple. But then close relatives began to hear whispers that all was not well. People who knew the couple told Jean’s relatives that George was ill-treating his young reputed wife. In fact, some even claimed that he was forcing her into prostitution. It was also rumoured that George was into illegal activities, which included cattle-rustling near the border. But when she met with the relatives, Jean Ann always appeared to be happy and would tell them that the rumours about George were untrue. The couple eventually moved to Mahdia. They also travelled frequently to Bartica, where Jean had relatives. Then, around 1968, Jean Ann’s 10-year-old sister, Rhonda, who had been living with the couple, died suddenly. Disturbing rumours began to circulate that the child had been murdered. However, both Jean Ann and George insisted that Rhonda had succumbed to gastroenteritis. They said they were forced to bury the body at
Kaieteur Top without a post mortem. Since gastroenteritis was prevalent at the time, the relatives eventually accepted the story. But around 1969, a female cousin who lived in Bartica received a letter from Jean Ann. In the letter, Jean Ann stated that she wanted to break off her relationship with George. According to her, she had repeatedly tried to leave him, but George would always track her down. In 1971, Jean Ann visited the cousin at Bartica, and after bursting into tears, told the cousin a very terrifying story. She revealed that George was indeed involved in cattle rustling and would barter stolen cattle for guns. She claimed he had three firearms, and had shot and wounded a man at Mahdia. And the rumours about George forcing her into prostitution were also true, Jean Ann said. ”You see that pants and shirt that he got on? Is my body pay for them, “Jean Ann lamented. “I so frustrated that I could push a knife in myself.” Then she revealed to her shocked cousin that little Rhonda hadn’t died from gastroenteritis after all. According to her, George had resented having to take care of ‘somebody else child’, and often ill-treated the tenyear-old. She claimed that while she was out, George struck the child to the head with a piece of metal pipe. When Jean returned home, Rhonda was lying listlessly in a hammock and complaining of headaches. On being questioned further, she revealed that George had struck her. According to Jean, the family retired to bed, and next day she found Rhonda dead in the hammock. Jean explained that because Mahdia was three days’ journey from their location, they buried the child’s body in a shallow grave. She claimed that George then travelled to Mahdia to report to the police that Rhonda had succumbed to ‘gastro’. However, the police had somehow already received word of the child’s death, and told George to accompany them to the spot where the
Brian and Leslie Andries
body was buried. But cunning George Antoine took the cops to another area near a stream. At the time, the stream was swollen by heavy rain, and rather than cross the stream, the cops abandoned the search. Rhonda Andries’ grave has never been found. After relating her story, Jean Ann asked the cousin to borrow a suitcase, since she wanted to travel to Georgetown. But before she could leave, George turned up at the cousin’s home. The couple began to quarrel and in her anger Jean Ann blurted out: “The day I leave you is the day you would live in jail.” According to the cousin, George’s countenance changed and she is convinced that had she not been present, George would have killed Jean at that same moment. The worried cousin expressed her fears for Jean Ann’s safety, but the woman replied that she didn’t care if George killed her. A few days later, George returned to the cousin’s home.
He told the woman that Jean Ann had left him. The cousin consoled George that he would eventually find someone to take her place. George responded that he missed Jean Ann and the children. Before leaving, he promised that he would return to Mahdia and send money for them. Meanwhile, Jean Ann, along with her three children, had traveled to Georgetown. She booked in at Khan’s Guest House. At the time, she was accompanied by a young man known as ‘Dougie.’ But as he had done before, George Antoine tracked her down, since the couple had often stayed at the same guest house.He booked a room at the top floor. On Tuesday, August 31, at around ten o’clock, George confronted Jean Ann in the hotel. He stabbed her in the hand. Jean Ann went to a nearby police station and reported the assault. She then returned to the hotel. According to reports, Jean Ann and her new boyfriend, ‘Dougie’ were heading back to the police station when George attacked her again. ‘Dougie’ managed to escape. Jean Ann was not that lucky. George cornered her and stabbed her in the stomach. Jean cried out “‘Lightning’ stab me.” The 25year-old woman then collapsed
and died on D’Urban Street. Pursued by a policeman, George Antoine fled to Khan’s Guest House. He then entered the room that Jean had booked. Two-year-old Brian and Leslie, aged four, were still in the room. Minutes later, a deafening explosion shook the hotel. When police finally forced open the bedroom door, they found George’s headless and burned body on the floor. Also in the room were the two children. They were bloodsoaked, but unharmed. From all reports, after killing his estranged spouse, George Antoine had entered the hotel room, placed a stick of dynamite in his mouth, and set it alight. Today, landmarks such as Khan’s Guest Hose and Radio Demerara are gone. But old-timers still remember crazy George Antoine, who killed two sisters and then literally lost his head over the elder one. If you have any information about this or any other unusual case, please contact Kaieteur News by letter or telephone at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown offices. Our numbers are 2258491, 22-58473 and 2258458. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email address mjdragon @ hotmail.com.
Sunday August 28, 2016
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== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==
Most humans are decent, many are not visionary I do accept most of the philosophical points of Arthur Koestler on the congenital flaws of Homo sapiens that will forever endanger civilization. I think the arguments of the role of genetic determinism in the shaping of Homo sapiens as adumbrated by the Harvard scientist, E. O. Wilson, are compellingly attractive. While I do not share the argument of higher intelligence for the Caucasian race over all other species of race, I do believe the non-white races have serious psychological deficits which may be attributed to the psychic destruction colonialism brought. Despite all the flaws and weaknesses of Homo sapiens, I honestly accept that humans are redemptive and that the role of nurture over nature holds the key to preserving the goodness of the soul. Too many times, I have seen the phenomenal effects of nurture over nature, the influences which changed the world in unimaginable and fantastic ways. The fastest man on Earth came from a working class Jamaican family. The troubled, poor society of Jamaica didn’t imprison him. Chris Gayle has written his name in cricketing history, but the working class conditions he grew up under in Jamaica didn’t imprison him. Yesu Persaud of Guyana was born into a poor family. Today, he is a Guyanese hero. The first Black President of the US remains the least moneyed president the US ever produced. Venus and Serena Williams grew up in a crimeinfested district. It would fill volumes and volumes if one was to document the incredibly attractive achievements of people who came from adverse circumstances, poor economic conditions and depressed living conditions and turned themselves into virtual intellectual, scientific, financial, philan-
thropic and social giants. We should at least let Guyanese readers know that to date, the greatest brain in law Guyana ever produced, J. O. F. Haynes, did not attend high school. I would say all these are examples of nurture over nature. Humans are animal species, but we do not have to be permanent prisoners of human bestiality. For this reason, despite the powerful writings of Koestler, Wilson and Sigmund Freud, I still have faith in Homo sapiens. The problem with Homo sapiens is that decency and redemption are not related to visionary thinking. A human can be impeccably decent and caring, but may remain such a nice person without doing anything special to change the world around them. Remember, the point is not to live forever, but to leave something that will. Visionary people change our lives. Surely, Steve Jobs was no ordinary person. Look what his inventive mind has done for the 21st century. Most of the Presidents that have gone by in the US tried their hand at creating a public health care system. Barack Obama did it because he was special. If it wasn’t for Mikhail Gorbachev, East Ger-
Barack Obama
Frederick Kissoon
Mikhail Gorbachev many may still be killing its citizens who attempt to flee over the Berlin Wall. Visionary endowments gave us Shakespeare, Leonardo De Vinci, Martin Luther, Nelson Mandela, Bob Marley, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa. The list is endless. When people decide they want to lead a country, then they have to possess visionary qualities, because our lives can stagnate, regress or become superb and sublime, depending on if a country has transformational minds at work. The name Obama is simply inescapable. Countless ordinary people died in the US because their ailments were left unattended because they did not have access to affordable health care. Lives will be saved today in the poorer parts of America because of Obamacare. Leaders should not be
Arthur Koestler contented just to lead with the mundane exercise of power of which mediocrity, banality, and ordinariness are the sa-
Forbes Burnham lient characteristics. Leaders should strive to be transformational innovators. They must strive for higher ground
in which their people can rise to higher levels of achievement. Sadly, the Caribbean has not produced transformational leaders. Sadly, Guyana keeps limping along. I will not be indecent and dishonest and ignore the uniqueness of Forbes Burnham. But I would refuse to put the labels of visionary and transformational on him, because I know and accept that visionary thinking must involve pathways to greater freedoms and deeper justice. On these two levels, Burnham fell down badly. It is one thing to seek to transform a society from poor to great, but it is another story altogether when in doing so you deny your citizens liberty and justice. I think few would be that indecent to say that under Burnham, flowers of freedom blossomed. If they did, I didn’t see them; and I was there all the time watching.
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Sunday August 28, 2016
WHAT ETHNIC CLEANSING? We believe that Guyanese people in general are tired of the cesspool of racism that the PPP continues to stir no matter how distasteful people find it. This is just one more thing that distracts the government from focusing 100 percent of our time on nation building. The PPP just keeps on doing what they do best – play the role of the agent provocateur, throw up road blocks, distract people’s attention from their opportunities for personal growth, lie, report on situations with that special Machiavellian twist, propagandise to save face, and accuse this government of practicing ethnic cleansing. People’s memories are not that short, and 1992 was not so long ago! The very necessary process of examining public servants to test their suitability for the posts they hold is still in progress and the public service is not yet cleansed of the untrained and the corrupt. We know now the reasons why many citizens complain that there’s not been sufficient change in the delivery of service, or no change in some instances. It turns out to be a slow process that is being retarded by the carping opposition. Any honest government worth its salt would ensure that the public service is cleared of corrupt, inept persons who were not serving in the interest of the people, irrespective of their political affiliations. Race has no place in this equation. New governments all over the world are compelled to measure every system for its efficacy when they go into office, and restructure according to the regulations enshrined in the laws. Guyana was never an exception, not in 1964, 1985, 1992 and certainly not 2015. This is not ethnic cleansing. The AFC made commitments to the people of Guyana to make their lives easier, to remove red tape and systemic bureaucracy, to give every person a fair chance to benefit from the nation’s resources, whether it is a piece of land to farm or construct homes, or assistance to start or expand an enterprise. These commitments were made with the understanding that the public service had to be re-aligned to make it hospitable and efficient.
Our focus has not changed…these remain our objectives, the government’s objectives, and they WILL be accomplished. The PPP’s claims that the government is practicing ethnic cleansing are stupid and ludicrous. Ethnic cleansing, properly defined, is very seriously destructive. Ethnic cleansing wreaks havoc. The official United Nations definition of ethnic cleansing is “rendering an area ethnically homogeneous by using force or intimidation to remove from a given area persons of another ethnic or religious group”. These events are perpetrated under conditions resembling civil war and states of emergency. Constitutions are suspended and martial law takes its place. Global scholars have defined ethnic cleansing as the “systematic forced removal of ethnic or religious groups from a given territory by a more powerful ethnic group. It has been carried out with murder, torture, arbitrary arrests and detention, extra-judicial executions, sexual assaults, confinement of civilian populations in ghetto areas, forcible removal, displacement and deportation of civilians, deliberate military attacks or threats of attacks on civilian areas, and wanton destruction of property. All of these acts are crimes against humanity”. No one (at least in the previous generation) would forget the horrible events that occurred in the African nation of Rwanda from April to July 1994. That was ethnic cleansing at its worst. Members of the Hutu ethnic majority (in government) murdered as many as 800,000 people mostly of the Tutsi minority (Rwandan Patriotic Front) in four months! Hutus and Tutsis were differentiated only by association, not by any physical differences. The genocide spread throughout the country with staggering speed and brutality. Ordinary citizens were incited by local officials and the government of Hutu Power to take up arms against their neighbours, those whom they believed to be Tutsi, and from this a horrendous killing spree ensued that saw such brutality of man against his compatriots that the world prayed that we would never again witness anything akin to it in this lifetime or the next. By the time the Tutsi-led Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF)
party gained control of the country through a military offensive, hundreds of thousands of Rwandans of all persuasions were dead and thousands more displaced. There were over 2 million refugees exacerbating a full-blown humanitarian crisis. Rwanda’s international image has since been tarnished by this massacre. That was ethnic cleansing! We still wonder how the PPP determined that the government’s decisions to terminate several employment and civil construction contracts qualify for this harsh terminology, especially considering that some workers/contractors were not of Indian extraction. Their comments throw a harsh spotlight on their mindset that has always been rooted in racial division. We recall the comments made by Dr. Roger Luncheon while under cross examination during the Jagdeo/Kissoon libel trial. He had stated that his government could find no ‘black person’ sufficiently qualified for appointment to ambassadorship. Guyanese are fed up of being placed into brackets. We are no longer tolerant of people disposed to act with racial discrimination as their motivation. Irrespective of where our foreparents came from, we are all Guyanese and unless we relinquish our citizenship in another land, we’ll always be Guyanese. We note that former president Jagdeo has done an about-face. Overnight he has become clairvoyant and is promoting himself as having all the answers to the woes that he himself created during his 12 to 15-year reign. Notice how we avoided the dramatic terminology “reign of terror”. These are dramatic words not even befitting the years of deprivation that Guyanese people suffered between 1999 and 2015. His new 20/20 vision, this cloak of righteousness that he donned, is hardly enough to make people forget his rule as a foul-mouthed, attention-seeking, disrespectful despot who took what he wanted no matter how the nation felt about it, while he distributed our land, our benefits and our wealth to his confederates who genuflected to him. This is a peaceful nation and the AFC will continue to do everything in our power to maintain that equilibrium.
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Kaieteur News
My column
There is still the perception of corruption and cronyism The issue of the settlement involving Brian Tiwarie and the government has been a talking point for quite some time now. There were criticisms from just about every quarter; some strident and some critical of the government for taking such a decision. From my vantage point, all I had was the accusation that the government settled in a hurry. What made this matter the prime issue it has become is the fact that Brian Tiwarie and the government became very chummy in the run-up to and after the May 2015 General Elections. Many believe that the clean environment that has enveloped the capital city is as a result of the relationship between the government and Tiwarie. For one, the equipment owned and operated by BK International was put to good use to remove the tons of filth and garbage that festooned the city. This programme started by Tiwarie soon spread across the country, so that when people did come home for the jubilee earlier this year they were astounded. Most had never seen Georgetown so clean to the extent that flooding of the city streets was a thing of the past, a far cry from what happened during the tenure of the previous administration. Then it became known that Tiwarie had been appointed an advisor to the government. The furore that this caused led to President David Granger revoking the appointment, but that did nothing to erase the fact that Tiwarie was close to the government. And he did say so. The end result was that
when there was the settlement over the Haags Bosch issue, immediately people said that political influence was at work. There was also the perception in some quarters that there were cutbacks and kickbacks for the people who concluded the deal. Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall was among the vocal majority. He accused Attorney General Basil Williams of collusion with Tiwarie. He made some profound statements, one of which was that the government should have gone to court to contest the Tiwarie claim. It has now come to light that Anil Nandlall actually agreed to pay Tiwarie even before the new government came to office. I would suppose that such is the nature of politics. If that were the only political issue I would have been happy, but there have been so many others. There was the appointment of a man twice convicted for drug smuggling to the United States, to serve as the debt collection manager for Guyana Water Incorporated. I would have argued that the man would have paid his debt to society and was therefore entitled to work, but it is now being peddled that the man is in no way qualified to perform such duties. Again, there was talk of political collusion. People began to talk about nepotism and cronyism. The fact that
Richard Van-West Charles was the son-in-law of a man who died more than thirty years ago was the talking point. As fate would have it, there was no background check before the appointment, and this matter is now on hold and likely to be rescinded. Given these things, one is left to conclude that there would always be fingerpointing and efforts to pressure the government. I see a wage package granted to the Guyana Public Service Union and I hear talk and complaints. The package is a far cry from the days when there were five per cent impositions for years. The package may not be what the union wanted and in any case, no wage package satisfies a union, but the workers would be happy. For one, there has been no significant movement in prices for a while, so whatever money the worker gets would actually provide for some additional things. At the same time there has been a marked reduction in violent crimes, something that the government had promised during its election campaign. I still remember former president Bharrat Jagdeo pronouncing on the impact on people should the coalition be elected. He actually suggested that the coalition would send its goons to deflower the young women in those strongholds of the People’s Progressive Party.
Again, such is the nature of politics that any move to replace one government would be fraught with danger for anyone who fails to reelect the government of the day. But for all the drop in violent crimes, there are so many murders in parts of the country where the previous government held sway. PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee actually said that the people do not care to credit the government with any
impact it may have on crime. Suffice it to say that the government would not be allowed to get away with anything untoward. It has to play by the book. The award of every contract would be questioned and people are going to find flaws, regardless of how the contract is above board. There must be speedy prosecutions of those found enmeshed in wrongdoing. There must also be constant
Adam Harris meetings with the public to explain whatever is being pursued. The media is there to be the watchdog and right now the fangs of the watchdog are bared.
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Kaieteur News
Martyrdom and freedom “We are assembled today to commemorate the massacre which occurred, and to pay homage to the martyrs who were killed, on Wednesday 20th August 1823 at Bachelor ’s Adventure on the East Coast during the Demerara Revolt. This atrocity, the arrests and subsequent executions at the Militia Parade Ground and elsewhere were, perhaps, the single most significant event
to hasten the abolition of slavery in the British colonies.”(President David Granger on Saturday August 20, 2016, at the 1823 Monument-Georgetown) The Demerara Revolt was the turning point in slave society and is commemorated today as one of the most important events in Guyanese and Caribbean
history. The Revolt’s historical role in the passage of the Emancipation Act by the British Parliament in 1833, a decade later, is undisputed. The Demerara Revolt broke out on Monday 18th August 1823. Brigadier General John Murray, the Governor, proclaimed martial law the next day and mobilised a formidable military force. The massacre took place
at Plantation (Pln.) Bachelor’s Adventure where over 2,000 rebels confronted the main body of troops under Lieutenant Colonel John Thomas Leahy. The Martial Law proclamation was read after some talk and the troops were ordered to attack. One account stated: “The soldiers poured in volley after volley. The slaves returned fire but soon began to run, leaping the trenches into which many tumbled lifeless. Many were shot down on the road and in the cotton fields. By noon, the roadside was littered with dead bodies. About two hundred slaves had been killed.” Triumphant, the troops moved from plantation to plantation pursuing fugitives and releasing the planters who, for the most part, were unharmed. They had been placed in stocks to prevent them from obstructing the freedom which the Africans believed that King George had granted them. Retribution was swift and severe. Colonel Leahy and his officers held summary ‘drum-head’ trials, each lasting only a few minutes. The courts reached hasty verdicts based on hearsay evidence. The accused, invariably, were found guilty,
tied to trees and shot, immediately. Their corpses were laid side by side on the ground, decapitated and their heads placed on poles on the public roads in front of the plantations. The formal Court Martial was convened in Georgetown on 25th August under Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Arthur Goodman. The Militia Parade Ground (now Independence Park) in Cummingsburg was the scene of the public executions. The rebels’ corpses were hung in chains along the public roads or were decapitated and the heads stuck on poles, after the hangings. Expeditions scoured the backlands in search of fugitive rebels, particularly, the assumed ringleader, Quamina. A mercenary found him and shot him dead on 16th September. His body was carried back and hung in chains outside Pln. Success on the East Coast. The planters and populace were exultant. The very excesses for which the planters congratulated themselves in Georgetown were condemned in London. The Demerara Revolt caused an uproar in the British House of Commons
President David Granger
and, although a vote to censure the Government failed, public opinion shifted further in favour of the complete abolition of slavery. Brigadier General John Murray was recalled and replaced as Governor by Major-General Sir Benjamin D’Urban in April 1824. The Emancipation Act was passed a decade later. The Demerara Revolt is remembered in the village of Bachelors’ Adventure where the massacre occurred and a memorial to the Demerara Martyrs has already been built. Future generations must not forget that freedom was bought at the high price of the martyrdom of hundreds of Africans on 20th August 1823.
Sunday August 28, 2016
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Kaieteur News
Insect bites and stings: What you need to know By Dr. Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine We live in a tropical country and are more often exposed to insect bites and stings. For the most part we tolerate them well, but there are instances where we can react negatively to the bites and stings. Today I will give the basic need-to-know facts about insect stings and bites to better equip you in dealing with them. HOWARE INSECT BITES AND STINGS DIFFERENT? When an insect bites you, it uses its mouth parts. When an insect stings you, it uses a special “stinger” on the back of its body. Biting insects can transfer blood from other people and animals they’ve bitten to you. That means they can infect you with the diseases their other victims have. Mosquitoes, for example, can carry a few infections. And certain types of ticks can
infect you with the germ that causes Lyme disease. Stinging insects, such as bees, wasps, and fire ants, do not usually carry disease. But stinging insects can inject you with venom that can irritate your skin. Plus, insect stings can be deadly to people who are severely allergic to the insect venom. WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I AM STUNG BYA BEE, WASP, OR FIRE ANT? If you are stung by a bee or wasp, quickly remove the stinger from your skin if it is still there. If you are stung by a fire ant, kill the ant with a slap as soon as you feel the sting. Some people have a severe allergic reaction to insect stings called anaphylaxis. Do not hesitate to go to your nearest medical centre if you have any of the following after being stung: *Have trouble breathing, become hoarse, or start wheezing (hearing a whistling sound when you breathe) *Start to swell, especially
around the face, eyelids, ears, mouth, hands, or feet *Develop belly cramps, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea *Feel dizzy or pass out WHAT IS A NORMAL REACTION TO AN INSECT STING? Insect stings can cause the area around the sting to swell, turn red, hurt, and feel hot. To treat the pain and swelling around the area of the sting, you can: *Wash the area with soap and cool water *Keep the area clean and try not to scratch it *Put a cold, damp washcloth on the area *Take or apply anti-itch medicine *Take a nonprescription pain medicine for the pain WHAT SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT TICK BITES? Ticks are found in the grass and on shrubs, and can attach to people walking by. But a tick has to stay attached for a while before it can give
you the infection. If you are bitten by a tick, gently remove the tick from your skin, using tweezers. If you cannot remove a tick, see your doctor. WHAT CAN I DO TO REDUCE THE CHANCES OF GETTING BITTEN OR STUNG? You can: *Wear shoes, longsleeved shirts, and long pants when you go outside. If you are worried about ticks, tuck your pants into your socks and wear light colours so you can spot any ticks that get on you. *Wear bug spray. *Stay inside at dawn and
dusk, when mosquitoes are most active. *Drain areas of standing water near your home, such as wading pools and buckets. Mosquitoes breed in standing water. *Keep foods and drinks covered when you are outside. *If you see a stinging insect, stay calm and slowly back away. *If you live in an area that has fire ants, avoid stepping on ant mounds. *If you find an insect nest in or near your house, call a pest-control service to get rid of the nest safely As always prevention is
Dr. Zulfikar Bux better than cure. If you are bitten or stung and you see any warning signs, go to your nearest medical centre immediately.
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Kaieteur News
SUNDAY SPECIAL GOVT. US $5.7M SETTLEMENT… NO COURT RECORDS FOUND FOR BK “US$10M CLAIM” For months, some members of the Government have been harping on the tune that had it not entered into a US$5M out-of-court settlement with a local construction firm, it would have risked losing double the amount. The impression given by Government officials was that the company, BK International, filed court proceedings against the Government demanding compensation in the sum of US$10M after it was found that the company’s contract on a multimilliondollar project was arbitrarily terminated. To date, such supporting documents cannot be found. And the parties involved have offered little to no help. Kaieteur News contacted Managing Director of BK International, Brian Tiwarie, on Tuesday last, for a copy of the related documents. Tiwarie said that his assistants were not in office at the time. He said that he could not confirm as well how much in compensation he was “demanding from the Government via the court.” He skirted the question and asked to be contacted at 10:00 am the following day. Even when this was done, the businessman failed to honour this commitment. He subsequently asked for an extension to do so on Saturday. When contacted this time around, Tiwarie disclosed that he had already travelled to Miami, Florida, since Thursday, and that calls should be made to his office for the document to be uplifted. But even those efforts proved futile. Attorney General Basil Williams was also contacted for further assistance, but he made it clear that he was not going to cooperate with the newspaper. Just a few months ago, it was revealed that Government entered into an out-of-court settlement with BK International, whose management of the Haags Bosch Landfill was terminated, was compensated US$5.7M. The administration which came to power last year, ending a two-decade reign by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), had vowed to be more transparent than the previous Government. SHOCKING TWIST IN BERBICE BUSINESSMAN MURDER PI…HOTEL OWNERARRESTED FOR OFFERING COP $400,000 BRIBE TO SUPPRESS EVIDENCE In a shocking twist in an already controversial case, a relative of one of the three accused in the murder of businessman Shameer Ali Mursalin is in custody for trying to bribe a police rank to suppress evidence. The detained relative, who is a hotel owner, was taken into custody last week Saturday when he turned up at CID Headquarters, Eve Leary, to hand over $100,000, of a $400,000 sum, to a member of the Major Crimes Unit as an initial payment. Confirming the arrest, Acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine told Kaieteur News that “we have someone in custody who is assisting us in the investigation into that matter.” Police reportedly have video and audio evidence of the hotel owner offering the bribe and handing over the money. Kaieteur News understands that police ranks were scheduled to testify in the Preliminary Inquiry, and attempts were reportedly being made to stop them from doing so. According to reports, the relative of one
Sunday August 28, 2016
last year, weeks after the coalition, VanWest Charles, a former minister within the People’s National Congress (PNC), and his close friend, Goring, became directors for Atlantic Fuels. The other partners are Andron and Ronaldo Alphonso, close relatives of business magnate, Alfro Alphonso. MONDAY EDITION NORTON $12.5M DRUG BOND FIASCO…POSSIBILITY OF FIRE, TRAFFIC CONGESTION UNDERSCORE NEED FOR SUSSEX ST. BOND – PM NAGAMOOTOO, TROTMAN, HARMON
of the three accused visited CID Headquarters. He then made the $400,000 offer to a detective from the Major Crimes Unit, which is being lauded for cracking several difficult murder cases. The businessman indicated that he would give the detective an initial $100,000 and pay the $300,000 on Monday last. After appearing to agree to the offer, the detective notified his superiors and a trap was arranged. The relative was then taken into custody last week Saturday when he turned up with the cash. The development came just two days after relatives of murdered businessman, Shameer Ali Mursalin had raised concerns about the actions of the Magistrate who is presiding over the Preliminary Inquiry into the case. Mursalin, called ‘Kazac,’ a trader, of Grant 1805 Weld Tank Dam, Crabwood Creek, Berbice Corentyne, in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), was fatally shot to the head following a longstanding dispute with a fellow businessman, on October 24, 2015. According to reports, police were investigating a report of threatening language and damage to property at Mursalin’s house. Af-
ter calling out for him for some time without any response, the police officers ventured into the yard and found the victim’s body lying in a pool of blood at the residence. CONVICTED DRUG TRAFFICKER/ DEPORTEE HIREDAS MANAGER OF GWI’S DEBT RECOVERY UNIT As questions continue over the granting of fuel licences to the head of the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI), Dr. Richard Van-West Charles, another scandal is brewing at the state-owned entity. According to details now emerging, a close friend and business partner of the Chief Executive, was hired last year as Manager in the all-sensitive Debt Recovery Unit. That unit handles tens of millions each year collected from delinquent customers. However, it seems that GWI failed to conduct proper background checks of the Manager, Lear Goring. They missed the very pertinent fact that Goring was convicted by US authorities in the 1990s before being deported twice- the last time in the early 2000s. According to US court files, Goring was convicted twice of drug trafficking in 1990s. In the first instance, after a conviction, he was deported in 1993 to Guyana. Not to be daunted, he used a forged passport to travel back in 1995 – again with drugs. Again he was caught. In 1996, he changed his not guilty plea after an agreement with prosecutors and the New York court sentenced him to 63 months in the Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix, New Jersey. It is unclear if he was deported before his sentence of actual jail time, which amounted to 48 months, ended. What is known is that between January and June, 2002, he was deported yet again from the US. Goring’s name surfaced two weeks ago after he was named with Van-West Charles, his boss at GWI, as being a director of Atlantic Fuels Inc. That company was granted a fuel import and storage licence last November. The revelations of the licences immediately raised concerns, with questions asked if Van-West Charles’ connections to the Coalition Government was what tipped the company that applied. Local documents filed in the Deeds and Commercial Registry disclosed that in June
Even though an international report categorically states that the state-owned Diamond warehouse can store all of the nation’s drugs and supplies and even more, a Cabinet sub-committee is still insisting that the rental of a storage bond in Sussex Street is necessary. The three-man sub-committee consists of Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman and Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo. Given the controversy surrounding the drug bond which is owned by Lawrence Singh of Linden holdings Inc., the team was expected to objectively investigate the matter and provide a report on its findings and recommendations. Even though it acknowledges that the Diamond facility can indeed store drugs for the entire nation, the sub-committee said that there are other factors which must be considered. The sub-committee said it is not safe to have all of the nation’s drugs and medical supplies in one facility, in case of a fire or some natural disaster that can have calamitous consequences to the national health care system. The sub-committee stated too that the location of the Diamond warehouse can affect distribution of medical supplies, given traffic congestion issues that are associated with the East Bank thoroughfare. Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo said that the possibility of a fire and the issue of traffic congestion were just two of the many reasons considered for embracing the contract. Nagamootoo noted that there was a visit to the Diamond facility and the Sussex Street Bond. He said that committee members who visited the bond were satisfied that it was suitable for use as provided for under the contract. He said that the members recommended that the bond be used until the Government is able to build an alternative facility. ”We are not justifying in a long-term sense that this is a facility that has longterm viability. We are saying use it because of the necessity that has emerged for a period by which time a new bond would be acquired.” The Prime Minister said that when the bond proposal came to Cabinet initially, the issue of traffic congestion affecting the access to medical supplies at the Diamond facility was not raised. He said that it might be used as a rationalization for the continued use of the Sussex Street bond. AG MISLED NATION ON BK SETTLEMENT The controversial US$5.7Million settlement between Government and construction firm, BK International, was brought to the attention of the nation by this newspaper (Continued on page 33)
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(From page 32) on April 8, last. When the revelation was made at that time, the Attorney General, Basil Williams came out the following day stating that Government had not yet finalized a settlement with BK. He insisted that negotiations were still ongoing with the final approval to be made by the Cabinet. Williams even demanded an apology from the publishers of the Kaieteur News for the said article. However, recent comments from some of his cabinet colleagues clearly show that the Kaieteur News article was grounded in truth. According to Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, the US$5.7m settlement was hammered out since last year. He said it was agreed that BK International would receive the payments for the US$5.7M settlement in three tranches; two this year and the other which will be part of the 2017 budget. Jordan said the first tranche of $350M was already part of the 2016 budget which was passed February last. He said it was paid over to BK in keeping with the agreement. The second part of $500M would be paid in the second quarter of the year. In addition to this, some members of the Government have been for some time, harping on the tune that had it not entered into a US$5.7M out-of-court settlement with BK International, it would have risked losing double the amount. The impression given by Government officials was that the company, BK International, filed court proceedings against the Government demanding compensation in the sum of US$10M after it was found that the company’s contract on a multimillion-dollar project was arbitrarily terminated. To date, such supporting documents cannot be found. And the parties involved have offered little to no help in locating them. The administration which came to power last year, ending a two-decade reign by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), had vowed to be more transparent than the previous Government. However, a number of transactions, including this settlement, have been placing them under fire. BK is said to have close ties to the administration after a falling out with the PPP/C. According to Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, the settlement was “designed” to allow the government to pursue a better project that would see another company managing the landfill site. Bulkan said it was crucial for Government to move forward with the development of the Haags Bosch Landfill site. TWO WEEKS LATER…NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, MPS STILLAWAIT BOND STORAGE CONTRACT FROM NORTON Former Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall is concerned over the fact that the embattled Minister of Health, George Norton, is yet to make good on his promise to provide a copy of the Drug bond rental contract to all Members of Parliament (MPs). Last Sunday, Nandlall told Kaieteur News that he recently wrote to the Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs inquiring about the availability of the contract. Nandall reminded the Clerk of Norton’s promise made August 8 in the Committee of Supply. ”He said that he will deliver a copy of the infamous rental agreement for the controversial building rented at $12.5 million monthly, to be used as a storage bond by the Ministry
Kaieteur News
of Public Health. He said he will do so ‘very shortly’,” Nandlall said. The Parliamentarian said that two weeks have elapsed but he and his colleagues on the opposition benches continue to wait for the contract. Nandlall said that the Clerk indicated that the contract is yet to be delivered. In his response to Nandlall, Isaacs also indicated that he has since reminded the Minister of Public Health of his promise to furnish the rental contract. “As soon as same is received, it will be forwarded to all Members of the National Assembly.” It was some two weeks ago that Norton was grilled extensively by members of the Opposition over $25M which was taken from the Contingencies Fund. It was revealed the sum was used as part of a security deposit for a warehouse in Sussex Street. This bond is owned by Larry Singh of Linden Holdings Inc. The political opposition was able to show that Dr. Norton’s statements were just not adding up in a number of areas. The Contingencies Fund is only supposed to be accessed when there is an unforeseen circumstance. Using the Fund would mean that Government never made any provision for it in the national budget and using tax dollars to address the matter would be needed or else it would jeopardize the public’s interest. TUESDAY EDITION GOVT. PAYS BK US$5.7M ON A SIMPLE THREAT LETTER …TIWARIE’S US$10M CLAIM NEVER WENT TO COURT – MINISTER BULKAN For months, several Government officials sought to defend the US$5.7M out-of-court settlement with BK International, claiming that had the government decided to challenge any suit, then it would have risked losing double the amount. The Government officials also suggested that BK International’s initial claim of US$10M was made before the courts, hence the haste to hammer out the deal and pay the contractor off as quickly as possible. Relentlessly, this newspaper tried to get a hold of documents to that effect, but all efforts proved futile. Court officials said that no such records existed. Attorney General Basil Williams refused to cooperate with the newspaper, and the owner of the company,
Brian Tiwarie, made numerous promises to provide the mystery document, but failed to do so. Kaieteur News again contacted Tiwarie, two Tuesdays ago, for a copy of the related documents. Tiwarie replied that his assistants were not in office at the time. He said that he could not confirm, also, how much in compensation he was “demanding from the Government via the court.” He skirted the question and asked to be contacted at 10:00 am the following day. Even when this was done, the businessman failed to honour this commitment. He subsequently asked for an extension to do so last Saturday. When contacted this time around, Tiwarie disclosed that he had already travelled to Miami, Florida, since the previous Thursday, and that calls should be made to his office for the document to be uplifted. But even those efforts proved futile. Meanwhile, Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams said: “I am not going to cooperate with Kaieteur News. Kaieteur News attacks me all the time and I see despite the fact that (Former AG Anil Nandlall) said he gon kill all ah y’all, he is back in y’all good books on the front page attacking me. ”Unless you can show me a different approach, how could I give you a document with BK matter? And then you try to use the document…So if you disparage me as Attorney General, Chairman of the PNC, wha’ else? Member of Parliament…then y’all come and beg for me to pull back the case I had against y’all. I don’t know nothing about BK. Go ask (Minister of) Communities.” Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan was able to shed some light on this controversy. In an interview with this newspaper, the politician explained that indeed the court said that BK International should be compensated after its contract for the management of the Haags Bosch was arbitrarily terminated. Bulkan said that the company however never moved to the court for compensation. He revealed that by way of letter, BK made a claim for over US$10M to the government. The Minister of Communities said he is not sure who, what or how the issue of BK going before the court to make his claim was manu-
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factured. Furthermore, the controversial US$5.7 Million settlement between Government and BK International was brought to the attention of the nation by this newspaper on April 8, last. BERBICE BUSINESSMAN MURDER PI…MAGISTRATE EVICTS PUBLIC AND JOURNALIST FROM COURTROOM A magistrate in Berbice on Monday evicted a Kaieteur News reporter and members of the public from his court, as a highprofile murder case over which he is presiding continued. The clearing of the courtroom took place when the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the murder of businessman Shameer Ali Mursalin continued before Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh at the Springlands Magistrate’s Court in Corentyne. Mursalin, called ‘Kazac,’ a trader, of Grant 1805 Weld Tank Dam, Crabwood Creek, Berbice Corentyne, in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), was fatally shot to the head following a longstanding dispute with a fellow businessman, on October 24, 2015. At the commencement of proceedings Monday, the Magistrate emptied the courtroom after he was alerted that a reporter from Kaieteur News was present. The accused called the Magistrate’s attention to the reporter, whom they claimed had been recording inside the courtroom. The reporter denied the allegations. However the magistrate was visibly upset. ”I see that I have become a celebrity overnight for doing my job,” he stated. He shortly after read out a section of the law which he claimed gives him the right to hold the case in camera (the public not present). He then cleared the court. Businessman Dennis Veerasammy and two of his employees, Basheer Harrinauth and Delroy Fraser, have been charged and are before the court for the murder. The three men are being represented by Attorney at law Chandra Sohan. Police Prosecutor Bernard Brown is presenting the case. Last week, after a number of adjournments, relatives of the murdered man had raised concerns over the conduct of the trial. They claimed that the Magistrate adjourned the last hearing and did not allow the main witness in the trial to review and sign his deposition. Mursalin’s relatives believed that there is a deliberate ploy to sabotage the case. According to the relatives, the PI had been postponed on several occasions, despite the availability of several witnesses. WEDNESDAY EDITION MAN GUNNED DOWN IN CAR, FEMALE FRIEND WOUNDED A 23-year-old man was gunned down and his 22-year-old female friend wounded during a confrontation with another man in Perry Street Tucville at around 21.20 hrs on Tuesday. Relatives said that the victims, Colin Perreira, of Barr Street, Kitty, and Gail Ann Chacon, 22, were shot while sitting in a car that Perreira was driving. Perreira, an excavator operator, was shot in the chest and stomach and died shortly after. Chacon was reportedly shot in the back and hands and was undergoing surgery last night at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. Reports indicated that the two friends were shot by a resident of Perry Street, Tucville, shortly after they had reversed onto the resident’s bridge. The shooter was (Continued on page 34)
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(From page 33) detained. Kaieteur News understands that Perreira had just left a popular Kitty bar, where he was hanging out with friends. He then dropped off some people and headed to Perry Street, where the shooting occurred. His mother, Cerene Roberts, said that she received a call at around 21.20 hrs that her son, also known as ‘Malcolm’, had been shot. She said that she went to Perry Street, where she was shown the area where the shooting had occurred. She also saw a police rank driving the car that her son had used. The vehicle had a number of bullet-holes in the windscreen. According to Mrs. Roberts, the rank indicated that he was taking the vehicle to the East La Penitence Police Station. She said that her son succumbed after being taken by friends to the GPHC. According to the woman, her son had no enemies that she is aware of. THAT SHADY BOND DEAL… AFC RENEGED ON ITS PROMISE TO KEEPAPNU IN LINE – GOOLSARRAN The “composed and silent” position assumed by the Alliance For Change (AFC) on the alarming nature of the controversial bond deal has led anti-corruption advocate Anand Goolsarran to say that the AFC has with its silence and attitude, reneged on its promise to the citizenry. The former Auditor General recalled that it was the co-founder of the AFC, Raphael Trotman, now Minister of Natural Resources, who said during the election campaign trail that the AFC would serve as the check and balance for A Partnership for National Unity (APNU). Trotman had stated, “We are in a coalition where we will act as a check and balance for each other, so if APNU misbehaves in any way we will pull them in line and vice versa and the people, most importantly, will not allow us to mess it up…” Goolsarran said that some critics might want to pose the argument that the AFC may have found itself between a rock and a hard place when it comes to speaking on the controversial bond matter. Agreeing with the contention to some extent, he said that public disapproval and condemnation by the AFC might be seen as an attempt to weaken the coalition. He stressed, however, that the flipside to
that state of affairs is the fact that AFC’s silence may very well be seen as one example of proof that it has been compromised and/or lost its strong political convictions. ”AFC’s silence on the situation is frustrating and disappointing. AFC was supposed to be the one keeping the party in line, and be the buffer against any form of excess. With that in mind, silence on the sole sourcing of a bond to store drugs for the nation is something one would expect would not sit well with the AFC.” Goolsarran added, “But not a single statement it has said on the matter as a party, registering its disapproval. What then has silenced this once unashamedly outspoken party? The situation is just disappointing to the electorate.” EMBATTLED MANAGER WAS NOT QUALIFIED FOR JOB – GWI OFFICIAL The hiring of a twice-convicted drug trafficker at the state-owned Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) is generating intense debate, with questions being now asked about his qualifications. Manager of GWI’s Debt Recovery Unit, Lear Goring, was employed late last year but it appears that the entity disregarded his background or simply did not know. This week, amidst public pressure, GWI’s management sent him home pending a probe by the Board of Directors. Goring is said to be close friend of Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van-West Charles.
GWI has remained mum on his hiring and asked for all questions by the media to be forwarded to its Public Relations Department. However, there has been no response since the story broke last week. GWI sources onTuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity, insisted that Goring did not have the requisite qualifications. ”There is nothing much in his personnel file. The position was not advertised and to boot, there was not much anything that makes one understand on what criteria Mr Goring was hired,” a senior GWI official said. On Monday, Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, who is charged with responsibilities of the water sector, said that GWI has been asked to prepare a report of the hiring of the manager, following the report by Kaieteur News on Sunday that said that all was not above board. The hiring has also caught the attention of the Opposition, with former Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali, making it clear that GWI’s internal controls are supposed to conform to international standards, especially with the employment of workers. ”As far as I am aware, and I know, the Human Resources Department of GWI has international standards… international regulations. And the policies are in keeping with those regulations and standards. As a matter of fact, the hiring policy is equivalent and even superior to any corporation in Guyana.” THURSDAY EDITION THAT SHADY BOND DEAL… WE ARE HUMANS, NOT A CABINET OFANGELS; WE WILL MAKE MISTAKES -RAMJATTAN “Think of it like a game of cricket. One man drops de ball at a crucial point in the game. Wuh de Captain must do? Box the man behind he head, tell he walk off the field and call a truck to drive over him? No. We are humans and we will blunder. We are not a Cabinet of Angels.” This was the perspective of Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan as he considered the controversial Sussex Street bond deal which has, as of late, earned the coalition administration nothing but harsh criticisms. The bond is owned by Lawrence Singh of Linden Holdings Inc. Ramjattan, the Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), said that while some critics expect the party to be “unashamedly outspoken on the issue” and to give Public Health
Sunday August 28, 2016
Minister, Dr. George Norton a “feral blast”, he stressed that the protocols of Cabinet dictate a different mode of approach. In fact, Ramjattan said that when he considers the issue of the bond deal, the entire Cabinet, he believes, should take some amount of responsibility for the mistake. ”It is not only Norton who erred. It’s the entire Cabinet. I will take my share of the responsibility, but people must understand that there is a certain way to doing things,” the Public Security Minister expressed. Ramjattan said that he can accept the criticism that Government erred badly in this regard, however it must be appreciated that the administration took steps to correct the mistake. The AFC Leader asserted, “When this matter came before us we were told that we have to pay $19M to New GPC for them to store drugs for us. So we voted for the $12M rental of the Sussex Street bond because it is far less than what New GPC was asking for.” He added, “We were also under the impression that the Sussex Street facility was ready. But of course we found out this was not the case. But what did we do after finding certain anomalies? We immediately established a subcommittee to investigate the matter.” The Cabinet subcommittee comprised Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, Natural Resources Minster, Raphael Trotman and Minister of State, Joseph Harmon. Ramjattan stressed that coming out of that sub-committee were certain recommendations, one of which includes an apology to the public. MAN GUNNED DOWN… SUSPECT THOUGHT MEN WANTING TO KILL HIM WERE IN CAR The man who opened fire on Tuesday night when a car turned on his bridge in front of his Tucville, Georgetown home—killing a father of one and wounding a 22-year-old woman -— has reportedly told the cops that he thought that persons intent on killing him were in the vehicle. The alleged shooter, who has been identified as a contractor, gave police a statement, claiming that he had an argument earlier in the day with a group of men, who threatened to return and kill him. The suspect alleged that when he noticed a heavily-tinted car on his bridge around 21:20 hrs on Tuesday, he thought that the men had returned to make good their threat, so he decided to open fire first in an effort to save himself. However, the occupants of the car were not Benn’s would-be attackers. They were 24year-old Colin Perreira of Barr Street, Kitty and 22-year-old Gail Ann Chacon. The police in a release said that they are investigating an alleged murder committed on Colin Perreira and attempted murder of Gail Ann Chacon by a licensed firearm holder. According to the police, investigations so far have revealed that Perreira, who was driving a heavily tinted motor car, with the other victim seated in the front passenger seat, attempted to turn around the vehicle, in front of the suspect’s residence. In the process, the suspect, who was in his yard, drew his licenced handgun and discharged several rounds at the vehicle, hitting the victims about their bodies. Perreira was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) while the 22-year-old woman is said to be in a stable condition. Kaieteur News was told that Perreira (Continued on page 35)
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(From page 34) and Chacon worked for the same person and at the time of the shooting, the father of one was dropping his co-worker home. The 22year-old woman lives a few houses away from the shooter. At Perreira’s home on Wednesday, his mother could not speak. A relative said that they are all trying to cope with the young man’s sudden demise. BATTERED BODY OF MISSING BERBICE FISHERMAN FOUND IN SANDPIT The badly battered and bruised body of a 26-year-old man who was reported missing, was Wednesday afternoon discovered in a sandpit at No 68 Village backdam. Levan Chanderpaul, a fisherman of Number 68 Village, Corentyne, was last seen around 19:00 hrs on Monday, when he left his home for an unknown destination. He was not seen again. His mother made a missing person report Wednesday morning. Search parties were dispatched and he was discovered in a sandpit around 15:20 hrs about half of a mile west of the public road. The body was reportedly discovered by a young boy grazing sheep and goats in the backdam. The lad began screaming and this attracted a search party that was nearby. The police were then informed and quickly descended on the scene. According to information, when the body was found it bore marks suggesting that the deceased had been badly beaten – there were bruises on the head and ears, the neck appeared to be broken and there were signs that he was also beaten in the area of the genitals. Reports are that the man was seen smoking heavily over the last week and was consuming a lot of alcohol also. It is reported that he had made off with a quantity of an illegal substance which had gone missing. Investigators are also theorizing that the man might have been beaten elsewhere and his body dumped there. There were no signs of blood at the scene and there was not much disturbance of the area. Chanderpaul has no children and lives with his parents. Acting on information, about five persons have been arrested and are in custody. Investigations are ongoing.
Kaieteur News
FRIDAY EDITION NO EVIDENCE RAMROOP’S R/VELDT COMPLEX IS A GWI CUSTOMER – OPERATIONS COULD BE BACKBILLED TENS OF MILLIONS$$$ – INVESTIGATORS ASKED TO LEAVE COMPOUND The state-owned Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) has started investigations on the Ruimveldt property sold by Government to Queens Atlantic Investments Incorporated (QAII), a company controlled by Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop. Known as the Sanata Textile Mill property, GWI technicians reportedly visited it more than a week ago to carry out checks. From indications, according to GWI officials, QAII, has not been paying its water bills. It appears that the connections are illegal. As a matter of fact, GWI could find no trace of the property even being listed as a customer. “We have made checks of that property, and it is, as you know, a pretty large piece with many buildings, and surprisingly enough, there is no trace of it as one of our customers,” a GWI officer disclosed yesterday. GWI officials are mystified, as the water company owns the well that had been sunk right in the compound. That well was there for at least two decades, as far back when a Chinese company was there operating a textile mill. GWI technicians have been accessing the compound quite regularly to carry out maintenance and other works. The well currently serves about 9,000 customers in the Ruimveldt area, including D’Aguiar Park, Alexander Village, Meadowbank and West Ruimveldt. “What we found from the initial checks is that there is a bulk meter in place serving the buildings. We were unable to conduct more investigations as our team was ordered to leave the premises.” The GWI official declined to explain who ordered his team to leave the premises – GWI’s management or QAII. It is believed that QAII which has been in the compound has been utilizing water from the well since it started operations as far back as 2008. It therefore could be backdated tens of millions of dollars now by GWI for using water and not paying for it. GWI will have to determine the extent of
the usage of possible illegal connections. GWI’s Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van West Charles, declined yesterday to speak on the issue, noting, through his management, that the matter is currently engaging the attention of the entity. The Sanata Complex houses a number of QAII subsidiaries including the Guyana Times operations, TVG28, and Radio Guyana. It also houses a drug bond and administrative offices for New GPC. The problem is a huge one for GWI which currently has more than $4B outstanding from delinquent and other customers. Over the past year, almost $1.8B was collected. A large number of customers remained unmetered, so it is difficult to determine how much revenue is actually lost. Additionally, a number of new private schemes and commercial operations have been receiving water, but through illegal connections. GWI, the official said yesterday, is now systematically going throughout the country to determine how much it is losing. With regards to Ramroop’s operations, it is unclear how long the complex has been receiving water and whether the connections were made when the property was handed over to Ramroop and company. SHADY BOND DEALA REMINDER OF GUYANA’S DARKEST DAYS UNDER PPP – DR. HINDS Executive Member of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Dr. David Hinds is deeply disappointed in the Government’s handling of the controversial Sussex Street bond deal. The political activist said that it is important to note that the nature of the deal and how it was awarded in a less than transparent manner is “a stark reminder of Guyana’s darkest days” under the former regime. Dr. Hinds said it is unfortunate that the Government seems to be facing some of the same problems. The transparency advocate said, “I believe that the process should be transparent and adhere to rules that are democratic and fair.” He also hammered home the point that the contract for a warehouse to store the nation’s drugs was sole sourced to Lawrence Singh of Linden Holdings Inc. In this regard, Dr. Hinds said that sole sourcing should be a very last resort, since it is fraught with possibilities of favouritism.
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Hinds asserted, “I think this whole situation with the bond should be scrapped and subjected to transparent process. This government came to office with the expressed promise to clean up the mess of the previous government, so it should hold itself, and be held, to a higher standard.” SARA DIRECTOR WILL BE SECOND MOST POWERFUL PERSON IN GUYANA – NANDLALL “He will be a power unto himself,” was the opinion of former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall as he spoke about the powers to be given to the Director of the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) if the Bill is accepted by the National Assembly in its current form. Consultations on the SARA Bill are ongoing. The Bill creates an agency – SARA – which is to be headed by a Director. This Director, Nandlall claims “would arguably be, apart from the President, the most powerful person in Guyana.” The lawyer pointed out that while SARA has no legal personality, the director does. “He is a corporate sole; he is the legal embodiment of the agency. He is its Alpha and its Omega.” The Former Attorney General said this (Continued on page 36)
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(From page 35) at a public forum that the People’s Progressive Party held on the Bill. Indeed, in the discharge of his functions, the Bill makes the SARA Director answerable to no one, not even the President. He determines and controls all operational matters. There is no-line Minister to guide him on policy matters. He has a right to demand any information from: the Director of Public Prosecutions, Commissioner of Police, Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit, Head of the Special Organized Crime Unit, Chairman of the Integrity Commission, Commissioner-General of the Guyana Revenue Authority, Governor of the Bank of Guyana, Head of CANU, Chairman of the Gold Board and Chairman of the National Procurement and Tender Administration. Nandlall said that with such a provision, the Bill ignores the fact that many of those officials are prohibited by their respective legislation from disclosing certain information. He added that the Bill also ignores the constitutional protection which is accorded to the Director of Public Prosecutions, making that office answerable to no one in the discharge of its functions. The former Attorney General said that in this regard, the SARA it violates article 187 of the Constitution. Nandlall said that no public officer should have the amount of powers which are concentrated in the Director of SARA and its officers, as there is bound to be abuse. He further pointed out, “There is no tribunal exercising disciplinary jurisdiction over this director or any of his officers. This is a recipe for abuse and misuse of power and authority. C’TYNE MAN CHARGED WITH KILLING BOY, 14, DUMPING BODY IN DRAIN The man who police had held as the main suspect in the murder of a 14-year-old Corentyne boy was on Thursday charged with the crime and remanded to prison. Twenty-six year-old Terani Goolcharran, called “Bruise Up”, of Number 60 Village, appeared before Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh in the Springlands Magistrate’s Court and was not required to plead to the indictable charge of murder. He is accused of murdering Akeem Grimmond between the 20th and 22nd of August at No 61 Village, Corentyne, Berbice. Goolcharran, who was unrepresented, was remanded to jail until September 14th when the matter will be called again in the Number 51 Magistrate’s Court for report. The boy’s badly decomposed body was found around in a drain aback of a burial ground some 700 yards west of the public road in the same village. The corpse reportedly bore a four-inch
Kaieteur News
Sunday August 28, 2016
Acting Commissioner of Police, David Ramnarine wound behind the left ear. SATURDAY EDITION 1993 MONICA REECE MURDER… “UNPROFESSIONAL COURSE OF ACTION” TOOK PLACE DURING INITIAL PROBE - ACTING TOP COP In a shocking disclosure Friday, Acting Commissioner of Police David Ramnarine revealed that “an unprofessional course of action” took place during the initial probe into the April 1993 Good Friday night killing of security guard Monica Reece. Ramnarine made the revelation during a press conference, after he was asked about the status of the case, which the Force reopened just over a month ago. “It is very clear to me that an unprofessional course of action took place at the time when the investigation was ongoing,” Ramnarine said. “The first review (of the case) revealed that an unprofessional course of action was taken in that year, and that period, when that matter was under investigation.” But the acting Top Cop repeatedly refused to be drawn into identifying who was responsible for this “unprofessional” action, while saying that the case is still under review. This is the first time that a senior member of the Force has publicly admitted that there were problems with the initial investigation into one of the country’s most sensational killings. I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR MISLEADINGTHE NATION - NORTON APOLOGISES FOR DRUG BOND FIASCO, BUT STILL UNCONVINCING WITH DETAILS Weeks after he delivered contradictory statements in the National Assembly – the
Monica Reece
highest legislative forum in the country – Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton, has apologised, taking “full responsibility for misleading the nation” on spending for a drug storage bond. His apology came as a result of recommendations that were made by a Cabinet subcommittee - comprising Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, and Minister of State, Joseph Harmon - which was tasked to probe the questionable transaction involving the bond, located on Sussex Street, Charlestown – the epicentre of the controversy. The bond was rented from Linden Holdings Inc., a company that is linked to businessman, Lawrence “Larry” Singh for $12.5 million monthly. The deal was signed between the Ministry of Public Health and Linden Holdings Inc. on June 1st, 2016 and is for three years, with the possibility of renewal. The rental of the bond only came to light after Minister Norton was asked by the Opposition on August 8th, in the National Assembly, to explain a $25M spending. He explained then that Government only took the decision to rent the Sussex Street building because of the hefty rent of $19.2M charged by New GPC. However, New GPC refuted it ever charged Government for the use of its bond. The Minister also incorrectly told the House that the rented facility met World Health Organization standards. On Friday, during a press conference at the Parliament Buildings to offer his apology, Minister Norton said that he made statements based on “advice” given to him. “In these circumstances, I wish to extend my sincere and profound regret to His Excellency, Brigadier David Granger, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana; Honourable Barton Scotland CCH, MP, Speaker of the National Assemb l y ; P r i m e M i n i s t e r M r. M o s e s Nagamootoo and my Parliamentary colleagues of the APNU+AFC, members of the Parliamentary Opposition, and all others who were present or able to observe the process of the consideration of the estimates relative to payments to New GPC Incorporated and Linden Holdings Inc.”
Meanwhile, the media fraternity took no prisoners as they grilled the Minister - who had at his side, Director of Public Information, Imran Khan - on the use of the building as a storage bond despite the Agreement of Tenancy clearly stating that the building be used as a professional office. The Minister in responding to this query said that was “a technicality” that he might not be able to answer at the moment. Asked how the owner of the building, Lawrence Singh, had learnt that there was a need by government for such a property and how the businessman became a part of this deal, Imran Khan interjected by saying that he thought that the question was a bit ‘unfair ‘to ask the Minister, and that the question should be directed to Singh instead. After being continuously grilled, the Minister responded that he was unable to say. The Minister was also asked how was it that Singh has purchased the building during the time the Government needed the bond and that the security deposit of $25M paid to Singh was the same price of the building that he had acquired, he stated, “I would not be able to answer that question.” Asked if Cabinet is prepared to now go to public tender with the contract, Khan interjected by saying that at the moment there are the recommendations that were made by the Cabinet Sub-Committee which advised for future negotiations. Questioned how long more, Khan said that there is no timeline. And asked if he had by any chance made recommendations to scrap the project and start over, Dr. Norton said that he did not see it necessary and that he is comfortable with the bond, because he thinks that it has what it takes to store the medication in a proper way. However, he supports the reviewing of the contract. The embattled Minister said that there is a lesson to be learnt from the issue – which comes at a difficult time – and that is, Government should be careful and perform due diligence with state contracts.
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Kaieteur News
Heed IMF’s advice to improve taxation By Kiana Wilburg As Guyana and many other nations around the world face several fiscal challenges, the conversation on addressing taxation for successful 21st century economies becomes more relevant than ever. And there are two important ingredients when it comes to dealing with taxation in this light. The first one is the ability of countries to generate robust government revenue. This is, of course, the lifeblood of modern states. This is what allows governments to provide public goods that support strong and durable growth. The policeman on the streets in the line of fire, the nurse who is attending to a patient, the teacher who is inspiring young minds, the scientist who is conducting cutting-edge basic research: these are only some of the people who could not do their work without reliable government income. But let’s face it, in most, if not all countries, there is a pressing need to generate higher and more reliable revenue, although not necessarily for the same reason. For example, oil exporting-countries are adapting to a new reality of low commodity prices. Developing economies need more domestically generated revenue to achieve the new Sustainable Development Goals. And some advanced economies, especially in Europe, need higher fiscal revenue to bolster their economic recovery and
financial stability. The second ingredient of successful 21st century economies is international taxation. This is an essential means by which governments mobilize their revenues in a globalized economy. Recent headlines about Google, Starbucks, and Ikea have underlined that an international tax system needs to work for everybody. We need a system that discourages the artificial shifting of profits and assets to low-tax locations. And we need a system that discourages overly aggressive tax competition among countries. In other words, we need a tax system in which ordinary citizens are convinced that multinational companies and wealthy individuals are contributing a fair share to the public purse, to the common good. While talking about these two angles of taxation, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) , Ms. Christine Lagarde said that the entity has a role to play in helping countries achieve the best possible form of government financing—one that is reliable, fair, and efficient. So let us start with the first ingredient of successful 21st century economies—revenue mobilization—which is on the minds of so many policymakers. According to Lagarde, higher government revenues would create much-needed fiscal room for manoevure and allow for more spending on all the things that drive potential growth over the
medium term, including infrastructure, healthcare, and education. In addition, she posits that more reliable sources of revenue would help avoid volatility in public expenditure and procyclical fiscal policy. She notes that this is particularly important for oilexporting countries that have been heavily affected by the recent plunge in oil prices. Last year, for example, oil exporters in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region lost more than US$340 billion in oil revenue from their budgets, amounting to 20 percent of their combined GDP. Not only have oil prices fallen by around two-thirds from their most recent peak, but supply and demand-side factors suggest that they are likely to stay low for an extended period. The size and likely persistence of this external shock means that all oil exporters will have to adjust by reducing spending and increasing revenue. Of course, the fiscal adjustment needs vary from country to country. For instance, thanks to their prudent policies, most members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are now in a position where they can pace their adjustment over several years and thus limit the impact on growth. It is also worth remembering that GCC economies have made large fiscal adjustments in the past—and I am confident that they can do it again. At the same time, Lagarde asserts that these economies
need to strengthen their fiscal frameworks and reengineer their tax systems—by reducing their heavy reliance on oil revenues and by boosting non-hydrocarbon sources of revenue. The IMF Boss said that this would help bolster growth and job creation and, at the same time, help to
maintain debt sustainability and strengthen resilience. She said that it also provides a unique opportunity to design tax systems that emphasize fairness, simplicity, and efficiency. How can GCC countries achieve this? Well, Lagarde posits that it can do so by putting in place a simple
system that initially focuses on VAT—ideally, a harmonized regional VAT. Even at a low single-digit rate, such a tax could raise up to two percent of GDP. She said that the GCC can also add to this, a greater emphasis on corporate income taxes, as well as property and excise CONTINUED ON PAGE 46
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Sunday August 28, 2016
Heed IMF’s advice to... From page 45 taxes. She said that should it continue to invest in building tax administration capacity that could eventually allow for the introduction of personal income taxes. The IMF boss noted that progress is already visible in many countries. Turning her attention to international taxation, Lagarde expressed that while taxation is the tool that allows governments to mobilize their revenues, these vital efforts can be undermined by overly aggressive tax competition among countries. She cautioned that this beg-thyneighbour strategy hurts everybody. “As you know, tax evasion and avoidance is not only hitting the headlines recently, but is also at the top of the global policy agenda. This reflects frustration in many countries at a time of rising fiscal pressures and modest global growth. It also reflects anger among many ordinary citizens around the world over rising inequality of income and wealth.” Lagarde continued, “In fact, there is a widely shared recognition that too many multinational companies and wealthy individuals are ‘gaming,’ a creaking system of international taxation that is no longer fit for the modern global economy.” The Managing Director added, “Let me be clear: significant progress has been made in recent years. A good example is the automatic exchange of taxpayer information among governments. This new global standard will make it harder for wealthy individuals to avoid income and wealth taxes by moving assets to offshore locations.” Lagarde said that these low-tax locations have become part of the increasingly vigorous debate
on excessive income and wealth inequality. She noted that according to one estimate, about 30 percent of Africa’s financial wealth is held offshore—and the percentages are thought to be even higher in some major oil-producing countries. She then expounded on the Fund’s role in achieving fair and reliable government financing which is based on its unique experience of working with member countries over more than 70 years. Lagarde said that this gives the IMF the ability to cover the full spectrum of fiscal issues—through research, policy advice, and direct technical assistance and training. She noted that the lion’s share of its technical assistance is provided to low- and middleincome members. Over the past five years, the IMF’s worldwide technical assistance on revenue mobilization has more than doubled and it plans to further expand this work as it responds to strong demand from its members. The IMF Boss said, “While our members are learning from us, we constantly learn from them, too. We enrich our policy advice by making use of the wealth of data from our technical assistance work and our close links with our members on fiscal issues.” Lagarde stressed that creating successful 21st century economies requires robust government revenues and an international tax system that works for everybody. These ingredients, she said, are essential for growth, fairness, and development. The IMF Chief stated that they provide the fertile ground for the prosperity of nations. And the IMF is ready to play its part for the benefit of its 189 members.
Sunday August 28, 2016
Kaieteur News
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Sunday August 28, 2016
Kaieteur News
Guyana and the fight to protect the Ozone Layer In the face of overwhelming evidence, Governments across the world have not only acknowledged that climate change is a serious threat to mankind’s very existence, but they have also launched several programmes towards reversing its damaging effects. One of the ways in which world leaders sought to address this worrying environmental issue is by signing on to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that deplete the Ozone Layer and also the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer. The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer is a landmark international agreement designed to protect the stratospheric ozone layer. The treaty was originally signed in 1987 and substantially amended in 1990 and 1992.
The Protocol stipulates that the production and consumption of compounds that deplete ozone in the stratosphere are to be phased out by 2000 (2005 for methyl chloroform). Scientific theory and evidence suggest that, once emitted to the atmosphere, these compounds could significantly deplete the stratospheric ozone layer that shields the planet from damaging UV-B radiation. Since August 12, 1993, Guyana has been a signatory to the two initiatives. The country is classified as an Article 5 country under the Protocol. This means that its annual per capita consumption and production of ozone depleting substances is less than 0.3 kg. Since Guyana does not manufacture or export these products, the extent of Guyana’s use is
confined generally to the refrigeration and air conditioning sector. But to ensure that the nation continues to play its part in the fight to protect the ozone layer, the National Ozone Action Unit (NOAU), within the Hydrometeorological Service has been tasked with monitoring the local consumption of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS). With funding from the Multilateral Fund and assistance from United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Guyana has made significant progress in meeting its Montreal Protocol obligations. Under the National Ozone Action Unit the HCFC Phase-out Management Plan (HPMP) Project and Institutional Strengthening Project (ISP) projects are currently being executed Since its inception, the
National Ozone Action Unit has worked closely with technical institutions to ensure that emerging technicians have the skills and tools necessary to ensure that Guyana remains compliant with international obligations. The continuous training and provision of resources to technicians is a clear signal of Government’s long term commitment towards environmental protection and unrelenting efforts to combat the impacts of global warming and climate change. It is of the belief that efforts to combat climate change must take on and integrated approach that incorporates all sectors – not only forestry, but education, industry, agriculture, etc. Guyana’s consumption of Ozone Depleting substances is confined mainly to the refrigeration and air conditioning sector; hence, over the years training and capacity building efforts and resources have been concentrated in this area.
Some of the major beneficiaries of these training and resources have been the many technical institutions and technicians across Guyana – and without exception, the Government Technical Institutes and GuySuCo Training Centre. Furthermore, the Institutional Strengthening Project (ISP) is an agreement between UNEP and the Ministry of Agriculture – Hydrometeorological Service to lend support to the National Ozone Action Unit in completing tasks and meeting the objectives under the HPMP and Trade Order. Objectives under the ISP are; · Monitoring and reporting of HCFC imports in Guyana to the Multilateral Fund · Executing and reporting activities completed under the Project · It is important to meet these objectives in order to achieve the following outputs; · Strengthen and sustain the capacity of the NOAU and other stakeholders to effectively monitor imports of ODS in order to maintain compliance with the Montreal Protocol · Continuous enforcement of ODS regulations and licensing system to control and monitor import ODS in order to meet and sustain compliance with the Montreal Protocol · Effective communication and awareness activities to
educate consumers to convert to ozone-friendly products. Additionally, the United Nations Environment Programme, represented by the Division of the Regional Corporation, through the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC) and the Ministry of Agriculture – Hydrometeorological Service of Guyana has an agreement for the phasing out of HCFC in Guyana. The Project objectives to which the funding agreement contributes are; · The development of legislation to control importation of HCFCs through a quota system and ban of small HCFC-based equipment · Development of standards for labeling and environmental safety of refrigerants, introduction of mandatory reporting system for importers of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) · Development and implementation of a certification system for importers · Review of training standards and delivery of training workshops for targeted groups · Development of training modules and their introduction in tertiary and secondary schools · Procurement of equipment · Public awareness and promotion of alternative HCFC technologies In 2015 the Ozone Unit also managed to complete most off its work schedule in this regard.
Sunday August 28, 2016
Kaieteur News
How To Get Fit With 3 Minutes Of Exercise A Week New research revealed on a BBC TV Horizon programme broadcast in February 2012, suggests it is possible to improve some measures of fitness with just 3 minutes of exercise a week. Medical journalist Dr Michael Mosley, like many people, is not a great fan of exercise for its own sake, and set out to find how little he would need to do to get fit. And he discovered some surprising facts about health benefits of HIT, or High Intensity Training. Challenging Current Thinking “It goes against everything I was taught in medical school, and everything I have ever read since”, gasps Mosley to camera, as he completes a vigorous bout of pedalling on a stationary exercise bike while scientists look on. Mosley, who trained as a medical doctor before moving into journalism and broadcasting, introduces the one-hour programme, “The Truth About Exercise”, by saying that what he discovered about exercise, thanks to the latest research, has challenged his view, and altered the way he lives his life. High Intensity Training A main theme of the TV programme is High Intensity Training (HIT), where you do a number of shorts bursts of intense and effortful exercise with short recovery breaks in between. HIT is not new, but has come to prominence in recent years as more researchers have looked into and measured its health benefits. There are various forms of HIT, depending on the intensity and duration of the effortful bursts, and your fitness goals. (The HIT in this article is not to be confused with
another type of workout also called HIT: a strength-training made popular in the 1970s by Arthur Jones, now practised by many bodybuilders, where you work with weights and perform sets of repetitions to the point of momentary muscle failure.) Recent HIT research shows, for example, that doing ten one-minute sprints on a stationary exercise bike with about one minute of rest in between, three times a week, is as good for improving muscle as many hours of less strenuous conventional long-term biking. Professor Martin Gibala and his team at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, carried out a study on college students, and discoverd HIT delivers the same physical benefits as traditional endurance training, even though it takes considerably less time, and surprisingly, involves doing less exercise. Types of HIT In Gibala ‘s student study, the participants had to pedal at their maximum possible effort level on a specially adapted lab bike. The thinking then was that “all out” was an important part of the HIT method. But then, in 2010, Gibala and colleagues published another study in The Journal of Physiology, where they showed how a less extreme form of HIT worked just as well for people whose doctors might be a bit worried about them adopting the “all out” method, for instance those who might be older, less fit and overweight. In that form of HIT, the workout was still beyond the comfort zone of most people
(about 95% of maximal heart rate), but was only half of what might be regarded as an “all out” sprint. On the BBC programme, Mosley tries a form of HIT developed by Jamie Timmons, professor of ageing biology at Bir-
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mingham University in the UK. In Timmons’ form of HIT, the bursts of high intensity are at maximum effort, but of very short duration (20 seconds at a time). http://www.medicalnewstoday.com.
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The Truth About Everyday Radiation Exposure Radiation is a form of energy in waves. It exists on a spectrum, with low-frequency radiation (from radio waves and microwaves) on the low end and high-frequency radiation (from gamma rays and x-rays) on the high end. All radiation affects the cells in our bodies to some extent, but the lower the frequency of the waves and the lower the exposure, the less dangerous it is. To understand the risks of high-frequency radiation — the kind we’re talking about in this article — think back to high school physics: These waves have enough energy to knock electrons off molecules, which can cause damage to cell DNA that can ultimately lead to cancer. We encounter radiation
each day from a variety of sources. The average American is exposed to about 6 millisieverts (mSv) of radiation annually, according to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC). Half of this typically comes from background radiation that occurs naturally in the environment, and half comes from medical tests, such as Xrays, mammograms, and CT scans. It’s well-established that exposure to large amounts of radiation at once can cause acute sickness and even cancer. (A 1,000 mSv-dose can trigger acute radiation sickness, causing symptoms such as nausea and vomiting; 3,000 mSV can be lethal, according to Thrall.) But there’s no good data
on the long-term risks of the low levels of radiation to which we’re continually exposed. According to the World Nuclear Association, annual exposure to 100 mSv or
greater carries a measurable, though small, increase in cancer risk. Below that level, it’s believed that your body’s cells are able to heal themselves from radiation. “There are enzyme systems in the
body that repair damage from these low levels of background radiation,” says Thrall. But even small levels of radiation exposure may impact cancer risks later in life. This has been of particular concern in the medical community, where some experts worry that increasing use of diagnostic CT scans (which has skyrocketed from 3 million annual scans nationwide in 1980 to 70 million in 2007, according to MedPage Today) will impact future cancer rates. For example, in one 2009 study, National Cancer Institute researchers estimated that one in 270 women and one in 595 men who had a heart CT at age 40 would eventually develop cancer related to the test. While the health
benefits of necessary diagnostic imaging usually outweigh the small risks of secondary cancers, it’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor before any procedure involving radiation to understand exactly what you’re getting, why you need it, and what the potential health risks may be. Bottom line: Americans are exposed to far more radiation in their daily lives — and especially from certain medical tests — than from dispersed particles traveling across the Pacific. “With what we know now about the situation in Japan, there are no personal or public health risks apparent for people in the United States,” Thrall says. http://www. every day health.com.
Fast Action Can Prevent Sepsis Death: CDC Many cases of life-threatening sepsis could be recognized and treated long before it causes severe illness or death, health officials report. Sepsis, or septicemia, occurs when the body has an extreme response to an infection. Without prompt treatment, organ failure can quickly follow. Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
tion found that about 70 percent of patients with sepsis had used health care services recently or had chronic diseases that required regular medical care. That means there are many opportunities for health care providers to intercept sepsis along its potentially deadly course, according to the CDC report. “When sepsis occurs, it should be treated as a medical emergency,”
CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said in an agency news release. “Doctors and nurses can prevent sepsis and also the devastating effects of sepsis, and patients and families can watch for sepsis and ask, ‘Could this be sepsis?’” Infections of the lung, urinary tract, skin and gut most often lead to sepsis. In most cases, the germ that caused the sepsis-triggering
infection can’t be identified. But when they are identified, the most common culprits are Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli (E. coli), and some types of Streptococcus, the report said. Patients with infections who are most likely to develop sepsis are aged 65 and older, less than 1 year old, people with weakened immune systems and those with chronic
medical conditions such as diabetes. But even healthy children and adults can develop sepsis from an infection, the CDC said in its Aug. 23 Vital Signs report. Signs and symptoms of sepsis include: shivering, fever, or feeling very cold; extreme pain or discomfort; clammy or sweaty skin; confusion or disorientation; shortness of breath and a high heart rate.
Chemical Found in Foam Cups a Possible Carcinogen The chemical styrene, ubiquitous in foam coffee cups and take-out containers, has been added to the list of chemicals considered possible human carcinogens, according to a new U.S. government report. On Friday last, experts at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services added styrene, along with five other chemicals - captafol, cobalttungsten carbide (in powder or hard metal form), certain inhalable glass wool fibers, onitrotoluene and riddelliine to its list of 240 substances that are “reasonably anticipated” to be carcinogenic. But before you toss those white plastic take-out containers, keep this in mind: the government report says that by far the greatest exposure to styrene comes from cigarette smoke. In fact, one study cited in the report estimates that exposure from smoking cigarettes was roughly 10 times that from all other sources, including indoor and outdoor air, drinking water, soil and food combined. Styrene is a widely used chemical. Products that contain it include insulation, fiberglass, plastic pipes, auto-
mobile parts, drinking cups and other food containers and carpet backing, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry. Studies in the lab, animals and humans - particularly workers in industries such as reinforced plastic that expose them to higher than normal levels of the chemical - suggest that exposure to styrene causes damage in white blood cells, or lymphocytes and may raise the risk of lymphohematopoietic cancer, such as leukemia and lym-
phoma. There is also evidence exposure may raise the risk of esophageal and pancreatic cancer among styrene-exposed workers, according to the Report on Carcinogens, prepared by the National Toxicology Program, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The report also issued its strongest warning about two other chemicals, formaldehyde (widely used as a preservative) and a botanical known as aristolochic acids, adding both to the list of
“known” carcinogens. “The strength of this report lies in the rigorous scientific review process,” said Ruth Lunn, director of the National Toxicology Program Office of the Report on Carcinogens, in a news release. Aristolochic acids have been shown to cause high rates of bladder or upper u r i nary tract cancer in people with kidney or renal disease who consumed botanical products containing aristolochic acids, according to the report.
Despite a U.S. Food and Drug Administration warning against the use of products containing aristolochic acids, it can still be purchased on the Internet and abroad, particularly in herbal products used to treat arthritis, gout and inflammation. Formaldehyde has long been listed as a substance “reasonable anticipated” to cause cancer after animal studies showed it increased the risk of nasal cancer. Since then, additional studies in humans have shown exposure increases the risk for certain types of rare cancers, including nasopharyngeal (the nasopharnyx is the upper part of the throat behind the nose), sinonasal and myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the white blood cells, prompting federal officials to strengthen its warning. Formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable, strong-smelling chemical that is widely used to make resins for household items, such as composite wood products, paper product coatings, plastics, synthetic fibers, and textile finishes. Formaldehyde is also used as a preservative in medical laboratories, mortuaries, and in some hair straight-
ening products. Representatives of industry took issue with the addition of both formadelhyde and styrene to the NTP’s list. “It will unfairly scare workers, plant neighbors and could have a chilling effect on the development of new products,” Tom Dobbins, a spokesman for the American Composites Manufacturers Association, told The New York Times. “Our companies are primarily small businesses, and this could hurt jobs and local economies.” The federal panelists were quick to stress that the public shouldn’t panic over the inclusion of any one substance in the Report on Carcinogens. “A listing in the report does not by itself mean that a substance will cause cancer,” John Bucher, associate director of the NTP, told Bloomberg News in a conference call with reporters. Many factors, including the amount and duration of exposure, as well as an individual’s susceptibility can affect whether a person will develop cancer. http://www. every day health.com.
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Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj to Perform at 2016 MTV VMAs
Attention all you Arianators out there! MTV has just announced that Ariana Grande will be taking the stage at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards. But it won’t just be all about Ms. Grande come Sunday evening, the network also shared that the 23-year-old crooner will be singing alongside the one and only Nicki Minaj to perform the hit “Side to Side” off of Grande’s latest album, Dangerous Woman. Hear that? That’s two more leading ladies of the music biz joining the ranks of some of the most well-known singers around who will be performing live at this year’s award ceremony. The list also includes Britney Spears,
Rihanna, Nick Jonas, Future and many, many more. Kim Kardashian, Rita Ora, Ansel Elgort, Alicia Keys, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Jaden Smith, Fifth Harmony and Shameik Moore have also been announced as presenters Sunday night. Adele is currently in the lead with the most noms for her single “Hello” with Beyoncé following closely behind for her album Lemonade. Meanwhile, bad gal RiRi herself is expected to receive the coveted Vanguard Award. The star-studded, highly anticipated event is slated to go down on Sunday, Aug. 28 at 9 p.m. live from Madison Square Garden in New York City. http://www.eonline.com.
Ciara Joins Gabby Douglas as a Miss America Judge Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart have called it quits
Pageant queens, get ready: Ciara wants to see you 1, 2 step—or demonstrate whatever it is your talent may be! That’s because the newlywed Grammy winner is going to be a judge at the 2017 Miss America Competition, the Miss America Organization announced Wednesday. Ciara is the final member of the panel, which consists of her, Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas, Mavericks owner and entrepreneur Mark Cuban, actresses Laura Marano and Sara Foster and singer Cole Swindell. The Bachelor’s Chris Harrison is returning to host the 96th annual Miss America pageant and will be joined by ESPN anchor Sage Steele. We’ll definitely be tuning in, and it will be interesting to see Ciara put her critic’s
hat on. The multi-hyphenate mother of one wears many hats herself—she’s a singer, actress, dancer, model, host and producer, just to name a few. She’ll be taking her place at the judges panel just two months after her beautiful “I do’s” to NFL hunk Russell Wilson. Earlier this year, Ciara told E! News she feels “blessed” to be where she is both personally and professionally. Something tells us she’ll do her best as a Miss America judge to share her good fortune and wisdom with the talented women competing for this year’s crown! The 2017 Miss America Competition will air live from Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall on Sunday, September 11 on ABC. http://www.eonline.com.
E! News has learned the on-again, offagain couple’s relationship has come to an end after nearly five years of dating. People was first to report the news, with a source telling the mag, “It wasn’t anything dramatic and they were on good terms—it just came to a natural end. They will remain friends and they see each other, but they are not together. It was very amiable.” But not if you ask TMZ, who reports Smart’s side is denying the breakup rumors. Even so, the outlet also cites insiders’ close to the pop sensation that claim J.Lo initiated the split and they are indeed no longer together. One thing’s for sure: Lopez’s rep isn’t commenting. The “Ain’t Your Mama” singer met the dancer-choreographer not long after she and husband Marc Anthony announced their split in 2011. Smart, 29, and Lopez, 47, went their separate ways for the first time in 2014 before later reuniting in May 2015. In the months leading up to their first reconciliation, both J.Lo and Casper adamantly denied they shared anything more than a friendship. As for the couple’s recent movements, Casper attended Jennifer’s August 13 performance in Sin City, and the pair posed alongside Anthony, who she co-parents 8-year-old
twins Max and Emme with, and his wife Shannon De Lima. He also celebrated Jennifer’s birthday last month with a sweet Instagram tribute that read, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the light of my life. My supporter, rock, partner in crime and love. To the most beautiful bear in the world! I love you and wish you the Happiest birthday ever..” Earlier this year, J. Lo addressed engagement speculation on Ryan Seacrest’s KIIS-FM radio show, saying, “I’m not engaged and I didn’t know there were rumors,” Lopez said. “I’ve been so busy that I haven’t really had time to keep up with the gossip.” But the singer, who is notoriously private when it comes to spilling details on her personal life, did tell the Today show she was open to tying the knot in what would be her fourth wedding ceremony. “I love getting married,” she said. “I really want to get married in a church with a big dress.” Smart gushed to E! News earlier this year about how Lopez has perfected the art of juggling a multi-faceted career. “Between [starring on Shades of Blue], [judging] American Idol and [a Las Vegas concert residency], it’s bananas. She’s not human. She’s like supernatural. She’s Wonder Woman, I’m telling you. She’s not from this planet.” http://www.eonline.com.
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Kaieteur News
‘Green’ economy needed to wean Guyana off of addiction to fossil fuels - Pres. Granger PNCR Congress…
By Kiana Wilburg The idea of a “green economy” is one which is strongly supported by the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR). In fact, the Party intends to channel its efforts into ensuring that this goal is attained. This was articulated by the Party’s leader, President David Granger during Friday’s opening ceremony of the PNCR’s 19th Biennial Delegates Congress. The event concludes today at the PNCR’s Sophia Headquarters. Granger said that his party’s commitment to achieving the ‘green economy’ goal is even represented in the Party’s theme this year which is, “PNCR-Vanguard of a green economy.” The Party Leader said that Guyana, as a small, lowlying coastal state will ignore the consequences of climate change to its peril. In this regard, the President said that rising sea levels batter the sea walls; extremes of weather, such as the recent bout of El Nino, associated with climate change, have already started to present formidable challenges to the country, and the nation’s infrastructure is incapable of coping with the consequences of prolonged flooding and drought. Being the historian that he is, Granger asserted that Guyana is the largest state in the Caribbean Community. The President said that the nation’s forests cover more than 85 percent of its land mass. He said that it is a ‘net carbon sink,’ that is, its forests sequester more carbon than the country’s human activity generates. The Party Leader also pointed out that the economy,
despite this, is heavily dependent on agriculture and on the extractive sectors – bauxite, diamond and gold-mining and logging. Granger said that the high dependence on agriculture and exhaustible natural resources places the nation’s natural assets at risk of erosion. He emphasized that the PNCR supports the adoption of a sustainable model of resource exploitation and extraction in order to reduce the rate of depletion of the country’s natural resources so that these assets will also be available to future generations. The Party Leader stressed that a ‘green’ economy is necessary to ensure the sustainable management of its natural resources. He said, too, that a ‘green’ economy is also needed to wean this country off of its addiction to fossil fuels. In this regard, the President informed his attentive audience that the importation of these fuels exacts a heavy burden on the economy. He noted that Guyana, in 2012, expended the equivalent of 24 percent of its Gross Domestic Product on petroleumbased products. The PNCR, he said, proposes a Green Development Strategy as a template for the ‘greening” of Guyana. Granger said, “We propose to transition our economy rapidly towards clean and cheaper sources of renewable energy. We will craft a comprehensive Coastal Zone Management Plan to protect human habitation, our coastal economic sectors and coastal ecosystems. We will create ‘green’ enterprises and jobs and we will inculcate ‘green’ education in our schools.” The Party Leader then turned his attention towards
President and PNCR Leader, David Granger
highlighting the importance of the 19th Biennial Delegates Congress. He said that the event is one which sees numerous delegates who have been selected to represent thousands of members in groups, districts and regions throughout the country and from the Diaspora in the Caribbean, the Americas and Europe. He said that they will discuss, deliberate and determine issues and make decisions to guide the PNCR Party for the next two years. The President said, “Congress, this year is special. Our nation celebrates its 50th anniversary of Independence and a change in government. Guyana became independent after 350 years of Dutch and British imperial rule. We celebrate the anniversary of the Independence we gained on May 26, 1966, 50 years ago. We were inspired, then, to make our cherished homeland a nation of unity, security and prosperity. We are encouraged, today, to renew our determination to provide our citizens with ‘a good life’.” He continued, “Our Independence anniversary is an occasion not only to remind ourselves about the past. It is an opportunity to renew our commitment to our country and to rekindle the enterprising spirit of May 26. We recall how our Party struggled relentlessly for Independence.” Granger added, “Guyanese greeted Independence with the aspiration of enjoying ‘a good life,’ one that was better than what we had to endure as a colony. We toiled to repair a country that had been damaged by disunity, discord and disorder. We strove to create a community of comity and unity.” As a coalition administra-
tion, Granger said that he and his team are tasked, collectively for the next 50 years, to complete its historic mission
to provide ‘a good life’ for all. “We must act resolutely to make the changes that are essential to building a resil-
ient economy — one that is adaptive to the changes and responsive to the challenges of the global economy.”
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Sunday August 28, 2016
Kaieteur News
GWI paying almost $3M monthly for...
From page 12 Board was also questioned about the possibility that his order for technicians to cease investigations would raise eyebrows over the fact that the sports organization over which he presides, the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF), was recently sponsored by New GPC, a subsidiary of QAII. Hinds is the President of GABF and a well-known auditor. New GPC is the main sponsor of the Guyana boys’ team
which is currently participating in the 2016 CentroBasket Under-15 Young Men Championships in Puerto Rico. Hinds, in his defence, said that the request for sponsorship was made since June and was only recently approved by New GPC. He denied that it was an overreach of his authority or conflict of interest over the sponsorship when he requested the technicians to stand down. As a matter of fact, he said, a meeting is set to be held as early as tomorrow with
The QAII property at Camp and Quamina Streets that is also being investigated for its water connections. GWI management for the company to determine the ownership of the now controversial well. Based on that, the water company will decide on the way forward. Should QAII be found
guilty of stealing water, it could be forced to pay tens of millions of dollars for bills dating back to around 2008 when the company acquired the Sanata Textile complex. Meanwhile, GWI officials
have confirmed that they are also looking at another property of QAII. This one is on Camp and Quamina Streets, which up to last year used to house the offices of TVG28 and Guyana
Times, two media outfits owned by the group. It is unclear where the property was getting its water from. However, inspectors found connections leading from the outside to the building.
Sunday August 28, 2016
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Kaieteur News
CONSUMER CONCERNS
AFTEREXTRACTION CARE By Dr. Neromini Fagu Dental extractions, also referred to as oral surgery, are usually experienced by most persons in their lifetime. After care plays a significant part in the healing process. It is essential that you follow the instructions from your dentist to avoid any risk of trauma or infection to the site of the extraction. Different people heal at different speeds after an extraction, but it is important for everyone to keep their mouth and the extraction site as clean as possible, making sure that the socket is kept clear of all food and debris. You should not rinse for the first 24 hours, as this will help your mouth to start healing. After that time, using a warm salt-water rinse will aid in the healing process. The following are some guidelines you should be aware of following your procedure. CONTROL BLEEDING It is normal to have bleeding after a tooth extraction but it should not last very long. Many people are concerned about the amount of bleeding. This is due to the fact that a small amount of blood is mixed with a larger amount of saliva, which looks scarier than it is. Heavy bleeding should stop within a few hours of the procedure and slight bleeding may be noticed for up to 24 hours after surgery. After the extraction your dentist will place a piece of cotton wool or gauze on the
extraction site and ask you to apply firm pressure by biting down on it. If the gauze becomes too blood-soaked you may change it but be careful not to disturb the blood clot that is forming at the extraction site. It may be necessary to moisten the gauze if it feels stuck to the tissue by taking a sip of water. Bleeding can also be controlled by biting down on a moist black tea bag. Tea has tannic acid which has been shown to reduce bleeding and assist with clotting. SWELLING It is normal to have some amount of swelling after an extraction. You should keep your head elevated with pillows for the first 24 hours and apply an ice pack on the outside of your face. Swelling is usually completely gone within 7 to 10 days. Stiffness in the muscles of the face is also normal and may be noticed for up to 10 days after oral surgery. There may be slight bruising in the cheeks or underneath the jawline, especially in extractions of lower wisdom teeth. TAKEALLMEDICATIONS Pain after oral surgery varies depending on the extent of the procedure, and your dentist may prescribe pain medications to help you manage the discomfort. It is important to follow the instructions for your medication carefully and always consult with your dentist before taking any over-the-counter medications with your prescriptions. If you have been prescribed an antibiotic, always take all of the
Ensure you get value for your money BY PAT DIAL
Dr. Neromini Fagu medication that was prescribed to you, so as to fully prevent infection. TOBACCO AND ALCOHOL USE Smoking and alcohol consumption can promote bleeding and delay healing. Smoking may also cause a very painful infection called a dry socket. It is recommended that you avoid smoking for as long as possible, and do not smoke for at least 24 hours after oral surgery. Also, avoid the use of smokeless or chewing tobacco until complete healing has occurred. If you have had an extraction, the pieces from the tobacco may enter the extraction site causing pain and discomfort in the socket. ORALHYGIENE You should avoid any vigorous rinsing and spitting for the first 24 hours after your extraction. You may brush gently, and floss if you can open your mouth wide enough, but make sure you stay clear of the extraction site. You can lightly rinse your mouth with water, but avoid spitting and let the water fall out of your mouth on its own. If you use a warm salt water rinse, tilt your head to let the rinse gently bathe the extraction site. If you have any concerns about how you are healing you should always contact your dentist. For more information contact OMNI DENTAL at 295 Quamina Street, Georgetown Tel: 227-0025, Parika Tel: 260-3133 or send emails to nerominifagu@hotmail.com.
The motto of the Guyana Consumers Association (GCA) is “Value for money”. The motto has a very wide interpretation and means not only that you should have your money’s worth from a purchase, but that the consumer should compare prices and quality of various sellers before buying an item. It also means that one should buy locally produced goods once they compare favourably in price and quality with foreign imports, since by supporting local industry, employment would be created, as well as more wealth would be generated in Guyana to the ultimate benefit of consumers. An example of the first meaning of the motto is when one buys a consumer durable such as a washing machine or toaster. Some sellers do not give any warranty or they would give a warranty for a month, which, from our experience they rarely fully honour. The Law prescribes that if no warranty is given, then a six-month warranty becomes automatic. To avoid the six-month warranty, some sellers would give a month’s warranty. The established firms, though their prices may be a bit higher than the various “fly-by-night” sellers, usually give a year’s warranty, have trained technicians, carry spare-parts and have vehicles to move the item to be repaired. Over the years, we have had complaints from consumers who had bought items from these less-thanreputable sellers, and it is only by threat of the Law and bringing the Consumer Commission into the complaint, that some justice is secured for the consumer. In buying electronic equipment and consumer durables, consumers are enjoined to be very clear on the conditions of sale and always demand a written warranty. When making purchases, it is very advisable that the consumer does some “window-shopping” to compare prices and quality. For example, last week-end, in the Georgetown markets, limes were being sold at six or seven for a hundred dollars to twenty for a hundred dollars. Or plantains went from $50 a pound to $100. Or small tomatoes which are just coming into season, were going at $80 to $120 a pound. Despite such steep variations in prices, some consumers continue to buy at the dearer prices forgetting the old and very
factual adage “A dollar saved is a dollar earned”. One should also take advantage of the discount or sale days which the supermarkets offer and give your patronage to those supermarkets which generally sell at a cheaper rate than others. A simple example is a well-known supermarket in Stabroek Square which persists in selling Golden Harvest bread at $280 a loaf while just over the road at the Banks DIH outlet, the same loaf, and probably fresher, sells for $20 less. Always buy the locally-produced goods, once they match the imports in price and quality. In fact, local consumers have to be reminded that some local products are the best in the world. For example, Guyana rums are the best in the world; yet some consumers would buy inferior foreign rums at higher prices! The pasta products, sweets and curry powders produced by E. B. Beharry have the highest ISO ratings, that is, International Standards ratings, and they sell at very reasonable prices, certainly better prices than any imported equivalent. Their products have to be at highest International Standards since they export to developed countries and if they are not up to standard, they are rejected at port. Similar to E. B. Beharry, the products of Demerara Distillers Ltd (DDL) and Banks DIH are ISO rated. The biscuits produced by Banks DIH could not be bettered anywhere. Their beers compare with the best and Banks Beer is the permanent preference of most experienced beer-drinkers. Both Banks and DDL produce International brands of aerated drinks such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola and their own brandname drinks match the international standards. Topco fruit juices contain real fruit juice and are not merely concentrates as in all the imported “juices”. DDL vinegar is fermented and of the highest standard and should be distinguished from cheaper and unhealthy acetic acid mixtures which often pass off as vinegar. The margarine, soap and yogurt produced by Sterling Products could match any imported equivalents. Indeed, Sterling margarine is produced by a unique process and is certainly the best margarine on the local market. One could never go wrong if one is guided by the motto “Value for your money”.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday August 28, 2016
Turkey ratchets up Syria Bongo aims to extend 50-year offensive, says warplanes family rule in Gabon election hit Kurdish militia
Civil defence members and men carry an injured man in a damaged site after double airstrikes on the rebel held Bab al-Nairab neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria, yesterday. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail Reuters - Rebels supported by Turkey fought Kurdish-backed forces in north Syria yesterday, as Ankara ratcheted up its crossborder offensive by saying it had launched air strikes against both Kurdish forces and Islamic State. Turkey’s government, which is fighting a Kurdish insurgency at home, has said the Syrian campaign it opened this week is as much about targeting Islamic State as it is about preventing Kurdish forces filling the vacuum left when Islamists withdraw. Turkey wants to stop Kurdish forces gaining control of a continuous stretch of Syrian territory on its frontier, which Ankara fears could be used to support the Kurdish militant group PKK as it wages
its three-decade insurgency on Turkish soil. Turkish security sources said two F-16 jets bombed a site controlled by the Kurdish YPG militia, which is part of the broader U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) coalition. The sources also said the jets hit six Islamic State targets. Turkish military sources said one of its soldiers was killed and three others wounded when a tank was hit by a rocket that they said was fired from territory held by the Kurdish YPG. The sources said the army shelled the area in response. Syrian rebels opposed to Ankara’s incursion said Turkish forces had targeted forces allied to the YPG and no Kurdish forces were in the
area. On the ground, Turkishbacked Syrian rebels fought forces aligned with the SDF near the frontier town of Jarablus. Forces opposed to Ankara said Turkish tanks were deployed, a charge denied by Turkey’s rebel allies. Turkey’s offensive into Syria began on Wednesday, supporting its rebel allies with Turkish special forces, tanks and warplanes. It seized control of Jarablus from Islamic State seeking to stop any Kurdish forces moving in first. Yesterday’s use of warplanes against what Turkey said was a Kurdish YPG militia target highlights its determination to prevent any Kurdish territorial expansion in north Syria.
Indian court gives women entry to inner sanctum of famous Mumbai mosque NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) Women in India have the right to fully access a famous mosque in the city of Mumbai, a top court ruled on Friday, bolstering a nationwide campaign aimed at securing women their religious rights and allowing them entry into all places of worship. Ruling on a petition filed by Muslim women’s rights activists who demanded entry to the men-only inner sanctum of the Haji Ali Dargah, a Mumbai High Court bench said the restric-
tion violated women’s fundamental right to equality. “Today the court is ruled in our favour and I am very thankful. It has been a hard fight over many years and we lost momentum as many women were concerned of what societ y w o u l d think of us,” Bibi K h ato o n from the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, or Indian Muslim Women’s Movement, told reporters. “But I say let them say what they want, we will do what we need to do. The Sufi
saint Haji Ali also came from woman’s womb, so why are not being allowed to visit his tomb?” The 15th century shrine, built on an islet 500 metres from the city’s coast, can only be reached at low tide and draws tens of thousands of worshippers every year. However, court officials said women would not be able to immediately enter the shrine as the judgment has been suspended for six weeks after the Haji Ali Dargah Trust said it would appeal against the decision.
Reuters - Gabon voted yesterday amid discontent over its failure to raise living standards despite oil wealth, in a poll posing the biggest challenge yet to President Ali Bongo, whose family has run the central African nation for half a century. With state machinery and entrenched patronage networks behind him, Bongo, 57, is likely to be returned, seven years after winning his first election following the death of his father Omar, who ruled for 42 years. Polls closed at 7 p.m. (1800 GMT), an hour late to allow people were still waiting to vote to do so. Voting was mostly calm, although witnesses said a few scuffles broke out in one area as tempers flared in long queues to cast ballots. Results are not expected until tomorrow or Tuesday, although partial results may start trickling out yesterday. Land and sea borders were shut yesterday until 8 p.m. (1900 GMT). Bongo faced nine other candidates - compared with
Ali Bongo 22 in the last poll - but his main rival was veteran diplomat Jean Ping. “The day of glory has arrived and we ar e p r e p a r ing as you can see to c e l e b r a t e v i c t o r y, ” P i n g , 7 3 , s a i d shortly after voting in Martine
Oulabou school, in the capital Libreville. Ping faces an uphill struggle, not least because Gabon’s one-round system means the winner doesn’t need a majority, just more votes than any other candidate.
Italy grieves as state funeral is held for quake victims
Reuters - Weeping relatives hugged each other and reached out to touch the simple wooden coffins at a state funeral yesterday for some of the 2 9 1 p e o p l e killed in an earthquake this week. Amongst the 35 coffins laid out in a sports hall were small caskets holding the bodies of an 18-month-old baby and a nine-year-old girl, two of the 21 children who are known to have died when the quake hit central Italy early on Wednesday. “Don’t be afraid to bewail your suffering, we have seen so much suffering. But I ask you not to lose your courage,” Bishop Giovanni D’Ercole said in a homily in the hall, which was packed with grieving families and top politicians. “Only together can we rebuild our houses and churches. Above all, together we can give life back to our communities,” he said, speaking in front of a dusty crucifix salvaged from one of the dozens of churches devastated by the quake. Even as the funeral Mass was being held, rescuers kept searching through the rubble
Giovanni D’Ercole, bishop of Ascoli Piceno, spreads incense during a funeral service for victims of the earthquake inside a gym, yesterday. REUTERS/Adamo Di Loreto of the worst-hit town, Amatrice, but acknowledged they had little hope of finding more survivors from Italy’s worst earthquake in seven years. Nine more bodies were recovered from the town yesterday, including three pulled overnight from the crumpled Hotel Roma, bringing the death toll in Amatrice alone to 230 resi-
dents and tourists. Authorities said 387 people were still in hospital, with one patient dying of his injuries during the day. One of the last people to be plucked alive from the debris was a girl called Giorgia, who turned four on Saturday. Her sister Giulia’s small coffin lay in the center of the sports hall for the funeral Mass.
Sunday August 28, 2016
Kaieteur News
Heat For Heads…
Dillon applies pressure on police bosses
National Security Minister Edmund Dillon, left, speaks with Enterprise resident Judith Alexander, right, during his tour of the area Friday. Also in photo is Lisa Holder, second from left, councillor for Enterprise North. Photo: ABRAHAM DIAZ Trinidad Guardian - One day after Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley called on the police to do more to improve the detection rate, National Security Minister Edmund Dillon read the riot act to divisional heads, calling on them to take charge of their “real estate.” He made the call as he toured parts of the Central Division, which has been in the media spotlight of late due to a resurgence in gang violence in the Enterprise, Chaguanas, area. Speaking with the media at Railway Road before he began his walkabout, Dillon said the aim of the walkabout was to empower the divisional commanders, beginning with the Central Division, to take charge of their “real estate.” He said each divisional commander must have an idea of what is going on in their division and with a multiplying effect, if each commander took charge of their division, then the crime throughout T&T would decrease. Asked why he began with the Central Division although the Northern Division is currently the leading division in relation to murders and gun seizures, Dillon said, “There is no pecking order right now,
but based on conversations I had with the Central commander, I believe that here is the place to start.” However, the head of the Central Division, Sr Supt Floris Hodge-Griffith, was not present for the tour. Dillon instead toured with Chief of Defence Staff Rodney Smart and other officers of the Central Division. Dillon said the call for the divisional commanders to “step up” is not new and was not due to the recent call of Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) president Gregory Aboud for divisional heads to be held responsible for their regions. He added that he met with the commanders earlier this year along with the acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams, where the commanders were told to take hold of their divisions. He added that the conversation was just being repeated by Aboud and later by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley. Dillon said, “I started the conversation about having the divisional commanders held responsible and this was reinforced by the Prime Minister and DOMA. It is good management practice and I take that from my regiment background.
“I am working with the divisional commanders and not taking charge of them. It is a teamwork going forward. There will be measurements in place with regards to success, such as firearm seizures and detection rate for serious crimes, including murders.” Dillon said, however, that there is always room for improvement in the Police Service and there is currently a gap between strategy and resources. “As the State pumps resources in there will always be the demand for more productivity and I believe that we are not quite satisfied with the results and we need to improve our efficiency,” Dillon said, adding that the police and regiment are working assiduously to reduce the crime, especially murders. He said he could not say what will happen to divisional heads who fail to meet the requirements, as that is a matter for the acting Police Commissioner. He said the use of armoured vehicles, one of the tools discussed in the past to deal with crime, had also not been shelved but the feasibility of purchasing them now, given the current economic hiccups, was also being considered.
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Brazil’s Rousseff broke no laws, impeachment trial hears Brasília (AFP) - Suspended Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff’s former economy minister testified yesterday that Rousseff did not break any laws justifying impeachment, as her trial closed in on next week’s climax. Rousseff, 68, is accused of taking illegal state loans to help bridge budget shortfalls and mask the true state of the economy during her 2014 re-election campaign. The one-time Marxist guerrilla, who was imprisoned and tortured under Brazil’s military dictatorship in the 1970s, says the charges are trumped up and amount to a rightwing coup. Former economy minister Nelson Barbosa and Rio State University law professor Ricardo Lodi were the final defense witnesses brought to testify that Rousseff did not break the law or harm the economy, which is now in deep recession. “There is nothing remotely illegal,” Barbosa said. “You cannot act retroactively with a new interpretation of the law.” The same argument was delivered Friday by a first batch of Rousseff witnesses who said that such budgetary maneuvers have long been common practice and that Brazil’s economic decline was entirely unrelated. Her accusers laid out their case on the trial’s opening day Thursday, arguing that Rousseff was criminally irresponsible and helped run once booming Brazil into the ground. Tension is building ahead of today when Rousseff, from the leftist Workers’ Party, will take the stand for the first time and face her accusers. She will be accompanied by her mentor
Dilma Rousseff and predecessor in the presidency, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Lula rose from poverty to found the Workers’ Party and become one of Brazil’s most popular presidents ever before helping Rousseff take his place. Final arguments will follow Rousseff’s testimony, then the voting session, which will include speeches by each senator, with the final result expected Tuesday or Wednesday. Two thirds or 54 out of the 81 senators must vote for impeachment to force Rousseff’s immediate removal. The latest estimates by opposition senators and major Brazilian newspapers is that the pro-impeachment side is on track to win.
Caribbean bankers welcome IMF comments on correspondent banking issue CASTRIES, St Lucia — The Caribbean Association of Banks Inc. (CAB) said it strongly supports the recent remarks and proposed approach of IMF managing director Christine Lagarde regarding the de-risking/correspondent banking issue. As she stated, “It is a collective action problem that calls for a collective solution.” The CAB has been active in raising and advocating on this issue and its effects on the Caribbean region since 2014, when it brought the matter to the attention of Caribbean governments and other stakeholders. The CAB requested regional intervention and highlighted that the loss of correspondent banking relationships could render t h e C a r i b b e a n r e gion unbankable and ultimately destabilize all sectors of the economies. Among the many negative impacts anticipated from the disturbing trend of derisking on small nation states
are: the promotion of financial exclusion rather than inclusion, shrinkage of the financial sector, thriving underhand economies, increased use of unregulated payment options and a barrier to attaining the Sustainable Development Goal 10c. Correspondent banking relationships are critical for the enabling of key economic and financial transactions such as remittances, foreign direct investments (FDIs) and international trade in goods and services, which constitute some of the key drivers for sustaining the Caribbean region’s growth and development. The regional relevance of remittances is indicated by the following: Jamaica and Guyana’s average remittance totals 15 and 14 percent of GDP respectively, for the years 2000 – 2013. Figures from 2009 – 2013 indicate that FDI accounts for as much as 15.4% of GDP for smaller states and 8.6% for larger states of the Caribbean.
Also, for the developing countries of Latin America & the Caribbean from 2012 – 2014, trade accounted for 58 – 100% of GDP for smaller and 83% of GDP for larger states. These figures all demonstrate the extreme susceptibility of the Caribbean to de-risking practices. As Lagarde noted, “Correspondent banking is like the blood that delivers nutrients to different parts of the body. It is core to the business of over 3,700 banking groups in 200 countries.” The CAB said it concurs with these sentiments and wished to highlight that, if the current trend is allowed to continue with no solution in sight, the very livelihoods of Caribbean people will be in danger. The CAB said it supports the work of the IMF towards resolving this issue and commits to continue to work assiduously with its members to ensure that they satisfy any requirements on their part. (Caribbean News)
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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: 626-7040; 265-4535. INNOVATIVEMARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: 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 Passport, permanent & visitor visa application, Professional Immigrant Consultant – Sabita Immigration Services. Call: 225-6496; 662-6045 Jadesco Offers: Architectural designs, 3D modeling, building estimation/ quotation, rehabilitation works & general construction. Call: 612-0468, 629-3605, email: jadesco15@gmail.com
One (2) plus storey house, 3 self contained bedrooms, fully carpet. Price negotiable. Residential scheme, W.C.DCall: 275-0582, 650-6723 Tuschen, Light St, upfront, 1-2 storey concrete house $23M negotiable, Non-Pariel E.C.D - 1 two storey concrete house 56X36. Call: 642-1252 Brand new 2 storey concrete building in 5th Avenue, Diamond, E.B.D, all modern amenities -price reduced– Call: 662-9335; 612-3244 Transported property @ Grove and Diamond $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461 High value transported land and 2 bedrooms newly built house, Greater Diamond E.B.D -$16M negotiable. Call: 265-4338 1 Church building in front and 2 story building at the back 30X120, vacant possession, 180 Charolotte Street Bourda. Call:624-7341/ 227-6817/226-5183 Transported property for sale located at Vreed-enHoop not far from the Junction, price negotiable. Call: 638-0271 Property @ 172 Zohora Street and Market Street Better Hope E.C.D. Call: 220-1583/ 1718-847-4196 (NY). Serious buyers only.
Repairs to LED, Plasma, LCD and other electronic items. Abdul Electronics. Call: 2250391
2 Storey concrete building, upper East Bank Demerara, 80X60X30 (transported) parking more than 20 vehicles, serious enquiries only. Call: 653-8754
Eagle’s: Re-gas -$8,000, Washing machine repairs, Gas Stove, Plasma flat Screen & more @ New Market Street. Call: 697-2969
Furnished wooden house & land & neighbouring land 60X100 -$20M Negotiable, Sol separately also M.M.Z, W.C.D. Call: 655-0767 SERVICES Brian Moe @ 642-3543: Computer Technician: FB/ Brian.Moe.165: Home and Office visits at your comfort!!
A.Bhopaul &Sons Trucking Services: sand, stoves & cement transportation etc. Call: 228-5080; 603-1838 East Side Animal Clinic: Vaccination, treatments, surgeries. Lot 147 Section ‘A’ Block ‘Y’, Golden Grove, E.B.D. Call: 592-621-1865, 592651-2245;592-216-4414 RAMDASS VISA APPLICATION & immigration services, room A-4, Maraj Building, Georgetown. Call Samantha: 227-0295; 615-9295
SALON
FOR RENT
- Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. - Cosmetology Courses: $120,000 - Technician Course: $45,000. Call: 647-1773/660-5257
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Hair station rental at convenient location, Georgetown, Call: 638-1106, discounts given to newcomers, persons with experienced & clients
PROPERTY FOR SALE
Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158
Guytec Repairs Services & Spares to washing machines, pressure washer, dryer, stoves, refrigerator, treadmill, vacuum, etc –Call: 680-2377/684-2119
Sunday August 28, 2016
Kaieteur News
CAR RENTAL DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL: 4WD PICKUP. CALL: 6987807
EDUCATIONAL Classes for cake decoration, cakes & pastry, bridal accessories, classes start September. Call: 612-4193; 672-8768; 223-3303 IAE: Register for full time school (Grades 7-11) CSEC lessons; adults and school leavers CXC classes. Call Mr. Roberts: 683-5742 Register your child for our after school program for slow learners in Maths, Reading, Spelling Etc. Call: 675-4379
Bachelor’s apartment to rent. Call 233-0327 between 7:00pm-8:30pm Upper Flat; three bedrooms at 143 Pike Street Kitty. Contact B.Badal: 234-0733 Apartments for rent at Nandy Park, 2 bedrooms -$70,000. Call: 227-5194 3 Bedrooms house; top and bottom property at Canal No.2 Polder -$35,000 monthly. Call: 613-1860 House located @ 696 Section C, Grove Housing Scheme. Please call 611-1963 for further inquiries 3 Bedrooms top flat for rent at Cross Street, Alexander Village . Call: 688-1647
LEARN TO DRIVE C. Persaud & N. Outar Driving School formerly Soman & Sons Driving School @ Maraj BuildingCall: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997 (affordable packages).
Top flat 3 Bedrooms apartment at Alberttown -$75,000 monthly. Call: 648-5417 Vreed-en-Hoop Junction: office, church, storage bond lessons, internet, stationery & photocopy shop, other place -$20,000 per month. Call: 603-6400 Bottom flat for business in Robb Street Bourda ,Prime business area. Call: 226-1647/ 691-4498 2 Apartments @ 62 Victoria Avenue Eccles. Call: 6672536; 628-0016
TAXI SERVICE GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 2257878 (24HRS) FOR SALE/RENT American Pool Table. Call: 277-0578
One bottom flat at 353 Herstelling, Third Street, E.B.D Call: 265-3538 2 Bedrooms apartment for overseas guest only @ 112 Second Street, Alexander Village, Georgetown. Call: 223-5970; 674-0942; 718-6004648 (New York) Stand for rent in the New Amsterdam area. Interested persons contact 646-9087 Price affordable
CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS& SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 6560087 , EMAIL: PRO_ AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO. COM WINGS CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAYMENT, CHEAP REATES,SPECIAL OFFER FOR THE SUMMER. CALL: 690-6494
VEHICLE FOR SALE 3 TON CANTER ENCLOSE AND OPEN BACK WITH 4D ENGINE, PRICE -$3.6M, NEVER REGISTERED – CALL: 617-2891 2009 BELTA -$2.3M, 2011 BLUEBIRD -$2.7M, 2009 IST -$2.7, 2012 RACTIS $2.6M, 2009 ARUIS -$2.5M –CALL: 617-2891 Fielder 2006, Bluebird 2006, Army general 6X6 truck, extendable 40 FT Trailer. Call: 616-5595; 665-3676 One 2008 Toyota IST-Call: 614-9742 SALE @ STAR CARS: PREMIO, RUNX, IST, AXELA, RZ BUS, SPACIO, FIELDER. CALL: 679-3140 1-2006 Nissan Dump Canter, 1-Potable trailer. Call: 6626567; 691-4340 2011 Prado, very low mileage, diesel, automatic, 3000cc excellent condition. Call: 6245838 AT192, 212, Allion, Premio, Hilux Surf, BRR, RZ & Pitbull, Pajero Junior, Spacio: Cash / terms- Call:680-3154
One two bedrooms apartment – Call: 678-2500 HEALTH Need Herbal supplements? Contact Hazel’s Herbal Store. Call: 226-9136
Purple Heart: 30X80 $25,000, 32X80 -$28,000, 34X80 -$28,000, 36X80 $28,000, Free Delivery- Call: 688-9712; 651-0717; 671-2490 1 Perkins V8 Turbo Charge 170KVa Generator in working condition, Call 2237380 One complete trout boat for sale, less than a year old. Call: 654-2817 1-210 Hyundai excavator, good condition, any reasonable offer accepted. Call: 6100515; 216-1390; 612-8009 1 Used QC see DVR 16 Channel -$30,000, 1 Heir Fridge -$35,000, 1 GE washer -$35,000. Call: 646-0966; 6972969 N-27 Perkins engine & dredge. Call: 622-9147 Cargo Trawler. Call: 682-8724; 616-5954
We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma- Call: 680-3154
LAND IN 11 STREET DIAMOND. CALL: 2253234
Honda Civic M/Car “SS” series -$1.3M negotiable, very good condition- Call: 696-2815
1 Crashed yellow HB9601 Toyota 212 .Call: 223-5615
TM Bedford Lorry Truck, single axle. Call: 600-7799
Unregistered Fielder 2009, dark interior, rear spoiler, rims, TV, navigation, pearl white. Call: 617-5536
1-Hyster Forklift With 1000 Series, Perkins Engine$1.2M, 1-CAT DP-40 3-Ton Forklift-$2.9M. Contact#6500402
One Toyota Spacio PRR Series. In good condition. Price $1.2M- Call: 645-0749, 691-8272
One heavy duty Kenmore clothes dryer. Call: 265-3538
Toyota 212 Carina PKK 9753, owner driven, very good condition, price to go -$1.2M. Call: 226-7628; 661-2727 Toyota Belta 1300CC, one owner, PLL 9400 + Series, 2006 model - $1.7M negotiable. Call: 655-0767 One HIlux pick up; 4X4 2L Diesel Turbo, sunroof. Call: 693-1480
9 Stalls 64 to 72 (47feet long x 7 feet wide) @ La Penitence Market Albouystown, Also 80 Mannequins @ $800 per piece- Call: 225-4410; 2184837 ROAD TO BELWASA & A DIP AT THE SANGAM. AVAILABLE @ AUSTIN’S BOOK STORE- TEL: 2267350/7 & AT LATCHMANSINGH DRUG STORE. TEL: 226-5053 TO LET 2BEDROOMSAPARTMENT IN ECCLES -$60,000, ROOMS INALBERTTOWN, SHORT & LONG TERM. CALL: 225-3234
House for rent in Golden Grove, EBD. Call: 692-8513/ 617-0465 2 Bedrooms apartment bottom flat @ Enmore, E.C.D -Call: 256-0912/ 664-9261
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754.
TO LET 2 Bedrooms apartment for rent (semi-furnished) @ Dennis Street, Sophia, (water & light inclusive). Call: 6626567; 691-4340 One bedroom apartment at MonRepos E.C.D, no children. Call: 662-9043
Three bedrooms concrete bottom flat in South Ruimveldt Gardens-$75,000. Call: 218-1949 Fully furnished; 2X3 bedrooms, luxury apartments to let (long & short term). Call: 655-3505 Continue page 71
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STANDARDS IN FOCUS
Accuracy in the petroleum sector depends on routine verification by the GNBS The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) which is empowered under the Weights and Measures Act of 1981 has been mandated to check and verify the accuracy of bulk meters, fuel pumps and other measuring devices used in the petroleum sector. Verification ensures that the quantities of fuel dispensed using these devices are within the acceptable tolerances. Hence, vehicle owners and other consumers can continually rely on the accuracy of fuel provided to them during purchase. Over 1600 fuel pumps are verified by the GNBS annually. In addition, the GNBS verifies storage tanks, bulk meters and compartments of tanker wagons for the main bulk suppliers Sol, Rubis and GUYOIL. Since January 2014, the GNBS has also commenced the verification of compartments of privately owned tankers to ensure that measurement and safety requirements are maintained, prior to licensing by the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA). During the verification process, test measures which are traceable to international standards are used to determine the accuracy of petrol pumps and bulk meters. These test measures range in capacity from 2000 litres to 5 litres and their use determines whether measuring devices used in the petroleum sector are under-delivering, overdelivering or are within the acceptable tolerances. For devices that are inaccurate, the necessary adjustments are made and security seals reaffixed to the adjustment mechanisms. This is to maintain the integrity of the verification process. If subsequent checks are conducted by
Inspectors of the GNBS and the affixed seals are found to be tampered with or removed, the operators or proprietors can face prosecution. Further, as it relates to bulk meters and petrol pumps, if for one reason or the other they are not functioning properly, and cannot be verified immediately, the dispensing nuzzles are sealed off by the GNBS to prevent further usage until they are rectified and verified. Meanwhile, owners of tanker wagons that fail inspection and verification requirements are advised to have them rectified and returned for the verification process to be redone. The entire verification process is intended to protect both suppliers and consumers. When a pump is over delivering fuel, the station is selling at a financial loss. If a pump is under delivering, then drivers are being short-changed. Similarly, fuel terminals also need to supply the correct quantities of fuel to petrol stations that are their customers so that they too can be satisfied. The GNBS, therefore, serves as an effective monitor between sellers and consumers, thus ensuring fair trade and business practices and ultimately, protection for all. Consumers are advised to make purchases in metric quantities and to check fuel pumps for the GNBS approval seals. The presence of an approval seal on a fuel pump indicates that the pump was checked for the corresponding period. For further information on this subject, call the GNBS on Telephone number: 2190065 or 219-0069 or visit the Bureau’s website: www.gnbsgy.org
WANTED
From page 70
One electrician to work in Mahdia. Call: 644-6366 or 6870067 Jet+ Marack men to work in the Interior. Call: 694-2310 1 Mature female to help able bodied middle age man 4-5hrs daily, preferably from ogleMon Repos area. Call: 6685205; 219-1565
WANTED We are interested in buying lands in Farm New Scheme E.B.D, corner lots preferably. Call: 266-0693 One Arc welder must know to do grill work with limited supervision. Call: 613-3879
LAND FOR SALE La Parfaite Harmonie-$2.3M, La Parfaite Harmonie -$2M (Corner Lot), Zeelugt -$2.3M, Herstelling 4th Bridge -$4M. Call: 642-1252 La Parfaite Harmonie -$1.2M & $1.6M, Uitvlugt -$2M (100X50ft), one mining claim -$1.5M. Call: 658-5897; 673-2692 Tuschen Front (Phase 1) $3.5M, Tuschen (Phase 2) $2M with foundation, Uitvlugt Main Road -$2.3M. Call: 642-1252 85.6 Acres titled farm land with timber/water access, located @ Loo Creek E.B.D River. Call: 625-8589; (518) 859-5313 Transported land No.51 Village. Call: 687-4691 Transported land for sale @ East Bank Demerara 60X200 Road Front, close to public road -$7Million. Call: 648-9066 Land at Friendship, E.B.D $2.5M per lot. Call: 692-8513/ 617-0465
TO LET Stylish comfortable 2 bedrooms apartment for vocation rental. Web: Airbnb Georgetown, FB: Prestige Property Vocational Rental. Call: 592-678-6690
1 Live in domestic -$60,000 – Call: 686-2201 Boys & girls to work in the Interior -$80,000. Call: 6592708; 674-1767 Accounts Clerk, send application to info@cevons. com Male Sales assistant/porter @ Sparkle, Meten-Meer Zorg. Apply: Key Food Trading, Mc Doom Villlage Place to rent or buy in Lethem. Call: 609-9223; 6269044 or email:w876@aol.com Experienced female bartender, live in/live out waitress, cooks & bouncers needed @ Eden Bar & Lounge, Garden of Eden-Call: 652-0074 One live in maid. Call: 6749114/ 672-3886 One office clerk. Call: 2332725/ 233-2439
VACANCY One Trainee A.C, Refrigerator, Technician – Call: 231-0655 Cashier for supermarket - 6240033; Driver for water truck - 6803863; Pump attendant /Security in store; 680-3863; Porters- Call: 680-3863 Assistant Accountant with own transportation & QuickBooks, PAYE, NIS & VAT knowledge -$150,000. Call: 673-5475/kevin@ expresstruckingcorp.com Male & Female workers, machine operators with TI certificate & experienced Accountant, bond clerk. Call: 330-2399; 623-5920 1 Mechanic/Welder for interior, must have knowledge of Doosan excavator & engine at least 5yrs experienced. Call: 6859028 (8-3pm) Cook/baker for the Interior location, applicants must be experienced. Call: 618-2020 We l d e r / F a b r i c a t o r f o r interior location. Applicants must be experienced with verifiable references. Call: 618-2020
Live in waitress 18-25yrs, salary $70,000, boarding & lodging free. Call: 610-5043
Receptionist between 25-35 years apply within 233 South Road Lacytown. Call: 2250198
Mature experience couple to live in and work at Resort at Parika. Call 231-0363 between Monday-Friday 8:30-11:30 & 1:30-4:30pm
5 Waitress $16,000 weekly, 1 female bartender -$20,000 weekly to work at sports bar E.B.D –Call: 661-5099/ whatsapp: 661-8802
1 live-in domestic to work in Kitty area & handyman for G/T & Interior location. Call 231-0363 between Mon-Fri 8:30-11:30 & 1:30-4:30pm
FULL TIME WAITER/ WAITRESS AT AAGMAN INDIAN RESTAURANT, SHERIFF STREET, EXPERIENCEDPREFERRED. CALL: 219-0158
Female shop worker for interior. Call 231-0363 between Mon-Fri 8:30-11:30 & 1:30-4:30pm Labourers for wood concession -$5,000 per dayCall: 618-0487 One family to live and work on farm. Call: 618-0487 Office Clerk (senior/junior) with CXC English/ Mathematics, computer knowledge an asset. Call: 223-7500 Hire car drivers – Call: 2235615 Experienced dispatcher and taxi driver at Ramada Princess Hotel. Call: 616-5419; 2657075; 265-7076
1 Qualified pharmacist to work at True Value Pharmacy. Call: 618-4027 between 8am4pm, attractive salary offer. Male and female workers to work in Bakery on W.C.D preferably from WCD. Call: 254-1399/ 627-2515 Hauler tractor driver. Apply in person at Alabama Trading, Georgetown Ferry Stelling, Stabroek. 1 General domestic must able to prepare vegetarian meal. Apply in person @ Alabama Trading, G/Town Ferry Stelling. Captains with valid certificate of competence as Master of a Power Driven Vessel. Call: 2261100; 226-5380
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Hinterland to benefit from massive development plans The hinterland, home to our indigenous peoples, spreads across three-quarters of our nation’s landmass. Yet, there has not been much development in this area for some time. In fact, President David Granger alluded to this in his 2015 address at the National Toshaos’ Council meeting. Granger cautioned about the general perception, hostile attitude and divisive polices meted out to the Indigenous peoples in the past. The Head of State said that this undermined, “...our sense of solidarity and impoverished a large section of our population alienating (while) the hinterland regions and gradually creating ‘two countries’ instead of cementing our people into one nation.” It is therefore imperative that there is integration between the hinterland and the coastland if the nation is to move forward in every regard. This was acknowledged by Finance Minister, Winston Jordan as he said that the thematic bridging of the divide between the inequity of hinterland and coastal development initiatives forms a substantial thrust of Government’s prescription for corrective measures. Jordan said that substantial financial provision has been made to promote the preservation of indigenous cultural identity, social
integration, economic prosperity, physical infrastructure, green energy, sustainable development and the protection of Indigenous lands. Speaking to some of these plans, he said that in 2016, the Government will be investing over $4 billion, in support of the Plan of Action for Hinterland Development. The Finance Minister expressed that in excess of $280 million has been allocated to promote economic prosperity, tourism development and preserving cultural identity. The Parliamentarian explained that this sum is inclusive of grants for 211 Indigenous communities that will build village economies and fund eco-tourism projects. He said that it also includes support to women’s groups, the construction of community centres and the procurement of musical instruments, sports gear and sewing machines. The Finance Minister expressed that the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs will work with communities to prioritize the outcomes they want to achieve, and identify the key barriers to achieving them. He said that the Ministry will assist communities in designing projects that take a comprehensive approach to addressing their particular challenges. Jordan asserted that it will help communities develop plans to mitigate risks to
Finance Minister, Winston Jordan development projects, and plans for maintaining valuable community assets. Finally, the Ministry, he said, will help communities develop evaluation plans to assess whether their objectives were achieved, and identify lessons learned to improve future project implementation. In order to support hinterland education, the Finance Minister articulated that the Government has made provision for the design of a new dormitory at Liliendaal, to accommodate students with interest in enrolling in institutions of higher learning.
The Finance Minister said that there will also be support to the Bina Hill Institute and the procurement of buses for the transportation of school children. Additionally, Jordan expressed that nearly $1 billion has been budgeted for the Hinterland Employment and Youth Service (HEYS) project. Launched in October 2015, Jordan recalled that the project will prepare youth for leadership roles in their communities. In 2016, he said that the project will provide training for more than 1,000 hinterland youths in areas such as garment construction, carpentry, joinery and entrepreneurship. The Finance Minister said that it will entail six months of classroom training and six months of practical training. Participants will benefit from a stipend (part of which will be saved on a monthly basis) as well as business mentoring. On completion of the training, he said that participants will have the opportunity to develop viable business plans, which will be awarded grants for start-up. Moreover, the Finance Minister said that education assistance for hinterland students will be fortified with the provision of school uniforms for over 30,000 school children at a cost of over $89 million and over 450 hinterland students will benefit from the Hinterland Scholarship Programme. The Finance Minister noted that the lack of access to markets is often a key barrier to community development. He said that communities will not benefit from new technologies or training if they cannot sell their products to a market for a profit. Jordan asserted that costly transportation makes it difficult for hinterland
communities to market their products and sell them at a competitive price. To help narrow the gap in living standards of residents of our coastal and hinterland regions, Jordan noted that the Government has allocated over $2 billion for the establishment and improvement of physical infrastructure throughout the hinterland regions, in 2016. Of this amount, he said that the sum of $1.7 billion has been identified for the rehabilitation and surfacing of roads in areas such as Mahdia, Bartica, Ituni, Kurupukari, Tabatinga and Port Kaituma. Additionally, provision is made for the rehabilitation of Bartica stelling. Under the Hinterland Electrification Programme, over 6,000 solar home systems have been installed in communities in Regions One, Seven Eight and Nine. During this year, electricity systems in St. Cuthbert’s Mission, in Region Four; Orealla and Siparuta, in Region Six; and Culvert City, in Region Nine, will be extended. The Finance Minister explained that the extension of these networks is intended to enhance the capacity of the grid to serve a larger segment of the population residing in these communities. The Finance Minister noted that it is essential that public services touch every corner of our country. To make this possible, he said that the provision to the National Communications Network (NCN) has been increased to cater for the establishment of new communication stations in the hinterland regions. The Finance Minister said that the intent is to extend the frequency of national radio and television to our Indigenous brothers and sisters in near and far-flung areas. Jordan said, too, that new stations will help to promote the Indigenous languages, culture and way of life while bridging the divide between coast and hinterland.
Sunday August 28, 2016
Kaieteur News
Venezuelasends opposition leader back to jail - expels Ecuadoran lawmakers
Daniel Ceballos CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) – Venezuela sent an opposition leader who was under house arrest back to jail yesterday and expelled a delegation of Ecuadoran lawmakers, amid rising political tension over a campaign to recall leftist President Nicolas Maduro. Former mayor Daniel Ceballos was abruptly taken from his home in the city of San Cristobal at 3:00 am by members of the Venezuelan intelligence services , h i s w i f e s a i d o n Twitter, posting a video of their vehicles as they drove away. Patricia de Ceballos said her husband was loaded into an ambulance where he was shown an order transferring him to a prison in a distant state. “The transfer of @Daniel Ceballos to a prison constitutes one more link in a chain of human rights violations against prisoners of conscience,” his lawyer, Juan Carlos Gutierrez, charged on his Twitter account. Ceballos was the mayor of San Cristobal, a city near the border with Colombia, when he was arrested in March 2014, accused of inciting a nationwide wave of anti-government protests in which 43 people were killed. He was moved to house arrest a year ago for medical reasons. Meanwhile, the Venezuelan foreign ministry confirmed the expulsion of a group of Ecuadoran lawmakers who had met in Caracas with opposition
leaders, accusing them of “destabilising” activities. Cynthia Viteri, a member of the Ecuadoran Congress, said the group was intercepted Friday by government intelligence personnel outside a military prison where Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez is jailed. “What we have lived through in Venezuela was terrifying. We are now in Ecuador,” she said on her Twitter account Saturday. The incident comes amid rising political tensions as Maduro fends off pressure to hold a recall vote this year that could force him from office. The opposition has called for a massive march on Caracas September 1 to press its constitutionally sanctioned demand for the referendum. Viteri, who arrived in Venezuela on Thursday, had met with opposition
leaders in the National Assembly and members of the main opposition coalition. She and her group were waiting outside the Ramo Verde military prison to meet with Lopez’s wife, Lilian Tintori, when they were picked up, she said. The agents took their passports and told them they were being “expelled,” she said. Ecuador’s foreign ministry said it was “concerned” about the incident and has asked the government for an explanation. The Venezuelan foreign ministry charged that Viteri’s group had “flagrantly” interfered in the country’s internal affairs. The Ecuadorans “engaged in proselytizing and destabilising activities in a sovereign country, (which is) expressly prohibited by Ve n e z u e l a n m i g r a t o r y norms,” it said in a statement.
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Sunday August 28, 2016
Some 120 Jamaica police officers to wear body cameras KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Some 120 Jamaican police officers will start wearing body cameras as part of a pilot programme to increase accountability. National Security Minister Robert Montague says the body cameras will provide additional protection to both citizens and police officers.
The U.S. Embassy in Kingston has last week provided 120 body cameras to the Jamaica Constabulary Force. They will be sent to a few Kingston-area divisions and a road patrol unit. Police Commissioner Carl Williams says he expects more cameras to be made available eventually. But he
says “we will not be able to equip every police officer on the front line with a camera.” Human rights activists have repeatedly criticized the high number of killings by Jamaican officers, and residents of poor neighborhoods regularly protest what they insist are unjustified shootings.
TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands - CMC – Community meetings are been planned across the British Oversees territory in the wake of reports of confirmed cases of the mosquito borne Zika virus. On Friday, Government officials held a major meeting here to devise strategies in response to concerns about five cases of the virus in two areas frequently visited by tourists – Havers and Cane Garden Bay. The first of the community meetings will be held tomorrow with special focus on areas that have been designated “hotspots” by the Ministry of Health. However tourism officials are hoping that a major fall out will can prevented. Marketing Manager at the BVI Tourist Board, Keith Dawson, told BVI News online that visitors entering the country will be advised to protect themselves from mosquitoes. He noted that while some
potential visitors may change their mind about visiting the country, others will come despite the presence of the virus. . “One can only extrapolate from what’s happening in the other countries in the region and what we know of the travelers. There are persons who are going to – in terms of their plans – question whether they would come or not. There are persons who, because of the presence of Zika in the region, have already decided to defer or even can-
cel trips to the region, and are looking at alternative areas where they think they will be safe. This is being done especially by pregnant women. ….” he said. Meanwhile, health officials are concerned about resources need to tackle the infestation of mosquitoes. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health Petrona Davies says additional resources would be helpful to tackle issues such as the removal of derelict vehicles.
Community meetings planned as territory braces for possible Zika fallout
Sunday August 28, 2016
Kaieteur News
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Sunday August 28, 2016
Trump says would track immigrants to ensure no visa overstays Reuters - U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said yesterday he would seek to develop a tracking system to ensure illegal immigrants who overstay their visas are removed from the United States. Under fire for giving mixed messages on his signature issue, illegal immigration, Trump used a campaign speech in Des Moines to provide some fresh details. “I am going to build a great border wall, institute nationwide e-verify, stop illegal immigrants from accessing welfare and entitlements, and develop an exit-entry tracking system to ensure those who overstay their visas are quickly removed,” Trump said.
Donald Trump “If we don’t enforce visa expiration dates, then we have
an open border – it’s as simple as that.”
Sunday August 28, 2016
Kaieteur News
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Alia Atkinson back in form; shakes Rio Atkinson turns it around to finish first letdown and equals record and second at France World Cup Jamaica Observer Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson signalled a remarkable shift in the form books when she produced a scintillating first- and second-place finish on day one of the FINA/Airweave Swimming World Cup in Paris-Chartres, France Friday. Atkinson, 27, will take consolation from these performances, after a disappointing outing at the recently concluded Rio Olympics, where she failed to recover from a slow start and finished well outside the medals in eighth position in the final of the
women’s 100 metres breaststroke. Friday, the sensational swimmer opened her account with a breathtaking recordequalling performance of 1:02.36 minutes in the 100m breaststroke, and later followed up with a second-place finish in the 200m individual medley (IM) in the 25-metre L’Odyssée swimming pool. Atkinson entered the final as the second fastest qualifier from the heats of the breaststroke with 1:04.89 minutes, behind Olympic bronze medallist Katie Meili (1:04.49).
She was expected to face a tough challenge from the American and Russia’s Olympic silver medallist Yuliya Efimova. However, in her usual aggressive manner, Atkinson with a reaction time of 0.63 from lane five, exploded in the first half of the race, clocking 29.33 seconds. The blistering splits left her rivals in her splash, as she held her form and pulled away to secure a comfortable victory in equalling her record set in Doha, Qatar in 2014. Meili, who clocked in at 1:03.52 minutes
Sunday August 28, 2016 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You may be overly emotional when dealing with your mate. Be wary of those who have overly strong convictions. Spend some quality time with your lover.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You are best to concentrate on work. There might be a problem with a will or with an insurance policy. This will not be the time to give too much to your children.
TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Try not to discuss important matters with colleagues. You might find that a coworker has been two faced. Make residential changes that will lift your spirits.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Keep your mind on your work and stay away from situations that could ruin your reputation. Invite friends over rather than spending money on lavish entertainment. Plan your day carefully.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Luck is with you, regardless of the financial venture. Make sure that you have all the pertinent facts before taking action. Your intellectual charm will entice mates who have common interests. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Your home environment may be hectic, which could result in emotional upset if you aren't well organized. Instant romance could be yours if you go out with friends. You could meet an interesting individual you'll want to get to know better. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Don't let others bully you into agreeing with them. Don't beat around the bush; state your case in plain and simple terms. You can help a close friend find solutions to personal problems. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) JRelationships will become stronger. You must try to help. Try not to use emotional blackmail; it will only make matters worse.
SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Look out for those wanting to push you into a disagreement. You will be subject to pushy individuals if you get involved in uncertain organizations. Your creative ability will surface, giving you good ideas for ways of making money. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You need more time to think this whole situation through. You will find the excitement gratifying. Too much talk might lead to hassles. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Now is a good time to ask for favors. Some of that extra energy you have stored up might just be put to good use. You will reap the benefits if you put money into upgrading your residence. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You can benefit financially if you put money or maintenance into your living quarters. Your financial situation may be draining and it's time to make some serious changes.
was second with Efimova back in third in 1:04.14 minutes. Interestingly, a similar display by Atkinson in her second consecutive final at her fourth Olympic Games recently, would have earned her a medal, in spite of the 25-metre difference of the pool. American Lilly King won the gold medal at the Games in a new Olympic record of 1:04.93, ahead of Efimova (1:05.50) and Meili bronze (1:05.69). Atkinson, who is the first black woman to win a World Championship title, also contested the 50m backstroke where she posted a time of 28.10 seconds in qualifying for the final, but later scratched the event due to the close turnaround of that final and the final of the 200m IM. The decision was justified as she posted 2:07.89
Overseas based... (From page 76) community activist and is also spreading the word of GOD, does not only assist cycling, but gives to other sports and community activities as well. Roberts in expressing appreciation thanked Crawford for always remembering the club. He used the opportunity to call on other past members, overseas based Guyanese and businessman and more so the Government to take a page out of Crawford’s book and come forward and assist the youths so that they could be kept away from the ills of the society and illicit activities. (Samuel Whyte)
Alia Atkinson... will take consolation from these performances, after a disappointing outing at the recently concluded Rio Olympics. minutes for second in the medley event, behind world record holder Katinka Hosszu of Hungary, who won in a time of 2:06.64. Miho Takahashi (2:08.22) of Japan was third. Atkinson’s time was just outside her national record of
2:07.30 minutes and was a significant improvement on her qualifying time of 2:16.96. Yesterday’s second and final day saw her competing in the 100m freestyle, 50m and 200m breaststroke, 100m IM and the 50m butterfly.
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Brazil court frees Ireland’s Mallon A. Ally and Sons First Division arrested in Rio Olympic ticket scam basketball competition (Reuters) A Brazilian court said on Saturday it has authorized the release of Ireland’s Kevin James Mallon, a director of international sports hospitality company THG who was arrested on Aug. 5 for the alleged illegal scalping of Olympic tickets. Mallon was being held along with the former head of the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) Patrick Hickey, who is still detained in a Rio prison. Brazilian police said earlier in August they uncovered emails between Hickey and THG executives discussing tickets they planned to sell at inflated prices, which would earn
continues in Berbice today
Sports fans queue to buy tickets to Olympic events. (REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci) them as much as 10 million reais ($3.09 million) in profit. On Friday, a source in the Rio state security services
told Reuters that a Rio de Janeiro court will return the passports of three members of the OCI who will be allowed to leave Brazil.
The A. Ally and Sons Basketball Competition for teams in Berbice is set to continue today with one more game. The action is expected to switch to the West Berbice w h e r e t h e l o n e We s t Berbice team Ithaca Hardliners will play host to Smithfield Rockers from 16:00hrs on the Ithaca Basketball Court, West Bank, Berbice. T h e s i x - t e a m competition has seen the teams being divided into two groups with group ‘A’
comprising of Smithfield Rockers, Fyrish Black Sharks and Ithaca Hardliners of West Berbice. The teams making up group ‘B’ are Rose Hall Town Jammers, Guyana Human Development Centre of Corentyne and New A m s t e r d a m Wa r r i o r s . The teams in each group will play each other once with the top two advancing to play the top two in the other group. The winners will advance to the semifinals. Matches in the tournament are being held every Sunday.
Cash, trophies and other incentives will be presented to the top three teams with the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and other outstanding individual performers being awarded. So far in the competition, Smithfield Rockers gained a walkover from Fyrish Black S h a r k s a n d Rose Hall Town Jammers defeated newcomers Guyana Human Development Centre (GHDC) of Corentyne. The coordinator is Vibert Garrett. (Samuel Whyte)
GCB’s Jaguars 3-day League
Foo’s 152 and Permaul 10-80 hands L/C’tyne two-day win Despite Ricardo Adams’ belligerent half-century By Sean Devers Jonathon Foo extended his overnight 106 to 152 and Ve e r a s a m m y P e r m a u l grabbed a match haul of 1080 on one of the better pitches at a local ground, to hand Lower Corentyne an emphatic innings and 122run victory with almost a day and a session to spare in the first round GCB Jaguars three-day League against Essequibo which ended yesterday at the Tuschen Community Centre ground on the East Bank of Essequibo. Scores: E’bo 101 & 159, L/C’tyne 382 Resuming on their overnight 173-2 with Foo on 106 and Gajanand Singh on 25, the Berbicians scored quickly and added 182 for the third wicket as they put their foot on gas from the word go before Foo was LBW to Anthony Adams at 246. The pugnacious right hander batted for 205 minutes, faced 93 balls, reached the boundary 13 times and cleared it on 11 occasions. The left-handed Singh, who faced 79 balls and batted 114 minutes and struck five fours and two sixes, also fell to Anthony Adams for 52 at 250-4. David Latchaya blasted the ball to all parts of the fast and well manicured outfield and added 60 with Hakim
Hinds (10) in quick time as he dominated the stand. Latchaya entertained the enthusiastic crowd who turned out on a day when the t20 in Florida game was played. He played an array of delightful shots and galloped to 68 from just 50 balls and 78 minutes. Latchaya hit seven fours and five sixes, three of them off consecutive deliveries off Skipper Ronsford Beaton. He eventually departed at 352-6 before the Adams siblings (Anthony & Akenie) mopped up the innings just after Lunch, which was taken at 355-8. Akenie finished with 541, while Anthony supported with 3-112 for Essequibo who were set 281 to avoid an innings defeat. Royan Fredericks, who struck six fours in his 28, added 33 for the first wicket with Kevin Boodie (16). Fredericks stroked Neil Smith down the ground for four before punching him off the back foot to the cover boundary, while Boodie climbed into Smith and smashed him for four in an over which cost 13. Fredericks pulled Johnson for four and gave himself room and slapped Permaul for a boundary and fans present were dancing to the pulsating music of ‘Lil things Sounds Systems’ as both openers played with plenty of positivity.
Nestled in an agricultural setting, the ground produced a wonderful atmosphere for a local encounter with the Community supporting the biggest match at the well kept venue. The sunshine was brilliant as a cooling breeze ruffled the branches of the several coconut trees outside the ground. The ground announcer provided scores on the game with the West Indies match in Florida, while the DJ played Dave Martin’s ‘We are the Champions and DJ Bravo ‘Champions’ when Bravo dismissed Dhoni off the last ball to give West Indies a one-run win. But the fans were soon silenced when Permaul trapped Boodie and Ricardo Peters LBW in successive balls to leave the hosts on 332. When Fredericks and Parmesh Parsotram (8) departed in the space of six runs to leave 59-4 it appeared that victory was just a formality but in came Ricardo Adams and the crowd was brought back to life. The left-hander who lives in the street just behind was in a no nonsense mood and hit Permaul for a four and a six before clobbering the expensive Permaul for consecutive sixes to post his 50 from just 21 balls. Adams seemed motivated when the
Fazeela Nasrudeen presents $20,000 each to Foo and Permaul on behalf of A&S Lumber Yard of Tuschen yesterday. announcer disclosed that $20,000 was up for grabs if an Essequibian reached a century and $20,000 for any bowler who took a 10-wicket match haul. Avinash Persaud who added 68 with Adams for the sixth wicket, smashed Johnson for a six and a four in two balls, but when Persaud (18) departed at 127-5 and Adams threw his wicket away when he hit a long-hop from Gajanand Singh straight to the fielder on the deep mid-wicket boundary four runs later, Permaul cleaned up the tail as the game ended at 15:37hrs yesterday.
Foo and Permaul received $20,000 each for making a ton and taking 10 wickets respectively. The cash was handed over by Fazeela Nasrudeen, the d a u g h t e r o f Tu s c h e n Community Centre Committee secretary Shazim Nasrudeen on behalf of A&S Lumber Yard. Both Coaches praised the quality of the pitch and the ground which has been only given one game in this League. President of the ground Committee Deoram Rai told Kaieteur Sports, Community support was readily available and the
neighboring provided three pieces of covers since the GCB only sent two covers. Nasrudeen explained that the venue provided the music set and the ground announcer, while they intend to put up tents to separate the players from the fans who are accommodated in the same stand if they get any more games at this level. Businessman Nazir Khan was responsible for all preparations for the ground including the cutting of the grass, providing water and putting an area in place for officials and the media, free of cost.
Kaieteur News
Sunday August 28, 2016
PAGE 79
Lewis hundred, Bravo brilliance seal narrow Windies triumph
Johnson Charles tries to go big over the leg side, India v West Indies, 1st T20I, Lauderhill, August 27, 2016 ©BCCI LAUDERHILL, Florida, CMC — Evin Lewis stroked an astonishing maiden Twenty20 International century but West Indies required all-rounder Dwayne Bravo’s guile in a brilliant last over, to beat India by a single run, in a thrilling finish to the opening game of the two-match series here Saturday. The left-handed opener struck exactly 100 off 49 deliveries as West Indies, sent in at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, amassed the third highest-ever T20I total in reaching 245 for six off their 20 overs. Lewis’s opening Johnson Charles smashed 79 off 33 balls while Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell both chimed in with 22,as
KL Rahul lofts the ball over long-off, India v West Indies, 1st T20I, Florida, August 27, 2016 ©BCCI
left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (2-39) and seamer Jasprit Bumrah (2-47) picked up two wickets apiece. In reply, KL Rahul carved out a superb, unbeaten 110 off 51 balls — his maiden T20I hundred — while opener Rohit Sharma bludgeoned 61 from 28 deliveries and captain MS Dhoni, an unbeaten 43 from 25 balls. India were firm favourites when they started the final over needing just eight runs but Bravo, who finished with two for 37 off his four overs, showed every inch of this experience to get West Indies over the line. He had Dhoni dropped by Marlon Samuels off the first delivery as the batsmen
scrambled a single and then held Rahul to a single to deep cover off the next ball. Dhoni scampered a leg bye off the third ball before Rahul missed out on a huge opportunity when he could only get a single off a low full toss off the fourth delivery. With four runs needed from the last two deliveries, Dhoni squeezed an attempted yorker down the ground and collected two but off the last ball, found himself deceived by a Bravo slower delivery and squirted a simple catch to Samuels at third man. West Indies had earlier claimed opener Ajinkya Rahane cheaply off Russell when he was caught by Bravo on the ropes at third
Grand Central Bar pool competition on today Fans and players, both amateur and pros of Pools are expected to flock to the Grand Central Bar (Jerries) of Grove where a pools competition will commence from 15:00hrs. Entrance fee is $2,000 with the winner set to take home a trophy and
$100,000, runner up a trophy and $40,000, third place a trophy and $20,000 and fourth place a trophy. The MVP will pocket a cell phone. The competition is s p o n s o r ed b y Ed d ies Bobcat, Excavator and Construction Service,
Shaffie Mohamed Mining Company, Ansa McAL, L. Mahabeer and Son Cambio, Sahadeo Mining, Khemraj Nauth Contracting Service, Grand Central Pool Bar, A1 Imports and Cell Phone Shack. Keen competition is anticipated.
Kaysan Ninvalle claims U-11 gold for Guyana in Caribbean Pre-Cadet TT C/ships - Nevaeh Clarkston and Isaiah Layne take U-13 silver Kaysan Ninvalle broke the Trinidad and Tobago dominance at the Caribbean Pre-Cadet Table Tennis Championship played at the National Indoor Sports Centre (NISC) in Jamaica as he stormed to the lone gold medal in the Under-11 department yesterday. According to reports from Jamaica and confirmed by local Table Tennis official, Godfrey Munroe, Ninvalle defeated Janah
Maugie of Trinidad in the final. Known as a fierce young competitor, Ninvalle would have snuck in to halt T&T’s run as they would have dominated most of the action since the team competition phase. Nevaeh Clarkston and Isaiah Layne fought hard but came up just short to claim silver medals after going down in the finals of the Boys and Girls U-13 divisions.
This adds to the medals they have already won in the team and doubles frames. This is a commendable performance from the youngsters and bodes well for the future of local Table Tennis as they have shown they can compete with honours at the regional level at this tender age. Wi t h t h e r e q u i s i t e preparation they can match the Trinidadians in the years to come.
man — the Trinidadian running around and producing a sensational low dive to come up with a spectacular catch at 31 for one in the third over. S t r o k e - m a k e r Vi r a t Kohli threatened but only briefly, striking three fours in scoring 16 off eight balls before gloving a leg-side catch to wicketkeeper Andre Fletcher off Bravo. India were stumbling on 48 for two at the fifth over but Rahul anchored two excellent, successive partnerships to put them in the driver’s seat. First, he put on 89 with Rohit who clobbered four fours and four sixes in carving out his 11th T20I half-century before holing out to deep mid-wicket off Pollard’s slow medium in the 12th over. Rahul then collaborated in a fourth wicket stand of 107 with Dhoni which India on the verge of pulling off the highest run chase ever in a T20 International. Rahul, dropped on 36 by Russell at long-off off seamer and captain Carlos Brathwaite, struck 12 fours and five sixes while Dhoni counted two fours and two sixes but both their efforts proved in vain. Lewis had earlier given West Indies the impetus with a rollocking innings which included five fours and nine sixes. The 24-year-old produced a wonderful exhibition of clean hitting as he put on a stroke-filled 126 off 57 deliveries for the first wicket with Charles, whose half-century contained six fours and seven sixes. Charles did most of the early damage, plundering 17 runs from the opening over from seamer Mohammed Shami before taking another 13 from the third over sent
down by pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He raised his fourth T20I half-century off 20 balls with a pair of back-to-back sixes off off-spinner Ravi Ashwin in the sixth over and he ripped apart Jadeja in the ninth over which cost 20 runs, before he was bowled in the following over by a full length delivery from Mohammed Shami. Lewis, meanwhile, appeared measured until he slammed a pair of back-toback leg-side sixes off Jadeja in the seventh over, before reaching his fifty off 25 deliveries by carving Mohammed Shami to the point boundary in the tenth
over. In the next over, he flirted with history when he belted five consecutive sixes off the hapless Stuart Binny but could only drag the final delivery to long-on for a single. Lewis slowed as he neared three figures and brought up the landmark with a single off the first ball off the 16th over from Jadeja. He perished to the fifth ball, skying to cover. Russell departed in the same over and afterward, the Windies failed to find the late acceleration they needed as 40 runs came from the next four overs.
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Sunday August 28, 2016
Kaieteur News
DCC coaching camp concludes
Participants share a moment at the conclusion of the camp Friday. The Demerara Cricket Club coaching camp concluded Friday with a simple ceremony at their Queenstown based location. In addressing the participants, President of the club Alfred Mentore urged the students to remain committed to the game and stay focused on their education. He pointed out to the youths that their participation in the game is not limited to the field, as they are now opportunities for persons to engage the areas of coaching, commentary, and statisticians among others. Mentore made mention of Jordon Nelson, who came to the camp not knowing much about the game but instead of gravitating towards the on-field action, he quickly became
abreast with the correct scoring and the rules of the sport. Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Sports Ministry Alfred King stated that the camp should be a model for other sporting institutions and developing sports men and women, while Coach Gavin Nedd challenged the young cricketers to build on the knowledge gained and the need to conduct Jordon Nelson accepts his trophy for self-training if they wish to best student from Permanent Secretary reach the summit. Alfred King in the presence of Alfred Mentore. In closing, the club President thanked all the sponsors for their support four years old, focused on and as well as the technical onand future partnerships for such teaching its pupils areas such as field play. Several of the top programmes. public speaking, health and performers received trophies The camp which catered for nutrition, the necessity of while each attendee took home a the persons from as young as fitness, the rules of the games certificate of participation.
The best under-15 player Daniel Mootoo receives a pair of gloves from Club President Alfred Mentore compliments of National cricketer Christopher Barnwell and his new store Sporting Edge.
Overseas based Guyanese, Flying Under 16 boxers in action today in Pepsi Mike Parris tournament Ace Cycle club event in Berbice today Under-16 boxers will be involved in keen competition today when the Guyana Boxing Association stages the Pepsi sponsored Mike Parris tournament at the National Gymnasium starting at 1:00pm. This is the second edition
of this tournament for the year, the first being in April when the first Schoolboys and Juniors tournament was held here. Nine gyms will be participating in today’s action featuring over 20 boxers. The defending
champion is the Essequibo gym, which is under the guidance of Coach Clifton Moore and led by the talented Shaquincy Wright. A n o t h e r s u c h tournament is slated for December.
Volleyball tournament in Berbice put back one week The one day Volleyball competition oganised by the B e r b i c e Vo l l e y b a l l Association and sponsored by the 3 Doors Strikers Volleyball Club, which was set for today at the club’s court at D’Edward Village, West Bank, Berbice, has been put back by one week and is now slated for Sunday 4th September at the same venue. Over 20 teams are
expected to take part in the all-day competition which is expected to feature games among the male and female seniors and junior males. Teams are expected from Orealla/ Siparuta, up the Corentyne River, Rollers of New Amsterdam, No.52 Survivals, Jets of C o r r i v e r t o n , Ta i n Humanitarian, Port Mourant Jaguars, PMTC, GTCPM, host 3 Doors strikers, Black
Bush and Berbice High School among others. Incentives will be presented to the top teams in the various categories and the outstanding individual p l a y e r s . The activity will be c o o r d i n a t e d b y B VA President and National Coach Levi Nedd. Action serves off at 09:00 hrs next Sunday. (Samuel Whyte)
Cyclists in Berbice will today hit the road when the Flying Ace Cycling Club (FACC) in Berbice in collaboration with overseas based Guyanese Franco Crawford stage a 35 miles event along the Corentyne Coast. The event is expected to pedal off from in front of the No51 Police Station on the Upper Corentyne and proceed to Main and Alexander Street in New Amsterdam for the finish, starting from 09:00 hrs. The race is for cyclists in Berbice and will see all the riders receiving incentives. There will be a number of prizes for the top finishers and outstanding riders d u r i n g t h e j o u r n e y. Prizes will be presented to the first six cyclists to cross the finish line. Rewards will also be presented to the first three juveniles and the first three veterans. There will
also be 10 sprint point prizes up for grabs. The outstanding performers will be presented with cycling gear including clothing and other necessities. Only the winners will receive a monetary award. Crawford had churned out a name for himself in Guyana as a top cyclist, riding as a member of the FACC before migrating to England where he continues to play his trade in the European and North American Circuits. Crawford is once again becoming a house hold name not mainly for his sporting exploits, but for his selfless and benevolent appetite to assist others. Crawford, who returns to Guyana on a regular basis, is once again back home on holiday and has been assisting his countrymen with gifts and other
donations in a number of areas so that they can have an opportunity to improve their skills and better themselves in whatever they do. Crawford stated that he is motivated to assist his fellow Guyanese because he feels happy to be able to return to Guyana and give back to his home country a n d c o m m u n i t y. H e remembered his early upbringing when he hadn’t a proper bike and gear to participate. He continues to be impressed by the talent that is available in Guyana. Crawford handed over the gear during the week to coordinator of the event and club coach Randolph Roberts. Crawford is expected to participate in the race and is expected to match pedals with his local counterparts. Crawford, who is now a (Continued on page 73)
Kaieteur News
Sunday August 28, 2016
Trophy Stall presents trophies
PAGE 81
GCB Jaguars three-day league
All set for Real Presidents East Bank Demerara lead by 74 with 5 wkts Cup Horserace meet
intact against Georgetown By Zaheer Mohamed
Tiana Lovell of the Trophy Stall presents the President Cup and champion jockey trophy to Wayne Campayne of the President’s Cup organising committee. By Samuel Whyte Thousands including a number of top government and regional officials are expected to be in attendance today for the second annual ‘Real President’s Cup Horserace meet which is being held in honour of Guyana’s President, his Excellency Brigadier David Granger. The event which has been organized by the RSTC in collaboration with the Friends of Rising Sun is slated for today at the Rising Sun Turf Club Arima Park West Coast Berbice. The eight races carded has received some major late injections which has pushed the total prize package to $ 10M which includes cash, trophies and other incentives up for the takings. Reports from the venue are that all systems are in place. The surface has been rolled and watered, the fence, the rails and the stands have all been given a face lift for the big day. Meanwhile, the Trophy Stall along with the Government of Guyana, Banks DIH, Nand Persaud a n d C o m p a n y, I n s h a n Bacchus Mining and Trucking Service, Jumbo Jet and Gansham Singh Lumber yard of No 6 West Coast Berbice are the major sponsors on board. Over 80 of Guyana’s top horses will be matching strides as the competed for the heft winning available. All eyes will once again be on the feature A and
Lower 1400M even, where a few questions are expected to be answered as to which is the best race horse in Guyana. The event has attracted 10 starters with defending champion Just Call Me Boss looking to continue its good showing especially at that venue. But will definitely have its work cut out against the likes of the Inform Princess She Not, Score’s Even, CP Got Even, Jack in My Style, Lady B u d a p e s t , B r a v e S k y, Release the Beast, Plum Plum and the newly imported Light Up Canada running out of the Nand Persaud Karibee Rice Stable. The winner is set to race away with the hefty $1.2M and the massive President’s Cup trophy compliments of Trophy Stall Bourda market. A winners prize of $600,000 and trophy is available for the top animal in the event for E and lower animals over 1400M. Among the front runners are Release the Beast, Because I Say So, Plum Plum, Precise Gold, Good Will Boy, It’s My Choice, Mansoon and California Strike. The G class 1400M race is expected to be a close encounter with the likes of Keep on Swinging, Red Rocket, Cat Messiah, It’s My Choice, Campador, Big Man Boss, Witchy Poo and Red Rocket expected to explode for the winning prize of $400,000 and trophy. The two year old event for Guyana Bred horses over 1100M for a winning
pocketing $350,000 and trophy will see Animals such as Champion Boy, Royal Jet, Seven Dust, Born To Be True, Genuine Risk and King Stanley looking for the win. Other races will feature H and Lower horses over 1400M for $300,000 winners money, the J and Lower 1100M gallop has a top prize of $260,000 and trophy, the K and lower 1100M event has some 12 runners lined up for a pole position taking of $240,000 a n d t r o p h y . There are over 27 animals entered for the two L class e v e n t s . The first event is for open L and lower horses over 1100M for a winning purse of $220,000 and trophy. The second event is for L class maidens horses (that hasn’t won an event) which has some 15 entries as they also compete over 1100M for a winning pocket of $180,000 a n d t r o p h y . Other sponsors include Chico Singh, Habla Meat Centre, Rising Sun Cattle Ranch and the Chester Fry Chicken Bush Lot, among others. Top jockeys, runner up, stable and trainer will be presented with incentives compliments of Ramesh Sunich of the Trophy Stall and the organizers. The Guyana Government and the Guyana Horse Racing Authority (GHRA) have both gave their full blessing to the activity. Race time is 12:00hrs.
East Bank Demerara closed the second and penultimate day on 68-5, leading by 74 runs batting a second time against Georgetown when the Guyana Cricket Board Jaguars three-day League continued yesterday at the Everest Cricket Club. Lefthander Sherfene Rutherford is on 12, while skipper Steven Jacobs is on two. After gaining a first innings lead of six, East Bank quickly lost Ryan Shun caught off left arm seamer Andre Stoll for two and Tevin Imlach lbw to Stoll for one to be at 11-2. Trevon Griffith and Mark Robhe took the score to 42 before Robhe who laboured for 97 minutes and faced 67 balls was bowled by Kellon Carmichael for seven. The left-handed Griffith hardly put a foot wrong until he offered off-spinner Gajnanan Suknanan a return catch after he had struck three fours and one six in scoring 36 off 77 balls with the score on 60. Suknanan
Dexter Solomon then bowled Budhan Baksh without scoring the very next d e l i v e r y. H o w e v e r, Rutherford and Jacobs saw them to the close without further hiccups. Stoll and Suknanan have so far taken two wickets each and Carmichael one. Earlier, Georgetown resumed on 65-3 in reply to East Bank first innings 192 and were bowled out for 186
in the second session. Pacer Rutherford provided his team with the breakthrough when he had Christopher Barnwell, who began on 28, caught at the wicket for 31 with only four runs added to the total. Rutherford then induced Ronaldo Alimohamed (00) to nick one through to wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach off the first ball he had faced. But Kwame Crosse and Dexter Solomon consolidated to boost their team somewhat with sensible batting on a complicated pitch. Crosse who retired hurt when on 24 was eventually stumped off left arm spinner Totoram Bishun for 36. Suknanan was lbw to Baksh for three before Carmichael went for 14 to leave their team at 143-7. While the rest of the batting didn’t offer much support, Solomon batted with confidence to remain unbeaten on 62. He faced 158 balls and hit four fours in 193 minutes. Jacobs finished with 3-29, Rutherford 3-32 and Bishun 2-35. Play starts at 09:30 hrs today.
Ministry of Social Cohesion Tapeball Cricket set for today The Ministry of Social Cohesion will be hosting a Tapeball Cricket competition today at the National Cultural Centre tarmac. The 12 teams expected to take part are Ministry of Education, Transport and Harbours Department, Guysuco, Enmore Estate, Guyoil, GPHC, Prison Service, Cross
Breed Company, Noble House Sea Foods, Namilco, BV Enterprise and EPA. At stake are trophies and medals sponsored by the media houses, Trophy Stall and Ministry of Social Cohesion. Teams can contact James Lewis on 672 6179 or 628 1656 for any information.
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Sunday August 28, 2016
Kaieteur News
Keen battles expected in Mayor’s Cup quarterfinals today at GFC
Randolph Wagner
Amos Ramsay The Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground will be the venue what is anticipated to be keenly contested battles when the quarterfinals of the Mayor’s Cup football championship are contested today as teams eye the Mayor’s Cup and Aruwai first prize. The action opens at 4:30pm with the first of a triple header card when Santos take on Police in the first quarterfinal. Coordinator Lennox Arthur, who is a former national player and coach, said this game should be a good one for the fans and he is urging them to come out early to
catch all the games. He noted that Santos is a young team who are reorganizing and are out to prove a point and the Police team can expect a pitched battle. Santos will depend on Ronald Dover, Fabian Crawford and Keith Caines to lead their charge, while the Lawmen have Keiron Boston, Dwayne Charles and Dion Rodney carrying their attack. Coming up at 6:30pm Western Tigers challenge Eagles of Linden in the second match. Western Tigers are the favourites going into this match and will look to Ryan Adolph, Randolph Wagner and
Dwayne Ali to carry their fight. However, Arthur warns that they ought to be very careful against the Linden outfit that is made up of mainly players under-19. Despite their youthfulness, Eagles have shown excellent chemistry and cohesiveness as a unit, many having come through the ranks from the school football system and have shown they can work together to upstage any big name opposition, so the Tigers ought to beware this is not a walk in the park. The last quarterfinal of the night at 8:30pm pits Riddim Squad against
Dwayne Ali Linden champion team Federal Winners Connection in what will be another Linden vs Georgetown rivalry. The visitions will look to Keon Sears and Rawle Gittens to lead their attack against Riddim Squad, a team out of the Mocha Arcadia area, who will have several siblings to call on including the Hope and Ramsey boys. This should be a scorcher between two very talented sides. F o l l o w i n g t o d a y ’s action, three nights of the tournament remain to determine the winner. The semis are set for
Keon Sears Wednesday August 31 and final and third place fixed for September 11. At stake in the championship is the top prize of $700,000 and a trophy donated by Aruwai Resort. The second place team pockets $300,000 and the Ansa McAl trophy, while the third place team carts off $200,000 and the John Fernandes trophy. The fourth place finishers will receive $100,000 and the Ministry of State trophy. Ricks and Sari has also donated hampers which will go to the winning team, while tournament’s
top goal scorer will get a three piece suite compliments of AH&L Kissoon Furniture Store. Top Brandz of Broad and High Streets, distributors of Interstate vehicle batteries, is among the key sponsors on board assisting the tournament. Aruwai Resort of the Essequibo River is also another main supporter of this year’s event. Apart from Aruwai Resort and Top Brandz, others on board include: Ansa McAl, Minister of State Joe Harmon and his ministry, John Fernandes, Ricks and Sari and AH&L Kissoon.
Records tumble on Day One of Boyce/Jefford Classic VII Guyana Defence Force’s (GDF) Patrick King leaped into the record books of the Boyce & Jefford Track and Field Classic yesterday with a second round fifth attempt mark that wrested the Long Jump title from long-time rival, Linden’s Winston Caesar. King leaped to 6.88m to better Caesar’s 6.86m mark in a competitive second round jump off that ignited those who paid attention to the fierce rivalry in perfect conditions for athletics at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground in Linden. King replaced teammate, Leon Bishop’s 2010 mark of 6.72m. Soldier, Lorex Stewart (6.61m) took home the bronze medal in the event that carried a total purse of $100,000 that was divided with the winner getting $50,000; second $30,000 and third $20,000. L i n d e n ’s C h a n t o b o Bright, who is a double CARIFTA Games silver medalist in the jumps,
showed her class yesterday when she also set a new record in the Long Jump with a 5.27m mark that replaced Natasha Alder’s 4.76m 2011 record. GDF’s Aniqua Powley(5.15m) was second while Police’s, Tandika Burgess 4.96m finished third. The record-breaking trend continued in the Discus Throw when Tinecia Cort tossed the iron saucer 38.92m to win for (GDF) and set a new record, erasing Phillycia Burke’s 29.56m record from five years ago. Police’s Natasha Alder was second with 33.73m, while team-mate, Saphia Vanderstoop (33.65m) was third. In the Men’s Discuss event, Police’s Julio Sinclair replaced Ronald Payne’s 2010 38.46m mark with his 43:31m mark. Police’s Warren Duncan (37:81m) was second while Linden’s Jermaine Simmons (36:98m) finished third.
Police swept the top two places in the Women’s 3000m with Joanna Archer winning in 12:02.9 and Tabitha Bowman second in 12:06.4. Soldier, Ashanti Scott (12:32.0) was third. However, the Soldiers reversed the order in the Men’s 5000m. Cleveland Forde paced to a comfortable win in 16:30.6 while Odwin Tudor was second in 16:34.2 to ensure a top two placement as well. Police’s Nathaniel Giddings (16:48.7) was third in the race. United States-based collegiate athlete, Alita Moore stormed to victory in the 200m Finals in 25.7 seconds, handing Police the win ahead of GDF’s Natrena Hooper (26.0 secs) with Bright getting into the third position for Linden with 26.6 seconds. In the Men’s 200m Finals, Olympian Winston George, who recently returned from Rio Games in Brazil showed his
-Police leads Soldiers with 28 Finals left for today
Patrick King
superiority with a 21.5 seconds victory ahead of Davin Fraser (21.7 secs) and Rupert Perry (21.9 secs) respectively. The race also featured Jamaica’s Racers Track Club, Keno Burrell. The points standing in
the club championships after the first day of competition yesterday places Police ahead with 147 points, while GDF trails on 124 points with 28 Finals to be contested from 1pm today at the MSC Ground in Linden.
Linden sit in third on 78 points as Mercury Fast Laners has amassed 28 points in fourth. Super Upcoming Runners are in fifth heading into the final day of competition today.
Kaieteur News
Sunday August 28, 2016
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First wins for Arsenal and Leicester, Chelsea thump Burnley LONDON (Reuters) Arsenal and Leicester City picked up their first Premier League wins of the season by beating Watford and Swansea City respectively on Saturday while Chelsea continued their 100 percent start with a 3-0 stroll over Burnley. Danny Rose’s strike cancelled out James M i l n e r ’s p e n a l t y a s Tottenham Hotspur came from behind to draw 1-1 with Liverpool. First-half goals from Santi Cazorla, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil gave Arsenal a 3-1 win at Watford to ease the pressure on long-serving manager Arsene Wenger. “We had two difficult away games,” Wenger told Sky Sports. “But today I believe we had a good solid performance.” Cazorla opened the scoring with a ninth-minute penalty and Sanchez and the outstanding Ozil struck again before halftime. “We had a good cushion at halftime,” Wenger added. “At the moment we’re not
Leicester City’s Ahmed Musa in action with Swansea City’s Ki Sung Yueng. (Action Images via Reuters / Carl RecineLivepic)
Watford’s Etienne Capoue in action with Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere. (Action Images via Reuters / Andrew BoyersLivepic)
completely there physically and you could see that in the second half.” Debutant Roberto Pereyra pulled one back for Watford with an unstoppable shot. Champions Leicester got back to winning ways after Jamie Vardy’s trademark strike and Wes Morgan’s second-half effort downed Swansea City 2-1 at a rainswept King Power Stadium. Var d y b ea t Lu k as z Fabianski after being picked out by Danny Drinkwater
before captain Morgan slammed home from close range. Leroy Fer pulled one back in the 80th minute after Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez had a 56th-minute penalty saved by Fabianski. Goals from Eden Hazard, Willian and Victor Moses sent Antonio Conte’s Chelsea provisionally to top spot with a 3-0 win over Burnley in a one-sided match at Stamford Bridge. A revitalised Hazard beat Tom Heaton in the ninth
minute and Willian added a second in the 41st minute after being played in by Diego Costa. “The team played very well, created a lot of chances,” Conte said. “To keep the clean sheet is very important and to increase our confidence in the work we are doing. Now we must continue.” Substitute Moses added a third as Chelsea’s revival continues apace. Juergen Klopp was left
frustrated at Tottenham as Liverpool failed to kill the game despite their first-half dominance. Milner opened the scoring with a 43rd-minute penalty after Erik Lamela had fouled Roberto Firmino, but Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane were both denied during a one-sided first half. Rose made Liverpool pay for their profligacy in the 72nd minute to leave Klopp ruing an opportunity
missed. “We must be more clinical,” Klopp said. “It’s not a game you win four or five. It’s difficult to create one chance, we had a few.” Everton continued their unbeaten start when they overcame Stoke City 1-0 thanks to keeper Shay G i v e n ’s o w n g o a l . Southampton and Crystal Palace scored late equalisers to 1-1 draws with Sunderland and Bournemouth respectively.
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Lewis hundred, Bravo brilliance seal narrow Windies triumph Evin Lewis eyes the off side, India v West Indies, 1st T20I, Lauderhill, August 27, 2016 ©BCCI
Dwayne Bravo exults with his teammates after West Indies’ one-run win, India v West Indies, 1st T20I, Florida, August 27, 2016 ©BCCI
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